Question of the Week: How should Christians respond to the events taking place in Afghanistan?

Whenever it comes to events like this, three things are taking place. We are reminded of the reality of persecution, the reality of worldly conflict, and the reality of predictive prophecy.

The Reality of Persecution

“These things I have spoken to you, that you should not be made to stumble. They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service. And these things they will do to you because they have not known the Father nor Me. But these things I have told you, that when the time comes, you may remember that I told you of them. And these things I did not say to you at the beginning, because I was with you.”
John 16:1-4 (NKJV)

Persecution is never something anyone looks forward to or desires to take place in their lives. To suffer for doing the right thing is the definition of injustice and will never be responded to without the natural emotions that accompany such abuse. Yet biblical author after biblical author mention joy, hope fulfilled, being produced from persecution. The reason for which was explained by our Lord Himself. Speaking initially of the Jews who would crucify Him and turn against those who followed Him, persecution both without and within the church has been a constant for those who genuinely desired an abiding relationship with Jesus Christ. The reason for this is simple. They don’t know Him. When Jesus was persecuted, the hostility and distinction between God and mankind could be directed specifically at its source. With the physical absence of Jesus but the ongoing presence of the Holy Spirit, that hostility is now directed towards those who love Him. Whether it is overtly hostile ideologies like Islam that are founded upon the denial of Jesus being who He claimed to be, or anything alongside it. The Spirit of Antichrist remains at work like the Apostle John said it would. (John 4:1-3) Those who oppose Christ will desire the oppression and death of those who stand for and with Him. This is not something we desire, but should anticipate like all Christians throughout history have and continue to endure for the same irrational reasons. Our response should be to be thankful for the freedoms we have while we have them. They can be taken away in moments. As we are seeing in nations closer to our own than we realize.

The Reality of Worldly Conflict

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.
2 Corinthians 10:3-6 (NKJV)

When we see military powers fail and others triumph, so much is read into so little that it feels like your own nation has been conquered. Instead of falling into despair, the Christian perspective towards warfare of any kind isn’t the reputation of our nation, but the means by which we wage war. We don’t invade our enemies. We talk to them. We don’t kill our enemies. We address their arguments against what we’re talking about. We don’t conquer. We convert. The more we focus on our war, the less the wars of the nations around us will serve as distractions from our job.

The Reality of Predictive Prophecy

Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.
Matthew 24:3-14 (NKJV)

As we get closer to the return of our Lord, things like this will only grow more intense and frequent like the sorrows (literally birth pangs) described here. The advantage predictive prophecy gives us is first the opportunity to avoid being caught off guard by these things. If you expect something to happen, it won’t surprise you. Likewise, the purpose of predictive prophecy is to show that our God saw these things were going to take place a long time ago and it didn’t cause Him to panic and change His purposes for His church and this world. If He isn’t thrown off by these things, we shouldn’t either. Our trust in God. will be directly proportional to our understanding of how trustworthy He is. Use these times of uncertainty to know where yours takes place. Focus on the little things regarding your relationship with God and you’ll find they will come directly into play concerning the “bigger” things. Remember where your hope comes from, and live accordingly.

“Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.”
Luke 21:28 (NKJV)

A Reason For Hope is a ministry of Calvary Christian Fellowship of Tucson

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Question of the Week: Is Ezekiel 28:12-19 actually a description of the account of the original fall of Satan or the description of a historical king of Tyre?

The Book of Ezekiel is a book of prophecy. And like the other Old and New Testament books of prophecy, they are all speaking from God’s perspective. In order to know whether this particular section of Ezekiel is addressing one, the other, or both at the same time, it is best to simply read what it being said. Once we can establish what has been said in the passage, we can take the issues God addresses and ask the question if each are appropriate to apply to a human king or a spiritual entity. Like in any comparison between two figures, it’s easy to find out where one is being referred to over the other when something is said that can’t be applied to both of them at the same time.

The word of the Lord came to me again, saying, “Son of man, say to the prince of Tyre, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Because your heart is lifted up, And you say, ‘I am a god, I sit in the seat of gods, In the midst of the seas,’ Yet you are a man, and not a god, Though you set your heart as the heart of a god (Behold, you are wiser than Daniel! There is no secret that can be hidden from you! With your wisdom and your understanding You have gained riches for yourself, And gathered gold and silver into your treasuries; By your great wisdom in trade you have increased your riches, And your heart is lifted up because of your riches),”
Ezekiel 28:1-5 (NKJV)

Point 1: You claimed you are a god but you are a man.
Application: Definitely a man, not an angelic being.

