It is sad to know that there are Bible teachers who say that the eating of animal blood is okay. Here in the Philippines, we have what we call "Dugo-dugo" or "Dinuguan."
These teachers say that the prohibition in Acts 15:20 was only prohibited on the part of the Christian Gentiles because they might offend the sentiments of the Jews. One of the prohibitions in Acts 15:20 is the prohibition to eat blood (animal blood).
Ac 15:20 "but that we write to them to abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from things strangled, and from blood.
However, even before the Jews came into existence during the time of Noah, the eating of blood was already forbidden:
Ge 9:3 "Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. I have given you all things, even as the green herbs.
4 "But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood.
The Jewish race started with Abraham. Here we see in these verses that the eating of blood was already forbidden even way before the Jewish race came into existence. Why? Because it is not food. God does not recognize it as food.
Blood was never eaten during Adam and Eve's time. It was not to be eaten in Noah's time. It was not to be eaten during Moses' time. It was not to be eaten during Christ's time. And it is still prohibited during this Church Age and it will still remain prohibited even during the millennium. Blood is not food.
Le 17:11 'For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.'
Blood is the life of the flesh. Blood represents life and God is the owner of life. Not to eat blood is to recognize God as the owner of life.
Friday, February 27, 2015
What Is Gopherwood In Genesis 6:14?
Ge 6:14 "Make yourself an ark of gopherwood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch.
There are many speculations as to what gopherwood is. But I am convinced based on my own research that gopherwood is a type of wood that was covered with pitch to prevent the waters from going inside the ark.
The Hebrew word kopher which is equivalent to kaphar is often translated "atonement." Notice the word "kopher" almost sounds like gopher.
Gopherwood refers to any kind of wood which was covered with pitch. It is a beautiful picture of Christ's atonement. The waters of judgment could not get into the ark because it was covered with pitch.
Eyewitness testimonies who were able to locate the ark on Mount Ararat was able to get a piece of wood from the ark and found it to be made of oleander wood which was very dark because it was covered with pitch.
The oleander wood covered with pitch is the gopherwood in my opinion.
There are many speculations as to what gopherwood is. But I am convinced based on my own research that gopherwood is a type of wood that was covered with pitch to prevent the waters from going inside the ark.
The Hebrew word kopher which is equivalent to kaphar is often translated "atonement." Notice the word "kopher" almost sounds like gopher.
Gopherwood refers to any kind of wood which was covered with pitch. It is a beautiful picture of Christ's atonement. The waters of judgment could not get into the ark because it was covered with pitch.
Eyewitness testimonies who were able to locate the ark on Mount Ararat was able to get a piece of wood from the ark and found it to be made of oleander wood which was very dark because it was covered with pitch.
The oleander wood covered with pitch is the gopherwood in my opinion.
Thursday, February 26, 2015
Why Pray To God If He Already Knows Our Needs Even Before We Pray?
The Lord Jesus assured His disciples: "...your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him." (Mat. 6:8) If such is the case, why is there a need to pray?
There are many answers, let me just give you some:
First, prayer is the God-ordained means by which we get our needs from God.
When God created the universe, He said: "I know already in advance the things that they will be praying for, but I will only answer their prayers if they pray to Me. I have ordained prayer to be the means by which they will obtain their needs from Me."
God will not act until we pray. That's why James says: "...you do not have because you do not ask." (Jas 4:2)
Second, God is teaching us dependence. Prayer is our declaration of dependence on God. He wants us to confess our need of Him. Every time we pray, we do so.
Third, He wants us to know Him up close and personal one on one. When we pray and we see the way how God works in our lives to answer specifically our prayers, we experience the privilege of knowing Him more fully one on one.
We experience the joy of knowing that God is interactive with us personally one on one. We experientially know that He truly cares for us in a personal one on one way. As a result, we become more thankful to Him. We glorify Him all the more. It grows and develops us more spiritually.
If God just gives us everything we need without us praying for it, these things would never be possible in our lives. We just take everything that God is doing to us for granted.
There are many answers, let me just give you some:
First, prayer is the God-ordained means by which we get our needs from God.
When God created the universe, He said: "I know already in advance the things that they will be praying for, but I will only answer their prayers if they pray to Me. I have ordained prayer to be the means by which they will obtain their needs from Me."
God will not act until we pray. That's why James says: "...you do not have because you do not ask." (Jas 4:2)
Second, God is teaching us dependence. Prayer is our declaration of dependence on God. He wants us to confess our need of Him. Every time we pray, we do so.
