Category: Doctrines of Demons? Page 2 of 22
Alex co-founded Bethlehem Bible College in Bethlehem (yes, that one) and served as a professor and dean of students for many years. Alex received his MA in Missiology (1989) from Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore KY; MA in Education (1976) from N. Georgia University in Dahlonega GA; BS in Secondary Education (1973) from Lee University in Cleveland, TN; BA in Biblical Education (1970) from Lee University in Cleveland, TN. He has also been a pastor and missionary for the United Methodist Church. Having lived in Israel from 1946-2015, Alex has seen a LOT! He shares his perspective about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, as a Palestinian Christian who has lived through much of the conflict.
Most pastors replace “fear” with “reverence” now.
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” – Prov. 9:10
Without wisdom, what do we now have?
The prophets and apostles were not hated and put to death for preaching “love, love, love!”
They were hated for teaching TRUTH!
The truth about Romans 11, which explains a lot about what’s happened regarding the true Judaics, and what will happen in the future.
“Replacement theology” isn’t Biblical, since God still has a plan for the true Judaics, the “natural branches,” who will be grafted in again after the “fullness of the Gentiles” happens.
Currently, the majority are still “enemies of the Gospel” (verse 28) until the fullness of the Gentiles happens, which will be the real Christianity, Greatest Awakening, when we finally get our act together, life in the Son — Jesus’ prayer of oneness in John 17 and God’s desire of unity and holiness in Ephesians 4:11-16 realized!
Key Points:
• Hearts were hardened; though, small remnant v. 7 – 8
• “Fell” v. 11, 22
• the natural branches were broken off v. 17
• “..a partial hardening has happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in, 26 and so all Israel will be saved.” v. 25
• “Concerning the Good News, they are enemies for your sake.” v. 28
• “have been disobedient” v. 30-31
I wrote this related article:
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Thomas R. Schreiner is JAMES BUCHANAN HARRISON PROFESSOR OF NEW TESTAMENT INTERPRETATION AND PROFESSOR OF BIBLICAL THEOLOGY (1997) at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
I looked through the comments under Thomas Schreiner’s video, and post the best-of below. This one introduces Gordon Fee’s excellent article:
Dr. Schreiner is a major NT scholar and I think he has some valuable insights on a lot of the NT. But on the matter of “speaking in tongues” his own lack of experience or the experiences in his churches make him myopic to the text. We need to be careful not to read our own experience or lack of experience, as is Schreiner, back into scripture. The scriptures are addressing people who had certain common experiences, and IF we today have a similar experience to them, the texts make much more sense. For example, Paul’s epistles are addressed to first generation Christians who mostly experienced a dramatic encounter with the Holy Spirit in their conversion. They knew the joy of sins forgiven, deliverances from demons, and Gods love poured out in their hearts; and as Paul says to the Corinthians, “they lacked no spiritual gift.’ I mean, Paul’s explanation in 1 Corinthians 12-14 was not instruction to those who knew nothing in experience of these things. He was correcting certain abuses. …
An opposing view from another eminent NT scholar [Gordon Fee], for those who really seek to know the word.
The Essential Nature of Speaking in Tongues
First, who is Gordon Fee?
Gordon Fee is a noted New Testament scholar, having published several books and articles in his field of specialization, New Testament textual criticism. He also published a textbook on New Testament interpretation, co-authored two books for lay people on biblical interpretation, as well as scholarly-popular commentaries on 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus and on Galatians, and major commentaries on 1 Corinthians and Philippians. He is also the author of a major work on the Holy Spirit and the Person of Christ in the letters of Paul.
Gordon Fee served as the general editor of the New International Commentary series until 2012….
In his article, The Essential Nature of Speaking in Tongues, Gordon Fee writes:
..it is a common error among Cessationists to interpret all accounts of the gift of tongues through the events of Pentecost in Acts 2, in which tongues was clearly understood by the Jewish observers as human languages/dialects. This is a grievous error, because instead of taking all of the accounts of tongues in to account and then forming a theology of the nature of the gift, Cessationists force the well-rounded peg of the full Scriptural witness through the square hole of one passage. The Pentecostal interpretation, on the other hand, takes all of the passages into account first, and then puts together a holistic theology of tongues. …
“So many pastors go out of their way confirming people’s salvation. I don’t see this approach in Scripture; it’s actually quite the opposite. Great fear and terrible trembling must overtake us daily. It will determine where we will spend forever”
John Burton on Facebook, 8/16/22
So many pastors go out of their way confirming people’s salvation. They make it easy to get saved. They want them to feel secure in their eternity. Why? I don’t see this approach in Scripture. It’s actually quite the opposite.
There should be a never-ending wrestling match regarding our position in Christ. It’s common to lose it, challenging to retain it.
