“The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.”

Part One

Part Three

Part Two

Now, let’s see, where were we when last we were together? That little sleep has made me stuporous and hazy headed. Oh yes, now it is coming back to me. We were speaking of our dear beloved Stultitia of whom we have all bowed the knee. In a rare exhibition of her generosity she has paraded all of mankind onto the stage of our delusionary life and given us a peep behind the curtain. Here we also met her propmasters and helpers Anoia, (lack of understanding or ignorance), and Lethe, (obscurity, or forgetfulness), with whose help she prepares the costumes and prints the script. It is not at all unusual to find one of her actors totally involved in his or her part, believing that they are the epitome of fashion, the defenders of the faith, masters of their own destiny, the most brilliant, the most beautiful, able to perceive dark mysteries, leap tall buildings with a single bound, or prevent the train wreck that portrays man’s life, teetering on the brink of that great death, the oblivion of outer darkness. The plethora of foolish imaginations and the creative genius of their dementia have provided the gods with infinite hours of entertainment.

We also discovered just how necessary foolishness is to the successful exploitation of our miniscule part in the grand play. Why, without Folly, her children pout and become bored, peradventure some benevolent soul should cross their path with news of life outside the cave and the hope of something more serious strike a root. Yes, yes, foolishness is what makes life worth living, proven by all of her children. From A to Z it is Folly who opens the doorway to bliss. Now, just think about it, remove all the foolishness from this dismal existence and what do you have left? Complete boredom! Veracity occupies only a fly speck in the overall production that only a minutia of mankind are ever likely to recognize it; but Folly, on the other hand, is fruitful and can be found and favored anywhere anytime, and requires but one resolve, i.e. ignore the fable in some ancient moth eaten manuscript, and get on with the show.

Folly has been generous in her perusal and desires to go beyond the general to the exalted. The common person will most readily admit of their foolish life, replete with redundant misdeeds, and ever anxious to test some new life strategy, like Lotto or investments in depreciating commodities. But, let’s go on to those who are the “wise” in this world, and who profess to shun foolishness. It is these worldly wisenheimers who have raised foolishness to an art form, and who have perfected stupidity while thumbing their nose at the common duncical lot of humanity.

Bear with me awhile as we venture into the realm of well-mollified madness. Madness tranquillized and normalized, Insaneness promoted to the status quo. Think not that Stultitia has been relegated to the State Department only; it simply is not true my fellow fool; if Folly is prolific anywhere she is prolific in the pulpit. Now we will pass from the general to the more specific.

Delusions of Grandeur, the Breakfast of Champions

Folly declares that she is so much more tempered and not like those other gods and goddesses who send curses and lightening, draughts and plagues, and all kinds of suffering when improperly recognized. She demands no temple or sacrifices. “Why should I require a goat or a wafer when men everywhere pay me homage in their minds and manners continually.” She would be the first to remind us that even the Christians follow this rule. How many of them do such foolish things like burning candles, even during the day when they are not needed, or becoming a wholly different person with a completely different persona on a certain day of the week, sometimes twice a day, and practice rituals, doing this, that, and the other, then revert back to their common everyday self for the conduction of business and life outside their religious building. And especially, those Catholics with all their sacraments, pretending to be holy by doing certain things certain ways and invoking the names of Apostles and mere men, weeping at scratches on walls, worshiping the virgin Mary instead of Jesus through so many Hail Mary recitations and bead counting, and believing they are accepted of God by these, and never actually imitating the Apostle’s holy lives with selflessness and humility. “Good lord, why would I want a temple, the whole world is my temple, dedicated to me, Folly?”

And, those Protestants, they are no better. Thinking they made great strides with Luther and Calvin. Their followers through time set up whole institutions of religious practices, dampening the light and darkening the path with the leaven of foolishness. Even the Peasant’s War, although the product of the madness of a malicious sort reflected the same folly as Popery, promoting vanity, pride, and the conceit of selfish-fulfillment, and rang the death knell for many local Catholics. Calvin also, with his great influence, was unable to forgo the sentence of death, for the poor fool Servetus, by his own followers. What was it that the Protestant church protested anyway if it wasn’t the complete foolishness of corrupt popery with its thousands and thousands of butchered humans because of their differences in beliefs on thousands of possible points? Madness never ceases. Christ’s command for them to go back and do their first work over again was translated by the Reformers as only going part way back to maybe the third or fourth works, which allowed faith and foolishness to remain a mixture.

Having taken a peek into the vortex of madness, which is madness of the grossest sort, Folly now fast forwards us into our present foolishness. Today the word “Protestant” is rarely used, and this is due to Folly’s apt assistant Lethe a.k.a. forgetfulness, which she administers with sophistication; a quality of which the whole world belies. Pray tell, what is there to “protest” today, aren’t we all becoming one. What better unity and ecumenism than the universal adoration of Folly? I, Folly, am the fulfillment of all the hopes of Hippies, the existential hinge on which the whole world turns; the universal, ecumenical, experiential focus point that every generation has sought; I, Folly, am above all gods, beloved of my children. To wake-up into my sleep is eternal, blessed, bliss.

The Reverential Face of Folly

Folly is often found in the pulpit imitating the “divines” who are confident that they have risen to Lordship, Father-hood, Reverend, or Most Reverend, or some other self-ingratiating title, and let’s not forget our esteemed Doctors.

Certainly, though no one is less willing than our religious leaders to recognize my good will toward them, but they are still obliged to me for no little benefit of importance. Who, but I, have blessed them with so much selflove that they are wholly persuaded that they are dwellers of the third heaven, looking from their lofty perch, declaring mere recipients of revelation as only kitchen table theologians, and not fitted for understanding the deep things of a Schoolman? And, those of popish persuasion declare proudly of their ability to see meanings of words not apparent to the vulgar cut of mankind; projecting penance for repentance, indulgence for grace and free gift, or judging Jesus’ own words “it is finished” to mean that it is not finished. Do you see the absolute foolishness of this? and it goes on and on, and they are lucky enough to find whole troops of gnats and flies to believe them, never questioning this popish poopery. What total moronity and my own foolishness exceed even me, in their own declaration and separating out of venial and mortal sins. Why, this madness alone accounts for the complete blessedness of millions to enjoy booze, bingo, and casino night for the price of a few good deeds. Little do they know, because they are held by an inebriated elation, that venial sins are a mere fantasy and are not to be found anywhere in all of creation. What they don’t know is that all sins are really Mortal, and there is nothing they can do to get rid of them, so “eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die.” Yes, yes, oh for the joy in it all that even Jesus has been reduced to a wafer and taken captive in a bird cage. Please, let’s not stop this joy fest just now; please indulge me this further foolishness. Truth has been so far forgotten that men dressed in black open their mouth and gnats and flies fall prostrate licking their feet insisting that they have fulfilled the rule and deserve “forgiveness” from the authorized divine, according to the mandate of men. The Protestant crowd is no different; they just haven’t had as much practice.

