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SIGNS OF THE TIMES

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SIGNS FOR THE JEWS AFFECT THE CHURCH

JEWSBy Ken Blue

Although I do not believe there are specific signs for the rapture of the church, Jesus clearly instructed His disciples about events that would precede His Second Advent. Here are some of them.

“And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: Luke 21:25-28.

“…many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.6 ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: …nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: …famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. 8 …beginning of sorrows. 9 Then shall they deliver you (Jews) up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye (Jews) shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. 10 shall betray one another, …hate one another.11 …false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. 12 …iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. 13 …endure unto the end. 15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) 16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: 19 And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! 20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: 21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s (Jews) sake those days shall be shortened. 24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. (believing Jews) 29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: 30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. “Matthew 24:4-31.

36 “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. 37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, 39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. 41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. 42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. 43 But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. 44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.” Matthew 24:36-44.

These are just a few of the many Scriptures that foretell Christ’s coming in Judgment of the earth.

SEARCHING FOR A CHURCH MODEL

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Should the purpose determine the church model, or the church model the purpose?

By Ken Blue

Attempting to discover the purpose or model for a church from other pastors is like trying to find out from a lost man the plan of salvation. Each one has a different answer of what is to be done, and how to do it.

The obvious place to search for a church model would be in the writings of Paul, since he is the apostle who wrote the church epistles. We discover that churches ordained pastors to lead them, and that deacons were added when necessary. One will search in vain for the structure and order of the services.

The primary purpose of the church is found in Ephesians 4:11-13. “ And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:” Soul-winning, pastoring, and teaching are all within the text.

[pullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Perhaps the greatest error being perpetrated today is that the church building is only for the saved.[/pullquote]

Perhaps the greatest error being perpetrated today is that the church building is only for the saved.  It is suggested that sinners should not be invited to church, but be led to Christ first and then brought into the building. This is total nonsense. What on earth could Paul have in mind when he said, “And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law. To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.” 1 Corinthians 9:20-22. If you don’t want sinners mixed in with the saints, why are you giving an invitation to them every Sunday? Does it bother you that these sinners got past your ushers?
Of course, we don’t allow the unsaved to become members of the church. But you do everything within your power to get the saints out to the lost, and get the lost to come to church.

You will search in vain for the structure of the local church or for proof that lost people should not be invited and encouraged to come. I am fully aware of the parable of the “great supper.” Everyone was invited “that My house might be full.”

  1. Get the lost to come to church
  2. Preach the gospel and get them saved
  3. Take them through a membership class and get them to become members of the church.
  4. Teach them how to study the Bible
  5. Get them involved in a ministry
  6. Get them on the mission field.
    If you do these, you will do well.
    If you have a better plan, please let us know.

COLOR BLIND

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COLOR BLIND OR GREY AREA?

By Ken Blue

“Most color vision problems are inherited. People usually have three types of cone cells in the eye. Each type senses either red, green, or blue light. You see color when your cone cells sense different amounts of these three basic colors. Inherited color blindness happens when you don’t have one of these types of cone cells or they don’t work right. You may not see one of these three basic colors, or you may see a different shade of that color or a different color.” (http://www.webmd.com/eye-health/tc/color-blindness-topic-overview.)

Years ago I purchased a 1947 Lincoln sedan. It had velvet interior, power windows, power seats, push button doors, and twelve cylinders! It was a collectors dream. One day I was telling a friend all about it, and that it’s color was black. My wife overheard the conversation and quickly came in to correct me. “The car in not black, it is maroon,” The full impact of my color blindness hit me when I applied for a job that required a color test. I am as color blind as a bat. I know there is a number in the circle, but I cannot see it!

However, when it comes to the ministry, there is another area where we are to assume no real color exists; that is called the “gray” area. The idea is, since the Bible is silent on this issue, we will call it “gray.” The problem is, before any pastor gets through the gray area, he has found the issue to be black and white.

There are several of these areas in Scripture. They usually fall in the area of music, instruments, methods, hair, and entertainment. For example, I heard an evangelist say, “There’s nothing in the Bible about music being used to reach the lost.” Then he went to the piano and led us in “There’s Room At The Cross For You.” Another preacher chimed in, saying the same thing in another meeting, and then gave the invitation, having us sing, “Just As I Am.” Why would a pastor or evangelist use music to get sinners down the aisle, and then in the same sermon make negative comments about reaching the lost with music? Usually, we give little thought to what we are saying. We just quote others because we think it is true. Isn’t it amazing that some preachers think Bluegrass gospel is ok, and that classical music that people dance to is acceptable, and yet they can clearly see the music that is wrong, while in their “gray” area?

[perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]There is no such area as a “gray” zone for the preacher.[/perfectpullquote]

Our predecessors did not see any musical instrument as a gray area. To them, it was black and white. Note: Spurgeon said, “… What a degradation to supplant the intelligent … by the theatrical prettiness of a quartet, bellows, and pipes. We might as well pray by machinery as praise by …strings and pipes… We do not need them. That would hinder rather than help our praise…” (Charles Spurgeon, Commentary on Psalm 42.)

Wesley said, “I have no objection to instruments of music in our worship, provided they are neither seen nor heard.” (Adam Clarke’s Commentary, Vol. 4, p. 685)

Luther said, “The organ in the worship Is the insignia of Baal… The Roman Catholics borrowed it from the Jews.” (Martin Luther, Mcclintock & Strong’s Encyclopedia Volume VI, page 762)

Adam Clarke said, “… Music as a science I esteem and admire, but instrumental music in the house of God I abominate and abhor.”

Pastors have criticized us for years because we make much of special days in order to attract the lost. They would rather let a kid go to hell than give him a piece of bubblegum.

The Bible College I attended would not allow sideburns below the ear. A coat and tie must be worn to all classes. Most colleges maintain those standards today. I have no issue with that. However, many Christians have decided that if a man has a beard, mustache, or long sideburns, he must be unsaved, or backslidden at least. Did you know that in the Bible you could not mar your beard or have a rounded haircut? “Ye shall not round the corners of your heads, neither shalt thou mar the corners of thy beard.” Leviticus 19:27. “But,” you say, “Pastor Blue, that is Old Testament and for the Jews.” Well, I am so glad you noticed that. Perhaps others will notice that same truth when they try to impose other Old Testament teachings on the church.

No, there is no such area as a “gray” zone for the preacher. He only wants you to think there is, so he can lead you into it, through it and bring you out seeing things black and white, as he sees them.

My color blindness was inherited and I can do nothing about it, but watch out for those who want to help you through the “gray” zone. The very idea of saying music should not be used to reach the lost is the epitome of stupidity and is violated by every Baptist church, every Sunday. If you really believe that, you should be a man and cut all the songs from your hymnal written to reach sinners. These birds need to will their brain to the canary farm.

“RIGHTEOUS INDIGNATION?”

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By Ken Blue

Most of our sins can be hid for a while, but eventually they come to the surface. In much of our preaching we dwell on the externals. These usually consist of drinking, television, movies, women’s dress, men’s hair, music, tithing, and soul winning; while all the time a volcano deep inside is just waiting to erupt.

Preachers are as guilty of this sin, and maybe more so than church members. Some boast of their anger and justify it by suggesting they are mad at sin. They excuse it by calling it “righteous indignation.” We might be persuaded, if they were angry at their own sin.

Fits of anger are not only a sin; they reveal a serious lack of a Spirit filled life. Galatians 5:19 calls anger the works of the flesh. You may call it what you will, but the Spirit has the correct definition for it.

“A wrathful man stirreth up strife: but he that is slow to anger appeaseth strife.” Proverbs 15:18. One of the causes of constant strife in some churches is because of the preacher’s anger. The preacher’s life is the sermon, not his ability to exegete the Scriptures.

“He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.” Proverbs 16:32. A man who is quick to anger is also prone to many other sins. They may not be seen, but they are there. How do we know? The answer is in the text; he has little rule over his own spirit.

“The discretion of a man deferreth his anger; and it is his glory to pass over a transgression.” Proverbs 19:11. A man who is quick to anger cannot overlook the transgressions of others. Every issue is a major one, and it must be shared with others. There are no little problems in his life or the life of his family.

“Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools.” Ecclesiastes 7:9
Finally, the anger displayed in our life exposes us for the fools we are. Anger is just one of the many sins of the spirit and the flesh. May God help us to conquer this sin in our lives while we are calling out the sins of others.

IS HAROLD CAMPING, A FALSE PROPHET?

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WHO IS THIS HAROLD CAMPING?

CampingBy Ken Blue

When one is familiar with the literal and dispensational teaching of the Bible; listening to Harold Camping sounds like a combination of Charlie Sheen and Jared L. Loughner. I have never read any person who is as confused and deceptive when it comes to handling the Word of God.

In my book, Standards and The Standard, I devoted several pages exposing the false teaching of Camping. He proclaimed that the Lord would return in 1994. Since he missed it, that makes him a false prophet, and God has something to say about that: “When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.” Deuteronomy 18:22.

Camping now teaches that the rapture will happen May 21, 2011. According to Camping’s prediction, the Rapture will happen exactly 7,000 years from the date that God first warned people about the flood. He said the flood happened in 4990 B.C., on what would have been May 21 in the modern calendar.

Camping pulls the date of the flood out of his make-believe hat. Bullinger has the date of the creation B.C. 4004. Ruckman’s Bible says the creation was B.C. 4004. The Chronological Bible has a date of B. C. 3976. The New Analytical Bible B. C. 4004. Scofield has the date of B. C. 4004. Camping said the flood happened in 4990 B.C. that would be almost 1000 years before the creation if other scholars are correct. The simple truth is, Camping doesn’t know what he is talking about.

[perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Camping pulls the date of the flood out of his make-believe hat.[/perfectpullquote]

Camping makes the following statement which shows what he does not believe: “They (religious leaders) may be told that the end will not come until Antichrist rises as a political leader who will make them take the mark of the beast.” Many are told that God will rapture His people before a 7 year Great Tribulation after which Christ will set up a 1000 year reign from an earthly throne in Jerusalem. Others are told that Christ will come to rapture believers the same day he destroys the world. While just about every church has a different idea as to what the Bible teaches concerning the end, they all seem to agree on one thing; no man can know the day or the hour of Christ’s return because the scriptures say that He is coming as a thief in the night. But are they correct? Can We Know?” Camping goes on to say, “God will destroy this world on October 21, 2011… His Word showing us that these dates are 100% accurate and beyond dispute.” The Bible does not give these details, most Bible believers would dispute them.

Harold Camping teaches that EVERY church in the world is an apostate! He teaches that the church age ended in 1994 and that the Holy Spirit is NO LONGER working in the church!

Camping has taken the teaching of a Baptist preacher by the name of William Miller who thought he had the time of Christ’s return as 1843. His followers sold their homes and businesses and went about the country preaching the imminent return of Christ.  They were the followers of William Miller, a farmer and self-taught bible scholar from New York. Miller believed the cleansing of the temple in Daniel 8 was not of a real temple but rather referred to the purification of the earth by fire at the Second Coming of Christ. Miller’s date was between March 21, 1843, and March 21, 1844.  He began to teach this throughout the Northeast and gained a wide following.  Despite the great excitement, March 21, 1844, came and went without the return of Christ.  Miller was devastated, and a new date was set for October 22, 1844. These teachings fathered both, the teachings of Camping, the Seventh Day Adventist and the Jehovah’s Witnesses religions.

Here is the sum and purpose of Camping’s teaching: He wants Christians to believe that God is through with local churches and that all of them are apostate. Secondly, he wants you to follow him only, listen to his radio program, and purchase his literature. Oh, by the way, you could start sending your offerings to his ministry. I know this has not crossed the mind of the false prophet, but if you did it, I am sure he would appreciate it.

Now, I hope the rapture happens before March 21, and it may. But I would be willing to bet anyone a $1,000.00 Camping is wrong! You see, I can’t lose. If it doesn’t happen, I win. If it happens, I won’t be here to pay up. If you are unsaved, you lose.