Walking in the Spirit

There are those who think that Christianity is a ritual that we do to enhance our life and make us feel safe. We go to church, pray canned prayers designated by the leader and sing songs that have little or no theology in them that are based on fleshly modulations and superficial messages, much like mantra's of the cults, repeating phrases over and over again. 

Matthew 6:7 "And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathens do. For they think that they are heard by their many words."

Church to the modern world is fun, happiness and enjoyment. If the gathering is too serious we sit waiting for it to be over so that we can get on with our "other" life outside of church. Church is not the people to us, it is the building that we sit in while enjoying our weekly fix of positive narcissistic supply. 

I have heard it said that "the church service should comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable." We are a society that seeks to comfort everyone, no matter the sin they are indulging in or who they are harming by their rebellion.  The gospel is not very important to most church goers today, nor is spiritual growth.

All of this foolishness originated from the "self esteem" movement that began in the 70's. There were elements of it earlier than that but they did not become widespread "doctrine" in our culture until the 1970's. 

When the culture began to look to the world for affirmation, rather than the Word of God and the Holy Spirit for their wisdom, the church began its downward spiral, I fear to no return. The church began to believe the "experts" in the secular community, who based their false knowledge on psychology that said that everyone is hurting and is merely acting out their inner struggles in terms of wrong behavior. 

This belief that all people are basically good and only react to their environment, came straight from the pit of hell. God said the opposite, here is what He said in Jeremiah 17:9 ""The heart [is] deceitful above all [things], And desperately wicked; Who can know it?"

If the church is to overcome the indoctrination of the past 40 years, many who claim to be born again, are going to have to realize that they were never saved from their sin and are not believers but pretenders. 

"When we become born again by the Holy Spirit of God, because we responded to His call through the hearing of His Word, then we are commanded to no longer walk in the flesh, but in the Spirit. 
Galatians 3:2 "This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?

Even believers who are born again, have bought into this worldly thinking to some degree or another.  Many believers over the years argued with me when the Lord told me self esteem was a wicked teaching, they were reading books and listening to false prophets who claimed things that God did not say.

Gal 3:3 “Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?”

Gal 3:4 “Have you suffered so many things in vain--if indeed [it was] in vain?”

Gal 3:5 “Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, [does He do it] by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?”

Gal 3:6 “just as Abraham "believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness." 

Gal 3:7 “Therefore know that [only] those who are of faith are sons of Abraham"

We often forget who we are as believers, we forget that Christ lives in us and that He should be controlling our every moment. Often we live our lives in the flesh as though He does not live in us. We quench the Spirit, He wants to lead us into all wisdom, but we do not always listen to Him. 

Thes. 5:16 "Rejoice always,”

1Th 5:17 “pray without ceasing,”

1Th 5:18 “in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

1Th 5:19 “DO NOT QUENCH THE SPIRIT.”

1Th 5:20 “Do not despise prophecies.”

1Th 5:21 “Test all things; hold fast what is good"

We cannot know the things of God unless we seek His Holy Spirit Who lives in us, for His wisdom. We can read regularly, His word, but if we read for knowledge only, we miss His wisdom. We must read and pray for His wisdom that He might enlighten what we read.

1 Cr. 2:9 “But as it is written: "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him." 

1Cr 2:10 “But God has revealed [them] to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.”

1Cr 2:11 “For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God"

God calls the Galatians foolish because they were born of the Spirit, but do not seek Him for their daily walk.  We, as the Galatians did, keep God in separate elements of our life.  We think He belongs in a church building on Sunday, rather than seeking Him everyday for all matters.  

Those who are always looking for miracles to be able to boast about, are missing the bigger picture.  It is a miracle that the Holy Spirit lives in us.  It is a miracle every time we seek Him for wisdom and He opens our eyes a little wider to the deeper things.  

We must stop desiring to "see with our eyes" and begin trusting the Spirit that lives in us that no one can see, but is widely sensed by all those who come in contact with us.

How foolish it is to seek our own way when we have the God of the universe dwelling in our bodies, desiring to lead us into all truth, wanting to give us His best and for eternity!!!

