Thought For The Day
BY Herschel Smith
3 years, 11 months ago
“Not only a theology, but an eschatology, or doctrine of last things, which renounces history, or sees it as defeat, is faithless to Christianity. God is maker of heaven and earth, not Satan. History culminates in God’s plan and triumph, not in Satan’s victory. To the extent that any eschatology involves the victory of evil in history, to that extent it surrenders and retreats from history. Currently, one of the major sins besetting evangelical Christianity is eschatology which denies the evangel and denies history.”
Rousas J. Rushdoony, “The Foundations of Social Order: Studies in the Creeds and Councils of the Early Church.”
On January 13, 2021 at 10:29 am, JoeFour said:
Yes, of course, but in the temporal here and now things can get really, really bad … as in French and Russian revolution bad … and that may be exactly what lies ahead for these (dis)united States of America.
On January 13, 2021 at 10:49 am, Pistol Pete said:
In days of old and the not so distant past, Men were more able to give the ultimate sacrifice because of faith. Modern man has fallen so far from the -Word-. Holding onto fragments of the true Gospel gleamed from childhood memories.
To the Laodicean Church of America – Peace be with you Brothers and Sisters, come out of the cold, warm yourselves by the fires of the Eternal Spirit, our Father in Heaven. Here fear cannot exist.
On January 13, 2021 at 1:22 pm, Adino said:
Did you know that Islamic eschatology is a mirror image of Christian eschatology?
They believe the Mahdi will return and form a global government that will eliminate all non Moslems: the Antichrist. And the Satanicglobalgovernment.
They believe Jesus is a prophet, but not Messiah. They believe Jesus will return, and will support the Mahdi by stating He was not the Savior, but the Mahdi is: they make Jesus the False Prophet.
Fascinating.
The author’s premises are correct. History, like the future, does end in the successful culmination of the Lord’s plan, not Satan’s and his children’s.
But just like Pharaoh in the Exodus, they are ultimately doing exactly what He wants them to, while thinking they are doing their own will.
On January 13, 2021 at 2:25 pm, Fred said:
Keeping in mind that I’m just a guy who got saved and picked up a King James Holy Bible and started reading it, I don’t see a mutually exclusive work of God in the earth, except that Evil will be excluded in the final consummate order.
Father God has been doing both a redemptive work in the hearts of man, and a restorative work in the earth since the fall. That this ever widening, and one day completely overspreading restoration and redemption by necessity requires, at times, extraordinarily violent and destructive curses against the wickedness of men should not be surprising. So too, these times and ‘events’ of violence against man on earth have also been ever more destructive and widespread, of a necessity.
This destructive and redemptive work happens in a person. Not that you get more saved, but that you are tested, refined, dross removed, and then have a much firmer and sure foundation, deeper and more lively faith. This, like most things of God are fully scalable from the individual up to family, tribe, nation, globe.
To our minds it may appear at a given juncture in history as though only evil has abounded and that it rules and reigns, but at others, post destruction of that then evil, that a more and wider redemption and restoration takes place. But don’t let the day fool you into not seeing the wider picture in the work of God.
If you create a system (hypothesis) and then try to cram the bible and all of it’s meaning into that system that is in fact science, and not the proper examination of literature. (I understand that the bible is not simply literature, don’t @ me.)
Having no presupposition of a system is critical. For this reason I refuse to go to American cemetery (on purpose) school to learn the currently favored Sanhedrin system(s) of our day.
Couple of things I know for certain; a. He is coming back, and b. 2021 is not the final order in redemption and restoration but I do know that it appears as the lead up to the final redemption, whether it be a smaller apocalypse in judgement than the final one to come, who is to know? No man knows the day of His return.
The first destructive event was barring man from the garden. The final destructive event will (it appears from the text) be upon His physical and bodily return.
That the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD is described by Christ in the first 36 or so verses of Matt 24 I don’t doubt any more. That the Revelation of Jesus is also, in part, about 70AD, but/and a type, or foreshadowing of the destructive event(s) at the coming final order I’m pretty certain. (Matt 24 may also be certainly an application, but also could be a foreshadowing, of the same.)
The American Church’s most grave disservice to congregants is that it won’t apply Matt 24 and Revelation to the modern day system of systems that is the combining (as it was in Israel under Rome) of the national, global, ecclesiastical, governmental, and trade system(s) into one entity, an antichrist architecture. Therefore, without knowledge and understanding many (most) congregants, sensing by the Spirit of God, that a great evil is forming, then try to understand this evil without knowledge of the larger, and MUCH MORE POWERFUL Christ driven reclamation and wider restorative/redemptive days ahead. They instead proclaim raptures, reject history fact, point to countries on a map, creating an ignorant and therefore easily (mis)led people.
