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In Ezekiel 1, the prophet has a vision of the throne of God and the four living creatures that are around the throne.  This vision is very similar to the vision that the apostle John has of the throne of God in Revelation 4.  I would say the one major difference between the two visions is that in Ezekiel (OT) the throne of God is on the move or coming to mankind.  I think this is the reason for the mention of the wheels in Ezekiel 1.  In Revelation 4, John is told to come up hither.  Because our sins have been washed away by the shed blood of the Lamb, we can now come boldly to the throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16).  The veil that separated man from the holy of holies where God dwells has been torn in two from top to bottom.  We (the Church) have been made priests unto God and are able to serve and worship in His holy presence.

When you pray do you imagine yourself at the throne of grace in the very presence of your Holy Father?  Are you amazed at the living creatures around the throne whose main purpose it is to reflect the attributes and glory of God back to Him who sits on the mercy seat?  Have you looked at the Lamb that was slain and is now standing as the only reason you are there at the throne and also the only One worthy of praise?  Does your heart want to sing songs of praise to your creator and redeemer?

I’ll end with Revelation 22:17.

¹⁷ And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

Below is an article that I originally wrote 3 years ago about the problems of the modern
Church and what the Bible says about how to fix it.

The Laodicean Church and The Colossian Fix

In Revelation chapters 2 and 3, John the Apostle writes to seven churches located in Asia Minor.  There are many people including myself who believe that these two chapters are prophetic in that they represent the general spiritual condition of the Church from Pentecost until Christ comes for His Bride.  The seven churches are the church of Ephesus, the church in Smyrna, the church in Pergamos, the church in Thyatira, the church in Sardis, the church in Philadelphia, and the church of the Laodiceans.

The Laodicean church or rather the church of the Laodiceans is the one that I am focusing on here because I think we are living in the Laodicean age of the Church.  Jesus spoke and speaks to the church of the Laodiceans in Revelation 3:14-22.

Jesus’ message is a rebuke from the beginning.  The other six churches are the church of Jesus Christ “of” or “in” a certain city.  However, this is the church of the Laodiceans with Jesus Christ standing on the outside knocking on the door for admittance into His church.  It is the church of the rights of the people or civil rights for that is what Laodicea means (v. 14).  This is the church that is neither hot with a zeal for holiness nor cool with water to refresh (v. 15).  This is the wife who has decided she does not need her husband and the church who has decided she does not need the Lord Jesus Christ (v. 17).  This is the church that equates material wealth with spiritual success.  This is the majority of the church today.

The Lord gives His assessment of this church.  He says it is wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked (v. 17).  It also makes Him sick (v. 16).

The Lord also has quite a lot to say about how to fix this church.  I call it the Colossian fix for three reasons:  because His instructions here in Revelation parallel the book of Colossians, because in Colossians 4:16 Paul says read Colossians “in the church of the Laodiceans”, and because Paul wrote to seven churches also and the one that deals most specifically with the issues of our time is his letter to the Colossians.

In Revelation 3:14. Jesus calls Himself, “the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God.”  Colossians 1:12-20 parallels and expands upon Revelation 3:14.  He is the Amen or the One who established this church.  He is the faithful and true witness even to the point of purchasing this church with His own blood.  He is the beginning of the creation of God for all things were created by Him and for Him.  Colossians 1:18 says, “And he is the head of the body, the church:  who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.”  The first step in fixing a church is for the Lord Jesus Christ to have the preeminence in all things.

Revelation 3:18 speaks of the true Gospel and looks back to Isaiah 55:1.  Jesus says to buy of me gold tried in the fire.  This speaks of purity formed in the fires of affliction.  In Colossians 1:23 when talking about the hope of the gospel Paul mentions the death of Christ in verse 22 and his own sufferings in verse 24.  The purpose of these sufferings is to present the Colossians holy and unblameable and unreprovable in his sight and to present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.  Christ also says in Revelation 3:18 to buy of him white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear.  We are to put on Christ’s righteousness by faith in Him.  Nothing else will do.  There is no philosophy, vain deceit, tradition of man, or rudiment of the world that will cover my shame.  Finally, Christ says to anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.  This should call into remembrance the scales dropping from Paul’s eyes after He believed the gospel.  When we believe the gospel we can then set our affections on things above.  The second step in fixing a church is the preaching of the true gospel.  It is rejecting the false health and wealth gospel.  It is also rejecting entertainment and programs as the keys to success in church.  The true gospel is salvation by grace alone, through faith alone in Christ alone.  This true gospel transforms me to be like Christ, fills me with joy in suffering, mercy and kindness toward my enemies, hope and assurance in the face of death all because of what Christ did.  Again, I say nothing else will do.

