The Second Coming And The Rapture Explained

Hello my para beauties. I hope everyone has had a fabulous week and enjoying the start of 2014. Wow, it's hard to even type 2014. It seems so surreal and how did it get here so fast? It's kind of scary. I just turned 40 and not a happy camper!! Lol. Where do the years go?

The reason I was led to write about this is because I think A lot of people get these two events mixed up and I'd like to help if I can to make them more clear. They are completely two different type of events. With very different meanings. There are a number of contradictory views regarding the Rapture. Many theologians believe that a time will come when the believers will be taken to heaven. However, many denominations of Christianity do not accept this doctrine. According to the Christian eschatology, this event will take place just before the Second Coming of Christ, where all the Christians will 'catch up' or be 'carried off' to heaven. This event is considered to be a mid-air gathering of people to commune with Jesus, just before He Comes.

The Rapture...It's hope, it's what many of us look forward to. In this awful world filled with so many disappointments, people suffering from severe depression and oppression. Not to mention the sorrow many of us live with in silent. But we hold onto the day the Rapture when all believers are taken away from all this wickedness, pain and suffering from this world. So many of us (like me) can't wait for the Rapture so I can say goodbye to this awful cruel world we now live in which is just getting worse each night I hear the news. Have you payed attention to not just your local but Country and world news? If you haven't it is so very disturbing, it's beyond out of control. Our government can't be trusted. I don't trust either side. This is just my humble opinion.


The "Pretribulation" Rapture as some have been calling it, "The Bible describes two separate and distinct future events, both of which are often described as the Second Coming. The first event is what Bible scholars call the Rapture. In 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, the apostle Paul writes that "the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord." In this passage, Paul is describing an event in which Jesus Christ will not physically, literally touch down on the earth but will first come "in the clouds" and snatch away His true followers from the earth in an instant of time. Those who have not chosen to follow Christ, those who have not been "born again," will remain behind on the earth and will have to go through a terrible time of wars, famines, natural disasters, and divine judgments known as the Tribulation.


The second event occurs at the end of the Tribulation. This is when the Bible teaches that Jesus will physically, literally return to earth, destroy His enemies, and set up His own righteous government based in Jerusalem. He will reign on earth for one thousand years. In Revelation 19:11--20:6, the apostle John writes, "I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. . . . He will rule [the nations]. . . . And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and he threw him into the abyss. . . . And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God.


A Few Bible References:

For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. ~ 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17

Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. ~ 1 Corinthians 15:51-52

Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. John 14:1-3

Written By Jennifer L Auld

Babylon the Harlot, Part 4

Continued from:

Babylon the Harlot, Part 1

Babylon the Harlot, Part 2

Babylon the Harlot, Part 3

This is speaking of the reforming of the old Roman Empire. Presently the old Roman Empire has been reformed by ten common market nations in Europe today. There are more currently, but only 10 will come to prominence during the end time. In my opinion, these "ten horns" are those ten common market nations. The headquarters for these ten nations is in Rome.

These rulers of a ten nation federation will unite to give their political authority and military power to the beast to conquer the earth and make war against Christ (16:14; 19:19) The purpose of Satan through the Beast and fellow kings is to establish an invincible kingdom that Christ cannot overcome when He returns. But Christ is King of all kings, and will overcome the beast and his kingdom when He returns (19:11-21). Those who follow Christ are called and chosen by Him, and faithful to Him (19:7-8, 14).

At this point in his career the Beast will have total control of the world, for he will command ten "kings" who rule the nations of the earth: The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast.

These are of one mind, and they give their power and authority to the beast" Then the Beast's kingdom starts to come apart. He hears rumors of insurrection, which fill him "with great fury to destroy and annihilate many," in Daniel's terminology (Dan. 11 v.44).

It is to fulfill prophecy. Kings and Kingdoms, good and evil, have to do exactly what God wants. Sometimes they are not even aware of why they are doing it. God puts the idea into their head, while all the time, they think it is their clever idea.

He marches to the Valley of Megiddo, where he meets other armies of the world, and there they do an amazing thing as we see in the next scripture.

17:14 These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him [are] called, and chosen, and faithful.

These shall make war with the Lamb. Make War with the Lamb This will occur when these kings kill His faithful followers and come out to fight against Christ in the Battle of Armageddon. Armageddon Those who join with Christ to overcome them are called "chosen, and faithful," titles used in other Scriptures to describe true believers (1 Pet. 2:9).

You see, as has been said so many times before, we Christians are in a battle. Our leader is (Jesus Christ). We are fighting a very real enemy. The devil and his demons are our enemies. This war we are in is a war of the spirit. We must come against the devil in hand to hand combat everyday. Our weapon is the two edged sword (Bible).

This war is fought by an army of believers who always have their weapon (Bible) at their side. Besides having it at their side, they have its contents inside of them (their food is the Word of God). When they are in hot combat, the sword comes from their mouth. They are willing to lay down their lives for the cause of Jesus.

The flag we Christians fly is the banner of righteousness. It is red because of the blood of our leader, it is white because of the righteousness of believers, and it is blue for our heavenly calling. This is a voluntary army. This battle is in the final hours before the return of the Lord. This army will be made up of boys, girls, men and women. God has called a vast army, as He did in Gideon's day.

This group will be sold out completely to God. They will be willing to give up homes, family, friends, wealth, and position in their community to work for God. They will be loyal to Jesus even to the death. They will have a peculiar uniform described in Ephesians chapter 6. This uniform will be provided to us by our Lord (Jesus). Loins girded about with truth, breastplate of righteousness, feet shod with the preparation of the gospel, shield of faith, helmet of salvation, and sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God.

