The Woke Church: We Are Near the End :: By Sean Gooding

Published on: March 6, 2022 by RR7

Matthew 24: 3-14

“Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, ‘Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?’ ⁴ And Jesus answered and said to them: ‘Take heed that no one deceives you. ⁵ For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. ⁶And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. ⁷ For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. ⁸ All these are the beginning of sorrows.

⁹Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. ¹⁰ And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. ¹¹ Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. ¹² And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. ¹³ But he who endures to the end shall be saved. 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.'”

Many of us woke up on February 24 to the news that Russia was invading Ukraine. It is no real surprise; they have had this in play for years. It was slowed by the previous US administration, but this current one poses no threat to the Putin regime. Why should Christians pay attention? Firstly, we have many brothers and sisters living there. I have dear friends who are missionaries in Ukraine. They have been living there for 4 years now, and they have a small mission that reaches people with the Gospel. They came home on furlough just before the hostilities began but have every intention to return as far as I know. One of the other reasons is that of Israel.

During a recent visit to Israel, the Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister, Emine Dzhaparova, pointed out that half of the grain imported into Israel came from Ukraine. Imagine if half of our grain here in North America was cut off? Once the country of Ukraine is annexed, there is nothing to stop Russia from invading Israel. This is Bible prophecy playing out for us, and we have a front-row seat. Christians need to stop being twisted between two minds and begin to understand and see that the world we live in is about to change for the worse as far as believers are concerned. But, if we keep our eyes open and our hearts tuned to the Word of God, we will see His power and glory in supernatural ways.

Sadly, not many churches talk about prophecy. About 25% of the Bible is prophecy. To ignore prophecy is to ignore 25% of God’s written word. This Word was written for us; God did not need to write stuff down like a Chronicle since He knows everything – the end and the beginning. Two thousand years ago, Jesus and His disciples sat in the area of the Temple in Jerusalem; they were chatting, and one pointed out the Temple. Jesus made a prophecy that would be fulfilled in their time to give credence and confidence in the prophecy that is for us today.

In Matthew 24: 1-2, Jesus points out that there would come a time when not ‘one stone’ of the Temple would be left on another. This means that the Temple would be razed to the ground and torn down so that there would be no stones on top of another stone, referring to the construction of the Temple specifically.

Jesus was executed in about 32 AD; in 70 AD General Titus of the Roman army came and besieged Jerusalem and eventually sacked the city. He and his men tore down the Temple and did not leave one stone stacked on another. Now, some of the disciples had already died, but there were a few, especially John, who was alive to see the prophecy fulfilled to the nth degree. This fulfillment of prophecy, which can be verified in non-Biblical sources, should confirm for us the truth that Jesus spoke.

Now we will take a brief look at the following 12 verses and see what we can learn for today and about our times.

Deception, verses 4-5

The most important trait of the last days will be spiritual deception. This is led by people who proclaim to be ‘Christ.’ If you take the time to read Matthew 24, you will find that Jesus warns about spiritual deception two or three times in this one chapter. It will be the mark for us in the churches that will stand out the most. It should; we are truth people. We seek truth, we love the truth, and our Jesus is the absolute Truth. Psalm 119: 160, says “All your words are truth,” referring to the Lord God. All His words are truth. Deception, then, is an anathema to the local church. It should not be tolerated and should be clearly seen by the persons involved who are immersed in the Truth.

This is not happening in many churches. We have pulpits filled with men who do not know or who do not wish to apply the principles of teaching and research — asking simple questions about context; who is speaking, to whom are they speaking, what did they say, why did they say it, what did it mean at the time that they said it, and how do we apply it today? These are basic rules that should be used all the time.

I will give you an example. I was chatting with a person about her church, and they have a female children’s pastor. I pointed out to her that this should not be, first of all, as pastors in the book of 1 Timothy are to be the husband of a wife, thus a man. But some churches have female pastors for the children. I said to the person, well, she should not have any boys over 12 or 13 years old in her classes as the Bible clearly says that a woman should not teach a man (1 Timothy 2:12). This dear sister pointed out that we keep our boys young much longer, and so it would be okay to have her teach boys over 12 or 13. I pointed out that the Bible is not progressive; what did it mean at the time that it was written? Then we can apply that principle here.