Oh what vanity my dear prelates in Rome have, fools of the highest order, creating a schooled system of salvation by works. It offers salvation on the installment plan, and then ensures that the pathetic evildoer is perpetually behind in his payoffs, so that when he croaks there is a prodigious unpaid balance, and he must continue payments by sufferings in purgatory, or until the debt is paid by the prayer, contributions, and sufferings of his living relatives and friends. Oh, what thumbs must have become sore, sucking this from their deepest innards. The whole system and plan calls for blindness, merit, and moolah, from the cradle to the grave and even beyond. Surely the sapience that drew such a plan of salvation is from Stultitia. These foxes have so many holes they can run to that their joy is never ceasing, and their blindness never healing. If boredom sets in then a mere question is set in their mind, like “is it possible for the Father to hate the Son?” Or “could it have been possible for Christ to have been born a woman, or a devil, or a donkey, or a cucumber, or a rock? Then how the cucumber would have preached, performed miracles, and been nailed to the cross? Or, will it be permissible to eat and drink after the resurrection, seeing how much we love to eat and drink? And, the Apostles, they all knew Jesus’ mother, but which one of them could show how she was preserved from original sin as well as any of the learned Catholic theologians of renown, or how she could remain a virgin after having other offspring? The Apostles cannot hold a candle to these puffed-up beetles with all their volumes of publications and prescriptions, their holy robes and clerical collars, setting them off as excellent vessels of the Lord. And, “it is hardly clear how it was revealed to them that a charcoal sketch on a wall should be worshiped with the same worship as Christ Himself, provided that the picture has two fingers extended, long hair, and three rays in a halo stuck on the back of the skull.” Only the immense education, (the Apostles being ignorant, naïve, and uninitiated) of elite men with keen brilliance and intellect have achieved such insight. Little, will they admit, that it is Folly who has awarded these dustballs with crowns and gowns.

Pleassseee, give me my credit in this madness, the whole crowd draws it pleasure from me. The deliciousness of Stultitia’s spiritual concoction, a little holiness, a little profanity; nectar and naughtiness, mixed by pope and pastor, with an open invitation to belly up to the bar, and experience the emergence of euphoria with its new relaxed dress code. Catholics and Evangelicals coming together, pondering the last great social question; the question of human solidarity. It was my idea; give me a little credit; the conjoining of all in one. The whole idea is so exciting I get a little goosey. The world’s most immoral governing body (the Vatican) leading the way in social justice. Only Folly could have empowered the most notorious trull, wenching with kings and princes, to coach the world concerning chastity; and cover it in the vesture of charming words, “Caritas in Veritate,” charity in truth.

Imagine with me for a moment the potential of being driven by this purpose. Whole worlds of possibilities are opened up. Baptist taking vows of silence and monasteries created for no other purpose than to paralyze the tongue. Methodist stuck to the top of a pole like a sponge, not eating or sleeping, the epitome of sacrificial righteousness; protestant pillar saints; what a concept. They could even have some fun with the flogs; rent them out right next to the coffee bar and have Wednesday night workouts while contemplating how much I love them. I am beginning to sound like a mother, am I not? I am so pleased with them all; all except for those others; they refuse to play along. They are not mine, neighbor children, but I have succeeded in getting some to come over and play; funsuckers, that’s what we have nicknamed them. We can’t have them spoiling the party, can we? Our motto is “Come along, to get along,” catchy wouldn’t you say?

I could say so much more if I weren’t dancing, jostling, juggling, and joking. Why should life be so “straight” after all, it’s unnatural; and black is never black, or white, white; statutes were made for statues, stone men, and laws were built to be busted, they’re all cracked from the get-go anyway; foolishness is never cast in concrete.

Well, children, it is past my bed time. Tomorrow we will embark on an adventure to the abyss of the absolute; a field trip to the house of absurd relics: truth, holiness, perfection, and eternity, to name a few; they’re all party favorites, so come dressed-up if you like. It should be a fun time, so let’s all get a little rest; you’ll need it.

Coming soon to a Blog near you………….

The Christian Fools Paradox, Black Is Black? and White Is Actually White?

An offering of bliss, or an intolerant assault on insanity?

I am not a doctor, philosopher, or psychologist, but I have discovered a few things about honesty that I would like to share with you.

Honesty, as a Christian spiritual virtue is nearly non-existent today. Hear me out and I think you will agree.

Honesty has several different facets. When we generally think of honesty we mostly consider it to be an outward act toward other people, whose opposite is displayed in acts of lying, cheating, or stealing. This aspect of honesty, although severely played down through the re-defining of modern morals and ethics, is not what I’m addressing.

Another facet of honesty is the inward element, which I will not address either. It is the mental judgment of the one we see reflected in our mirror. This type of illusionistic honesty is better known as self-deception, or psychological dis-honesty, played out in things like disavowal or aggrandizement.

There is another area where honesty is of utmost importance, and more vital and foundational than the outward or inward types mentioned above. As a matter of spiritual fact, the two named above cannot be understood correctly unless foundational honesty, i.e. spiritual honesty, is practiced.

Behold, you desire truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part you shall make me to know wisdom. Psalm 51:6

For most of my Christian life I was a dishonest follower of Jesus, which just means that I was not following Jesus at all, only in my mind. After praying, maybe one of the few honest prayers of my life, the Lord answered me. I honestly wanted to follow Jesus, but I didn’t know how, and the answer to my prayer was an unfolding of events in my life, which demanded “honesty” in the inward parts. I was honest in my business dealings, and with my employees, and with the IRS, and with the man-in-the-mirror, but something was wrong. It was around this time that I discovered my dishonesty, how, spiritually, I had allowed deception and dishonesty to govern my life. I had failed to honor God by believing His words; I was a un-believer. The only way for me to discover this dishonesty was through the stern intervention of Father with an adult dose of truth.