The big difference is that this army will have patches on their knees. This battle will be fought with much prayer (on our knees). You see this victory is the Lord's. We must fight the good fight. Give it everything you have. The war is peaking now. God needs good Christians who will not compromise for any reason. The battle is hard, but the rewards are beyond comprehension; a home in heaven forever with Jesus and the opportunity to hear Him say, "Well done thy good and faithful servant".

You see, we soldiers shall be kings and priests (Rev. 1 v.6; Rev 5 v.10), but He will be Lord and King over all. We are the called, chosen and faithful. Hallelujah!

17:15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.

The Prostitute Explained - Then the angel explains to John the meaning of the water on which the woman is sitting: It is the peoples of the earth. Peoples, multitudes, nations, and languages designate all humanity in the book of Revelation. As in the saying, "sea of humanity"

Those who are followers of the evil system will be from all nations. There will be hundreds of millions lost.

17:16-17 "And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire." "For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled."

The Coming Destruction of the Babylonian Prostitute Babylonian Harlot -The Antichrist will permit the one world (apostate) church to govern his actions during the first three and one half years of the Tribulation while he is gathering more and more power. One World Religion But in the middle of the Tribulation, when he feels he can become an autocratic ruler, he and the ten kings will throw off the prostitute because, in reality, while being dominated by her, they "hate the prostitute".

None of the world's political leaders have enjoyed subjugation to religious leaders, but have continued in a servile role only for expediency. When it is no longer necessary, the ten kings will "bring her to ruin and leave her naked", meaning they will confiscate her temples, her gold, and her costly apparel. In so doing, they will unwittingly be the instruments of God in destroying this awful Babylonian system once and for all: "For God has put it into their hearts to accomplish his purpose."

Here, we see these evil ten nations turning against the world and the world church. This power, these evil nations have been, and are being used to rule the little people. This fire speaks of war. These ten nations will do away with this church, even though it is the apostate church.

When Will the Prostitute Religion Be Destroyed - The religious Babylon of Rev. 17, which is destroyed, comes in two parts. One occurs during the first part of the Tribulation when the governmental system of Babylon (pictured as this ugly "beast") is gaining world control but has to permit the "prostitute" to sit on and ride the beast. We see this as meaning she exercises a degree of control over the Babylonian system by bringing the nations of the world under her idolatrous religious power.

During the first half of the Tribulation she incurs the wrath of the ten kings who see her use the authority of the Antichrist to advance her religious causes. So they plot to kill her. The reason we know this killing of the prostitute of "mystery Babylon" is done in the middle of the Tribulation is twofold:

"The deadly wound" of Antichrist is healed by the indwelling of Satan himself, simulating the resurrection of Christ, in the middle of the Tribulation.

From then on the world does not worship mystery Babylon but the image of the beast. The False Prophet will do away with all religion except the worship of Antichrist Satan, which he will enforce. That begins in the middle of the Tribulation, that's described in Rev. 13. This is the time when people will have to take the mark of the beast and swear their loyalty to the beast of face death. No middle ground, either accept Jesus or accept the beast.

Since the woman who rides the beast gets her authority from the beast, the Holy Spirit uses this description to show how religious Babylon and governmental Babylon are so intertwined they are presented together. However, they are destroyed at different times. The prostitute (religious Babylon) is destroyed by "beast and the kings of the earth," who "hate the prostitute" and kill her.

Next week is the last part of this series.

Written by Jennifer Auld

Babylon the Harlot, Part 3

Continued from Babylon the Harlot, Part 1

Babylon the Harlot, Part 2

The Vision of the Beast - Five details describing the beast are given:

Blasphemous names (v.3) Had seven heads (v.3) And ten horns (v.3) The prostitute rides it (v.7) The beast was, and is not, and will come up out of the bottomless pit (Abyss) and go to his destruction (v.11).

The careful Bible student will immediately recognize this beast even before examining the angel's interpretation. In the first place, it is similar to the beast of Rev. 13 and doubtless represents what all beasts used symbolically represent: either a king or a kingdom that opposes God's will.

When John sees the great prostitute, he is "greatly astonished?" Actually, some parts of this vision should have been familiar to John, for it is obviously the same beast as that described in chapter 13.

The angel introduces his explanation with the words, "This calls for a mind with wisdom" (v.9), which indicate that only someone with the wisdom of God (found in the Word of God) can understand this vision.

17:8 The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.

Go to chapter 13 and re-read the first 2 verses and the descriptive comments of those two verses for an accurate description of what the beginning of verse eight's meaning is. Revelation Chapter 13 Verse 1 - 2

This word "perdition" means ruin, loss, or damnable.

"The beast that thou sawest" - Beast

"Whose names were not written in the book of life". The false religious system of the end times will be very convincing and popular among the unsaved, but those who have committed themselves to Christ will understand that anything idolatrous is not of God.

17:9 And here [is] the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.

We will see in this scripture that the city of seven hills is where this evil system has its headquarters. This is a marvel to the world who are not fully aware of the implications of the Bible it shows. Of course the bride of Christ, the Christians who have their names written in the Lamb's book of life since the world began, are aware of all of this and why it happened.

The seven heads of the Beast represent, seven mountains, on which the woman "sitteth". Seven Heads - Seven Mountains The city of Rome was known throughout the ancient world as a city built on seven hills or mountains. John notes that the wise mind will make the proper identification. The woman apparently represents idolatrous, anti-God civilization, centered at Rome but with worldwide influence (v.15).

The identification of the seven heads as Rome shows that the Beast will initially have his major base of operations at Rome. It is thought by many studying the end times that after the Harlot has been killed, the beast will move his headquarters to the actual city of Babylon during the last three and one half years.

17:10 And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, [and] the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.