It costs everything. It’s never settled until we die.
Great fear and terrible trembling must overtake us daily. It will determine where we will spend forever.
Very good. Many falsely use Romans 7 as an excuse to not overcome sin by God’s grace.
Verses 5 & 6 are key:
5 For when we were in the flesh [Jews under the law], the sinful passions which were through the law worked in our members to bring out fruit to death. 6 But now we have been *discharged from the law*, having died to that in which we were held; so that we serve in *newness of the spirit*, and not in *oldness of the letter*.
As is Romans 8:
Verse 4 says the *law* is fulfilled in us if we walk according to the Holy Spirit.
Verse 13 says we will die if we live after the flesh, but will live if we put to death the deeds of the body by the Spirit.
Verse 14 says those who are led by the Spirit are the sons of God.
Verse 1: we have “no condemnation,” not because we said a prayer to be born-again (the start), but because we’re actually “in Christ Jesus” because we don’t walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
Galatians 5 is parallel: the two lists. Verse 24: “Those WHO BELONG TO CHRIST have crucified the flesh with its passions and lusts.” Whereas, those who live in the “works of the flesh” list will not inherit the kingdom, which we know for sure means salvation because of what Paul warns us in Galatians 6 about sowing and reaping.
“Haughty pride is the opposite of the spirit of humility that God seeks.”
“Pride has been called the cancer of the soul, the beginning of all sin, and sin in its final form.”
“Pride is viewed as a great sin and rebellion against God because it presumes to possess excellence and glory that belong to God alone.”
“Prideful people treat others with contempt and cruelty.”
“Pride leads to disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.”
“Pride is taking the glory that belongs to God alone and keeping it for ourselves.”
“Pride is essentially self-worship.”
“Work out your salvation; pride has to go.”
“Those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
“We are not to boast about ourselves. If we want to boast, then we are to proclaim the glories of God. … It is what God says about us that makes the difference.”
“Do not be caught in this trap, pride. Fight and get delivered by the Spirit of God.”
The Hesier video is below.
Disappointing. Heiser is just teaching Martin Luther’s “only believe” false doctrine. “You can’t lose it through any sin,” he says, which he then explains through logic, ignoring what the NT says in *dozens* of warning verses, that we absolutely will lose our salvation through willful sinning, unless we completely repent, which sometimes requires reconciliation, getting right with those we remember we’ve hurt in some way (Jesus’ statement to reconcile in Mt. 5:23-24 and what Paul always practiced, Acts 24:16).
Tragically, many pastors today are falsely rejecting God’s precious gift of praying in tongues because they say it’s not exactly like what happened in Acts 2, when many foreigners were in Jerusalem for the feast of Passover, and could hear the newly Spirit-filled Christians speaking in their own languages. “So this is always the way it’s supposed to happen or it’s not Biblical tongues,” pastors say.
Paul explains God’s gift of praying in tongues to God privately, to be free:
1 Cor. 13:1 If I speak with the languages of men and of angels, but don’t have love….
1 Cor. 14:1 Follow after love and earnestly desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy. 2 For he who speaks in another language speaks not to men, but to God; for no one understands; but in the Spirit he speaks mysteries. 3 But he who prophesies speaks to men for their edification, exhortation, and consolation. 4 He who speaks in another language edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the assembly. 5 Now I desire to have you all speak with other languages [everyone could pray in tongues], but rather that you would prophesy [during public church services]. For he is greater who prophesies than he who speaks with other languages, unless he interprets, that the assembly may be built up.
THE PROBLEM
“We see in places like 2 Timothy 3 how in the last days, perilous times will come. Clearly, we’re living in such times today. People are driven, unfortunately by a spirit of fear. When I wrote my last book, Unmasking the Future, which came before masking up. We are on the road to de-mask-us.”
– Caspar McCloud, Sunday Message 9/26/21 at 37:30
THE SOLUTION
1 John 4
7 Beloved, let’s love one another, for love is of God…. 12 ..If we love one another, God remains in us, and his love has been perfected in us.
16 ..God is love, and he who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him. 17 In this, love has been made perfect among us, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment, because as he is, even so we are in this world. 18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear has punishment. He who fears is not made perfect in love.
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NOTE: Most pastors have been teaching this backwards, saying “believing in God’s perfect love casts out fear,” while this entire text is about us loving others.
A verses-only version of my 2013 article:
Annihilationism is contrary to clear Biblical teachings. Some people want to soften God’s judgments, and compromise God’s Word in order to seem more socially acceptable but Jesus warned about hell in 46 verses.
