Wenner's Words

The Truth about our political situation.

2011-01-14T09:45:00.000-08:00

Warfare does not necessarily mean that you have to shoot someone. Warfare is the act of using force to try to take someone's, life, liberty or livelihood or to impose your prospective against their will. Wars happen because one group seeks to take or to impose and the other group resist the taking or the imposition. Force is not necessarily just a direct threat against some one's life, it can also be a lie that seeks to deceive, or to seek to intimidate and silence, the use of laws and regulations in an unjust manner, it is whatever means you use to take and make someone comply with your agenda against their will. Warfare always has the same result it is someone is killed, or captured and enslaved, or their goods and livelihood taken.

The radical left is making war against the American people! It is high time we wake up and call it what it really is. When they seek to silence and intimidate those who believe in the principles which this nation was founded on by calling us extremist, when they seek to take more and more of our property and liberty in order to advance their agenda, when they seek to pit one group against another, when they seek to indoctrinate our children with their godless perspectives, when they seek to force us to acknowledge that sinful lifestyles are normal, and impose a view of marriage on us that goes against God, are they not making war against us.

When they seek to undermine the American constitution, when they seek to advance a global socialist agenda, when they try to tell us what we can eat, what we must drive, what kind of health care we must buy, when they tell us one thing during an election campaign and do the opposite, when they use the evil actions of a nutcase in Arizona to advance their agendas by blaming it on their political enemies with no evidence to prove their point, when they seek to take the means of self defense away from law abiding citizens, when they attack our nation and defend our enemies, when they seek to silence us through political correctness and defining opposing speech as hate speech they are making war against us and the united states.

They may not be shooting a gun at us but they are using every deceitful means possible to undermine our way of life and our nation and create a global socialist government. We need to recognise that this is not the work of those who have our best interest at heart, this is the work of people who wish to impose a new system and way of life that they will dictate to us. Sun Zu in the art of war said, know your enemy”. We can not know our enemy if we will not even acknowledge that we have an enemy, as long as we bury our heads in the sand and deny what is happening, we are being conquered. Our life, liberty and pursuit of happiness are in grave danger.

Now when I use the term war I am not advocating that we take up arms against anyone. We have to realize that politics is warfare by peaceful means. Until we come to the place that we understand that the left is making war against us, politically, we will continue to be like sheep led to the slaughter. We must use the vehicles that the framers of the Constitution gave us and engage in this war or we will be plunged into the darkness of tyranny.

If we love the comfort of our lives so much that we fail to resist the evil that is growing amongst us what are we saying to the founders of this nation who were willing to lay down their lives and sacred honor in order to give us the freedoms that we enjoy. If Patrick Henry was willing to say, “give me liberty or give me death”, the question is what will we be willing to say when it has not even come to that.

Just like our founding fathers we must all pledge our lives and sacred honors so that the freedoms that we enjoy can be passed on to the next generation of Americans. In the heat of battle we must keep our heads and not resort to violence unless open violence is committed against us. We must not stoop to the level of our enemies an use their unethical means, but we must employ every righteous weapon in our arsenal, especially the truth.

Knowing our enemies means that we must not be gullible but must have a healthy distrust of politicians and the media. Only if they prove themselves true to the freedoms of America should they be supported. We must work to un-elect any politician that seeks to undermine the Constitution and must work to elect politicians that share our values. If we do not support media outlets that prove themselves as anti-American, and supporting the leftist agenda, they will fail, because advertisers will cease to support them. Other media outlets will emerge to take their place that serve the interests of the American people.

We must teach our children how to recognize propaganda when it is being disseminated so that they are equipped to also engage in this battle and are not casualties. We must begin in our communities to help our neighbors and friends to see that the principles upon which this country was founded are the only way that their freedoms can be preserved. In these days we must be willing to speak and understand that we may be call or thought of as extremists, but that should not concern us, because if liberty is extreme, what is tyranny?

The Constitution and Authority

2011-01-12T08:27:00.000-08:00

The Constitution and Authority

The Constitution makes our Nation Exist

If you want to know what defines the United States of America, it is the Constitution. It is the very definition for our existence. In other words our founding father sat down and defined for all generations what this new country would be. Our very existence as a nation is based upon the words of this document. It is the authority by which we are governed as free People. It is the authority by which our leaders rule and pass laws that we as a society submit. As imperfect a system as this is, it has worked very well. We have for the most part had 250 years of peaceful transitions of power.

Governments must have a basis for power. No government can exist apart from some thing that gives the ruler the right to rule. Now that basis has differed throughout history and nations. In some societies some families gained the right to rule and this would be passed on to father to son, or daughter. In other societies a mans wisdom and ability would give him the right to lead and he would be called chief because of the demonstration of his ability. But in most cases through out human history the sword has been the basis of power. Men took power, from others they deemed there inferiors and then used the power of the sword to enforce there will on the people. The people were forced to submit to their will at the threat of death. History is littered with the tyrannical exercise of the power of the sword.
Shortly before the founding of our nation men began to dream of a new basis for power one in which freedom of the individual would be protected, the power of the state would be limited, and the will of the people would be supreme. What they came up with was a social contract. These two definitions from Wikipedia are a good starting point for our discussion, “The notion of the social contract implies that the people give up sovereignty to a government or other authority in order to receive or maintain social order through the rule of law. It can also be thought of as an agreement by the governed on a set of rules by which they are governed.”
A social contract was unique because it recognized that authority for the government came not from the governor, but from the “consent of the people”. Before that there was some basis forced onto the people and in most cases it was the power of the sword or as Mao said “the barrel of a gun”.

Our system is a social contract! We the sovereign people of the United States have consented to be governed based upon this document and this document alone. It defines our rights as the citizens of this great nation. It defines how governors will govern, the limits of the authority that they can impose upon us.

Our society does not exist apart from this document nor is there any authority to govern apart from it. That is why when I joined the Marine Corps, I was asked to pledge to defend the Constitution against all enemies both foreign and domestic. All leaders in the federal government take the same oath. Notice they do not pledge to defend the government of the United States, why because the only reason that the authority of the government exists is because of this social contract that defines their authority. Apart from their adherence to its dictates their authority does not exist, and no one is bound to obey any law that is not in accordance with it.

Why the left is playing with fire when they try to get rid of the constitution.

When officials seek to view the constitution as an obstacle to whatever agenda they want to impose upon us they are undermining the very basis of their authority. If some governor succeeded in setting aside this document there would be no basis for their authority and our nation would cease to exist. Any law that they passed would not have to be obeyed by anyone, any regulations that they imposed would be irrelevant. The former citizens of the united States would not be bound to their rule at all. Why because in our nation the constitution defines that authority.

Those who dream of a better world apart from the words of this document have evil motives because they are actually trying to impose some other basis for governance upon the
American people and as we see from human history in most cases it has been the power of the sword. The existence of power apart from the tyranny of the sword has been rare. The only way that rulers held onto power before the innovation of the social contract was to tyrannize their citizens; to tread on their individual liberties and to impose authority on the people.

Most societies degenerated into generations of civil war and strife because the only basis for power was the sword an often there are two if not three leaders who all wield that power at once. This is what happened in the Roman Republic after the republic could not maintain control they gave control to the dictator Cesar Augustus who gladly wielded the power of the sword to maintain control. In successive generations the Roman Empire would degenerate into civil war after civil war.

What we are asking for if we think the constitution is irrelevant, is for a different basis for authority. Now today there are groups of leaders who deem themselves the ruling class. They think because they have gone to the best educational institutions, and come from the best socialist educations that they will be wise enough to create the Utopian dream of the Marxists. They see the Constitution as an obstacle to their “right to rule” and they are seeking to undermine it at every turn. They belittle the American people and the Christian basis for our society. In their madness they have deem themselves as the authorities of our nation, and imagine that they will be wise enough to create what others have failed to create. They see their vision as compelling because they foolishly think that they can create to perfect world by their own wisdom. But what will they create? They will only succeed in creating another terrible tyranny that will abuse the rights of the individuals and be another terrible black spot on human history.

Why we must not surrender to tyranny!

If they succeed in their mad schemes of destroying the authority of the Constitution they are really succeeding in destroying our nation, because our nation is the Constitution. It is not the courts, or congress, or the president, it is the Constitution that causes our Nation to exist. All authority within our nation must subscribe to it or it is not applicable to the American people. All laws that are past must be in accordance with it or they are not relevant to the American people.

Anyone who tries to govern apart from it are illegitimate and the American people are not bound to their authority. In essence if we under mine it we are asking for a terrible power struggle in which millions will die, because the only basis left will be “the barrel of a gun” and force. When they seek to undermine it they are really stealing authority from the people and seeking to take if for themselves.

Politics in reality is warfare by peaceful means and the only way it can remain peaceful is when the basis for our society is respected by all. It is when our Constitution is respected and upheld that our political system will continue to function as the founders of this country envisioned. Political discussion and disagreement are not bad but good, and when we can disagree without resorting to violence we are fulfilling the social contract that has served us so well for 250 years.

If we the people surrender our “right to rule” and the Constitution we are really submitting to tyranny. We must look to the wisdom not of men but of God to guide us or we will plunge into darkness in which the human race will not emerge from on its own. If there is one lesson that we must draw from it is that our freedoms that we enjoy are fragile and non-existent in human history. For our system we should be grateful.

Steven Wenner

A poem of the second coming

2011-01-10T10:26:00.000-08:00

A day is drawing near
that will fill men's heart with fear,
The sun and moon will fail
and darkness will prevail
The people of the earth will fear,
because the know their doom is near.
They'll cry to the rock to fall on them
and save them from the coming lamb.

Though the darkness causes fear,
we will know his comings near.
We will lift our head to the sky,
causes his glory is drawing neigh
He has told us ahead of time,
So that you would not fall asleep,
but watch and wait for his comings sure
and keep your lantern on.

Though trouble draws near
and will False Christ's will appear,
Wars and famine rage
and the world begins to sake,
though the oceans rise with foam,
remember this earth is not our home.
His glory will soon appear the time is drawing near.

Persecutions and trials will arise,
because the Devil know his time,
he will cause the nations to rage,
their hatred will not be known
know that these things must happen
But the end is yet to come
so do not let them silence you, and
and trust Christ as your own.

But for us who know the Lord,
we will look for our reward,
The glory of our coming king,
oh what joy that will bring.
The moments drawing near,
so free your heart from fear.
Watch and wait and persevere,
His glory will soon appear.

Why sign stealing is not a small matter.

2011-01-10T08:55:00.001-08:00

Why sign stealing is not a small matter.

Dear Beverly Review;

I would like to address the issue of stealing political signs. Sign stealing may seem like a small matter, almost a kids game, but in reality it is a evil act, an act of warfare against the freedoms of your fellow citizens. Oppression comes in many forms, it can come from the barrel of a gun, or passing of laws that takes away freedom, or from neighbors who want to silence the free speech of those who disagree with them. They may seem to all be of different categories, but in reality they all accomplish the same evil end which is to attempt to enslave, oppress, and silence another.

America is built on the principle of freedom. We have all been “endowed by our creator with certain inalienable rights, life liberty and the pursuit of happiness”. What makes a system of democracy work and not degenerate into a civil war is when the society respects and upholds the rights of others. That does not mean that we all have to agree, but freedom demands that I respect your right to disagree with me. A civil and just society can only exist when the rights of everyone in the society are respected and we peacefully accept the out come of our exercise in democracy.