Third, He wants us to know Him up close and personal one on one. When we pray and we see the way how God works in our lives to answer specifically our prayers, we experience the privilege of knowing Him more fully one on one.
We experience the joy of knowing that God is interactive with us personally one on one. We experientially know that He truly cares for us in a personal one on one way. As a result, we become more thankful to Him. We glorify Him all the more. It grows and develops us more spiritually.
If God just gives us everything we need without us praying for it, these things would never be possible in our lives. We just take everything that God is doing to us for granted.
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
What's Repentance?
Repentance literally means a change of mind or a change of heart attitude.
It's a change of heart attitude towards God. From rejecting, ignoring or taking God lightly, the repentant sinner now takes Him seriously.
It's a change of heart attitude towards sin. From delighting in sin, the repentant sinner now hates and abhors sin.
It's a change of heart attitude towards self. From having high views and estimates of self, it now realizes and owns its spiritual bankruptcy and helplessness in saving oneself.
It's a change of heart attitude towards Christ. From relying on self and its efforts for salvation, the repentant sinner now turns to Christ and wholly relies and trusts on Him and what He did on the cross for salvation.
It's a change of heart attitude towards God. From rejecting, ignoring or taking God lightly, the repentant sinner now takes Him seriously.
It's a change of heart attitude towards sin. From delighting in sin, the repentant sinner now hates and abhors sin.
It's a change of heart attitude towards self. From having high views and estimates of self, it now realizes and owns its spiritual bankruptcy and helplessness in saving oneself.
It's a change of heart attitude towards Christ. From relying on self and its efforts for salvation, the repentant sinner now turns to Christ and wholly relies and trusts on Him and what He did on the cross for salvation.
Monday, February 23, 2015
Is It True That Reading The Bible Can Make One Lose His Mind?
2Ti 3:15 and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
Re 1:3 Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.
The devil is making every effort to prevent men and women from reading the Bible, God's Word. One of the ways he does this is by disseminating slanderous and injurious claims against the Bible.
The answer is "No!" On the contrary, reading the Bible makes one wise for salvation. A blessing is attached and promised to anyone who reads it and keeps its words.
Re 1:3 Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.
The devil is making every effort to prevent men and women from reading the Bible, God's Word. One of the ways he does this is by disseminating slanderous and injurious claims against the Bible.
The answer is "No!" On the contrary, reading the Bible makes one wise for salvation. A blessing is attached and promised to anyone who reads it and keeps its words.
Friday, February 20, 2015
Why Do Saved Sinners Still Die Physically?
If death is the penalty of sin why do saved sinners still die physically?
We must learn to distinguish between the penalty of sin and the consequence of sin. Once a sinner trusts in Christ and what He did on the cross for salvation, the penalty of sin is taken away immediately.
However, sin carries consequences. It affects, infects and contaminates us physically. And so saved sinners still die physically even though they are already saved from the penalty of sin which is death.
One day, God will give saved sinners resurrection bodies freed from the contamination of sin. God decided to not give saved sinners their glorified bodies immediately upon salvation because there are many lessons to be learned about God which can only be learned in their present mortal condition, lessons that could not be learned if they are immediately given their glorified bodies at the moment of salvation.
We must learn to distinguish between the penalty of sin and the consequence of sin. Once a sinner trusts in Christ and what He did on the cross for salvation, the penalty of sin is taken away immediately.
However, sin carries consequences. It affects, infects and contaminates us physically. And so saved sinners still die physically even though they are already saved from the penalty of sin which is death.
One day, God will give saved sinners resurrection bodies freed from the contamination of sin. God decided to not give saved sinners their glorified bodies immediately upon salvation because there are many lessons to be learned about God which can only be learned in their present mortal condition, lessons that could not be learned if they are immediately given their glorified bodies at the moment of salvation.
Thursday, February 19, 2015
Explain 1 Peter 1:20-21
2Pe 1:20 knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation,
21 for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.
Verse 20 is not saying that no individual can personally interpret the Bible on his or her own. Right interpretation is the result of the Holy Spirit's illumination. Anyone who truly seeks to know the meaning of God's Word will surely be illumined by the Holy Spirit and know its true meaning as a result.
Peter here is explaining the origin of the prophecies in Scripture. When Peter says: "no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation," he means to say this:
When the prophets like Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel and many others spoke and wrote their revelations from God, they did not sit in a corner, listen to God's revelations and then give their own personal understanding of what God had just revealed.