Thus, young boys need to be taught by men in the Lord’s churches. But we have churches that take even the most basic and simplistic instructions and pervert them. There are huge ministries in the US that are led by women, and they cater to mixed audiences and say that they are called by God. God is not the author of confusion; He did not suddenly change His mind and call a woman to be a pastor. But Jesus did warn us not to be deceived. Not everyone who talks about Jesus is from Jesus.

Another deception that we see today is that of pastors getting ‘special revelations.’ ‘God told me’ is a phrase that one hears a lot. I saw a children’s ministry book that was being used in one of the largest churches in the USA, and they had the children learning about God’s vision that He gave their pastor. God gave their pastor a special revelation, and that is the driving force of their church. What deception! God did not give this man a special revelation; God gave us all the same revelation in a book called the Bible. This is the WHOLE revelation of God to us for this time. Jesus gave us God’s revelation for the New Testament church in Matthew 28; 18-20,

“And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 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, 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.”

No one needs any further revelation from God. What we need is obedience. Sadly, too many church persons are not fluent in the Bible to be able to understand the deception and walk away. They equate size with success and assume that they are missing something when it is the very church that they attend that is missing something. But this deception is a part of the end; it is the canary in the mine, so to speak, for the last days. And we, the Lord’s people who fill His true churches, need to be immersed even more in the truth. Read, study, re-read, study and pray; handle the truth, and the lies will be clearly seen.

Wars and Rumors of War verses 7-10

Well, we see it firsthand. For many of us, we knew that the wars were coming. We have leaders here in the West who are more concerned that boys can get to use the girl’s bathroom than be able to fight. We have decimated our militaries over vaccine mandates, and we have put confused men who think they are women at the head of our military. We are weak, and the predators on the outside know it. We have no stomach for war, and those that do are considered ‘Neanderthals.’

Our churches are filled with men that have never been challenged. They are weak and have not had to grow up and face life. We have filled their minds with virtual war where you get to go again, but none are ready for the real wars where people actually die. The real war that is coming will be on the conservative, non-progressive churches.

Let me enlighten you a bit; just last week, our Prime Minister enacted the Emergency Measures Act. He called it to quell the convoy of truckers that sat in Ottawa clogging the roads and protesting in the streets. One senator said that she had never felt so safe walking home from work as she is when the convoy was in town. One paper reported that the number of serious crimes had gone down while the siege was in play. But our PM decided that it was a dangerous time and that he needed more power. So, he enacted the Act, then about a week or so later, he decided all was well. But in the midst of the time, our Deputy Prime Minister said that they had enacted and made permanent some tools for confiscating monies and/or freezing bank accounts of those that supported the truckers.

Yes, the Government of Canada was able to get banks to confiscate people’s money, cancel their credit cards, and even try to cancel their insurance policies without a court order, without proving that anything criminal had happened; and the banks complied. This was done over a peaceful protest where the vast majority of the crimes were done by the police enforcing the Government’s new rules.

What happens when the Government decides that if your church does not conform to the Woke views about the transgendered and race, or if you keep preaching that marriage is between a man and a woman only, they decide to close your accounts because you attend this church, and you can only get money to feed your family if you stop attending and part ways with these conservative Bible-believing churches?

We all, me included, file our taxes and state where our tithes go to. Most churches have put sermons and lessons online; we have our services posted each week. What happens when the Government decides that they do not like what we say, and they shut us down? No court order, no day in court, no proof that a law was broken. This is what I remind you about Governments; they are like magicians, they show you the obvious, the Emergencies Power Act, but what did Mr. Trudeau really want to do? He wanted to strengthen the power of the Government to take your money, even digital money, without a warrant and without you having due process.

We have ‘Woke Churches’ all around us with their denial of the absolute power of the truth of God’s word. They change and re-interpret the truth to fit the winds of the day, and all in the name of size, money and power. It is sad to see how loose a lot of churches have become with the Bible, some even denying its power and eliminating it altogether. What happens when we take the Bible out of churches and out of society? People stop being able to handle the truth, even the truth looking you right in the eye.

The offended, 11-12

This is the plague of our time; even in the Lord’s churches, we have many who are offended, even by the truth. I was listening to Jordan Peterson the other day, and he mentioned that just the act of thinking needs to prepare one to offend others. If you plan to have open and constructive conversations, you will need to accept being offended. The issue is that we have made it so that to have a contrary opinion is offensive, and one then falls into name-calling.