The seven heads of this beast mentioned, according to Tim LaHaye, are kings of the Roman Empire. The best definition is that they represent five kings up to the time of John; the sixth, Domitian, was the Roman king at the time of John, who then skips forward to the end time for the seventh head, which will bring the king of the revived Roman Empire. This Roman Empire was in great power; it fell, and will be revived again. Then see verse 11 as this is describing the antichrist who will be the eighth and final king who will rule the entire world (kingdom).

A rather interesting scripture regarding the Holy Spirit's description of the beasts that represent kingdoms appears in the book of Daniel. When one thinks of world governments, they take on a beautiful shape, as did king Nebuchadnezzar's dream in Daniel. In his dream, the beast contained 4 different types of metals. Each section of that image represented one of the four coming world kingdoms which at that time were coming (Nebuchadnezzar's Babylon was already there and was the first of the four).

Two governments had already come and gone at that time which were Assyria and Egypt.

Those 4 beasts found in Daniel 2 verse 35 are explained as Daniel interprets Nebuchadnezzar's dream for him. The four beasts in his dream is Babylon represented by head of gold. The two arms of silver represented the kingdoms of Media and Persia. The belly and thighs of brass (or bronze) represented Greece. And the fourth kingdom described the Roman Empire as the legs or iron. When God describes the coming world kingdoms, He uses beasts to symbolize them. Human beings look favorably on government as a great help to them, whereas God looks on government as a great hindrance to them, as does anyone who has studied history and observed government's bestial treatment of humanity.

Whether this scripture is describing kings or kings doesn't matter as they still mean the same which makes up the beast described here. The seven kingdoms or empires throughout history that have ruled over Israel and much of the known world are:

Egypt Assyria Babylonia Medo-Persia Greece Rome - The Roman Empire existing at the time of John which ceased to exist And then the seventh, the revived Rome which has not yet come Then the eighth and final will be the Antichrist (see verse This revived Roman Empire is represented in the book of Daniel by the 10 toes in the image of Daniel 2:41 - 44 and by the 10 horns on the fourth beast of Daniel 7:7, 20, 24, and in Revelation by the 10 horns on the first Beast (13:1; 17:3, 12, 13). It will exist as a major power only a short while, since it will then give its authority to the Beast (11-13).

17:11 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.

The beast, the final world kingdom ruled by the Antichrist, is the eighth king or kingdom. He is of the seven in that he is the culmination of all the previous, pagan, idolatrous empires and the reason many think the Antichrist will arise up out of the revised Roman Empire. But then he will go into perdition, the lake of fire.

Put another way, the beast that John saw is the Antichrist, the satanic ruler of the last and most powerful empire in human history, who will serve as Satan's instrument to attack Israel, persecute believers, conquer the world for Satan and oppose Christ. The Beast - Eight King

Scripture portraits him as an intellectual genius Dan. 7 v.8; an outstanding orator Dan. 7 v.20; a military leader without parallel in human history Dan. 7 v.23; a shrewd calculating and manipulating politician Dan 8 v.25; 11 v.21; and the ultimate religious charlatan 2 Thess. 2 v.4; The angel briefly reviews the detailed description of him given in Rev. 13 verses 1 -10.

17:12-13 "And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast." "These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast."

Reading in Daniel 2 v.45 the ten toes of the fourth beast (Roman Empire) were made of iron and miry clay making a brittle substance. This is speaking of the 10 kingdoms or kings which will emanate from the Roman Empire and be in existence at the time of Christ's return. Ten Horns - Ten Kings Their worldwide power will come in association with the beast. One hour indicates a relatively short time (18:10, 17, 19).

Next week - Part 4

Written by Jennifer Auld

The Lordship Attributes in a Biblical Worldview

By Reverend Mark Hunnemann

"Turn fuzzy and dull into clear and bright..... no matter what conditions you are in, you will see clearer." Such are the words advertising some "night-glasses" in an email I received today. This reminds me of the purpose of pursuing a biblical worldview. A worldview is the framework from which we view reality and make sense of life and the world. The more your worldview beliefs align with the Word of God, the more the distortions, fuzziness, and dullness in your perception of reality will give way to a clearer and brighter perception of reality AS IT REALLY IS! A worldview is like spectacles through which we view God, the universe, and our relationship to both. Clear and bright spectacles which illumines the entire landscape.

We live in a post-Christian culture...one in which there has been a radical paradigm shift, which is just another way of saying that our culture has experienced a radical change at the worldview level. George Barna discovered through polls that very few  bible-believing Christians have even an inkling of a biblical worldview. What we are doing in this series is extremely important and will equip you with a tool for discernment that very few pastors have. This series can and should change your life...and I find that exciting!

Last time I mentioned that our beliefs about God (Ultimate Reality) is by far the most crucial aspect of our worldview...it  effects everything else. Let me put it this way: suppose there is a house in which there is extreme paranormal activity. Two people investigate, at different times,this "paranormally alive" house. They see basically the same phenomena but one believes FIRMLY that Ultimate Reality is the God of the bible, and the other believes that Ultimate Reality is matter/energy. As Thomas Kuhn pointed out in his ground-breaking book, "The Structure off Scientific Revolution" (1962)....how one CONCEIVES reality will affect how they PERCEIVE that reality. According to Kuhn (and Scripture) these two investigators are steeped in two radically different theories of reality, which will cause them to view the same phenomena differently...THEY WILL SEE DIFFERENTLY. If this is not taken into consideration, the two investigators (and us) will end up talking past each other. In addition, the two will have radically different expectations of what they will encounter once inside.