The initial lesson in “spiritual honesty” came to me in two, what now seems as obvious, revelations: a giving of sight, and a hearing of the Word.

The first to get my attention was something I already had a surface awareness of and that I had witnessed in the Church, but I did not really “see” it as a manifest display from Almighty God. What I became acutely aware of was that the Church looked and acted like the world. The statistics were all there: divorce, abortion, pornography, drug and alcohol abuse, and perversions of all kinds. The Church was in denial, and I was in denial. I enjoyed my vices, and rested secure in the illusion that I was going to Heaven. I was headed for a crisis of Divine magnitude. The impact of seeing my Christian life against the backdrop of those statistics made me physically ill. Would I continue to live in denial, which demanded that I do nothing, or be honest, which demanded that I die? I choose death. I would learn what that decision meant; the Lord would pick the time and the place, and the sacrifice would be required. That decision was now in God’s hands.

The stench of those statistics began to rise up and gag me. I could not look in the mirror, or at the Church, without seeing an embarrassing hypocrisy: its ministers as agents of compromise, and myself as a very lost soul, in an impossible situation.                                

The second revelation came as I was listening to an associate pastor give his take on 2 Timothy 3:12 “Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.” I had never heard this passage before. I don’t mean that I had never read it before, I had read it many times, but I had never “heard” it before that night. It wasn’t anything the pastor said, he was just reading the words, it was something the Spirit said, and it was loud, and it was clear. What the Spirit said was that I was not living a godly life. How did I know, because I was not being persecuted, that simple. These two things I have come to learn are inseparable. This is the message of Jesus, and the Apostles, and is illustrated in the lives of all those who dared to live godly, Genesis to Revelation. The bottom line is that, if you preach the truth, that truth is going to land you in a position that is opposite to that of the world, and if that truth gets you opposition from the pulpit, then it is indicative of just how far the world has advanced, it really is that simple.

“Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for so did their fathers to the false prophets.”

Luke 6:26

If the world hate you, you know that it hated me before it hated you. John 15:18

These two seemingly simple tests of the Lord, regarding “honesty,” presented to the Church, have come back with failing grades. There is a lack of truth and honesty in the New Age Commercial Church of the twenty-first century. They do not see that the Church, as an institution, has failed, and this is plain dishonesty, because the failure is too obvious. They fail to recognize the simple truths of Scripture as to the primary personality trait of those who truly desire to live godly lives, and again the failure is obvious.

So, I ask you again, “are today’s Christians honest,” are you honest?

 “So justice is driven back,

and righteousness stands at a distance;

truth has stumbled in the streets,

honesty cannot enter. Truth is nowhere to be found,

and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey.”

Isa 59:14-15

By Christian J. Pinto

http://www.adullamfilms.com/

“For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither

hid, that shall not be known.” (Luke 12:2)

Perhaps more dangerous than yoga, psychology, or any of the new age doctrines that have crept into modern churches, is the ongoing love affair that some believers have with patriotic Christianity.  Many Christian leaders, who can easily spot the lies of the New Age movement, abandon all discernment when it comes to the history of America and the idea that this country was founded as a Christian nation.  Yes, they are well able to recognize the kundalini serpent crawling up the spine of believers at the gym, but can’t seem to figure out that the Washington monument is a pagan phallic symbol that glorifies a demonic entity. They are unable to discern that just because certain Freemasons wrote “Glory to God” on it does not make it a Christian icon.

Christians who live in America understand that we are soldiers of Christ, who are strangers and pilgrims upon the earth, and who happen to be stationed in a place called America.  American Christians, on the other hand, believe that the United States represents the kingdom of God on earth, and their purpose is to promote American values and the revolutionary principles of democracy, rather than the message of life eternal.  They will politely refrain from being too forward about such sensitive issues as heaven and hell; but will be bold to speak about freedom of speech and the right to bear arms.  ”I don’t want to intrude my beliefs on yours,” they say, “unless it comes to my Constitutional rights!”  If their zeal for the Lord Jesus were equal to their love for America, we can only wonder what great things might be done for the sake of the truth.  As believers living in America, we must ask: is the core message of Americanism, even at its best, really that of the Bible?

Church and State

If one studies these elite societies at any length, he will quickly realize that their religious views cannot be separated from their political machinations.  Their insistence on a separation of church and state does not mean they want to separate religion from government.  It means they want to separate The Church (i.e. Christianity) from the state.  This is why they demand that all Christian icons (the cross, ten commandments, etc.) be removed from government buildings, seals, etc.  Yet the pagan icons, such as the Statue of Liberty, the Eye of Horus, the Washington Monument, along with countless other celebrations of the occult religions are never threatened.  Yes, the Ten Commandments must be taken away from in front of the courthouse, but the statue of the blindfolded Themis, the Greek goddess of justice, can remain unfettered.  The message is clear: the devils can stay, but God must go.

The Founding Fathers of America

Many Christians are repeatedly told by their pastors, teachers and church leaders that America was founded as a Christian nation.  This assertion would not be so bad if it were confined to the arrival of the Puritans at Plymouth, and the early development of the new world.  If that were the case, it would be an accurate statement in this writer’s opinion.  It is very clear that the Puritan/Pilgrims who built the towns, cities and roads for the original 13 colonies did so as Bible believers who were establishing Christian communities.

The problem arises when one marks the foundation of our country at the American Revolution and the establishment of the United States.  It is at this point where all bible believing Christians should be very wary, since the working of occult societies during this era was at an unprecedented height in history.  Some historians even argue that you simply cannot understand the history of the world for the past few hundred years if you do not take these societies into account.  Their members have been the planners, leaders, and engineers of a global agenda, one that they do not readily share with the rest of the world.  More importantly, they often use “religion” as an instrument to manipulate the masses, their belief being that the end justifies the means.

