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IF YOU WERE BLIND

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“Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth.”John 9:41.

A few years ago I ask a brilliant Bible teacher how one acquired wisdom. He smiled and said, “I guess you just plead ignorance.” I have always tried to remember that when going to prayer or Bible study. The key to up is starting at the bottom.

The Pharisees ask Jesus if they too were blind. There is a note of sarcasm in their question. They were blind guides and false shepherds and they had falsely accused the blind man who was given sight, and the One who gave it. Jesus rebukes them by telling them that they would have no sin, if they were blind. They were self-righteous, and judicially wicked.

You see, blindness has its advantages. The blind are not overly concerned with appearance. They must exercise the faith of a little child. Someone must assist them in most of life’s decisions.  If their clothes are soiled, someone must tell them. Blindness removes pride and self sufficiency. The blind must admit their blindness and need of someone with sight to guide them.

The Pharisees professed to have sight, or knowledge of the right way, but refused to walk in it. If they were blind to their self righteousness, their status, their titles, their learning and the sins of others, they could have received their sight, and the Truth.

Jesus is the Light of the world! That means He is the answer to all questions about the way, the truth and life. Knowledge of Him removes the ignorance about self, sin, and life.

The key, then, is to admit your need for wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. James says, “ If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” James 1:5. Think of the blessing that could be ours, if we were blind!

 

 

 

GOOD MORNING, MR. CAMPING; ARE YOU OUT THERE?

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I admit that I have a lot to learn, but in my 55 years of Bible study and ministry, I have never read or heard anyone as dishonest, confused, misleading, and downright wicked as Harold Camping.  I honestly believe Mr.Campingis demon possessed.

I will include quotes from a recent article by Mr. Camping as he attempts to explain what really happened on May 21, 2011. You may read the complete explanation at:

http://www.familyradio.com/x/whathappened.html.

“What really happened this past May 21st ? What really happened is that God accomplished exactly what He wanted to happen. That was to warn the whole world that on May 21 God’s salvation program would be finished on that day. For the next five months, except for the elect (the true believers), the whole world is under God’s final judgment. To accomplish this goal God withheld from the true believers the way in which two phrases were to be understood. Had He not done so, the world would never have been shaken in fear as it was.” Camping must be mad. Most of the world was not “shaken in fear” as he says. Most of the world never heard of Camping, and the others did not believe him. Read my previous articles and see if I was shaken.

Another false teaching by Camping is seen in this false statement. “But the same thing became true this past May 21, even though no one was raptured. No one who had not become saved by that date can ever become saved.” Do you realize that he is teaching that no one has been saved since May 21, 2011? This has the stink of Ellen G. White.

In addition, he has taught that the rapture of the elect and the physical end of the world will come on October 21, 2011. “Thus we can be sure that the whole world, with the exception of those who are presently saved (the elect), are under the judgment of God, and will be annihilated together with the whole physical world on October 21, 2011, on the last day of the present five months period. On that day the true believers (the elect) will be raptured. We must remember that only God knows who His elect are that He saved prior to May 21.”  By Campings on admission, he is not saved nor one of (the elect), since the rapture or the PHYSICAL end of the world did not come.

This will be our last article concerning the false ministry of Mr. Camping. He does not deserve the attention, and we will not waste our time on him. I would hope his follower would wake up. “And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: 12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”

DEFERRED DOOMSDAY DUE FRIDAY — OR NOT

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DOOMSDAY DEFERRED OR NOT?

By Ian O’Neill

Published October 18, 2011 | Discovery News   Print  Email  Share AP

The Doomsday Clock is shown in 1998.

On Friday, Oct. 21, 2011, the Rapture will be upon us. That’s according to U.S. Christian broadcaster Harold Camping anyway.

Yes, that’s the same Mr.Camping who “predicted” doom on May 21. But, as far as I’m aware, we’re still here. So, Oct. 21 is the new Rapture. Right.

Postponing doomsday is not uncommon amongst doomsayers (religious or otherwise), especially when the original day of doom doesn’t happen. And for Camping, “Doomsday Deferral” seems to be a fun trick he likes to play. He did, after all, also predict doomsday in 1994.

Countless people have predicted countless end-of-the-world scenarios — and the planet’s still here, fortunately. We look back at some of the wackiest forecasts.

ANALYSIS: Doomsdays: Dubious and Deferred. So, how did the ailing 90-year old explain away May 21?

On May 22, an obviously shocked Camping emerged from his home to say he was “flabbergasted” that the Rapture stood him up. But then, a couple of days later, like all good doomsday prophets, he had an answer: May 21 was just the beginning; the Rapture would take a lot longer; the real Rapture will happen five months later on Oct. 21.

“What really happened this past May 21st?” Camping asks on his Family Radio website. “What really happened is that God accomplished exactly what He wanted to happen. That was to warn the whole world that on May 21 God’s salvation program would be finished on that day.”

Basically, “Applications for Salvation” closed on May 21. You see, even the Office of God has red tape.

ANALYSIS: Doomsdays That Never Happened

After saying something about earthquakes shaking mankind … and that the Bible refers to “earth … as people as well as ground,” (roughly translated as people, as well as the ground, were shaken) … somehow there was a lot of shaken people on May 21…?

Regardless, it’s unlikely we would have experienced anything because it was “an invisible judgment day.” Clever. A subtle Judgment Day.

Unfortunately, though Camping’s predictions are clearly based on an overhyped religious belief — that mainstream Christians think are bunk, by the way — he has a hardcore group of supporters that have sold their houses to pay for touring the U.S. in RVs, “spreading the word” of one delusional religious leader.

I have bent, pulled and prodded every single doomsday theory, and have yet to find a single thread of proof that we could ever predict one of them happening in 2012. In fact, many of the theories (like a marauding Planet X or spontaneous polar shift) are fundamentally flawed or completely fabricated.

At best, Camping is delusional and enjoys the attention, at worst — like many doomsayers that have a book to sell — it’s about money and fear.

LET’S STUDY REVELATION # 8

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Revelation

“I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death. Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter; The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.” (Revelation 1:18-20).

Jesus identifies Himself as the one who conquered death, the grave, and He then assures His followers that He has power over both (v. 18). He said to His disciples, “Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also” (John 14:19). Jesus always practiced what He preached!

Perhaps no other verse in the book is more misunderstood than verse 19. John was instructed to “Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter…” Most commentators claim this verse as the key that unlocks the book of Revelation. Their standard interpretation is, “the things which thou hast seen,” speaks of the glorified Christ in the midst of the churches. The “things which are,” they say, are the churches themselves in this dispensation, and “the things which shall be hereafter,” are those things which follow the rapture of the church which is thought to take place in chapter 4.

This interpretation is based on how they view John in relation to time. They do not view John as being in the “Day of the Lord” when he wrote the first three chapters. To them, John was in the church age and is prewriting church history. This, they say, is the “things which are.” The problem with this interpretation is that not one verse supports that view. In addition, it would be impossible for anyone to understand the Revelation without a working knowledge of church history. The letters to these seven churches were not written to help us understand past church history. They were written for the sake of those that will exist in the Day of the Lord. If the seven churches are going to be raptured in chapter four, what was the purpose of the letters? If the church is raptured prior to the tribulation, why write to them about being “over comers?” Finally, if the letters are to churches of this dispensation, to whom is the remainder of the book written?

As stated earlier, John had seen all of the Day of the Lord prior to writing the first verse of chapter 1. Furthermore, he was transported forward into the existing assemblies and was required to “turn” to view them. John is standing in the Day of the Lord when he writes verse 19. It is common practice for a writer to complete his entire thesis or book and then write the introduction. This is what John did. After he had seen the complete Revelation, he introduced it. Therefore, John had seen the complete revelation, which included the glorified Christ in the midst of the churches, and the churches in the tribulation.

The things “which are,” are not the things which are now in this church dispensation, but are the things which were contemporary to the vision. The “things which shall be hereafter,” are those things which followed the prophetic letters to the churches. Everything within the verse is for a time in the future.

In verse 20, John is made to understand the meaning of what he saw. No doubt the angel “signified” the vision to him. The stars are the angels to the churches. Jesus is called a star in Numbers 24:17. “…there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth.” We need not think of these stars as luminaries in the heavens, but rather these angels are the pastors or elders of these Jewish synagogues. Elders may have a representative angel in heaven, but it seems rather unlikely that John would be instructed to write them. What could possibly be the purpose of writing to angelic beings, if a pastor of flesh and blood would be needed to pastor each assembly? The candlesticks are the Jewish synagogues. There is no need to seek a different meaning than that given to John. The candlesticks were for light and a converted Israel is to be the light of the world.

Notice that these stars are in His “right hand.” This speaks of Israel and their security during the Day of the Lord, if they will “abide in the Vine” and overcome the mark of the Beast. No doubt this is the intended meaning of John 10:28-29, “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.” Believers of this dispensation are not in Christ’s hand. They are in Him and He is in them. God’s people today are, “bone of His bone and flesh of His flesh.”

THE OTHER SIDE OF DEATH

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By Ken Blue

“25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: 26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?”

The story in John 11 is intended to give us understanding and hope concerning death and the resurrection. Lazarus, the friend of Jesus was deathly sick. Word came to Him, but He remained another two days where He was. He purposely allows Lazarus to die in order to open their eyes and increase their faith. The Resurrection and the Life was standing before them.

When He arrived at Bethany, Lazarus’ two sisters met Him with the news that Lazarus was dead, and said if He had arrived sooner, he would be alive. He had told His disciples that Lazarus was dead and He was glad, for their sakes. He knew what He would do, and what He wanted them to know.

He said, “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live” From all appearances, this statement seemed untrue. Lazarus was stone cold, and was in the grave. But, there is another side of death which they did not understand. Man has a body, a soul, and a spirit. The body houses the person. When a Christian dies, he only exits his house and goes to heaven to be with the Lord. Someone said it like this,
“Here lies Jonathan Pease
His soul is not here, only his pod
Pease hath shelled out and gone home to God.” Lazarus was more alive than he had ever been!

Paul’s desire was to depart and be with Christ, which was far better than this life. Therefore, even though the body of Lazarus lay in a tomb, the living man was in Paradise! He would be raised again.

The other side of the verse says, “… whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this? That means that many Christians will not go home by death, but will be raptured to heaven without experiencing the death of their bodies. I Thess. 4:17. “Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” Those, like Lazarus are mentioned in verse 14-16. “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:” Verse 17 speaks to the living who will never taste death. “Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” 1 Thessalonians 4:17.

Because of the death of Lazarus, you and I have a clear picture of deaths other side. If we must go home by the death of our bodies, let us not fear. The real person living in your body will not die. It will exit and be with the Lord. If, by the grace of God, we should live until the rapture, our bodies will not taste death! Oh, glorious day when He comes to take us away! He is the resurrection and the life!