Born Again – What, and WHY?

“You must be born again” (John chapter 3:7). But why, how, and what does it actually entail? I think many Christians see that phrase “born again” merely as another way of saying “become a Christian” and of course the world’s media has thoroughly corrupted the phrase as well, [likewise the word “charismatic”] so that the original meaning has been swamped by modern ideas.

Salvation is Impossible

Matthew 19:24 Bible quote

It’s not just difficult to qualify for salvation – it’s impossible! That is the truth we learn from the plight of the “rich young ruler” a man with enough money and influence to consider himself qualified in the eyes of Jesus, but sadly he learned the opposite.

Don’t Miss the REAL Antichrist

We all use terms that we understand and apply to biblical events, although the word itself doesn’t appear in the bible. For example, we all say “Rapture” and apply it to the “catching away” of believers in the last days. The word ‘rapture’ is not in the modern English translations of the bible however.

Likewise, the word “millennium” does not appear in the Bible. It comes from two Latin words, “mille” and “-ennium,” which together simply mean “a thousand years.”

We all say “Antichrist” and it’s become detached from its original scriptural use and become a cultural trope misapplied by almost everyone who uses it colloquially and on social media these days. We are in danger now of missing the real Antichrist because of this muddle.

The Waters of Meribah Today

When a thought pops into my head, I wonder why, and then I do some research around it. A few days ago I suddenly thought “The waters of Meribah” so of course that set me off. I read the bible text, [Numbers 20:2-13] then a few online commentaries.

But what is the significance of this passage for us today?

The Son of God is Yahweh

Do we believe what the bible says, and what Jesus himself told us, or not? He testified that NO ONE has seen God the Father, EVER, at ANY TIME!

Who then fellowshipped with Adam and Eve in the Garden? Who did Moses see on the Mount? With whom did Moses speak in the burning bush (who affirmed himself as the IAM, Yahweh). There are many similar passages in the Old Testament.

Stop Seeing Jesus as a Man

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” (Prov 9:10)

This has been my experience in the past few days. My perception of God has recently changed – widened and deepened – in a way that I think many of us might need. I needed to stop seeing my Lord as the earthly Jesus in robes and long hair, even though of course he was that – but he is SO much more!!

Are Fruitless Christians Removed? Or Restored?

In reading John Chapter 15:1-14 where Jesus uses an analogy of himself as the vine, and those connected to him as branches of the vine, most translations tell us that unfruitful branches are “removed” or “taken away”.

I Was a (Spiritual) Hoarder

When I started praying for cleansing and renewal, little did I realise what God would show me. Like a hoarder, I had been hanging onto things from my distant past as well as my present life.

Suddenly I saw myself as a house, the house in which I lived, and that house was crammed with garbage that attracted flies and rats. I had kept things that were no longer any use to me, thinking they were too precious to let go, but worse, I had stored up so many emotions, buried them under layers of trivia, thinking perhaps they would be useful to me eventually.

I also wondered if – like genuine hoarders – there was a sense of keeping things of my life around me to offer me some kind of protection against further hurt or disappointment.

By the Water and the Blood

What is meant by 1 John 5:6 “water and blood”? What is the water and what is the blood? What does “He came by water and blood” mean?

This article is by David Reagan, and is found here: “The Water and Blood“

When Is The Rapture?

With events escalating worldwide, Christians are thinking more and more about the Coming of the Lord. However, a very large portion of the Church adamantly professes a “pre-trib rapture”, by which they mean that Christians will suddenly and unexpectedly be taken out of the earth before anything remotely unpleasant can happen to them.

That is such a comforting belief that it’s believed by many, including myself for the greater part of my Christian life.

What’s Wrong With Progressive Christianity?

We may all be aware, at least to some extent, of misleading and unbiblical movements swarming over the Church today, including Prosperity Teaching (Word of Faith) and NAR (New Apostolic Reformation) but fewer have considered the movement loosely called “Progressive Christianity”.

The video I want to share with you is an hour long but is very much worth your while setting aside time to view it. The speakers clearly and with much evidence and personal experience show what is being taught, and show why it’s affecting new converts as well as older Christians.