What surprises me is that a majority of people in this neighborhood would call themselves Christians, and yet this sort of thing goes on perpetuated by Christian people. The main problem from a Christian perspective it is a failure to love your neighbor as yourself. Loving my neighbor as myself means I treat there opinion the same way I want them to treat mine. If I steal his sign, I am stealing his free speech, I steal his liberty, and that is not loving my neighbor.
We have the privilege of all participating in our great democratic system this spring. The question isn’t who will win or lose but what type of people will we be when the election is over. If I win by cheating I have really lost, because I have lost something far worst than losing an election, I have lost my soul. When we allow this type of thing to go one we also lose the spirit and power of our great democratic system and the sense of community that can only be present when we respect and love our neighbors.

Steven Wenner

What is the limitations of the Power of the state?

2011-01-10T08:53:00.001-08:00

What is the limitations of the Power of the state?

Romans 13 is a passage that has been used and abuse to say that Christians are obligated to obey the state no matter what. Is this true? Was Paul saying that a Christian had to obey Nero no matter what? I have had that addressed to me at different times in my ministry and have personally struggled with that issue.

It is interesting if you look at the Declaration of Independence, this question was in view when the founding fathers of our nation succeeded from England. The King of England was a big fan of Romans 13 meaning that a Christian was obligated to give unlimited submission to the state. The Colonist were writing a document from the belief that the King of England in the Abuse of his power had abdicated his right to rule.

I believe that this question is relevant today because there is the idea present that “The Church and the State should be separated” and that the Church really has nothing to say to the state. Religious ideas in some circles are not welcome in the state and there is a concerted effort to say that only secular ideas are welcomed.

This of course is not what the Constitution means, The meaning of the first amendment was to keep the government from establishing religion, not from keeping religious ideas out of the state. It seems to me that this current interpretation actually is the violation of the Constitution because it establishes secularism as the official religion of the state and secularism is a religion that is in direct opposition to Christianity.

What is the obligation of the state according to Romans 13? It is good that we start there because if we do not have a firm understanding of this we can not accurately understand the obligation of the Christian in relationship to the state. The purpose of the state is to encourage right and punish evil (Romans 13:3-5). In other words the state has the obligation to protect individuals from Evil and to encourage them to do good.

What is good and what is evil according to God? You would have to go back to the 10 commandments for this definition if you really want to know what is good and what is evil. The first 4 of the commandments relate to God and the second 6 are related to man. So good is, faith in God, and evil would be to hinder religion or promote secularism. Then as far as it goes in relationship to man, you have the other six commandments what is good according to the commandments: obedience to parents, respect for life, respect for morality in Marriage, respect of private property, promoting the truth, contentment with what you have. We can see that a good government promotes family, protects life, this includes the unborn, promotes morality in marriage, protects private property, and promotes truth rather than lies and propaganda.

So if government becomes opposed to these things: faith in God, the family and marriage, does not protect life, takes away and no longer protects private property, and promotes lies rather than the truth. Isn’t it ceasing to serve its God given function? If the government passes laws that are in opposition to what is right, are we as Christians obligated to obey those laws? The answer is no! In fact a Christian is obligated to disobey those laws.

In Acts 5 we have the incident recorded of Peter and the Apostles being told that they can not preach in Jesus’ name and their response is to disobey the government, why because the government had overstepped its God given authority and had become opposed to God. During the Nazi occupation of Holland Christians hid Jews from the Nazis because God’s law was higher than mans and saving life is the most important thing that we can do.

If the government orders Pastors to perform Homosexual marriages we must decline because that would be a violation of God’s law and we must obey God rather than man. If Doctors are forced to commit Abortion they should refuse even if they lose their medical license because they must obey God rather than man. If parents are told that they must not teach there kids about God we must disobey these laws because God’s law is higher.

The point that I am making is that, God’s law is highest and all human laws must be subject to God’s laws or Christian should not obey them. Human government is limited by God, God has not given the state unlimited power to abuse it citizens or to hinder their relationship with Him. So were our founding fathers of America wrong in Rebelling against the King of England? No they listed his abuses and then established a new government that would encourage the right and punish evil doers

Blessings Pastor Wenner

Constitution and the Reality of Evil.

2011-01-10T08:30:00.000-08:00

I hear today more and more people questioning the wisdom of the Constitution as the basis for our society. They say that it is an old irrelevant document of a bunch of misguided men. Men who really did not understand the true pathway to freedom and a better and more just society. “Today we know better, we know because of men like Marx and Engel told us how to create a better society”. “We know if we just follow their path we will end up with a Utopian society in which justice will prevail”, is the modern mantra. They say that the individual rights in the Constitution should be replaced with a more compassionate corporate rights that would benefit the society as a whole.

The question is are individual rights irrelevant should we abandon them for the good of the society as a whole? Is it good for society to deny individual rights in order to create a more just and equable society? Is that even possible apart from individual rights? These are the questions that we are face with in every generation.

To me the answer to all of these questions are answered in human history. Every evil act that we learn about from history is because societies did not respect individual rights. Whether it was the slavery and conquests of the Roman Empire, the plunder and murder of the vikings, the Inquisition of the Papacy, the various holocausts of the Jews, the oppression of the Czars in Russia, the murderous rampage of the Nazis and the Japanese, the gulags of the Communists, all these were failures to respect and uphold individual rights. The leaders in all these case deemed what they thought was right for the good of the society, (and that is always what is best for the leader in reality) and atrocities were committed on individuals. Every evil act is an act against an individual. It is ultimately individuals for whatever reason that bear the brunt of the “good of the society”.
What we have to realize is that the body count from governments is far greater than what anything individuals can do. As bad as the evil actions of individuals, whether it is Columbine, or Murrah Federal building, or the recent shooting in Arizona of the Congresswomen, all these pale in comparison to what Governments have done in the name of “good”. Just a cursory glance at human history and you will see that the greatest atrocities are committed by governments. You may say that we can name the culprits but in reality all the evil kings of the world have been governors. My point exactly.

When governments gain absolute power over their citizens there is the potential for absolute evil. Lord Acton said it best “"Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men." The men who founded this country as imperfect as they were lived with the consciousness of the atrocities of the Kings and Queens of England. The tea incident was just the last straw in a string of Abuses that had been inflicted on people by the rulers of England.

The genius of the founders of this country was they limited the power of government. They created a system that gave individuals rights and limited the power of governors under the law. By binding all men to the law they limited the evil that man could do in the name of the state. You might say “but the United States is still a nation guilty of evil”, and I would say that is true, but our system is always been self correcting because it is based on Laws and individual rights. If you look at our country, slavery was abolished, Jim Crow laws repealed, Governors have gone to jail, why because ultimately the individual rights that our system guarantees have prevailed. People have prevailed when they demand the rights that our bill of rights and Constitution articulated. In fact I would argue that the evil that the US is guilty of was a failure to give individuals the rights that were guaranteed by our system.

If we think that some how our system is flawed, and maybe we can make a better one, I would ask you to examine where the real flaw lies. Does the flaw lie with the system, or does the flaw lie with the people? This is the great philosophical question I believe that we are debating today. Is it individuals who do evil or systems that do evil: or does the system merely give evil individuals a greater or lessor capacity for evil? The socialists, Marxists, and the Statest Liberals are quick to blame the system, “it is evil capitalism that creates the evil that we see in the world”. If this is true as they claim why did socialism, Marxism, and stateism of the 20th century do so much more evil than Capitalism? If you think global socialism is the solution that you think will solve the worlds problems then why is the body count from communism (socialism) so high.

Why should we trust a system that has proven itself to be more evil then the one that we have? It seems to me that you have to aggagerate the evil of America to even come close to the evil committed by the Soviet Union, and Communist China. Even if you say that our wars to defend our economic interest around the world, slavery, racism, ect. are terrible, and they are. You don’t even come close to the body count of the communism which is around 160,000,000. The problem is the system, when it gives evil individuals such a great potential for evil; the results are always the same, great evil! I would rather live with a limited potential for evil than give into a system that has the terrible potential for evil apart for a system laws that defend individual rights.

Only a system of law and of protection of individual right can serve this purpose because it limits the power and authority of government. In other words as imperfect as our system is we should want to live under the system where men are free and evil is limited. The whole idea that we can create the perfect world if we just had the right person is a pipe dream. History is littered with evil men who claimed to be “the right person” and who did evil in the name of good.

Remember we are stuck with any “Messiah” that we empower. If we think that some leader has the answers to our problems, that belief may not be played out in time the way, we hope in the moment. Once you go down the path way to following men rather than laws there is no turning back and the potential for evil is great. This has played out in human history over and over again, when the Russian people gave in to the Marxist, in reality they submitted to a greater evil than the Czars. When the German people followed Hitler and gave their rights to this “savior” little did they know they were submitting to the destruction of their nation and death of millions. Every leader has proven to be a false hope, why because they in reality are just as screwed up as you are. The potential for evil that is in your heart is in theirs as well.

The reality that we all must face is that we all need help, but in reality help from another human being will prove to be a false hope. Only God has the solution to our problems that is why over and over again we are warned in the scriptures of trusting men. Psalm 118:8 “it is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man. 9 it is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes.” Psalm 146:3 “do not put your trust in princes, in mortal men, who cannot save.” Only when we look to God can we in reality find the solutions to our problems.

I don’t know about you but I am sticking with the Constitution and looking to God.

Steven Wenner

Psalm 146

2009-07-11T04:44:00.000-07:00

Our politics becomes idolatry when we look to leaders to solve our problems. Psalm 146 reminds us that only God can ultimately be our source of hope. When we look to Government and not God we only end up with confusion and greater destruction. We in the united states of America are seeing the destruction of our country because we have made our leaders god and trusted in them. Everything that they say they can do will ultimately fail. I found it amazing this week that at the G8 summit the leaders we talking about lowering global temperatures 2 degrees. What stupidity to thing that they have the power to lower the Earths temperature. That is only something that the God who created the universe can do. Read Psalm 146 and change your perspective.

“1 ¶ Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, O my soul! 2 I will praise the LORD while I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being. 3 Do not trust in princes, In mortal man, in whom there is no salvation. 4 His spirit departs, he returns to the earth; In that very day his thoughts perish. 5 ¶ How blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, Whose hope is in the LORD his God, 6 Who made heaven and earth, The sea and all that is in them; Who keeps faith forever; 7 Who executes justice for the oppressed; Who gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets the prisoners free. 8 The LORD opens [the eyes of] the blind; The LORD raises up those who are bowed down; The LORD loves the righteous; 9 The LORD protects the strangers; He supports the fatherless and the widow, But He thwarts the way of the wicked. 10 The LORD will reign forever, Your God, O Zion, to all generations. Praise the LORD!” (Psalms 146:1-10 NAS95)

If you are looking to government to solve your problems you will be sadly disappointed but if you are looking to the God of Israel who sent his Son Jesus into the world to save the world than you will have success. Only God can solve man's problems and meet man's needs.