For Christians, our concern should be not for their conspiracy to take over the world, which is simply the fulfillment of God’s prophecies and proof that His Word is true.  Rather, our concern must be their corruption of the faith of Christ from within our ranks.  In the New Testament, Jude gives us this important exhortation:

“… it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort

you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was

once delivered unto the saints.  For there are certain men

crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this

condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God

into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our

Lord Jesus Christ.” (Jude 3-4)

Notice that Jude is warning us that we must “contend” (i.e. fight) for the true faith because “certain men” whom he calls “ungodly” have crept into the church.  Such warnings are found throughout the New Testament.  Jesus warned of “ravening wolves” in “sheep’s clothing” (Matthew 7:15), while Paul warned of “grievous wolves” who would not spare the flock (Acts 20:29), while Peter warned that such men would bring in “damnable heresies” (2 Peter 2:1) and would be denying the Lord, just as Jude confirms.

Sadly, all of the above warnings can be found among the chief Founders of the American Revolution, which will be shown in the following articles.  The question is, are the Founders men who have crept into the church?  The answer can only be “yes.”  Not only were these men involved in churches in their lifetimes, but even two centuries later, their names and philosophies are sounded regularly among the congregations of the Lord.  Their influence is among us, as surely as if they lived and breathed at this very hour.

Consider this: when our Puritan fathers founded Harvard University in 1636, they set forth the motto: Veritas Christo et Ecclesiae which means “Truth for Christ and the Church.”  That was the original focus of Harvard and they had no problem stating it openly.  Nearly four hundred years later, the motto has been shortened to: Veritas. Simply the word for “Truth.”  As with many things, “Christ and the Church” have been thrust out.  But this is no accident, and is not a betrayal of the “original intent” of the Revolutionaries.  On the contrary, it is exactly what they wanted.  Yes, the Pilgrims would be turning in their graves, but they are separated from Jefferson, Adams and Franklin by more than a hundred years.

Taking America Back: but back to what?

The evidence will show that the troubles for Christianity in America did not begin when they took prayer out of schools in the 1960′s.  It began with the American Revolution.  This is especially bad news for those who think we need to “get back to the founding fathers.”  George Washington and Thomas Jefferson do not represent the solution — rather, they were the very beginning of the problem. But to understand this, you must first understand them.

The Bible vs. Secular Terminology

It may be that the greatest single hindrance to discerning the truth about these men is that they are often defined – not by a Biblical standard – but by secular thinking.  It is one thing for teachers and professors in universities to have such a view, but quite another for pastors and ministers in the church.  Our first responsibility is to the Word of God and the preaching of the Gospel, not to promote secular philosophies and ideas.

It is often given out that certain founders were “deists” or “theists” or some other such thing.  Unfortunately, such worldly terms are very misleading and only succeed in masking the truth.  It reminds me of an interview I heard with a woman who said she represented a “Pregnancy Alternative Clinic,” which was really an “Abortion Clinic.”  The words pregnancy alternative helped to soften the blow of what she was really promoting.  So it is with those who refer to the founders as “non-religious” or “free-thinkers” etc.  It does not represent the Biblical point of view, which is of great concern since Jesus said:

“He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words,

hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken,

the same shall judge him in the last day.” (John 12:48)

Ultimately, all men will be judged according to the Word of God; so our service toward mankind is to inform them of how their condition is viewed in the sight of God.  Imagine a doctor telling a man that he has some “respiratory irregularity,” when the truth is that he has lung cancer! Does the doctor do a service to a dying man by misleading him?

I am reminded of a popular TV show, “The Biggest Loser,” about overweight people who are brought to a work out camp for weight loss.  At some point, these people are made to sit down with a doctor, who often informs them that if they do not lose the necessary weight, they will die in a short time.  Often, those who are given such news weep, and are shocked to hear the report.  Nevertheless, it is that very shock that compels them to do something about it.  A patient needs to know the dire nature of his condition so that he will be compelled to act.  Where spiritual matters are concerned, we must seek the Great Physician for an examination of how the beliefs of deists and freethinkers should be viewed.

Judge Not?

Whenever discussions come up about the faith of others, some will often object and cry out that it is wrong to question.  ”If someone claims to believe God, or says they have faith in Christianity, we ought to take them at their word,” they say.  But according to the Bible, it is in no way wrong to examine the faith of those who claim to be Christians.  If anything, the fault is in failing to exercise discernment.  We are not expected to politely accept a confession, especially if we are given cause to doubt it.  On the contrary, we are told:

“Beware of false prophets …” (Matthew 7:15)

“Take heed that no man deceive you …” (Matthew 24:4)

“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether

they are of God …” (1 John 4:1)

In the articles that follow, we will examine some of the beliefs of the key founding fathers, whose own words prove that these men were not Christians and had no intention of founding a Christian country.  As you read the words of these men, consider how their so-called “faith” would be viewed in the sight of God.  How does the Word of Life judge their testimonies?  Remember this verse:

“Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ?

He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.” (1 John 2:22

HT Yvonne

1. Christians on both side of the aisle debate the goodness of a God who would permit the kind of death and suffering we see in the aftermath of Japan’s 9.0 earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear meltdown.  

2.  

3. All over the world the main topic of discussion is the Japan tragedy, and now we learn that the worst is yet to come. Both Christian and non-Christian people are confused. People can’t understand how a “good” God could allow thousands upon thousands of innocent people to be killed. It is not necessary to present another theological or philosophical debate to explain what, and why, these things happen, or to try and justify God; John Piper has done that; and Brian McLaren’s philanthropic love has cornered the market on empathy. With those bases covered the question of “why?” still remains, and will not go away. After the prayers are over, and the aid exhausted, the mothers, fathers, and children, who have lost so much, return to their homes, and keep asking, “Why?”

   Christians don’t have to have all the answers, but answers help, especially now; and you can do no better than opening up the Bible.

   How do we balance the mercy and love of God, with His justice? I say “we” because God doesn’t do a balancing act, nor does He juggle His emotions, trying to keep some kind of equilibrium between good and evil. God is God, even when we don’t understand Him. God is perfect, and man confused; it is man that walks the tight rope wanting to know “why?” It is “we” who are out of balance and stumble, proposing our question in hopelessness, when the answer is right there, in the Book. God has spoken!

   God has anticipated the question and has included the answer, in His book of answers, the Bible. We will look in vain going anywhere else.

   Luke. 13:1-9 says everything that needs to be said for those who want the truth.

   “Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. Jesus answered, ‘Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them — do you think they were guiltier than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.’” 

   Then he told this parable:

   “A man had a fig tree, planted in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it, but did not find any. So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I've been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven't found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’ ‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I'll dig around it and fertilize it. If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’” 

   It was generally accepted by the Jews of that time, and many today, that if something bad happens to a person it is because of sin in their life. In other words if a building falls on you, you must have been very bad. Jesus’ simple answer was, no, that isn’t true. “But, unless you repent you will all likewise perish.” So, Jesus’ answer to the Japan disaster is, no, God did not cause this disaster, but He did allow it, and “unless you repent you will likewise perish.” The parable that follows, which most people overlook when considering the above passage, sheds some light on the matter. What some will see here is a mean natured God; others will see a God of mercy.

   By looking closely we discover that the wrong question is being asked. They, and we, ask “why did God do this or allow this to happen?” By understanding the parable and what Jesus is trying to teach us we understand that the question should be, Why does a perfectly “just” God tolerate anyone to live, why doesn’t He destroy all mankind, not just allow a few to die in accidents? The answer is “MERCY.”

   In the parable God is the owner of the tree and Jesus is the gardener, who asks for mercy on the tree, for a period of time, to try and make the tree fruitful. God is a merciful God who has waited and waited and waited, but His justice cannot wait forever; justice must prevail.

   It is precisely because of accidents that the preaching of the Gospel is so important. How long will God’s mercy be put off, the Bible says, “Today when you hear his voice, don't harden your hearts as Israel did when they rebelled,” Heb. 3:15? And, this is precisely why the message of Brian McLaren and Rob Bell, and the whole camp of the neo-liberal “Emergents” is a death sentence for anyone caught in their web of deceit. They destroy the justice of God and leave the question of “why” unanswered, and hide poor sinners from the mercy of a Father who will wait, till He can wait no longer.

   Come home, poor sinner;
   Why longer roam,
   Thy Savior’s calling,
   “Come home, come home!”

   He died to save you
   On Calvary;
   Behold what suff’ring!
   ’Twas all for thee.

   Oh, come to Jesus,
   Do not delay;
   Come, and He’ll save you;
   Come while you may.

   Oh, come to Jesus;
   He’s waiting still
   With His salvation,
   Thy soul to fill.

   Oh, come to Jesus;
   How can you stay,
   He’s pleading, pleading;
   Come, come today.

    

In a time, not so long ago, a man of character would be referred to as a man of his word. It might be said of him, “His word is his bond”.

This was the era, now gone, when it was a compliment to call some one God-fearing. 

Now is the era of the likeable lie, the pragmatic deception, the convincing con.

In previous days to call someone a liar was the ultimate insult.

But today men have no fear to call even God a liar.

Even some preachers with straight face and pious demeanour will declare to our face, God is either wrong or deceptive.

The surprising  reaction of many who claim to be followers of the God of all truth is to applaude the words of God’s accusers.

But Yahweh says what He means and means what He says and despite the bleatings of some it is not mean of Him to do so.

God’s word is His bond.

Some of the lodgers in God’s house are so ignorant of the covenant promises of the covenant keeping God they don’t recognise the lies of those who call God a liar. They are easy prey for praying predators. When the members of God’s household utter a word of warning they are slandered libelled and called that worse of epithets; “divisive” Well as a watchman from another time said. “Tis better to be divided by truth than united with error” (Martin Luther).

What a tragedy when Churchians in their thousands buy (and buy into) the lies of a temporal ”Shack” rather than be comforted in the promises of an eternal mansion.

How heartbreaking it is when goats desire to be Purpose Driven rather than be Spirit led with the flock of His pasture.

How frustrating that so many are interested in promoting a New Kind of Christianity, when they haven’t yet tried the ancient paths paved by the Ancient of Days.

God’s word is His bond.

The Father of lies has always  questioned, queried and thrown doubt on God’s holy words and the devils children will follow in their father’s footsteps, even to their own destruction. And some of the deceived will have their eyes opened only on the day of reckoning but will then be too late and they will receive no apology from  satan. Their willfull ignorance of God’s word and their gleeful acceptance of the devil’s lies spell their doom. It is a fearfull thing to fall into the hands of the Living God.

For men to think they can improve on Holy Writ or edit it to make it more user friendly has made them an enemy of God. Those who seek to dim the holy flame of the gospel will discover God is a consuming fire.

Some in Christendom will say “I have no knowledge of this God of whom you speak. My God is nice and after all Love Wins” Well you are right. You have no knowledge of the God of whom I speak. The God of the Bible, the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, the God of prophets apostles and martyrs is not nice;

He is breathtakingly holy.

mind numbingly majestic.

A glimpse of His glory sends strong men to bury their face in the dust.

A whisper from His mouth shakes the foundations of the heavens.

A click of His fingers dispatches innumerable angels who speed forth crying, Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty.

This Holy One of Israel must hide His face from even His friends, for to look on His unrestrained glory means instant death and yet His worshippers can look to Immanuel and see the fullness of His glory sheathed in holy flesh.

“Yes”, some argue, “This is my God. Gentle Jesus meek and mild.

Meek like a lion maybe.

The gentleness of controlled omnipotence.

And this Saviour offering salvation to those who say they have no need of it.

This triune God who speaks worlds into existence, brought forth life from nothing and has the power to redeem repentent rebels is a God of His word.

Men may well give voice to the vain imaginations of their hearts but those idols will fall on the threshold of His temple. Humanity may vote on whether to submit but one day every knee will bow; some in joyfull worship and others in a belated and doomed submission.

Too late they have discovered that the Living God does not waver, will not change His mind and can not be manipulated.

Until the day the King returns on the clouds of glory, there will be those who write their books of blasphemy, sing their songs of sedition and preach their myths of mockery, yet the Lord will always have a remnant. In every age and time it has been so. The ones who take God at His word knowing His word is His bond.

Thus says Yahweh

“Heaven is My throne and earth is My footstool. Where is the house you will build for Me? And where is the place of My rest? For all those things My hand has made and all those things exist”, says Yahweh. “But on this one will I look. On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at My word“.

