The Four Pastors On Facebook!

THIS IS JUST A HEADS UP on what I am doing to stay busy during the CoronaVirus Lockdown.  We are all familiar with the Four Tenors.   If not, then Google "Il Divo - Amazing Grace (Live)" and you are in for a treat.  With that, let me introduce "The Four Pastors" - four of my favorites spiritual leaders and teachers.  They may or may not sing for you - but they will definitely share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with you.

Let me tell you about The Four Pastors.  They are four men of God whom I personally know.  I have chosen them because they are Conservative Theology pastors whom I have known for years - and in whose Worship Services, Sunday School Classes, and Bible Studies I have participated over the years. 

My goal now is to share their online messages of hope, assurance, and peace found only in God's Word with you on Facebook.  All four are Dispensational, i.e., they believe in and teach a PreTribulation Rapture of the Church and a PreMillennial Second Coming of Jesus Christ to establish His Millennial Kingdom on earth.

All four believe in and teach "Salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, alone" and Eternal Security of all believers.

What I am sharing is a YouTube Playlist for each of the Four Pastors on Facebook, and I will add their latest message videos on top of the stacks each week.  That way you can view their latest videos, and you can also scan the playlists to find other videos which may address issues you want to study. 

I pray these video messages will help you during this time of isolation and trial, and even after we are back to having open church services again - with assurances that with God's help we will all get through the valleys and come out stronger on the other side. 

PASTOR SAM LACANIENTA - Talakag Church on the Solid Rock, Philippines
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MaeVWZDpTcY&list=PL_YT3RttutrjP4_ws1dHh8bO_CvVYWkPi 

PASTOR FREDDY CORTEZ - Church of Hope, Aliso Viejo, CA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNE4XL5Fg9I&list=PL_YT3RttutrjNG8vXg20iPm0FNhfwZImX 

PASTOR SERGIO NOLASCO - International Bible Baptist Church, Riverside, CA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K71jE88Msdk&list=PL_YT3RttutrjJ0P_7W-3MKVGI9Rbwnekp

PASTOR ED DACIO - Corona International Christian Fellowship, Corona, CA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=El91fwx9WmA&list=PL_YT3Rttutri2x3a9teQBvznVAO4IjUEt

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill 

Click on the image to enlarge:

 

Latest Breaking News From California! ~ Churches Open Or Closed?

Latest Breaking News From California! ~ Churches Open Or Closed?   This seems to be the latest update on the tug-a-war between Nancy Pelosi's nephew by marriage, Gavin Newsom, and President Donald Trump - with some interference from the infamous left-leaning 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.  My personal opinion (which with $2 will get me a cup of coffee in California, if we ever open our businesses) - is that we need to weigh all aspects in this time of uncertainty.

We know there is a LOT of politics involved in our current crisis.  But I personally believe that God's hand is also moving across America and around the world.  In Scripture He tells us to:  "Go, Make disciples, Baptize them, TEACH them.  .  . Be His witnesses in all the world"  (Matthew 28:19-20, Acts 1:8, Mark 16:15).

In past years when we read that from Scripture, we often asked, "How can we possibly effectively share the Gospel in all the world?"  Well, my Friends, we now have the technology to do that - using current social media technology we can send powerful short Gospel messages around the world via the internet.  During this period of isolation and lock down, I have been sending out YouTube videos from four pastors whom I personally know.  Those videos range from 15 minutes to almost 2 hours.   Since it is my conviction that God's Plan for this current situation is for the non-believers and unchurched of the world to hear the Gospel - which do you believe will be most effective in reaching those two groups?

I have noticed as I watch many ministries and pastors posting videos on the internet - many tend to want to "do business as usual."  What do I mean by that?  Glad you asked.  In the past, when we have met in our local churches for worship and fellowship, our services may go on for hours - because we love to worship the Lord, we love to sing and praise Him, and we love to enjoy fellowship with our Christian brethren.  But I am personally convinced that shorter, more to the point, videos sharing the Gospel are more effective in reaching the unchurched and non-believers of the world, and it is my belief that those are who the Great Commission would have us reach during this unusual period of isolation.

I am reminded of a trip I took to Seattle years ago.  My company had a new computer product I wanted to introduce to my contacts at Boeing.  So I scheduled meetings with key individuals in different Boeing facilities, with the last one being across from SeaTac Airport.  I was on a tight schedule and gave myself an hour to present our new product to each individual or group.  Everything went smoothly until my last appointment.  When I met with this individual, he was so excited about his new project that he had to tell me all about it - and he went on and on for 45 minutes telling me all the details.  That left me only 15 minutes to tell him all the wonderful features of my new product. 

I used that 15 minutes to give the best summary I could, then dashed across to the airport for my flight home.  A couple of weeks later, another friend at Boeing told me, "John Smith (obviously not his real name) is so excited about your new product.  He told me you gave the best product presentation he has ever been given."  Go figure, I was limited to 15 minutes - so I covered the important points and won him as a convert.  Could I have done that with a one or two hour presentation?  I will leave that for your consideration.

While I agree with my Christian brethren across America that we must lean, first, on God and not man.  However, let us not be like Christian Science believers who do not "believe" in doctors - and will allow loved ones to die or be seriously harmed - feeling it is showing lack of faith to call in the medical doctor.   Nor should we be like the Jehovah's Witnesses who teach a doctrine that refuses blood transfusions, claiming that life is a gift from God - we must not try to sustain life by taking in blood, even in an emergency.

Yes, God gives us life.  But God also gives us the gift of common sense and His blessings on the medical community.  Just as God most often uses we believers as His feet on the street to share the Gospel with non-believers - He also uses those in the medical fields to accomplish His healings.

And I personally believe this period we are going through may well be God's plan for us to "Be His witnesses in all the world" - instead of just "preaching to the choir" in our local congregations and fellowships.  In other words, God has given us the opportunity, the means (social media/internet), and the knowledge to take His Gospel to all the world.  If we start clustering again in our own little church families and stop utilizing social media for sharing - will we accomplish His plan?

That said, this is the latest news from the governor of California on houses of worship resuming on-site services:

NEWSOM: CALIFORNIA PLACES OF WORSHIP CAN REOPEN WITH LIMITED CAPACITY
The Mercury News | Bay Area News Group
By Maggie Angst | May 25, 2020 At 1:17 P.M.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/05/25/newsom-california-places-of-worship-can-reopen-with-limited-capacity/

The governor’s new guidelines will depend on approval from county public health officials.  Amid mounting pressure from protestors and President Donald Trump, Gov. Gavin Newsom unveiled plans on Monday for reopening California churches and allowing in-person religious services.  But religious leaders in the Bay Area will have to wait.  Under the governor’s new guidelines, places of worship could reopen, pending approval from their county public health officials, on the condition that they limit attendance to 25% of the building capacity or a maximum of 100 attendees — whichever is lower.

After three weeks under these restrictions, the California Department of Public Health will work with county public health officials to assess the impact of in-person religious services, such as whether the number of deaths and hospitalizations of COVID-19 patients rose during that time, and provide further direction moving forward.

