Philosophy.
Philosophy is
something intermediate between Theology and Science. Like theology it consists
of speculations on matters as to which definate knowledge has, so far been
unascertainable; but like Science, it appeals to human reason rather than to
authority, whether that of tradition or that of revelation.
·
All definate knowledge
belongs to Science.
·
All dogma as to what surpasses definate
knowledge belongs to Theology.
But between Theology
and Science there is a no man’s land exposed to attack from both sides; this
no man’s land is Philosophy.
Bertrand Russell.
This no man’s land is, in reality; is everyman’s land for those searching for the truth. All the answers to every question pertaining to man is in God’s Word, The Holy Bible. (Preferably the use of the King James Version Companion Bible).
Questions such as;
· Who are we?
· Where do we come from?
· Where are we going?
· Why are we here?
· Why does wickedness seem to be in the ascendancy?
· Why is Atheism and Agnosticism so rife?
· Why have Churches lost their way?
· Why have Governments lost their way?
· Why have people lost their way?
· Why have the younger Generations lost their way?
· Why have most schools ommitted Religious Education out of the curiculum?
· The most important question is, “Who Cares”?
The answers to these and many, many more questions are all at one’s fingertips, but studying to find the answers means work, doesn’t it? It means sacrificing some time that one would rather spend doing other things even if those other things do not reveal any answers to the above questions.
Sidetracked by many distractions while we are young is the main reason for the iqnorance of God’s Word, compounded by the unending dialogue by scientists hoping to make a name for themselves when really they only convince other agnostics and atheists who are looking for; to them, easier answers. This way they unwittingly try to alleviate any feelings of guilt and rebellion for turning their backs on God. To them everything can be explained By Math, Physics, and experiments to the detriment of everything else. If they were to be proved wrong by Gods Word they would have to surrender their diplomacies, doctrines, and sources of income, all the earthly materialistic qualities they hang on to in the race for recognition and fame. They will write books. Make movies, TV Documentaries, C.Ds, and Websites, for a hungry populace wanting to know the truth but instead being fed a heap of hypothetical lies.
"In view of such harmony in the cosmos which I, with my limited human mind, am able to recognize, there are yet people who say there is no God. But what really makes me angry is that they quote me for the support of such views. " Albert Einstein.
"Atheism is so senseless. When I look at the solar system, I see the earth at the right distance from the sun to receive the proper amounts of heat and light. This did not happen by chance." Sir Isaac Newton.
Not just science, but also churches that undermine
God’s Word.
Worldly Churches.
The letters to the Seven Churches of Asia describe a range of conditions which can be seen
within different churches to differing degree throughout history. Much of the
criticism which Christ levels at the churches is an indictment of the
ever-present tendency to compromise with the culture.
The Bible does not
hesitate to condemn worldliness for the serious sin that it is. Worldliness is any preoccupation with or interest
in the temporal system of life that places anything perishable before that
which is eternal.
Christian Liberty or Licentiousness?
When faced with such pressures, it is often easy to
rationalise participation in pagan activities and reinterpret them as being
compatible with the grace of God and the maturity and freedom of the believer.
Christian liberty can stumble weaker brothers and easily cross the line where
we find ourselves participating in events which are neither helpful or edifying
and even border on licentiousness (1. Lacking
moral discipline or ignoring legal restraint, especially in sexual conduct, having
no regard for accepted rules or standards). Rom. 6:1-2; Jude 1:4). Of the
absence of heathen adversaries there has been occasion to speak already; but more
noticeable still is the fact that there neither appear here nor there
Nicolaitans, as at Ephesus, or Balaamites, as at Pergamum, or Jezebelites, as
at Thyatira, or those who say they are Jews and are not (Kenites), as at Smyrna
and Philadelphia; seeking to seduce Christ’ s servants, and constraining
(restricting) them to earnestly contend for the truth.
The world
could endure the churches at Sardis and Laodicea because they were not
only in the world, but of the world. Consistent
peace with the culture is a clear indication that the believer is not separated
to God, but is considered one of the world’s own: )See Revelation
Explained 06 Worldly Churches).
The New Testament is full of warnings that at
the end of this age there will be a great apostasy or falling
away from the truth affecting the Christian Church. It is already here, and
people go on living as if there were no tomorrow, instead listening to the
impious words and teachings of their contemporaries which they live by because of peer pressure. In this way they are
going to be led along by the nose never understanding the real truth or ever
wanting too, unless a determined effort is made to break away from such
dribble, and seek the truth from reputable sources before it is too late to do
anything about it. Godsplan Website is a great place to start.
Who cares? God
cares; he wants all His children to return to Him.