One way of summarizing the bible is thus--the OT teaches that God (Yahweh) is Lord, and the NT teaches that Jesus is Lord. Since the nature of God is so crucial to laying the foundation for a biblical worldview, let us look at THREE LORDSHIP ATTRIBUTES. (control, authority, and presence). When we say that God/Jesus is Lord, these three attributes help us to understand the richness of what that pregnant phrase means...."Jesus is Lord!"

God is Lord--control. The bible sees God as Absolute or Infinite Personality. His tri-personality sets Him apart from other false monotheistic religions. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have been in loving communication for backwards eternity, and will be forever. Hence, God did not need to create due to lonliness. But the Trinity is absolutely sovereign over every molecule in His cosmos...the Earth being the palace of the Great King.

He has sovereignly decreed everything that has occurred and is in control of all things.. (Eph.1:11; Acts 17:26) We cannot break His sovereign will (which is  enshrouded in mystery) but we can and do break His moral and affective will all the time.

God is so much in absolute control that He can bend the wicked actions of wicked men (or demons) to accomplish His will. The most obscene, unjust, and evil act in history was the murder of the sinless Lord Jesus, and yet the Lord used it to bring about the most wondrous display of His love and holiness. "...this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men."(Acts 2:23; cf  4:27-28) His control establishes human responsibility...Astronomers estimate that there are 10 billion trillion stars in the universe. In Isaiah 40:25-26 the Lord is said to have created every one and has a name for each.."...because of the greatness of His might not one is missing." Behold your God!

God has infinite power and knowledge. He controls and sustains every inch of the natural and the supernatural realms.(Col. 1:16-17) From the smallest sub-atomic particle to the  nations and  entire universe, God ordained from all eternity all the has or will occur. If He merely "permitted" some things, then He could not deliver on Romans 8:28. In SOME SENSE God is in control of everything. Every thought of Satan was decreed from eternity past...just as the Lamb was slain before the foundation of the world. The Lord is particularly concerned that we know that He created the heavens and the earth, and is in control of the flow of human history--which can be summarized...Creation--Fall--Redemption. God is infinitely more powerful than Satan and in absolute control over his every action. He is a consuming fire....Our God reigns!

Lordship as authority--when Jesus ascended and sat down at the right hand of the Father, He did not sit in a lounge chair; He sits upon the throne. As Lord, that means He has full authority over all aspects of His creation. In what we call the Great Commission in Matthew 28:18-20 Jesus says, "All authority in heaven and earth has been given to Me...." His Person to person communication in the bible has divine authority that creates absolute ethical obligation in us. His Word has normative authority, which must be recognized by individuals and nations alike (Psalms 1, 2). We prevail over the demonic in Jesus' name because He is the Divine Messiah who wrought our redemption in order that the captives might be set free. Darkness flees from the name of Jesus because His name entails all of who Jesus IS and DID. Behold your God!

Lordship as presence--the movement of the drama of redemption is towards "dancing Adam's steps backwards." (Rom. 5; 1 Cor.15) As Adam walked with the Lord in the Garden, the goal of redemption was Immanuel--God with us. In the Incarnation, God the Son took on our humanity, forever. To say that God is Lord, means that He dwells intimately with us.In the same text regarding the Great Commission, Jesus tell us, "And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." The Holy Spirit indwells all true believers. As His beloved sons and daughters, He has promised to never leave or forsake us. (Heb. 13:5)  In heaven we shall see Him face-to-face, and all tears shall be wiped away. Behold your God!            

What does God as Lord mean for our understanding of the paranormal and "trapped spirits"? Consider our two investigators. The one with a worldview with matter/energy as Ultimate Reality will expect to see "residual energy" displays as well as intelligent human spirits. With his blurred glasses, that is precisely what he will "see". (what we conceive is what we will perceive) However, the investigator who fears the Lord, will know that "residual energy" is utterly repugnant to God's laws of science (please see my series on this topic), and his clear spectacles will enable him to discern the presence of supernatural evil in the form of demons mimicking the dead. He will know that the notion of trapped spirits does violence to a biblical worldview in a thousand different ways. It vandalizes the control, authority, and presence of the Lord, and diminishes the perfection of the singular honor and dignity of the Person and Work of Christ.

He will know that Jesus is Lord--His power, authority, and presence. The notion of trapped spirits is an insult and dishonoring to the absolute control of God over all His creation. His authority, as expressed in His normative Word, commands him not to attempt necromancy..and to realize that all supernatural events are not from God. Lastly, the Lordship of God in His presence, reminds this investigator that God is our ultimate environment, and not a host of foul spirits. Wherever he goes, God IS...and in Jesus name, the miserable shadow figures shrink back into the shadows. This investigator realizes that God is God....that Jesus is Lord in His control, authority, and presence. He is comforted and emboldened by the fact that God is nearer and dearer to us than our own breath.

Worldviews ... Different Ways of Seeing

By Reverend Mark Hunnemann

In my last very long blog, I asked if you would try to watch a TV show/movie or read a novel through a biblical worldview...knowing that it is best to just start doing it as a means of grasping what a biblical worldview is. Anyway, it is possible to have a ton of biblical knowledge but not have a biblical worldview. All that knowledge is not brought together in a coherent system of thought. I was turned on to thinking worldviewishly in 1974 when I was 18 years old and a new Christian, and have been enormously blessed by 40 years of consciously viewing all of reality through biblical spectacles.

We live in times when discernment is of paramount importance, and thinking with a biblical worldview equips us to think with maximum discernment. The more closely our thinking follows this worldview, the more we will see reality as it really is. Unbelievers reject the biblical Creator and replace Him with idols (Rom. 1:18ff)--which entails creating a dream world--the more a person moves away from a biblical worldview the more they will be distorting reality AS IT REALLY IS. That is the sheer wonderment and beauty of thinking this way, is that it enables us to view God's world the same way He does.