We need a new Movement

2009-07-07T05:28:00.001-07:00

What I am proposing is a new movement; we will call "Fresh Blood". It will be a grassroots movement to educate voters on the need to vote out incumbents after 2 terms in office. In stead of mandatory term limits we will have voter imposed term limits. The main problem in politics today is we have an ever increasingly powerful political class. The longer they are in office the more corrupt they become. What "Fresh blood" would do would advocate that voters discipline themselves to resist the siren songs of the politicians and move them along. The good ones will move into ever higher office the bad ones will move into the private sector where they belong. This is the only way that we can save our political system. I live in Cook, county and Chicago. If we do not begin now the whole country will become like this place. We need to break our old allegiances to party and have an alliances to country. Both parties are rotten to the core because we the voters have put our hope in them It is time for voters to discipline themselves to quit believing the lies of the professional politicians and give some Fresh blood a chance to mess up the country.

The Spirit of the Age unmasked

2009-07-02T06:17:00.000-07:00

This was so insightful I had to share it with my blog. This is from Salt and Light
Living the Sermon on the Mount Eberhard Arnold Page 128 A Chapter called "the Decision" I just think this quote unmasks the Spirit of the age in which we are living. Arnold's book is available on the Internet. This spirit of lies and propaganda comes from Satan.

"The devil desperately tries to keep this truth hidden. He is not the father of Jesus, who is the truth; he is the father of lies. It is important for us to recognize that, wherever lies dominate, religious falsehood prevails, which has nothing to do with Jesus and his God but with the god of this world, with Satan and the spirit that controls the children of unbelief.
Lying in any form comes from below, and most terrifying of all is the religious lie, which is always closely tied to people’s disposition to murder. It discloses the nature of hell. Think of the two World Wars and the media during the wars; or think of the revolutionary struggles and the news of that time, and you will see that everywhere the lying spirit and murder are bound to one another. Every spirit that is out to kill comes from the devil. Every spirit that untruthfully belittles the opponent, that is silent about the good in his nature and exaggerates the bad, comes from below."

2009-01-05T13:59:00.000-08:00

My Sermon on Sunday was from 2 Peter 1:3-11 entitled "Wise Advise for the New Year". This was an significant message for me because I felt

2009-01-05T13:36:00.000-08:00

This is my Daughter Janelle with the Russian M91/30 Mosin Nagant 7.62 x 54R WWII Battle Rifle. She did a great job shotting cans off a log.

The Language of the 2nd Coming

2008-02-16T20:33:00.000-08:00

The Language of the 2^nd Coming

Many today teach the Pre-Trib Rapture of the Church as if it is a doctrine taught by the Scriptures. The pre-Trib teaching is that Christ comes back secretly at the beginning of the tribulation and catches up his Saints and brings them back to heaven where they will be protected for seven years during the tribulation. Then at the end of the great tribulation Christ will come back with the Saints and establish his kingdom reign over the earth.

What I want to do in this article is examine this teaching and see if it stands up to the scrutiny of scripture. The passage that is used most in reference to the rapture is 1 Thessalonians 4: 13-18. In this passage we read,

“13 ¶ But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. 15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming (Parousia) of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up (hapozo) together with them in the clouds to meet (apantesis) the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words”

The word rapture in the passage comes from the idea of being caught up. The word means to up and is a fairly common word used in the New Testament but used only here in reference to the second coming of Christ. When does Paul say that we will be caught up to be with Christ in the air? Paul makes it very clear in verse 15 that that will not happen until the coming of Christ. Paul uses a word in Greek that is a noun form of the verb coming or Parousia. What is the Parousia of Christ and will this help us know what exactly Paul is teaching here in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18? Because Paul is saying that we will be caught up at the Parousia of Christ and not before. Let us look at some other places in the New Testament were this word is used in reference to the New Testament and see exactly what it is referring to.

The word is used 24 times in the New Testament 15 times are used in reference to the second coming of Christ. The word means, a coming, a presence. It means the arrival of someone in person to be present with them. It's used in 2 Corinthians 7:6 in reference to the coming of Titus and the comfort that that coming brought to the apostle Paul. In 1 Thessalonians 5:23 Paul writes, "now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming (Parousia) of our Lord Jesus Christ." Here again Paul is wishing that the Thessalonians would be found faithful when Jesus Christ comes to be present with them. In other words he is coming to where we are and he will be present with us here on earth.

The next passage in which Paul uses this word is 2 Thessalonians 2:1, 8 let's see how Paul uses this word here in this context in order to see what Paul means by the Parousia of Christ. Paul says,

"Now we request you, brother in with regard to the coming (Parousia) of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to him, 2 that you not be quickly shaken from your confidence or disturbed by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us to the effect that the day of the Lord has already come. 3 Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called God or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the Temple of God, displaying himself as being God. 5 Do you not remember that while I was still with you, I was telling you these things? 6 and you know what restrains him now, so that in this time he will be revealed for the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way 8 Then the lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of his mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of his coming (Parousia)"

Paul tells us two things about the Parousia that is very important to our understanding of the timing of the rapture. The first is that the Parousia will not happen until the lawless one is revealed (vv 1-3). What does Paul mean by the revelation of the lawless one? If you take this verse to mean the revelation of the lawless one Christ ties this to the abomination that causes desolation which is the middle of the seven years.

In Matthew 24: 15 Christ says, "therefore when you see the abomination of desolation which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet standing in the holy place let the reader understand. Christ makes the point of identification of the Antichrist (lawless one) this appearance in the holy place. If we put both of these passages together we will not know that we are dealing with the Antichrist for the first 3 1/2 years of Daniels 70th week (Daniel 9:27). Christ is the one who tells us about the great tribulation and he places it after the revelation of the Antichrist (lawless one) in the holy place.

If you just take this first point that Paul makes you have to conclude that the Parousia will not occur till after the middle of the 70th week of Daniel. In other words we are not to expect the rapture of the church to occur before the 70th week of Daniel begins but we are to expect at after the revelation of the lawless one which is the middle. Already we have ruled out that Christ comes back to rapture his Saints before the seven years begins.

The second point that Paul makes is that the Parousia of Christ will slay the lawless one. Verse eight clearly teaches this in fact Paul is making it clear that the Parousia is not a secret coming of Christ but a visible one because he says, "Then the lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord (Jesus Christ) will slay with the breath of his mouth and bring to an end by the appearance (epiphany) of his coming (Parousia)." If you take the book of revelation you find that this occurs in chapter 19 where Christ is pictured on a white horse with a sword coming out of his mouth slaying the armies of earth. The lawless one is the beast and the false prophet who Christ throws alive into the Lake of fire. This means that now we have to conclude that the Parousia will not happen until after the tribulation. Just taking these two points together we find that Paul is teaching the identical post-trib doctrine that Christ teaches in Matthew chapter 24.

Matthew 24 also uses the word of Parousia in four places: verse 3, verse 27, verse 37 and 39. Verse three of Matthew 24 gives us the whole context that Jesus is teaching. "And as he was sitting on the Mount of olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, tell us when will these things happen and what will be the sign of your coming (Parousia), and of the end of the age?" In other words the question that the disciples are asking is what will be the sign of your Parousia. And so the rest of the teaching of Matthew 24 is the signs that the disciples should expect that would lead up to the Parousia of Christ.

That means that the Parousia will not be some sudden occurrence that will happen apart from predetermined signs that we as believers are to watch for. Many today teach that there is nothing that must occur before Jesus will come back and rapture his Saints. But Jesus clearly in Matthew 24 gives his disciples signs that they are to look for prior to his Parousia. Jesus told them that the world would be marked by certain characteristics before he comes back such as: false christs, wars and rumors of wars, famines and earthquakes in various places, persecution and apostasy, the completion of the great commission (verse 14 This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, then the end will come.), the appearance of the abomination that causes desolation (the Antichrist, lawless, one verse 15) the time of the great tribulation (16-21), and cataclysms in the Sun moon and the stars immediately prior to the sign of the visible coming of Christ (29-30). Jesus gives all of these signs in response to the disciples questions "what will be the sign of your Parousia".

Jesus tells us something else about his Parousia in verse 27, "for just as the lightning comes from the East and flashes even to the West, so will the coming (Parousia) of the Son of Man be." Jesus here is saying that his coming will be visible like lightning. Jesus contrasts this teaching in verse 27 with a false christs who will suddenly appear on the scene of earth's history claiming to be the Christ. In other words we are not to believe anyone's claim to being the Christ and less they come from heaven like lightning. Christ is clearly teaching us that the Parousia will light up the sky like lightning.

This of course is pictured for us in verses 29 to 31 where we read, “But immediately after the tribulation of those days the Sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heaven will be shaken. And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming (verbal form of coming erchomai) on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. And he will send forth his Angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together his elect from the four winds from the end of the sky to the other." Notice when Christ says this will occur very clearly he says after the tribulation of those days which Jesus in verse 21 called the great tribulation. In other words Jesus is saying that the Parousia will happen after the great tribulation.

The final way which Parousia is used in Matthew 24 is to speak of it as sudden judgment upon the world. In verses 37-39 Jesus says, for the coming (Parousia) of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the Ark, and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming (Parousia) of the Son of Man be." Jesus here is teaching that just as the flood of Noah's day brought the suddenness of judgment upon the world so his Parousia will bring the suddenness of judgment upon the world. In other words the Parousia will and not you're a the time of God's wrath upon the world.

This is exactly what the apostle Paul teaches us in two Thessalonians 1: 5-10 where we read, “5 ¶ This is a plain indication of God’s righteous judgment so that you will be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which indeed you are suffering. 6 For after all it is only just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, 7 and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, 8 dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, 10 when He comes to be glorified in His saints on that day, and to be marveled at among all who have believed—for our testimony to you was believed.” Paul is clearly teaching that the second coming of Christ will accomplish two things, the salvation of the believers and the destruction of the unbelievers. For the believer it will be a time of great joy in the presence of Christ at his visible coming for the unbeliever it will be a time of under the wrath of Christ who will destroy them with an eternal destruction.

We have learned that the ing away of the Saints will be at the Parousia of Christ. We have seen that the Parousia of Christ will not occur until after the revealing of the Antichrist and that the Parousia of Christ will bring about the destruction of the Antichrist. We have seen that the Parousia of Christ will be preceded by signs, culminating with the visible appearance of Christ where Christ will gather his elect to him (Matthew 24:31) and I'm not great the time of judgment upon the world. This clearly means that there is no pre-Trib rapture of the church before the 70th week of Daniel begins. Paul's use of the word Parousia always refers to the visible second coming of Christ and not to some secret coming prior to Daniel 70th week.

2008-02-12T12:52:00.000-08:00

God’s Vision and Interpretation of Human History: an Exegesis of Daniel Chapter 7

Background for Daniel's Dream

In Daniel Chapter 7, Daniel is given a great and glorious vision and interpretation of human history, and how his vision will affect the Saints. The first part of Daniel chapter 7 Daniel is given in God's vision for history (versus 1-14). The vision came to Daniel in 553 B.C44 years after Daniel had been taken into captivity. He first tells us, "that in the first year of Belshazzar King of Babylon Daniel saw a dream and the visions in his mind as he lay on his bed; then he wrote a the dream down and related the following summary of it". Daniel in a very dramatic dream is given what would be the course of human history. Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has died his son Nabonidus has gone off to Arabia to found a new city where he can gaze at the stars and has left his son Belshazzar in charge of the city of Babylon.

Daniels vision Of Human History

If we were to ask ourselves the question what was Daniels vision for human history? Daniel was taken into captivity in 597 B.C. when Nebuchadnezzar had first come to the city and taken many of the young men captive and in 586 B.C. Nebuchadnezzar had finally destroyed the city of Jerusalem. Daniels vision for human history was the revival of the nation of Israel we know that because in chapter 9 we find that Daniel is praying for the revival of Jerusalem. Daniel as any Jew would have been hoping that God would restore Israel back to its former glory that David and Solomon had raised it to. This vision is shocking to Daniel because it is not a vision of the earthly glory of the nation of Israel but rather a picture of Israel ted by the nations until the end of the age. This was not what Daniel was expecting so it caused him great distress.

If we have the wrong vision of human history we also will be disappointed. God gives us a clear picture of the future where we are going and where we will end up, so that we don't mistake the journey for the destination. The destination is ultimately the rule of God over the earth and the preeminence of Israel over the nations but in this vision it will not happen the way Daniel expects. Israel will not be restored immediately to its former glory but instead will be a third rate power caught up in the political intrigues of human history.

This is a shocking picture for us as American Christians because it tells us that the goal of human history is not the greatness of America and the coming of democracy to bring peace to the world but this is merely a sideshow on the journey to the fulfillment of the final goal of history which is the rule of God over all the earth. If we don't understand this vision of history we will be sidetracked by our place in history and so we need this vision just as Daniel needed this vision to see where we are going and what will be the final destination. America will ultimately be destroyed the final beast kingdom that Daniel sees will come and destroy our nation.

St. Augustine had the exact situation in mind when he wrote about in The City of God. The Christian’s of his day’s faith was shaken because Rome was sacked but not destroyed. Christians of Augustine's day had thought that Rome was the final destination for all of human history. And Augustine reminds his reader that it is merely a stop on the train of God's plan for human history and that the ultimate goal was the kingdom of God not the kingdom of men.

We also need this reminder or we can become so worldly minded that we are of no heavenly good. We can become so absorbed with our lives with our property with our health with our kids and with the enjoyment of our lives that we forget that where we are is only the journey and not the destination. In many ways this vision is a reminder that we are aliens and strangers headed for an eternal city that is our final destination. Let's now turn to the vision that Daniel is given for human history.

The Vision the Daniel Was Given.

Daniel in his night vision sees the four winds of heaven stirring up the great sea. Now the great sea can either mean the Mediterranean Sea or it can be a metaphor for the nations of the world. But right from the beginning of this vision we see God over the flow and course of human history, God is stirring up the great sea, God's winds are blowing upon the nations, God is causing one beast after another to rise and conquer the previous beast. Daniel sees the four great beasts coming up out of the sea each different from the other (verse 3). We are going to see that each of these beasts represents empires that impact the people of God and they extend all the way until the end of the age.

The Babylonian Empire

The first beast that Daniel sees was like a lion and it had wings like an Eagle. How would have Daniel understood this image? Daniel would have immediately understood this as a symbol for the kingdom of Babylon which was currently ruling the world. Every day as Daniel entered the city of Babylon through the Ishtar gate he would've passed 120 winged lions on the walls. This image would've immediately told Daniel that he was looking at the kingdom of Babylon.

Daniel in this description of the winged lion is reminded of God even over the greatest of rulers. We are told "I kept looking until its wings were plucked off and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on 2 feet like a man a human mind was also given to it". This is a reminder of Daniel chapter 4 where the "divine" King Nebuchadnezzar is humbled and made insane for seven years until he acknowledges the God of heaven as the true deity. Nebuchadnezzar had claimed to be the divine King of the world but God clipped his wings and reminded him that he was but a man so that Nebuchadnezzar acknowledges who God is and God's place over the universe (Daniel 4: 28-37).

The Kingdom of the Medes and the Persians

The vision continues in verse five where Daniel sees a second beast arising out of the sea that resembled a bear. This image may have not been immediately clear to Daniel but it is clear to us with an understanding of the flow of human history. The kingdom that conquered Babylon was the kingdom of Medo Persia. This of course Daniel experienced (Daniel chapter 5) on October 29th 539 B.C. Cyrus king of Persia conquered the city of Babylon and took dominion over the Babylonian empire. Daniel is given more detail about this empire that further helps us identify this empire. The bear is raised up on one side which probably symbolizes the preeminence of Persia over Media. The three ribs in the Bears mouth probably represent the three kingdoms that Medo Persia conquered in order to come to prominence in the world, the kingdoms of Libya, Babylon and Egypt. Again we see God's sovereignty over the nations because Medo Persia is given by God over the world until God's purposes have run their course this beast is told, "Arise, devour much meat!" God gives the nations their time and their authority and then holds them accountable for the evil that they do.

The Kingdom of Alexander the Great

The next kingdom that Daniel sees is in verse six. In his vision he is given a picture of a leopard with four wings on its back and four heads. Daniel definitely would not have known the meaning of this symbol and would have wandered at the nature of this picture. Again, with an understanding of human history the vision becomes very clear, for the next kingdom that conquers the world of Daniels day is the coming of the Greek empire under the kingship of Alexander the great. Alexander defeats the Persians in three epic battles and conquers the entire known world. At age 33 in the city of Babylon he died suddenly. Upon his , his for generals divide the kingdom into four parts with each general taking a part. Thus we have four wings or the division of the kingdom into four parts, and four heads the four different rulers who took possession of his kingdom. Again we see God's sovereignty over the nations in this vision because we are told that dominion was given to him to rule.

The Roman Empire

The next empire has been puzzled over by theologians. If you take the secession of empires this would have to be Rome. Rome replaced Greece as the ruler of the world. The problem that many have is how is this beast the fourth and the final at the same time? Rome has long sense ceased from existence. Some have solved this by saying that in the end of times the Roman Empire will be restored. They have tended to look at the European Union and say that this is a fulfillment of the reestablishment of the Roman Empire. This interpretation tends to be very Eurocentric. However the Main problem with this interpretation is that all of the Middle East was also a part of the Roman Empire. In fact the distinguishing characteristics of the Roman Empire over the rest of the empires mentioned previously in the study is that Rome ruled all the way around the Mediterranean Sea. Rome by far is the most powerful and long-lasting empire in human history.

Let us first examined the details and then see how they are to be understood. In verse seven we are told, "After this I kept looking in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrifying and extremely strong; and it had large iron teeth. It devoured and crushed and trampled down the remainder with its feet and it was different from all the beast that were before it, and it had 10 horns." Up until the 10 horns this first description describes Rome perfectly. So for now let us set aside the 10 horns and take that up in a later paragraph. Rome is the fourth beast that has arisen in human history in our chronology. Rome was dreadful and terrifying and extremely strong. Woe to the nation who rebelled against Rome, Rome was ruthless in its retributions and its armies for centuries were unstoppable. When Rome marched against an enemy their goal was complete devastation and subjugation. Those who were not killed were taken as slaves to be, part of the workforce that drove the engine of the Roman machine.

How was Rome different from the other four beasts? I believe it is in the fact that Rome was never replaced by another empire. If you study human history many have tried to restore the Roman Empire but no one has been successful in bringing all of the parts that were in the Roman Empire back together again. Charlemagne called his empire the Holy Roman Empire but really only ruled a small portion of what was the Roman Empire.

The Roman Empire first divided into two parts with half of the Empire being ruled from Constantinople and the other part being ruled from Rome. The western part in Rome ceased to exist in the fifth century and was divided into individual nation states. The eastern half of the Roman Empire existed all the way until 1453 when Constantinople was finally sacked by the Turks. Prior to 1453 beginning in the seventh century the eastern part of the Roman Empire was slowly absorbed by the Islamic invasions that flowed off of the Arabic Peninsula after the of Mohammed. The eastern half of the Roman Empire had been all of Greece and the Middle East and North Africa but Islam slowly took away that territory.

This leaves us with a bit of a puzzle how do we understand the 10 horns of the fourth beast. We are told in the interpretation in verse 24 that the 10 horns are 10 Kings that will arise. Therefore we have to understand that in some sense this kingdom would be divided into individual parts. Just as the Greek empire was divided into four parts and we understand that as the four divisions of Alexander's empire. I believe that the 10 horns represent the dividing of the Roman Empire into 10 parts. One of the problems in interpretation that arises is this pattern has never a merged on the scene of human history. Therefore it is difficult for us to know exactly what Daniel is being told. Either this is a pattern that will emerge later or we are to understand it symbolically (10 can mean the parts representing the whole in Biblical numerology).

Either way we are safe with our interpretation of the fourth beast as the Roman Empire because Rome has been divided into individual parts but the final pattern that is pictured in this passage is yet to emerge. Just look at the map of the world that was formally the Roman Empire and you will see that this time in human history Rome is divided into individual nation states. The final division of 10 just has not arrived yet. The problem with speculation lies in the fact that most who take this as some type of European Union fail to realize that Rome included all of the nations that surround the Mediterranean Sea. Therefore in order for this to be fulfilled the union would have to include most of Europe, Eastern Europe, Turkey, the Middle East, and North Africa. Until these areas are divided into 10 the beast has yet to arrive.

The point is Rome would not be replaced but would remain divided until the time of the little horn when the little horn reunites the 10 parts (whatever they may be) and the power of the Roman Empire would once again reemerge on the scene of earth's history. This does not mean that the city of Rome will once again be the power behind the empire, but rather Daniel seven has the emergence of the little horn as the one who unites the power of the Roman Empire and becomes the final beast. The problem with taking this passage and trying to understand it in terms of something other than the Roman Empire being divided it makes the chronology meaningless. Especially since were talking a succession of empires. Daniel is telling us there would not be an immediate succession as in previous history Babylonian to Medo Persian to Greek to Roman but there would be a gap when the nations would be divided into individual parts until the time that the little reunites the power of the Roman Empire and conquers the world.

In verse eight Daniel sees something strange in his vision he sees the arrival of someone he calls the little horn we read, "while I was contemplating the horns, behold, another horn, a little one, came up among them and three of the first horns were pulled out by the roots before it; and behold this horn possessed eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth uttering great boasts". Daniel sees that the final conflict for God's people would be with the little horn who reestablishes the power of the Roman Empire. It is very interesting to me that the little horn is not one of the 10 which in my mind communicates the thought that the little horn is not from the original territory of the Roman Empire but is from outside of it and is a foreign entity. Daniel is told that the little horn comes up among the 10 and up roots three. This uprooting of three of the parts that were the Roman Empire caused the rest of the seven to capitulate and go along with the empire building program of the little horn. The fact that he has eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth that utters great boasts reminds us of the fact that he is a mere human ruler. He is not the divine messianic king that we are looking for from heaven.

A Vision of God's Sovereignty

Beginning in verse nine we are given a vision of God yes the little horn is powerful he is restored the power of the Roman Empire. He is making great boasts about himself telling the world how great he is. In the midst of the pomp and pageantry of the world we are to be impressed with God's position over the universe and not man's position over the kingdoms of men. We are told, "I kept looking until thrones were set up, and the Ancient of Days took his seat; His vesture was like white as snow and his hair of his head was like pure wool His throne was ablaze with flames, its wheels were a burning fire. A River of fire was flowing and coming out from before him; thousands upon thousands were attending him and myriad upon myriads were standing before him the courts set in place and the books were opened".

It is this vision of God ruling over history sitting on his throne that we as believers especially need when we face worldly powers. It is not a false pomp and pageantry of the rulers of this world that we are to be impressed with it is the reign of the sovereign God seated on his throne moving the course of history towards is appointed end. And it is God's judgment that we must fear and not the judgment of men who can only kill the body but cannot throw the soul into hell.