But even as the governor (is) granting some leeway for religious institutions, Bay Area officials — who were the first in the nation to issue shelter-in-place orders — don’t appear to have plans to fall in line with the new state guidance just yet.  Under the region’s current shelter-in-place order, public and private gatherings of any number of people outside a single household, including for worship services, are prohibited.  A spokesperson for the Contra Costa County Public Health Department said in an email Monday that the county will “continue to abide by the terms of its own shelter-in-place order, currently set to expire June 1.”

The new state guidance comes just three days after the president declared that he was designating places of worship as “essential” businesses, and those that were ordered closed because of the pandemic should be allowed to reopen immediately.  On Friday, Trump said he would “override the governors” across the country who resist reopening religious institutions.  “America, we need more prayer, not less,” he said.

When asked about Trump’s comments on Friday, Newsom said he had been talking with faith leaders statewide over the previous week to find the best approach to resuming religious services as quickly as possible, while still protecting the public health.   “It’s so important that folks understand we deeply understand, admire, the faith devotion,” Newsom said, adding later, “We look forward to churches reopening in a safe and responsible manner.”

Churches and places of worship across the state have been prohibited from holding in-person services since the governor’s CoronaVirus shelter-in-place order was issued more than two months ago.  Despite multiple challenges to Newsom’s ban on in-person church services up until this point, the state’s 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld his order last week in a split ruling.  The justices ruled 2-1 that South Bay United Pentecostal Church in San Diego cannot reopen immediately.

“We’re dealing here with a highly contagious and often fatal disease for which there presently is no known cure."  In the words of Justice Robert Jackson, "If a court does not temper its doctrinaire logic with a little practical wisdom, it will convert the constitutional Bill of Rights into a suicide pact" -  the two majority justices wrote in the court decision.

Although the new California guidelines will give places of worship the opportunity to resume in-person activities, it is still “strongly recommended” that places of worship continue to offer remote services and other related activities for those who are vulnerable to COVID-19, the governor’s new guidance states.

Leaders at a handful of Bay Area churches, including Pastor Mike McClure of San Jose’s Calvary Chapel and Bishop Bob Jackson of Oakland’s Acts Full Gospel Church, have already vowed to reopen their churches — with or without approval from the state or local public health officials.  But others are sticking to their remote offerings for the foreseeable future, seeing the potential of exposing their congregants to the fatal COVID-19 disease as a toll too costly.

Churches and religious gatherings have been the source of many major outbreaks across the country, including a church service in rural Arkansas where more than a third of the attendees came down with COVID-19 and a Russian language church near Sacramento where at least 70 congregants tested positive for the virus, according to the county’s public health director.

Amos Brown, the pastor at the Third Baptist Church in San Francisco and president of the city’s NAACP branch, said he will not be rushing back into a church house anytime soon.  Instead, Amos is calling for more testing in the region’s African American communities and more internet access and programming for their youth.   “The African American clergy have consistently been independent, critical thinkers and they’re not about to be called out in the political ploy where certain forces — mainly the right-wing evangelicals — are pimping the piety of people,” Amos said. “Putting people into life-threatening situations is not the way of Jesus.”

Places of worship are encouraged to modify certain practices that could increase the spread of COVID-19, such as hand-holding, using a common cup, and hugging or kissing.  They are also being asked to consider holding services outside whenever possible, shortening services to limit the length of time congregants spend at facilities and close places of worship for visitation outside of scheduled services.

Like businesses, places of worship will be required to implement a social distancing plan, including thoroughly sanitizing their facilities, conducting health screenings on their employees, and ensuring that congregants remain six feet apart from one another during services.

To read the governor’s full set of guidelines for places of worship click here:   https://covid19.ca.gov/pdf/guidance-places-of-worship.pdf

Let us have two goals in mind now.  One, to be able to resume our worship services as before, and, two, to not forsake this new gift He has given us for taking His  Gospel to "all the world" via social media, streaming, and YouTube videos.

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill 

Click on the image to enlarge:

Which Path Are You On Today?

WHICH PATH ARE YOU ON TODAY?  ~  This is a good Christian tract showing our walk from being a non-believer, i.e., spiritually dead, the Natural Man (1 Corinthians 2:14) - to being a saved and eternally secure believer in Jesus Christ and all He has done to offer eternal victory for all who will believe and receive Him as Lord and Savior.

My Christian sister, co-worshiper, and dear Friend, Heather Fernandez, shared this tract with me today on Facebook Messenger - and immediately I knew that I have to share it with all my FRANs (Friends, Relatives, Associates, Neighbors) - so that you may also share it with all your FRANs.

In the left panel of the tract, you can see us as we were born, burdened with the Adamic Sin Nature, spiritually dead, i.e., the Natural Man.  And as we begin our walk in life we find that we will come to a fork in the road of life.  One way, the broad way, the world's way, leads to eternal destruction.  The other path, the narrow way, will lead us into eternal life in the presence of God.

Matthew 7:13-14, "Enter by the narrow gate (path); for wide is the gate (path) and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in (into eternal destruction, the lake of fire) by it.  Because narrow is the gate (path) and difficult is the way which leads to (eternal) life, and there are few who find it."

As you can see from the tract below, just as the Bible teaches us - the Broad Road leads into the eternal lake of fire.

And, as the Bible teaches us, the Narrow Road leads us to Victory in Christ.

There is only one place where I will disagree with this tract.  It defines the Carnal Walk as the "Defeated Christian" and I am firmly convinced that no Christian is Defeated!  Maybe impaired, confused, backslidden, discouraged - but never Defeated.  Not when you have God the Holy Spirit living within you.

When we have the Holy Spirit residing within us, when we have Jesus Christ in our hearts - we cannot be defeated.  We can walk with a limp, we can get distracted by every little side path we pass, we can even seem to turn around and walk the wrong way for a while, i.e., backsliding.  But once you have the Holy Spirit within you - you cannot be defeated, you cannot be lost to Christ, you are a Born-Again, Regenerated, Eternally Saved Christian believer. 

And no one, on earth or in heaven, can snatch you out of God's Hands (John 10:27-29).  And, NO, as some confused folks may tell you, once you are a true believer - you CANNOT snatch yourself out of His hands and you CANNOT walk out of His hands.   Once you are adopted into His family, you are in His family for eternity.

"But, Bill, doesn't that mean that after I become a believer - I can sin all I want and still be saved?"  Simple answer:  NO! 

If you will look at the paragraph just above, you will find the descriptive word "REGENERATED."  That means that the moment you believed and received Christ into your heart, life, and soul - your old self, that despicable Natural Man who reveled in worldly degradation, died, capoot, no more!  In his place God created the new, REGENERATED, man/woman that you are today.

"Then, Bill, does that mean that I will never be tempted to sin again now that I am a believer?"  NO! NO! NO! 

