Participants: John Lomacang, John Stanton
Series Code: HCL
Program Code: HCL110019
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00:01 Hello, friends. Grab your Bible
00:03 and a friend and sit back as we explore 00:04 God's word together on this edition of House Calls. 00:21 Welcome to another edition of House Calls, 00:23 today we're so glad that you've chosen to tune in 00:26 and I may need a House Call today, 00:28 I'm getting a little cold here. 00:30 So you guys if I sniffle at all that's not because 00:33 you're making me cry that's because 00:35 I'm excited about the program. 00:37 And anyway, thank you for joining us, 00:41 get your family together, get your friends together. 00:43 Hit the record button, get your Bibles, 00:45 your pens and join John and John in the hot seat. 00:49 Yes. So, you-- 00:51 That feel bad, that's just never fun 00:52 to do programs when you're not feeling well. 00:54 That's all you've to say is yes. 00:56 No, I'm saying I'm thinking about you, man. 00:58 You buddy, come on, you're not feeling good. 01:02 Yeah, it's true. It takes away, 01:03 it takes a bit to click here. 01:05 So, the Lord will bless though I'm sure. 01:06 It's just getting started so you know 01:08 we're not in a critical stages yet, 01:10 so I think I can make it through. 01:12 We have a very understanding audience. 01:14 Thank you for being understanding. 01:16 We've Bible questions as you know, 01:18 it's always the first part of our program. 01:19 Second part we're gonna be winding up today 01:22 on the topic I think maybe one more program, 01:25 entitled why so many denominations. 01:27 Hopefully we've maybe 01:29 encourage you to go back and study. 01:32 But if questions have come to your mind 01:33 will give an opportunity later on in the program 01:36 to get the address so that 01:37 you can send us those questions. 01:38 But before we do anything we always like to pray. 01:40 So, John, would you pray for us today? 01:42 I'll be happy to. Dear Father, 01:44 we are needing more of your grace through this morning 01:49 and so we submit ourselves to you, 01:50 Lord, and we just ask that you should be 01:52 very close to each one of us. 01:54 Especially John as he is not feeling well today. 01:57 But Lord be with our words, 01:59 be with everything that we talk about here today, 02:02 everything we are studying. 02:04 And be with each of our viewers 02:05 and our listeners, Lord. 02:07 They are a big part of this program 02:09 and I just pray that you would bless them 02:10 especially as well, in Jesus name Amen. 02:14 As you know we have Bible questions, 02:17 whenever you want to send them to us, 02:18 you can send them to our Internet address 02:21 which if you've been before, it's housecalls@3abn.org 02:26 that's housecalls@3abn.org. 02:30 Thank you so much for being faithful 02:32 and sending questions and you know there are 02:34 some really, really good questions you send to us. 02:36 Some are repeats that is the same topic 02:41 not the same question exactly 02:43 and some of them are new and challenging. 02:45 But what do we have today, John, for the first question. 02:47 Yeah, I've got a question from Rosanne 02:49 and she appreciates our ministry 02:52 and I think her four, her encouraging words there, 02:56 then she has a question here. 02:57 She says in the scripture of verse Mark 14:21 03:02 about Judas who betrayed Jesus. 03:04 It says that it would have been good for that man 03:07 to have never been born. 03:09 My question is, if there was no Judas 03:12 then how would the crucifixion 03:13 and the resurrection of Jesus have been fulfilled. 03:16 Thank you for your answer and for your ministry. 03:19 So thank you very much, Rosanne from Kansas City. 03:22 Let's take a look at this passage that Rosanne 03:25 is speaking of here and we find it in Mark Chapter 14. 03:29 I'm gonna start reading from verse 18, 03:31 so you can get the context here. 03:34 It says and as they sat and did eat Jesus said 03:37 and this is of course at the last supper. 03:40 Verily, verily, I say unto you, 03:42 one of you which eateth with me shall betray me 03:47 and they began to sorrow, to be sorrowful 03:50 and they said unto Him one by one He said 03:52 I another said is it I, and he answered 03:56 and said unto to them it is one of the twelve 03:58 that dipeth with me in the dish. 04:01 The son of man indeed goeth as it is written of him 04:05 but woe to that Man by whom the Son of man is betrayed, 04:09 good word for him that, 04:10 that man if he had never been born. 04:13 Well, some sobering words and I definitely 04:16 would not want to have been Judas 04:18 in any, any conceivable way. 04:21 But the question here is what would have happened? 04:24 How would the crucifixion 04:25 and the resurrection have occurred? 04:27 And this is something that we simply don't know, 04:31 I read this question because 04:32 I thought the very same thing. 04:34 And as I began to contemplate in fact 04:36 in my own mind, what would have happened? 04:39 Let me take it a step further, 04:40 even let's say the Jews had 04:42 accepted Christ as their Messiah. 04:46 We know that the Church would have never been, 04:51 would have never begun had the Jews accepted 04:54 Jesus as their Messiah because He would have 04:56 used them to finish the work throughout 04:58 the world to bring salvation to all men. 05:00 But because they rejected Christ, 05:02 did not accept that mission He choose 12 05:05 and then apostles to go forward began the Church 05:09 and ministered directly to the Gentiles 05:11 and ministering back as well to the Jews as 05:15 part of the world wide gospel of Jesus Christ. 05:18 But think about this, okay, so if, 05:20 if everything had gone differently, 05:22 let's say even the Jews had accepted Christ 05:24 what would have happened? 05:25 I mean, Jesus still needed to give His life 05:27 as a ransom for our sins 05:30 and to pay the penalty for our sins. 05:32 So, what would have happened? 05:34 You know, I can only speculate on this 05:35 and this is definitely my opinion, John but, 05:39 you know, the other what you say, 05:45 the other co-horde of it, 05:46 the one's that helped crucify Christ were the Romans. 05:50 And it very well could have been at the Jews 05:51 had accepted Christ as their Messiah 05:54 they would have been quite an uprising 05:56 and I'm sure the Romans would have found a way to, 05:59 to kill their King, which would have been Christ. 06:01 So, you could see in that scenario 06:03 Jesus would have been crucified anyway. 06:06 But even in the scenario of Judas 06:08 had He not betrayed Christ, someone could have easily 06:10 betrayed Christ, someone who could have 06:12 come forward and caused the events that took place 06:17 in the, in the Calvary story. 06:19 So, anyway I just, I throw this out because, 06:21 John, we don't know, so we really don't know 06:24 the answer to this question. 06:26 But I think the comment here about Jesus saying 06:29 it would be better that this man had 06:30 never been born, should be taken simply at face value. 