Cut Off?

Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off. (Romans 11:22)

This passage is often used to teach that a believer can lose his salvation. A closer look at the context of this verse is in order to demonstrate that this is a misunderstanding:

First, it promises that someone will be "cut off". Cut off from what? Reading this verse on it's own, it is assumed that it means to be cut off from salvation. Is this correct? Verse 17 provides the answer:

If some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert grafted in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree.

The olive tree in this verse is the place of blessing that properly belongs to Israel. The root is the Abrahamic Covenant (Genesis 12:1-3). Collectively, the Jewish nation historically occupied the place of blessing.

Who are the branches that were broken off? The branches represent Israel as a nation:

I say then, Have they [Israel] stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy (verse 11).

Furthermore, these branches are going to be grafted in again: And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be grafted in: for God is able to graft them in again (verse 23).

If these branches represent individual believers who lost their salvation, then this verse would mean that they will regain it. Many Arminians would not agree that saIvation can be regained once lost so this problematic for their view.

If these branches represent Israel as a nation, then the branches were broken off in the first century and will be regrafted in at the end times, over 2000 years later. The latter makes much more sense of the passage.

Who are the branches that are grafted in? Gentiles, to whom the gospel has come as a result of Israel's temporary and partial rejection:

I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy. (verse 11).

For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. (Verse 25).

In this chapter The Apostle Paul is speaking about Jews and Gentiles in corporate, not individual, terms. Verse 22 is saying "Just as Israel fell from the place of God's blessing, the same thing could happen to you Gentiles". In fact, this is promised in verse 25 - that the doors of salvation will again turn from the Gentiles to the Jewish people. The Jewish people will be grafted back in and the Gentiles will be "cut off". This is starting to happen in these days, when more Jewish people are coming to faith in Jesus The Messiah and the door of grace is closing in many Gentile nations as more and more are closed to missionaries.

Some Arminians use the "nations" argument in their interpretation of chapter 9. In other words, they maintain that God elects groups or nations and not individuals. They should consistently follow this method of interpretation through to chapter 11.

The Hope of The Beleiver

Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord (For we walk by faith, not by sight:). We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. (2 Corinthians 5:6-8)

For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall choose I cannot tell. For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. (Phillippians 1:21-23, New King James Version)

For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself. (Phillippians 3:20-21, New King James Version)

Critics of the pretribulationalists (I am a pretribulationist - ie. believing in a rapture before the tribulation) of desiring to escape this world and running away from tribulation. This is just born out of ignorance and is not a fair or true accusation at all. The Lord Jesus Christ clearly taught that in this world we will have tribulation, even before the rapture - whenever that may be. However the real motive for wanting to leave this earth - whether by death or by rapture - is "to be present with the Lord". To be taken into the presence of Christ - whether by rapture or by death before the rapture - is joy and hope of the believer. He needs never to fear death and he looks forward, not to longer years on this earth but to be in the Lord's presence. Paul said it was far better to be with Christ than to be on this earth.

Paul said that we belong to heaven, not to this earth. This earth is not our home. We not waiting for AntiChrist and the tribulation, we are awaiting our Saviour from heaven. The rapture is our transport or translation from one location to another. It is also our transformation from one state to another. It is transformation from these earthly bodies into our glorified, heavenly bodies.

I've met Christians who oppose the pretribulational rapture view because they want to remain on earth and live longer. This is not a bad thing - some want more time for fruitful labour in the Lord. Yet Paul said it is far better to be with Christ. No reader of the New Testament can fail to appreciate it's focus upon Heaven and the hope of the Church. The Old Testament has no such focus as the hope of Israel is restoration to her land and a spiritual restoration to God and to the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Israel has an earthly hope, the Church has a heavenly hope. If you are a beleiver today, your hope is to be with Christ in Heaven when he comes. Whether we are alive or dead when he comes, we shall live with him.

God's Global Warming

These days we are talking about the weather. Snow has severely disrupted the UK Christmas getaway and the mid-US has declared a state of national emergency on Christmas Day due to freezing temperatures, blizzards and storms. I sit here with a winter cold, with my Christmas plans spoiled and unable to spend time with my family and friends. We have the white Christmas we have dreamed of and it is certainly not a blessing.