If you look through pink glasses you will see a pink world, if you look through blue tinted spectacles then reality will appear bluish, but if you view the world through the spectacles of a biblical worldview, then you will see God's world as God sees His world (obviously not exactly as He does because He is infinite, but truly nevertheless) Fundamentally, the Word of God is all about application to our lives, and thinking worldviewshly enables one to apply the bible in an extraordinarily rich and comprehensive way.

Everyone has a worldview, including those who say they have no worldview! However, for most folks it is held unconsciously, but it is still having a profound effect upon how they think, act, and feel.

How do folks acquire their worldview? It is a process over a period of time--where their views of God, the universe, and our relation to both--are formed. Some of the contributors to worldview formation are: how we were raised, our experiences, our schooling, books we have read and movies we have watched, and just being in the world--being exposed to all messages that bombard us all day and night. The result is usually a mishmash of various beliefs.

Okay, so this does not become like a chapter in a book, as in last time, let me shift gears and just do it! (Nike would be proud...hehe) I mentioned that I had recently read "Adam and Eve" by Sena Jeter Naslund. I will basically review/analyze the book by sifting it through a biblical worldview grid. And we do that by asking how the book answers the seven components of a worldview...this is to teach you by practice HOW to do this kind of thinking.

First, just a few words of introduction to the book...Thom Bergmann, a world renowned astrophysicist, is married to Lucy Bergmann, an art therapist. Lucy was born into an evangelical family, but her parent left her with grand mom when she was a mere ten years  old in order to be missionaries to Japan. She felt betrayed and abandoned and she turned against the faith of her parents. Hence, there is an overt, hostile attitude toward biblical Christianity. Theirs is a lovely marriage...true devotion. He has been researching for other life forms "out there" and one day Thom shares with Lucy that he has found conclusive evidence of alien life in deep space. Along with this earth-shaking discovery, another one occurs as an archaeologist finds evidence that Moses was not the author of Genesis. Both finds are seen by them as victories over the dangers of moronic religious "literalism" (read, bible believing). Thom dies in a suspicious accident and Lucy becomes the literal bearer of the evidence of both of these discoveries. What follows is gripping plot which was thoroughly entertaining, and as one reviewer put it, Naslund writes "lush and luminous" prose. As I put the book down after finishing it, I said to myself, "Wow, that book will significantly shape of the worldviews of those who read it." As a best-selling author, I am sure of it...Time for a quick analysis.

1.What is God or ultimate reality like? Instead of an infinite/personal Creator, who is revealed in Scripture and supremely in Jesus Christ, Lucy tends to see God as ineffable. As I mentioned last time, she and her husband had a distaste for the arrogance of claiming we "have access to the mind of God." Sadly, the result is that He then becomes totally unknowable. In the end, she embraces some form of energy as ultimate reality. In that regard, and many others, this is a thoroughly modern novel.

2.What is our purpose in life? The Great Commandment---loving God with all of our being--is supposed to be our main priority. However, without access to the mind of God via His revelation to us, then we have no way of deciphering what our purpose is. Lucy, who is the narrator in the book, seems to assume that relationships with other people are our purpose. While hers is more noble than many, still it is idolatrous--as I read I could not help but feel like she was lost in more ways than one.

3.What is the nature of reality? There are two types of reality in biblical worldview--the Creator and His creation-- the latter including the visible and invisible. In Lucy's mind, energy plus time plus chance, has produced only one form of reality...the "creation"...but again, energy is the prime component of reality.

4.Where is history going? Biblically, history is His-story, the unfolding of the drama of redemption in space and time...it is moving meaningfully toward the The Second Coming. According to this novel, there is no meta-narrative (big story) to history. Earth is not the palace of the Great King, but space and time are mere products of the evolutionary forces of energy. History is going nowhere.

5.What is the basis for right and wrong...how do we determine morality? God's unchanging character and His revelation to us, forms the foundation for Christian ethics. Lucy has imbibed long and deeply from the post-modernist well of deconstructionism...words and morals can be defined according to our own interpretation. Lucy proceeds to affirm the beauty of love as the guiding principle for her life choices.. Right and wrong are subjective and relative, and they are human constructs. Without the law of God to define love, then she/we are left to our devices to what love looks like in each situation (a form of situation ethics).

6.What is the essence of being human? We have enormous dignity and worth which is extrinsic in nature. Only God has intrinsic worth and He made us in His image, and assigned immense value to us....we are God's highest creation! However, in a sense, the main point of the book is that we are nothing but the products of energy, plus time, plus chance. In one place Lucy mentions that all of us are damaged, which mirrors a biblical view of the fallenness of all reality, which much modern "happy preaching" ignores. The two discoveries (alien life and non-Mosaic authorship of Genesis) herald that man is NOT special after all. And she finds this liberating....but she can only feel that way by being inconsistent with her presuppositions.

7.What happens to us after we die? Scripture teaches that after death, we are immediately ushered into our eternal destinies, after judgment. When contemplating the death of her beloved, she is agnostic regarding where his consciousness is, but oddly optimistic anyway.

I would say that her worldview is generally that of optimistic humanism, which is irrational. Why? According to this view, the cosmos has a meaningless beginning, and an equally meaningless end, but somehow between these two poles of meaninglessness, she imbues deep meaning into the present moment! That, my friends, is an irrational leap of faith.Compare this with the more realistic assessment of life without God in Ecclesiastes.--"vanity of vanities..." The atheistic existentialists Sartre and Camus were brilliant in their sensitive portrayal of the meaninglessness of modern man.