06:33 You know, rather than betraying Christ, 06:37 it would have been better to just have 06:39 never been born, never been alive 06:41 because you will have to ultimately pay the price 06:43 for your sins of betraying the Son of man, the Son of God. 06:48 Other than that, we simply don't know. 06:50 True, and you know you look at 06:52 the serious situations in life, 06:55 and Jesus also mentioned 06:58 that if anyone offends one of these little ones, 07:04 it's better that a milestone be put around 07:07 their neck and they thrown in the sea, 07:09 then to a friend one of little ones, 07:12 when he speaks about children he says 07:14 allow the children to come to me 07:16 and do not forbid them. 07:17 But truly this is a speculative answer, 07:21 we don't know, we know that He was 07:23 going to be betrayed, the prophecy was, 07:27 my friend betrayed me. 07:30 And so God in His sovereignty saw 07:33 well through the veil of history 07:35 that it would happen that way. 07:37 So, Judas wasn't randomly chosed 07:41 but the Lord, as Isaiah 49 says, 07:45 Isaiah 46 verse 9 and 10 it says 07:47 declaring the end from the beginning. 07:49 And from ancient times things that are not yet done 07:54 saying I will do all of my pleasure. 07:56 I think that's Isaiah 46 verse 10. 07:59 So, the Lord sees, He saw that, 08:02 He saw that the Jews would betray Him, 08:05 that was the prophecy. 08:06 Not, not for ordained but for, for known. 08:10 Right and you could pretty much, 08:11 if you stood on the top of a building and you, 08:14 and you saw two cars speeding one from the west 08:17 and one from the south and there was no 08:20 stop sign you could predict what was going to happen, 08:23 but you didn't make it happen. 08:24 But God has far greater ability to see 08:27 into the future and understand 08:29 how the tables unfold, that's why Jesus said, 08:32 I tell these things beforehand 08:35 that when they do come to pass you'll believe. 08:38 And so that pretty much was a, 08:40 a fulfillment of the prophecy rather than a, 08:42 than a setup for Judas. Right, right. 08:45 But I wouldn't wanna be him and I encourage you, 08:47 I agree with you on that one. 08:49 Here's another one, I am looking for 08:52 New Testament verses forbidding the eating of 08:54 unclean meat, specifically swine flesh. 08:58 I have a concordance it did nothing for me, 09:01 please help, God bless you in Jesus name, Adam. 09:05 Thank you, Adam, for your question. 09:06 Let me, let me encourage you, 09:10 when we study the Bible, Isaiah tells us 09:14 that we should study it line upon line, 09:17 line upon line, precept upon precept, 09:21 precept upon precept, here a little and there a little. 09:26 When the Bible, when the words were written 09:30 to Timothy by the Apostle Paul, 09:32 which reads as follows in 09:33 Second Timothy 3 and verse 16. 09:36 Which says all scriptures given by 09:38 inspiration of God, he was not referring 09:41 to the New Testament he was referring 09:42 to the Old Testament, because when these words 09:45 were given there was no New Testament but they were 09:48 recorded later in the New Testament 09:49 as a reflection of the validity 09:52 of the Old Testament. 09:54 One of the unfortunate things today 09:56 and a number of issues have come up 09:57 where people say, well, I don't see that-- 09:59 I don't see that in the New Testament, 10:02 for everything to be in the New Testament 10:04 that was in the Old Testament the book would have to be 10:06 relatively as thick as the Old Testament but it's not. 10:11 You don't find the full 6 day creation story 10:13 in the New Testament either, 10:15 but there is no reason to reject 10:17 the fact that the Lord created 10:18 different things on different days. 10:21 You don't find a number of other 10:23 stories in the Old Testament, in the New Testament 10:26 and so the point of the matter is 10:29 if we're looking for repeats then the Bible pretty much 10:32 becomes a book that's redundant in many cases. 10:35 The one place in the Bible 10:36 where things are repeated is 10:39 in the gospels Matthew, Mark, Luke, John 10:40 because pretty much they experience 10:42 a lot of the same thing. 10:44 But let me encourage you, 10:46 when you look at the clean and the unclean foods 10:48 they are verses that will clearly say to you 10:51 in order to understand this you have to understand 10:54 the Old Testament relevant. 10:56 For example go with me to First Corinthians, 11:01 Chapter 3 verse 16 and 17. 11:04 First Corinthians Chapter 3 verse 16 and 17 11:09 it says, "Do you not know 11:10 that you are the temple of God" 11:14 and in another translation, King James Version says 11:17 "Do you not know that your body is the temple of God, 11:21 and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 11:24 If anyone defiles the temple of God, 11:27 God will destroy him for the temple of God 11:30 is holy, which temple you are." 11:33 When you look at verse 17 11:34 "If anyone defiles the temple of God." 11:37 You cannot help but remember the story 11:39 of Daniel in Daniel Chapter 1. 11:42 When Daniel made up his mind not to defile himself 11:47 but the portion of the King's meat, 11:49 nor with the wine which he drank. 11:51 And so you can't understand the verse fully here 11:55 unless you understand the parallel to that 11:57 or the type, this is the anti-type 12:00 to that particular story. 12:02 Going further you have First Corinthians 12:07 6 verse 19 and 20 says "Do you not know that 12:10 your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you. 12:15 Whom you have from God and you're not your own 12:18 for you're brought at a price therefore 12:21 glorify God and your body 12:23 and then your spirit which are God's." 12:26 Let me give you some examples, 12:28 and I'm going to tip toe here but I'm going to be 12:29 very frank about it, you will not find 12:32 any scriptures in the Bible say don't smoke, 12:36 you won't find anything that says don't, 12:38 don't take Quaaludes in excess, 12:42 don't take it acid or some of these-- 12:46 Or even drugs, no matter what-- 12:48 Drugs and period, you don't find it saying 12:52 forbidding the use of things nowadays that did not exist 12:56 then but you find the principle 12:58 that exists in the Bible. 13:00 And the principle is this First Corinthians 10:31, 13:04 "Therefore, whether you eat or drink, 13:07 or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." 13:12 Do all to the glory of God. 13:14 And in the book of Ecclesiastes we find 13:21 not Ecclesiastes in the Book of Isaiah, 13:23 go with me to Isaiah Chapter 66. 13:28 Isaiah Chapter 66, we find the scriptural injunction 13:34 as to what would be happening when Jesus comes? 13:37 And how He forbids, He talks about 13:40 and you specifically asked about swine flesh. 13:45 Okay, I'm getting there now, bear with me, 13:49 it's not cold outside but it sure does feel like 13:51 my voice is just struggling with me today 13:56 but you're patient so thank you very much. 13:59 Okay, here it is. 14:03 Isaiah 66 verse 15, 16, and 17. 14:08 John, may be you can help me by reading those? 14:10 "For behold, the LORD will come with fire 14:13 and with His chariots, like a whirlwind, 14:15 to render His anger with fury, 14:17 And His rebuke with flames of fire. 14:20 For by fire and by His sword 14:22 with the Lord plead with all flesh. 14:24 And the slain of the LORD shall be many. 14:26 They that sanctify themselves and purify themselves, 14:30 in the gardens behind one tree 14:32 in the midst, eating swine's flesh 14:35 and the abomination and the mouse, 14:37 shall be consumed together, says the Lord God." 14:40 Okay, this is the text about the future, 14:43 this is what's going to happen 14:44 when the Lord comes and execute 14:46 his vengeance by fire and by sword. 14:49 And you find in Revelation 19 14:51 and Revelation talks about out of his mouth goeth 14:53 a sharp sword with which He strikes the nations. 