Our beautiful Lake District, in November this year, was devastated by torrential flooding. This was even worse the flooding in Yorkshire and Gloucester in 2007. In the previous summer Europe basked in a heatwave where shoes and tyres were getting welded to the pavement even whilst moving. Then we have the twisters, the hurricanes, the earthquakes, the tsunamis and the wildfires across the world. Many people living in the East and South England will remember the great storm of 1987 where ferocious winds claimed many lives and caused billions of pounds worth of damage.

Just what is going on and is there any hope? Yes and No. I cannot promise that these weather disasters will stop. In fact, the book of Revelation promises that what we are experiencing now is nothing compared to what is to come when God judges the earth:

And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake. And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound . The first angel sounded , and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up , and all green grass was burnt up. (Revelation 8:6-7).

And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire. 9 And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory. (Revelation 16:8-9).

Things on this earth are going to get worse. God is judging the world because of it's wickedness and rebellion against him. I am not advocating jumping on the global warming bandwagon - there is very little we can do to prevent climate change. Romans 8:23 informs us that "the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now" and the Lord Jesus warned us of “birth pains” preceding his return. This is our hope – the return of the Lord Jesus Christ to restore and rule his creation. God is shaking the world and shaking us out of our comfort zones and luxuries and desiring us to walk in a right relationship to him. He wants us to find eternal life in his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, and to escape the wrath to come. The Lord Jesus Christ is the only name by which we can be saved.

When a Child is Born

6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor , The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this. (Isaiah 9)

These words are well known as they are often read at Christmas, predicting the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. What do the words actually mean? His birth means that the Lord is human. He came down to Earth from Heaven, who is Christ, Lord of all. The word "wonderful" in the original Hebrew means "divine" and is only used of God. This means that this child of Christmas is God himself. Jesus Christ is truly divine and human, in perfect harmony.

During his earthly lifetime, the government never rested upon his shoulder. Instead he was arrested by the authorities, crucified, buried and rose again. This was necessary as Christ had to die for the sins of the world, as also prophesied by Isaiah (chapters 49:6, 53:1-10). After rising again he ascended back to heaven. He never sat upon the throne of David - the throne of the King in ancient Israel in Jerusalem. These promises, primarly to the nation Israel and also extending to the whole world, will be fulfilled in the future. Christ Jesus is coming to earth to put an end to sin and wickedness, to sit on the re-established throne of David and rule the nations with justice and righteousness. What a wonderful time that will be. Israel will not be vexed by neighbours determined upon her destruction. Israel will be living in peace and not fighting for her existence. The world will know peace and justice, and there will be no corrupt dictatorships and no deceitful governments (like our current British government) in this golden age. The peace promised 2000 years at the birth of Messiah will finally arrive. Those who put their trust in Messiah can enjoy this peace now and forever. Those who reject or ignore this Saviour will not enjoy this but go to a lost eternity.

"God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish , but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved . 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned : but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil". (John 3:16-18)

The Mystery of Iniquity (and The European Union)

"For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work" (2 Thess 2:7, NIV).

I'm not a big fan of conspiracy theories but I do beleive that there is a flood of lawlessness directing events in today's world and preparing the way for the coming of the lawless one, the AntiChrist. The revived Roman empire, the European Union may be his kingdom or it may just be a fore-rerunner - time will tell. It is very sad that our unelected, contemptible Prime Minister Gordon Brown denied us the right of a referendum and just signed away British sovereignty in November. It is a reminder that the battle is spiritual and there are powers at work, controlled by the god of this age (Satan), who is trying to capture the souls of men and women.

The European Union is truly the work of Satan and human iniquity. The scattering and creation of nations is God's work, and constant attempts at world union is the work of man and goes back to The Tower of Babel (Babylon). Interestingly, in ancient Babylon there was an entrance gate covered with monsters and snake dragons, known as the Ishtar Gate. In 1913 the first pieces of this gate were brought to Berlin and by 1930 the entire gate was in that city. The wars that followed these events were not coincidences. Hitler wanted an economic and political union with all of Europe. Where Hitler failed, these unelected bureaucrats in Brussels have succeeded. The book of Revelation predicts a future downfall of Babylon. This may be the literal city of Babylon or a pseudonym. Either way, the Spirit of Babylon, the Mystery of Iniquity, is alive and well on planet earth today.

The NIV translates verse 7 as "the secret power of lawlessness". It is secret as most of the world are blissfully unaware of it. It is lawless because it operates by deception and wickedness.