I read this book with a notebook at hand, with the seven components written down...consciously searching for an explicit or implicit message relating to each worldview component. When I saw one, I made note of it...page number and so on. Please consider doing something similar this week....homework! I need to add that when I read or watch a movie, I do so on two levels: on the one hand, I read/view simply for enjoyment, but simultaneously, on the other hand, sifting the unfolding sequences and verbiage through the grid of a biblical worldview. It makes the experience all the more rich and stimulating...and I believe, glorifying to the Lord.                                

The Foundation of a Biblical Worldview

By Reverend Mark Hunnemann

Last time we asked the question: is it possible to access the mind of God? We noted that the beautifully staggering truth is "yes, we can"--that is precisely what the bible is...God revealing some of His mind to us. I wonder, as bible-believing Christians, if we sufficiently appreciate the astonishing wonderment of God speaking to us...revealing His mind to us? As we shall see, this self-disclosure of God provides the foundation for everything--certainly everything pertaining to our worldview.

A provisional definition of a worldview is best conveyed like this: to see with a biblical worldview is to see all of reality through God's eyes...to see it as He does. Or we could put it like this: a worldview is how we view God and the universe, and our relationship to both. I suppose if there is one thing unique about my book, it is that it teaches about the nature and importance of worldviews. Worldviews are like spectacles through which we view the world, and it effects how we think, feel, and behave. We almost always hold them unconsciously, unless we systematically discuss them as we are now. This is not secret knowledge, like gnosticism/occult, but it is rare, even among pastors, to know how to think with a full-orbed biblical worldview

In my book I list what I consider the seven components of any worldview...

1. What is the nature of God or ultimate reality?

2. What is your purpose in life?

3. What is the nature of reality?

4. Is history going anywhere?

5. What is the basis for morality?

6. What does it mean to be human (essential traits of being human)?

7. What happens to us after we die?

Let me ask three questions: do you see how utterly basic these questions are...how divergent the answers would be depending upon whom we asked...and how seriously impoverished and "lost" one's life would be if they lacked certitude regarding them? Sometimes stating a thing negatively can have some shock value which is conducive to learning...like this. "I have no clue as to what God is like...no idea why I should get out of bed because I have no clear purpose...I think reality is all in my head...morality is whatever feels right to me....humans are just apes with little hair...we are annihilated when we die...I think..."  Get my point??!!

Before I proceed any further, I believe that one of the best ways we learn is just by doing. So, the next time you read a novel, go to an art gallery, watch a TV program or movie, and so on, please ask yourself how they/it are "answering" each of the above seven questions. Obviously, the movie director is not going to have one of his cast say, "Hey, this is the worldview of this film...god is energy, pleasure is our purpose...and so on...!" It takes listening carefully to dialogue, and other factors, to pick up the explicit or implicit expressions of the seven worldview components. That is, put into practice the habit of viewing everything through a biblical worldview.   But that involves being able to spot the distortions in one's worldview spectacles,as they are presented on the silver screen or in the novel, ect...After awhile it becomes second nature. We need to develop a distinctively Christian mind if wish to have a substantive impact on our culture (Rom 12:1-2)

I want to introduce a philosophical term--epistemology--a branch of philosophy which deals with the validity, nature, and extent of human knowledge. Put another way--it deals with how we know, and how we know we know..Christians should know this term because it lies at the heart of what ails our country We are not experiencing a generation gap, but instead we are experiencing an epistemological gap (which at root is spiritual in nature). Which has led to what some call "culture wars"Let me explain.

One-hundred years ago there was a basically Christian ethos in our country.. If you were to ask the average person off the street any/all of the seven questions above, most would have given an answer that was roughly based on the bible. If someone disagreed with them in conversation, it was understood that one of them was wrong...or both were. Today the responses to the above questions would be all over the map, leaning heavily toward New Age/neo-gnostic beliefs. And to even gently assert that someone is wrong is taken as an offense...absolute truth lies bleeding in the street. Yes, it is an epistemological gap. How we acquire knowledge regarding basic issues has radically changed.

The seven questions above, which comprise one's worldview, are either answered by God's revelation or man's autonomous speculation. These differing presuppositions lead to radically differing conclusions..as we shall see. Is it not instructive that the first temptation was epistemological in nature? Says Satan/serpant, "C'mon Eve, use your autonomous mind to determine right and wrong...and you'll also discover that YOU are the real god....be a big girl and THINK FOR YOURSELF." How we gain knowledge is the key to everything...we either fear God and attain true knowledge of reality or we trust in ourselves and distort reality.

Where do you go to answer these questions? What is your final court of appeal in answering life's most basic questions? Do you look inward...to your intuition...your experience...what your heart says--or do you look outside of yourself to the Living God who created heaven and earth, who in His kindness and love, has spoken true-truth to us in His written Word?

Let's go to Psalm 119 to get just a glimpse into what the biblical worldview is. Our epistemic assumption is that we can access the mind of God, and this is done via His special revelation in the bible. ALL knowledge, certainly all the knowledge pertaining to the seven questions above, can only be answered by accessing the mind of God--because we are incapable of ascertaining the answers autonomously...

Please read these verses carefully, and in light of these basic questions. As a philosophy major, it was a beautifully stimulating experience to see the basic questions philosophers had been asking for millennia, and how the bible fit like hand-in-glove in answering them!

"Oh how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day." (119:97)

"I have more understanding than all my teachers, for Your testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the aged, for I keep your precepts." (vv. 99-100)

"Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path."(v. 105)

"How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to Your Word." (v.9)

"I am a sojourner on the earth; hide not Your commandments from me." (V.19)

"Righteous are You, O Lord, and right are Your rules." (v. 137)

"The sum of Your Word is truth, and every one of Your righteous rules endures forever. (v.160)

"Your hands have made me and fashioned me; give me understanding that that I may learn Your commandments." (v. 73)

"Forever, O Lord, Your Word is firmly fixed in the heavens. Your faithfulness endures to all generations; You have established the earth, and it stands fast. By Your appointment they stand this day, for all things are Your servants." (vvs. 89-91)

Please forgive my repetition, but these concepts are new to some, and they are vitally important for us to understand (for a whole slew of reasons) Epistemology accents the wonderment of having God's personal revelation to us--explaining who He is....who we are....the nature of the universe--and our relationship to both. Using just Psalm 119 let us give a brief review of a biblical worldview.