Isaiah, for example, did not say after receiving a revelation from God "I personally think that God meant this. And so here, I am writing my own personal interpretation of it here in my book."
No. Prophecy never came by private interpretation from the prophets' own minds. Prophecy came, as stated in verse 21: "prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit."
Prophecy did not originate from men's fallible minds trying to give out their own personal interpretations of what God had revealed. But prophecy came as men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. They were moved and used by God as His mouthpiece to reveal His mind.
Verse 20 does not forbid Christians from interpreting and understanding the Bible. There is nothing wrong with interpretation so long as it is the result of the Holy Spirit's illumination.
21 for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.
Verse 20 is not saying that no individual can personally interpret the Bible on his or her own. Right interpretation is the result of the Holy Spirit's illumination. Anyone who truly seeks to know the meaning of God's Word will surely be illumined by the Holy Spirit and know its true meaning as a result.
Peter here is explaining the origin of the prophecies in Scripture. When Peter says: "no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation," he means to say this:
When the prophets like Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel and many others spoke and wrote their revelations from God, they did not sit in a corner, listen to God's revelations and then give their own personal understanding of what God had just revealed.
Isaiah, for example, did not say after receiving a revelation from God "I personally think that God meant this. And so here, I am writing my own personal interpretation of it here in my book."
No. Prophecy never came by private interpretation from the prophets' own minds. Prophecy came, as stated in verse 21: "prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit."
Prophecy did not originate from men's fallible minds trying to give out their own personal interpretations of what God had revealed. But prophecy came as men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. They were moved and used by God as His mouthpiece to reveal His mind.
Verse 20 does not forbid Christians from interpreting and understanding the Bible. There is nothing wrong with interpretation so long as it is the result of the Holy Spirit's illumination.
Friday, February 13, 2015
Jesus was tough on certain people but Paul says to be gentle. Explain please
Love can be tough against the hardened promoters of false religion who stubbornly reject the truth:
In your face "Hypocrites!" "Serpents, Brood of Vipers" and "Beasts"
Mt 23:29 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, HYPOCRITES! Because you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous,
Mt 23:33 "SERPENTS, BROOD OF VIPERS! How can you escape the condemnation of hell?
1Co 15:32 If, in the manner of men, I have fought with BEASTS at Ephesus, what advantage is it to me?...
It is gentle to all who are ignorant of the truth:
2Ti 2:24 And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient,
25 in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, SO THAT THEY MAY KNOW THE TRUTH...
Thursday, February 5, 2015
Does 2nd Thessalonians 2:13 Teach Unconditional Election?
2Th 2:13 But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth
First of all, the expression "from the beginning" does not mean before the beginning of time. It refers to a starting point in time.
1Jo 2:7 Brethren, I write no new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which you heard from the beginning.
From the beginning here refers to the beginning of the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ when He taught the disciples the commandment to love. They did not hear the commandment before the beginning, in eternity past, before the creation of the world. No! From the beginning refers to a point in time here on earth.
Mt 19:8 He said to them, "Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.
From the beginning here refers to the beginning of the marriage institution when God created Adam and Eve. It does not refer to eternity past, before the creation of the world. From the beginning, man and woman was created as one. There was no divorce.
Lu 1:2 just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us,
From the beginning here refers to the beginning of the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ. It does not refer to eternity past.
In 2nd Thes. 2:13, the expression "from the beginning" does not point back to eternity past. It refers to a point of time at the beginning of the preaching of the Gospel by Paul there in Thessalonica. This is not about God choosing who will be saved in eternity past.
Second, the word salvation here based on the context means salvation from the coming Tribulation Period. Paul has been talking about the Tribulation Period, the coming of the Anti-Christ, his deluding influence and the wrath that will befall the entire planet (read 2 Thes. 2:1-12)
The Thessalonians were apprehensive that maybe they have entered that frightful cataclysmic stage in world history. Paul wrote to comfort them. God, when they believed the Gospel message, did not appoint them to experience the wrath that the world will experience at the Tribulation Period.
He has been talking about this in his first letter to them:
1Th 1:10 and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.
1Th 5:2 For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night.
The day of the Lord here refers to the Great Tribulation Period.
1Th 5:9 For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,
God did not appoint the the Church to experience the coming wrath of the Tribulation Period. No, they were appointed to be saved from it.