Most likely you will be tempted to sin even more now, than you were before you became a Born-Again, Regenerated, Eternally Saved Christian believer.  Why more temptation now?  When you were betrothed to Satan, he had to tempt you very little - for the secular world would provide all the temptation needed to keep you swimming in the secular cesspool. 

But now that you have turned you back on Satan and his secular world - he has to fight harder now to create temptation for you.  From the moment you became an indwelled saved believer - Satan has personally assigned a full team of his demonic angels to be your personal case workers.  My friend, from the moment you were saved, the battle is on - and you will encounter many, many landmines as you walk the Christian path.

So in this amazingly good Christian tract, every place you see the phrase "Defeated Christian" - just replace it with "Impaired, But Saved, Christian."  Fewer rewards in heaven maybe, but the greatest reward is being in heaven and eternally being in the presence of God.  NO ONE can take that reward from you.  Now you need to share this tract with ALL your FRANs. 

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill 

Click on the image to enlarge:

 

The Gospel Must Be Preached To All The Nations!

ARE WE IN A NEW NORM FOR SHARING THE GOSPEL NOW?  ~  The past several weeks I have been taking the online videos from my home church, International Bible Baptist Church of Riverside (IBBC-Riverside), and from several other pastor Friends (Pastor Sam Lacanienta, Talakag Church on the Solid Rock, Philippines - Pastor Freddy Cortez, Church of Hope, Aliso Viejo, California - Pastor Ed Dacio, Corona International Christian Fellowship, CICF, Corona, California) and creating playlists of their online services. 

By sharing a playlist for each, you can view only the most recent video, or you can browse to watch others which address issues of interest to you.

During this very unusual time, one thing which stands out to me is that we cannot keep doing church in our accustomed way which has worked for years.  Back in the good old days, you know, like two months ago - we had our regular Sunday Worship Services, our Bible Studies, and our Sunday School Classes.  If our Sunday Worship Service went longer on some days, not a problem. 

After all, we came to church to fellowship with our brethren and to worship our Lord together.  During those times we could worship Him in Music, in Prayer, in Fellowship, in our Offering, and in our Teaching Sermon Message - a day well spent.  And in doing that, we were blessed and edified by our local fellowship which may be only 20-30 believers, or it may be 50, 100, or several hundred worshipers.

Now, food for thought:  Is this new "norm" God's way of accelerating the sharing of His Gospel to all the nations?  In the two Scripture passages referenced here, we see one key theme:  "The Gospel must be preached to all the nations, in all the world!"

Mark 13:6-19, verse 10 "And the Gospel must first be preached to all the nations."

Matthew 24:5-21, verse 14, "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."

In past years, have we been preaching the Gospel to all the world, or were we preaching it only to our local fellowship?  To quote an old maxim:  "Are we preaching to the choir?"

"But wait, Bill, aren't those passages in Mark and Matthew speaking of the Tribulation when the church, all Christian believers, will have already been Raptured into heaven?"

Yes, that is true.  But should we leave all non-believers to only hear the Gospel and believe - after we leave in the Rapture?  Shouldn't we do all we can to bring those non-believers into God's family before the Rapture, so they can be Raptured with us?  How can we take more of those folks with us in the Rapture?  Glad you asked.  We share the Gospel to all the nations, in all the world - today.   I believe God is giving us that opportunity today - by effectively allowing us to be forced, through our isolation, into sharing the Gospel online, to all the world - sharing His Gospel message.

This train of thought was inspired by two things:  First, I have been sharing playlists from those four different pastors/churches because I know they are good teachings.  But what can we do to make those online messages even more effective, as taught in 2 Timothy 3:17, "That the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work"?   How can we make our messages more effective in reaching those non-believers?

Having spent a large part of my adult working life selling computers to companies of all sizes, ranging from small 5 or 10 employee companies all the way to large international corporations - doing one-on-one presentations, group presentations, and seminars - I know that we have only a limited window of time to reach that person, the decision maker(s), when given the opportunity.  In other words, we may have only one arrow in our "time quiver" with which to hit the bullseye - and we must make sure that Gospel arrow is true, on target, and sized to hit the right target, those non-believers.

In sharing the Gospel, we are dealing with a very important decision, an eternal decision - one that will affect that person's eternal destiny.  We cannot afford to not hit the bullseye.  Marketing knowledge and personal experience have shown me that we can hold a person's or a group's full attention for only a limited time, that is our bullseye - the amount of time that person will listen.  Particularly in a video or audio message, there will be so many others vying for their time - so we must tune our message to find the bullseye - for we may not get a second chance.  And that person we lost may not get a second chance either.

In an online message, what is the most effective length of time before the viewer gets a little impatient, clicks Pause, and moves on to other interests?  Typically that time will be between 15 and 30 minutes.  The messages in the four playlists I have been sharing vary in length from 15-20 minutes, up to 1 1/2 hour.  Which do you think will keep that person's attention, have a better chance of hitting the bullseye, and make him/her want more to hear more?

Keep in mind that in this new "norm" we are not just reaching out to our local fellowship, those who are accustomed to spending a large part of their Sunday with us.  Now God has us reaching out to many more than our local fellowship.  He has us reaching, not the 30, 50, 200 in our local fellowships - but literally to hundreds, thousands, maybe many thousands around the world via social media sharing. 

It reminds me of when I went from sharing my blogs to only those in my Friends Ministry eNewsletter mail list and on the TimesDaily Religion Forum - to sharing as a guest columnist on The Conservative Voice.  Suddenly instead of writing to reach a few hundred - I was on a platform with a worldwide readership of about 250,000.   The difference was almost frightening, but I saw it as a God-given opportunity.  And that is what we have today, during this panic period - a Golden Opportunity.  Let's do it right!

In this new "norm" we are reaching out to many who are not believers - not just to our local fellowship who will tolerate a one hour message - but to non-believers, new seekers, etc., who will pay attention for 15 minutes, 30 minutes - but I can almost assure you that virtually all of them will hit Pause and run when the message and service drags on to an hour
or 1 1/2 hours.

We must tailor our New Norm Online Messages to reach all those folks we want joining us as believers BEFORE the Rapture.  So, let's lay aside our magnificent one hour expository sermons, rituals, and catchy presentations - and get down to the 30 minute or less of Nitty-Gritty Gospel.

And since English is the most common language spoken around the world - lay aside your native tongue and speak English - unless you only want to share the Gospel with people who speak your native language instead of "all the world."  Just a thought.

My second train of thought moment was inspired by this article from my Alabama hometown newspaper, the TimesDaily of Florence, Alabama.  This article which falls into the same line of thought I have been discussing - shorter, more effective messages - was the spark which inspired me to start writing this blog:

MINISTERS OFFERING SHORT MESSAGES OF HOPE
TimesDaily News - May 5, 2020
By Lisa Singleton-Rickman, Staff Writer

If there's one thing that seems to be in short supply in the minds of many these days, it's hope.  To help combat that discouragement, ministers of the area's Churches of Christ have started "31 Days of Encouragement" - short, 10-minute daily devotionals available via Facebook under the title "31 Days of Encouragement from the Word of God."  The short devotionals feature a different minister daily through June 4, each bringing an inspirational and Bible-based message.