In Revelation 3:19, Jesus has two final words for this church.  They are “be zealous and repent.”  In Colossians, the zeal of Epaphras is contrasted with the lukewarmness of the Laodiceans in Revelation.  Epaphras is described as a dear fellowservant, a faithful minister of Christ, one who always labors fervently in prayers and who has a great zeal for the church.  What does repentance in the church look like?  It looks like Colossians 3.  Paul’s epistles are structured this way.  The beginning tells of all the things that God has done for us in Jesus Christ.  The end of Paul’ epistles say now go live this way because of what God has done for you in Jesus Christ.  Step three for fixing the church is to have servant minded, faithful, zealous, laboring, praying ministers in the church.  And  step four for fixing the church is for the church to stop looking to the world for solutions and success and instead repent and look to the very clear instructions on how we should conduct ourselves as the blood bought bride of Christ which are given in the scriptures.  Colossians 3 is a great place to start.

There are two areas where the Bible says we have freedom in Christ.  They are what we eat and drink and whether or not we keep a day.  In a previous post I discussed some basic principles for Christian liberty.  This post is devoted to the question of whether or not we are to keep a day.

The phrase from Romans 14 about keeping a day is clearly about whether or not there is a Christian Sabbath which has the same regulations that the Jewish Sabbath had.  First I will examine the rules governing the Jewish Sabbath.  Below are some of the applicable scriptures. Continue reading →

Although my plan for this post was to continue my previous discussion on Christian liberty, I feel compelled to comment on the Gosnell murder trial and conviction.

Dr. Gosnell was convicted of 3 counts of first degree murder and 1 count of manslaughter.  Before God, he is guilty of thousands of murders and so are those who assisted him in his clinic.  Those who were not convicted but who are just as guilty are every other abortionist in America and every politician and journalist who is pro-abortion and every church leader who allows the continuation of the murder of the innocents.  This barbarism continues because it is a billion dollar industry.  Abortion also continues because it is the natural outworking of an evolutionary worldview.  The biblical worldview makes human life precious because human beings are created in God’s image.  This is stated in Genesis 1.  America (and a large portion of the church in America) has embraced an evolutionary worldview where the strong kill the weak and human life is no different than any other animal in value.

Abortion is murder.  Abortion because of rape is murder.  How is killing the innocent baby produced by a rape justified in anyone’s mind?  Rape and murder are both horrific crimes but murder of innocents has nothing to do with justice in a rape case.

Abortion because of incest is murder.  Those who would want to justify this practice would point to the possibility of a handicapped child being born because of incest.  Since when are Americans in favor of killing handicapped children?  And especially since when is the American church in favor of killing handicapped children?

Abortion because the mother’s life is in danger is murder.  It is the murder of a child.  Imagine a mother when confronted by a criminal who says your life or your child’s and the mother answers, kill my child, I can always have another.  It used to be that parents would give their life for their children (sacrificial love).

Americans have been told the lie over and over again that a baby in its mothers womb is not really alive or a baby.  If it is not a baby then what is it? (by the way, fetus is baby in another language) If it is not alive before birth then what is it that my wife felt kicking inside her when she was pregnant?

Below are scripture verses describing the most wicked king of Judah.  One of his many sins was to make his son pass through the fire and to shed innocent blood.  These verses are found in 2 Kings 21.

21 Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and reigned fifty and five years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Hephzibah.

² And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, after the abominations of the heathen, whom the Lord cast out before the children of Israel.

⁶ And he made his son pass through the fire, and observed times, and used enchantments, and dealt with familiar spirits and wizards: he wrought much wickedness in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him to anger.

¹⁶ Moreover Manasseh shed innocent blood very much, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another; beside his sin wherewith he made Judah to sin, in doing that which was evil in the sight of the Lord.

Even after national revival under the leadership of Josiah, Manasseh’s grandson, God still would not turn from his promised destruction of Judah.  2 Kings 23: 26-28 describe God’s anger because of the sins of Manasseh.

The saying, “I have freedom in Christ” is used often today to justify almost any action by anyone in the Church.  Christian liberty today looks a lot like licentiousness.  It is really pretending that God has not spoken on certain things through His word and then implementing whatever new idea the world has come up with into the Church.