We must actually abide in Christ to be “in Christ,” not walking according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit (Rom. 8:1-17):
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‘brainwash’
to make someone believe something by repeatedly telling him or her that it is true and preventing any other information from reaching him or her
(source)
“They’re preaching across the country a kind of salvation that sounds like a fire insurance policy to me, where you sign up. You come down and sign a card, or whatever you do. And then you can go out and live like hell if you want to until Jesus comes, because ‘everything is going to be okay.’ God is going to judge sin. He doesn’t want Christians to live in sin. It’s a mockery.” – Dana Key in 1982
18. Dana’s Message (DeGarmo & Key: Live at the Rainbow Music Hall) [1982]
All of my “Flat Earth Deception Busted” posts at ToBeFree
“He has inscribed a circle on the face of the waters at the boundary between light and darkness.” – Job 26:10
I was shocked to hear this blasphemous prayer prayed out loud on EWTN radio, yesterday, especially since David Anders has been promising listeners of his show, Called to Communion, that praying to ‘saints’ in heaven and Mary is not worship, but is just like asking for prayer from a friend who has a perfect relationship with God.
My jaw dropped as I heard this prayer prayed out loud on air, as it’s clearly pure blasphemy, asking Joseph to aid, strengthen, protect, and defend us through his powers. We “having implored the help of your thrice-holy Spouse… earnestly beg you to take us also under your protection;” “we beseech you and we humbly pray that you will look down graciously;” “help us in our need by your power and strength;” Aid us from on high, most valiant defender”….
According to the Bible, people in heaven don’t hear our prayers, and don’t have Godlike powers to answer them. Jesus is our intercessor. We don’t pray to people.
This is pure blasphemy.
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Pope Leo XIII’s Prayer to St. Joseph after the Rosary
EXCELLENT! I’ve been studying this lately: Peter warned in 2 Peter how slick preachers were twisting Paul’s words even back then, “UTTERING GREAT SWELLING WORDS OF EMPTINESS, they ENTICE THE LUSTS of the flesh, by licentiousness, those who are indeed escaping [born-again Christians] from those who live in error; promising them liberty, while they themselves are bondservants of corruption; for a man is brought into bondage by whoever overcomes him” (2 Peter 2:18-19).
2 Peter 3:14-18:
Therefore, beloved, seeing that you look for these things, BE DILIGENT to be found in peace, without defect and blameless in his sight. Regard the patience of our Lord as salvation; even as our beloved brother PAUL also, according to the wisdom given to him, WROTE TO YOU, as also in all of his letters, speaking in them of these things. In those, there are SOME THINGS that are HARD TO UNDERSTAND, WHICH THE ignorant and UNSETTLED TWIST, as they also do to the other Scriptures, to their own destruction. YOU therefore, beloved, knowing these things beforehand, BEWARE, lest being carried away with the error of the wicked, you FALL from your own steadfastness. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Also, most pastors today preach mostly from Paul’s letters. An estimate I heard recently is 90% from Paul, who wrote some things that are hard to understand, whose words are easy to twist, Peter stated — while Peter is hardly ever quoted. Even Jesus’ words are twisted. Most often, John 10:28-29 is quoted without verse 27. And “Jesus didn’t really mean we’re in danger of hell” if we look at a woman to lust after her, for example.
Paul predicted OSAS and “only believe”:
“For The TIME WILL COME when THEY WILL NOT LISTEN to the sound doctrine, but, having itching ears, will heap up for themselves TEACHERS AFTER THEIR OWN LUSTS; and will TURN AWAY THEIR EARS FROM THE TRUTH, and turn aside to *FABLES*” (2 Tim. 4:3-4)
Karlo Broussard is a Catholic theologian. *Some* of their ideas are more Biblical than what’s mainstream among Protestants.
NOTE/DISCLAIMER: I am NOT promoting Catholicism by posting this. I strongly reject praying to Mary and people who may be in heaven who can’t hear us to know how to pray for us. Adoring Mary and praying repetitive prayers to her in the Rosary borders on blasphemy. Also, Mary was not born sinless, like Jesus. This one really bothers me: the Catholic church (CC) teaches that Christians should NOT be like the Bereans, who Paul considered “more noble” because they eagerly received what Paul said and studied the Bible daily to make sure what Paul told them was true. The CC teaches that they are the true church, and their leaders and tradition decides what is true and not true. They believe their tradition and what the Pope says can trump what the Bible says. I completely reject that, and that there even is a pope. And Peter was NOT the first pope. James was the leader in Jerusalem, and was an apostle, not a pope. The CC didn’t start until centuries later. Priests (mediators) and calling them “Father” is also not Biblical. In the new covenant, Jesus is our only Priest. They teach that purgatory is a fact that people can depend on, instead of making sure we’re right with God and people now so we’ll have clear consciences, “no condemnation” before God when we die; though, some Catholic teachers do emphasize being right with God and people now so we’ll have saving grace when we die, which I applaud! Another dangerous doctrine: like the Lutherans, they believe infant baptism saves them, instead of “believe and be baptized,” which infants cannot do, but Catholics believe they can forfeit their salvation, unlike Lutherans, who are taught that their infant baptism seals their salvation, which is responsible for sending billions to hell, as is the Protestant teaching of “once saved, always saved” because we said the born-again prayer. We must actually abide in Christ to be “in Christ.” I am encouraged in seeing more and more Catholics being closer to what the New Testament actually says about who goes to heaven, especially my friend, David Anders, who hosts a show on EWTN called “Called to Communion.” However, I’m deeply disheartened by serious false teaching still taught and practiced by the Catholic church.