Let me go back a paragraph or two and say this: if your church has a female pastor, it is your right to do so as a local church, but it is also my right to point out that it is not biblically allowed, that simple. If that offends you, then so be it. The truth can be offensive. I am a big man, fat, to be honest. It is offensive when my doctor tells me I need to change my eating habits or I may die young. It is nonetheless the truth. Those who smoke may be offended that someone calls into question the addiction, but it is one that will kill you and, worse, kill family members. It may be offensive to learn that baptism won’t and can’t save you from Hell; you need to be saved and trust in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. You can accept the truth and go to Heaven or be offended all the way to Hell. The choice is yours.

Churches no longer call sin, sin. They no longer talk about the absolutes of God; they no longer talk about Holy living and Holy thinking. We make excuses for our actions and behaviors. We no longer tell people that they are evil to the core and that what feels good is not always good. We don’t talk about Hell; that may be offensive, and we never say ‘NO!’ That may hurt someone’s feelings. So we allow rampant sin to go unchecked in our churches, and we find out later the damage that was done. The out-of-context Bible verse has become the springboard into whatever ‘feel good’ devotion we are doing today. We use just enough of the verse to get our point across.

Churches encourage people to follow their hearts, and the Bible says our hearts are deceitfully wicked. Rather, we should follow the clearly expressed and written word of God, no matter what our hearts feel or say. Truth offends us, and God’s truth offends people who want to do their own thing unchecked. Jesus told us that men love darkness because their deeds are evil; God’s truth brings light, and it hurts our eyes and bruises our egos when we see how evil we really are. One of the truths that truly saved people have to face as we spend more and more time in the Bible is the depth of our own sin and how aggressive the old evil man is in us. We don’t call people to face this evil within and challenge the man in the mirror to change.

As we get closer and closer to the end, even more false prophets will come, false churches will arise, false Christs will appear, and false Christians will show themselves. Keep grounded and find your foundation in the truth of the Bible.

Lawlessness, verse 12-13

Once people get away from the foundation of the Ten Commandments, they will progress into an evil and dangerous society very, very quickly. It is our job as Christians to be the light and salt of a nation. But if we are putting the Bible in the background and losing sight of the absolutes of God, we are just helping society fall faster and further from God; and then the Gospel will have less and less power, at least here in North America and the West. Evil will abound, and lawlessness will grow, but this is a preparation for the Man of Sin, the Lawless One who will soon come on the earth as a global leader, a false saviour.

The whole world is being readied for his appearance and his solutions. These will sound so good to the people who are accustomed to lies, and they will embrace the solutions wholeheartedly and think him to be the new messiah; he is not. Soon their hopes will turn to nightmares, and the reality of evil will rise to the forefront, and still, they will not turn to the Lord Jesus for salvation.

None of this can happen without ‘Woke Churches’ who have watered down the truth, tried to change the Gospel, made salvation about works and not sacrifice, and stopped talking about the blood redemption because it was too traumatic and made God seem too hard. Churches that preach salvation without repentance, grace without judgment, and Heaven without Hell. Churches that are building earthly kingdoms and have not prepared anyone to serve in the heavenly one. Churches that don’t tell saved people that they will be judged by God for how they lived, how they thought, and what they did. These kinds of churches are preparing the world for the Man of Sin rather than preparing people to meet Jesus and serve in His eternal kingdom.

Once again, what is needed is a firm and permanent grounding in the Bible, more Bible, more study, and more reading. This will slow the lawlessness in our lives, in society, and in our churches.

In verse 14, we are told that the Gospel will be preached in the whole world. I have a friend who is a missionary in Bangladesh; he just led 40 persons to Jesus at once in a conversation about Jesus. Our churches help a ministry in Pakistan, a man and his wife who have an orphanage, and they preach the Gospel as far and wide as they can. As I mentioned, we have missionaries that have growing ministries in Ukraine. I see weekly reports from one of our missionaries in Kenya as they see salvations, baptize people in crocodile-infested waters, and form new churches. The Gospel cannot be stopped, even here in our little church; we have had salvations and baptisms in the last year.

Keep working, keep reading, keep studying, keep praying, keep seeking the truth, keep asking for Godly wisdom, and keep living for Jesus. The end is near, but not yet.