But how does the Bible define Christian liberty?  The clearest, most direct teaching on Christian liberty is found in Romans 14.  This chapter gives the Christian two places where he has freedom, what he eats and drinks and whether or not he observes a day.  It is very interesting to note that these are two areas where the Church has historically set up many rules regulating the very areas where God says we have liberty and not to judge.  The main principles regulating Christian liberty are that in these two areas don’t violate your own conscience and don’t put a stumbling block in front of your brother in Christ.  Whatsoever is not of faith is sin.

In two upcoming posts, I will look at these two areas in greater detail.  The scriptures have much to say regarding Christian liberty.  I wanted to make the point in this first post that Christian liberty is much more narrowly defined in the scriptures than is presented in the modern Church.

In the wake of the Boston Marathon bombings by two Islamic terrorists, I thought I would post about radical Islamists and radical Christians.  What are their similarities and what are their differences?  Both types of radicals follow their leaders’ examples with great devotion.  Both types of radicals believe in a very literal interpretation of either the Koran or the Holy Scriptures.

Islamic terrorists are simply following the example of their founder.  He killed anyone who got in his way.  He indulged in the worst aspects of the flesh.  For example, he married a nine year old girl.  Islamic terrorists have a supernatural hatred of God’s people, Christian or Jew and justify murder over and over again all the while claiming they are a peaceful religion.  Wives and daughters in Islam are persecuted throughout the Muslim world.

Christian radicals follow the example of their leader also.  They say Father forgive them for they know not what they do.  They pray for those who spitefully use them.  They take care of widows, orphans and the poor in their time of distress.  They take one wife or husband and are faithful throughout their life.  They walk in the spirit and not in the flesh.  They return good to those who do evil.  Radical Christian men love their wives as Christ loved the Church.  They give honour to their wives, as unto the weaker vessel.  Everywhere where truly radical Christian men go, the standing of women is elevated.  Women are cherished in Christian nations.  Christian radicals build hospitals and charities for people all over the world.  (When was the last time you heard of someone going to Muhammad’s childrens’ hospital?)

Finally, radical Islamists, when they die in whatever manner they die go where their leader and founder went when he died, to hell.  There is no forgiveness of sins or atoning sacrifice in Islam.  It is a religion without hope.

Christian radicals, when they die in whatever manner they die go where their leader and founder is forevermore.  Yes, He died an atoning sacrifice on the cross of Calvary but that was not the end of the story.  He, the Lord Jesus Christ, was resurrected.  He is risen.  He is risen indeed.  He is the hope of new life, eternal life for all who believe on Him.  The worst sinner can become a born again saint in the blink of an eye.  Even Islamic terrorists or NBC journalists can find rest for their souls in Jesus Christ if they would repent and call upon Him as Lord and Savior.

Jesus said you would know them by their fruits.  It is easy to see which radical produces good fruit.

Fundamental to the Christian faith is the belief that the Lord Jesus Christ was, is, and will always be almighty God.  He is not a lesser created god.  He has always been.  He is the I AM of the Bible.  He is one with the Father.  He is the second person of the triune God.  Here are 8 verses of scripture that teach this wonderful truth.

Christians all over the world gather weekly according to the biblical pattern for corporate worship.  Much of what people call worship and their attitudes toward worship cannot be found in the Bible.

Consider this question, “How was church this morning?” and how it is answered.  The answer generally falls into two categories.  If it falls into the congregation centered category, then you may hear answer like this:  “I really enjoyed the message, it was very uplifting.”  Or, “Did you hear what that preacher said, it really offended me.”  Or maybe, “that preaching about sin is judgmental and is not a good fit for our seeker service.”

How would people answer the question, “How was church this morning?” if the answer was in the God centered category?  (After all, it is a worship service isn’t it?)  “I think the Lord really enjoyed the music this morning.”  “I think all of heaven rejoiced this morning when that sinner believed and became a saint.”  Or maybe, “What a privilege it was to come before the throne of grace this morning and have my creator and redeemer hear my prayer.”

The choice that needs to be made is between seeker sensitive or God sensitive (a quote from my wife, Benita).  It is a choice between offending the world or offending God.  God centered worship asks the question, “does this please God?” and finds the answer in His Word.  Congregational centered worship is nothing more than an attempt at wholesome entertainment.  God centered worship focuses all eyes on the Lord Jesus Christ.