"The Bible offers all sorts of comfort, and we want people to open up their Bibles and follow along and be encouraged," Woodlawn Church of Christ Pastor Matt Heupel said.

Ben Hayes, pastor of Highland Park Church of Christ in Muscle Shoals, spent part of his morning on Monday recording at Woodlawn.  His devotional was based on Colossians 1, the writings of the Apostle Paul.  "Paul did a lot of his writing in the jail cell, and he constantly prayed for the people's encouragement and for them to grow in their faith," Hayes said. "There is a sense of confinement among us now, but there's hope because of Christ.  We're encouraging people to hold on to that."

"Sharing messages in the name of encouragement gives people something to look forward to," Pastor Miles Stutts of Atlas Church of Christ said.  "Encouragement is the key to caring.  When there's peace within, it makes all the other things manageable.  Each of these messages is designed to provide a source of hope for today and a blessing for tomorrow."

So, are YOU and your church family ready to take on the "New Norm" God has given us, trim your online program to more effective half hour messages - and let's take the Gospel to all nations, to all the world?

Take a moment and reflect on the Great Commission which Jesus Christ left for all believers, "GO, Make Disciples, TEACH them.  .  .  . Be My witnesses in all the world"  (Matthew 28:19-20, Acts 1:8, Mark 16:15).

Yes, I know, I left out Baptize them.  Why?  Glad you asked. 

First, we have to GO into all the world (we are doing that online now).  Then we have to Make Disciples (a disciple is one who is learning from us, i.e., a student).  We do that most effectively by keeping their attention with a short, Gospel-based teaching.  Next, once we have a committed Disciple, we may get involved in a more personal way, maybe one-on-one discipling in person, maybe one-on-one via private communications, or as I have chosen as a beginning - sharing good teaching videos via YouTube. 

When we have a person who is ready to receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, a person who, when things finally get back to normal - or as normal as they ever will be again - we want to see that person involved in a good Christ-centered, Bible-teaching church fellowship.  We want to help point that person to a local church, hopefully ours if he/she is local - or a good Christ-centered, Bible-teaching church in his/her area. 

That is when the new believer is to be Baptized, in fellowship with his/her new Christian Family, their local church fellowship.  That is just my thought, that since Following Christ in Baptism is such a personal event, it should be shared with those closest to you - your immediate family and our local spiritual family.

So, my Friends, how is YOUR "new norm" shaping up?  Have you given thought to trimming it to 30 minutes of less?  Think about it.  For our task now is not just reaching our local fellowship, not just preaching to the choir.  Our task now is reach all the world, or at least a bigger chunk of it, through the Great Commission in our new online world.

Final thought:  During this period we are locked in isolation, I will continue to add to the Playlist Stacks below.  So please periodically check back, via e-mail or on my Facebook profile, to see the latest video messages from these four Conservative Christian Theology senior pastors.

Pastor Sam Lacanienta, Talakag Church on the Solid Rock:  https://youtu.be/TcKm3G9HfNE?list=PL_YT3RttutrjP4_ws1dHh8bO_CvVYWkPi

Pastor Freddy Cortez, Church of Hope:  https://youtu.be/Ah1QwK4FNq0?list=PL_YT3RttutrjNG8vXg20iPm0FNhfwZImX

Pastor Ed Dacio, Corona International Christian Fellowship:  https://youtu.be/G91gZUtkxdo?list=PL_YT3Rttutri2x3a9teQBvznVAO4IjUEt

Pastor Sergio Nolasco, IBBC-Riverside:  https://youtu.be/M5Fx1nqyafg?list=PL_YT3RttutrjJ0P_7W-3MKVGI9Rbwnekp

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill 

Click on the image to enlarge:

 

What Did Jesus Mean - Regarding Divorce?

When I finish one writing project, I pray and ask God to show me my next project.  That was my early morning prayer today.  And when I opened Facebook, the first thing I saw was a woman in Louisiana liking a blog I had written and posted in 2014 - a blog about divorce and remarriage. 

Wow, thank you, Lord.  Maybe there is someone in my Friends Ministry eNewsletter e-mail list or on Facebook who needs to see and read that blog now.  I will never know for that is between that person and God, but I believe I would be remiss if I do not post this blog today.  So here is my 2014 blog:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In a TimesDaily Religion Forum discussion I began several months ago titled "The Prolific Forum Poster!" - a Forum Friend and I somehow wandered into a dialogue on prayer and divorce.   Because these are both very important issues, I want to discuss both.  But to have some semblance of brevity I have split them into two separate discussions.

We have already discussed "What Did Jesus Mean - Regarding Prayer?"

After bringing prayer into the discussion -- my Forum Friend immediately went into another of his favorite talking points when addressing those of us in the Christian faith: Divorce.  

I can only assume that his interest in divorce can be traced back to posts he wrote several years ago when we were discussing the Christian's relationship with Jesus Christ in comparison to our relationship with our spouse and family.  We were discussing what we believe Jesus meant in Luke 14:26, "If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple." 

I stated that no matter how much I love my wife and family, Jesus Christ must always be first.  And, this Friend, sharing with us how his ex-wife had been less than desirable, yet his present wife was the light of his life, told us, "No one, not even Jesus Christ, comes before my wife!"   Yet, Jesus tells us that unless He is first, we cannot be His disciples.  So, is my Friend a Christian believer as he professes to be, or not?  We will leave that between him and God.

Taking a closer look at what Jesus is telling us in Luke 14:26, I do not believe He is saying that we should desert our families - only that the Light we should be following is Him, and Him only.  And, as Christians, we should be guiding those in our families toward that Light.

As for myself, I have never hidden the fact that I married as a young man in the Air Force and had a wonderful wife who passed away in 2001, nine days before 9-11.  And, I have never hidden the fact that I loved her three young daughters then, and love them today, as my own.  She and I remained friends, and in a sense always loved one another, and talked often on the phone - meeting once in Denver to celebrate our youngest daughter, Leslie's, birthday.

We were divorced long before I met Dory and long before I became a Christian believer.  My Forum Friend seems to overlook the divorce in own his life - yet, he wants to hang me on the cross of hypocrisy when I share the Gospel.  Let's talk about it.

Regarding divorce, my Forum Friend asked me: 

Was Jesus wrong when he said to not divorce?

Matthew 5:32, "But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery."

Mark 10:11-12, "And he said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her, and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”

Luke 16:18“Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery.

How about God?   "'I hate divorce,' says the LORD God of Israel" (Malachi 2:16). 

How about Paul?   "Are you bound to a wife?  Do not seek to be released.  Are you released from a wife?  Do not seek a wife" (1 Corinthians 7:27). 

So, is Jesus wrong?  Is God wrong?  Is Paul wrong?  Is the Bible wrong?  Seems to me that you have a problem following God's commandments.  Here is a verse you might like.