God bless you,

Dr. Sean Gooding
Pastor of Mississauga Missionary Baptist Church

How to Connect with Us

On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MississaugaMissionaryBaptistChurch
Online: https://www.mississaugamissionarybaptistchurch.com/ (under construction)
Email: missionarybaptistchurch76@yahoo.ca

Election :: By Bill Pierce

Published on: March 6, 2022 by RR7

INTRODUCTION

Definitions—When used as a verb, ELECT means to CHOOSE. When used as an adjective, ELECT means CHOSEN (Noah Webster, 1828). In the New Testament, the words ELECT, ELECTION, and CHOSEN are translated from the same Greek word, eklegoma (Strongs Concordance #1586). And in the Old Testament, ELECT and CHOSEN are both translated from the same Hebrew word, bachar (Strongs Concordance #0977).

The scriptures self-interpret—Like Joseph, we believers know that “interpretations belong to God” (Genesis 40:8). We also “know the things that are freely given to us of God… [are revealed] not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things [precepts in God’s word] with spiritual” (1Corinthians 2:12-13).

In complete agreement, the prophet wrote: “Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little: For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people. To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear. But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken” (Isaiah 28:9-13).

No private interpretation—By the word of God, we know “that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost” (2Peter 1:20-21).

Men who take verses out of their context and attempt to make those verses stand by themselves without at least one or two other scriptural witnesses are in danger of being deceived by a private interpretation (2Corinthians 13:1).

Believers are commanded—”Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2Timothy 2:15). We know that “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works” (2Timothy 3:16-17).

The scriptures themselves teach us the peculiar and unique composition of God’s word. When we walk in the light of this knowledge, we are delivered from the lies which cause men to “fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken” (Isaiah 28:9-13)! Faithful believers will be like the noble believers at Thessalonica who received the word of God, “not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe” (1Thessalonians 2:12-13). “Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is” (Jeremiah 17:7).

SIMPLICITY

SIMPLICITY means: ‘Plainness; freedom from subtilty or abstruseness; as the simplicity of scriptural doctrines or truth.’ (Noah Webster, 1828)

The apostle expressed his concern to the church of God at Corinth when he wrote: “But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him” (2Corinthians 11:3-4). The voice of God’s wisdom cries, “All the words of my mouth are in righteousness; there is nothing froward or perverse in them. They are all plain to him that understandeth, and right to them that find knowledge” (Proverbs 8:8-9).

Hopefully, this brief study of what the word of God teaches about election will bring all the light you need on this subject. If you desire a more detailed study, see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0TUH60Cd78

THE EVERLASTING PURPOSE OF GOD

An everlasting kingdom for the Lord Jesus Christ—”For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given [God’s “holy child Jesus” (Acts 4:27-30)]: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this” (Isaiah 9:6-7; Psalm 45:6; Hebrews 1:8; 13:21; 1Peter 4:11; 5:11; Revelation 1:6; 5:13; 22:5).

Everlasting righteous inhabitants—The Lord’s everlasting kingdom will be inhabited entirely and exclusively by righteous men who were made righteous when they received the imputed righteousness of God “through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith” (Philippians 3:9; Isaiah 54:7; 60:21; Joel 3:17). “Abraham [“the father of all them that believe” (Romans 4:11)] believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness” (Romans 4:3; Genesis 15:16), “even the righteousness of faith” (Romans 9:30; 4:13; Hebrews 11:7).

Abraham “was strong in faith…being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification” (Romans 4:20-25; Titus 3:4-7).

Knowing that God has imputed his righteousness to us, “we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness” (2Peter 3:13). At that time the righteous shall enter “the gates of righteousness” (Psalm 118:18-21; Matthew 18:3-4); “And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life” (Revelation 21:27; Revelation 20:15; Hebrews 3:18-19; Psalm 101:8; Galatians 5:19-21; Ephesians 5:5; Revelation 22:14-15).

GOALS AND PURPOSES OF GOD’S ELECTION

God indeed foreordained his Son to be the Saviour of the world, “that all men through him might believe” (John 1:7), but God never predestined anyone to be saved or lost, to go to heaven or hell!

God’s elect Son—The word elect is first found in God’s declaration that Jesus Christ—who has the preeminence in all things (Colossians 1:8), is his servant and judge: “Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street. A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth. He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law” (Isaiah 42:1-4). After reading Isaiah’s prophecy in the synagogue at Nazareth, Jesus said, “This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears” (Luke 4:16-21; 24:27).

The Son’s foreordained purposes—The Son of God is “from everlasting to everlasting” (Psalm 90:12), “whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting” (Micah 5:2). The Son was elected to serve the Father and fulfill many purposes. Jesus Christ alone was elect before the world began.