Remember; the devil is a fraud of God. Always remember this. So evil building its own system in rejection of Christ who IS putting all His enemies under his feet, and IS the King of kings, Lord of lords, makes, ahem, (but far be it from me to proclaim the mind of God) Holy God very angry with the people who join in, ahem.
5000 more years of necessarily every widening destructive judgements and restorations may be our future. Fact is; no man knows the day of His return. So, constantly stating that ‘we’ are on the verge of His return based upon signs and wonders and countries on maps is heretical. I’m looking for Him, and He is the only thing that any believer should be looking for. I say again only look for Him!
Of Dispensations I can’t make heads or tails, because it’s science, not literature examination and history fact.
The Sanhedrin of today are most often saying look at the who (other than Christ; i.e. woman in birth, dragons, kingdoms, etc), where, when, and what of the Revelation of Christ but, the why and how are more, yay, the why and how are the most important things, other than Christ, to look for when examining the text.
“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.”
The former things are passed away, all things are made new, he that overcomes will inherit the new things, and be with Holy God as a son, given life freely from the throne of the thrice holy resurrected Christ of God Almighty.
If, you are not redeemed you can’t come in. You can’t be there. You are passed away, dead, cast into the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, utterly destroyed. You can’t come into His presence, and know Him. You are cordially uninvited to the throne of God and you will be destroyed to make way for the redemption and restoration. You will be with the Serpent, and his pals, living under his rule and in his order, for they too will be caste into the lake of fire. You better get this straight right now! This is the why of Revelation.
“And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”
You must have your name written in the Lamb’s book of life.
You must overcome by the word of your testimony and the blood of the Lamb, and by necessity, where there is a testimony so also must there be the death of the testator, in that you must be saved by faith through the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross, buried with Christ, and resurrected to walk in the newness of life, made a new creature, a new man, putting off the old man and the old ways, born again by the power of Christ Jesus into the Kingdom of God, having eternal life, with Holy God. That’s the how of Revelation.
The things outside of the why and the how, are all part of the redemptive and restorative work of Holy God on earth, but Christ Jesus alone is the redeemer and the restorer, the one given all power and authority in heaven and in earth, and He is the only way to enter into the final order. When is Revelation? Don’t know, don’t care, the when of Revelation is merely a curiosity. Men have made Jesus the curiosity and made when and what the things of importance. Seek Him, for by no sign nor wonder is a man saved, but by His blood. Jesus upon the cross is the sign.
On January 13, 2021 at 2:28 pm, Unwoke Heresy said:
Is that why the CPUSA comrades are in such a hurry, they know something HUGE is about to come down from the King of Kings?
The kabuki peach mint 2.0 theater is in overdrive with the clutching of pearls, Nancy’s pilfered laptop has them in apoplectic panic mode.
Foreign news aggregator pages are celebrating “the end of the empire” but that is a feature and not a bug to the CPUSA burn it all down by any means necessary.
They must think that all of us have a twenty second attention span as they prattle on about the brave heroic capitol police after months of defund the police BLM is peaceful pablum.
The Source from which all things depend is at the helm and fear is banished.
He didn’t bring us this far just to dash us on the rocks.
Take on the full armor and be prepared. Disobedience to tyranny is righteous.
On January 13, 2021 at 2:55 pm, Herschel Smith said:
Remember that Rushdoony was a post-mil, and neither he nor I believe in a literal political empire by God on earth (pre-mil eschatology), not the “rapture.” I believe in what the WCF calls the “general resurrection and general judgment.” He returns and it’s over.
In the mean time, we don’t sit back and withdraw from society or taking dominion fo His glory. That’s what the rapturists do. That’s Rushdoony’s point.
That’s what has gotten America into the problems we face today. Wait on exfil / extraction.
I believe that’s false teaching and it certainly doesn’t comport with church history or the church fathers. That teaching is only about 150 years old in the 2000 year history of the church, brought to America by a Brit (Darbey) to Scofield. Has anything good ever come to America by a Brit?
On January 13, 2021 at 3:09 pm, Fred said:
Sir, hand raised to teacher, What does; “it’s over” mean?
How does that differ from my statement “The final destructive event will (it appears from the text) be upon His physical and bodily return.”