1 John 2:3-4,  "And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments.  Whoever says 'I know him' but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him."

 
Since my Forum Friend is particularly interested in and concerned about my marital status, let's talk about that issue.  In 1956, over thirty years before I became a Christian believer - I met and married a beautiful lady who had been previously married in her Roman Catholic church, had three small girls (3, 4, and 18 months), and for good reason had divorced her husband.

We were married in a civil ceremony.   And, even though I was not Roman Catholic and knew little about that religion, I promised to help her raise the children in her Roman Catholic faith.  Shortly after our marriage, the Air Force sent me to Korea.  In Korea, even though I explained to the Roman Catholic chaplain at Osan Air Force Base that I was not interested in becoming a Roman Catholic - that I only wanted to take catechism classes to learn about that religion so that I could assist in raising the girls in their mother's faith and church, he refused.  

So I began my own studies of Roman Catholicism without him.  And I spent about twenty years attending that church, taking catechism lessons, and studying the Roman Catholic faith.

During the year that I was in Korea, my wife talked with her Roman Catholic priest in Denver, explaining the reasons for her divorce and asking what she and I should do - remain married as we were, or get a civil divorce to end our civil marriage?  His advice was to stay married and raise the children in the Roman Catholic church.  That is what we did when I returned from Korea.  And we continued after I was later discharged from the Air Force and began my career in the computer industry.  

Matter of fact, while working as a Computer Field Engineer for Burroughs Corporation at the Norfolk Naval Supply Depot, I helped coach the basketball team at the Roman Catholic elementary school my girls attended in Norfolk, Virginia.  I still have a very nice set of cuff links the team gave me in appreciation after the season.

After six years, she and I separated and eventually, years later, divorced - but we remained close friends until her death on September 2, 2001.   She had remarried and had a long, happy marriage.  And on September 2, 1977, Dory and I were married and have been happily married for 37 years and counting.   Through my marriage to Dory, I became a Christian believer in 1987.

So, how was our situation to be resolved?  Should Dory and I have divorced to allow me to remarry my first wife?  That could not be, for she was already happily married.  Should Dory and I end our marriage, the relationship which helped me to become a Christian believer? 

And since my first wife had been married in the Roman Catholic church and then divorced from her first husband - was our civil marriage already null and void in the eyes of God?   As you can see, as a Christian believer - this was sort of a Catch 22 situation.  So am I wrong to believe that my Christian faith today is valid, that my Christian marriage to Dory is valid and blessed by God, and that the Christian ministry I am doing is blessed by God?  No, I do not think I am wrong.

Let me offer this article for additional thought on the subject of divorce and remarriage:

Question: "Is remarriage after divorce always adultery?"
 http://www.gotquestions.org/remarriage-adultery.html

Answer:  Before we even begin to answer this question, let us reiterate, "God hates divorce" (Malachi 2:16).  The pain, confusion, and frustration most people experience after a divorce are surely part of the reason that God hates divorce.  Even more difficult, biblically, than the question of divorce, is the question of remarriage.  The vast majority of people who divorce either remarry or consider getting remarried.  What does the Bible say about this?

Matthew 19:9 says, "I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery."  See also Matthew 5:32.  These Scriptures clearly state that remarriage after a divorce is adultery, except in the instance of "marital unfaithfulness."  In regards to this "exception clause" and its implications, please read the following articles:  

• What does the Bible say about divorce and remarriage?  http://www.gotquestions.org/divorce-remarriage.htmlI am divorced. 
• Can I remarry?   http://www.gotquestions.org/divorced-remarry.html 

It is our view that there are certain instances in which divorce and remarriage are permitted without the remarriage being considered adultery. 

These instances would include unrepentant adultery, physical abuse of spouse or children, and abandonment of a believing spouse by an unbelieving spouse.  We are not saying that a person under such circumstances should remarry.  The Bible definitely encourages remaining single or reconciliation over remarriage (1 Corinthians 7:11).  At the same time, it is our view that God offers His mercy and grace to the innocent party in a divorce and allows that person to remarry without it being considered adultery.

A person who gets a divorce for a reason other than the reasons listed above, and then gets remarried has committed adultery (Luke 16:18).  The question then becomes, is this remarriage an "act" of adultery - OR -  a "state" of adultery. 

The present tense of the Greek in Matthew 5:32; 19:9; and Luke 16:18 can indicate a continuous state of adultery.  At the same time, the present tense in Greek does not always indicate continuous action.  Sometimes it simply means that something occurred (Aoristic, Punctiliar, or Gnomic present).

For example, the word "divorces" in Matthew 5:32 is present tense, but divorcing is not a continual action.  It is our view that remarriage, no matter the circumstances, is not a continual state of adultery.  Only the act of getting remarried itself is adultery.

In the Old Testament Law, the punishment for adultery was death (Leviticus 20:10).  At the same time, Deuteronomy 24:1-4 mentions remarriage after a divorce, (but) does not call it adultery, and does not demand the death penalty for the remarried spouse.  The Bible explicitly says that God hates divorce (Malachi 2:16), but nowhere explicitly states that God hates remarriage.  

The Bible nowhere commands a remarried couple to divorce.  Deuteronomy 24:1-4 does not describe the remarriage as invalid.  Ending a remarriage through divorce would be just as sinful as ending a first marriage through divorce.  Both would include the breaking of vows before God, between the couple, and in front of witnesses.

No matter the circumstances, once a couple is remarried, they should strive to live out their married lives in fidelity, in a God-honoring way, with Christ at the center of their marriage.

A marriage is a marriage.  God does not view the new marriage as invalid or adulterous.  A remarried couple should devote themselves to God, and to each other – and honor Him by making their new marriage a lasting and Christ-centered one (Ephesians 5:22-33).

Recommended Resources: "Divorce and Remarriage: 4 Views" edited By H. Wayne House  

So, how should we view divorce?  We must have the same view as God   "'I hate divorce,' says the LORD God of Israel" (Malachi 2:16).  God hates divorce because it against His standard for marriage and family; God hates divorce for what it does to a family; God hates divorce for what it does to our Christian community and to our society.   Divorce is bad in the eyes of God.  There is no other way to say it.   But, wouldn't a second divorce, to correct a first sin - be just as bad in the eyes of God?   All sin is bad in the eyes of God

One more thought from a slightly different angle.   When Jesus Christ went to the cross, He was crucified to make atonement, to "pay in full" all sin debt - past, present, and future.

Study Guide for John 19 by David Guzik
 http://www.blbclassic.org/commentaries/comm_view.cfm?AuthorID=2&contentID=20094&commInfo=31&topic=John

b. It is finished!  Jesus' final word (tetelestai in the ancient Greek) is the cry of a winner.  Jesus had finished the eternal purpose of the cross.  It stands today as a finished work, the foundation of all Christian peace and faith, paying in full the debt we righteously owe to God. 

• i. At some point before He died, before the veil was torn in two, before He cried out,  "It is finished" -- an awesome spiritual transaction took place.  God the Father laid upon God the Son all the guilt and wrath our sin deserved, and He bore it in Himself perfectly, totally satisfying the wrath of God for us. 

