The Mark Driscoll Incident

I am sure by now you have heard about Mark Driscoll, former pastor of Mars Hill Church, being kicked off the stage at a men's conference for calling out the "Jezabel" spirit that was in the midst of the men attending. The conference began with the male stripper performing a pole dance.

Mark came out at the time he spoke and was about to rebuke the leaders of the conference for what had happen but then the pastor of James River Church, which has ties to the Bethel Church, kicked him off the stage.

When I first saw video clips and pics regarding what had happened, I was in utter amazement that Driscoll did that. Then more evidence came to light that things may not have turned out as they should. 

In this video from the Smart Christians Channel, you will see that Driscoll backtracks his rebuke:

In this next video, Justin Peters interview Gabriel Hughes regarding what had happened in this conference followed by a discussion with Travis Allen that will give into insight that Driscoll is an unrepentant liar that goes back to the Strange Fire conference in 2013:

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Faithful Unto Death: Understanding the Martyrs from Owen Strachan

So An Eclipse Happen

On Monday, April 8, 2024, most of the United States got to see a total eclipse which was predicted back in 1974 which was not in accordance with prophecy. There were some who go see it in its totality, meaning it was a total eclipse that turned the day into night for about 4 minutes. Others, depending on where they were, did not see the totality of the eclipse, but got to experience it while looking at it with their special glasses that resembled 3D glasses from 1980's.

One thing about this eclipse is there were many so-called prophets coming out saying this will mark the end of the world or the Lord Jesus will rapture His church, which nether one happened. Does this mean they were wrong? Yes. An eclipse is not a sign of the end. What the eclipse should have done is made us reflect on how great our Creator truly is.

Psalm 19:1 says, "The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And the expanse is declaring the work of His hands." This should have been a time of worship whether it was just thanking God for seeing that or singing a song. We have a God whose creation testifies that He is real. 

Yet there were many who kept using the eclipse as a means to spread false prophecies that Christ is coming again. I believe Christ is coming again but it will be a time that no one will ever expect. I truly believe these false prophets are the cause for many to echo 2 Peter 3:3-4, which says:

knowing this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.”

I remember Hal Lindsay predicted the rapture will happen in the 1980's, which, obviously, did not. Who can forget Harold Camping saying the rapture will have on May 20, 2011? When it did not happen, he said he was wrong and claimed it would happen in October, which it did not. Camping stepped down from ministry because of this. 

When will these false prophets learn that the day of the Lord will come like a thief (1 Thessalonians 5:2; 2 Peter 3:10), or remember the word of the Lord Jesus Himself, who said, "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone" (Matthew 24:36). 

Jesus will return one day. We may not agree on certain details about His second coming, but we know it is going to happen. We should be watchful for He will appear at a time we do not know. 

When someone says they know the exact time of Christ's return, in the words of John Morgan, former pastor of Sagemont Church, "Don't believe them." 

Making Biblicism Great Again

I have never heard the term "biblicism" until recently. At first, I had no what it meant. There are a couple of definitions for it. The first is the Bible is the only source of truth for the Christian. The Christian is not allowed to have books, commentaries, or even further teaching. Some have described biblicism as going under the tree with your Bible and sitting there. Others have used this definition to describe Solo Scriptura rather than Sola Scriptura meaning the Bible is our only authority.

The other definition of biblicism is where the Bible is our final authority for faith and practice. It is not the only authority, but it is our final authority. For example, as we sit under a pastor preaching the Word on any giving Sunday, he is exercising spiritual authority over us yet, as the Bereans did with Paul in Acts 17, we check the scriptures to see whether or not he is preaching truth or stepping out of bounds with his authority. These Biblicists practice Sola Scriptura and use commentaries and books in their study of the Bible. 

Obviously, I fall under the second definition of biblicism because I do believe the Bible is our final authority for faith and practice. I also do believe the use of commentaries, books, and even sermons in studying the Bible are beneficial. As I mentioned, the Bible is not the final authority in our walk with Jesus. If I want to learn how to change the toilet fill value in the bathroom of my house, I am going to seek advice or consult the "all-knowing" YouTube (Please note I do not believe YouTube is all-knowing).

The reason why biblicism is getting a bad rap is because many think Biblicists are the only ones who can interpret the Bible or saying we should not be using terms not necessarily found in the Bible such as Trinity, which is a word not in the Bible, but it helps us describe the triunity of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Others have said it will lead to heresy or will lead us to the Roman Catholic Church because there is only one opinion for Biblicist, their own, which for those in the first category that is true, however for those under the second category, that is not true.

True Biblicists seek to make the Bible the standard for which Christians live by. I am not advocating in not using commentaries, books, study Bibles, or even Bible software. I mean I have dozens of book quotes on social media and do book reviews so I cannot be under the first definition of Biblicism. Do I believe we should look at what others have said regarding the passage you are studying? Yes, but the Bible has the final say. What the theologian you are reading may not line up with the Bible so Scripture trumps what you are reading. The same can be said for the Bible you are listening to whether it is your local church pastor or one you are hearing online. By the way, it is okay to use creeds and confessions because they are expressions of our faith. If the creed does not align with Scripture, to paraphrase Charles Spurgeon, do away with it.

As I mentioned earlier, there are some who believe Biblicists will not use terms such as Trinity and omnipresent. These terms help us in our theology to understand what God has revealed about Himself in the Bible. I actually have known people that refuse to use the word "Trinity" because it is not in the Bible. Some understand the concept, but they won't use the word. What's ironic is some of these guys will say "Rapture" yet that word is not in the Bible. When studying the attributes of God, we use words that are not necessarily in the Bible, but we use them for our benefit. 

So now comes the questions, how do we make biblicism great again? Jeffrey Johnson, in his book, The Revealed God, answers that:

If biblicism is the refusal to use non-biblical words to define concepts, then we need to stay clear of biblicism. But, if biblicism is the refusal to incorporate extra-biblical and contra-biblical concepts and ideas into Christianity, then let’s make biblicism great again.

Let us also make biblicism great again by letting the Bible be our final authority. Johnson continues:

The world’s wisdom may seem scholarly and impressive, but in the end, it’s merely a complicated way to suppress the truth of God in unrighteousness. It leads its disciples into an endless maze of ever-changing beliefs from one fallible philosopher to the next. 

Those who become mesmerized by its lure are ever learning but never coming to the knowledge of the truth. It is one thing for pagan philosophers to craft their conceptions of reality in their rejection of God. Still, it is another thing for the church to be deceived into thinking worldly philosophies are reliable handmaidens to theology. 

If rationalism, empiricism, and existentialism are of no value to unbelievers, why would they be of any value to believers? Oh, that the church would learn not to look to man but to God alone. May the church not seek to build its worldview on the faulty foundations of rationalism, empiricism, or existentialism, but upon foundational truths of divine revelation — alone!

Ken Ham on the Days of Creation

There has been some debate over the years whether or not the days of creation in Genesis means an actual 24-hour day or millions of years. Young earth creationists, such as myself, believes the days of creation were an actual 24-hour day whereas old creationist believe the days of creation were millions of years. 

In this video, Ken Ham addresses whether or not the days of creation were 24-hour days or millions of years: