Take Refuge In The King Of Kings

Chapter 19 of The Revelation concludes with a disturbing image of flesh-eating birds gorging themselves with the flesh of men and beasts who have made war against the LORD Christ, King of kings and Lord of lords. The one known as "the beast" is captured, together with the "false prophet"

Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and with a loud voice he called to all the birds that fly directly overhead, "Come, gather for the great supper of God, to eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all men, both free and slave, both small and great." 

And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies gathered to make war against him who was sitting on the horse and against his army. And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who in its presence had done the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. And the rest were slain by the sword that came from the mouth of him who was sitting on the horse, and all the birds were gorged with their flesh. - Rev 19:17-21 ESV

This "beast" is first mentioned in Rev. 13:

And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads. And the beast that I saw was like a leopard; its feet were like a bear's, and its mouth was like a lion's mouth. And to it the dragon gave his power and his throne and great authority. One of its heads seemed to have a mortal wound, but its mortal wound was healed, and the whole earth marveled as they followed the beast. - Rev 13:1-3 ESV

As noted in my commentary upon Rev. 13, this beast symbolically refers to Rome, the city built upon seven hills. The beast's  seven heads refers to the seven Roman emperors, probably beginning with Julius Ceasar. Now John sees this great beast's end. He and "the false prophet"—the anti-Christ of Dan. 7:8,11, 20-21, 24-25;11:36-45; 2 Thessalonians 2:3-12; and 1 John 2:18; 4:3—are to be judged. They are both thrown into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur.

Lake of fire

What is the "lake of fire that burns with sulfur"? Some, contrary to what we have learned about John's symbolical writing, want to turn the area around the Dead Sea into that literal lake of fire. That area was indeed where Sodom and Gomorrah once stood. Jude calls our attention to that ruined area (Jude 7). But just as the beast and the false prophet are symbols, so also is the lake of fire that burns with the  putrid smell of sulfur a symbol pointing back to a previous time of final judgment. Sodom and Gomorrah are gone forever. So likewise will the beast and the false prophet meet their final end in fiery judgment.

Once again John's Revelation reminds us that Christ's judgment will come upon all who dare to oppose Him. He is the King of all kings and the Lord of all lords. As the psalmist long ago said,

Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him. - Psa 2:10-12 ESV

More On The Anti-christ

Perhaps you remember that a couple years back Rep. Michele Bachmann of Wisconsin found herself in hot water because she and her family belonged to a church body that believed the Roman Catholic Pope to be the antichrist. The church body is the Wisconsin Synod. With about 1,300 congregations and 400,000 members, the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod is one of the smallest and most conservative Lutheran denominations in the U.S. And the Synod does prescribe to the Lutheran Confessions of the 16th century, confessions that do indeed declare the Papacy as the antichrist. That does not mean, however, that Lutherans believe and teach that all Roman Catholics are non-Christians. The Gospel is still taught, the sacraments are administered and there are many Catholics who believe in Jesus Christ as their only Savior from sin and God's judgments upon sin. 

But what about this antichrist business? In a series of FAQ's the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod has a statement about this question.

"The LCMS does not teach, nor has it ever taught, that any individual Pope as a person, is to be identified with the Antichrist. The historic view of LCMS on the Antichrist is summarized as follows by the Synod's Theological Commission: 

The New Testament predicts that the church throughout its history will witness many antichrists (Matt.24:5,23-24; Mark 13:6,21-22; Luke 21:8; 1 John 2:18,22; 4:3; 2 John 7). All false teachers who teach contrary to Christ's Word are opponents of Christ and, insofar as they do so, are anti-Christ. 

However, the Scriptures also teach that there is one climactic "Anti-Christ" (Dan. 7:8,11, 20-21, 24-25;11:36-45; 2 Thessalonians 2; 1 John 2:18; 4:3; Revelation 17-18). . . Concerning the historical identity of the Antichrist, we affirm the Lutheran Confessions' identification of the Antichrist with the office of the papacy whose official claims continue to correspond to the Scriptural marks listed above. It is important, however, that we observe the distinction which the Lutheran Confessors made between the office of the pope (papacy) and the individual men who fill that office. The latter could be Christians themselves. 

We do not presume to judge any person's heart. Also, we acknowledge the possibility that the historical form of the Antichrist could change. Of course, in that case another identified by these marks would rise."

The FAQ has an added footnote:

To the extent that the papacy continues to claim as official dogma the canons and decrees of the Council of Trent which expressly anathematizes, for instance, the doctrine "that justifying faith is nothing else than trust in divine mercy which remits sins for Christ's sake, or that it is that trust alone by which we are justified," the judgment of the Lutheran confessional writings that the papacy is the Antichrist holds.

At the same time, of course, we must recognize the possibility, under God's guidance, that contemporary discussions and statements (e.g., 1983 U.S. Lutheran-Roman Catholic dialogue statement on "Justification by Faith") could lead to a revision of the Roman Catholic position regarding Tridentine dogma.

Many antichrists? Check out some of the passages quoted: 

Many will come in my name, saying, 'I am he!' and they will lead many astray. ... And then if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or 'Look, there he is!' do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform signs and wonders, to lead astray, if possible, the elect. - Mar 13:6, 21-22 ESV 

Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour. ... Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son. - 1 Jo 2:18, 22 ESV 

. . . and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. - 1 Jo 4:3 ESV  

For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist. - 2 Jo 1:7 ESV

One climactic anti-christ? Again consider: 

I considered the horns, and behold, there came up among them another horn, a little one, before which three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots. And behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things. ... "I looked then because of the sound of the great words that the horn was speaking. And as I looked, the beast was killed, and its body destroyed and given over to be burned with fire. 

... and about the ten horns that were on its head, and the other horn that came up and before which three of them fell, the horn that had eyes and a mouth that spoke great things, and that seemed greater than its companions. As I looked, this horn made war with the saints and prevailed over them, ... 

. . . As for the ten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings shall arise, and another shall arise after them; he shall be different from the former ones, and shall put down three kings. He shall speak words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and shall think to change the times and the law; and they shall be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time. - Dan 7:8, 11, 20-21, 24-25 ESV  

"And the king shall do as he wills. He shall exalt himself and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak astonishing things against the God of gods. He shall prosper till the indignation is accomplished; for what is decreed shall be done. He shall pay no attention to the gods of his fathers, or to the one beloved by women. He shall not pay attention to any other god, for he shall magnify himself above all. He shall honor the god of fortresses instead of these. A god whom his fathers did not know he shall honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and costly gifts. He shall deal with the strongest fortresses with the help of a foreign god. Those who acknowledge him he shall load with honor. He shall make them rulers over many and shall divide the land for a price. " 

"At the time of the end, the king of the south shall attack him, but the king of the north shall rush upon him like a whirlwind, with chariots and horsemen, and with many ships. And he shall come into countries and shall overflow and pass through. He shall come into the glorious land. And tens of thousands shall fall, but these shall be delivered out of his hand: Edom and Moab and the main part of the Ammonites. He shall stretch out his hand against the countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape. He shall become ruler of the treasures of gold and of silver, and all the precious things of Egypt, and the Libyans and the Cushites shall follow in his train. But news from the east and the north shall alarm him, and he shall go out with great fury to destroy and devote many to destruction. And he shall pitch his palatial tents between the sea and the glorious holy mountain. Yet he shall come to his end, with none to help him." - Dan 11:36-45 ESV 

Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, "Come, I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute who is seated on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality, and with the wine of whose sexual immorality the dwellers on earth have become drunk." And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was full of blasphemous names, and it had seven heads and ten horns. The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality. And on her forehead was written a name of mystery: "Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth's abominations." 

And I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. When I saw her, I marveled greatly. But the angel said to me, "Why do you marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman, and of the beast with seven heads and ten horns that carries her. The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to rise from the bottomless pit and go to destruction. And the dwellers on earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel to see the beast, because it was and is not and is to come. 

This calls for a mind with wisdom: the seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman is seated; they are also seven kings, five of whom have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come, and when he does come he must remain only a little while. As for the beast that was and is not, it is an eighth but it belongs to the seven, and it goes to destruction. And the ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received royal power, but they are to receive authority as kings for one hour, together with the beast. These are of one mind, and they hand over their power and authority to the beast. 

They will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful." 

And the angel said to me, "The waters that you saw, where the prostitute is seated, are peoples and multitudes and nations and languages. And the ten horns that you saw, they and the beast will hate the prostitute. They will make her desolate and naked, and devour her flesh and burn her up with fire, for God has put it into their hearts to carry out his purpose by being of one mind and handing over their royal power to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled. And the woman that you saw is the great city that has dominion over the kings of the earth." - Rev 17:1-18 ESV 

Bottom line: we are saved by faith in Christ and Him alone. "There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." - Act 4:12 ESV

Any teaching or teacher that does not hold to this basic truth is anti-Christ! 

The Antichrist and Apostasy

It seems to most of us that history and present day news is filled with examples of lawless ones, men and women who make their own laws about what is right and what is wrong. And yet the Apostle Paul writes to the young Thessalonian congregation (2 Thess. 2:8) about the lawless one ! And he doesn't seem to write about this personage in any of his other letters. What in all the world is he getting at? Time to do a little digging.

We must assume that Scripture interprets Scripture since all of it is given to us by the revealing work of the Holy Spirit. Problem: nowhere else is there a single passage about this lawless one. So we must examine the context for clues. What was Paul writing about?

He wants to comfort the Thessalonians who had heard that the LORD Jesus had already come, the final Day of the LORD had already arrived. No, not at all. Can't be, said Paul. First must come the rebellion. What? Rebels, rebelling against what and against whom? The word translated as rebellion in the ESV is really that word I wrote about a couple blogs back. It is the apostasy, the falling away from the truth, the preeminent false teaching. You will remember that apostasy is the sign that the end is approaching. The word is used only one other time in the N.T. to describe when Paul came to Jerusalem to report on his missionary journeys to James and the other elders. They told him that there was a rumor being spread about him that he was teaching apostasy from Moses, teaching the Jews and Gentiles alike not to circumcise their children. This was shocking indeed to the Jewish Christians since circumcision had been the sign marking them as the covenant people of God. Later Paul had to clarify for all in the early church that circumcision availed them nothing.

For circumcision indeed is of value if you obey the law, but if you break the law, your circumcision becomes uncircumcision. So, if a man who is uncircumcised keeps the precepts of the law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision? Then he who is physically uncircumcised but keeps the law will condemn you who have the written code and circumcision but break the law. For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God. - Rom 2:25-29 ESV

Paul goes on from there to discuss the value of circumcision, emphasizing the far greater value of faith in the promises of the Lord. It is faith in the Lord that was counted to Abraham as righteousness, not merely circumcision. Likewise all who believe in him who raised from the dead our Lord Jesus will also be counted as righteous, justified and forgiven. This then is the clue to what or about whom Paul is writing to the the Thessalonians. Someone whom he calls the lawless one will arise among the believers to teach apostasy, teaching that righteousness before God and the forgiveness of sins comes not by grace alone and faith in Jesus who has won such forgiveness upon the cross. Something more is required, something like circumcision.

So it was that Martin Luther and those who worked with him in the days of the Reformation of the church in the 16th century insisted that the Roman Church under the leadership of the Pope in those days was teaching apostasy, especially when they taught that worship and the Mass was something that we do to please or placate God. So the reformers embraced Philip Melanchthon's words in the defense of the Augsburg Confession as he wrote,

"For Scripture calls traditions doctrines of demons when it is taught that religious rites serve to merit the forgiveness of sins and grace. For they are then clouding over the Gospel, Christ's benefit, and the righteousness of faith." —Apology XV:4

The Lutheran Confessions go on to denounce the Roman Papacy for such teachings, making it the Antichrist as depicted by Daniel 7-8; Daniel 11:31-38. Many passages in the Lutheran Confessions speak about this. Continuing in the article quoted above, for instance, we read,

"Why do we need words on a subject so clear? If the adversaries defend these human services as meriting justification, grace, and the forgiveness of sins, they simply set up the kingdom of Antichrist . . . So the papacy will also be a part of the kingdom of Antichrist if it defends human services as justifying in this way. For honor is taken away from Christ when they teach that we are not justified freely through faith, for Christ's sake, but by such services. This is especially true when they teach that such services are not only useful for justification, but also necessary, as they maintain in Article VII. There they condemn us for saying that for true unity of the Church it is not necessary that rites instituted by human beings should be alike everywhere. . ." —Apology XV:18 

More on this matter of apostasy, the antichrist and whether Lutherans still teach and believe that the Roman Church's Pope is the antichrist in my next posts.

Looking Back And Looking Ahead

The Christmas season has ended. January brings us a new year. Like the Roman god Janus for whom the month is named, we look backward and forward. What lies ahead? What has the LORD revealed in His Word? 

The Magi saw a strange star and followed it, based upon their understanding of the mystic science of astrology. In past postings I discussed both astrology and numerology. In those blogs I left some questions unanswered.  Of what use are these portions of Scripture to us? Below are the links to those blogs. Check them out for further information about how some in our day still turn to astrology, claiming even that the entire Christian Gospel is hidden in the stars. 

• Christmas—That Pagan Festival
• Be Wary Of Numerology
• The Zodiac, Cherubim and The Sphinx

Looking back on 2012 we remember a number of wacky predictions. The craziest was that the ancient Mayan calendar predicted the end of the world on December 21, 2012. And don't forget "the best disaster movie ever" —2012! According to that movie a few of us humans survive to carry on the species. A few billion of us have, but where was the world wide disaster? You can now get your own copy of 2012 in Blu-ray DVD to watch without fear.

Some other "prophets" told us that the antichrist would start to appear on May 7, 2012. Of course, we won't really know him, they said, until this year or the next. Sometime during this year or the next Pope Benedict XVI will die and a black man will be named pope in his place. Further, whether you recognized it or not, Dec. 21 marked the beginning of the final 3 1/2 years leading up to Armageddon.

Daniel, Ezekiel and Revelation are always the favorite biblical sources. The favorite psychic is Nostradamus. There are literally hundreds of other books and websites arguing, warning, promising disasters and world-wide change. So it has been all during the 2,000 plus years that the Gospel has been proclaimed.

In order to gain some perspective on all of this as we walk into 2013 I humbly suggest that we listen in again to a conversation between the Lord Jesus and his disciples. I referred to it in a blog back in November, 2012: He Is With Us Always, To The End. In the next couple days I suggest that we study in detail Jesus' words recorded in Matthew 24:1-51. In part Jesus said,

And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. - Mat 24:11-13 ESV

Check back tomorrow—assuming, of course, that our Lord has not returned before then.

Who Is Messiah?

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad recently made a speech before the United Nations proclaiming that he and his country were preparing the way for the appearance of the Shiite Islamic messiah figure – the Mahdi. Many are concerned that a nuclear-armed Islamic Republic committed to this goal through destruction and war could trigger a global conflagration. 

Shiite writings describe events surrounding the return of the Mahdi in apocalyptic terms. In one scenario, the forces of evil would come from Syria and Iraq and clash with forces of good from Iran. The battle would commence at Kufa – the Iraqi town near the holy city of Najaf.
Even more controversial is Ahmadinejad’s repeated invocation of Imam Mahdi, known as “the Savior of Times.” According to Shiite tradition, Imam Mahdi will appear on Judgment Day to herald a truly just government. 

The Mahdi or Muslim Messiah will rule the entire world, according to this teaching. As Christians await Jesus, the Christ or Messiah, to return, so Muslims await both the Mahdi and Jesus.

In the simplest of terms, the Mahdi is Islam’s Messiah, or Savior. While the actual terms “Messiah” and “Messianism” have very clearly Judeo-Christian roots, University of Virginia Professor Abdulaziz Abdulhussein Sachedina agrees that these terms are appropriately used in an Islamic context when referring to the Mahdi. In his scholarly work on the subject, Islamic Messianism, Sachedina elaborates thusly: 

The term “messianism” in the Islamic context is frequently used to translate the important concept of an eschatological figure, the Mahdi, who as the foreordained leader “will rise” to launch a great social transformation in order to restore and adjust all things under divine guidance. The Islamic messiah, thus, embodies the aspirations of his followers in the restoration of the purity of the Faith which will bring true and uncorrupted guidance to all mankind, creating a just social order and a world free from oppression in which the Islamic revelation will be the norm for all nations. 

When Jesus appeared at the Feast of Booths in Jerusalem in the autumn before his crucifixion many were asking whether he was indeed the promised Messiah. However, there was controversy among them about who he was. Was Jesus the Messiah? How would the Messiah appear?

Some of the people of Jerusalem therefore said, "Is not this the man whom they seek to kill? And here he is, speaking openly, and they say nothing to him! Can it be that the authorities really know that this is the Christ (Messiah in Hebrew)? But we know where this man comes from, and when the Christ appears, no one will know where he comes from." So Jesus proclaimed, as he taught in the temple, "You know me, and you know where I come from? But I have not come of my own accord. He who sent me is true, and him you do not know. I know him, for I come from him, and he sent me." So they were seeking to arrest him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come. Yet many of the people believed in him. They said, "When the Christ appears, will he do more signs than this man has done?" - Jhn 7:25-31 ESV

Some thought the the promised Messiah's origin would be unknown. He would suddenly and mysteriously appear, announcing his presence through signs and wonders. Still others said he would come from Bethlehem and would be a descendant of Israel's great anointed king David (Isa. 7:14; 9:6). He would be Immanuel, God with us, the Prince of Peace. Still others were looking for the prophet like Moses (Deut. 18:15).

In these tense and dangerous days it is critical that we Christians be certain and confident about who is and who is not the Messiah. The Bible speaks often about false messiahs who will seek to lead many astray. It also speaks about The Anti-Christ (or anti-messiah) who will arise in the final days. Over the centuries many have attempted to identify who this is. Currently some suggest that the Twelfth Imam, the Mahdi will be the Anti-Christ.

At another time I will go into more detail about the Biblical teaching about the antichrist. For today let us be certain that we humble ourselves before God and willingly admit that we who are sinners have no right to His forgiveness. Yet we rejoice that our God loves us so deeply that He sent His only Son into this world to offer His life for us all. This is His glory (John 2:11; 3:14-18; 12:44-47). And in that faith we are at peace and unafraid, regardless of what various antichrist's may shout and proclaim.

What About Natural-born Intuitive Psychics?

This week we're taking a careful, but brief, look at psychics and mediums, especially those folks that claim to be able to communicate with the dead.

As always, its best to start with a couple definitions. In general, a psychic claims to be extraordinarily sensitive to forces and influences beyond human senses. In some unexplained way he or she has this ability to see, feel or perceive spirits and events from the past, the future or from the beyond, in the realm of the dead or in the spirit world. Try a Google search and you will come up with dozens of sites by Dawn, Margaret, Dr. Loren, Jonathan, Georgia, etc. —all claiming natural-born, intuitive psychic powers. They simply have these powers and you are invited to hire them to do anything from contacting your deceased uncle to working with the police to discover who murdered Sam Jones. They'll even help you locate your lost dog.

What got me started was the article quoted in yesterday's blog about fake mediums. What I want to do today is to ask what Holy Scriptures have to say about these folks. Are there such people? Do some really have psychic powers? Is that what God's revelation says? The brief answer is yes, but we do need to do some sorting out.

Here's a brief, incomplete list of some of the prominent psychics in the Bible:

• Jacob - dreamed and beheld a flight of stairs reaching up to heaven (Gen. 28:11-22)
• Joseph - dreamed of future glory and interpreted others' dreams (Gen.37:5-11; 40:1-23; 41:15-37)
• Balaam the Diviner - saw the Angel of the LORD and Israel's glory (Num. 22:1-40; 23:1-25)
• Samuel, the Seer - guided Israel and chose her first kings (1 Samuel 9:15-10:20, etc.)
• Gad, one of David's Seers (1 Chr. 21:9-30) - Seers and prophets - I Sam. 9:9.
• Nathan, the Prophet (1 Kings 1:8-45) 
• Iddo, the Seer and visionary (2 Chr. 9:29)
• Prophets: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Amos, Micah, etc.
• Joseph, step-father of Jesus, was guided by his dreams (Matt. 1:20-25; 2:13-20). 
• Peter, the Apostle - had a vision of unclean food to eat (Acts 10:9-18)
• Paul, the Apostle - caught up to the third heaven (2 Cor. 12:2-5)
• John, the Apostle - saw a vision on the Lord's Day (Rev. 1:10) 
• Prophets from Jerusalem - foretold a great world-wide famine (Acts 11:27-30)
• Philip the evangelist had four unmarried daughters who prophesied (Acts 21:9-10)
• Agabus the prophet from Judea - predicted Paul's imprisonment (Acts 21:10-12)

As you can see, there have always been men and women who saw the future, had visions from God, predicted disasters for nations and individuals, and interpreted dreams. There still are. What's the difference between them and those who turn their backs upon God's revealed Word to claim they have natural-born, intuitive psychic powers, some even claiming to be in contact with the dead? Here is guidance from the Word: 

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. - 1Jo 4:1-3 ESV

As you can see, there are spirits and there are spirits. Some are from God and some are of the antichrist which is already in the world. What's this spirit of the antichrist? The reference to the antichrist is unique to John. Anyone in touch with, guided by or influenced by some spirit that does not confess and openly acknowledge that Jesus is the promised Messiah, God's Son come in human flesh to be Savior and Lord, is not from God! This one is led by the spirit of the antichrist. 

Ultimately, all such spirits are under the active influence of the prince of this present darkness, Satan or the devil. The Apostle Paul so teaches in his letter to the Thessalonians.

Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. - 2Th 2:3-12 ESV

It is for this reason that Moses warned all believers long ago to avoid all contact with such psychics and mediums. We do well to heed his warning. 

"Do not turn to mediums or necromancers; do not seek them out, and so make yourselves unclean by them: I am the LORD your God. - Lev 19:31 ESV

There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the LORD. And because of these abominations the LORD your God is driving them out before you. - Deut 18:10-12 ESV

More needs to be said about those prophets who do confess Jesus Christ. I'll take that up next time.

Test the Spirits

My son and I got into a conversation a couple days ago about a DVD about marriage he was thinking about using for his small group's Bible study. It was from a large and very popular church, with a hip, modern, charismatic pastor. As I looked on I was struck by how 'with it' this man wanted to be and how 'current' he wanted his message to be. At one occasion he made a reference to a Bible story that seemed to illustrate his point about marital relationships.

"Hey, guys," he said, "Ya gotta learn how to be, not just do. It's important that ya just learn to hang and not always be tryin' to accomplish stuff. We're too plugged in. We gotta learn to unplug and be present with one another.

"That's how Mary was," he continued. "She learned the important thing was to be with Jesus. She wasn't like Martha who always wanted to do something to prove that she loved him."


After that he called upon us, his audience and anyone else looking in to stop and talk with our spouses about this important teaching about marriage.

As I reflected upon all that I began to wonder if that was the point Jesus was making when he said, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed.Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her" (Luke 10).

Was Jesus really talking about the importance of developing relationships rather than trying to prove your love by doing something? That is, admittedly, a significant problem in many marriages, as well as in our culture. We are often self-centered, focused on accomplishments rather than upon relationships. But again, is that what Jesus was talking about? What was this 'one thing' He said was needed?

Part of the answer has to be in the context of that chapter. Right before this story Jesus tells the story of the Good Samaritan who showed mercy to His enemy. And immediately before that story is the story of the seventy-two who went ahead of Jesus to announce His coming. Those who welcomed this news were indeed be blessed. And the blessing? To know and love Jesus, the Son of the Father, sent to reveal the Father's love by His life, death and resurrection (Luke 10:21-24), something promised for long centuries through the prophets and kings who wrote about the coming Messianic King.

Back to our hip pastor and his talk about relationships, man! As important as those are, he twisted the Scripture to his own purposes. He deliberately pushed past the point. He jumped over the teaching. He put Mary simply in a position where she wanted to know this man Jesus by talking with him while her sister Martha was busy serving him supper.

But the passage from Holy Scripture is not about about mere human relationships. It is certainly not about the marriage relationship. It's about being with Jesus, listening to Him speak to us, growing in our love for Him, learning His will and His plan for our lives before, while and after we serve Him. And who is Jesus? To us Christians He is God's Son, true God and true Man, sent to be the Savior of all.

All that leads me back to a quotation by the Apostle John:

"Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.

"You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood" (1 John 4).

I'm not going to reveal the name of this particular teacher. My point is, however, critical. The Scriptures can be, have been and often will be used for purposes other than intended. I do not give a hoot about how hip a man may be. If he misuses God's Word and fails to give a clear witness to Jesus in his talks or teachings about marriage, relationships, our lives or whatever is his topic, then I'm going to have to reject what he says, because he is failing to glorify the only One whose love cleanses and purifies all our relationships. I'm going to have to test his teaching by asking questions about what he believes and teaches about Jesus. Thousands of teachers talk, write and proclaim something about Jesus, but that does not make them Christians in the Biblical sense of the word. They have become part of the spirit of the antichrist, the spirit of falsehood.