First of all, the expression "from the beginning" does not mean before the beginning of time. It refers to a starting point in time.
1Jo 2:7 Brethren, I write no new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which you heard from the beginning.
From the beginning here refers to the beginning of the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ when He taught the disciples the commandment to love. They did not hear the commandment before the beginning, in eternity past, before the creation of the world. No! From the beginning refers to a point in time here on earth.
Mt 19:8 He said to them, "Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.
From the beginning here refers to the beginning of the marriage institution when God created Adam and Eve. It does not refer to eternity past, before the creation of the world. From the beginning, man and woman was created as one. There was no divorce.
Lu 1:2 just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us,
From the beginning here refers to the beginning of the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ. It does not refer to eternity past.
In 2nd Thes. 2:13, the expression "from the beginning" does not point back to eternity past. It refers to a point of time at the beginning of the preaching of the Gospel by Paul there in Thessalonica. This is not about God choosing who will be saved in eternity past.
Second, the word salvation here based on the context means salvation from the coming Tribulation Period. Paul has been talking about the Tribulation Period, the coming of the Anti-Christ, his deluding influence and the wrath that will befall the entire planet (read 2 Thes. 2:1-12)
The Thessalonians were apprehensive that maybe they have entered that frightful cataclysmic stage in world history. Paul wrote to comfort them. God, when they believed the Gospel message, did not appoint them to experience the wrath that the world will experience at the Tribulation Period.
He has been talking about this in his first letter to them:
1Th 1:10 and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.
1Th 5:2 For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night.
The day of the Lord here refers to the Great Tribulation Period.
1Th 5:9 For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,
God did not appoint the the Church to experience the coming wrath of the Tribulation Period. No, they were appointed to be saved from it.
Does God Desire The Salvation Of The Elect Only According To 2 Timothy 2:10?
2Ti 2:10 Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.
By failing to notice the word "also" in the verse, many go right on interpreting the verse wrongly as teaching that God aims for the salvation of the elect only.
No, God does not aim for the salvation of the elect only, He desires all to be saved (1 Tim. 2:4) but ALSO the elect.
Who then are the elect here?
First of all, in this very book, Paul declares himself to be a preacher and a teacher to the Gentiles.
2 Ti 1:11 ... I was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles.
He traveled far and wide, he tirelessly labored and preached the Gospel so that the Gentiles can hear the message of salvation in the Gospel. But in every place where there was a synagogue of the Jews, he first went there and presented to them the way of salvation.
Ro 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.
He so longed and desired the salvation of his fellow Jews:
Ro 9:1 I tell the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit,
2 that I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart.
3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh,
Ro 10:1 Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved.
Secondly, Israel is called in the Bible as elect:
Yes, he was the apostle to the Gentiles, but he also desired the salvation of the Jews. He never forgot and neglected His Jewish brethren. He went out to them and told that the Lord Jesus Christ is indeed the promised seed of David, the Messiah. This has nothing to do with an elect caste chosen by God unconditionally to be saved.
By failing to notice the word "also" in the verse, many go right on interpreting the verse wrongly as teaching that God aims for the salvation of the elect only.
No, God does not aim for the salvation of the elect only, He desires all to be saved (1 Tim. 2:4) but ALSO the elect.
Who then are the elect here?
First of all, in this very book, Paul declares himself to be a preacher and a teacher to the Gentiles.
2 Ti 1:11 ... I was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles.
He traveled far and wide, he tirelessly labored and preached the Gospel so that the Gentiles can hear the message of salvation in the Gospel. But in every place where there was a synagogue of the Jews, he first went there and presented to them the way of salvation.
Ro 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.
He so longed and desired the salvation of his fellow Jews:
Ro 9:1 I tell the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit,
2 that I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart.
3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh,
Ro 10:1 Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved.
Secondly, Israel is called in the Bible as elect:
De 7:6 "For you are a holy people to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth.
Isa 45:4 For Jacob My servant's sake, And Israel My elect, I have even called you by your name; I have named you, though you have not known Me.
When Paul says that he desires the salvation of the elect also in 2 Tim. 2:10, the context points to the Jews as a chosen people. Start reading from verse 8:
2Ti 2:8 Remember that Jesus Christ, of the seed of David, was raised from the dead according to my gospel,
9 for which I suffer trouble as an evildoer, even to the point of chains; but the word of God is not chained.
10 Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.
10 Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.