My God Keeps Me Safe In His Hands

I have had a scripture battle today with those who think they can lose their salvation. I cannot understand why they do, with all the evidence in the word on this subject.

Why do people want the choice to walk away? I am blessed that God will never let me walk away, that Ephesians 1:13-14 has proven God's love to us so completely that I walk in joy that He has sealed me.

Knowing that I am sealed and the Holy Spirit is my guarantee as stated in Ephesians, does not make me feel freedom to sin as I please, just the opposite, I feel continually disgusted by sin and compelled to honor my Lord.

Ecc. 3:14 "I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him."

We cannot change or undo that which God did. When are we going to understand that Christ's work is supernatural and the natural man has no power over the supernatural, only Christ does.

Is it possible that those who think they can lose their salvation cannot understand the change God makes in us because they have not been changed?

Is it possible that many who claim to be born again, do not understand because they are continually working to save and change themselves in the flesh and have never submitted to Christ?

I was called a heretic and false teacher for bringing the wonderful truth of salvation by grace alone and the security of that.

It seems as though there is more and more of this false doctrine emerging and tenaciously attacking the truth.

Satan loves to make believers fearful of losing what he knows was a gift. The devil is the accuser of the brethren, and he is at the root of this movement to attack believers and their security in the Lord.

Pride is also at the root of the movement to cause believers to feel a need to be in charge of their own salvation, when Christ clearly said, we cannot save ourselves, nor can we keep ourselves.

The devil loves religion, religion promotes self effort. A relationship with Christ is a growing and developing bond with a Holy God that holds us in his hands.

The devil will twist the scriptures for those who depend on themselves for their wisdom rather than Christ.

1 Corinthians 2:14 "But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know [them], because they are spiritually discerned."

Pride Among The Educated Elite

Some of the most destructive attitudes of the church of Christ are the elevation of the educated elite and the divisions of denominations.

Some people think they have a special knowledge about Christ because they went to seminary or Bible school.

We have broken up into denominations because of the prideful attitude that “our group is right and yours is wrong”, rather than coming together in prayer and study until we can come to a common agreement, we have camped on what we like and refuse to evaluate it.

Acts 17: 11 “There were more fair minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.”

God says that "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to ALL liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him." James 1:5

God says that "Now concerning things offered to idols: We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies."

1 Corinthians 8:1

A degree in theology does not make one a Christian nor does it make a person of greater wisdom than any other man. 

The man or woman of God who seeks the Lord with all their heart can understand as much and sometimes more than someone educated in formal schooling.

Colleges often teach opinions and false doctrine, leaving the graduate indoctrinated and smug in thinking that they have obtained all the knowledge they need for the rest of their lives.

Often the college educated person, relies more on their professors than they do on Christ for their answers from the Word and for their learning. 

Many Bible school graduates are unapproachable and unteachable, because their formal training has fostered pride and arrogance.

(Arrogance: elevated opinion of self and contempt for others).

It is only the man or woman of God who have been born again and changed by the power of the Holy Spirit who can have wisdom and knowledge from Christ who lives in them.

If a man attends Bible school but has never been broken over his sin becoming humbled by the knowledge of his lowliness, then he will be much more dangerous than the unlearned, because his knowledge is based on human wisdom and pride.

When we encounter someone who is embarrassed at the mention of God's word outside of the church gathering, it is a clue that they do not have a love for Christ that transcends all gatherings and reactions of people.

Until a person realizes their own helplessness before God, they cannot be born again.  It is through brokenness that we come to Christ, not through our own worthiness.

If we depend on our own goodness and knowledge, then we have not trusted Christ but ourselves. 

2 Peter 3:3 "knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts," 

Perhaps the lust of so many men in leadership is the lust of power and prestige rather than a deep concern for those they are charged to shepherd.

When challenged, a wise and humble man or woman will have a sense of shame and go to prayer and scripture study to see if their challenger is speaking truth.

When there is instant contempt and fighting on the part of the one challenged then we know that person is walking fleshly and not in the power of Christ. 