14:57 This is future, notice the category 14:59 that you want to support for not eating swine's flesh, 15:03 it says it right there. 15:04 Now, if you were to look at the swine's flesh 15:07 in a medical sense there is only one word 15:10 I can use for a pig, it's a pig. 15:14 Did I say that, John? 15:17 And if you look at what doctors forbid people 15:19 that, you know that is the only animal I saw 15:21 in poo-poo many years ago entitled 15:24 from the tail to the snout, that means 15:28 from the tip of the tail all the way 15:30 to the pig's nose that's the only animal 15:32 that people eat every single part of. 15:36 And you wonder where all these diseases come from. 15:38 As a matter of fact let me just share something 15:39 with you, I brought this up on the Internet here 15:41 and that's one of my pages, 15:42 okay it's coming up here all right, there it is. 15:46 Talks about the effects and this is, 15:48 this is what medical doctors are saying 15:50 about the effects of swine flesh. 15:55 It says, pigs bodies contain many toxins, 15:58 worms and latent diseases. 16:03 Although some of these infestations 16:05 are harbored in other animals, 16:07 modern veterinary say that pigs are far more 16:11 predisposed to these illnesses than other animals. 16:16 This could be because pigs like, 16:18 like to scavenge and will eat any kind of food 16:22 including dead insects, worms, 16:25 riding cockroaches etc including their 16:29 own garbage and even other pigs. 16:33 This is the beginning of the article, 16:34 influenza is one of the most famous illnesses 16:37 which pigs share with humans. 16:40 So, we wonder why we have the flu? 16:43 Pigs. Not the sole reason. 16:45 Not the sole reason but pigs share that with 16:48 humans, the influenza. 16:51 This illness is harbored in the lungs of pigs 16:53 during the summer months intense to affect pigs 16:56 and humans in the cooler months. 16:59 That's why when we come to the winter time, 17:01 you know, all of a sudden you get your flu shorts, 17:03 well you can't give a pig a flu short 17:04 because that's not gonna do anything. 17:07 And something else you know people eat sausages. 17:10 Sausages contain bits of pigs lungs, 17:14 so those who eat pork sausages tend to suffer more 17:18 during the epidemic of influenza. 17:21 Pig meat contains excessive quantities of histamine 17:26 and imidazole compounds which can lead to itching 17:30 and inflammation, growth hormones 17:33 which promotes inflammation in growth, 17:35 sulphur which contains all this mucus, 17:38 it gives a medical term, which leads to swelling 17:41 and deposits of mucus in tendons 17:43 and cartilage resulting in arthritis, rheumatism and etc. 17:47 The things that happen in a person's body 17:49 just because of eating a pig are far more detrimental 17:54 than eating any other animal, 17:56 and the reason why God created the pig, 17:58 you go look at the Old Testament, 18:00 I think you're aware of that because 18:01 you're looking for the support of the new 18:03 but if you look at the Old Testament 18:04 the Lord forbade the eating of swine's flesh. 18:07 And today, John, as I give it back to you, 18:09 a lot of people think they have arthritis 18:12 when they just have pigites. 18:13 Because what happens is the toxins from the pig 18:16 not to be lighthearted about this, the body can't digest it 18:21 but it stores it around the joints. 18:23 And so when people think that their you know, 18:25 they're getting older and they have arthritis 18:27 as a natural process of aging, 18:29 there are some people that they're in 90's 18:30 that don't have arthritis. 18:32 We know some sanitarians and Adventists, 18:34 among Adventists they don't have arthritis 18:36 because they eat clean foods 18:39 and for the most part they're vegetarians, 18:41 in some cases they're vegans. 18:44 And the principle goes beyond even just pigs. 18:47 Think about it, the foods that 18:50 the Bible allows man to eat include clean animals. 18:55 Because those clean animals are not eating 18:56 other animals, they're not carnivores, 18:59 they're not scavengers. 19:01 And so the reason why pigs are there 19:04 is because first of all they're scavengers 19:06 but secondly they are a list of other things here 19:07 because they're not eating grass and leaves 19:12 and things that are converted into their flesh 19:16 which then we would if we're eating clean meat 19:20 that we would be taking into our bodies. 19:22 So, there's this principle there 19:24 and it goes even into the fish of the sea, 19:26 you know, don't eat lobsters 19:27 which are the cockroaches of the sea or shrimp. 19:32 From other fish, I mean, that's true. 19:34 This is exactly what happens 19:35 and so this is the principle 19:37 behind don't eat what is unclean. 19:40 Now there is something that I take 19:41 one exception with you on, John? 19:43 Go for it. You're ready? 19:45 There is no such thing as unclean food. 19:50 It's not even in the Bible. 19:52 Animals are clean or they're unclean. 19:56 God said you can eat for food clean animals, 19:59 He never said unclean animals are food. 20:03 So, when you say we can eat unclean foods 20:06 it's actually something that's never in the Bible, 20:08 unclean is never food, 20:10 it's never been food from the very beginning. 20:12 Did I say we could eat unclean foods? 20:13 I say these are the unclean-- No, people, 20:15 these are the unclean foods. 20:16 But the Bible doesn't use the word unclean foods. 20:18 Right. So, I'm just joking. 20:20 I know. In just here, but. I got you. 20:21 At the same time we have this mentality 20:23 that these are unclean foods, they're not, 20:24 they're unclean animals not for food. True. 20:27 And they have never been food from the very beginning, 20:30 from Genesis through Revelation 20:32 when you're talking about eating 20:34 the list of unclean animals are not even on the list. 20:38 So, you don't even see whether 20:40 the Old Testament or New Testament, 20:42 unclean foods. It's just not there. 20:43 You know, John you just gave me a Revelation 20:45 I appreciate that because lot of times 20:47 people look at these things and say, 20:50 these are unclean or cleaned foods, 20:53 to reiterate the point if it's unclean it's not food. 20:56 That's right. If it's clean 20:58 it was listed among the things you can eat. 21:00 These are the things that will always says you can eat. 21:03 Right. But the unclean 21:05 that's my sanitation department. 21:06 So, going back to the shells, the lobster, 21:08 the crab, shrimp the oysters, the muscles, 21:11 the octopus all those things are just, 21:13 they're the sanitation department of the ocean. 21:16 If there was no sanitation department in the ocean 21:18 it will be putrefying, 21:20 these animals are there to clean it up, 21:22 that's what God designed. 21:23 The other thing too is in Acts verses Chapter 10, 11 21:26 we know the story of Peter and the sheet comes down. 21:28 Good one. Full of unclean animals. 21:31 Right. And he says take and eat 21:34 and what is Peter's response. 21:36 I've never eat anything common or unclean. 21:39 Exactly in Acts 11 first ate no Lord not so I've never 21:43 let anything unclean enter my mouth. 21:46 Right. Even to that day anything 21:48 that's unclean does not entered his mouth why? 21:50 Because it's never been food. 21:52 And that's New Testament. 