In spite of the great boasts of the worldly powers of this age we must continue to persevere in our allegiance to the God of heaven because ultimately God will execute his judgment upon them and they will be destroyed by his sovereign power. Verse 11 says, "then I kept looking because of the sound of the boastful words which the horn was speaking; I kept looking until the beast was slain, and his body was destroyed and given to the burning fire. We can be assured as Christians that the dominion of man will ultimately come to an end and there will be a point at which God's reign will be executed over the earth and worldly powers will once and for all be destroyed. The little horn's kingdom will ultimately be destroyed and he will be thrown alive into the Lake of fire (Revelation 19: 20).

A Vision of the Kingdom of Christ

In verse 13-14 we are given a vision of Christ in his messianic kingdom. We read, "I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, and He came up to the ancient of days and was presented before Him. And to Him was given dominion and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations and men of every language might serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which will not pass away; and His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed." One of Jesus' favorite titles for himself was the Son of Man is what ties Jesus in to this passage.

The disciples were constantly thinking that Jesus as the Messiah should bring in the eternal kingdom and yet in his first coming this was not Jesus is mission it was to bring about the forgiveness of sins through his on the cross. Yet when Jesus stood before Caiaphas the high priest he said, "Jesus said to him you have said it yourself; nevertheless I tell you hear after you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power and coming on the clouds of heaven". Jesus is saying you may put me to today but someday I will come back as the ruler of the world.

God's vision for human history is ultimately the kingdom of Christ ruling the nations of the world. This is consistent with what we see in the book of revelation we see the coming of Christ kingdom. In essence Daniel seven is a microcosm of the book of revelation in the Old Testament. Just as the people of the Old Testament needed to see that God's vision was for his messianic kingdom and not for independent rule in Jerusalem we also need to see that the goal of history is not the rule of the United States of America but the kingdom of Christ ruling the nations of the world. If we are going to live in the world we need to remember that history is moving towards the rule of the kingdom of Christ. Therefore our lives are to reflect the thought that someday we will be a part of Christ's kingdom and that all earthly Powers will be done away with. And Christ will be the only power that will be left in the world.

God's Interpretation of Human History

Daniel seven continues in verse 15 where Daniel is given God's interpretation of human history. Daniel was very alarmed by this vision that he is given and he is disturbed in his mind by what he has already seen. In verse 16 Daniel inquires of one of the angelic messengers the exact meaning of the vision that he was just given. The explanation is as follows, verse 17, "these great beasts, which are four in number, are four Kings who will arise from the earth. But the Saints of the highest one will receive the kingdom and possessed the kingdom for ever, for all ages to come." In essence Daniel is told I have bad news for you but I also have good news for you. The bad news is the four beasts are four Kings who will arise from the earth and will te your people. The good news is God has planned that the Saints would ultimately receive God's kingdom and it wouldn't be a temporary kingdom like the kingdoms of earth but would be and eternal kingdom that would last for ever and ever. Daniel is told in essence Daniel you're going to get the kingdom that you desire but it's just not going to come on your timetable. There's going to be some difficulties that God's people are going to have to go through but in the end it will be a kingdom far greater than any kingdom that has ever ruled this world.

The Meaning of the Fourth Beast

The Angel then gives this explanation of the fourth beast. This beast is a kingdom that will arise and will conquer the whole world because of its great military power. What is different about this kingdom? I believe the difference is that the fourth beast that arises is the first to conquer all the way around the Mediterranean Sea. But in the final phase of this kingdom we will see that through the power of the original Roman Empire the little horn will be able to conquer the whole world. In other words the Roman Empire will be the vehicle for the little horn's conquest of the world. We see in this that the little horn will not be some subtle conspiracy that will arise in the world he will be a mighty conqueror who will bring nations down not through intrigue but through . So many today are looking at conspiracies to be the final beast, chips under the hand, the tion of global bankers, the New World order, the Masons, etc. However if we take this literally Daniel is clearly saying that the fourth beast will come to world tion through military conquest not through conspiracy.

The Explanation of the 10 Horns

In verse 24 the Angel then begins to give Daniel the explanation of the meaning of the 10 horns. "As for the 10 horns, out of this kingdom 10 Kings will arise; and another will arise after them and he will be different from the previous ones and he will subdue three Kings."

The question that arises from this verse, are the Kings subsequent or chronological. If they are subsequent then we are looking for the appearance of the former Roman Empire to be divided into 10 parts with 10 rulers in order for this passage to be fulfilled. If they are chronological then we are looking for 10 rulers in a row who will be usurped by another King.

The first argument I would use for these Kings being subsequent is found in the third beast. Just as the four heads and the four wings of the third beast represented the four generals who inherited Alexander's kingdom so I believe the imagery of the 10 horns clearly represents that 10 Kings will ultimately inherit the power and territory of the Roman Empire.

The second argument that I would make is from Daniel chapter 2 where we see these 10 in the 10 toes of the statue that Nebuchadnezzar sees in his dream verse 44, "in the days of those Kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be left for another people; it will crush and put to an end all these kingdoms but it will itself endure forever" the Kings that Daniel is referring to are the 10 toes of the statue. Daniel is told in the days of those Kings God will set up his eternal kingdom. So I take it from this that the Kings which are 10 a number are subsequent and not chronological.

Therefore we are looking for the Roman Empire to be divided into 10 equal parts by 10 rulers. In other words this becomes a point of identification for us that we are looking at the beast empire that the Bible has been warning us about. This is why the imagery of 10 is so important all throughout biblical prophecy. Beginning in Daniel two we see the 10 toes of Nebuchadnezzar statue, and moving onto the book of revelation we see that the beast of revelation chapter 13 has 10 horns and 10 crowns on his horns. This is something that we are to look for so that we will know that we are dealing with the beast that God has been warning us about all throughout biblical prophecy.

The problem is that many today speculate and try to guess what the meaning of the 10 horns may be rather than using them as a point of identification that will become clear when you arrive at the moment in time that God is speaking of. Biblical prophecy is meant to give warning and becomes clearer when the fulfillment arrives. To spend our time speculating as to what possible structure could be the meaning of the 10 is pointless. When the former Roman Empire is divided into 10 equal parts you will know that you are looking at the final phase of the fourth beast that Daniel seven is warning us about.

The Little Horn

The final actor in our drama is the little horn. He comes along at the time that the 10 are on the scene of world history and he subdues three Kings. We have already seen that he is not one of the 10, but Daniel tells us that he is different from the previous ones. This I believe is another indication that he is an outsider conquering what was formally the Roman Empire. He is not like the 10 Kings who are ruling the power of the Roman Empire, but will be something other than Western in his outlook. Whatever he has will make him distinct from the Roman Empire that he is subduing and using as a vehicle for world conquest.

In order to come to power he will conquer three of the 10 rulers and the rest will capitulate. In Revelation 13: 4 the people of the world are recorded as saying, "who is like the beast, who is able to wage war with him". His military power will impress the other seven Kings so much that they willingly give their power and authority to the little horn. Revelation 17 speaks of these 10 Kings in verse 12 where we read, "That 10 horns which you saw are 10 Kings who have yet received a kingdom, but they will receive authority as Kings with the beast for one hour they have one purpose, and they give their power and authority to the beast". Once the 10 horns are sufficiently impressed with the power of the beast they will give him their complete allegiance to accomplish his purposes.

Daniel is given some characteristics of this little horn that were not previously given in the vision. He is told in verse 25, "He will speak out against the most high and wear down the Saints of the highest one, and he will intend to make alterations in times and in law's and they will be given into his hand for time, times, and a half a time". We are told five things that this little horn will do. First he will speak out against the most high. This is a reference to the fact that he will oppose the God of the Bible. In the book of revelation we are told that this little horn will set himself up as the object of worship and the world will worship him.

He will not only set himself up against God himself but he will become the arch enemy of the Saints. Daniel tells us that he will wear down the Saints of the highest. From an Old Testament perspective we would have to say first of all that he will be anti-Semitic but also from a New Testament perspective we can understand that Christians are in view here as well. This theme of the persecution of the Saints is continued in many other passages in the Bible, such as: Matthew 24: 9-13, Revelation 12:17, 13:7. In this passage is perfectly pictured in revelation chapter 12 where we have Satan’s hatred of the Jewish people and his wrath against Christians. Satan will use the beast to try to destroy the Jews and to persecute the church before Christ comes back.

He will oppose God's law and try to change the calendar. In other words he is going to have a different system of law and a different system of keeping time than what has been commonly understood. Probably Western law which is based upon the Bible will be replaced with some other system of law that will be different from the one that is commonly accepted. The Roman calendar that we all follow will be replaced with a different system of keeping time that will not begin with the birth of Christ, but will begin with some other date.

What I find interesting at this point is that Islam fits this perfectly. Islam has a different set of laws called sharia law which is different from the law which is based upon the Bible. Their calendar dates from the day in which Mohammed became a political leader and so they have a completely different system of keeping time.

Daniel is given the duration of his rule when he is told, "and they will be given into his hands for a time, times, and a half a time." This same construct is used in Revelation 12:14 where it speaks of the amount of time that Israel is protected in the wilderness out of Satan's reach. This phraseology is prophetic speak for 3 1/2 years. Time equals one, times equals two, and a half a time equals one half year and when you total little all up to equals 3 1/2 years. This time frame is often used in biblical prophecy as we just saw it is used for the time. That the woman who is Israel is protected in the wilderness but revelation 13:5 gives it as the duration of the beast rule. There we are told "that the beast will have authority to act for 42 months” or 3 1/2 years. We are told here the duration at the Saints will have to endure the little horn will be 3 1/2 years.

After the 3 1/2 years God will take away the power of the little horn and he will be annihilated and destroyed forever. Worldly powers only have a short time on the world stage and then they are gone. They make great boasts they threaten the people of God and try to remove us from our allegiance to God but here we are reminded that their duration is short and in the end God will always decide in favor of his people. Therefore no matter what comes our way we must stand firm in the truth that God is given to us and not let any worldly power move us away from our relationship to him.

The Saints Will Rule

God's final point of interpretation is that once all of the evil powers of this age are finally destroyed the Saints will be given dominion over the world. In verse 27 we are told, "then the sovereignty, the dominion and the greatness of all the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be given to the people of the Saints of the Highest One; his kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom and all the dominions will serve and obey him." This is the beautiful truth that we have to look forward to God will ultimately decide in favor of us and will give us dominion over the nations. The Bible says that we will rule and reign with Christ and we can trust that this will come about. In the end all dominion and authority and power will belong to God alone and those who have live for his glory in the world.

Three reasons to give thanks

2007-11-03T08:36:00.000-07:00

Three Reasons to Give thanks,

As we come to Thanksgiving we have many reasons to give thanks. The Psalmist in Psalm 106:1 says, “Praise the Lord! Oh give thanks to the Lord for he is good. For his steadfast love endures forever!” Abraham Lincoln when he proclaimed the national holiday wanted a day when the nation would remember God. We as believers should especially desire to remember God. I want to remind you of three reasons that we have to give thanks.

The God of Creation

The Bible tells us that God is the creator of the universe if we forget this truth we forget one of the central truths of the Bible. The Bible declares that God in the beginning created the heavens and the earth. That God gave the earth form and substance and filled it with all of the good things that we enjoy in the world. As Christians we should never allow the ideas of ungodly men to color our views of the world and of God. Today the doctrine of evolution is being touted as being true. We as Christians should never fail to give glory to God for the wonders of his creation. We should declare to the world that the heavens do “declare the glory of God.” So this Thanksgiving as the pilgrims did, give thanks to God for the bounty of his creation.

