In the current American political scene, you have heard, perhaps, that statement in regard to the investigation into President Donald Trump’s collusion with the Russians in the campaign and election process. A special investigator has been appointed, and he has put together a committee to investigate the situation. There is a problem even in that, for the rule for setting up such an appointment is that a crime has been clearly committed and needs to be investigated for evidence that could lead to indictments and conviction. This one, however, is an investigation in search of a crime. Thus, it is not legally founded.

Meanwhile, the House of Representatives and the Senate both have initiated investigations into the same issue in their respective Intelligence Oversight Committees. Now, the House Committee’s majority leader, Devin Nunes, has issued a final report on their investigation, that there is no evidence whatever that Trump’s campaign or his election was accomplished by Russian collusion. The ranking Democrat minority leader, Adam Schiff, denies that report and maintains that he knows of evidence to the contrary, but it is classified, and therefore he cannot disclose it.

My first thought after that argument is, “what a marvelous way to keep in the news the idea that the president is guilty of something, and therefore he is not worthy to be in that office!” There is a desperate need for Trump’s opposition to somehow implicate him in criminal activity, or just anything—ANYTHING—that could end his stay in the oval office. But evidently, there is no “there” there.

Truth has a unique way of coming to the surface and slapping the faces of those who despise it because of ulterior motives. And that can be greatly shattering when it happens.

I am convinced from Psalm 75:6-8 and Luke 17:26-37 that they are fighting against the sovereignty of God and His “times and seasons” of end-time events.

The title of this article, however, points to another situation in biblical considerations where there is no “there” there.

When the bright light of Scripture is turned upon false doctrines, it is like the time when Jesus was tempted by Satan, reported in Matthew 4 and Luke 4. When Jesus responded with “It is written…” and quoted a verse of Scripture to rebuke him, he turned away – to find another victim, no doubt – just as proponents of false doctrines seem to continue doing.

There is a false doctrine which proclaims that everything prophetic was finalized in the first century, culminating in the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple in 70 AD, and now we are in a mere waiting state.

Those who promote false doctrines want to identify with the name of Jesus and with Scriptures, to the extent they seem to support their pre-conceived ideas, in order to have the appearance of authority and legitimacy. They build a box around those false tenants that shuts out anything that refutes them, then they put their idea of God inside of it. Anything in Scripture that does not fit in their box is labeled an allegory and not a true biblical fact.

For them, the Bible cannot be chronological in its broad unfolding of God’s dealing with mankind, of which are dispensations, or eras of time in which God specifically related to man in certain ways of revelation. Having an understanding that embraces those concepts will not fit into their box of pre-conceived ideas about God.

For example, it is clear in the Bible’s unfolding account of God revealing more and more of Himself to man, that there are four major periods of time when the knowledge of God becomes more obvious with each succeeding period of revelation. And, too, with that increased revelation of God, mankind has more increasing responsibility toward God.

Those four major dispensations when God “dispensed” the increasing knowledge of Himself are these:

1. From creation to the Tower of Babel, man was responsive to God only through his knowledge of good and evil that he had received when he disobeyed God and ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Thus, God did not let go of man entirely, but He put in man a secret tool that gives Him access to the conscience of man. In this way, and verbally, God revealed Himself to man during this period or era of time. This era ended in judgment at the Tower of Babel when God broke up man’s unity without God by smattering their one language into many languages (Genesis 1 to 11).
2. Then God called out a man named Abram (later called Abraham) as the father of a special people in whom He would entrust the written law, thus further revealing His judicial nature and man’s responsibility to it, and to Him. Most of the Old Testament contains the increasing resistance of man to obey God, proving, likewise, the depravity of man without the gift of righteousness from God.

This era continued until the birth of Jesus Christ, including the four hundred years of silence at the end of the Old Testament record, from the end of Genesis 11 to Malachi. It overlaps into the third era, as the first did in the second one, while God’s judgment on the Jews was fully implemented as they were scattered into all nations, finally, by 136 AD.

3. Then God became flesh and dwelt among mankind, as John 1:14 tells us; and whereas in times past He declared Himself to man through His prophets, now He made Himself known by His Son, the only begotten of the Father (Hebrews 1:1,ff). His life, death, burial and resurrection is the revelation of God identifying with man in man’s redemption through the unmerited favor—grace—of God. He came to His own, but His own did not receive Him (John 1:11), but those who did were, and are, receivers of eternal life.