21:54 That's right, that's right. Very good. 21:56 I just want to get that point across 21:58 because people have this, this nomura kind of this, 22:01 this they don't really realize what they're saying 22:03 when they're saying unclean food, there, 22:05 there is no such thing as unclean foods. 22:07 Right. There is unclean, 22:08 there's clean and unclean animals. 22:10 The clean animals are possibilities for food 22:13 the unclean animals have never been food. 22:15 That's right, and I like that point 22:16 you brought up because when, when Peter said, 22:20 I've never eaten anything common or unclean, 22:24 there's this idea, John, that people say, 22:25 well I pray over it. 22:27 Well, why don't you pray over cyanide 22:28 before you drink it and see what happens. 22:31 Not being cynical but the point of matter 22:34 is pray does not change a direct command of God. 22:36 Prayer does not make a pig sanctified. 22:39 Prayer does not change the fact that it is a scavenger, 22:42 it doesn't make a difference. 22:44 Now there are some people, 22:45 I know this to be true that they say, 22:47 well, when I clean the shrimp 22:50 I take that little black thing out of it 22:53 and they think that that's the only thing that's unclean. 22:56 Where the animal itself that's unclean, 22:58 it's like saying well you know, that, 23:01 that when we put the thief in jail, 23:03 no we didn't put the thief in jail 23:05 we would just put the tools 23:06 he uses to break nto houses in jail. 23:08 Right. But he's thief you see, 23:11 and in the same way these animals are unclean 23:15 everything about them, 23:16 that's why their shells that are like little garbage cans, 23:19 that's why they're not designed to eat. 23:21 So, I pray that your desire is to glorify God 23:26 and if it is, whether you eat or drink 23:28 or what ever you do, do all to the glory of God, 23:30 your body doesn't belong to you 23:32 and the Lord made that very, very clear. 23:34 Okay, yours, John. 23:36 Next question here comes from Ben. 23:39 Two questions, both start with what calendar? 23:43 What calendar was Jesus using at His time 23:46 here on earth with us? 23:48 Well, we, we must assume it's God's calendar 23:50 first of all and God's calendar as given to the Jews 23:54 was comprised of 12, 30 day, months. 23:59 And then there was some things added to that 24:01 to round out the year but this calendar 24:04 that He used I am sure was the Jewish calendar 24:08 and not necessarily the Roman calendar that, 24:11 that was being used by the Romans in that day. 24:13 The mind of Christ was always on God 24:15 and what God's design was, even the prophecies 24:19 throughout scripture are based upon 24:21 God's calendar 360 days to a year, 12 months, 24:26 12 months full of 30 days each month. 24:29 Now, the second question here 24:31 is what calendar did God give man to keep the Sabbath? 24:35 And I think, I'm gonna try 24:36 and read into this a little bit, John, 24:37 because there is a little confusion out there today. 24:39 All right. About at least a very small group 24:43 is starting to throw out there as a possibility. 24:47 But first of all a simple answer, 24:50 the calendar guide man to keep, 24:52 God gave man to keep the Sabbath 24:53 was the weekly cycle. 24:57 So, each of the calendars is broken down by weeks 25:00 if you look at your calendar, 25:01 go to your calendar you look that there is a several weeks 25:04 in that month and each one is broken down by seven days 25:07 and that seven days comes from creation. 25:11 First day, second day, third day, 25:13 up through the seventh day which God 25:15 then blessed as the Sabbath day. 25:18 And that is continued on even till today, 25:19 the only reason we have a week 25:21 that is seven days long is because of creation, 25:24 there is no solar, there is no lunar, 25:27 there is no any kind of rotation 25:29 around the sun once a year, there is nothing like that, 25:33 that moves us or compels us to keep the Sabbath, 25:38 it's only the fact that is a creation week, seven days. 25:43 Now, I am reading into this, saying this, John, 25:45 some are actually advocating today 25:47 that the Sabbath day shifts according to the lunar cycle. 25:52 So, in a way they keep 25:54 kind of a lunar solar combination cycle 25:58 which is that there is a 24 hour cycle 26:02 that follows the rotation of the earth 26:05 and where the sun rises and sets 26:07 and then there is a day, the shifting of days 26:10 along with a lunar calendar or that the moon and it's, 26:14 it's rotation or at least it's cycle. 26:17 And so I, I've looked at the information on this, 26:23 I know the people are very strong in compelling 26:25 or I would even say confusing minds 26:27 with regard to this but God from the very beginning 26:30 is established the weekly cycle for keeping the Sabbath 26:34 and never has he established or used or causes to shift 26:37 that Sabbath according to the moon in it's cycle. 26:40 So, there is no change of, you know, 26:42 there is no laws of calendar, 26:45 there is no new institution, 26:48 I am always amazed by the fact 26:50 that if you said to somebody we get paid on, 26:53 on the sixth day of the week, 26:56 everybody will show up on Friday, 26:58 do you know what it is? 26:59 It's like one of the Sabbath happens 27:01 people are concerned oh! What day is that? 27:05 Many attempts have been made to explain the Sabbath away, 27:07 the fact of the matter is it's still a sign between God 27:10 and His people and it still remains sanctified 27:14 and holy to the Lord. 27:17 So, honor the Sabbath as you honor 27:19 the other nine commandments. 27:21 But you can only do that if you love the Lord, 27:23 thank you for your question. 27:24 Lastly, this, this, this one in Judges, 27:26 John, I've to read this one. 27:29 John and John, Judges 11 verse 30 to 39. 27:33 "As I understand or as I understood 27:36 God is against human sacrifices. 27:39 My questions are more difficult 27:40 so obviously never addressed by you folks. 27:43 Okay the things we have, 27:44 we don't ask difficult questions, 27:46 I guess that's what I get from you, 27:47 let me read the story, and I guess the question 27:49 is what is this all about? 27:52 Well, let me give you a couple of things here, 27:55 the story is about Jephthah who made a vow to the Lord, 28:00 if the Lord will deliver them, 28:02 let me just read Judges 11verse 30, 28:06 "And Jephthah made a vow to the Lord, and said, 28:08 "If You will indeed deliver the people 28:12 of Ammon into my hands, 28:14 then it will be that whatever comes out 28:17 of the doors of my house to meet me, 28:19 when I return in peace from the people of Ammon, 28:23 shall surely be the LORD's, 28:25 and I will offer it up as a burnt offering." 28:29 Now, giving you an example 28:32 this is not the first time in the Bible 28:34 that a burnt offering was talked about being a human, 28:36 remember the story of Abraham, 28:40 he was willing, the Lord says offer your son Isaac, 28:43 the Lord was willing to, 28:45 He was willing to test Abraham in that way. 28:47 Now, was God saying 28:48 that He wants humans to be sacrificed. 