When Jesus Christ died on the cross He made possible the forgiveness of ALL our sins -- past, present, and future.  In other words, He provided the door to full forgiveness for all people.  But, unless we open that door and allow Him to come in and be our most intimate Friend, our Lord and Savior (Revelation 3:20) - we make His payment on our behalf null and void.   He has signed His "Eternal Life" cashier's check with His precious blood, and has stretched out His hands to offer it to us.  If we will not receive it, we are still the poor, hungry, homeless lost souls we were before He purchased our pardon.

Let's say you are a homeless person, living on the streets, and Bill Gates comes to you and offers you a cashier's check for one billion dollars.  If you accept his free gift - you are very rich.  If you refuse his free gift - you are still a pitiful, hungry, lost soul living in the streets of desolation.  

That is what Christ has done.  He has come to you, a lost, homeless soul - and offered you the immeasurable richness of eternal life in the presence of God.  If you accept, you have an eternal home in heaven (John 14:1-3).  If you refuse, you have an eternal home living on the desolate streets of hell.

When we enter into that special relationship with Jesus Christ, when we receive Him as our Lord and Savior, we are adopted into the family of God (John 1:12).  And, we are indwelled and sealed in Him for eternity (Ephesians 1:13, 4:30).   All our sins are forgiven, we are made a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17).

When we place our faith in Jesus Christ for salvation, all of our sins are forgiven. That includes past, present, and future, big or small.  Believers do not have to keep asking for forgiveness or repenting in order to have their sins forgiven.  Jesus died to pay the penalty for all of our sins, and when they are forgiven, they are all forgiven (Colossians 1:14; Acts 10:43).   http://www.gotquestions.org/Christian-sin.html

Let's look at the following article explaining the relationship between salvation and full forgiveness:

Question: "What is the relationship between salvation and forgiveness?"
http://www.gotquestions.org/salvation-forgiveness.html

Answer: When we accept Jesus as our Savior, we receive salvation and forgiveness.  But that’s not all.  The Bible says we also receive justification, redemption, reconciliation, atonement, propitiation, and regeneration.  Each of these theological terms expresses wonderful truths about the blessing we receive when Jesus becomes our Savior.  Salvation and forgiveness, while related, are not exactly the same.

The term salvation comes from the Greek word sozo, which means “to be delivered, rescued.”  Salvation is deliverance from the penalty of sin, that is, eternal separation from God (Romans 6:23; Matthew 25:46).  Salvation is God’s rescuing us from our deserved fate.  Salvation also includes a more immediate deliverance from the power of sin in this life.  Sin has lost its dominion over the saved ones (Romans 6:14).  Faith in Jesus Christ rescues us from the empty and meaningless life described in Ecclesiastes and provides us with a life that is abundant and fruitful (John 10:10; Galatians 5:22–23).

The term forgiveness comes from the Greek word aphiemi, which means “to let go, to give up, to keep no longer.”  When Jesus forgives us, our sins, trespasses, iniquities, and transgressions are erased, wiped off the record.  Forgiveness of sin is analogous to financial debt being erased.  When God forgives us of our sins, we are free.  Our sins are wiped out.  God will never hold them against us (Psalm 103:12).

Salvation and forgiveness are closely related.  There is no salvation without forgiveness.  Salvation is God’s delivering us from the consequences of sin.  Forgiveness is God’s erasing our sin debt.  To use a financial illustration, forgiveness is God’s shredding the documents that list our debt, and salvation is God’s letting us out of debtors’ prison.  Praise God for the wonderful salvation and forgiveness He has provided.  May our lives reflect gratitude for all He has done for us (Romans 12:1).

Recommended Resources:"Making Sense of Salvation" by Wayne Grudem.

I suppose the most pressing question at this point is: "When Jesus Christ died on the cross - did He die once for all sin, or not?"

Romans 6:10, "For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God."   

1 Peter 3:18, "For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit;. . ."

YES, Jesus Christ died once, for all sin.  

Other questions raised by many espousing a liberal theology, or those non-believers who want to raise a wall between the Christian believers and our God, are:  "So, what happens if you die before confessing your latest sins?" - OR - "So, because you are a 'forgiven Christian' - you are free to sin all you want and God will just ignore those sins, right?"  Wrong!  Both of these assumptive questions, i.e., loaded questions, are merely fishing expeditions - but, without valid bait on their hooks.

The following article nicely addresses the issue of sin, forgiveness, and our salvation:

Question: "Do Christians have to keep asking for forgiveness for their sins?"
 http://www.gotquestions.org/Christian-sin.html

Answer:  A frequent question is “what happens if I sin, and then I die before I have an opportunity to confess that sin to God?”  Another common question is “what happens if I commit a sin, but then forget about it and never remember to confess it to God?”  Both of these questions rest on a faulty assumption.  Salvation is not a matter of believers trying to confess and repent from every sin they commit before they die.  Salvation is not based on whether a Christian has confessed and repented of every sin. 

Yes, we should confess our sins to God as soon as we are aware that we have sinned.  However, we do not always need to be asking God for forgiveness.  When we place our faith in Jesus Christ for salvation, all of our sins are forgiven.  That includes past, present, and future, big or small.  Believers do not have to keep asking for forgiveness or repenting in order to have their sins forgiven.  Jesus died to pay the penalty for all of our sins, and when they are forgiven, they are all forgiven (Colossians 1:14; Acts 10:43).

What we are to do is confess our sins: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).  What this verse tells us to do is “confess” our sins to God.  The word “confess” means “to agree with.”  When we confess our sins to God, we are agreeing with God that we were wrong, that we have sinned. 

• Bill Gray note:  This is us "owning" our sin, acknowledging our sin.  God is never surprised by our sins.   The word "Oops!" is not in His vocabulary.  God is omniscient and knows all that we will ever do - before we do it.  So, our confession is us agreeing with God that we have sinned and want Him to forgive us of our sin and to restore our close fellowship with Him, as Father and child.

God forgives us, through confession, on an ongoing basis because of the fact that He is “faithful and just.”  How is God “faithful and just”?  He is faithful by forgiving sins, which He has promised to do for all those who receive Christ as Savior.  He is just by applying Christ’s payment for our sins, recognizing that the sins have indeed been atoned for.

At the same time, 1 John 1:9 does indicate that somehow forgiveness is dependent on our confessing our sins to God.  How does this work if all of our sins are forgiven the moment we receive Christ as Savior? 

It seems that what the apostle John is describing here is “relational” forgiveness.  All of our sins are forgiven “positionally” the moment we receive Christ as Savior.  This positional forgiveness guarantees our salvation and promise of an eternal home in heaven.  When we stand before God after death, God will not deny us entrance into heaven because of our sins.  That is positional forgiveness. 

The concept of relational forgiveness is based on the fact that when we sin, we offend God and grieve His Spirit (Ephesians 4:30).  While God has ultimately forgiven us of the sins we commit, they still result in a blocking or hindrance in our relationship with God.  

