Free to Think
Posted by Rob Childs in Devotional
Personally, I find it impossible from a logical perspective to accept that there is no God. That is not to say that I believe that anyone who chooses not to do so is ignorant or illogical, but from my own experience of life and study of God through the Bible I can come to no other conclusion than the existence of a good and just creator of everything.
Contrary to the currently fashionable secular view of faith, the true New Testament faith is not something made stronger by ignorance or by believing against the evidence. Faith is consistent with knowledge and a true understanding of facts and evidence that we can see around us.
I personally find it immensely frustrating that the world uses straw men arguments against the simple logic and truth of the Christian faith, setting up caricatures and twistings or misunderstandings of the truths revealed in scripture in order to undermine the message and keep people believing that faith is blind and ignorant.
Sadly many have fallen for the lie and believe that Christians are easily lead, simple minded fools at best for following the teachings of Christ. At worst we are zealous fundamentalists who threaten the perceived freedom of our society.
John 8:44 says Satan is the father of lies, Jesus goes on in this passage to explain that the people do not believe the truth when they hear it because they are not of God. We are by our very nature, sinful and so we cannot be of God so it’s no surprise that a proportion of the world is following a lie.
Paul said in Romans 10:17 that
Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of Christ.
Only when the Holy Spirit reveals the truth of the mercy and grace of the love of God for us, through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ can anyone accept it. Once we accept that understanding given by the Holy Spirit it makes perfect sense and the lies are revealed for what they are. Only then, when the clouds of lies are lifted and our eyes spiritually open can we be truly free to think.
The Prophetic History of Britain - Rev. Jeff Carlson
Posted by Rob Childs in Devotional
Durring the month of August 2003 our pastor went on a pulpit swap to Grand Rapids, Michigan. Rev. Jeff Carlson from Oakhill Presbyterian Church and his family came and spent some time with us. Rev. Carlson kindly allowed us to use this article on our website.
What a great delight it has been for me to visit your wonderful country and have the honour of preaching from your pulpit these past few weeks. During my travels the Lord has shown me many things about your country and His purposes for all of us in Christ. It is my hope that this brief article will challenge each of you to think more deeply about the Lord�s purposes for your life and the future of your country from a Biblical perspective.
As an American, I find that many of my fellow citizens have very little interest in history. This may be partly due to the fact that America is a relatively young nation compared to Britain. Yours is a country filled with history that can be seen in the many old castles, glorious cathedrals and ruins that date back to the Roman Empire and beyond. It is this rich history that I would like to discuss and look at what the Lord has been saying to us through this history that will impact the lives of us all in the future. History, after all, is just His story. Let�s briefly look at God�s story as it relates to Britain.
The reason I know that part of Britain�s story is in the Bible is because the Lord clearly speaks of the Roman Empire in both Old and New Testaments. The Roman Empire was the first world empire to conquer Britain and put its stamp on your land. This great conquest and colonization of your country started under the Emperor Claudius just a few years after the resurrection of the Lord and lasted for over 400 years. Our visits to Hadrian�s Wall, Wroxeter and Bath demonstrated the profound presence of Rome here in Britain. As a result, when we study the Roman Empire in Scripture we are also studying issues about England. Seeing that connection may be hard for some of you now, but I encourage you to be patient and stay with it. Important spiritual insights are rarely easy to see without some study, prayer and thought.
In Daniel 2 the prophet Daniel is given the ability to interpret a dream given to King Nebuchadnezzar. This dream is about a series of kings and kingdoms that will rise and fall after his reign in Babylon. The amazing thing about this dream is that is covers all of the kingdoms that will rise and fall until the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus. We know the Second Coming is in view in the text because Daniel 2:44-5 tells us that a �rock� will come and smash the final, earthly kingdom and establish a kingdom that will �endure forever.� This, of course, is our Lord Jesus, Who is the Rock, coming one day and ending all other powers and kingdoms to set up His kingdom forever.
This final, earthly kingdom that our Lord will one day destroy is the 4th kingdom spoken of in Daniel 2:40. Most Bible scholars agree that this 4th kingdom is the Roman Empire. The previous three kingdoms are Greece, Medo-Persia and the starting kingdom of Babylon. To help you see these kingdoms, I have attached a chart on the last page of this handout to put Daniel�s prophecy into perspective. It is this 4th kingdom of the Roman Empire that we want to focus on and study to gain the insight needed to see the Lord�s Hand in history and on your country in particular.