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This is what I’ve often said regarding Paul’s “what can separate us” passage at the end of Romans 8:
The “who shall separate us” promise in Romans 8:35 and “no condemnation” statement in verse 1 only applies to those who actually are “in Christ” based upon what Paul says in three different ways in verses 1-17:
Verse 1b: “who don’t walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.”
Verse 4b: “who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”
Verse 13: “For if you live after the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.”
Verse 14: “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are children of God.”
Verse 17b: “joint-heirs with Christ; if indeed we suffer with him, that we may also be glorified with him.”
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I say salvation is guaranteed for those who have “no condemnation” because we actually abide in Christ, not walking to the flesh but according to the Spirit. As long as we stay in this condition, nothing can take our salvation away from us, Paul’s promise near the end of Romans 8.
Broussard’s emphasizes here is that Paul’s list of things that can’t take our salvation away in Romans 8:38-39 are all external. Our own willful and unrepentant sin is not in this list. We can forfeit our salvation if we don’t walk in Love.
Paul clearly says in 1 Timothy 4:
1 But the Spirit says expressly that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons, 2 through the hypocrisy of men who speak lies, branded in their own conscience as with a hot iron, 3 forbidding marriage and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. 4 For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be rejected, if it is received with thanksgiving. 5 For it is sanctified through the word of God and prayer.
MY NOTES – Including transcriptions:
21:35 Skrbina disbelieves the gospel accounts of Jesus and doubts Jesus even existed: “I think he did exist. I think he was a mortal man. I’m not totally sure. I’m kind of on the fence on this one. But for the sake of this debate, let’s say he existed. …”
28:16 Skrbina claims many secular authors would have written about Jesus from Palestine in the 1st century, 2000 years ago.
Wiliamson: We only have one secular author’s work from Palestine on any subject, Josephus, who does write about Jesus:
“But now we have been *discharged from the law*, having died to that in which we were held; so that *we serve in newness of the spirit*, and not in oldness of the letter” (Rom. 7:6).
“If you are LED BY THE SPIRIT, you are not under the law” (Galatians 5:18).
“The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless (for the law made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God” (Hebrews 7:18-19).
“By calling this covenant “new,” he has made the first one obsolete…” (Hebrews 8:13).
600 B.C.: Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a NEW covenant…. It will not be like the covenant I made…. I will put My law IN their minds and inscribe it ON their hearts. (Jeremiah 31:31-33)
Ten things you need to know about the King James Bible
[Nick Page]
Amidst all the literary luvvies gushing over the quality of the prose and the RADA trained voices reading it in Radio 4 speak a few salient facts aren’t getting much attention. So here are ten things you ought to know about the KJV. They are taken from God’s Dangerous Book – a book on the history of the Bible…. But here’s the shorter version:
Ten things you need to know about the King James Bible
1. It was widely ignored on publication. Far from being an instant classic, The King James, or Authorised Version, was widely ignored on first publication for one very good reason: hardly anyone wanted it in the first place.
2. It was never intended as a means of giving the Bible to the people: it was intended as a way of stopping them using the Bible they already had. The people already had a great English translation – the Geneva version. James I hated that because he thought its footnotes were seditious. So he specifically commanded that the new version should be done without footnotes.
3. It was a revision not a new translation. James ordered that it be based on the text of the Bishops’ Bible of 1568. James instructed that the new version was to be ‘as little altered as the truth of the original [i.e. the Bishop’s Bible] will permit’.
4. It was a politically motivated translation. James also instructed that ‘the old ecclesiastical words to be kept, viz. the word Church not to be translated Congregation.’ James insisted that ekklesia be translated as church and that the word ‘bishop’ be used instead of ‘elder’. So you get verses like Acts 1.20, where the Geneva Bible has
“For THE TIME WILL COME WHEN THEY WILL NOT LISTEN to the sound doctrine, but, having ITCHING EARS, will heap up for themselves TEACHERS AFTER THEIR OWN LUSTS; and *WILL TURN THEIR EARS AWAY FROM THE TRUTH*, and turn aside to FABLES.” (2 Tim. 4:3,4)