28:51 Well in the story of Abraham and Isaac, 28:52 you noticed that Isaac wasn't sacrificed, 28:55 the Lord provided the Lord wanted to see 28:57 his willingness to do that. 29:00 What makes this story different 29:01 and as the story ends he ask Jephthah 29:05 ends up sacrificing his daughter 29:08 but remember what He said here and this is something 29:10 that so important, He says in verse 35 at the end, 29:16 let me just cut and read the rest of it, 29:18 He says at the very end he says, 29:19 "For I have given my word to the Lord, 29:23 and I cannot go back on it." 29:27 In the book of Ecclesiastics He says, 29:29 it's better not to vow than to vow and not to pay, 29:33 do not allow your mouth to cause your flesh to sin. 29:37 And the people of God took that very seriously you know, 29:40 we have this phrase nowadays or used to have this phrase, 29:43 where it goes this way, my word is my bond. 29:46 Get yes be yes to Bible says 29:48 let your yes be yes and your no be no, 29:50 they took that very seriously 29:51 and then also his daughter said 29:54 if you made this agreement with God 29:56 you better go and follow through it 29:57 because God follow through on his, 30:00 God did deliver you from Ammon, 30:02 God did deliver the people. 30:04 And so this was more so the vow 30:05 that Jephthah made to God 30:08 and his daughter went along with it and he ended up 30:10 sacrificing her as a burnt offering to the Lord. 30:13 And you know what, the Lord did not reject him. 30:16 The Lord honored his sacrifice 30:17 but the Lord was not the one that established this, 30:20 if you look at the rest of it here it says 30:22 in the end of verse 39. 30:24 And it became a custom in Israel, 30:26 now what became a custom in Israel, 30:28 the custom that was established in Israel 30:30 was not so much the burning of the children 30:33 because if you remember very carefully the Lord says, 30:35 do not allow your children to pass through the fire. 30:40 And that was the forbidding, God was saying no, 30:42 I don't want your children to be sacrificed. 30:44 This was an isolated experience here 30:47 and isolated incident that God didn't ordain 30:50 that God didn't require but the Jephthah, 30:52 made a vow to God, 30:54 he and his daughter were in harmony 30:55 with carrying through this. 30:56 Since God lived up to his part. 30:59 And that was simply that's what it, 31:00 that's it was but on the, on the bigger end. 31:03 They knew that whenever you promise something to God. 31:06 You must follow through on that promise 31:08 and that's why his honor was really at stake here. 31:11 I've given God my word, and I cannot go back on it. 31:14 And it says in Verse 39, and, 31:17 and it was so at the end of two months, 31:20 that she returned to her father 31:22 and he carried out his vow with her, 31:26 which he had vowed. 31:28 And so he made this vow, 31:30 and she allowed him to carry the vow out. 31:32 The sad thing was it was his only daughter which meant, 31:36 what happens if your family lying right there. Yeah. 31:39 Yeah, a very sad situation 31:40 but also I think the principle, 31:41 the whole thing being taught here is not the sacrifice. 31:44 The whole thing being taught here 31:45 is that the vow that we make to God is very, 31:47 very scared, it is something 31:49 that we must follow through with. 31:52 And we find today over and over again, 31:54 I mean you see situations where, 31:55 I hear stories where someone has made a vow 31:59 to the Lord and has just kind of acted 32:01 as if they had never made that vow. 32:05 One common one, John, as you hear people 32:07 that get into trouble they're facing death. 32:09 And they will say Lord 32:11 if you just get me out of this one 32:13 I will serve you forever and I promise that. 32:17 It's a vow they made, 32:18 when we say I promise it's like a vow being made. 32:22 And they're saved God delivers them 32:25 and what do they do? 32:26 They just go back to life as usual. 32:28 And I think they're standing with God 32:31 from that point on is worse than it had been 32:33 before they made that vow because a vow 32:36 he will hold them accountable for. 32:38 So, just an important principle here. 32:41 As a matter of fact, 32:42 reads as follows. 32:44 When you make a vow to the Lord 32:45 your God you not shall delay to pay it. 32:49 For the Lord your God will surely require it of you 32:52 and it would be sin to you. 32:56 Lastly Ecclesiastes 5 verse 4 the verse I just eluded too. 33:00 When you make a vow to God do not delay to pay it 33:03 for He has no pleasure in fools, 33:05 pay what you have vowed. 33:07 It is better not to vow than to vow, 33:08 not to pay and they knew that. 33:10 So when they made that promise 33:12 it's almost like what did I just, 33:14 what did I just say? 33:15 Whoever comes out of my house 33:17 I'm going to sacrifice to the Lord? 33:19 Lord is my daughter and He follow through on it 33:23 because his honor to God was more important 33:26 than his daughter and on top of that 33:30 he did not do against the will, 33:32 she agreed with Him to follow through. 33:33 And ultimately go beyond this, 33:36 he and his daughter both honoring God 33:40 are resurrected and live eternally. 33:43 So in the big picture the loss isn't eternal. 33:48 True. The loss is temporary and a great loss. 33:50 I'm not suggesting that it's not. 33:52 Right. But in the over all scheme of things 33:54 if their mind is right with God 33:55 and it clearly was here in this case, 33:58 there will be a time 33:59 when he would see his daughter again. 34:00 That's right. 34:02 Well that's the end of our questions, 34:04 we took a little longer time today 34:05 but thank you for your questions and comments. 34:07 If you have any more questions or comments 34:09 about what we've talked about here today 34:10 or something else on your mind, 34:12 send those to housecalls@3abn.org 34:16 that's housecalls@3abn.org 34:19 and we will get back to you as soon as we possibly can. 34:23 Thank you so much for all you do for this ministry 34:26 as well as for the advancement of God's cause in the earth. 34:31 John take us to our topic today. 34:34 Well we've been talking about the topic 34:37 the series title is "Why So Many Denominations?" 34:40 we've been talking about how 34:42 those denominations came about, 34:45 those who are first couple programs 34:47 or last couple of programs 34:48 we dealt with two very large 34:50 denominations around the world. 34:52 One is Roman Catholicism, one is Baptist, 34:54 the Baptist Church and it's many churches 34:58 they're Congregationalists in structure 35:00 and so there are many kinds of Baptist churches 35:02 and they have some scuttle differences of opinions 35:06 within those Baptist churches. 35:07 But, we talked about the ones 35:08 that are most common to them. 35:09 Now, we're going to get into, 35:11 in our last two programs here. 35:13 Some other denominations. 35:16 Right. And their beliefs 35:18 and we'll find out some commonality, 35:20 there are some similar commonalities 35:22 but also some may be different scuttle different differences 35:25 than what we exposed or at least shared 35:28 that the Roman Catholic Church has 35:29 and the Baptist church has and then in the next program 35:33 we'll cover a couple of churches 35:34 that say they are Christian and we'll figure out 35:36 really if they are living in harmony 35:38 with the word of God. 35:39 All right. One of the reasons 35:40 why were we refer to these churches 35:42 as being Christian is because the highest 35:47 or the most obvious believes 35:50 that qualify you as Christian are there. 35:53 And we've shared those common ones 35:55 amongst most of these denominations 35:57 which is the God head living in the three in one, 36:01 God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. 36:04 We find also that they believe. 