To be the Saviour of the world—God purposed for his Son to be the Saviour of all men. Jesus Christ “was foreordained before the foundation of the world” (1Peter 1:20). He is God’s chief, elect, and precious corner stone (1Peter 2:6-8), his “only begotten Son” (John 3:16), who was sent by the Father “to be the Saviour of the world” (1John 4:14; John 3:16). Jesus “came into the world to save sinners…” (1Timothy 1:15)! Jesus himself declared: “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10; 9:56), and: “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved” (John 3:17). John the Baptist “came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light [Jesus Christ], that all men through him might believe” (John 1:7; 2Corinthians 5:14-15).

To make our adoption possible—”But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons” (Galatians 4:4-5).

To live without sin— After being baptized by John, “Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil” (Matthew 4:1). Jesus “was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15); the Lord Jesus “…through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God” (Hebrews 9:14). Jesus Christ gave “himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour” (Ephesians 5:2). Believers are redeemed “with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1Peter 1:19; 2Peter 3:14).

To judge the world in righteousness—God has “committed all judgment unto the Son” (John 5:22). God has “appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead” (Acts 17:31; Psalm 50:6; 67:3-4). “And he shall judge the world in righteousness, he shall minister judgment to the people in uprightness” (Psalm 9:8). When the Lord Jesus comes “to judge the earth: he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth” (Psalm 96:13; 98:9; Isaiah 11:4).

To come again without sin—”And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation” (Hebrews 9:27-28).

Biblical predestination—The words “predestinate” and “predestinated” are used a total of four times in scripture. Each occurrence speaks of those who are already “the children of God through faith in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:26)!

All believers “in Christ” are predestinated:

1) to be conformed to the image of God’s Son,

2) to be glorified (Romans 8:29-30),

3) to be adopted by the Father (Ephesians 1:5), and

4) to obtain an eternal inheritance (Ephesians 1:11; Hebrews 9:12, 15; Romans 8:17; Matthew 19:29).

God’s children, Christ’s “body, the church” (Colossians 1:18), are “elect” (Mark 13:22, 27; Colossians 3:2; 2John 1:1, 13) because they are in Jesus Christ, “God’s elect” (Romans 8:31-34). They are “Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ…” (1Peter 1:2). God “hath chosen [elected] us IN HIM before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love” (Ephesians 1:4).

It is essential to understand that God—according to his foreknowledge, has chosen before the foundation of the world the believer who is in Christ, even though no man is actually in Christ until he has been born of the flesh, and then—by faith in the gospel, he is “born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever” (1Peter 1:23; John 3:3-8). God’s foreknowledge does not predestinate anyone to be saved!

God’s sequence of salvation for men—Paul outlined the sequence of God’s salvation of men when he wrote, “That we [born again believers] should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory” (Ephesians 1:12-14). The glorious gospel of Christ, “how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures” (1Corinthians 15:3-4) must be heard and believed before any man can be saved (John 3:14-15)!

Natural men are born into this world spiritually “dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1), “without Christ…and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world” (Ephesians 2:12). The scripture makes it clear that no man has eternal life from the beginning, and that God could never declare any man to be righteous until after the man has received the righteousness of God through faith. A man must first be born of the flesh, grow to an age of accountability, and then hear and believe the gospel. Only then will he receive the righteousness of God through faith: “Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe…” (Romans 3:22). Only then will he be “found in him…through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith” (Philippians 3:9; Romans 10:9; Acts 16:31).

God’s final invitation in the scriptures verifies the truth that all men indeed have a free will to receive or to reject the Lord Jesus Christ, who said: “And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day” (John 12:47-48): “And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely” (Revelation 22:17; Ephesians 4:4; 1Corinthians 12:13).

If you come to God believing the gospel in your heart (Romans 10:9), God will save you “by grace…through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 6:23).

The believer in Jesus Christ is free from condemnation (Romans 8:1) and has been “made the righteousness of God in him” (2Corinthians 5:21). When the spiritually dead man in Adam repents from his unbelief and believes on the Lord Jesus Christ, God puts him into Christ. He is delivered from death unto life. He is delivered from the power of darkness and translated into the kingdom of God’s dear Son (Colossians 1:13). God takes him out of condemnation and justifies him (Romans 8:1).