On January 13, 2021 at 3:19 pm, Herschel Smith said:
@Fred,
“It’s over” means the new heaven and the new earth begin. His elect are with him, those who aren’t are in eternal punishment. There is no earthly reign with people who do not belong to Him (just to show people who He really is). Israel is not His. The Jews are NOT His chosen people. His elect are His chosen people, including Jews who trusted Him in faith in the OT, and everyone who trusts in Jesus today. Not all Israel was truly Israel.
There is no 1000 year “millennium” with Jesus sitting on a literal throne in today’s Jerusalem dishing out political opinions. Jerusalem is just another pagan city.
Jerusalem was destroyed and under God’s judgment in 68 – 70 A.D.
On January 13, 2021 at 3:25 pm, Fred said:
That seems to be what the bible says alright. Can’t disagree.
On January 13, 2021 at 7:29 pm, Adino said:
‘A house divided will not stand’
The topic of the Rapture, and the place of Jews, are points of contention in the Body of Christ that have nothing to do with the tenets of the faith, our personal salvation, or the spread of the Gospel.
But the points of disagreement are indeed pressure points Satan uses to keep us divided, and prevent us from making Jesus the Head of the Body.
We can focus on what binds us. Or on what separates us. Focus on building. Or tearing down.
Our personal opinions about the points of contention do not matter, and they will not determine anything but our relationship with fellow Believers. Our interpretation means nothing to His plans, except for how we embrace them.
It does affect how the Body works. And that is why the enemy ensures there is contention.
The Lord’s Family needs to be able to stand and move from the solid Rock.
And not moved from it over strife.
If Satan’s children can find common ground to work from, there has to be the ability for His Family to be able to.
We need to cling to what binds us, and not divides us.
Iron is supposed to sharpen iron. Not render it useless.
On January 13, 2021 at 8:07 pm, Herschel Smith said:
@Adino,
“The topic of the Rapture, and the place of Jews, are points of contention in the Body of Christ that have nothing to do with the tenets of the faith, our personal salvation, or the spread of the Gospel.”
If your indictment is meant to dissuade me from going into the finer points of theology, you failed. Especially when something like eschatology has rendered the American church useless, powerless, impotent, frightened, and not worthy of the description salt used in the Scriptures.
You could have very well used this same argument to say that there shouldn’t be any such thing as denominations where one people observe, say, baptism, or the Lord’s supper, or church government, differently than another.
“Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” (Amos 3:3).
Such things won’t separate those who belong to Christ from Him, not should they be the issue of wars. The are intramural debates – but debates they are, and should be.
Again, especially when a doctrine renders the church powerless, looking to the exfil that won’t happen, having let the country go to hell because it’s only going to get worse and worse and worse and Satan is the lord of this world, and all that stuff. “You don’t polish brass on a sinking ship” they say.
But you’re going to go down with this ship just like I will, so it behooves to not to let the ship sink.
This is also an argument against the creeds and councils of the early church. Remember, a single word, homoousias, divided Arius and Athanasius, heresy from truth, in the council of Nicea.
I commend Rushdoony’s book to you. And all of his other books.
On January 13, 2021 at 8:09 pm, Ned2 said:
It’s not over until the batshitcrazy sing.
https://www.simonparkes.org/
Have a read and calm down.
On January 13, 2021 at 8:58 pm, Herschel Smith said:
@Ned2,
Who’s un-calm? What are you talking about?
On January 13, 2021 at 10:27 pm, Adino said:
I try to convince you of nothing, sir.
Two cannot walk together unless they agree.
No agreement, no walking together.
Sorry to have contributed, and by doing so offended.
It will not happen again.
On January 13, 2021 at 10:37 pm, Herschel Smith said:
I think you missed the point. I’m not offended. It’s VERY hard to offend me.
Quoting Amos 3:3 is the customary initial shot in the debates over creedalism. One church or denomination doesn’t believe in creeds, the other one does. When a church says they don’t believe in creeds, well, they always do. Everyone has beliefs.
More finely tuned creeds (such as the WCF) isn’t necessary for salvation compared to say the Philadelphia Confession of Faith (more Baptist, except with a common understanding of the doctrines of grace and divine election).
But there are differences, and if there weren’t, it would make no sense for some people to have “believer’s baptism” and other people to engage in paedobaptism. You see, these beliefs are strongly held, and people want to do what they believe to be the right thing. Thus, it makes sense to discuss and debate these things.
When I cited Rushdoony you see I was thinking of the damage wrought on the American church by the teaching of dispensationalist, premillennial, rapturist theology.
I’m trying to teach on an important subject, not divide. These differences exist whether we discuss them or not. My discussing them doesn’t make them more or less apparent.