36:08 The inspiration of God. In the inspiration 36:09 of scripture, we also find that they believe in. 36:14 Obedience to God. Obedience to God. 36:16 Thank you for helping me on these. 36:18 And beyond that though you started 36:20 to getting some scuttle differences of opinion. 36:23 So we'll share some of those differences 36:24 and the couple that will cover this time 36:26 are the Lutheran Church and the Methodist Church, 36:30 the Pentecostal Church. 36:32 And there is a new church that is, 36:34 it's been growing, you see these, 36:37 these rooms kind of around some of your neighborhoods 36:39 the Christian signs rooms, 36:41 but Christian scientist will share a few things 36:43 they, have some definite differences 36:45 of opinion with regard to-- 36:47 Okay. To beliefs in God's word. 36:49 So, anyway John, I want you launch us 36:52 into our first one here. 36:54 Well, first of all let's talk about Lutherans. 36:56 Well, if when you hear the word Lutheran 36:58 you right away think, Luther, Luther, Martin Luther. 37:02 Well, Martin Luther, was, is noted 37:05 as one of the foremost reformers 37:08 of the Protestant Reformation. 37:10 The one who launched the Reformation 37:13 against the Roman Catholic Church in his 95 thesis, 37:17 you can actually go to the Internet. 37:19 And get a copy of that and read 37:20 what those 95 objections were. 37:24 But one of the things that's to be often noted about the, 37:29 the Lutheran church or movement 37:32 is they don't necessarily adhere to all the principles 37:36 and precepts that Martin Luther upheld. 37:39 So some of the things I use this phrase before, 37:43 some of the things that they embrace 37:45 survive the filtration but. 37:49 It's been the filtration in case they. 37:50 In other words, what they mean by, 37:52 what I mean by that is some things 37:53 that were practiced in Catholicism made it 37:56 through the strainer of Protestantism 37:58 and continued to be, made it through 38:00 the reformation that continued to be honored 38:02 by the Protestant churches all though 38:04 they were protesting in their early stages. 38:06 One of those is Baptism by sprinkling, 38:11 Lutheran's embrace that. 38:13 Well, that doesn't need much explanations 38:15 clearly baptism by sprinkling, 38:17 sprinkle rather than full immersion another one 38:20 they believe in the immortality of the soul. 38:23 Talked about teaching embraced and taught 38:25 by the Roman Catholic Church also. 38:28 They believe in Sunday sacredness, 38:31 that Sunday is the Holy day of the work week 38:34 or a holy day of the week for the Christians. 38:36 And you can find that, that is the common one, 38:39 John, by the way, among most Christian churches. 38:42 They say, well, 38:44 the Sabbath is the Seventh-day of the week. 38:47 That is kept by Jews and Seventh-day Adventist. 38:50 However Sunday is the Christian Sabbath. 38:53 Well, you know, what's strange 38:54 about the word Christian Sabbath, 38:56 is just as strange as unclean foods. 39:00 Since you just started that thing, John. 39:01 Unclean foods as a phrase and Christian Sabbath 39:06 as a phrase or the Sabbath of the first day of the week 39:11 is an odd oxymoron, 39:14 because the Sabbath never was 39:16 and never can be the first day of the week. 39:19 And so saying it's a Christian day of worship 39:22 doesn't say that Christ ordained it 39:25 that's why it's an oxymoron. 39:26 Christian Sabbath is Saturday because Christ honored, 39:31 established, and observed 39:34 as His custom was when he was here on the earth. 39:37 And it's simple one of the Ten Commandments. 39:40 Lutherans also believe in church and state relations. 39:46 They believe in strong cooperation 39:48 between church and state. 39:51 One of the things that's really pointed out 39:54 constitutionally and this is a great argument 39:57 in the political circles nowadays. 39:59 Is that the church shouldn't influence the state 40:02 and the state, sorry 40:04 the state shouldn't influence the church 40:06 and the church shouldn't appeal to the state. 40:09 To enforce its daugmatisn and his spiritual principles 40:12 or its doctrines, but you find that the more 40:15 we get closer to the end. 40:17 The more and more the churches appealing 40:19 to this to the state 40:21 since you've all this moral movements, 40:23 the moral majority, the Christian coalition 40:25 and all these mega, mega movements 40:26 that are trying to get to States to support 40:29 what the churches believe. 40:30 And this is something that we looked at, 40:33 when we looked at Baptist. 40:34 They would believe in a strong separation. Right. 40:37 Of Church and state, at least on a whole, 40:38 most of them do, 40:39 whereas Lutherans are opposite. Right. 40:41 They believe in a strong coalition or cooperation 40:44 which really comes from Rome. 40:46 The Church of the Romans, itself was very, very much 40:48 used to being connected with 40:51 and in fact even providing oversight 40:53 for civil authority. 40:55 So this is something that carries 40:57 right on down through Lutheran's. 40:59 Now, I like, I do like the word 41:00 that you've used filtering 41:02 because the reformation was suppose to be this filter 41:06 or this swifter so to speak. Right. 41:09 And as the doctrines of Rome will put in this swifter 41:13 there were some that still got through. 41:16 And each Church as it continued to develop 41:19 or be creative, In other words 41:21 the denominations over and over again 41:22 began to create. 41:24 They picked and they chose, which ones they chose, 41:27 which ones that they wanted to follow 41:31 and many of them were the very ones 41:33 that Rome initiated. Right. 41:36 And so but we'll find throughout all of them 41:39 some major themes, that they all believe 41:42 in immortality of the soul. That's right. 41:45 And they all believe in Sunday sacredness, 41:48 those are the two that absolutely survived 41:50 every single filter and are still passed down 41:53 to every single denomination with the exception of, 41:58 Seventh-day Adventist, church, Seventh-day baptism 42:00 and they are actually quite a few other Seventh-day 42:02 keeping denominations out there. Right. 42:05 And that do believe in the Sabbath as taught 42:08 by the word of the God. 42:09 So--One of the other things that Lutheran's hold onto 42:12 is the consubstantiation of Christ. 42:15 In other words they mean that during the communion 42:18 they feel that, that's actually Christ. Yeah. 42:20 And that word mostly use 42:21 now days is transubstantiation. Right. 42:24 It was consubstantiation now, transubstantiation, 42:27 but that the literal presence of Christ is alive 42:29 and well, it's the conversion of communion 42:33 wafer to the body of the Christ. 42:35 And the one thing that Lutheran's don't hold to 42:39 is something that is held to by let's go ahead 42:43 and transition to the Methodist now. 42:47 Methodist, the name being used 42:53 by its founder establishing the Methodist movement, 42:56 John Wesley, the common doctrines 43:00 that are held you know, they believe in God head 43:03 Salvation by grace, 43:04 emphasis on holy misscantification 43:06 growing in grace. 43:08 They reject eternal torment and that's is, 43:11 that's a wonderful one that the Lutherans' don't reject. 43:15 And also they celebrate the Lord's Supper 43:21 but the things that they have 43:23 that are not supported by Bible. 43:25 Why don't you go to some of those for us, John? 43:28 Yeah and we'll again we're going hear 43:29 some of the same ones. 43:31 They actually reject a literal second coming 43:33 which is interesting. 43:34 Yeah, put it-- Because there is 43:35 so much in the word of God, 43:37 about the second coming of Christ 43:38 and the resurrection as the same event. Right. 43:41 Really culminating, or ending the age of this earth 43:46 at least in its sinful state and allows us 43:49 then to enter into heaven with Christ. 43:52 Who will take us there? 43:54 Immortality of the soul, Sunday sacredness, 43:56 of course, those two we've already explained 43:58 or carried right on through. 44:00 They do also believe in infant baptism, 44:01 which is a something that, 44:05 that we find is a little problematic 44:08 when it comes to God's word. 44:09 And here is the other thing that, 44:11 this is interesting because then we start to delve 44:13 into this realm were some churches 44:15 have been treading. 44:17 Which is no longer believing in solo scriptura. Right. 44:21 It's the start that 44:23 well, the scripture is been around 44:25 for so long and there's got to be 44:26 some errors in throughout time. 44:29 It's just, it's got to happen. 44:31 And so they reject some aspects 44:34 at least many of them do, the authority of the Bible, 44:37 and I'm not saying all of them do 44:38 because there's some differences 44:39 of opinion within the Methodist church itself. 44:41 But to some of them 44:42 definitely do reject that aspect of scripture, 44:45 which is, wow, I mean if the word of God 44:49 is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. 44:52 You really could argue, you know, what a challenge 44:54 it would be for some of who rejects the thought 44:57 of the Bible to even find their way. 45:01 that, that would cause. 45:02 So that's something else that we see as very problematic. 45:08 And the reason why they have that position is 45:11 because they believe that the Bible is a traditionally 45:14 and culturally conditioned, meaning, 45:19 I believe it's the word of God 45:20 but is it really the word of God. 45:24 All those words of men, the words of a cultured. 45:29 So, that's what causes there to be serious doubts 45:32 about the inspiration of the Bible. 45:35 You know, it's amazing to accept the Bible 45:36 but not accept its inspiration. 45:39 When the Bible itself says, 45:40 all scripture's given by inspiration of God 45:42 so you got to even reject that scripture. 45:45 You see, you received the Bible 45:47 but you have to reject the scripture 45:48 that's in the scriptures because that scripture says 45:51 all scriptures given by inspiration of God. 45:53 But in fact the other thing that is also embraced 45:57 by the Methodists is infant baptism and sprinkling. 46:02 Instead of immersion which is not supported by scripture, 46:07 that's something that clearly sprinkled down 46:11 to keep that phrase going 46:12 from the Roman Catholic Church. All right. 46:16 Now, we going to look at a couple denominations 46:20 and we're trending now a little way 46:22 from Orthodoxy. Okay. 46:25 That generally considered strong Christian faiths 46:28 to some areas where there is some definite diversions 46:31 in certain beliefs from mainstream Christianity. 46:36 And one of those is Pentecostals Right. 46:40 Pentecostal Church some even refer to was often referred 46:44 to as the third force in Christianity. 46:47 Alongside traditional Catholicism 46:49 and its historic Protestantism. 46:50 So we see them as a third aspect of this 46:54 that is continuing to further 46:55 certain true's of the Bible-- Right. 46:58 That have been lost and so we find that. 47:01 And some of their beliefs that they hold true 47:04 and faithful too in the Bible is that the Bible is trusted 47:08 as a rule of faith and practice. 47:10 Salvation to the blood of Christ, 47:13 Jesus will return soon, they believe in imminent 47:17 return of Christ it's very soon, 47:20 baptism by immersion, the Lord's Supper, 47:22 the virgin birth. 47:23 But, and the gifts of the Spirit, 47:25 but here's where that the diversion happens. Yeah. 47:29 And the diversions are really clever 47:30 because how do I believe 47:32 in the fact of the soon return of Jesus, 47:35 and then attached to that the soon secret 47:39 return of Jesus. 47:41 That's what the odd part about, 47:43 because Pentecostals are straight and strong 47:46 on the issue of the secret rapture. 47:49 Believing that Christ will return secretly, 47:52 that's the thing 47:53 that's really diabolical about that. 47:55 I believe that Jesus is going to return 47:57 but it's going to be a secret. 48:01 The greatest event of all human history, 48:03 it's not going to be a secret. 48:04 And I don't know if we mentioned those 48:05 in some past programs 48:06 but to rapture theory was something formulated 48:09 by the Roman Catholic Church through the assigning 48:12 of this project to two main Jesuits. 48:17 Francisco Roberos and Louis Di Alcazar 48:21 and one became a preterits, one was the futurists 48:25 and the futurist was one that came up 48:26 about this entire idea of the secret rapture. 48:29 Well the Gap Theory, which has been embraced 48:31 and I can go through the whole line 48:33 of that which has been embraced today 48:35 as one of the main major teachings 48:38 in the Pentecostal Church. 48:40 So is Jesus coming back, yes He is but He is, 48:44 He is coming back secretly. 48:45 No He is not, not supported anywhere in the Bible. 48:48 Right, right, you know, and the other thing 48:50 I was thinking about when it comes 48:51 to the gifts of the spirit and the divergence here 48:54 is that they're very strong 48:55 proponents of the gift of tongues. Right. 48:58 Speaking in tongues. 48:59 And you know associated in this arena with charismatic 49:04 or other charismatic churches that are not Pentecostal. 49:07 But the gift of speaking in tongues 49:09 is something that is used as a test. 49:14 The manifestation of speech that comes from God 49:18 that is not understandable to the observer 49:24 is something that is a sign 49:28 that the Holy Spirit of God is dwelling in you. Right. 49:31 And notice I shouldn't say a sign it's the sign, 49:35 it's the confirmation that the Holy Spirit has entered. 49:40 You know, it's amazing, the Bible says 49:43 the fruit at the spirit is love, joy, peace, 49:45 long suffering, gentleness, meekness, patience. 49:47 But they're looking at the evidence 49:50 of the indwelling spirit which in fact 49:52 in the Bible the evidence are, 49:55 the evidence are not, the evidences are listed 49:57 not just in one gift but in the propagation 50:00 and presence of all, what strange about 50:02 that is the spirit of God gives the gifts 50:05 to whomever He chooses. 50:07 We don't choose what gift we want 50:09 He chooses what gift we need. 50:11 And doesn't mean you get all of them. 50:12 No, so instead of pray 50:14 for something that you don't need. 50:17 Why do I need the gift of tongues 50:18 from communicating to Americans? 50:20 And I speak the same language. 50:22 The gift of tongues was given on the day of Pentecost 50:24 not to communicate with people 50:26 that have the same language but to begin a worldwide 50:29 outreach for the gospel. 50:30 And break down barriers, 50:31 language barriers. Yeah. 50:33 Matter of fact I would recommend you contact 3ABN 50:36 and get the book that Pastor Hal Steenson 50:37 put together about the gift of tongues. 50:40 You did a very good job of that, 50:41 I've used that several times as a resource. 