The expression "seed of David" is very significant to a Jew. The Jews once had a discussion about this one:
Joh 7:42 "Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the seed of David and from the town of Bethlehem, where David was?"
Matthew was written to Jews. In presenting Christ to them as Savior, Matthew started out by saying in effect: "Jesus Christ is the seed of David." Notice the very first verse of Matthew:
Mt 1:1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham:
Why start out this way? The Messiah being a descendant or a seed of David is that important to a Jew. The Jews cannot accept a Messiah that is not a descendant of David. The Lord Jesus being a seed of David means that He was the promised Jewish Messiah.
Now, since the Messiah was a Jew, Paul also desired the salvation of the Jews! He labored and endured all things for their salvation.
Joh 7:42 "Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the seed of David and from the town of Bethlehem, where David was?"
Matthew was written to Jews. In presenting Christ to them as Savior, Matthew started out by saying in effect: "Jesus Christ is the seed of David." Notice the very first verse of Matthew:
Mt 1:1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham:
Why start out this way? The Messiah being a descendant or a seed of David is that important to a Jew. The Jews cannot accept a Messiah that is not a descendant of David. The Lord Jesus being a seed of David means that He was the promised Jewish Messiah.
Now, since the Messiah was a Jew, Paul also desired the salvation of the Jews! He labored and endured all things for their salvation.
Yes, he was the apostle to the Gentiles, but he also desired the salvation of the Jews. He never forgot and neglected His Jewish brethren. He went out to them and told that the Lord Jesus Christ is indeed the promised seed of David, the Messiah. This has nothing to do with an elect caste chosen by God unconditionally to be saved.
This verse is not at odds and in tension with John 3:16, 2 Peter 3:9, 1 Tim. 2:4 etc.
Tuesday, February 3, 2015
How Did Enoch Walk With God?
Ge 5:22 After he begot Methuselah, Enoch walked with God three hundred years, and had sons and daughters.
23 So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years.
24 And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.
God has a certain path that He takes. He treads the path of righteousness and holiness. When we keep His righteous and holy commandments, we are walking with God. When we make His way our way, we are on the road with God. We are walking with Him.
Le 26:3 'If you walk in My statutes and keep My commandments, and perform them,
Walking with God requires faith and obedience to Him. When these two things happen, fellowship with God is the result.
23 So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years.
24 And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.
God has a certain path that He takes. He treads the path of righteousness and holiness. When we keep His righteous and holy commandments, we are walking with God. When we make His way our way, we are on the road with God. We are walking with Him.
Le 26:3 'If you walk in My statutes and keep My commandments, and perform them,
Walking with God requires faith and obedience to Him. When these two things happen, fellowship with God is the result.
Monday, February 2, 2015
What Was The Purpose Of Tongues?
1Co 14:21 In the law it is written: "With men of other tongues and other lips I will speak to this people; And yet, for all that, they will not hear Me," says the Lord.
22 Therefore tongues are for a sign, not to those who believe but to unbelievers; but prophesying is not for unbelievers but for those who believe.
Zero in on verse 22, the purpose of tongues was for a sign to unbelievers, specifically hardened Jewish unbelievers, who heard God's message but rejected it.
1Co 1:22 For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom
Mt 12:39 But He answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign..."
There are three things to be considered:
First, tongues simply mean languages.
Re 5:9 And they sang a new song, saying: "You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,
Ac 2:8 "And how is it that we hear, each in our own language in which we were born?
Ac 2:11 "...we hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God."
Second, tongues are an ominous sign of rebellion, judgment and dispersion.
1) God has a message to a certain people. 2) The people reject God's message. 3) God causes them to hear tongues as a sign of judgment. 4) Then dispersion comes.
In Genesis 11, we see this pattern:
1) God told the people back then to go and scatter and multiply
2) The people decided to rebel against God's will. They built a tower and decided to bond together
3) God came down and confused their tongues
4) They were dispersed into all parts of the world as judgment from God.
