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2 Peter 1:12


February, 1999

Dear Readers,

“Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.” (2 Timothy 1:2) I pray that in this New Year you will dedicate your life to the Lord more fully than you have ever done in the past, for there is but a short time before our Lord returns in the clouds of glory to take His people home. The Lord is eager for you to be ready for His return. Amos warned us when he wrote, “Prepare to meet thy God.” (Amos 4:12) As I mentioned last month, in this issue we will briefly examine the Y2K issue and how it may affect you. We will also be continuing our look at the Truth about God. I pray that you will receive a blessing.

 

The Holy Spirit

by Lynnford Beachy

Jesus said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.” (John 14:15-17) Jesus stated very plainly that He would send another Comforter to comfort His people after His departure.

Let’s first take a look at a different verse that uses the word another. “And the Spirit of the LORD will come upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy with them, and shalt be turned into another man.… And it was so, that when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, God gave him another heart: and all those signs came to pass that day.” (1 Samuel 10:6, 9) Saul became another man, yet physically he was the same person. His experience made him another man.

Jesus did not finish the conversation with verse seventeen. In the very next verse He clearly explains: “I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.” (John 14:18) Jesus said that He would come to His disciples as “another Comforter.” This is quite appropriate since the Bible plainly tells us who the Comforter is. The Greek word parakletoV (parakletos), translated “Comforter,” is used five times in the Bible. Four times the word is translated “Comforter” and the other time it is translated “advocate.” Here the Bible clearly states WHO the Comforter is: “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate [parakletos—Comforter] with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” (1 John 2:1) God has plainly revealed that Jesus Christ is our Comforter.

The Lord is That Spirit

Wait a minute, does not the Bible say that the Comforter is the Holy Spirit? (John 14:26) It most certainly does. Who is the Holy Spirit? Inspiration declares: “Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” (2 Corinthians 3:17) The Lord is that Spirit, yet who is the Lord? “But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.” (1 Corinthians 8:6) This could be expressed in the form of a mathematical equation as:

Jesus Christ = the Lord
The Lord = that Spirit
Therefore: Jesus Christ = that Spirit

Ephesians 4:4 further states: “There is one body, and one Spirit.” There is only one Spirit, and the Bible tells us that Spirit is our Lord Jesus Christ, or more specifically the Spirit of our Lord Jesus Christ which He received from His Father. “And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.” (Galatians 4:6)

What exactly is a Spirit? According to the Strong’s Concordance, along with many other Greek Dictionaries, a spirit is a “mind.” When God sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts He was sending the mind, or thinking, of His Son into our hearts. God asks us to “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 2:5) The mind, or Spirit, that Christ had was the Spirit of His Father. “For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him.” (John 3:34) Let us examine what the Bible says about a spirit.

The Biblical Concept of “Spirit”

“And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts?” (Mark 2:8) Jesus perceived [Greek: epiginwskw - epiginosko “to know, that is to understand”] in His Spirit. The Spirit of Jesus is where He knew and understood things. The Spirit of Jesus is the mind of Jesus.

“And the Spirit [Hebrew: j^Wr - ruwach #7307 in Strong’s Concordance] of the LORD fell upon me, and said unto me, Speak; Thus saith the LORD; Thus have ye said, O house of Israel: for I know the things that come into your mind [ruwach], every one of them.” (Ezekiel 11:5) In this verse ruwach was translated “spirit” in one place, and “mind” in another. Clearly you can see that the spirit of an individual is the mind or thinking of that individual. (See also Isaiah 40:13, Romans 11:34)

“To whom hast thou uttered words? and whose spirit came from thee?” (Job 26:4) When we utter words we are revealing whose spirit we have. We either have the spirit of the world or the spirit of God, which is holy Spirit. “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.” (Ephesians 4:30)

Some people maintain that “the holy Spirit” and “the Spirit of God” are two different things. As you can see from the preceding verse, this is not the case. The Bible speaks of “The holy Spirit of God.” God the Father has a Spirit. “For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.” (Matthew 10:20) Jesus Christ has a Spirit. “For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1:19) Does the holy Spirit have a Spirit? Some say yes, while others say no. What saith the Scriptures? “The holy Spirit of God.” (Ephesians 4:30) The Bible nowhere mentions “the Spirit of the holy Spirit.” Why is that? Could it be that the holy Spirit is the Spirit of God the Father and His only begotten Son?

 As the Scriptures plainly state, the Father has a Spirit and His Son has a Spirit, yet there is “one Spirit.” Evidently the Father and His Son share the same Spirit while they are two separate individuals. This is true because they think alike; they have a kindred spirit. The holy Spirit does not have a Spirit. The holy Spirit is a Spirit.

Suppose I were to tell you that I would like you to meet my mother, she is very pleasant to be around, she has an excellent Spirit. If you would reply, “Well I know your mother is pleasant to be around, but I have never met her spirit,” it would be evident that you had no idea what a spirit is. First Corinthians chapter two compares the spirit of man with the Spirit of God, why would one suppose that the Spirit of God was a separate being, while the spirit of man is just the thinking of a man.