1. What is the nature of God or ultimate reality? (119: 89-91, 137) The word used for God throughout the psalm is LORD....which is Yahweh in the OT--this is the covenant Name of God. He is infinite/personal God who created the heavens and earth...all creation is His servant. Energy is not ultimate reality.

2. What is our purpose in life? Frankly, had Yahweh not revealed this to us, our lives would be utterly meaningless. (v.97) speaks of loving the bible of God, and the God of the bible..the Great Commandment is our noble purpose as redeemed humans. (v.73) God Himself made and fashioned us...we are not cosmic accidents or descendants of monkeys. And of course Jesus Himself declares that loving God is the greatest commandment. Think of all the alternatives we have come up with to replace loving God as our purpose (or dominant life value, as some put it)...as Calvin said, we are idol factories.

3. What is the nature of reality? It is not an illusion. Matter/energy is not eternal.

(v.89-91) Again, we see that there is a distinction between the Creator and His creation. There are two basic types of reality--the self existent and eternal Creator, and His creation which He created ex nihilo. The physical world is not the full circumference of reality--there is an unseen, spiritual dimension as well. I finally saw The Conjuring movie last night--about Ed and Lorraine Warren who were pioneer demonologists. The movie did a surprisingly good job of expressing the reality of supernatural evil.

4. Where is history going? LORD...Yahweh is the faithful God of the covenants--the flow of history (including your personal history) has meaning because history is His-story. The whole psalm points to a God who will hold us accountable for our thoughts, words, and deeds. (v. 19) that we are sojourners here, means that we are preparing to go home! Eastern thought tends to see history as moving in endless, meaningless cycles..NO!

5. What is the basis for morality...or how do we distinguish right from wrong? (v 9, 137, 160) A young person can discover right and wrong by meditating on God's word, which is entirely truthful. Because God is righteous, His laws are righteous..forever. We know that right and wrong are based on the unchanging character of God, as expressed in his written Word. If energy is ultimate reality, then there is no adequate basis for morality. Or if we base it on anything other than God's Word, then it is not a sufficient basis for morality.

6. What does it mean to be human (essential traits)?  v.73 God made us and fashioned us in the womb ( see Ps. 139--fearfully and wonderfully made!) Human beings are not self-referential...As John Calvin said, knowledge of ourselves and knowledge of God are inextricably bound together in a thousand different ways, since we are made in His image. We are certainly not animals or glorified monkeys. We are noble, but we are sinners as well.

7. What happens when we die? Again, we are called "sojourners on earth" (v. 19) We are just passing through this time/place before we enter our eternal rest. We are a body/soul composite, and when we die our soul immediately goes before the Holy Judge of heaven and earth. Death is determinitive of our eternal destiny--either eternity in heaven or hell. At the Last Judgment we will be reunited with our glorified bodies. Hence, any notion of "trapped souls" is repugnant to scripture and to God's holy character. Ed and Lorraine Warren got this issue wrong--unfortunately. Annihilation is also wrong-headed.

(89-91, 99-100,160) All of this discussion would be for naught if it were not for the truth of these verses.The infinite and personal God of the everlasting covenant is really there, and He has not remained silent. His Word is true truth (forever His Word is fixed in heaven) Every one of His righteous rules endures forever. Amen!

Have you ever heard someone say, "I have 35 years researching the paranormal."? I certainly have, and it is often (not always) used as a fact to buttress the force of their argument against what I or someone else has said that contradicted a claim of theirs. Here the psalmist states that he has more true knowledge than his teachers BECAUSE it is grounded in the granite of revealed truth, and not in the shifting sands of man's autonomous speculation.

I have mentioned this example before but it bears repeating: an unbelieving friend of mine, who specializes in getting rid of spirits who are hostile (and they stay busy all year), loudly proclaims two things: they have nearly 40 years of experience, and they have never, ever seen a demon! This is usually followed by a sarcastic, withering criticism of those who stupidly believe that all ghosts are demons. This person is my friend and it grieves me that they are so blind that they cannot even recognize demons when they are attacking or harassing them. Every classic criteria used to determine demonic presence has been met many times over, and yet they still refuse to see reality clearly...tragic, but quite common.If our worldview glasses are distorting our perception of reality, then decades of experience will only make one more foolish in their understanding of the world.

There are no answers to the seven questions above if our epistemology is not grounded in the Word of God. That is, if we do not look to God's revelation to learn what: God is like, the nature of reality, our purpose in life, what is right and wrong...and so on, then we have no adequate foundation for acquiring any knowledge. This may not be exciting, but please know that this is bedrock foundation for building a biblical worldview...reason for getting out of bed and not committing suicide. I am baffled by this optimism which is grounded in a worldview in which impersonal energy is Ultimate reality....that kind of optimism has both feet planted firmly in mid-air.    

Each question is SO basic...if only one is wrong or even partially distorted, it will seriously impact ones life. Yet the majority of people in the world have all of them (seven questions above) partially or totally wrong! Why? Because their epistemology is wrong. This is not rocket science...we either humbly look to God to answer life's most basic questions, or we pridefully look to ourselves...revelation or speculation. We DO have access to the mind of God through the Holy Bible--and that is the foundation of a biblical worldview! Please do try to watch and read with these questions in mind this week...