In Deuteronomy 28, we see a similar pattern:
1) God told them that He would bless them if Israel obey His voice (see Deut. 28:1)
2) God told them that He would judge them if they disobey His voice (see Deut. 28:15)
3) One of the judgments is that God would sent them foreign invaders of foreign tongues as a sign of judgment (see Deut. 28:49)
De 28:49 "The LORD will bring a nation against you from afar, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flies, a nation whose language you will not understand,
4) God would then disperse and scatter them (see Deut. 28:64-65)
In Jeremiah 5, a similar pattern is seen:
1) God had a message to Israel. He calls on them to return (see Jer. 4:1)
2) Israel refused to heed God's message (see Jer. 5:3)
3) God then will cause them to hear foreign tongues as a sign of judgment (see Jer. 5:15)
Jer 5:15 Behold, I will bring a nation against you from afar, O house of Israel," says the LORD. "It is a mighty nation, It is an ancient nation, A nation whose language you do not know, Nor can you understand what they say.
4) God will then disperse and scatter them (see Jer. 5:19)
In Isaiah 28, a similar pattern is observed:
1) God calls on Israel to repent and turn to God and find rest in Him (see Isaiah 28:12a).
2) Israel rejected His message which He sent through the prophet Isaiah (see Isaiah 28:12b).
3) God will cause them to hear foreign tongues as a sign of judgment (see Isaiah 28:11).
Isa 28:11 For with stammering lips and another tongue He will speak to this people,
4) God then dispersed and scattered them (see Isaiah 28:13). The words "be caught" here in this verse means be caught in captivity in a foreign nation.
Isaiah 33 states that for Israel not to hear a foreign tongue in their own land is a sign of blessing. During the Millennium, Israel will be ruled by their own Messiah. They will not be judged and be under subjection to any foreign rule:
Isa 33:19 You will not see a fierce people, A people of obscure speech, beyond perception, Of a stammering tongue that you cannot understand.
Third, tongues then are a sign to unbelieving Jews of a coming judgment and dispersion because they have refused God's message.
1) The Lord Jesus Christ called on the nation Israel to come to Him (see Matthew 11:28)
2) The nation Israel rejected Him. They crucified Him.
3) God then, as punishment, will cause their land to be invaded by foreigners (the Romans). These Romans spoke in a foreign tongue.
Mt 24:2 And Jesus said to them, "Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down."
When Israel rejected Christ, God set Israel aside and began a new program. He is now calling all people in every nation to come to Christ. He is now building His Church---an international community of believers. Israel is no longer, for now, the focal point of God's program. He shifted from Israel to the nations.
Notice the shift:
Mt 10:5 These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying: "Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans.
6 "But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
This was before they rejected Him. But when they rejected the Lord Jesus Christ, God shifted His program:
Mt 28:19 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 "teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.
A shift from one nation (Israel) to all the nations. From setting aside Israel, to building His Church. At the birth of the Church on Pentecost, tongues of different languages were heard (see Acts 2).
It's as if God is announcing: "I am now shifting gears, from Israel to the nations." A new program is set in place. It's as if God were announcing: "I will stop talking to Israel as a nation, but I will now call on Gentiles, and I will signify this by enabling my Church to speak in tongues of different people all over the world."
The birth of the Church with tongue-speaking was to signify its ministry and composition. It would be an organism that would do evangelism worldwide and it would be an international community composed of different nationalities.
To a stubbornly unbelieving Jew, if he knew his Old Testament Bible, this would tell him that this is a bad sign. It meant that God spoke to them, that they rejected His message and now, God is causing them to hear tongues as a sign of impending judgment.
4) About 40 years after the Lord Jesus prophesied that the Romans would invade them, that the temple would be destroyed, after about 40 years of hearing the sign of the tongues, General Titus of Rome came and attacked Jerusalem in 70 A.D.
The Romans destroyed their center of worship (the temple) and dispersed the Jews to all parts of the world. For 2000 years Israel was scattered to different foreign nations.
Conclusion
The purpose of tongues was to signal the unbelieving Jews that judgment and dispersion is coming. God is now shifting from Israel to other nations. This is seen in the fact that our Bibles was written largely into two languages.
The Old Testament was largely written in Hebrew (the language of the Jews) while the New Testament was written in Greek (the international language during NT times).
Now that the purpose of tongues was fulfilled (it was to signal to unbelieving Israel judgment and dispersion) it is no longer needed. This is confirmed by the testimony of Christians for over 2000 years.
The early Church Fathers, who came on the scene after the apostles died, said that tongue-speaking had ceased during their times. Respected theologians during the 3rd and 4th centuries of the Church taught and confirmed this.
From the Church Fathers down to the Reformers like Luther, Calvin and even down to the 1800s, tongues were conspicuous by its absence in the Church. It ceased on its own.
22 Therefore tongues are for a sign, not to those who believe but to unbelievers; but prophesying is not for unbelievers but for those who believe.