He did not have life, but now he has life in Christ, who is “the life” (John 14:6)—”the Word of life…that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested to us” (1John 1:1-2). In Christ, he has everlasting life! Now that he is in “God’s elect,” he is one of God’s elect children. This could not have happened until after his physical birth, nor until he could understand the gospel, certainly not before the foundation of the world!

Salvation is offered to all—The Bible clearly teaches that Jesus Christ died for all men, and not for just a few predestined elect (Acts 13:47; 17:30; Romans 5:18; 2Corinthians 5:14-15; 1John 2:2; 1Timothy 2:5-6; 4:10; Titus 2:11-14; 1Peter 3:22; 2Peter 2:1; 3:9; Hebrews 2:9; 10:10; Luke 2:10-11).

If the elect were saved before the foundation of the world, then why would they have to be saved after being born into this world? If I had eternal life and was one of God’s chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world, then why must I be born again (John 3:7)? Calvin’s doctrine of election is false and ridiculous. Many citizens of the nation of Israel rejected the gospel, and millions of them have lost their souls during the last two thousand years—even though their nation is elect, chosen by God! Until individual men believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour, they cannot be saved.

Since “the work of God” is that men believe on Jesus Christ, “whom he hath sent” (John 6:29), and “Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world” (Acts 15:18), “The Lord knoweth them that are his” (2Timothy 2:19), even from the beginning! Therefore God “hath chosen [elected] us [the believers] IN HIM before the foundation of the world” (Ephesians 1:4). The only way into Christ is through faith in God’s word. God does not elect anyone to get into Christ, but only those who are already “in Christ”! The Lord is “not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2Peter 3:9)!

Men are not condemned because they were not “elect” before the foundation of the world! Men are condemned because they do not believe on Jesus Christ (John 3:16-18) when God calls them by the gospel. No one is one of God’s elect until he believes on the Lord Jesus Christ!

The character and will of God—In his word, which “is true from the beginning” (Psalm 119:160), we understand that the “living and true God” (1Thessalonians 1:9; Jeremiah 10:10) created all things for his pleasure (Revelation 4:11). God revealed his gracious character when he said, “Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD” (Jeremiah 9:23-24).

According to his revealed character, we also learn that “God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved” (John 3:17). God’s will is for “all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth” (1Timothy 2:4): God has “no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live…” (Ezekiel 33:11)!

A brutal false god—In wicked and total disharmony with the character of God revealed in The Holy Bible, Calvin’s false god is a premeditating mass murderer, a serial killer who takes pleasure in predestinating certain men to eternal damnation, and a few others to eternal life! The devil was a murderer “from the beginning” (John 8:44), but Calvin’s false so-called ‘sovereign god’ was a murderer before the beginning!

In his “Institutes,” Calvin defined his false doctrine of ‘eternal election’ when he wrote, ‘We shall never feel persuaded as we ought that our salvation flows from the free mercy of God as its fountain, until we are made acquainted with his eternal election…. In The Institutes, Calvin defines this doctrine in the following manner: By predestination we mean the eternal decree of God, by which he determined with himself whatever he wished to happen with regard to every man. All are not created on equal terms, but some are preordained to eternal life, others to eternal damnation; and, accordingly, as each has been created for one or other of these ends, we say that he has been predestinated to life or to death.‘ (gentlereformation.com).

A damnable false gospel—The Biblical doctrines of election and predestination are clearly taught and made plain in the word of God. But some men approach the Bible with a preconceived idea of what it teaches. The damnable doctrine of eternal election and a clearly erroneous application of the doctrine of predestination have inevitably resulted in a false and accursed gospel (Galatians 1:8-9). According to John Calvin, all men are ‘totally depraved’ and unable to choose for themselves. This contradicts the true gospel, which gives every man the choice to receive or reject the truth! According to Calvinism, God chooses which men will be saved and which men will be damned with no regard to their personal wills.

John Calvin warned men not to study predestination too deeply: ‘The Great Reformation theologian John Calvin warned that those who “inquire into predestination… are penetrating the sacred precincts of divine wisdom. If anyone with carefree assurance breaks into this place, he will not succeed in satisfying his curiosity, and he will enter a labyrinth from which he can find no exit” (Calvin, Instit. 3.21.1).’ (Grand Canyon University).