P.S I still need someone to help revamp my website...please! Thank you...   mark                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

Sufficiency of the Bible

By Reverend Mark Hunnemann

We have come to the end of our series on the attributes of the Word of God. If we are living in the last times then this is especially indispensable information to grasp.The last is also, in a sense, the most important--the sufficiency of Scripture. Or, Sola Scriptura as the reformers called it. We may define it thus: Scripture contains all the divine words needed for any and all aspects of human life.Here is the Westminster Confession formulation. (this is a wonderful teaching tool, but it is not infallible)

The whole counsel of God concerning all things necessary for His own glory, man's salvation, faith and life, is either expressly set down in Scripture, or by good and necessary consequence may be deduced from Scripture: unto which nothing at any time is to be added, whether by new revelations of the Spirit, or traditions of men. Nevertheless, we acknowledge the inward illumination of the Spirit of God to be necessary for the saving understanding of such things as are revealed in the Word: and that there are some circumstances concerning the worship of God, and government of the church, common to human actions and societies, which are to be ordered by the light of nature, and Christian prudence, according to the general rules of the Word, which are always to be observed." (WCF 1.6)  I will look at a few of these concepts.

Christians sometimes say the bible is sufficient for theology and spiritual matters but not for auto repair, scuba diving, zoology, or dentistry. Certainly the bible has more specific information relevant to theology than to auto mechanics, but that is not what we mean by sufficiency. In this context sufficiency is not sufficiency of specific information but sufficiency of divine words. Scripture has divine words for every aspect of human life. It contains all the divine words that the plumber needs--or scientist and modern ethicist-- and all the divine words that the theologian or preacher needs. So it is just as sufficient for plumbing as it is for theology! And we shall spend extra time showing how sufficient the bible is regarding paranormal issues.

Notice that the WCF states that the sufficient content of  the bible includes not only its explicit teaching, but what also may be properly logically deduced from it. Logic is a hermeneutical (interpretation) tool...a tool for bringing out meaning that is already there in the text.

Of course the sufficiency of Scripture means that nothing is to be added or subtracted to the bible--we do not need any more divine words than those in the bible. This does not forbid seeking information from other sources--our job requires it...and life in general.The last section of the WCF mentions the use of natural revelation--even regarding some issues in the church dealing with worship and government (Roberts' Rules...uugh!!)  Jesus had harsh words for the religious folks who elevated their traditions to the status of divine words.(Mark 7:8) The theological heritage I hold dear (Presbyterian/Reformed) has some traditions regarding worship which I know to be unbiblical...that is why we must be ever reforming!

2 Tim. 3:16-17 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work." "(see Rom.15:4   "Every" refers to sufficiency.

Scripture is clear enough to make us responsible for carrying out our present responsibilities to God. Like clarity, sufficiency is an ethical doctrine. It takes away excuses for disobedience. When we violate God's commandments, we cannot claim that they were unclear, or that they were insufficient. (John Frame--The Doctrine of the Word of God...pg 226)

Here is a crucial text for applying across the situational board...1 Cor. 10:31  "So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."  And Col. 3:23 "Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men."

The other day I was outside cutting the lawn, and I asked myself how the sufficiency of Scripture applied to that activity?I smiled as I remembered 1 Cor. 10:31...it is interesting how practical the results can be when you earnestly attempt to cut the grass to God's glory!  You see, this verse is sufficient regarding the divine words that I needed. Of course, additional information is needed for whatever the vocation, but the divine words in the bible are sufficient! If you are a plumber (fill in the blank) and read the bible everyday, then the fresh illumination of the Holy Spirit will astound you with how relevant the bible is on a daily basis.

There are principles in Scripture which apply to EVERYTHING...including thorny modern ethical issues . There is sufficient divine words to render inexcusable the reprehensible wickedness of abortion. That is THE most significant social/moral issue in our country. God is merciful and forgiving to any of you affected..okay? If He has forgiven you, then that should be sufficient--forgive yourself and move on.

The cultural mandate in Gen. 1:28 implies the acquisition of information gleaned from general revelation for your job...including our studies at school and work. But God's divine words in the bible are sufficient for you.Let me gently urge you to apply throughout your day today just 1 Cor.10:31 and see what happens!

This is a large subject but I need to apply this to our paranormal context.Though Scripture is sufficient regarding every area of human life, it has MORE divine words if the issue is critical. For example, the bible is filled with texts regarding how to be saved..

The paranormal--from what we have learned, the bible contains what God considers sufficient information.

When I began research for my book back in 2009, I thought that I might write a short pamphlet on "what the bible says about who ghosts really are". Man, was I mistaken! What struck me early on was how massive and wide-ranging the ramifications were for believing that humans could get trapped here after death. It has a deleterious effect on EVERY major doctrine in the bible...not to mention the catastrophically futile attempt to fit the notion of ghosts within a biblical worldview.

Take Deuteronomy 18:9-22...that one text SHOULD be sufficient for Christians who are  curious, confused, or attempting communication with alleged dead people. In that text we are presented with a clear choice--glorifying God by listening/obeying God's clear and sufficient revelation as revealed by His prophets--or glorifying self (and grieving the Holy Spirit as well as coming under divine discipline...and demonic assault on you and your loved ones) by seeking supernatural information from God's hated enemies--demons. God or demons--which do you want to communicate with?

It will revolutionize how investigations are done, but Christians must not solicit EVP's...NEVER!

As we end this series, I remind you that Scripture which is not applied is contrary to what the whole purpose of Scripture is--APPLICATION!  Bowing before the sufficiency of Holy Scripture is bowing before the Lordship of Christ. Let us resolve to live Sola Scriptura!