This is also known as “the times of the Gentiles” when God will take from the Gentiles a people for His name. When that is fulfilled, there will be a final judgment upon the Jews and Gentiles who have rejected Jesus Christ and His salvation, a period of seven years. It is the ending judgment of that third era of God’s revelation and man’s rejection of God.

4. A final revelation of God to man will then commence, as Revelation 20 spells it out, a thousand years when Jesus, the Christ, comes bodily to earth and commands a theocracy over the whole world from the throne of David, in Jerusalem. This dispensation is detailed in Revelation 20, Zechariah 14, Isaiah 11 and Isaiah 65. In those passages in Isaiah, we are told of a time when “the wolf will lie down with the lamb, the lion will eat straw with the ox, a child shall play safely by the den of poisonous snakes, and when a 100 years old, he will be as a child, indicating that man will again attain greatly extended ages.

In Isaiah 9:6-7 we are foretold this:

“For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.”

As this era begins, Satan will be chained in the bottomless pit where he will no longer deceive the nations for a thousand years (Revelation 20:1-3), then he will be released and will gather together a multitude who will defy God in a final warfare. In one quick move, God will again judge man’s evil in swift destruction.

The passage in Isaiah sums up the content of this fourth era, when the government will be on His shoulder; and by Him peace will abound, as there will be no hurt between creatures of His dominion. False doctrine promoters would have us believe that the devil was bound in the bottomless pit when Christ was crucified, and all prophecy was finished in 70 AD, and since that time we are being controlled by Christ from heaven; but the Scriptures speak otherwise.

Peter wrote some thirty years after the crucifixion that “the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8), and Paul urges us in Ephesians 6, also about thirty years after the crucifixion, to “put on the whole armor of God that you might stand against the wiles of the devil.” And we have yet to see any signs of the wolf lying down with the lamb, nor a lasting peace between peoples.

To this I would have to summarize the bottom-line answer to the false doctrines: “If we believe not, yet He abides faithful; He cannot deny Himself (2 Timothy 2:13-KJV), for there are far more Scriptures and historical facts than these that defy the claims of false doctrines. In false doctrines, there is no “there” there when faced with the whole counsel of God.

Contact email:  andwegetmercy@gmail.com

 

Jesus Loves Me, This I Know… 

“…For the Bible tells me so; little ones to Him belong, they are weak, but He is   strong!” What a gigantic truth is couched in those simple words! In case you other octogenarians, like me, who might think that is “kid stuff,” remember what Jesus said: “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3).

Whether or not we will show up in heaven with the appearance of age is not a certainty, as far as I know; but someone has speculated that we may appear about the age of thirty years—but if there is any indication anywhere, let me know. The verse above says we are to “become as little children,” which implies “simplicity and uncomplicated.”

A friend mentioned recently that once the late Karl Barth (1886-1968), noted Swiss-German theologian, was asked what was his greatest theological thought he had ever had. He thought for a moment, then replied, “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so!”

I have felt drawn to search out and express, hopefully in some way, the simplicity of acquiring a relationship with Jesus, the Christ, the only begotten Son of God. The Bible declares that God is no respecter of persons, thus the often-used word “whosoever” shows up regularly in any invitation by God to come to Him. The most famous verse, or at least the most well-known one, is John 3:16, which tells us,

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes on Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.” No doubt many, many people have realized an emptiness in their lives, a sense of an uncertain destiny, and have come to Jesus just on that simple promise. It does not answer any questions of “why” or “how” or “when,” but it does say “whosoever.”

A similar, all-inclusive word of possibility shows up in Romans 10:13: “For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Also a quote from Joel 2:32, thus telling us a great deal about a relationship with God during Old Testament times.)

Some want to say that Revelation 3:20 is out of context when used to picture the avenue to a relationship with Jesus, but I view the Word of God as basically eternal because He is eternal, unless it is specific to the context. For example, see how “anyone” has kinship with “whosoever” in that verse:

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.” (Some translations render it “live” rather than “dine,” thus indicating permanency of residence.)

Note that it does say, “I will come into him,” also revealing a major truth that Paul calls “Christ in you, the hope of glory,” a great mystery: “To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27).