Zero in on verse 22, the purpose of tongues was for a sign to unbelievers, specifically hardened Jewish unbelievers, who heard God's message but rejected it.
1Co 1:22 For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom
Mt 12:39 But He answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign..."
There are three things to be considered:
First, tongues simply mean languages.
Re 5:9 And they sang a new song, saying: "You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,
Ac 2:8 "And how is it that we hear, each in our own language in which we were born?
Ac 2:11 "...we hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God."
Second, tongues are an ominous sign of rebellion, judgment and dispersion.
1) God has a message to a certain people. 2) The people reject God's message. 3) God causes them to hear tongues as a sign of judgment. 4) Then dispersion comes.
In Genesis 11, we see this pattern:
1) God told the people back then to go and scatter and multiply
2) The people decided to rebel against God's will. They built a tower and decided to bond together
3) God came down and confused their tongues
4) They were dispersed into all parts of the world as judgment from God.
In Deuteronomy 28, we see a similar pattern:
1) God told them that He would bless them if Israel obey His voice (see Deut. 28:1)
2) God told them that He would judge them if they disobey His voice (see Deut. 28:15)
3) One of the judgments is that God would sent them foreign invaders of foreign tongues as a sign of judgment (see Deut. 28:49)
De 28:49 "The LORD will bring a nation against you from afar, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flies, a nation whose language you will not understand,
4) God would then disperse and scatter them (see Deut. 28:64-65)
In Jeremiah 5, a similar pattern is seen:
1) God had a message to Israel. He calls on them to return (see Jer. 4:1)
2) Israel refused to heed God's message (see Jer. 5:3)
3) God then will cause them to hear foreign tongues as a sign of judgment (see Jer. 5:15)
Jer 5:15 Behold, I will bring a nation against you from afar, O house of Israel," says the LORD. "It is a mighty nation, It is an ancient nation, A nation whose language you do not know, Nor can you understand what they say.
4) God will then disperse and scatter them (see Jer. 5:19)
In Isaiah 28, a similar pattern is observed:
1) God calls on Israel to repent and turn to God and find rest in Him (see Isaiah 28:12a).
2) Israel rejected His message which He sent through the prophet Isaiah (see Isaiah 28:12b).
3) God will cause them to hear foreign tongues as a sign of judgment (see Isaiah 28:11).
Isa 28:11 For with stammering lips and another tongue He will speak to this people,
4) God then dispersed and scattered them (see Isaiah 28:13). The words "be caught" here in this verse means be caught in captivity in a foreign nation.
Isaiah 33 states that for Israel not to hear a foreign tongue in their own land is a sign of blessing. During the Millennium, Israel will be ruled by their own Messiah. They will not be judged and be under subjection to any foreign rule:
Isa 33:19 You will not see a fierce people, A people of obscure speech, beyond perception, Of a stammering tongue that you cannot understand.
Third, tongues then are a sign to unbelieving Jews of a coming judgment and dispersion because they have refused God's message.
1) The Lord Jesus Christ called on the nation Israel to come to Him (see Matthew 11:28)
2) The nation Israel rejected Him. They crucified Him.
3) God then, as punishment, will cause their land to be invaded by foreigners (the Romans). These Romans spoke in a foreign tongue.
Mt 24:2 And Jesus said to them, "Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down."
When Israel rejected Christ, God set Israel aside and began a new program. He is now calling all people in every nation to come to Christ. He is now building His Church---an international community of believers. Israel is no longer, for now, the focal point of God's program. He shifted from Israel to the nations.
Notice the shift:
Mt 10:5 These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying: "Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans.
6 "But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
This was before they rejected Him. But when they rejected the Lord Jesus Christ, God shifted His program:
Mt 28:19 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 "teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.
A shift from one nation (Israel) to all the nations. From setting aside Israel, to building His Church. At the birth of the Church on Pentecost, tongues of different languages were heard (see Acts 2).
It's as if God is announcing: "I am now shifting gears, from Israel to the nations." A new program is set in place. It's as if God were announcing: "I will stop talking to Israel as a nation, but I will now call on Gentiles, and I will signify this by enabling my Church to speak in tongues of different people all over the world."
The birth of the Church with tongue-speaking was to signify its ministry and composition. It would be an organism that would do evangelism worldwide and it would be an international community composed of different nationalities.