We need, more than ever, to pray for our government and leaders. For those who are concerned with where world events are going, there is a way out and that is through trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Pre-Darby Rapture

Many Christians reject the doctrine of "The Rapture" and beleive it to be the invention of John Nelson Darby (1800-1882). Whilst he systematised the doctrine and propagated the doctrine of the pre-tribulational rapture, he did not invent the concept. I was delighted to find that "the rapture" was beleived by Puritan Matthew Henry and Reformed pastor John Gill in their commentaries on 1 Thessalonians 4. Whilst they were not pre-tribulationists, they used the very word as it was taken from the Greek text.

Those that shall be found alive will then be changed. They shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air, 1Th_4:17. At, or immediately before, this rapture into the clouds, those who are alive will undergo a mighty change, which will be equivalent to dying. This change is so mysterious that we cannot comprehend it: we know little or nothing of it, 1Co_15:51. Only, in the general, this mortal must put on immortality, and these bodies will be made fit to inherit the kingdom of God, which flesh and blood in its present state are not capable of. This change will be in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye (1Co_15:52), in the very instant, or not long after the raising up of those that sleep in Jesus. (Matthew Henry)

suddenly, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, and with force and power; by the power of Christ, and by the ministry and means of the holy angels; and to which rapture will contribute, the agility which the bodies both of the raised and changed saints will have: and this rapture of the living saints will be. (John Gill)

The godly man J.N. Darby took these seeds of thoughts before developing his dispensational system and recovering the "blessed hope" of the Church of Jesus The Messiah.

What is the Gift of Singleness?

Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman. (1 Cor 7:1)

It is good for a man - Who is master of himself. Not to touch a women - That is, not to marry. So great and many are the advantages of a single life. (John Wesley's Commentary).

I was very encouraged to read such a simple exposition on these words by Wesley after seeing it being ignored, dismissed or belittled by many Christians. In the first chapter of the Bible, we read that it is "not good that man should be alone" and God institutes marriage. We should never speak ill of marriage and the doctrine of celibacy, as expressed in some groups, is unbiblical. Marriage is God's general design for the human race. It is not without exception and it is not mandatory for every single individual. Our marital status has nothing to do with our eternal salvation and our standing before God.

Yet in reacting to the doctrine of celibacy, Protestant and Evangelicals have tended to downplay the role and place of singleness in the Christian community. Some find it easy to dismiss this chapter as specific to the Corithian time and not as normative and therefore has no relevance for Christians today. This dismissal not only robs us of a vital New Testament teaching but also demonstrates bad exegesis. It is argued by some Christians that Paul said this only because the Corinthians were undergoing some particular time of trouble. Verse 25 is often used to support this argument:

I suppose therefore that this is good for the present distress, I say, that it is good for a man so to be.

There are various speculations as to what this "present distress" was. However I believe that Paul is referring to the trouble that is normative in the Christian experience this side of eternity. He is thinking of the same distress in Romans 8:18:

For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

Further, Paul says just a few verses later in 1 Corinthians 7 that those who marry will have "trouble in the flesh". (verse 28). To argue that this was particular to the Corinthians in their day and not relevant to us is absurd. At this side of eternity we will have struggles in the flesh (that is, the sinful nature). Singles and married couples will each have their share of difficulties in this life, and temptation is common to all of us. Paul was single at the time he wrote these words, most likely widowed or seperated.

I would that all men were even as I myself. But every man hath his proper gift of God, one after this manner, and another after that. (verse 7).

If, as some maintain, that singleness is a "supernatural gift", then it follows that marriage is also a "supernatural gift" as everyone has a gift according to one or the other. A gift simply means a spiritual endowment or bestowal. I have heard some refer to the "gift of singleness" as the ability to be single and be free of sexual temptation. Logically, it would follow that "the gift of marriage" would be to be married and free of temptation. What an unbiblical delusion! The fact is that many single Christians do fall into sexual impurity, and many married Christians fall into sexual infidelity. There is something wrong with the typical Christian interpretation of these verses. As stated earlier, temptation will plague us all in this life as the world, the flesh and the devil are alive and well and there is no respite from the battle. If you are married at the present time, you have the gift of marriage. If you are single at the present time, you have the gift of singleness. These gifts can be exchanged over time, as some single people get married and some married people become single again (either by divorce or bereavement). No state is superior and no state is subordinate, and each has it's own benefits and troubles.