The God of Provision

The psalmist tells us in Psalm 103 “blessed the Lord Oh my soul, and forget not all his benefits.” Often times we so focus on the things of this world that we fail to realize all the things that God does for us on a daily basis. If we fail to give thanks to God for all that he is done we fail to glorify him. God reminded the people of Israel through Moses in Deuteronomy 8:18 that, "But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.” Just as they needed to remember that it is God who gives them the power to work we must remember that the power to work comes from God. Therefore all of our incomes everything that we have comes from God.

After seeing the coverage of the wildfires in California and seeing a family who had lost everything but were thankful that they had each other. I was reminded that God is given us the relationships in our lives. What is really valuable in our lives is our relationship with God in our relationship with others. This Thanksgiving thank God for those that God is placed into your life.

The God of Salvation

The greatest thing that we can thank God for though is his gift of salvation. God acted on our behalf when we didn't deserve it and could not help ourselves. If nothing else went well this year you still have the joy and the hope of salvation to give thanks for. Believers who were stripped of absolutely everything, because of the hope of salvation have reasons for Thanksgiving. In salvation God has given us a hope that is beyond this life and it is the hope of eternity with him. In Ephesians 1:3 Paul reminds us, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,” It is God who is acted on our behalf in history therefore we who enjoy the benefits of salvation have an infinite reason to give thanks.

This year as you come to Thanksgiving don't fail to give glory to God for the things he is made. When you eat that Turkey and potatoes and stuffing; think of the God who made these things. Remember all of the ways that God has provided for you; write them down so that you will not forget. Remind your children that everything on your Thanksgiving table comes from the hand of God. And greatest of all remember the wonders of Christ and God's gift of salvation through him. As the apostle Paul says to us, 2Co 9:15 “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!”

Giving thanks with you Pastor Steve Wenner.

Revelation 13 the second beast

2007-07-19T05:15:00.000-07:00

Revelation 13:11-18 “The Second Beast”

Solution 1 (1 John 2:18-21) The solution to the Anti-Christ is the Anointing that we have been given at salvation. John reminds us that God has given us an anointing an that anointing teaches us all things that we need to know about Christ.

Solution 2 (1 John 4:1-6) the scriptures being a manifestation of the teaching of the scriptures.

Since we have an anointing from God we need to recognize the spirit of the antichrist avoid resist anything that takes us from the true Christ.

1. Watch out for imposters.

a. Who suddenly appear on the scene of world history.

i. He comes from the Earth. He is an earthly Christ.

ii. 1. False Christ suddenly appear on the scene.

1. Matthew 24:25 "Behold, I have told you in advance. 26 "So if they say to you, ‘Behold, He is in the wilderness,’ do not go out, or, ‘Behold, He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe them.

iii. The True Christ will come with power and great glory.

1. Matthew 24:27 “For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be. 28 “Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.

2. 29 "But immediately after the tribulation (The Great Tribulation) of those days THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 "And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory. 31 "And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.

3. Act 1: 9 And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. 10 And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them. 11 They also said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven."

b. Who look like and claim to be Jesus Christ.

i. Christ is pictured through out the book of Revelation as the Lamb. Seven horned Lamb. This is a two horned Lamb.

ii. Re 12:11 "And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death.

iii. Re 13:8 All who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain.

c. Who is the manifestation of Evil.

i. Satan is behind this false Christ and every other that has risen on the earth.

d. Who is from Medo-Persia?

i. Two horns of this beast seems to be a reference to Media-Persia the only other place in the bible where this symbol is used is Daniel 8 where the two horns represent the kingdom of the Medes and the Persians.

11 ¶ Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb and he spoke as a dragon.

2. What out for Substitutes.

a. Who’s only Goal is human power and authority.

i. His Position.

1. Exercise all the authority of the first beast.

2. In the beasts presence.

ii. He will be the spokesman for the Beast. He will be the front man of his government. The beast will be the sovereign and the 2^nd beast will be his prime minister.

iii. This will someone who is a false Christ who is exercising human authority and power on behalf of another. Christ said to Pilot.

iv. Joh 18:36 Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm." When the true Christ comes he will exercise authority not as a Prime minister but as a royal sovereign who will fulfill God’s promise to David that one of his descendants will rule the nations for ever and ever.

v. One of the reasons that we Protestants Reject the Papacy is because Popes became more of an earthly monarch. Their clam to spiritual rule was to bolster their earthly rule. Christ did not establish an earthly rule only a spiritual in the hearts of men and certainly not in a Church Hierarchy. One the black marks on human history is the inquisition which many were killed as many as 100-160 million people in Europe.

vi. That does not mean that Christians should not be involved in government but it does mean that a Christian never governs in the name of Christ, but he certainly should govern according to the rule of Christ in his own life. Up holding biblical standards of Morality, Governing honestly, not greedily, but for the benefit of the majority.

vii. This false Christ will rule on behalf of the beast.

12 He exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence.

b. Who lead people to worship someone other than Jesus Christ.

i. He will make all people worship the first beast.

ii. One of the reason that I think Islam fits this passage so well is it is a Empire that is also a system of Religion. The expectation of Islam is that Jesus will come back and work with the Mahdi to establish world Islamic rule. One of the feature that fit this passage so well is that although currently Christians and Jews live under a system called Dhimitude. The Islamic holy book say that Isa will break the Cross and kill the pigs. The Pig being the Jews and the cross being Christianity. The question are we seeing a convergence of this passage and Islamic Theology. Are we awaiting for this figure to arise and

And he makes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed.

c. Even if they are doing Miracles.

i. Fire come out of heaven.

13 He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down out of heaven to the earth in the presence of men.

ii. He will deceive people because of the signs.

iii. He makes an image of the beast.

14 And he deceives those who dwell on the earth because of the signs which it was given him to perform in the presence of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who *had the wound of the sword and has come to life.

iv. He makes the image to come to life.

1. The image will speak.

2. The image will cause those who do not worship the beast to be killed.

d. Even if it cost you your life.

15 And it was given to him to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast would even speak and cause as many as do not worship the image of the beast to be killed.

3. Watch out for your life!

a. Even though every body else is going along.

i. The question for every Christian is will we follow the crowd or follow Christ. Will we follow Christ or be influenced by the perspectives of this world. Christianity is always a narrow gate affair. Jesus told us in the Sermon on the Mount, "enter through the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction. And there are many who enter through it for the gate a small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few that find it" Jesus is reminding us that the way of salvation is not the prevailing philosophy and ideas of the world. It is in following Christ, and being his disciples.

ii. All men will be forced to take this mark. No one will be exempted from this mark. It will not matter what position that you have in this life. No amount of money will buy your way out of this decision.

iii. The mark will either be on the hand or on the forehead of the person who has taken the mark.

iv. This is not UPC, or Credit cards, or Electronic currency. This is a stamp that says that you have worshipped the beast and that you belong to the beast kingdom.

v. This kind of decision is made all the time by Christians in many different places of the world. In communist Countries Christians can not have the good Jobs and are forced to work at the worst kind of jobs. In Pakistan the only jobs that Christians can get are in the brick factories making bricks for barely a subsistent wage. In all these place a choice is made between economic status and Christ.

1. We also have the same temptation. When we choose to compromise our faith in Christ in order for Career advancement we have taken the mark. Of the Beast. When we go to that party and get drunk just to fit or listen to the jokes or even tell them, or we do something unethical to please the boss we have in a subtle way taken the mark of the beast. When concerns about money become more important than the public worship of the Church and you are neglecting the worship of God at the gathering of the Church unless your work is a necessary service on Sunday, like Police fire medical services, ect. Have you subtly already taken the mark. What place does Christ have in your life. Jesus said you can serve both God and Money. Whom do you serve. We need to answer that question now before it is too late.

16 And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead,

b. Even if it cost you your livelihood.

i. He makes all people where a mark on their hand or foreheads.

ii. He will not let people buy or sell without the number.

1. He will make it illegal to buy or sell without the mark of the beast.

2. He is going to make it economically advantageous to take the mark. With out the mark you will not be able to work or engage in the normal commerce of the world to sustain your self.

3. So as Christian we will have a choice to make eat for 3 ½ years and be damned for eternity, Revelation listen to Revelation 14:9 A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: "If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on the forehead or on the hand, 10 he, too, will drink of the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. He will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke of their torment rises for ever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and his image, or for anyone who receives the mark of his name." 12 This calls for patient endurance on the part of the saints who obey God’s commandments and remain faithful to Jesus.

4. We will trust God will our live and be faithful to Christ and trust that he will somehow miraculously provide bread in the wilderness for us the way that he provided for the Children of Israel.

17 and he provides that no one will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name.

iii. He will have the number

1. That can be calculated.

a. 5585 qhfizw psephizo psay-fid’-zo from 5586; TDNT-9:604,1341; v AV-count 2; 2 1) to count with pebbles, to compute, calculate, reckon 2) to give one’s vote by casting a pebble into the urn 3) to decide by voting.

b. This word means that we will have to judge the one who is claiming to be the Christ and cast our vote either for or against him.

2. That is the number of the beast.

a. 706 ariymov arithmos ar-ith-mos’ from 142; TDNT-1:461,78; n m AV-number 18; 18 1) a fixed and definite number 2) an indefinite number, a multitude

3. That is the number of a man.

4. 600 60 and 6 Three letters in Greek. CHI 600 XI 60 and digamma 6. In the original. Six hundred sixty and six.

18 Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that of a man; and his number is six hundred and sixty-six.

c. False Savors

i. False Gospels

ii. All people go to heaven.

iii. All religions lead to God.

iv. Jesus is just one of many.

v. Jesus is about making your life better now.

d. False prophets and Teachers.

e. Subtle world love. Worldly love.

f. World Lust.

g. Worldly love.

h. Backsliding. Backsliding, is one the direction of our life is away from Christ rather than towards him. It is when the pull of this world is stronger in our lives than the pull of Christ and the things of the gospel.

Life lessions from a heart attack!

2007-07-10T07:42:00.001-07:00

Life lessons from a heart attack!