It is likely that many believers, and perhaps some non-believers, have experienced circumstances that seem to be the ups and downs of life; but looking back, we see the hand of God in them. A close call in an accident, an apparent missed connection on a plane flight which ended in a fatal disaster, or perhaps a rejection of an offer of friendship that would have compromised your witness for Christ are some examples.

In the mid-1960’s the lady who later became my wife shared a local ministry with a couple; and the husband decided he was to rejoin the Air Force as a B-52 pilot. Later on, the two women were arriving near the Omaha base where he was stationed to visit him when a plane took off as they approached, then was hidden by a rising, tree-covered hill. Suddenly, a plume of black smoke mingled with flames appeared from over the hill.

The two women gasped in horror, fearing they were too late to see him off, and that he had crashed on takeoff. Providentially, they learned, his plane was next in line for takeoff, thus he was spared.

A couple of years later, though, in the summer of 1969, he and his crew took off on a mission to the high skies of the far North. During the flight a short, clipped radio comment came through without clarity; and no more was ever learned of their destiny—no wreckage, no evidence of anything about the plane.

This, too, reminds me of another incident of the ancient past – that of Enoch, of whom it is said, “He walked with God and was not, for God took him” (Genesis 5:24).

Could it have been an incident of that nature? Perhaps, for no one knows – or at least it has not been revealed, any details of their disappearance. The sovereignty of God must be the foundation of our faith in circumstances not understandable.

I am thinking of the movie of the book titled “Forrest Gump” written by Winston Groom. Likely as not, the story line as done in the movie does not readily show what I have seen in it when the reader or viewer follows it through; but bear with me. A caution, too, is that one probably should not show it to children, as my pastor has observed.

Threaded through the story is the evident picture of the total degradation of humanity. The unspoken lifestyle by assumed necessity of Forrest’s mother; the bullying of Forrest by the other children when he was a crippled youngster; the girl Jenny’s despicable father and family life, evident by her hatred for him and her place of upbringing—these are some of the unspoken background scenarios that describe the utter destitute conditions that existed.

Forrest, a simple-minded and slow-to-learn kid, moves along in life, his needs providentially met, so it appears, as one who has an overshadowing guidance that his simplicity embraced without question. His mother gave favors of herself to provide for his progress and welfare. It reminds me of the woman, Rahab, whose character was questionable, yet she hid the two spies Joshua sent into the Promised Land to spy it out before the Hebrews came in and captured Jericho. Rahab later shows up in the lineage of Jesus, the Savior.

Forrest becomes a soldier and is sent to combat in Viet Nam where he has a buddy, a black man named Bubba. They developed a friendship that was like brothers, and Bubba gave Forrest a vision of shrimp fishing. Bubba was wounded and Forrest carried him to safety, risking his own life, although Bubba was fatally wounded. Their platoon leader, Lieutenant Dan, also was wounded, losing both legs; and Forrest went back into the jungle to rescue him as well, though the officer did not want to live as an amputee.

God isn’t mentioned in these incidents, but the acts of brotherly love shown by Forrest are that thread that continues in the story. Forrest’s love for Jenny without restriction by her own moral struggles is a picture of the love described in 1 Corinthians 13.

Later, when Forrest and Lt. Dan are struggling with their shrimp boat business, Lt. Dan is perched up in the boat’s crow’s nest, railing at God because of his legless condition. Forrest is narrating the scenario of how Lt. Dan is badgering God to appear, and says, “Pretty soon God showed up,” and it took the form of a cloudburst and thunder storm that tossed the boat all about.

That is how God shows up, sometimes in dramatic fashion, then again in quiet, simple indications of His presence. This picture, though, reminds me of the poem and hymn by William Cowper that vividly portrays the power and majesty of God in this way:

God moves in a mysterious way,
His wonders to perform;
He plants His footsteps in the sea
And rides upon the storm!

If you watch the movie with these things in mind, perhaps the presence of God in their lives will show through. Only God can take people out of degradation and despair and turn them into vessels of honorable service to Him. And it is a truth that God has to use imperfect people for His service, for there are no perfect ones that He can choose from, just as this Forrest Gump story seems to imply. Those of us who think we are really something must come to the realization that we are totally poor, spiritually, without Jesus.

Humility is not something we can be proud of, for it can only come to us when we look at Jesus and understand who He is and what He has done for us. Another song that touches me begins this way: “Wonder of wonders that thrills my soul, Jesus loves even me.”

Contact email:  andwegetmercy@gmail.com