Isaiah 66:1-2

What Color is Your Truth?

Part 2

Buy truth, and do not sell it; and as a bonus get wisdom, instruction, and understanding.

 Proverbs 23:23

Why does truth even matter? We throw the word around as if it is important, but rarely even consider the futility of the search. Yet, if we do not desire truth, above all things, we are guaranteed that this futility will follow us to the grave. The desire for truth is the clue that truth exists and can be known, as seen in Part 1.

Three things come to mind in consideration of truth:

1.      Truth does not exist,

a.       in which case we are all free to do as we please,

b.      and the rich and powerful decide what “truth” is,

c.       and “might” becomes right, or “truth.”

d.      and, we die frustrated.

2.      Truth does exist,

a.       but it cannot be known, which makes it little different from #1 above,

b.      or, an inner desire persuades us that, somehow, it is obtainable.

3.      Truth does exist,

a.       but, is knowable only to Christians through revelation.

b.      The world cannot know the truth, for sure, of any particular thing.

Since the Garden of Eden truth and error have become all mixed up in a Devil’s brew of reason and knowledge. Man, in his unaided state cannot decipher truth from error, but in his heart he knows it exist, and demands truth in others, but is continually frustrated in his desire for truth.

In our last installment we looked at whether or not truth exists, using simple reason and logic, and concluded that it did, but that it is hard to discover, and that at the core of our being is a relentless desire for truth. And we also saw that, “all of our present and future hope is based on knowing something for certain." "Are you comfortable pursuing a future built on the shifting sands of variety and theories, chaos and confusion, rumors and innuendoes, or a million shades of gray? Me either, I have to know the truth, regardless of the cost . . . .”

If our life depends on the truth, and we are convinced that it exists, then a good question to ask is, “where do I get truth?” and “how will I recognize it?”

There are many paradoxes in the Bible, and this is one of them. Truth is a gift, but it will cost you everything, and you must exercise a sober craving for its source.

To establish the fact of just how rare truth is, use your imagination. Imagine the world is a fish bowl, filled with all kinds of diamonds, but all of them fake, except one. One genuine, and very costly gem, mixed in with all the rest, and you are free to choose any one you like. Not being a gemologist it would be impossible for you to know which one is real, and which fake; which is the true costly stone, and which the cheap forgery.

You would not be surprised to find that some “seekers” had selected a stone for its sparkle, and others because of size, and others because the stones appeared exotic or mysterious. You would also not be shocked, that when told they had chosen a phony, some respond with anger, indignation, and unbelief, or come across as an expert with an ability to spot an imitation. And, still others, not at all interested in the truth, would be content just knowing that they have something very close, and that it satisfies their particular need quite nicely. Besides, their choice matches their taste and wardrobe, and permits for frequent staring. All of these, unable to make a distinction, settle for a mere semblance of the truth.

A select few, being of a more honest sort, would be perplexed, and would agonize over their inability to know which of the stones held the secret of untold riches. “There are so many to choose from?”  “How can I know for sure, which one is the truth?” “I’m incompetent to make such an important decision.” “I would rather have nothing than to settle for a lie.”

In the world of precious stones there is no way to tell the true value of the gem, unless you are a gemologist, or have access to inside information. The world of diamonds becomes a world of illusions, shadows, opinions, confusion, and enigmas, which vex and perplex. The Master Jeweler, One having knowledge, a Revealer of secrets, at His discretion, may instruct you to not look at the outward appearance, that a very costly diamond in-the-rough may appear worthless to the untrained eye. He may also give you additional criteria for identifying truth. Real diamonds have certain characteristics which simple tests can unveil, like the breath test, the hardness test, or the baptism test.

But, if you chose to proceed in your own wisdom to discover truth, you will, without doubt, end up deluded and cheated, with a fraud on our hand.

What would you give for the answer? What would you give for the most precious of precious gems that this world has ever known? Would the price be too high if it cost you everything? When there is only one of something, its price can be immeasurable. 

The answer to our question, “where do we find truth?” is contained in the answer of how we discover the precious diamond. We must get inside knowledge of what to do, and what to look for. Someone with the “key” must unlock the allegory, and make the abstract understandable.

The whole world and the religious world included, look in all the wrong places for truth, and find only a philosophy, or a religion, full of sparkle and mystery, pretenders and hypocrites. They have considered their alternatives, and were enticed by what they saw, drawn away by size, bewitched by charm, and instead of the Truth, settled for a lie.

The Bible is a book of riddles for most, coded and encrypted, better left to the trained scholar, and seasoned seminarian. But, to a few, it is the answer to “where to find truth.”

Jesus is that precious Gem, the Diamond of Great Price. Jesus decodes the text by using simple language and giving inside information, somewhere a scholar wouldn’t look, hidden in plain sight. Jesus is that Diamond-in-the-rough. He took the form of a man, laying aside His Divinity and Throne. When Messiah, who the Jews fervently awaited, showed up on the scene, they never recognized Him, and scorned that Precious Gem, and slew the King of Glory.

The darkness that has settled over the hearts of men hides the simplicity of the answer. The fingerprints of Jesus compass the entire Old and New Testaments with the uncomplicated message of, “come unto Me and I will give you rest.” He answers the riddle throughout the Bible, with words that repeat the following:

“Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth." John 4:23-24 

“If anyone’s will is to do God’s will, then he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority.”  John 7:17

“So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, ‘If you abide in my word (do what He says),  you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’” John 8:31,32

“I can do nothing on my own. As I hear (understand God’s words), I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me.” John5:30

“Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word.” John 8:43

“He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way.” Psalms 25:9

“Many shall purify themselves and make themselves white and be refined, but the wicked shall act wickedly. And none of the wicked shall understand, but those who are wise shall understand.” Daniel 12:10

These are but a very, very, small sampling of the answers to the riddle of knowing truth.

It starts with an unrelenting desire for truth, followed by obedience to the dictates of Jesus.

“If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him.” John 14:15

Do you desire real purpose? Not the artificial purpose of men, but the purpose of a prince, of one born into the family of a Great King; as one gone out into the world to do his Fathers will, and to return home to jubilant reward.