The
Great Apostasy - The dilution of Abraham, Moses and Jesus' message into a pagan
'one world religion'
Foretold both by Jesus himself and St.
Paul How Long the Great Apostasy?
Not many people
are aware of it, but the great Apostasy of the Gentiles foretold both by Jesus
and by St. Paul in the New Testament has finally come to pass. The biblical
sign of its arrival has attested to this fact continually for the past 23
years. In fact, this great Apostasy has bogged the whole Church down badly.
Moreover, the biblical sign of its merciful ending has not yet appeared.. Jesus
was the first to announce this wholesale apostasy — abandonment of the faith —
by future children of Gentiles who had once had it. He alluded to it in the
parable of the widow and the unjust judge, with its lesson of how we must
persevere in prayer and never lose heart — even when God seems to be rejecting
our prayers.
Luke
18:7-8.
7. And
shall not God avenge His own elect, which cry day and night unto Him, though He
bear long with them?
8. I
tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man
cometh, shall He find faith on the Earth?
With these words Jesus is saying that when he comes, few
people will believe in God enough to cry out to him day and night. Jesus was
more specific when his apostles asked him when the temple in Jerusalem would be
destroyed and the end of the world come. Jesus answered the second question
first.
Matthew 24:11-14
11. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive
many.
12. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many
shall wax cold.
13. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same
shall be saved.
14. And the gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in
all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
Here Jesus is
saying that although God’s Providence will cause the good news of his Plan and
New Covenant with man to be preached all over the earth, few citizens of any
nation will believe and accept them. The word ‘nations’ is generally used in
the Bible to mean ‘the Gentiles.’ (The 10 Tribes) But when
mankind as a whole will have heard and understood —and rejected— the Gospel,
then the world as we know it will be destroyed — the world, namely, which lies
in the power of the evil one.
1 John 5:19; And we know that
we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.
Revelation 16-20.
16. And He
gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon
17. And the
seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice
out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, “It is done.”
18. And there
were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and ther was a great earthquake,
such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so
great.
19. And the
great city was divided into three parts , and the cities of the nations fell :
and great Babylon came in rememerance before God, to give unto her the cup of
the wine of the fierceness of His wrath.
20. And every
island fled away, and the mountains were not found.
Matthew, 24. Read All.
Luke, 21. Read All.
St. Paul gives
further details. Since the Thessalonians erroneously thought the “end of the [corrupt]
world” was going to occur shortly, and since some of them used this as an
excuse to quit work and wander around lazily, sponging off their brethren, Paul
had to set them straight.
1 Thessalonians 2:2-4.
2. But even
after that we had suffered before, and were shamefully entreated, as ye know,
at Philippi we were bold in our God to speak unto you the gospel of God with
much contention.
3. For our
exhortation was not of deceit, nor of uncleanness, nor in guile.
4. But as we
were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak;
not as pleasing men.
Romans 8:19-21.
19. For the earnest expectations of the creature waiteth for
the manifestation of the sons of God.
20. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not
willingly, but by reason of Him Who hath subjected the same in hope.
It is the day
foreseen by John in an apocalyptic vision in which Jesus will appear on a “white
horse” leading the armies of heaven, which are also seated on “white
horses”.
Revelation
19:11-16.
11. And I
saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse; and He That sat upon him was
called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He doth judge and make war.
12. His
eyes were as a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns; and He
had a name written , that no man knew, but He Himself.
13. And he
was clothed in a vesture dipped in blood : and His name is called THE WORD OF GOD.
14. And
the armies which were in heaven followed Him upon white horses, clothed in
fine linen white and clean.
15. And out
of His mouth goeth a sharp sword, that
with it He should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a
rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fiercness and wrath of
Almighty God.
16. And He
hath on His vesture and on His thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD
OF LORDS.
Hebrews
4:12. For the word of God is quick, and
powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing
assunder of soul and spirit , and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner
of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Revelation 20: 1-3
1 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand
2 And he laid
hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and
bound him a thousand years,
3 And cast him
into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he
should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be
fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.
On this day
Satan himself will be cast out of this created world, for, John says, Before
this day, however, a great apostasy must take place, as Paul told the
Thessalonians. This apostasy will occur among the children of the Gentiles (10
Tribes) who have come into the Church during the time granted to them for their
conversion
Romans
11:11. I say then. Have they stumbled that they
should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto
the Gentiles, how much more their fulness?
The sign of this time granted to the Gentiles
is the fact that Jerusalem will be controlled by Gentiles until this time is
over. Jesus himself tells us this:
Luke 21:24.
And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and
shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden
down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.