To a stubbornly unbelieving Jew, if he knew his Old Testament Bible, this would tell him that this is a bad sign. It meant that God spoke to them, that they rejected His message and now, God is causing them to hear tongues as a sign of impending judgment.
4) About 40 years after the Lord Jesus prophesied that the Romans would invade them, that the temple would be destroyed, after about 40 years of hearing the sign of the tongues, General Titus of Rome came and attacked Jerusalem in 70 A.D.
The Romans destroyed their center of worship (the temple) and dispersed the Jews to all parts of the world. For 2000 years Israel was scattered to different foreign nations.
Conclusion
The purpose of tongues was to signal the unbelieving Jews that judgment and dispersion is coming. God is now shifting from Israel to other nations. This is seen in the fact that our Bibles was written largely into two languages.
The Old Testament was largely written in Hebrew (the language of the Jews) while the New Testament was written in Greek (the international language during NT times).
Now that the purpose of tongues was fulfilled (it was to signal to unbelieving Israel judgment and dispersion) it is no longer needed. This is confirmed by the testimony of Christians for over 2000 years.
The early Church Fathers, who came on the scene after the apostles died, said that tongue-speaking had ceased during their times. Respected theologians during the 3rd and 4th centuries of the Church taught and confirmed this.
From the Church Fathers down to the Reformers like Luther, Calvin and even down to the 1800s, tongues were conspicuous by its absence in the Church. It ceased on its own.
Does Acts 13:48 Teach Unconditional Election?
Ac 13:48 Now when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord. And as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed.
First of all, the text does not say that God appointed them to eternal life in eternity past. No, this was done here in time.
Second, the Greek word for "appointed" here in the expression "As many as had been appointed to eternal life believed" can also be translated as disposed.
It can be translated as "as many as had been disposed to eternal life believed."
God is the one who inclines a sinner towards eternal life. Without this work, nobody is able to do so. God wants all to be saved. And so He works in all to dispose them to eternal life.
However, in His sovereignty, He decided to give a sinner a free choice. He frees up the will of a sinner. He inclines him towards eternal life, and if the sinner will not resist, He will, by God's grace, trust in Christ for it.
In this instance, the sinners who were drawn by God did not resist God's drawing. The result? As many as had been disposed to eternal life believed.
An example of this is Cornelius. Cornelius was a man disposed God to eternal life by God. He was a repentant man by the grace of God. And so God commanded him to send for Peter who will tell him words that he might be saved. Notice God's appointment of Cornelius for eternal life by setting him up to meet with His messenger, the apostle Peter.
Ac 10:30 So Cornelius said, "Four days ago I was fasting until this hour; and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house, and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing,
31 "and said, 'Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your alms are remembered in the sight of God.
32 'Send therefore to Joppa and call Simon here, whose surname is Peter. He is lodging in the house of Simon, a tanner, by the sea. When he comes, he will speak to you.'
33 "So I sent to you immediately, and you have done well to come. Now therefore, we are all present before God, to hear all the things commanded you by God."
First of all, the text does not say that God appointed them to eternal life in eternity past. No, this was done here in time.
Second, the Greek word for "appointed" here in the expression "As many as had been appointed to eternal life believed" can also be translated as disposed.
It can be translated as "as many as had been disposed to eternal life believed."
God is the one who inclines a sinner towards eternal life. Without this work, nobody is able to do so. God wants all to be saved. And so He works in all to dispose them to eternal life.
However, in His sovereignty, He decided to give a sinner a free choice. He frees up the will of a sinner. He inclines him towards eternal life, and if the sinner will not resist, He will, by God's grace, trust in Christ for it.
In this instance, the sinners who were drawn by God did not resist God's drawing. The result? As many as had been disposed to eternal life believed.
An example of this is Cornelius. Cornelius was a man disposed God to eternal life by God. He was a repentant man by the grace of God. And so God commanded him to send for Peter who will tell him words that he might be saved. Notice God's appointment of Cornelius for eternal life by setting him up to meet with His messenger, the apostle Peter.
Ac 10:30 So Cornelius said, "Four days ago I was fasting until this hour; and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house, and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing,
31 "and said, 'Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your alms are remembered in the sight of God.
32 'Send therefore to Joppa and call Simon here, whose surname is Peter. He is lodging in the house of Simon, a tanner, by the sea. When he comes, he will speak to you.'
33 "So I sent to you immediately, and you have done well to come. Now therefore, we are all present before God, to hear all the things commanded you by God."
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