The purposes of this religious world have nothing to do with truth. The purpose driven life of this world is built on the truth of this world, on a thousand shades of gray, and the shifting sands of men’s brilliant ideas, and on a truth that will leave you disillusioned and lost. The purposes and truth of this world are forgeries, even when they come from a pulpit.

“For the LORD God is our light (truth) and protector. He gives us grace and glory. No good thing will the LORD withhold from those who do what is right.” (Psalms 84:11).

Jesus is the Gem. His value was miscalculated, because He came “in-the-rough,” as a man. Although He represented His Father perfectly, men could just not get past His appearance. Men’s perception of truth is wholly different; they looked for the glitter and sparkle, an outward manifestation of Divine glory, and all He had to offer was the uncut truth. Today when we look for truth it is no different. A philosophic or religious exposition is so much more palatable than the simple words of Jesus: 

"Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth."

John 17:17

_________________________________________________

We have seen in Part 1 of this series is that there is such a thing as truth. In Part 2 we are discovering where to find that truth.

In Part 3 of What Color Is Your Truth? we will deal with “lies.” Since we are living in the world, and the world is blinded to the truth, what should we expect to find? We are confronted with a great many lies on a daily bases, of which we take to be the truth. We accept, for the most part, everything that is presented to us with sincerity. If we feel that a person is likable, or a business honest, or an advertisement sincere, we will, without reservation believe and trust them. On the other hand, if we dislike a person, because of the way they look or talk, or a business appears shady, or an advertisement cheap, we will not trust them. We are creatures of perception, not truth. In most instances, the perception of truth is, well, truth, regardless of the facts.

“It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for sure that just ain't so.” Mark Twain

This quote by Mark Twain, especially the last part, illustrates what kinds of problems we can expect to find in this world, and with ourselves. A big question, we will try to answer is, if lies have governed the world for about six thousand years, how intricate might we expect the web of deceit to be? Many people are very sure of things “that just ain’t so,” and for good reason; Satan is the deceiver of the whole world.

“Now the snake was the most cunning animal that the Lord God had made. The snake asked the woman, "Did God really tell you not to eat fruit from any tree in the garden?" "We may eat the fruit of any tree in the garden," the woman answered, "except the tree in the middle of it. God told us not to eat the fruit of that tree or even touch it; if we do, we will die." The snake replied, "That's not true; you will not die. God said that because he knows that when you eat it, you will be like God and know what is good and what is bad." The woman saw how beautiful the tree was and how good its fruit would be to eat, and she thought how wonderful it would be to become wise. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, and he also ate it. As soon as they had eaten it, they were given understanding and realized that they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and covered themselves. That evening they heard the Lord God walking in the garden, and they hid from him among the trees. But the Lord God called out to the man, "Where are you?" He answered, "I heard you in the garden; I was afraid and hid from you, because I was naked." "Who told you that you were naked?" God asked. "Did you eat the fruit that I told you not to eat?" The man answered, "The woman you put here with me gave me the fruit, and I ate it." The Lord God asked the woman, "Why did you do this?" She replied, "The snake tricked me into eating it." Gen 3:1-13.

Buy truth, and do not sell it; and as a bonus get wisdom, instruction, and understanding.

 Proverbs 23:23

We can all become blinded to certain things for a multitude of reasons, and so I have been blinded on this thing of Freemasonry. I know that many are swept off their feet by every conspiracy theory that comes down the pike, but I am not. 

I know for a fact that our nation is falling and that that reason is spiritual at its core. I have related all of the aftereffects, i.e. economy, moral decline, abortion, the fearlessness of our enemies to invade our boarders, the rise of false teachers, etc., of this spiritual deterioration as simply the results of loosing our spiritual footing. But, now I am becoming more, and more , convinced, as the evidence surfaces, that there is something at the very center of the founding of this nation that has been seriously overlooked by Christians.

Thanks to a few friends, and as the time fast approaches for our Lord's return, this root of evil is becoming obvious. 

I know people who are members of the Masons and have never considered that they have entered into any kind of pact with the Devil, although I did know that they had some weird ideas and wore silly looking aprons. But now I am finding that this "secret society" is very well developed and that it has used the occult as a foundation on which to build the nation that we have, unknowingly, accepted as wholly "Christian."

I will be doing more investigating in the days to come, but would like to offer the following question and answer letter, from a very trusted source, The Berean Call, as an introduction to some future articles.

Steve Blackwell

Question: I recently purchased and watched the DVD The Hidden Faith of the Founding Fathers….

Brian McLaren takes issue with the critics of Rob Bell. But, Brian recognizes that Rob is pushing the envelope with his not so disguised stand for universalism that he makes in his new book, Love Wins. Why else would Brian be “anticipating the baptism in hot water (or worse) that Rob Bell was about to experience with the publication Love Wins,” unless he recognizes Rob’s vulnerable and precarious stance?

As Rob Bell’s comrade in arms, attempting to solace his friend’s suffering, by breaking the silence and coming out in his defense, Brian is not content to just let it lay, and hopefully go away. As a vested friend, Brian adds a little oil to the already slippery slopes of Rob’s creative liberal theology, by offering this flimsy critique of Albert Mohler’s claim that Rob has no right to determine his own story or manufacture his own gospel.

Brian, in his critique, will try to convince us that, “communication is nearly always tricky.” What I take this to mean is that, communication is tricky when you are trying to get someone to do, or believe, something that is contrary to their present frame of mind. But, is our normal everyday communication really tricky? No! The tricky part comes into play when we try to fly under the radar of truth, by insinuating certain things into the conversation, trying to draw a persons thinking onto another path. To say things plainly is not difficult with wives or children, unless we are attempting to be manipulative. Our children will purposely not understand us if discipline has been missing. They understand very well the real message being communicated. 

On the contrary, it is deception that makes things tricky. We saw Rob Bell’s opportunity to speak plainly in his interview withhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vg-qgmJ7nzA

Martin Bashir of MSNBC on this You Tube video  where Rob is constantly being “tricky.” Rob never did answer his questions plainly. The ruse failed, but Martin’s interview was a success; by not answering the questions, the answers came through loud and clear. Rob came across as a trickster. Yes, if you are trying to formulate a lie things can get tricky, as we all know and can relate to, but speaking plainly is not that difficult.