.Jerusalem was
in fact controlled by Gentiles from the fall of Jerusalem to the Romans in the
year 67 AD, until the 1967 war between the Israelis and the Arabs, in which the
Israelis conquered Palestinian territories including Jerusalem. The fact that
Israel now controls the Holy City once again is the biblical sign that the time
granted to the Gentiles for their evangelization and acceptance of the New
Covenant is over. The great apostasy of the Gentiles, which began during the
18th century with the appearance of Freemasonry in 1717, long before 1967, is
probably what brought this time granted to the Gentiles to an end. In any case
the fact that Israel now firmly controls Jerusalem once again is the Biblical
sign that this apostasy is now in full swing, and that the Church’s work of
evangelizing the Gentiles on any large scale has now more or less come to a
halt. We have only to open our eyes to see that, in fact, this is actually what
is happening. We have already noted Jesus’ words that “many false prophets will
arise [in those days], and many will be deceived by them; and the charity of
most men will grow cold, as they see wickedness abound everywhere.” That
process is gathering momentum constantly,
St. Paul
writing to Timothy says,
1 Timothy 4:1. Now
the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from
the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils.
Writing again
to Timothy later he says,
2 Timothy
3:1-5.
1.
This know also, that in the last days perilous times
shall come.
2.
For man shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous,
boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3.
Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers,
incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good.
4.
Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more
than lovers of God.
5.
Having a form of godliness, but denying the power
thereof: from such turn away.
“Be sure of
this, that in the world’s last age there are perilous times coming..
“The time will
surely come, when men will grow tired of sound doctrine, always itching to hear
something fresh; and so they will provide themselves with a continuous succession
of new teachers, as the whim takes them, turning a deaf ear to the truth,
bestowing their attention on fables instead Who can deny that this is what we
are witnessing on a huge scale right now?
Paul warns the
Romans,
Romans
11:17-21.
17. And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild
olive tree, wert grafted in among them , and with them partakest of the
root and fatness of the olive tree;
18. Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the
root, but the root thee.
19. Thou wilt say then, “The branches were broken off, that I might be
grafted in.”
20. Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by
faith, Be not highminded, but fear.
21. For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest He also
spare not thee.
So, we are in
the midst of the great Apostasy of the Gentiles. How long will it last? Paul
indicates it will last until the mass conversion of the Jews who are left — the
remnant.
Romans
11:12, 25-26.
12. Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the
diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness?
25. For I would not, brethren, that ye should not be ignorant of this
mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part
is happened to Israel.
26. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, “There shall
come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob.
Also the Antichrist
Here John plainly contrasts the Holy
Spirit of God with "that spirit of antichrist," an attitude of
opposing the reality of Christ, Who Christ is, What Christ is. The antichrists
that John speaks of were not people on the outside, but people who had "gone
out into the world":
1 John 4:1-4 KJV "Beloved, believe not every
spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false
prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every
spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And
every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not
of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it
should come; and even now already is it in the world. Ye are of God, little children,
and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is
in the world"
Again and again, John speaks of
"antichrist" as a falling away:
2 John 1:6-8 KJV "And this is love, that we walk after
His Commandments. This is the Commandment, that, as ye have heard from the
beginning, ye should walk in it. For many deceivers are entered into the world,
who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and
an antichrist. Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have
wrought, but that we receive a full reward."
The apostle Paul spoke of antichrist,
not using that word, but what he was describing was exactly the same as John.
Paul's reference to it was however more prophetic; Paul spoke of the age-old antichrist movement
that will be led, in the time just before Christ's return, by "the
lawless one," an individual that has often been referred to as "the
antichrist" because the antichrist movement will reach its peak under his leadership
and control. He can, for that reason, be accurately and correctly called
"the antichrist," but there will be many antichrists then, just as
there have always been.
But chillingly, "the
antichrist" that Paul speaks of, as John did, is someone who has
"fallen away," someone who knew the Truth, who lived the Truth, but
who not only falls away from the Truth, he becomes a deadly enemy of the Truth.
He won't be a life-long pagan; he will be someone who was once a brother, who
through a "falling away" will become a wicked traitor to the Truth.
He will commit treason, not to a country, but to God. And there is nothing more
politically or religiously despicable than a traitor, a man who turns on his
own people.
The "antichrist" is
described as a product of "a falling away," not a heresy (i.e.
"any opinion or doctrine at variance with the official or orthodox
position"), but an outright apostasy (i.e. a state of having rejected and
abandoned a religious belief"). In the end, upon Christ's return, he will
be "cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone"
(Revelation 19:20 KJV).
By Wayne Blank