The Father anointed His Son with His own Spirit. Therefore, they have the same Spirit. God said to His Son, “Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.” (Hebrews 1:9) “For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him.” (John 3:34) As is plainly shown, the Father and the Son share a Spirit. What type of Spirit do they share? Surely, it is a “holy” Spirit. The Bible mentions several different types of Spirit. We read about “foul spirit,” “evil spirit,” “unclean spirit,” “dumb spirit,” “excellent spirit,” “humble spirit,” “wounded spirit,” “broken spirit,” “haughty spirit,” “faithful spirit,” “good spirit” etc.. All these spirits are distinguishable by the adjective that describes them. We know that God the Father has a Spirit, and can that Spirit be anything else or anything less than holy? The word “holy” is an adjective in every case, whether in English or in Greek. The term “holy Spirit” is not a name, but a description of the Spirit of God. We know that God the Father has a proper name, which is “YHWH,” otherwise known as “Yahweh” or “Jehovah,” and His only begotten Son has a proper name, which is “Yahshua,” or “Jesus.” May I ask, what is the name of the holy Spirit?

Our Comforter

Time and space forbid going into more detail, but the real issue is “who is our Comforter?” The Bible says our Comforter is Jesus Christ, who is able to comfort us in all our temptations because He was tempted just like us. “For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour [or help] them that are tempted.” (Hebrews 2:18) It is “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (Colossians 1:27) “Greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.” (1 John 4:4) Because Jesus has suffered being tempted, and comes to us in a different way than He ever did before, He can truly be called “another Comforter.” Jesus said, “I will not leave you comfortless, I will come to you.”

The holy Spirit was to come and convict the world of sin. “And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.” (John 16:8) Peter boldly proclaimed, “Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.” (Acts 3:26) It is Jesus, after His resurrection, who comes to us to turn us from sin. Would you rather have a Comforter who knows what you are going through because He has been there Himself, or one who cannot empathize with you?

Some may immediately say, “Jesus called the Comforter ‘he,’ therefore he must be someone else.” It was not uncommon in Christ’s day to speak of yourself in the third person. You find this style of writing many times in the New Testament. “Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth: and he will shew him greater works than these, that ye may marvel. For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will. For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son.” (John 5:19-22) Jesus spoke of Himself in the third person.

Epistle Salutations

Fifteen out of the twenty-seven books of the New Testament start out with a greeting similar to this one: “Grace be with you, mercy, and peace, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.” (2 John 3) Out of all these greetings, none of them mention a third being. Just two are mentioned; the Father and His Son. Surely if there were a third being who is to be equally worshiped and adored, the writers of the New Testament would have included him in these greetings but alas, there is not one to be found.

John explains to us with whom we are to have fellowship. He says, “That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.” (1 John 1:3) Surely if John were acquainted with a third God, he would want us to have fellowship with him as well, but there is no mention of another being. John further states, “Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.” (2 John 9) “Both” means two and only two. This agrees with Zechariah when he wrote, “And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD: Even he shall build the temple of the LORD; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.” (Zechariah 6:12, 13)

Reasoning with the Jews, Jesus said, “It is also written in your law, that the testimony of two men is true. I am one that bear witness of myself, and the Father that sent me beareth witness of me.” (John 8:17, 18) If an additional being could testify in His behalf, Jesus would not have hesitated to mention him here.

Paul wrote to his beloved friend Timothy declaring, “I charge thee before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and the elect angels.” (1 Timothy 5:21) Paul called the heavenly agencies to witness this charge given to Timothy. Notice who Paul called as witnesses for him. God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ are naturally the first ones to be mentioned but Paul did not stop here. He called all the angels of God to be his witnesses also. Certainly if Paul knew of a third being who is coequal with the Father and His Son he would have mentioned him in this verse. Yet there is no hint of another being, which is plain evidence that Paul knew nothing about a third god.

I could go on with this as there is an abundance of Scripture which plainly shows that “there is one God, the Father” and “one Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 8:6) and not a pantheon of gods in the Godhead.

The subject we are discussing is of vital importance. Please take the time to examine this in detail. The only way a judge can make a just decision is by viewing and weighing all the evidence. I strongly encourage you to examine all the evidence before making a decision. “He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him.” (Proverbs 18:13) ?

 

The Promised Comforter

by Doug Goslin

The greatest joy in the Word of God is experiencing the victorious “Christ in you the hope of glory.” Why? The answer is simple and for each Christian it is their confidence. “Being confident of this very thing that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1:6) The experience of having the man, Christ Jesus, in you in the fullest sense has not always been possible on this earth. There were 4,000 years when men and women labored for the cause of the man Christ Jesus but never were able to enjoy the promise.