A young boy who sins against his father is not cast out of the family.  A godly father will forgive his children unconditionally.  At the same time, a good relationship between father and son cannot be achieved until the relationship is restored.  This can only occur when a child confesses his mistakes to his father and apologizes.  That is why we confess our sins to God -- not to maintain our salvation, but to bring ourselves back into close fellowship with the God who loves us and has already forgiven us.

Recommended Resources: "Overcoming Sin and Temptation"by John Owen.

So, back to my Forum Friend's question regarding my early divorce, my remarriage of 37 joyfully blessed years, and counting, to Dory -- and my relationship with my God.  All is well!

Yes, I sinned against and grieved God when I divorced and when I remarried.   But, flawed mortal Christian that I am, when I received His "Paid In Full" pardon written in the precious blood of Jesus Christ -- ALL MY SINS were forgiven, I was indwelled and sealed with the Holy Spirit -- and I am good to go!

My Forum Friend, I sincerely pray that you can say the same, that you truly have a saving relationship with Jesus Christ.  For, with all my heart, I do want to fellowship with you in heaven one day.  At that time, we can look back upon all our disagreements on the Religion Forum and have a good, Christian laugh.  And, I am positive that Jesus Christ will join us in laughter.

The eternally important question has to be:  Do YOU know for sure that YOU will spend eternity in heaven in the presence of God?  If you are not sure, can we talk about it?

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill 

Click on image to enlarge:

 

Did Adam Have A Wife Before Eve?

DID ADAM HAVE A WIFE BEFORE EVE?  ~  A Christian brother recently asked me that question and to such questions our response should never be one of jest nor derision, for many folks have been led by non-believers and Liberal Theology teachings to question, even doubt, the Bible.  There are many who believe Adam had a wife named Lilith before Eve. 

And in the same level of misdirection, there are many folks today who still believe the earth is flat.  No, I am not joking.  Go to Facebook and search for Flat Earth.  You will find a number of Flat Earth groups there, with possibly thousands of followers who have been caught in that slippery slope.

My Friend posted on Facebook Messenger, April 11, 2020:  "Bro. Bill, I was watching the History Channel on TV about the Bible, and they told that Eve was Not Adam's first wife, but Lilith was, that she also was from the dust, and that she and Adam had children."

That form of misdirection is very common in online discussions and forums.  During the seven years I was posting on the TimesDaily Religion Forum, at one time or another, I heard it all.  There were the Flat Earth proponents.  Others who said they believed that Jesus Christ was just another name for the Roman god, Zeus. 

There was one fellow who adamantly preached The Urantia Book which he claimed is a spiritual, philosophical, and religious book equivalent to our Bible.  And just as there is an active Flat Earth Society worldwide, there is also a large number of people who are members of the Urantia Book Society - begun in the 1950s when, supposedly, aliens from outer space gave the Urantia Book to a medical doctor in Chicago - and from that he formed the society which is still very active today.

A Christian Friend has asked me many times, "Bill, why do you bother debating with those people?"   And I assured him that it is not with the hope that I will convert such non-believers, even though I would love to see it happen.  The people for whom I am writing are those who will read what those people have written - and ask questions, like my Friend who asked about Adam and Lilith.  I am sure he did not buy into that story completely, otherwise he would not have asked me the question. 

And for such Truth Seekers, unless I, or someone like me, will intelligently and Biblically refute what the false teachers have written, or said in a video, or produced in a television documentary like on the History Channel - many who are less mature in Christ, many who are new believers and seeking to understand God's Word, and even many who are on the verge of believing - may be led astray.

On the TimesDaily Religion Forum, a near real-time tally of people on the forums at any time was shown each day.  Typically I would see 5, 10, 25 members online reading and possibly posting at any given time - but I would often see hundreds, at times thousands, of non-member Readers online, folks who were not posting members - but who came on the Religion Forum only to read what we members were posting. 

If an atheist, agnostic, vanilla-flavored non-believer, or worse yet, a New Age Religion proponent such as the Urantia Book followers, and let's not forget the Wicca Witch religion followers - were allowed to post their religious views with no Conservative Christian to refute them - just imagine how many trusting souls could be led astray.  And I cannot forget my Liberal Theology and Legalistic Christian friends on the forum - who, quite often, were more abusive toward our Conservative Christian faith than all the others.

And that is why I take the question about Adam having another wife before Eve very seriously and why I will make an honest effort to give my Christian brother a solid, Biblical answer.

He gave me the link to the History Channel video on YouTube and many folks who are not strongly grounded in their knowledge of God's Word, the Bible, can be easily mislead by such network shows.  Producers of those so-called documentaries will gather a select group of supposed experts in the field of Christianity and the Bible to interview.  They do that in an effort to make their presentation seem to be the absolute, unquestionable authority. 

But what the show producers have done is gather a group of scholars, theologians, etc., from Liberal Institutions such as Duke, Harvard, and other schools of divinity which are extreme liberal left in their theology.  And they believe they strengthen their position by adding similar experts from institutions in England - all sounding very scholarly and authoritative.  But that would be like gathering a group of Liberal Democrats to discuss how to make the Republican Party stronger.

Let me ask this question.  If a poll taker wanted to get the latest input on how people in America view the homosexual lifestyle - would a survey taken in West Hollywood, San Francisco, and among the so-called Hollywood Actor experts - be believable?  That would be like interviewing a group of Auburn fans to see which football team, Auburn or Alabama, is best.

First we must realize that the History Channel does not view the Bible the same as we in the Conservative Christian faith.  If anything, the History Channel would lean toward its primary religion - Science - which of course has it more accepting of Evolution and a Liberal Theology view of the Bible.

At this point let's define the two views of the Bible:  Those in the Liberal Theology camp - many whose primary religion is Science, then Christianity, as long as their Christianity does not dispute their higher authority, Science - view the Bible as a book of symbolisms, metaphors, myths, and short stories meant to encourage and possibly inspired folks, to guide believers in their Christian walk, but, in their view, the Bible is NOT the Inerrant, Literal Written Word of God.

While we who walk in the Conservative Christian faith know that the Bible "IS" the Inspired, Inerrant, Literal, and Authoritative Written Word of God. 

The full Bible, all 66 books, is the Written Word of God.  It is a supernaturally inspired revelation from God - and is His full plan for mankind and His full revelation to mankind. The Bible is the inspired, inerrant, literal, and authoritative Written Word of God.  The Bible is the sole authority for our Christian faith and Christian life, God's full revelation to man. (2 Timothy 3:16-17, 2 Peter 1:20-21)

We believe in the verbal plenary inspiration of Scripture and that all 66 books of the Bible are without error in the original manuscripts.  "Verbal" meaning that every word of Scripture is God given and inspired.  "Plenary" means that all parts of the Bible are equally authoritative.  "Inspiration" means that every word in the Bible is divinely inspired, yet not dictated.