The man who prays: “Let my cry come near before thee, O LORD: give me understanding according to thy word” (Psalm 119:169; 1Thessalonians 2:13), who believes God’s promise: “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not” (Jeremiah 33:3), will be delivered from any so-called ‘labyrinth’ (like the one constructed by John Calvin and his corrupted teaching). Instead, he will receive “sound doctrine” (Titus 1:9) from the Lord! By the grace of God, I will continue to trust in the LORD with all my heart, and lean not to my own understanding (Proverbs 3:5). Therefore God will deliver me from all false doctrines.

CALLED AND CHOSEN

The Lord Jesus said, “For many are called, but few are chosen” (Matthew 22:14). After his glorious resurrection, the Lord Jesus commanded his apostles, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” (Mark 16:15). God calls every man by the gospel (2Thessalonians 2:14) and promises him: “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved” (Romans 10:9; 1Corinthians 15:2). At the very moment a man receives the Lord Jesus by faith, the Lord baptizes him with the Holy Ghost into his body, the church (Matthew 3:11; Colossians 1:18). Being now in Christ, he is “chosen” by God (Ephesians 1:4) and knows what God foreknew from the beginning!

It is regrettable that so “few are chosen” because they reject the Lord (John 12:48) and do not believe the gospel. The “unbelieving…” (Revelation 21:8) are eternally damned because of their own choice, not because of God’s predestination, election, or choice!

The elect nation—Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are God’s chosen people. God chose them to be a nation above all the other nations upon the earth (Deuteronomy 14:12; 28:1). The apostle wrote: “I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin” (Romans 11:1). God’s chosen people are Israelites, of the seed of Abraham.

So if God is currently building his New Testament church instead of preserving the land rights of his Old Testament people, is he done with his Old Testament people? No, “God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew” (Romans 11:2). God still has a plan, he still has a purpose, and he is still going to accomplish what he promised to the nation of Israel. God is going to turn back to the nation of Israel in the future, and he is going to save a remnant of that nation: “blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles become in. 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: For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins” (Romans 11:25-27).

Made alive from the dead—”For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive” (1Corinthians 15:22). All men who have been “born of the flesh” (John 3:6) are “in Adam.” By Adam, “sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned” (Romans 5:12). Every man is in Adam from the beginning. At their physical birth, all the sons of Adam are “dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1). Men must be in Christ to be made alive! You must pass “from death unto life” through faith in the word of Jesus Christ (John 5:24)! Jesus Christ is God’s elect, and you must be “in him” (Ephesians 1:4) to have life!

The apostle Paul wrote to the born-again believers at Ephesus: “And you hath he quickened [made alive], who were dead in trespasses and sins… Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened [made alive] us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:1, 5-6).

GOD IS OUR ROCK

Rock of offense—The word of God says to the sinner: “Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed” (Romans 11:33; Isaiah 28:16). The word of God says, “…that Rock was Christ” (1Corinthians 10:4). He is the “chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded” (1Peter 2:6). If you believe on him, he will justify you and deliver you from condemnation. He can do that because he is the absolutely righteous God-man. Not only can Jesus Christ not be charged with sin, but when “God was manifest in the flesh” [the man Christ Jesus (John 1:1, 14)], he was “justified in the Spirit” (1Timothy 3:16; Romans 8:33)!

Stone of stumbling—Believers acknowledge that the Lord Jesus is God’s elect, precious, and chief corner stone; but to the disobedient unbeliever, “the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed” (1Peter 2:6-8; Psalm 118:22-23).

The Lord Jesus said, “And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder” (Matthew 21:42-44; Luke 20:17-18). “According to his mercy” (Titus 3:5), God will save “all that call upon him” (Romans 10:12) with “a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart” (Psalm 51:17; 34:18; Romans 2:4). But all those who rebel against God and reject the gospel of Christ will be “Anathema Maranatha [cursed at his coming]” (1Corinthians 16:22; Matthew 25:41, 46; 2Thessalonians 1:8-9)!

YOUR CHOICE!

God’s elect—If you are one of the “born again” (John 3:3-8) “children of God by faith in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:26), then you are one of “God’s elect” (Romans 8:33; Titus 1:1). God has chosen you in Christ (Ephesians 1:4)!

The unbelieving—We know that God does not want any to perish but for all men to repent (2Peter 3:9). Therefore God “now commandeth all men every where to repent” (Acts 17:30), and “That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment” (1John 3:23).

The Lord Jesus Christ “offered himself without spot to God” (Hebrews 9:14); he is “the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29), “without blemish, and without spot” (1Peter 1:19). Jesus Christ “is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens” (Hebrews 7:26).

“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31).