Point 2: Your wisdom gained you riches and your heart was lifted up by them.
Application: Definitely a man, perhaps an angelic being.

In the introductory statements of Ezekiel’s prophecy, it’s very plain that he’s addressing the historical king of the city of Tyre. While parallel passages do clarify that the sin of Satan was pride (Isaiah 14:12-21), it makes the same point as Ezekiel when addressing the King of Babylon. We have yet to prove that either is addressing two audiences at the same time. We won’t treat this as conclusive, nor could we exclusively claim that Satan is the only creature capable of pride. This introductory passage could apply to both Satan and the King of Tyre, but given that only the King of Tyre is addressed, the information we have only suggests that audience.

‘Therefore thus says the Lord God: “Because you have set your heart as the heart of a god, Behold, therefore, I will bring strangers against you, The most terrible of the nations; And they shall draw their swords against the beauty of your wisdom, And defile your splendor. They shall throw you down into the Pit, And you shall die the death of the slain In the midst of the seas. “Will you still say before him who slays you, ‘I am a god’? But you shall be a man, and not a god, In the hand of him who slays you. You shall die the death of the uncircumcised By the hand of aliens; For I have spoken,” says the Lord God.’ ”
Ezekiel 28:6-10 (NKJV)

Point 3: The surrounding nations will defile your splendor through the sword.
Application: Definitely a man, not an angelic being.

Point 4: You will be thrown into the Pit by your enemies.
Application: Probably a man, not an angelic being.

Continuing his point addressed to the same audience, Ezekiel continues to address the King of Tyre’s attitude in thinking he was a god. He would be directly reminded of his mortality by being thrown into the Pit, or literally the Grave, by the surrounding nations that hate him. We know how this was fulfilled historically on two occasions. In light of prior passages in Ezekiel 26 addressing the King of Tyre as well, Alexander the Great and Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon both sacked and leveled the kingdom of Tyre, the former of which literally fulfilled Ezekiel 26:3-6. While we do acknowledge that Satan likewise will be thrown into the Abyss following the Tribulation period for 1000 years, (Revelation 20:1-3), there are details given in this passage that conflict with that event. Men/surrounding nations won’t throw Satan into the Pit. An angel will see that done according to the text. The details given don’t add up to one another without picking and choosing parts of sentences, rather than points. It would be inappropriate to apply this text to anyone other than a human being.

Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Son of man, take up a lamentation for the king of Tyre, and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “You were the seal of perfection, Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; Every precious stone was your covering: The sardius, topaz, and diamond, Beryl, onyx, and jasper, Sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold. The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes Was prepared for you on the day you were created. “You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; You were on the holy mountain of God; You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones. You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, Till iniquity was found in you.
Ezekiel 28:11-15 (NKJV)

Point 5: You were perfectly wise and beautiful once, covered with every precious stone and a living instrument of worship to God and perfect when you were created.
Application: Impossible to be a man, very likely an angelic being.

Point 6: You were a chosen/anointed cherub established by God in Heaven.
Application: Not a man, definitely an angelic being.

Ezekiel’s prophecy continues to address the King of Tyre, but with a lamentation or sorrowful observation. He references things we never could apply to a human being after the fall of Adam and Eve. This creature being addressed was described as perfect from the day he was created; not only in what they were in their worship, wisdom, and beauty, but specifically in their ways. If this was directly addressing a fallen sinful human being, it would contradict the Old and New Testament observations about mankind following the Fall of Genesis 3. Romans 3:10-18 and the Psalms it references doesn’t allow the interpretation that a man could be described this way. If that weren’t enough, it even refers to this creature as a cherub. The Cherubim are referenced in Ezekiel 1 and Revelation 4 as an exalted type of heavenly creature that worship around the throne of God. The only common factors between the human and the cherub being described is that they both had wisdom and beauty that were prophetically going to be taken away from them because of their iniquity.

“By the abundance of your trading You became filled with violence within, And you sinned; Therefore I cast you as a profane thing Out of the mountain of God; And I destroyed you, O covering cherub, From the midst of the fiery stones. “Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor; I cast you to the ground, I laid you before kings, That they might gaze at you. “You defiled your sanctuaries By the multitude of your iniquities, By the iniquity of your trading; Therefore I brought fire from your midst; It devoured you, And I turned you to ashes upon the earth In the sight of all who saw you. All who knew you among the peoples are astonished at you; You have become a horror, And shall be no more forever.” ’ 
Ezekiel 28:16-20 (NKJV)

Point 7: The abundance of his trading filled his heart with a false self-image and violence, resulting in him being cast our of the mountain of God and set before kings as an example.
Application: Both a man in regard to trading and humiliated before kings, and an angelic creature in regard to them being cast out of Heaven and consumed by fire.