Rather than reinventing the wheel on Adam and Lilith, let me share with you excerpts from two trusted Christian apologetic web sites and support that with Scripture passages found in Genesis.

First from GotQuestions dot org:

Question:  "Who was Lilith? Does the Bible say anything about Adam having another wife before Eve?"

Answer:   There are legends that Adam had a wife before Eve who was named Lilith, but this is not found in the Bible.  The legends vary significantly, but they all essentially agree that Lilith left Adam because she did not want to submit to him.  According to the legends, Lilith was an evil, wicked woman who committed adultery with Satan and produced a race of evil creatures.  None of this is true.  There is no biblical basis whatsoever for these concepts. There is no one in the Bible named Lilith.

The passage most often pointed to as evidence for Lilith is Isaiah 34:14, which in the NRSV reads, "there too Lilith shall repose."  This is a poor translation.  Every other major translation of the Bible reads something to the effect of "night creature" or "screech owl" instead of Lilith.  Even if "demon monster named Lilith" was the proper translation of the Hebrew word, Adam is nowhere even hinted at in this passage nor in its context.  Whatever the "Lilith" was, it is not given any connection whatsoever to Adam or Creation.

Another commonly used support for Lilith is the differing Creation accounts in Genesis chapters 1-2.  Some claim that the woman in Genesis 1 was Lilith, with the woman in Genesis 2 being Eve.  This is completely ludicrous.  Rather, Genesis chapter 2 is a "closer look" at the creation of Adam and Eve as recorded in Genesis chapter 1. 

The Bible specifically says that Adam and Eve were the first human beings ever created (Genesis 1:26-28; 2:18-25).  This "Lilith" myth is popular in some radical feminist movements because Lilith is an example of a woman refusing to submit to male headship.  While there are myths outside of the Word of God regarding Lilith, her complete absence from Scripture demonstrates that she is nothing more than a myth.

In the Hebrew language, the transliterated word liyliyth in Strong's Concordance means:  "Lilith is the name of a mythical female goddess known as a night demon who haunts the desolate places of Edom, or it might be a nocturnal animal that inhabits desolate places."

In differing Bible translations liyliyth is interpreted as: The screech owl (kjv, web) - night creature (nkjv, nlt, niv) - night bird (esv, csb) - night monster (nasb, asv) - nocturnal animals (net) - night hag (rsv) - night owl (ylt) - lilith (dby, nrsv, hnv).  None of these seem like the woman God created to be a helpmate for Adam.  Let's look at what Scripture has to say about Adam and his wife, Eve:

Genesis 1:26-28, "Then God said, 'Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all  the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.'  So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.  Then God blessed them, and God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.' "

Genesis 2:7,  "And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being."

Gen 2:15-18, "Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it.  And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, 'Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.'  And the LORD God said, 'It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.' "

Genesis 2:20-25, "So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field.  But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him.  And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place.  Then the rib which the LORD God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man.  And Adam said:  'This is now bone of my bones And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man.'  Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.  And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed."

Genesis 1:31, "Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good.  So the evening and the morning were the sixth day."

I believe you can see that the person or animal, real or mythical, translated as Lilith could in no way be a part of God's creation, nor in any way be associated with His created humans, Adam and Eve.  For if any such creature existed with Adam - there is no way that God could consider that to be VERY GOOD.

At this point the reader must decide how YOU will view the Bible.  Is it the inspired, inerrant, literal, and authoritative Written Word of God as Conservative Theology Christians read it?  

Or is it a book of symbolisms, metaphors, myths, and short stories meant only to be a good guidebook for the Christian believers as the Liberal Theology Christians want to read it? 

If the Creation account found in Genesis 1 and 2 are not true - then how can YOU believe the rest of the Bible?  If you cannot believe and trust the Bible - on what do you put your faith and how do you know you have eternal life?  Think about that - then pick up your Bible and read it the way God intended, exegetically reading from the Bible what God has caused to be written into it.

Another excerpt comes from CompellingTruth dot org, an apologetic outreach ministry of GotQuestions dot org:

More recently, feminists and New Agers have claimed Lilith as a role model.  They praise her independence and sexual freedom and use her as an example when refusing to submit to their husbands.  She has loaned her name to "Lilith Fair," a touring concert of female singers and female-led bands - and Lilith Magazine, a Jewish feminist magazine.

The only verified part of all this is that Lilith was a character in ancient Sumerian/Akkadian folk lore.  Any "evidence" found in the Bible is easily dismissed.  The bulk of literature defining her role in history comes from Kabbalah - a Jewish-based cult.  In short, Lilith was a figure of ancient mythology who has since been used to represent death to innocents, sexual predation on men, and feminist independence.  She was never real, and she certainly was never married to Adam.

In viewing the History Channel videos my Friend watched, in the very first 1-2 minutes of "History Channel Banned From the Bible 1 of 2" the narrator makes it clear that if he is a Christian believer - he is most certainly in the Liberal Far Left side of our faith.  He makes it clear that, in his opinion, all the early writings, even those God has had canonized as part of His Written Word - were the product of wandering nomadic men who wrote of their beliefs, not necessarily what God has authored. 

And he uses as his reasoning, that the Bible should be viewed as a Liberal book of myths and not the Written Word of God.  Part of his reasoning is that some very good books written by men of old - were not included in the Bible because men did not want them included. 

I have long written, and I stand by my position - that since God chose and inspired 40 men, living in different geographical locations, over a period of 1600 years - to write what He has inspired them to write - and since that collection of 66 books which He had canonized have one central and unified theme:  the salvation of mankind, offered to all who will believe and receive His gift of forgiveness and eternal life.  That UNITY is found in no other religious book of any world religion.

And since our God is so all knowing (Omniscient), all powerful (Omnipotent) and all places present (Omnipresent) such that He could inspire those 40 men to create the book, His Bible, as He desired - that same God is Omniscient, Omnipotent, and Omnipresent enough to also inspire and guide the men who were chosen to select, i.e., canonize the books He wanted in His Bible. 

To believe otherwise, is to believe that God was big enough to inspire those men to write His inspired books - but that once they were written, God was not big enough to guide the copyists, translators, and those chosen to canonize the right 66 books He wanted in His Bible.  If that is your belief, what caused God to lose His power?

We have to realize that the same God who inspired those 40 men, also was there to guide the document copyists, He has been there to guide those translating His Bible into differing languages - and He was most certainly there when the 66 books of our Bible were chosen, i.e., canonized, to be our Bible - the Inspired, Inerrant, Literal, Authoritative Written Word of God.

If you want to view the videos referred to on the History Channel, just open YouTube and search for:  "History Channel Banned From the Bible 1 of 2" and "Banned From The Bible 2."  

I realize this blog is somewhat long, but I did not want to short-change my Friend who asked the question.  Nothing is worse when asked a question about our Christian faith, than us responding with, "No, that is not true" and walking away.  If we say it is not true, let's support that from Scripture.  Otherwise we are just spitting in the wind and causing a fellow traveler to possible go astray.   May I never be accused of that.

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill 

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