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| Volume 24 Number 1 January 2022 |
Page 9 |
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| Volume 24 Number 1 January 2022 |
Page 9 |
Armageddon Is
A’comin, So They Tell Us
Ernest S. Underwood
From at least 1844, we have been told that “on this day the Lord Jesus will return to the earth, finally establish His kingdom, then reign for one thousand years from Jerusalem.” Of course, the event failed to materialize. From that time to the present, there have been numerous other false prophets who continue to spew out the doctrine of premillennialism. Untold numbers have partaken of what these false teachers have poured forth. Sometimes, false teachers and their false doctrine must be met directly and bluntly as did the apostle Paul. “But Elymas the sorcerer (for so his name is translated) withstood them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. Then Saul, who also is called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him and said, ‘O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord? And now, indeed, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be blind, not seeing the sun for a time.’ And immediately a dark mist fell on him, and he went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand” (Acts 13:8-11 NKJV). There was much at stake as this man was trying to keep the proconsul from hearing the truth that Paul was preaching.
Note what Jesus Himself taught about His second coming. He stated, “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only” (Matthew 24:36). Either the Lord Jesus was telling the truth, or He was lying. Every true believer in Him knows that only truth ever came from His lips. Jesus always stated absolute truth. All who claim to know the time of His coming are either misinformed or liars.
Other false teachers teach error on a variety of subjects. For instance, Billy Graham claimed that to be saved, one needs only to “say the sinner’s prayer,” which wording he also stipulated. Such false teachers are no better than Elymas.
Likewise, those who claim that “baptism has nothing to do with salvation” are also false teachers. There are a horde of television evangelists with their array of false teachings, who are no better than the scribes and Pharisees whom Jesus condemned in Matthew 23. Friend, read the Master’s condemnation of these, and then, look at the entire denominational world with its varied claims and doctrines that contradict plain teaching in the Word of God – the Bible. “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world“ (1 John 4:1).
Thank You
Mark T. Tonkery
It’s an interesting fact that the Masai tribe in West Africa has an unusual way of saying, “I thank you.” They say literally, “My head is in the dirt.” When the Masai express thanks, they literally put their forehead down on the ground. They want to acknowledge gratitude with humility. It is also interesting that members of another African tribe express gratitude by saying, “I sit on the ground before you.” When one of them wants to express gratitude to another, he sits in front of the hut of the person to whom he wishes to express gratitude and just sits there in humility for an extended length of time. (Joel Gregory, “The Unlikely Thanker,” Preaching Today, Tape No. 110).
How do we show our appreciation to those we want to thank? Maybe the best way is by just saying, “Thank you.” Thank you is an expression that seems to be rarely spoken today. Yet, next to “I love you,” they may be some of the most powerful and thoughtful words we say to one another.
The Bible is full of examples of the thankful attitude that we as Christians are to have daily. The following list is just a sample of what the Bible teaches about giving thanks.
As we think about giving thanks around the holiday of Thanksgiving, may we be reminded that the Bible tells us as Christians to have the attitude of gratitude every day.