From Adam and Eve to Malachi God’s people looked for the promise. “Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.” (Hebrews 11:35-38)

They knew that God the Father had prepared that promise for the future but always had hope that the Christ would come in their time. The Lord declared unto Israel, “Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required. Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me, I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.” (Psalm 40:6-8) These men and women could understand the deeper significance of the words of the Psalmist. This offering had been prepared in the eternal purposes to do the very work which God would do for fallen man. Yet they themselves did not receive the promise during their lifetimes.

“And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise, God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.” (Hebrews 11:39, 40) What was it that the disciples received that was better than what the prophets received? It was the Spirit of the victorious man, Christ Jesus, living in them.

We May Receive the Promise

“And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore [or, this is how] thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.” (Galatians 4:6-7) By receiving the life-giving current of the man, Christ Jesus, we can experience what it means to be sons and daughters of God.

“And we declare unto you glad tidings, how that the promise which was made unto the fathers, God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee.” (Acts 13:32, 33) After raising Jesus from the dead the long-awaited promise would be fulfilled. Now the One who overcame sin in our fallen human nature would live in us. “Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.” (Acts 3:26) Inspiration declares that it is Jesus who is turning you away from your iniquities! That’s what a comforter does.

Our human nature craves, even requires, a person who has experienced the same hardships to help us with our problems. It might be sickness, discouragement, or the loss of a loved one but whatever the problem is, the greatest comfort is found in someone who has experienced the same trials we are going through.

“This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.” (Acts 2:32, 33) Often I have wondered why the holy Spirit has more emphasis in the New Testament than in the Old? The answer is found in the Word of God.

John 7:37-39 says: “In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)”

The holy Spirit that now comes from God the Father is the promised Comforter. The greater emphasis of the holy Spirit in the New Testament comes through the victorious man, Christ Jesus! He would now be able to shed the Father’s Spirit in yet a more precious way than ever before: “God having provided some better thing for us.”

“Another Comforter”

Jesus “being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.” (Acts 1:4) Jesus had told them earlier of the promised Comforter and exactly who it would be. He said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever. Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.” (John 14:15-18)

The word “another” should be considered here but not as another individual other than Jesus Christ. Micah 5:2 teaches us that Christ was born twice, but in two separate forms. The first was the form of God; the second form was as a man. “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting [the days of eternity].” (Micah 5:2 margin)

We can see clearly that Christ did not come in the form He had in heaven. He came in another form, the form of a man, yet He was still the same person.

The Father had sent Michael to His people as their mediator to comfort them for four thousand years. The comforting promise of placing enmity between mankind and Satan would only be fulfilled through His death and resurrection. Christ was a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. He stood with Joshua and Daniel and with the Psalmist as he wrote, “thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” (Psalm 23:4)

Now the Father was preparing to give us another Comforter. The Comforter He would send was one with another experience—the same person, but after experiencing humanity He would be able to further enter into our experiences and help humanity in a manner not before available. “For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour [help] them that are tempted.” (Hebrews 2:18)

The Comforter whom we have is Jesus, who will “abide with you for ever.” Jesus is the Spirit of truth, for it is He who is “the way, the truth, and the life.” (John 14:6) The world will not receive Him because it cannot see Him nor does it know Him. Now here is the promise spoken in no uncertain terms to His disciples: “…but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.” (John 14:17, 18)

Jesus makes it abundantly clear to the believer that he or she may rest in the fact that our Comforter is one who has experienced humanity and was victorious in the fallen nature. In John 14:20 He says it will be He and His Father in us. In verse 21, He says that He will manifest Himself to us.

When one of His disciples questioned how this could be, Jesus patiently answered, “If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.” (John 14:23) This was being fulfilled when the Father gave of His Spirit through His Son at Pentecost.

The Bible proves over and over again that Christ is our Comforter, the one Who could be tempted in all points such as we are. We are also reminded that Christ is “that Spirit” that brings unity to the Church. Paul states, “Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” (2 Corinthians 3:17)

A Teacher of Righteousness

The Old Testament prophet Joel spoke of the future outpouring of the holy Spirit: “Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God: for he hath given you the former rain [a teacher of righteousness] moderately, [according to righteousness] and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month.” (Joel 2:23 margin)

At the time of the former and the latter rain the Father will send “a teacher of righteous according to righteousness.”

Christ has been sent to us as our teacher, “But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master [Greek: kathegetes—teacher], even Christ; and all ye are brethren.… Neither be ye called masters [kathegetes]: for one is your Master [kathegetes], even Christ. (Matthew 23:8-10) Jesus tells us that He is our one teacher.

When we know Christ is our teacher John 14:26 becomes easy to understand: “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” (John 14:26)

There are many in the religious world who have a teacher other than Jesus as their Comforter. They have a concept of a teacher that has not come in the name of Jesus. This teacher was not born of a woman therefore he does not know, nor could he know, of the saving grace of Jesus. