The Christian path is one built upon perseverance. We achieve our ultimate goal of eternal life by methodically pushing forward.
Robb Harris
Feeding On Sin
The world takes God for granted and assumes that the Creator is unnecessary. This mindset is fed by mankind’s desire for self glorification. The state in which we find ourselves thinking in those terms is achieved by a lifetime of Godless choices.
A Foundation to Endure
This past weekend a magnitude 6.4 earthquake shook Taiwan causing over 40 deaths, with numbers expected to rise. The majority of these deaths occurred in one particular high-rise in the city of Tainan. Pictures of the destroyed high-rise have come to light showing support beams lined with oil cans as a cheap construction filler. The outrage from survivors and locals has spurred government officials to investigate the incident further. To date, a few people involved in the construction of the building have been arrested. While the earthquake triggered the collapse, many point to shoddy construction techniques as the root cause.
Careless building techniques plague Christianity today, and have since deceit crept into the early New Testament church. Many of today’s most popular Christian leaders have built opulent church organizations and buildings with ever increasing growth. But all of these grand edifices invoking the name of God are built on lies and foundations conceived by man, not God.
Christ spoke of those who falsely profess to know God because they refuse to heed His Word (Matthew 7:21-23). Paul states, “For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will become clear” (1 Corinthians 3:11-13). What man builds is based only on the physical, and physical cannot inherit the kingdom prepared for each of us (Matthew 25:34).
Each of us has been given the opportunity to build upon a foundation laid by our Elder Brother, Jesus Christ. But He warns us that this Way of Life will take work to build and perseverance to maintain. After Christ stated that we must be willing to forfeit EVERYTHING to be His disciples, He stated, “For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it—lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish’?” (Luke 14:28-30).
The reason Christ was so adamant about us fully committing to His teachings is to prepare us so that we can inherit eternal life. An unstable foundation will always topple in adversity. We will always become lost if God isn’t leading every step we take.
When Paul wrote to Timothy to exhort him in strengthening his ministry, he explained why it is so important to build upon a foundation that will last. Speaking about those who built on a good foundation, Paul says they were “…storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life” (1 Timothy 6:19). We must have a lasting foundation for the trials we will face, not only in our daily life, but especially as this age ends and Satan is unleashed to persecute God’s people. Paul continues, “O Timothy! Guard what was committed to your trust, avoiding the profane and idle babblings and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge” (1 Timothy 6:20).
An earthquake like none before is going to shake this world to its core. That earthquake is the righteous judgment of God. All that will remain standing during that judgment are those who built upon the everlasting truth and solid foundation of God.
Freedom By Justification
Mankind has sought after freedom in countless ways but most have fallen short of reaching that goal. Freedom is within the grasp of mankind but only when God is leading our pursuit.
Does the Bible teach that the Earth is the Center of Creation, Unmoving and Flat?
Throughout the history of mankind, many have sought to explain the world around us based upon human philosophies and ideals that are divorced from Godly understanding. When man distances himself from God, he is left with his own self-centered view of the world. This mindset leads only in one direction—away from God. When man built the Tower of Babel, it was with a particular focus, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves…” (Genesis 11:4). Man wasn’t glorifying God but was trying to elevate himself.
Today, many seek after far-fetched concepts for the very same reasons—to elevate and glorify man, not God. It is easy to come across man-centered theories and many use the Bible as the basis for their arguments. One current theory is the concept that the earth is not a spherical planet but a flat land mass encapsulated like a snow-globe. This ideology also states that the sun, stars and planets revolve around the earth. The flat-earth concept uses many Scriptures as evidence, but all of these supposed proofs are based upon false interpretation of the Bible.
While we won’t cover all Scriptures used by people believing in this theory, we will focus on some of the popular verses that are used most to postulate this theory.
The Bible is full of inspired poetry and it is important to understand how and why it was written in this form (see our booklet “Hidden Secrets in the Bible” for an explanation of biblical poetry). Many of these poetic Scriptures have been taken literally in order to demonstrate a particular belief.
For instance, we read the following:
“He raises the poor from the dust
And lifts the beggar from the ash heap,
To set them among princes
And make them inherit the throne of glory.
For the pillars of the earth are the LORD’S,
And He has set the world upon them” (1 Samuel 2:8).
Some have taken this to prove that the earth is flat based upon it being set on pillars. But in verse 2 of the same chapter we read, “…Nor is there any rock like our God.” Is God a physical rock? Of course not! Samuel was speaking of the unchanging character of God; and that God controls the physical creation by His Will.
Similarly, we read in Job 37:3:
“He sends it forth [thunder] under the whole heaven, His lightning to the ends of the earth.”
Some take this Scripture as further proof that the earth is flat because God’s lightning can be seen everywhere at once, to the ends of the earth. Again, Job was speaking in poetic style. In verse 1 of the same chapter Job begins by saying, “At this also my heart trembles, And leaps from its place.” We understand that Job’s heart didn’t literally leap from his chest. In his poetic style of writing, Job emphasized how awe inspiring and majestic God is.
The book of Psalm is a poetic book expounding on the greatness of God. Almost all psalms offer some praise to God. But even these praises have been taken out of context to further the flat-earth concept:
“The LORD reigns, He is clothed with majesty; The LORD is clothed, He has girded Himself with strength. Surely the world is established so that it cannot be moved” (Psalm 93:1).
“Say among the nations, ‘The LORD reigns; The world also is firmly established. It shall not be moved; He shall judge the peoples righteously” (Psalm 96:10).
“You who laid the foundations of the earth, So that it should not be moved forever” (Psalm 104:5).
People use these Scriptures to further the idea that the earth is flat and unmoving. What these psalms are in fact stating is that God’s Plan for mankind is solid and immovable. Nothing is going to change what God desires to accomplish. The earth was created to serve His purpose, “…for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory…” (Hebrews 2:10).
The foundation spoken of by David is also spoken of throughout the New Testament:
“Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matthew 25:34).
Paul also reiterated this idea, “For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:11).
The foundation consistently mentioned throughout the Bible speaks not to some pillars holding up a large land mass, but to the immutable plan of God for mankind.
The Bible is also full of messages delivered to God’s servants in the form of visions. Some have taken these images and descriptions to prove their concept of what the earth looks like.
Reading of Nebuchadnezzar’s vision:
“These were the visions of my head while on my bed:
I was looking, and behold,
A tree in the midst of the earth,
And its height was great.
The tree grew and became strong;
Its height reached to the heavens,
And it could be seen to the ends of all the earth” (Daniel 4:10-11).
Some have hypothesized that this tree, being seen all over the earth, proves that the earth is flat. If we continue reading, Daniel goes on to explain the meaning of this dream, and specifically this tree. Daniel 4:20, 22: “The tree that you saw, which grew and became strong, whose height reached to the heavens and which could be seen by all the earth… it is you, O king, who have grown and become strong; for your greatness has grown and reaches to the heavens, and your dominion to the end of the earth.”
Interpreting Scriptures, when taken out of context, can lead to false conclusions. When Joshua lead Israel in battle, he prayed to God to lengthen the day as we read in Joshua 10:13:
“So the sun stood still,
And the moon stopped,
Till the people had revenge
Upon their enemies.
Is this not written in the Book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day.”
This Scripture has been used to show that the sun revolves around a flat earth, and not the earth around the sun. What is not taken into account is the perspective of Joshua as he saw this taking place. Joshua prayed for the sun to stay still, for the day to be lengthened, and it did. When Israel looked up they would not have seen the sun traversing the sky as it normally did, but instead it would have stayed in the same place for all those hours. Joshua prayed for a literal event to happen, and God answered that prayer. How God caused this event to happen is beyond our understanding. (Note also our Q&A on “Joshua’s long day.”). What IS important for us to understand is that this Scripture does not state the earth to be flat or the sun to be revolving around the earth. Men have latched onto this Scripture and, tenuously, used it as proof of their misguided ideas.
One key concept often forgotten is that God is not limited by human reasoning. Without God’s Spirit, we are unable to understand God’s Plan for mankind. Paul understood this concept very well: “Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man’s devising” (Acts 17:29). Paul also warned the Corinthians (and those of us reading his messages today) to be wary of man’s inclination to diminish Godly reasoning. “These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual” (1 Corinthians 2:13). We must study the Bible and rely on prayer to the Father as our guide, not allowing the concepts of the unspiritual to cloud our understanding.
Lead Writer: Robb Harris
Love of Life
We are all tasked with the requirement of being lights to a darkened world. King David shows us through the biblical account of his life that although he was besieged by worldly desires and trials, he overcame and will forever be a light to God’s people.
The Glory of God’s Creation
The Kepler spacecraft, launched in 2009, is designed to search for planets orbiting stars. The program’s mission statement is to “survey a portion of our region of the Milky Way galaxy to discover dozens of Earth-size planets in or near the habitable zone and determine how many of the billions of stars in our galaxy have such planets.” To date, over 1000 planets have been discovered, orbiting distant stars.
Many use these findings to answer the question: “Are we alone?” Scientific thought posits that we cannot be alone, simply because of the unfathomable amount of space and matter present. Stephen Hawking, a man considered one of the great scholars of our age, stated, “The idea that we are alone in the universe seems to me completely implausible and arrogant, considering the number of planets and stars that we know exist, it’s extremely unlikely that we are the only form of evolved life.” Mr. Hawking, like many others, are correct in the assumption that we are not alone, but the basis for reaching this conclusion is utterly misguided. God reveals to those who can hear Him the existence of a spiritual realm, and our role in preparing and qualifying to be part of a spiritual Kingdom.
Man, without God, looks to the heavens and sees limitless space with no meaning. Man can only impose his own will based upon misconstrued theories and ideals. With God guiding our thoughts, we see much more. David looked up into the night and knew: “The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork” (Psalm 19:1). He saw what only God could open his mind to see.
The growing knowledge of the physical universe we have today is beyond what any before us could have imagined or seen. While many grasp for meaning in the limitless space surrounding this small planet called Earth, they do so without Godly direction and miss what is so obvious to God’s people. “The heavens declare His righteousness, And all the peoples see His glory” (Psalm 97:6).
Blessings of Abraham
We live in abundance because of a promise made thousands of years ago to one man. While most have no knowledge of God’s promise, God fulfilled what He said to Abraham, despite the actions of those who benefit so much from it. Even in darkness we are to live and shine to those around us, knowing that even greater promises lie ahead.
The New Religion
A Season to be Cautious
As we enter another season of mankind’s holidays, it is critical that we steel ourselves against the un-Godly attitudes that surround these festivities. It’s obvious to us that Christians should forgo decorating our houses in the macabre for Halloween or the gaudiness that surrounds Christmas. We must also be careful to keep the subtle yet insidious influences at bay as well. No matter how beautiful the trappings of the season are or the good intentions of those who celebrate them—these holidays are detested by God.
It was revealed to John where the influences of these holidays originate. “And he (an angel) cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, ‘Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird!’” (Revelation 18:2). These holidays are inspired by and originate from Satan.
While this understanding is clear to those who have an ear to hear, the world is completely overwhelmed by Satan’s influence. According to several retail websites, it is estimated that 157 million Americans will be celebrating Halloween this year, spending nearly 6.9 billion dollars. “After a long summer, consumers are eager to embrace fall and all of the celebrations that come with it,” said National Retail Federation president and CEO Matthew Shay. Our world is increasingly embracing these practices, when clear warning is given by God to remove ourselves from them. John continues in Revelation 18:3, “For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury.”
Our retail economy has gradually become bound to the monetary gains of these holidays. The world has vested so much that it is increasingly becoming more difficult, if not impossible, to turn away. Satan’s bondage is growing stronger and mankind is reveling in it! But this great deception will be short–lived. God’s Judgment is at hand for a world that seeks their own will in lieu of God’s Will. John’s vision continues, “And I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues” (Revelation 18:4).
Everything about these holidays is contrary to God. In order for us to come out of this deceitful season and not partake of it in any way, we must be spiritually focused on God’s Will. It’s not by luck or our own strength that we overcome Satan, but by drawing close to God so that He in turn will draw close to us.