Proverbs 12:1 "Whoever loves instruction loves knowledge, But he who hates correction [is] stupid."

Proverbs 1:8 “My son, hear the instruction of your father, and do not forsake the law of your mother.”

All godly men and women are the spiritual fathers and mothers of those younger than they.  Men and women alike are to teach and train both genders, that there will be a well rounded instruction from various perspectives.  No one person or gender has all the insights, we need one another to fill in where each of us lacks.

Proverbs 8:33 "Hear instruction and be wise, And do not disdain [it]."

A question we might want to ask is this; why has the church arrived at it's apostate condition?  Perhaps it has to do with pride of those who would control the people with their human wisdom rather than seeking Christ for their infilling to teach and train others.

Let us all seek Christ for all things, He promised He will teach us, if our focus is His wisdom, His way. And, above all, let us never have a sense that we have arrived and need no more instruction from others. 

Warn the Wicked

His Sheep by The Shepherd's Voice at http://hissheep.org/messages

We live in a world that rejects God, Biblical Truth, and Christ!"… this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the LORD:" (Isaiah 30:9). We live in a world where the majority of the people reject the God of the Bible, thoroughly reject Biblical Truth, and live their lives without Christ in their hearts. Moreover, they don’t want anything to do with God because they love their sin. That is why the Bible calls us a "peculiar people," and to most of the world we are extremely peculiar and in many cases hated because of our faith in Christ. They hate us because we make them uncomfortable and remind them of their sin. 

They don’t want to face, think about or deal with the reality of their lives and life after death. They think that if they ignore it or deny the truth that somehow they can escape it and get by with their sin. Most people in this world have made the conscious choice to live their lives apart from Christ and in rebellion to the Truth of His Word, and those who embrace the Lord and His Truth are seen as the enemy. Those who choose to live in rebellion to God and His Word are always on the offensive, marketing their rebellion to the masses, finding great comfort and strength in others who have also chosen to live their lives in rebellion to God. They only love those who are like them, in the same rebellion they are in. It is like drunks in a bar. Someone once said that drunks love company. Wrong! Drunks love drunken company, others who are just like them.

These unbelievers are loud, bold, aggressive, and use all of the modern tools of communication to reach the masses 24/7 with their lies and deceptions. They believe that by fighting the truth and denying it, they can escape it and they can be free to live their lives of sin without rebuke. Because we have the better percentage of two full generations out there who have never been to church, and who have no foundation of Biblical faith in their life, these lost masses have become easy prey for these tools of Satan who propagate a lifestyle of rebellion to God, rejecting Christ's love and the Absolute Truth of the Bible. 

The lies of the rebels make their flesh feel good and tell them they are alright just like they are and that they can live as they please and there is no one who will stop them or judge them for it.The very first thing that those who choose to live a life of rebellion MUST do, is minimize and try to discredit God's Word. You see the Bible is God's inspired, inerrant Word, representing Absolute Truth, and is our final authority in all matters. Anyone who doesn’t believe that is NOT a true believer, whether or not they go to church, profess to be a Christian or not. 

The Bible is the very book that condemns them for their rebellion against God’s commandments! That is why you will always hear those who have chosen to live in rebellion to God endlessly mocking and trying to castigate the Bible and calling it fiction, fairy tales, made up by men and more. The fact is, the Bible was written by God Himself, through the pens of men who were operating under His Divine inspiration. It is 100% accurate in ALL matters of life.  Those who deny it will always attack it, but in the end, God's Word will still be standing. The truth is the truth, whether or not you accept it, believe it or live by it. It remains truth no matter what is said about it or thought about it. Truth is absolute and eternal, just like God is for He and His Word are one and Jesus is the Word made flesh so we could see a demonstration of the Word and the Love of God lived out in our world.

The biggest problem we have in our world today is not those who choose to live in rebellion to God and His Word; it is those who know Christ as their Savior who do not live the life and stand up for what they profess to believe! While the haters of God without shame stand in the public square declaring their false beliefs, we, the people who know the Lord have chosen to hide behind the four walls of our churches and in the comfortable Christian subculture we have created to separate and isolate ourselves from the non-believing world. Excuse me, but I must have missed something in the Bible. God never said to isolate yourself from the world, but to be the "salt and light" of the world. How can you be a light to the world when you are hiding your light under a bushel (within the four walls of church or on “Christian TV”?

The reason the enemies of God have such a loud voice in the world is because they are speaking for the most part unopposed! Nobody is standing next to them declaring the Truth of God and exposing them for the liars they are. What this all really boils down to is a battle for the souls of men and we are supposed to be ambassadors for Christ in this world. Satan comes to kill, steal, and destroy, while Jesus came to give life and life more abundantly, but most of the world doesn’t know that and has never heard that. Sadly those who serve Satan are more passionate about serving him, than those who serve the Lord are about serving Him! God’s people are lukewarm or just plain uncaring about a lost world going to hell and the unbelievers are doing everything in their power to take others to hell with them, to force others to believe and follow their evil ways that lead to damnation.

It is time for every man, woman, and child who knows Jesus Christ in the pardon of their sins to start taking a stand for righteousness and not allow the spokesmen of Satan to go unopposed. Don't be fooled. They are NOT nice people, they are NOT your friends, they are NOT your buddies, they are deadly serious in taking as many people to hell with them as they can. Are you as serious about taking others to heaven with you?

When you stand up for truth, you will be made to fell like you are facing a stacked deck in every sense of the word, all against you.  But never forget, YOU AND GOD ARE ALWAYS A MAJORITY! He said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” and “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.” So never feel alone, or intimidated when you are with a group of non-believers. Many so called Christians will end up being swayed by the majority so that they don’t appear "offensive" because they want to go along and get along. 

They would rather compromise and go along with the crowd headed for hell than stand for Jesus, forgetting that Jesus said; “But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.” If you will not stand up for Jesus when it counts, then neither will He stand up for you when it counts. Stop accepting or letting others say that they can make it because they are good, or do good works or are not like the bad sinners or whatever because the Bible declares there are NONE that are "good" and all sin God sees and will judge one day. At some point, everyone has to eventually decide what they will believe and who they will follow. God has designed it that way. 

No one will be in hell that really wanted heaven and Jesus and no one will be in heaven that didn’t want to be there enough to follow Jesus and obey Him. You either follow God or you deny Him, there is no middle ground. The bottom line is that either you believe the Bible represents Absolute Truth or you don't, and if you don't, that means it is now up to you and each person to determine what Truth is for yourself, making yourself God. Of course, for those who deny the Truth of Gods' Word, will immediately go into attacking the validity of the Bible since again, it is the very Word that defines their choice as sin and condemns them for their sin. “For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved” (John 3:20). When you stand for the truth know that the wicked will say that you are "full of hate" and "intolerant" because you call their sin, sin and tell them God will not accept it or them unless they repent of their sin.  They will tell you that God is a God of "love" and He doesn’t judge and condemn men, making God’s love a cheesy meaningless love. They don’t understand that true love warns and protects the object of love, true love will correct one who goes astray, as a parent who loves a child will do everything to protect the child from running into the street or sticking a clothes hanger into an electric outlet. That is also love, but a part of it they reject as love when it has to do with God. 

Instead of dealing with the real issues and reality, they will just make endless personal attacks and you will be able to literally see satan manifesting in the faces, body language, and speech as they rant and rave against the truth and you for speaking the truth. Doesn't the Word talk about being persecuted for Christ, and to count it joy when you are? But today the church doesn’t want to be persecuted for Christ but to be popular and accepted by the world more than they want to be accepted by God. Who are you trying to please, God or the world? This is the typical ploy of those who reject God's Truth. They use shrill mindless empty rhetoric in an attempt to silence those who believe the Bible. To not accept their life of sin and agree with their rejection of truth means that you are full of hatred and a religious bigot. Yes, God is a God of love, but He is also a God of JUDGMENT and won't be mocked! Those who oppose Christ are experts at trying to demonize people of Faith by trying to bully them into being silent so that they can share their false message unopposed. Sadly, for the most part it has worked and the church is hiding from them and so most of our young people today have only heard their message of lies and deceits.

People of Faith don't have the stomach to stand up to these bullies and usually back down, leaving them to propagate their lies to the masses unopposed. But the only way God doesn't win is when you don't put Him in the game. No, that doesn’t mean that all men will accept the truth, but then God never said they would, only that they truth will cause them to have to make a choice for or against the truth, knowing what they are doing and so then they will have no covering for their sin. 

The difference is that the will die in and for their sin, but you will be free of their blood and it will not be upon your hands. But if you don’t warn the wicked, God said he will still die and be judged for his sin, but his blood will be upon your hands for not warning the sinner. All of the abusive language, the name-calling, the mocking, can't put one dent in the Truth, doesn't mean for a second that God doesn't exist, and never changes the fact that each person will die one day and at that moment the only thing that will matter is do you know Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior! There are masses of hurting people, dying and going to hell every day and we have got to reach them. The agents of Satan are bold and relentless in bringing their lies to people and putting them into bondage that will end up destroying their lives and leading them to the depths of hell.  That is why we must be dedicated and passionate about reaching those same masses each day with God's Truth and the hope and love of Christ. My word to you today is to BE BOLD in Christ. If you will stand for the truth, God will give you boldness, and He will give you courage. Why should the servants of Satan be so bold with a lie, and we who posses the Absolute Truth of God's Word be so passive with the Truth we have been given and entrusted with? 

Remember, it is not YOU they are rejecting, it is Christ, so don’t take it personally. When the lost attack you, they are simply being used as instruments of unrighteousness and it is not you they were attacking, but Jesus in you, whom you are representing. Our job is to simply share the Truth, what those who hear that Truth do with it is up to them. It is then their responsibility, not ours. 

Our responsibility is to tell them the truth. 
So fear not, when it comes to those in your family, those you go to school with, those you work with, those you meet in the course of your life who have chosen to deny the Truth and reject Christ. Stand up to them with the Word of God, knowing that in the end His Truth will still be standing when nothing else is. God never told you to hide the light within you, but to let your light shine for the world to see. God puts people in your life every day who are hurting, lost, and needing His love. Don't neglect the opportunity to share that love with them as God gives you the opportunity. The fact is the world is sharing its lies with them 24/7, you may be the only person they come across this day who will give them the words of life!

Now more than ever the men and women of God have got to stand up and be heard.  If those who serve Satan can do it, why can't we? The lost masses are out there, looking for answers. Satan is out there 24/7 giving them answers that will lead them to eternal damnation. It is our job as those who know the Lord, know His Truth, to bring those masses the ONLY answer there is to life...Jesus Christ!

Gracious Departing

Years ago, we had living next door to us an elderly couple. They are both gone now, but their lives impacted me in a way that will never be forgotten.

Gene and Stella were the grandparents we never had. They lived so close that we could look out our window and see into their house next door.

Over the years we developed a close relationship. One day we were told that Stella was dying. She
opted to stay in their home and die there, it took her six weeks before passing over. We spent time going back and forth during these very hard days, to uphold Gene and comfort and serve Stella.

One night during those sad days, I lay awake so long in bed with many thoughts about their life, especially wondering if they were saved. I had spoken to them of the gospel on a couple of occasions over the years, they said they knew it but never left the Catholic church. Stella finally passed on Thanksgiving day, the day of their wedding anniversary.

On this sleepless night, I rose and went to the old Underwood type writer that I purchased in a garage sale for $10, and began to write a poem about those last few weeks we had with Stella. We were involved with the pro-life movement back then, and often I thought of the state of our world and the way it was going, so rapidly away from Christ, even in the churches. From those thoughts came this poem, I will share it with you now.

We were in the throws of the "Death with Dignity" legislation then, and it was beyond my thinking that anyone would want another person to die for the sake of their own convenience.

Gracious Departing by Gwendolyn Wehage: Written in 1987

No predicament can be known more difficult,
Than braving the pain and anguish in seclusion.
Adversity subsides to a tolerable degree,
when family and friends commit to thee.

Unbearable they agony when absent thee be.
Cease not they sacrifice of love.
Choose gladly, encumbrance of time and space,
That loneliness of heart exhibit not upon thy face.

Not long have I to dwell upon this earth.
Support mine head and lift thou my spirits,
Only a glimpse of time shall this circumstance be,
Be thou a companion to me.

Let thine eyes cry on my behalf, the tears gladly shed.
Allow time to cease to be thine own,
Money; count it a trivilaity.

Look not upon thy sacrifice as severe,
but training for thy future.
Pray not a speedy death with dignity,
but rather, life with gracious dependency.
Gwendolyn Wehage 1987

Gospel in the Stars By Dave Hunt

The Gospel in the StarsHunt, Dave 

For the last several months, we have been calling attention to the alarming fact that even among evangelicals, in apparent fulfillment of Paul's warning concerning the last days, sound doctrine is being set aside in favor of myths . These are being foisted on the church by some of the most respected church leaders—and being embraced by millions of Christians, who seemingly have insufficient discernment to recognize today's deceptions. Most of these myths derive from "Christian psychology." This month we will consider one that does not: the seductive and dangerous idea of the "Gospel in the Stars."

This theory was popular in the late 1800s. Some of the books published then have lately been brought back into print, among them E. W. Bullinger'sWitness of the Stars and Joseph A. Seiss's The Gospel in the Stars . It is asserted that the signs of the zodiac were originally designed by God to communicate the "gospel"; that this "Gospel in the Stars" was known to those living before the flood; that it was later corrupted into astrology; and that the alleged recovery of the "gospel interpretation" of the zodiac is a great witness to God and His Word.

Not one shred of historical evidence can be offered in support of this theory. It is based not upon fact but speculation. Seiss even admits that the insights leading to his thesis came "in connection with his studies of the marvelous wisdom embodied in the Great Pyramid at El Giza" (p 5). The alleged "Gospel in the Stars" is simply a "Christian" interpretation of astrology and occultism, in the same class as pyramidology—and equally dangerous.

It is claimed that "by way of the Bible itself we reach the idea of the GOSPEL IN THE STARS" (Seiss, p. 13). Not so! While the Bible frequently states that the heavens are given for "signs," it never even implies that these "signs" present the gospel . The Bible indicates that creation reveals God's glory and power , which are "clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made" (Rom:1:20) and that "there is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard" (Ps:19:3). Never does it say that the heavens or any other part of creation declare the gospel . That is presented only by God's Word and preaching—and that not even by angels, but only by men.

The idea of "The Gospel in the Stars" puts an alleged witness from creation on a par with the revelations contained in the Bible. If this thesis is correct, then there are many places (Ps:19:1-4

, Rom:1:19-24

, Heb:1:1-2
, 2 Pt 1:21, etc.) where the Bible could have told us that the "gospel is in the stars"but it does not. Hebrews:1:1, for example, tells us that God "spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets" but fails to say that He also spoke in the stars. Why does the Bible never propose this idea? Obviously because creation witnesses to one thing, prophets to something else. The creation witnesses to God's eternal existence and power and wisdom; the Bible takes it from there and explains the gospel. This distinction is destroyed by asserting that the gospel is contained in the stars.

Actually, those who promote this myth admit that the gospel can't be seen in the stars themselves, but that it comes from a "Christianized" interpretation of the fanciful "signs" of the zodiac assigned by the ancients to certain constellations. Nor can these figures be seen in the natural formations of the stars; they are the arbitrary product of human imagination. D. James Kennedy, one of those who promote Seiss's thesis, admits in his sermon "The Gospel in the Stars" that "You can look at the stars in Virgo until you are green in the face and they would never look like a woman." And even if they did, one would not know from that "sign" that the Son of God and Savior of the world was to be born of a virgin—much less that He would die in our place and offer pardon for sin as a free gift of God's grace. One simply cannot derive the "gospel" from the starry heavens, or from any other part of creation!

Therefore, in no way can the alleged "Gospel in the Stars" be equated with what the Bible says the "heavens declare"—a message that Paul reminds us is "clearly seen" (Rom:1:20) and understood by all those who observe God's creation, no matter what their language (Ps:19:3). That this is not the case with the "Gospel in the Stars" is obvious. In fact, the very idea that the "gospel" is in the stars would never have entered the average Christian's (nor pagan's!) head from looking up at the starry heavens. Yet, in complete contradiction both of Scripture and common sense, it is declared that the gospel "in all its length and breadth, stands written upon the stars....(Seiss, p 14). The truth is that the alleged "Gospel in the Stars" is not contained in the stars at all. It is found only in the books that tell us about this supposed wonder of the heavens and pretend to give us the original meanings allegedly conveyed in ancient oral traditions—for which there can be found no historical evidence today.

Even the Southern Cross, which is the only constellation that really forms a somewhat recognizable figure (and thus is "Exhibit A" for those who promote this myth), fails on at least two counts. First of all, the "gospel" is not clear from looking at a cross. One can only wonder that evangelicals, who reject the notion that the gospel is preached by a cross in a church, would suggest that it is preached by a much less clearly formed "cross" in the sky. Even the physical meaning of such a symbol was unknown before Roman times; and to this day the spiritual meaning of the Cross is unknown to those who have never read the Bible or heard the gospel preached by men .

Secondly, the fact that the Old Testament doesn't even mention the Cross is reason enough to reject any suggestion that an oral tradition interpreting the stars presented that truth before Christ's advent. David's statement in Psalm 22 ("they pierced my hands and my feet") was only understood after its meaning had been revealed through its fulfillment in Christ. So even a "cross" clearly depicted in the stars could not possibly have conveyed the "gospel," which was not revealed until after Christ's crucifixion. How much less, then, could any other symbol do so—then or now!

To suggest that there was an oral tradition connected to the stars that presented the gospel , when even the Old Testament did not present it, puts oral tradition above Scripture and thus undermines God's Word. In the Genesis 3 statement by God that the seed of the woman would bruise the serpent's head, the gospel is contained only in embryo and in mystery, and was not understood until the New Testament revealed it. Even were the "signs of the zodiac" distinct, without the Bible, and with only the stars themselves to look at, no one could understand the gospel from them. In fact, the symbols of the zodiac have universally served to support occultism and astrology since the earliest times. To suggest that the "gospel" was their "original meaning" promotes a deadly delusion.

The word "gospel" is used 101 times in 95 verses in the Bible (all New Testament) and it is never associated with the stars or the witness of creation. The gospel is always preached by men and must be made perfectly clear for it to be of any effect. The alleged "Gospel in the Stars" fails on both counts. Moreover, Matthew:24:14, Mark:13:10, etc. indicate that the gospel must yet be preached to all nations, and thus it clearly had not been preached in the stars—certainly not in "all its length and breadth..." as Seiss, et al. enthusiastically but erroneously declare.

The Bible indicates that the gospel began to be preached with the advent of Christ (2 Tim:1:10). Paul refers to "the beginning of the gospel" (Philippians 4:15) and states that it had been a mystery until then " kept secret since the world began" (Rom:16:25). It is a contradiction of Scripture to suggest that for thousands of years before it was made clear in the Bible, the gospel had been proclaimed in an oral tradition associated with the stars. Yet Seiss claims that "men who lived almost a thousand years [i.e., those before the flood]" were taught the "gospel" by God from the stars. Then why did Christ, during His time in Hades, preach the gospel to those who had lived before the flood (see 1 Pt 3:19-20)—and why didn't Noah, in his preaching to these people before they died, present the "gospel" that was in the stars?

It just doesn't add up from any angle. Yet Seiss, for example, swept up in an enthusiasm that carried him far beyond facts and reason, expansively declared: "...all the great doctrines of the Christian faith were known, believed, cherished, and recorded [in the stars] from the earliest generations of our race, proving that God has spoken to man, and verily given him a revelation of truths and hopes precisely as written in our Scriptures, and so fondly cherished by all Christian believers" (p 15). That is quite simply false. And such speculation, far from supporting the Bible, actually undermines it and gives mankind an excuse to look to oral traditions instead of only to God's written Word.

If the "gospel in the stars" is biblical, why doesn't the Bible even once refer to it? Why didn't the prophets mention it for support and build upon it? Why on the day of Pentecost didn't Peter, who referred to signs in the sky (Acts:2:19), use this great "sign"? One would think that such a witness would have had a powerful effect upon Jews "who require a sign." Why didn't Paul, in reasoning with the Greeks at Athens (or in his many debates with unbelievers elsewhere), along with referring to what their "own poets have said" (Acts 17), mention this great "sign" in the heavens? Why didn't Jesus, who quoted so often from the Old Testament and continually used illustrations, make at least one reference to the gospel in the stars?

Such total silence throughout Scripture upon a topic that we are now told is of great value disproves this thesis. Notice that Paul, in reasoning with his audience from creation, did not go beyond what creation declares plainly to all and that which is known by all in their consciences. The very claim that the "gospel" is in the stars is inconsistent with the knowledge that Scripture attributes to creation and with the manner in which Christ and His apostles referred to creation for a witness. When it came to the gospel, Paul based what he said upon Scripture and Christ's life, death and resurrection—not upon the signs of the zodiac!

Why devote a newsletter to the "Gospel in the Stars"? We do so because this currently popular myth encourages a deadly mixture of humanism and Christianity—the very ecumenical/syncretistic delusion that is growing in our own day. It is similar to the "All truth is God's truth" myth that makes Freud, Jung and other godless humanists—or Buddha, Krishna, Mary Baker Eddy, et al.—legitimate sources of God's Truth. Preaching the gospel from the signs of the zodiac is like presenting it from Star Wars or other occultic stories, which some have done. Seiss himself fell into that trap.

In his chapter titled "The Suffering Redeemer," Seiss declares (p 38), "In the divine triad of Brahmanic deities the second, the Son, the One who became incarnate in the man-god Krishna, sits upon his throne cross-legged, holding the cross in his right hand; and he is the god of deliverance....It is the same story of deliverance and salvation through the Cross-bearer, the divine Son of the Virgin." This is the kind of syncretistic folly presented by such cults as Unity and Science of Mind, and which is now coming even into the evangelical church in so many ways. Though its promoters may be sincere, the "Gospel in the Stars" is just one more means of causing similar deadly confusion. Let's devote ourselves to the study of God's Word as our only and sufficient source of Truth! TBC

Gospel in the Stars

https://www.thebereancall.org/content/gospel-stars

Every so often there is a new heresy or interpretation of the Bible that becomes popular and takes root for a time and then dies out of conversation, however, in the process of dying from conversation, there are many who incorporate it into
their thinking as though it is fact and teach it as such.

One of those that I will touch on today is the notion that the gospel is demonstrated in the stars. This is a dangerous myth, that was resurrected from times past. There is nothing new under the sun, everything that emerges in modern day was tried and propagated in the past in one form or another.

It seems that the Bible is not enough for many "believers", that there is a need to have special new knowledge that others do not have. It is also an attempt to continually gain knowledge as a means of elevating self.

2 Timothy 3:6-7
"For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, always learning and never coming to a knowledge of the truth."

I get the impression that this verse is speaking of a lust for knowledge but not true knowledge that comes from God.

Everything that the next generation thinks is brand new, is just old regurgitated paganism. Satan must re-introduce his lies with each new generation, making them think that they have something special, appealing to the ego and pride is the business of our enemy and the enemy of Christ.

Godly men of old did not miss this "hidden" wisdom as so many gullible women think, but they possessed the Holy Spirit and could and did have the whole truth.

John 16:13 "But when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come."

A very good article on the subject of "Gospel in the Stars" is below.


https://www.thebereancall.org/content/gospel-stars