Daniel�s prophecy tells us in Daniel 2:40-45 that this 4th kingdom will start out with great power in the form of iron smashing everything in its midst. Surely the Roman Empire fulfilled this prophecy with its iron-like power that brought the known world under its control. Later, however, this power of iron seems to weaken as it is mixed with clay. This last stage of power would have some of the strength of the original iron, but the clay will cause the power to be divided. It is during this stage of diminished power that the Lord will set up a kingdom �that will never be destroyed� (verse 44). Once again this kingdom is the coming of our Lord Jesus to rule and reign over this world.
As we study the history of the Roman Empire we see that the Bible correctly explains the history of Rome�s decline. Following the great iron-like strength of Rome under the Caesars, the empire began to decline. By the 5th century the empire was in serious decline and began to retreat from Britain and other outlying parts of its kingdom. During this time another capital, in addition to Rome, was founded in the eastern city of Constantinople. True to the Biblical prophecies of Daniel, Rome�s power was divided into two centres of power, one in the east and one in the west. This corresponds to the two legs of iron spoken of in verse 33. The Roman Empire continued to be a world power during this time, only now with two capitals and areas of influence. However, eventually the western part of the empire centred in Rome fell into serious decline and was invaded by barbarians in the late 5th century. The eastern portion of the empire also declined during this time, but was able to continue until the fall of Constantinople to the Turks in the 15th century.
The fall of Constantinople to the Turks in the 15th century often marks the end of the Roman Empire, as we know it. However, the Bible would say that such is not the case. This is one of the great mysteries of the Bible that most have missed today. Namely, that according to the Lord, the Roman Empire has never fallen or gone out of existence completely. Rather, the Roman Empire has simply taken a different form over the years, waiting for its prophetic destiny to be fulfilled. One final stage would come in which Rome�s power would be exercised once again. That stage would happen when Rome�s iron would be mixed with clay among the 10 toes of its feet. The great challenge for us as Bible students is to determine when that stage would begin, for when it does we know that the Lord�s return is on the horizon.
It is very clear to me, and many other Bible scholars as well, that this last stage of the Roman Empire has begun to emerge in the European Union of today. The European Union covers an almost exact area of the old Roman Empire in modern Europe. In addition, its strength today lacks the unity and power once commanded by Rome. Instead, a series of modern nations are divided by language, currency, culture and politics just as the prophecy said they would be as iron mixed with clay. Clearly then this last expression of the Roman Empire is taking shape in the emerging European Union. As an American it has been interesting how much conversation we have heard about the EU since our arrival here a few weeks ago. Clearly the driving purpose of this conversation and interest in the EU is not the economic interests of Europeans, but rather the sovereign purposes of the living God Who prophesied such a day 2500 years ago in the Book of Daniel.
While much more could be said about this subject one thing is for sure, the Roman Empire is alive today in Europe according to Scripture. All of your politics and economics are going to revolve around this issue in the days ahead. Virtually no politician or citizen of Europe has a clue of what is happening and why the EU is moving forward so quickly. However, for God�s people the Lord has told us these things ahead of time so we would be reminded and encouraged that He is Lord, and to warn us so we can be prepared. Dark days are ahead for Europe spiritually and you can see that everywhere today. The Lord Jesus has been pushed out of much of modern Europe. This growing secularisation is going to create a new post Christian paganism that will have a seductive power like that of ancient Rome.
Britain is being forced today to make a choice on whether Her people will continue with the tradition and history of the past or move forward with the �new Europe�. In the end, your nation is being asked to surrender your Christian heritage, the spiritual role of the Crown and your national sovereignty to a system that promises nothing more than short-term economic and political advantages. In other words, your great nation is being asked to lose its spiritual soul to gain the world. Whether the United Kingdom will be able to resist such a trade cannot be known as of today. However, one thing we can be sure of, many in Europe today are ready to make such a trade whatever the spiritual cost to their people.
As an evangelical church in the EU, your congregation has been given many wonderful gifts. Not only do you live in a great land with a rich spiritual heritage, but most of all you understand its meaning for your lives each day. The Lord has given you �eyes to see� His Gospel and discernment regarding spiritual issues of the day. It is my hope that you will take those gifts and share the Good News with everyone the Lord sends your way. Yes, the hour is darkening, but when things get dark the light can be better seen. Take that light of our Lord and His Word and make a difference as a church and individuals so that when our Lord does come none of us would be ashamed.
With thanks to Oakhill Presbyterian Church and Rev. Jeff Carlson.
on 01/08 at 01:02 PM
Permalink