50:43 And Pastor Steenson is one that has come out 50:46 of a charismatic Church. Right. 50:48 He understands it very well through 50:49 and through and he says 50:51 it is definitely there is a false teaching 50:53 on the gift of tongues within the charismatic movement. 50:57 So anyway that is a, that is Pentecostals. 51:00 Now when we want to cover here 51:02 and kind of end with in this program 51:04 is Christian scientists. 51:08 This originated in Boston, Massachusetts, 51:11 and it was following the visions 51:15 of Mary Baker Eddie in the mid 1800s. 51:19 You had manifestations of miracles 51:21 and things going on, 51:23 evidences of what appeared to be at least they said 51:26 was God's working, God's moving 51:29 and it created a whole denomination 51:31 basically out of miracle working powers 51:33 that were seen through Mary Baker Eddie. 51:36 And anyway just a quick reference here 51:42 in 1875 Mary Baker Eddie published her books science 51:46 and health with a key to the scriptures. 51:48 She reasons that since God is good 51:50 infinite and omnipotent. 51:52 Evil is inconsistent with the character of God. 51:55 Christian scientists believe, 51:57 Genesis 1 reveals creation as spiritual 52:00 and perfect while Genesis 2 is allegorical. 52:04 Is an allegorical account of the false material creation 52:07 and the evil results which follow accepting 52:10 a misconception of man. 52:13 The Church has no ordained ministers. 52:16 It publishes the internationally renown 52:18 Christian Science monitored daily newspaper 52:20 with the circulation worldwide. 52:21 And so you can kind of see 52:23 at least with that some foundations 52:25 of Christian Scientists 52:28 and where that movement came from. 52:31 You know what amazes me about Christian Scientists is 52:34 the fact that they have some beliefs 52:35 that are not supported by the Bible. 52:37 And one is that the Bible is allegorical meaning 52:40 it's not to be taken literally 52:42 but those are statement that are in the Bible 52:44 that for the most part people believe 52:48 as the phrases used in the New Testament, 52:52 "cunningly devised fables." 52:54 Right, and so Christian scientists 52:56 look at the Bible as well it's a great book 52:59 but it's an allegorically representation 53:01 and don't take it seriously. 53:04 But then they have these other beliefs 53:05 that are really in conflict because they do believe 53:07 in the immortality of the soul, 53:09 meaning a person dies 53:10 and neither goes to heaven or hell. 53:12 But at the same time they don't believe 53:14 in the influence of the devil. 53:17 So when we talk about no devil, 53:19 they don't believe in the influence 53:21 of the devil on society. 53:23 People are inherently bad or inherently good and so-- 53:28 And then he is imaginary more fictional in our use 53:31 of when we discuss evil, when we talk about evil. 53:34 It's allegorical again, it's a fictional character 53:36 that is referenced and that's 53:38 there belief about the devil. 53:39 Which opens the door to things like Karma 53:41 and Zen and you do good it comes back to you. 53:45 It's your mental attitude, that's your position in life, 53:47 that you approach to things in life that makes it 53:49 good or bad. 53:50 It's the way you see life that causes it 53:52 to be evil or good. 53:54 And one of the things though that I wanted to bring 53:56 Christian Scientists into the mix here 53:58 because one of the things they bring to the table 54:00 that looks good but can be very bad 54:04 is this positive thinking, the positive thing 54:08 which you can find within yourself. 54:10 You know and we find this working 54:11 its way into other Christian denominations as well. Yeah. 54:14 You know preachers who are preaching 54:15 the positive approach and you know what, 54:17 we should have positive thinking. 54:18 So I'm not teaching 54:20 or suggesting that we be negative. 54:23 But what I'm saying is that this wholesome 54:27 mental focus on the positive is more out of a desire 54:33 to conjure up the strength within yourself 54:35 to be positive not depending upon Christ 54:38 in you the Hope of Glory. 54:40 And so you have this whole, 54:42 a lot of the books that are produced 54:43 by Christian Scientists are along these lines, 54:47 positive thinking, you know, you could find 54:49 the strength within yourself. 54:51 You know, rise above your situation 54:54 without the dependence as much on God. 54:56 It actually weakens our dependence upon God. 54:59 You know the thing that's amazing 55:00 about this whole approach to looking at Christian 55:04 from a Scientific prospective is also the fact 55:07 that the Bible is often looked at as allegorical, 55:12 not really having any real purpose 55:14 any real application to our daily lives. 55:17 Which is absolutely true is the word 55:19 that comes to mind here. Okay. 55:21 You know following exactly what the Bible says 55:23 when it's command, if it's allegorical, 55:24 it just becomes a suggestion. 55:27 Right it's not really, this is not the map. 55:30 It's just a suggested map. 55:32 And you tend to spiritualize things 55:33 more than take the word 55:35 for what it is actually saying in literal sense. 55:37 And the, and the next two things 55:38 that really kind of struck a cord to me 55:40 was the fact that theirs no belief 55:43 by Christian Scientists in a real actual devil. 55:47 In other words, his influence in society, 55:49 there is bad is bad and good is good. 55:51 It's not so much because there is a devil, 55:54 but at the very same time the immortality of the soul 55:58 is a belief embraced by them. 56:01 And John, something that we're seeing here 56:04 throughout many of these other denominations 56:07 is they either have 56:09 both the immortality of the soul as a belief. 56:13 Including this belief in Sunday being a sacred day 56:16 or they have either just the immortality of the soul 56:20 as their belief or just to belief in Sunday. 56:23 So this is chore that. 56:25 that is come through Roman Catholicism 56:28 that has influenced many of these Churches 56:30 to embrace things that are not supported 56:32 by the scriptures. 56:33 But Christians scientist is not something 56:38 that you can really look at 56:40 as a viable Christian religion. 56:44 Well and there is debate on that. Yeah. 56:46 You know and we understand that 56:48 there's a debate on specially Catholicism itself. Right. 56:51 Catholicism is very, very ritualistic 56:53 and it's got stuff that they do that is not really 56:55 in anywhere evidenced in scriptures. 56:57 Tradition, yeah, we call it Christian. Right. 56:59 I think that's because I emphasize 57:00 there this overarching theme of belief in the God head 57:04 and Jesus and His divinity 57:05 and other things that makes them Christian. 57:07 But then as you really get down into it 57:10 you'll find that there are some teachings 57:11 that are very wrong, and the allegorical thing 57:14 I think is the biggest issue here. 57:15 Because that thus says the Lord, 57:17 just doesn't apply anymore. 57:18 That's right and so, friends, 57:19 you know here at House Calls we believe in the Bible 57:21 and the Bible only still the Protestant 57:23 Reformation's voice is Sola Scriptura. 57:26 You will know that when you begin to study 57:27 the word of God for yourself. 57:29 So begin today and have a wonderful day 57:31 as you walk with Christ. 57:32 He'll lead you where you need to go. |
Revised 2014-12-17