Here is the difference between Rob Bell, Brian McLaren, and Albert Mohler; Albert is speaking plainly. Was what he said hard to understand? Nothing tricky that I could find. I think everyone knows exactly where Albert Mohler stands, and I’m sure Martin Bashir would not have had as much fun with Albert as he did with Rob. Now, Albert may be mistaken in some areas, but the point is that he was clear in what he said; no flimflam. 

On the other hand, who knows what Rob Bell believes? With all the verbal gymnastics he uses, he sounds more like a politician than someone who lays claim to truth. We know perfectly well when we have made ourselves hard to understand. We know when we have tried to color our story to make it appear to be something it is not. The bottom line is that we know when we have intentionally muddied the waters to achieve some hidden agenda. We can always blame it on, “the biases, fears, hopes, politics, vocabulary, and other characteristics of the receiver or the receiver's community.” Creating confusion is one of the hallmarks of the Emerging heresy. 

Brian says Rob Bell has been misunderstood, as always occurred in the old pass the message around the room game. This could possibly happen if all we had were the sketchy second hand accounts of Rob, whispered in an ear and then passed on verbally, but that is not the case; we have Rob Bell’s own original words, in writing, in audio, and in video. What’s to misunderstand? There is no “static” in the line as Brian complains.

If the truth of the Scriptures have been changed over time, as Brian claims, it has happened primarily through deception of one sort or the other. We have many accurate translations of Scriptures and none agree with Rob Bell or Brian McLaren, so this is more subterfuge.

Brian doesn’t make any distinction between an interpretation of the Bible, and liberal Form Criticism, adaptation, or abridged version of the Bible, which starts with the premise that the sources cannot be trusted.  There is a whole “world” of difference between them. A translation is a written communication in a second language having the same meaning as the written communication in a first language. To faithfully interpret the Bible, is the act or process of explaining or elucidation, or to bring out the meaning of all the words and stories found therein, this is known as exegesis, (to bring out.) To redact or adapt the Bible would be to do as Rob Bell and Brian have done. It is to edit out or retell according to ones own liking, by introducing culture onto Scripture, then suggest the correct understanding. The “original story” which Brian and Rob say they are “bound to” does not exist, and is a fabrication from Brian and Rob’s imagination and generous creative orthodoxy. 

Brian give an example for us here,  

“Rob is suggesting that Jesus' original story (as he interprets it) is better than the version many hold and proclaim today. He's making a distinction – nuanced to some, obvious to others – between the actual original gospel and the imperfect versions or approximations of it that any of us proclaim. He wants to be bound to that original story rather than to a popular (perhaps the most popular in some settings) version of it.”

“The actual original Gospel,” is nothing like what Rob presents to us in Love Wins. 

Brian goes on to state that belief and trust in the Bible as written is “excessive confidence.” Really?

“That excessive confidence hides behind a popular saying: "The Bible says it, I believe it, and that settles it." To many ears, the saying sounds admirable. But wouldn't the saying be a bit more honest, and a bit less admirable, if we phrased it like this: "The Bible says something which I interpret in a certain way, and I believe that interpretation, and that settles it"?”

With one swipe of his pen, or keyboard, Brian has just turned the truth into a lie of Satanic proportions. “A bit more honest”? Doesn't this sound very similar to, "hath God really said"? This is ludicrous!! I’m almost beginning to feel sorry for Rob.

Brian gets it wrong again. What Brian is saying, in Rob’s defense, is that he rejects the truth of Scripture, and turns it into silly putty. Once you have gotten to this point anything can emerge, and it does. 

“Many of us are concerned about the traditional doctrine of hell for reasons of justice and holiness, not mere sentimentality. Even putting God's loving nature aside for a moment, it's very hard to square the idea of eternal conscious torment with a just or holy God, especially when Jesus repeatedly encourages us to trust God as a just and holy father.”

Well, he should be concerned about God’s justice, as well as his own repentance.

Redacting “hell” out of the Bible will not do. Brian and Rob get rid of “hell” so that they can have a God they can believe in and live with. There are many Christian Scientist who don’t believe in sickness or death, which is the ultimate sickness, but they die all the same, even their founder, Mary Baker Edy, dead. So, it doesn’t matter what we believe, what matters is the truth. The truth is, just as the Book of Truth, the Bible says, hell is for real. It is not contingent upon Brian’s or Rob’s concerns, or whether or not they understand “justice and holiness,” or whether they can “square the idea of eternal conscious torment with a just or holy God,” it simply is not going to go away. If we do not understand something about the Sovereign God of the universe we should go to Him and ask for wisdom, who will give to every man according to their faith. What Brian does not understand is that God’s love and His justice cannot be separated, because they are the same, they are who God is, loving and just.

Luke 13:1-9

1 Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. 2 Jesus answered, "Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? 3 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. 4 Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them — do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish." 

6 Then he told this parable: "A man (God) had a fig tree, planted in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it, but did not find any. 7 So he said to the man (Jesus) who took care of the vineyard, 'For three years now I've been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven't found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?' 

8 "'Sir,' the man replied, 'leave it alone for one more year, and I'll dig around it and fertilize it. 9 If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.'"

In these verses we see both the love, (mercy) and justice of God. Many people ask why a good God would allow so many to die in tragic disasters as we have seen lately. Jesus’ answer to His inquirers was simple, “But unless you repent, you too will all perish.” These men ask the wrong questions, as do Brian and Rob. Their question should be, why does a just and holy God allow any of us to live; we all deserve to perish. In verse 6-8 Jesus balances the justice of God with His love in a simple parable. God’s justice demands “fruit,” but through patient love for His Son (the Keeper of the vineyard) He displays His mercy and puts a hold on justice, and makes allowances to give time for repentance and fruit bearing. 

Rob Bell and Brian McLaren are doing themselves no good, if they are at all interested in the future. Their conversations and convolutions make no sense in the light of the Bible, and in the light of Truth, and do much harm to their followers; remember Korah Numbers 15:1-50.

There is no need to continue here with Brian’s criticisms. 

God has made His word plain; it is simple to understand for anyone seeking the truth.

We have been warned to beware of these wolves, and my warning cannot be made any clearer than God’s own warning,

Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. (Matt. 7:15-21) 

Steve Blackwell