In conclusion, it’s a false dilemma. The figures being addressed aren’t Satan or the King of Tyre. It’s a both/and scenario. We determine where it applies to Satan where details are given that couldn’t apply to a human being, and vice versa. Both had common causes for their corruption and judgment. Therefore they used as a point of contrast to one another. The same mistakes produced the same consequences.

A Reason For Hope is a ministry of Calvary Christian Fellowship of Tucson

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Question of the Week: Does Hosea 4:6 say that Christians can perish/lose their salvation?

There is a saying, “If the only tool in your toolbelt is a hammer, everything begins to look like a nail.” When it comes to the controversy concerning eternal security vs not taking your salvation for granted, there are good arguments on both sides of the issue that are entirely based on scripture. This passage is not one of those cases. You need to be extremely careful when coming to a passage in the Bible, or in this case the middle of a chapter, and reading into it something that reflects more of the reader’s emotional perspective/bias than the point actually being made. When it comes to clarifying the difference between the two, it’s often a problem reconciled by just going to the start of the chapter.

Hear the word of the Lord, You children of Israel, For the Lord brings a charge against the inhabitants of the land: “There is no truth or mercy Or knowledge of God in the land.
Hosea 4:1 (NKJV)

If verse 6 is the passage in question, we already have an intended audience established as the people of Israel. Likewise, within the verse itself, we also have the kind of person in the audience clarified for us as well. Hosea 4:6 continues to address the priests (of Israel as established in verse 1) Their rejection of knowledge has resulted in them forgetting the law of their God. This was a serious charge because it was one of the reasons the Priesthood as a whole existed.

Then the Lord spoke to Aaron, saying: “Do not drink wine or intoxicating drink, you, nor your sons with you, when you go into the tabernacle of meeting, lest you die. It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations, that you may distinguish between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean, and that you may teach the children of Israel all the statutes which the Lord has spoken to them by the hand of Moses.”
Leviticus 10:8-11 (NKJV)

People then continue down the passage in Hosea 4:6 by concluding that God forgetting their children somehow implies a truth statement within it that has long term implications towards those who sin. “If I fall back into an area of sin, I must have forgotten the Law of God. And if I’ve forgotten the Law of God, then I must also be the child being spoken of in this passage as being forgotten by God.” While a guilty conscience could certain make this sound reasonable, the most rational approach to words on paper is to finish reading the point before coming to conclusions.

“The more they increased, The more they sinned against Me; I will change their glory into shame. They eat up the sin of My people; They set their heart on their iniquity. And it shall be: like people, like priest. So I will punish them for their ways, And reward them for their deeds. For they shall eat, but not have enough; They shall commit harlotry, but not increase; Because they have ceased obeying the Lord.
Hosea 4:7-10 (NKJV)

Hosea concludes the point made in this section of scripture by explaining that it is indeed the behavior of the people of Israel (Hosea 4:1-3), the negligence of the priests of Israel (Hosea 4:4-6), and the impact this is having on the behavior of the next generation (Hosea 4:7-10). The question then remains that we should consider this doctrine going forward. Is Hosea’s point that these people will perish as a result of their rebellion and negligence? Let’s finish the book to see how Israel is ultimately being addressed for their sinful behavior.

O Israel, return to the Lord your God,
For you have stumbled because of your iniquity;
Hosea 14:1 (NKJV)

That sure doesn’t sound like someone who is going to perish. While their sins will warrant immediate consequences, God somehow still calls them to return. That seems like they won’t perish. Likewise, even the most extreme passages of condemnation towards the Tribe of Ephraim (Northern Israel) in Hosea 4:17 is ultimately something they’ll be redeemed from in Hosea 14:8. Not to mention the fact that there are 10 chapters after Hosea 4 and 3 chapters prior. Given the fact that the Lord uses Hosea’s adulterous wife Gomer as an illustration of Israel and she ultimately doesn’t perish, it would be inappropriate to esiegete this text and claim it’s saying something that someone reading the whole book would never conclude about the original audience.

A Reason For Hope is a ministry of Calvary Christian Fellowship of Tucson

Listen: Monday – Friday 5-6pm, on 106.3FM Reach Radio

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