The bottom line is this: it is a teaching that so downplays the need for salvation, and so removes faith in Jesus, the bible and the work of the Cross, that it amounts to a 21st century heresy.

Jesus in the Old Testament

If you do not believe that I AM (he) you will die in your sins [John 8:24]

The Gospel of John is unique in many ways, but from its very first verse it seems determined to prove both the deity and pre-existence of Jesus Christ.

To his original Jewish hearers, and perhaps even to us today, the idea that the appearances of God throughout the Old Testament were in fact Jesus Christ were hard to fathom.

Yet, scripture proves the truth of his words.

The Days of Noah, Lot and Today

Jesus referred to two events to illustrate the condition of the world just before his return: Noah’s flood and the destruction of Sodom in Lot’s day. What are the similarities, and what can we learn for ourselves about these events?

As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. [Matthew 24:37-39]

We Are All Alike

Today I read a news report that totally sickened and disgusted me. Having said that, it’s not an unusual circumstance these days! However, the report affected me so badly that I cried out to the Lord, “what sort of person DOES that??”

I’m not going to spell out in detail what this twisted individual did, because it’s not appropriate, apart from giving an illustration of what I mean.

Just take it from me, this person is the worst of the worst – selfish, psychotic, murderous, depraved, cruel – and if you really want to know the details you can look them up for yourself here. (However, the point of this blog post is not the actions of this person, as you will see as you read on.)

Overcoming Doubts

Are you ever troubled by doubts? Do you ever puzzle over unanswered prayer, or events that just don’t seem to add up?

I haven’t been a regular doubter in my Christian life, thankfully. I seem to possess an ability to accept things in an almost childlike way, without constantly asking why or needing proof.

Atonement or Ransom?

There’s nothing that brings out the theological nerd in me more than unpicking the true meaning of a word in scripture, and this one is a doozy! Atonement!

For a start, it’s not really a biblical word, but was coined by the bible translators for a Hebrew word for which they felt there was no near English equivalent.

The Angel Moved The Stone – But Why?

I write on the Saturday of Easter weekend (as the westernised version of events has it) and it is no coincidence I am sure that in my recent re-reading of the gospel of Matthew I arrived today at the final two chapters, the account of the trial, crucifixion and resurrection of the Son of God.

As always, the bible text itself corrects so many popular bible myths that have been introduced over the centuries. We must not base our beliefs on myths or religious paintings, but the word of God.

The Empty Chalkboard

 

You lie awake, tossing and turning, night after night the same;
Blaming yourself, but more so, those who are really to blame:
What they said and did to you, how cruel, mean and heartless,
Leaving you angry, sad, despairing, frustrated and totally hopeless.

Listing the slights and injuries they committed without shame once,
Against the meek and vulnerable, who bore it with all patience,
How they cut you deep inside, a trauma that cannot be healed,
Brooding pain and anger about raw wounds you have concealed.

The Matthew 24 Rapture Dilemma

The description of the endtimes in Matthew 24 has become a focus of attention in past months. It has been used to show the differences between the Rapture and the Second Coming.  

However it’s also been used to eliminate the Rapture and even the Church entirely from what Jesus said.

Some deny that Jesus was talking to Christians at all. They see no correlation between Matthew 24 and the Book of Revelation, and fix all the events Jesus mentioned during what they claim will be seven years of Tribulation. Although these beliefs are commonplace, are they actually supported by the bible text itself?

In Matthew 24 Jesus answered three questions asked by the disciples:

1. When will the Temple be destroyed, no stone being left upon another
2. What are the signs that you are coming back for us?
3. What are the signs of the End and Final Judgement, and the setting-up of the earthly kingdom?

The Ten Days

What is the significance of the “ten days” mentioned in scripture? In particular, there is a rather mysterious mention of ten days of tribulation in Revelation 2:10. Nothing in scripture is purely arbitrary  or random so I have looked into what the ten days means.

Some hints in the Old Testament

The price of REDEMPTION was TEN gerahs,  half a shekel (Exo 30:12-16). This sum was the Atonement price for each individual, given to the Temple.