Some of you who don’t regularly attend may not have heard that I had a heart attack on April 14th at about 12:15 a.m. I awoke to terrible pain in my back which of course I thought was a muscle spasm. Well the pain was so bad that I ended up going to Little Company of Mary Hospital in Evergreen Park where I was confronted with the fact that I was having a heart attack. I ended up getting an Angiogram and a stint was put in. I certainly did not expect a heart attack at my age, 42 but that is exactly what I had. What I would like to share with you this month is some things that God has reinforced to me through the heart attack. God never waists any trials in our lives but always uses them for our good to make us more ready to be with him in eternity. So here goes.
The first lesson that was enforced to me is that life is really a vapor. I have begun to look at people differently since I had my heart attack and I had a friend that died of one at age 44 two weeks before I had mine. I now am more in tune to the fact that every ones life is in danger, life can come screeching to a halt in a moment. None of us are really secure in this life. James reminds us in 4:14, “Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.” This means that we can not take life for granted. We must focus on our lives in light of God and eternity. We must live every day to please God because none of us has a guarantee that we will have tomorrow. If you have never placed your faith in Christ don’t delay you may not have another opportunity. If you have placed your faith but are really not living for Christ don’t delay. You may not have tomorrow.
The second lesson that was enforced to me is that God is in control of our circumstances and we must learn to trust what he allows in our lives. The safest place that we can be is in the hands of our God. There was the moment when I was told that I was having a heart attack. Now I had a choice at that moment, I could panic or remind myself that I was in God’s hands. I chose the latter and I was ask why I was so calm? I had the opportunity to tell those who were working on me that “for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day.” (2 Timothy 1:12b). God has not promised us a trial free life but he as promised that we will not be abandoned or forgotten when we are going through trials. They are an opportunity to know God better as we experience his grace in the midst of them.
If it is true that God has not promised us a trial free life than the third lesson that was enforced to me is that our hope is not in this life, but is in the life to come. Hope is an expectation of good. If we can not expect a life free from trials than our hope should not be in this life. God has promised because Jesus has been raised from the dead that we will also be raised, not to this same mortal life but to life immortal, where we will experience the bliss of eternity with God. Our faith connects us to this hope, and this hope will not disappoint us, because God has given us his Spirit who assures us of sonship in spite of the trials of this life. (Romans 8:18-27)
The more we can be people of faith who focus on the hope that God has promised us the more confident we will be in spite of the trials of this life. You see, peace in our circumstances comes to us, as we focus on the promises of God not the circumstances of life. That is why Christians around the world are victorious in spite of their sufferings they focus on their eternal hope not their sufferings and so should we. That is the central lesson of Hebrews 11 is that the people of faith were people who focused on hope to come not on the things of this life and we can be the same kinds of people as we focus on hope.
If everything that I have said so far is true and it is then the forth lesson that was enforced to me is that, the only thing that gives us certainty is the gospel. Therefore the gospel needs to be the source of certainty for our lives and the main message to those around us. No other beliefs can give certainty because they are based upon works. Only the gospel gives us certainty because it is based upon the promise of God and the work of Christ. This gives us immense confidence God will not let us down because if he did he would not be God. Those around us, who think that they will get to heaven by their good works, can never know for sure that they have done enough. All other messages give false hopes because they are not based on reality. The gospel gives us a genuine hope because it is based upon the fact of Jesus’ death and resurrection and ascension to glory. People live their lives trusting in their good works but they do not know that God will not except their good works because that would be a rejection of his own Son and God will not reject his own Son.
The final lesson that was enforced to me is that someday I will have a new body. This is the central hope of the gospel. If this body dies than I go to be with Christ to await the resurrection at the 2nd coming of Christ. One of the reasons that we should long for the day of Christ’s return is the hope of immortality. Death will dog our footsteps until Christ comes back than death for us as believers will be destroyed forever and we will spend eternity with Christ in a new glorious body that will never die.
I am thankful that the doctor thinks that my prognosis is good, but this is not my hope. I would have just as much hope if the doctor said my prognosis was bad, because this heart attack has enforced to me that nothing in this life is my hope, only what I have in Christ is my hope and I hope it is yours as well.

Blessings Pastor Wenner

An Affirmation of Biblical Sexuality

2007-07-10T07:39:00.000-07:00

This is a document draw up by myself an my good friend Don Nelson from Beverly Evangelical Covenant Church. Enjoy.

Basis

Because the Scriptures, the Old and New Testaments , are the authoritative Word
of God; and,
Because Christian faith and conduct are defined by the Apostolic teaching of the New Testament and the prophetic instruction of the Old Testament, and not by clerical authority; and,
Because every doctrine necessary for salvation is expressed in the Apostles’ Creed, affirmed in the early ecumenical councils of the Church, and adhered to by all faithful Christians; and,
Because destructive movements denying these truths have arisen within the institutional Church in North America, we make the following affirmation:

Affirmation

1. We affirm that God created the universe and is Lord of Creation . Because God made the human race in God’s own image every person has worth and dignity . Any belief or conduct that diminishes the equal value of all human beings (e.g., ageism, ethnocentrism, racism, sexism, slavery) is a sin against God and an affront to his divine majesty and glory.

2. We affirm that the human race has fallen into sin , and that sin corrupts every sector
of God’s creation .

3. We affirm that salvation is a gift of God provided exclusively through faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ . Christ’s sacrificial death is sufficient for the forgiveness of all sins , and the ministry of the Holy Spirit is sufficient to liberate all sinners from the power of sin.

4. We affirm that God has established three distinct agents to restrain sin and defend against evil: a) the Church (visible and invisible, local and universal) , to teach God’s Law and the sufficiency of the Gospel to meet its demands; b) the state, to promote moral accountability
and social order ; and c) the family, to train, instruct and nurture children to be productive citizens of both earth and heaven .

5. We affirm that God has graciously given his moral law to humanity, primarily through the Scriptures and secondarily through the human conscience . God’s holy commandments reveal right and wrong, protect us from sin’s destructive consequences, and promote wholeness, peace, and joy. All human beings are accountable to God’s law .

6. We affirm that God the Creator has given us sexuality as a sacred gift , and that God has provided authoritative guidelines for the edification of human beings within sexual relationship .

7. We affirm that a publicly declared, legally binding marriage between one woman and one man is the only appropriate place for sexual intercourse. Heterosexual marriage, faithfulness within marriage, abstinence outside of marriage—these constitute the Christian standard. Both the Church and the state are responsible to protect the institution of heterosexual marriage.
Sexual activity outside of marriage (fornication, adultery, prostitution, homosexual acts, incest, pedophilia, and bestiality ) and the sexual objectification of others (the use of pornography, spousal sexual abuse , and rape ) are sinful and inconsistent with Christian faith.

8. We affirm that by and through God’s saving grace and the work of the Holy Spirit , with prayer and the guidance of the scriptures , a believer can and will overcome any habitual sin or addiction, although it may come only after much struggle and wrestling . The general direction of the Christian life is characterized by perseverance and growth in Christian character .

9. We affirm that Christians are called to love all those who are outside of Christ. Love is expressed in words of Truth and acts of compassion that affirm the value of each person without ignoring or endorsing sin. The failure to love those who are outside of Christ is itself a sin.

10. We affirm that the primary mission of the Church is to make disciples of all nations and cultures, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey all that Jesus Christ has commanded . Christian discipleship is life-transforming devotion to Jesus Christ, marked by obedience to God’s will as it is revealed in his Word .
Accordingly, the Church must not establish unrepentant sinners (including practicing homosexuals and other sexually immoral persons) as members or leaders . To do so is to deny the saving work of Christ, the ministry of the Holy Spirit, and the mission of the Church.

Response

Out of the faith declared here we issue a call to ministers of the Gospel and other church leaders:
 to submit to Christ as the Head of the Church;
 to acknowledge that the Bible is the authoritative Word of God;
 to preach the whole Gospel message;
 to call parishioners to obedience to Christ in every area of life, including sexuality;
 to prepare people for marriage, enrich marriages, and help restore failing marriages;
 to affirm the gift of celibate singleness and welcome singles into the life of the church;
 to care for persons who are involved in sexual sin; and,
 to live with integrity, according to the Christian standard.

Likewise, we issue a call for Christian laypersons:
 to embrace the priesthood of all believers;
 to influence the culture for Christ;
 to live according to the Christian standard of sexuality;
 to forsake silence about sexuality; and,
 where there is serious moral and spiritual compromise among leaders, to call them to repentance and, if necessary, to take action that is appropriate within the guidelines established by your denomination or congregation.
Rev. Donald K. Nelson, Sr. Pastor, Beverly Evangelical Covenant Church, Chicago, IL
Rev. Steven Wenner, Sr. Pastor, St. Paul’s Bible Church, Chicago, IL
Endnotes

In this document the terms “Scripture(s)”, “Old and New Testaments”, and “Bible” always refer to the canon of sixty-six (66) books finalized by the Third Council of Carthage in A.D. 397.
2 Tim 3:16,17
The first six (6) ecumenical councils include the councils of Nicea, Constantinople I, Constantinople II, Constantinople III, Ephesus, and Chalcedon.
Gen 1,2
2 Chr 20:6
Gen 1:26-27
Ps 8:4-5; Mt 10:31
Gen. 6:5; Job 15:14-16; Psalm 51:5; Jer; 7:9; Rom. 3:23, 5:12-19
Eph. 2:1-4; Eze 12:2; Rom 6:23; Rom 8:18-25
Eph 2:8-9
Acts 4:12
Eph 1:7; 1 Jn 1:9
Rom 6:1-2,11-14; Gal 2:20; 1 Pet 1:2
Matt 16:18, 18:17; 1 Cor. 5:1-13; Eph 3:10
Gen. 9:5-6; Rom 13:1-7; 1 Peter 2:13-17
Gen 18:18-19; Deut 6:4-9; Jos. 24:14-15; Pro. 13:24, 22:6, 15, 23:13-14, 29:15; 6:1-4; Col 3:20-21
Rom 2:14-15
Ps 1; Mt 4:3,4; 2 Tim 3:14-17
Rom 1:18-20; 2:14,15
Gen 1:1, 1 Chr. 16:26, Ps 24:1-2, 104:5; Isa. 51:13
Gen 1:26-27, 2:4-25, 4:1-2
Exo. 2014, Lev. 18; Mark 10:1-12; 1 Cor. 6:12-7:40, Eph 5:22-33, 1 Thes 4:1-8,
Resolution on Human Sexuality, 1996 Annual Meeting of The Evangelical Covenant Church; ed.
1 Cor 6:15-20; 10:8; Gal 5:19; Eph 5:3; Col 3:5
Ex 20:14; Mt 5:27-30; Jn 8:1-11; 1 Cor 6:9-10
Deut 23:17-18; Jer 5:7; 1 Cor 6:15-20
Gen 19:1-25; Lev 18:22; Rom 1:24-27; 1 Cor 6:9-10
Lev 18:6-16; 1 Cor 5:1
Lk 17:1-2
Lev 18:23
Mt 5:27-30; Col 3:5
1 Cor 7:3-4; 1 Thess 4:3-8
Gen 19:1-25; Deut 22:25-27; 1 Thess 4:3-8
Matt 7:15-23;John 8:34-36; Rom. 6:14
John 6:61-65; Rom. 8:1-13; Gal 5:16-26; 1 John 3:4-10
James 5:13-20,
Psalm 1:1-6, 19:7-14, 119:9-11; 2 Tim 3:16-17; Heb. 4:24-25
Romans 7:7-25; 1 John 2:1-2
Romans 6;1-23; 1 Cor. 6:11; Phil 1:6; 2 Tim 1:8-11; Tit 2:11-14; Heb 3:6, 14, 6:4-6, 10:26-39; 2Peter 1:3-11; 1 John 3:3-10
Mk 12:28-34; Lk 6:27-38,32-36; Jas 2:8
Eph 4:15
1 Jn 3:18
Prov. 8:13; Am 5:15; Rom 12:9; 1 Jn 2:15-16
1 Jn 4:20-21
Mat. 28:18-20
Ex 16:28; Lev 22:31; Mark 8:34; John 14:21, 15:10; 2 Tim 4:1-5; 1 John 2:3-5, 3:4-10, 4:4-6
1 Cor 5:1-13, 6:9-11; 2 Cor 6:14-18; 13:5-6; Eph 5:1-7;1 Tim 3:1-7; 6:11-16; 2 Tim 3:1-9; Tit 1:5-11, 3:8-11
Rom 1:16-17;

Left Behind?

2007-07-10T07:36:00.001-07:00

Someone sent me today a web link that was a video of a pastor preaching and talking about the Second Coming he talked about how it could happen right now. This month this week or even right at this moment all of a sudden the church is empty the pastor is gone and a small percentage of the congregation is left looking around wondering what happened. This kind of teaching may seem compelling. Planes falling out of the sky, car accidents, poor people left behind wondering what happened.
The Main problem that I see with this perspective, is it nowhere taught in Scripture, it is a speculation based upon a misunderstanding of the idea of Christ’s coming being a thief in the night. If we look at the idea of the thief in the night that taught in the Scriptures the warning is vastly different than our common understanding of it. This is true in Matthew 24:42 were Jesus says, “therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: if the owner of the house had known what time of the night the thief was coming he would’ve kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”
What is the point? If we are not watching we will be caught off guard notice Jesus says to watch. But if the rapture happens the way this video presents, what are we to watch for? The exhortation here takes us back to verse 32 watching means that we are watching for the signs that Jesus has given to us, or we will be caught off guard. Jesus tells his disciples, verse 32 “now learn the lesson from the fig tree: as soon as his twigs get tender and his leaves come out you know that summer is near. Even so when you see all these things, you know that it is near right at the door.” When Jesus says “even so when you see all these things” he is talking about the signs that he is given to his disciples that refer to the signs of the Second Coming. The watching that Jesus if referring to the watching for the signs of his Second Coming.
The signs are very clear they begin in verse four Matthew 24 they are watching that no one deceives us with a claim of being the Christ. A person who is not watching his life and does not know his Bible will probably be caught off guard by the claims of a false Christ or a false prophet. We are to watch the political situation in the world and not be surprised when nations rise against nations and kingdom against kingdom. We are to watch and note the occurrences of natural disasters Jesus specifically mentions famines and earthquakes. When we see all these things happening we should know that we are getting closer to the end. Jesus describes these as the beginning of birth pains. That means we should not be surprised when the number of false Christ’s wars famines earthquakes increase Jesus said they would and we should be watching for these things.
Jesus in verse 14 tells us another thing that we are to look for before he comes back. He says, “and this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole earth as a testimony to all people and then the and shall come” Jesus is telling us that we are to look for the completion of the great commission. Watching means being involved in the great commission sharing our faith trying to win as many as possible before Christ comes back. Knowing that Christ is not coming back until we are finished with the task that Christ is a sign to us. It is clear Jesus says that once the gospel of the kingdom has been preached then, the end shall come. “The end” of course means the end of this age, which is brought about by the coming of Christ.
Watching also means looking for the coming of the Antichrist in verse 15 Jesus tells us, “so when you see standing in the holy place the abomination that causes desolation, spoken of through the prophet Daniel let the reader understand-then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Jesus is telling us here to watch for the abomination that causes desolation, which is the coming of the Antichrist. We are to watch for the coming of the Antichrist and be ready for the worst period of tribulation that the church has ever faced.
Paul expresses the same theology in 2 Thessalonians 2 where he writes, “concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you brothers, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter suppose it to have come from us saying that the day of the Lord has already come. Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and a man of lawlessness is revealed (the Antichrist).” Paul is saying that the Second Coming and the rapture will not occur until two events happened: one the great apostasy, and two the coming of the Antichrist. Why would Paul tell the Thessalonians this if they were to expect an any moment rapture of the church?
I believe one of the main problems, with the left behind perspective, is that it teaches a shallow discipleship. It’s about making a commitment to Christ not about being a radical Christ follower. The perspective of watching is the idea of living in light of Christ’s Second Coming. In 2nd John 1:8, John says “ Watch yourselves, that you do not lose what we have accomplished, but that you may receive a full reward.” John is telling us to live cautiously to live circumspectly in light of the coming of Christ and to make sure that there is nothing deficient in our Christian lives. The idea of watching is a call to follow Jesus and to live for him. Don’t be taken in by fanciful left behind teaching instead prepare yourself watch your life and be a disciple of Jesus Christ. Blessings pastor Wenner.

An Outline of the Beast of Revelation 13

2007-07-10T06:58:00.000-07:00

Revelation 13 Two Beasts
What does Revelation 13 teach concerning the beast? Since the Bible warns us of a final evil we must know how to identify this evil and how to respond to it.
The First Beast

The origin of the first beast.

From the Sea Two meanings.
He comes from the abyss or has Satanic origins. Rev 11:17
He comes from the nations. Daniel 7:2-3
Conclusion. Satan is working through the nations to bring about his final kingdom.

The description of the beast.

He has the totality of the Roman Power or He has the totality of world power.
Rev 17:12 Horns represent power in the Bible. (10 represents the total or the sum of all its parts) Ten goes back to the 4^th beast of Daniel which represents the Roman Empire. (Read Daniel 7)
He controls all of the capitals of the ancient world empires or perfect authority (7 is the number of perfection, head means authority)
Seven world empires who oppressed Israel. Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Parisian, Greek, Roman, Islamic. All of these ruled the land of Israel.
He has the totality of Dominion of the Roman Empire or He has the Totality of world Dominion. Crowns represent dominion or rule.
He has the Speed of Conquest of Alexander the Great. The Leopard image comes from Daniel 7 and represents the coming of the Greek Empire which was characterized by speed of conquest.
He has the Power and stability of the Medo-Persian Empire. The Bear in Daniel 7 represents the Medo Persian Empire which was by far the most powerful and most stable of all of the ancient world empires.
He has the ferocity of the Babylonians. The winged lion in Daniel 7 represents the Babylonian empire the mouth represents the terror or fierceness of the creature. In other words it will be a terrorist state.
Conclusion The final Anti-Christ beast will unite all of the Roman empire which is currently divided under one authority and rule, It will be a powerful, swift and fearsome empire that will quickly dominate the world.

C. The Origin of his power.

His Throne comes from Satan. (Matt 4:8-9)
His authority comes from Satan (Ephesians 2:2)
Conclusion. God divided the nations to prevent this from happening. (Genesis 11, Acts 17:26) Satan who has many deceptions to control the world will put all of his efforts into one final deception that will lead the world in a unified world government. Satan’s attempts have been to unify the world under one banner to establish total control over the world.

The Mystery surrounding him.

He has a deadly wound on one of his heads.
He is restored to life again.
The healing is amazing to the world.
Conclusion: Rev 17:8-11 The beast is a restoration of one of the previously destroyed world empires. Either Egypt, Assyria Babylon, Medo-Persia or Greece. One of the heads that was before the Roman Empire will come back to rule the world and the world will be amazed at the reappearance of this world empire that everyone thought was a relic of world history. So look for the beast to rise out of the middle east and not Europe although Europe will be apart of it.

The Response of the world.

The world will follow the Beast
The world will worship the Dragon.
The world will be awed by his power.
Conclusion: The beast will not be some subtle conspiracy that will subtly or secretly take over the world the beast will be a all powerful evil empire that will overwhelmingly conquer the world.

The Duration of his Rule.

Will be 42 months or 3 ½ years. Daniel 7:25
Conclusion. This is the period of time that we call the great tribulation. The end of time is a 7 year period (Daniel 9:27) The first 3 ½ years will be the Beast coming to power. The second 3 ½ years that is spoken of in this passage is the great tribulation which is once he has cemented his control over the world he carries out his sinister plans to rule the world, establish a world system of worship, to destroy the Jewish people and to persecute the true Church out of existence.

The Effect of his Rule.

God will be Blasphemed. A false God will be elevated above the true and living God.
God’s name and place will be slandered. (The beast is going to worship a false god and is going to have a false view of heaven.)
The saints will be slandered. We will be told that we are not the true people of God only the followers of the beast and the true people of god.
The saints will be persecuted.
The beast will have authority over all people of the world.
He will be worshiped by all people, except for the true Christians.
Conclusion: The beast will be a world empire that is also a false system of worship that will be imposed upon the whole world. Those who refuse to go along with their agenda will be persecuted and killed. It will be the worst time of persecution for the Church in all of her existence.

II. What should we do to prepare?

To Stand Tenaciously James 4:7, 1 Peter 5:9.

To Endure Patiently Hebrews 10:36, James 1:2-4, Romans 5:1-5

To Prepare Spiritually 1 Peter 1:13-25

To think corporately. Hebrews 10:24-25

The Importance of the 2nd Amendment

2007-07-02T13:43:00.000-07:00

Dear Fellow Citizens of the State of Illinois,

It is the right of free citizens to bear arms. Why did our founding fathers, give us this right, and why is this right fundamental to the freedoms which we enjoy as American citizens? The second amendment states, “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”

Some of the confusion comes because the first line of the second amendment which says, “a well regulated militia.” What did our founding fathers mean by a well regulated militia? The founding fathers intended that the ultimate defense of this nation from enemies both foreign and domestic would reside in the hands of the people and not just the government. They viewed the people, not the state as being the ultimate authority. Therefore, they left the power of the “sword” in the hands of the people, to check the power and authority and tyranny of governments, both foreign and domestic.

The wisdom of the right to bear arms means that the power of the state is ultimately checked. Our founding fathers distrusted power, knowing that ultimate power is tyrannical. Therefore, they wanted to check this power and the way they did it was guaranteeing the right of all citizens to retain and bear arms, unrestricted by the state. The right to bear arms then is fundamental to the freedom of free citizens from the tyranny of government, and its ever increasing desire for power.

This line in the Constitution also reminds us that all citizens are ultimately responsible for the defense of this nation, from enemies both foreign and domestic. The right of self-defense and national defense ultimately via the Constitution resides in the hands of the citizens. Even though, the state has the authority to raise armies for the common defense of the nation, it was also the obligation of every citizen to be a part of that defense. That is why for the first hundred years of this nation, this nation had small standing armies. In a time of emergency, the citizens would be called up for the defense of the nation. To remove guns from the hands of the people would ultimately leave us defenseless against radical powers who would seek to impose their will upon the nation.

This means that we cannot even trust the good intentions of politicians who believe that restrictive gun laws are means to curb crime. This is a feel-good-ism that will ultimately lead to tyranny. The tyranny of the government and the tyranny of the criminal, who will disobey the law’s that the government imposes. If we lose this fundamental right, we lose our freedom. We must not let misguided politicians who think they are well intentioned and who want to make themselves feel like they are dealing with the issue of gun violence take away our fundamental freedoms guaranteed us by the Constitution.

The state of Illinois, County of cook, nor the city of Chicago does not have the right to restrict gun ownership. The government only has the responsibility to punish the criminals who use guns in an unlawful manner. Instead of seeking to take guns away from free citizens, governing officials should seek to govern by punishing the criminals that use guns for illegal means. The problem today is that governing officials would rather take away freedoms than punish criminals. We must demand that our governing officials fulfill their duty to punish crime and to restrain evil in society and that they not seek to take away fundamental rights guaranteed us by the Constitution.

It is time that American citizens awaken to the reality that we are only one generation away from the tyranny that our forefathers feared. If we allow laxity and the ease and comforts of this life to dull our senses, our freedoms will be slowly eroded to the point where we are no longer free, but will be victims of the whims of evil rulers who seek to determine our destinies. We will be defenseless against criminals who unhindered increasingly control the streets of our nation’s cities. We will be defenseless against invading armies, who seek to impose their will upon our lives. Wake up Illinois before it is too late. We need to oppose legislation that will take away our gun rights.

Sincerely Yours,

Steven Wenner (A New Member of the Illinois Rifle Association and the National Rifle Association).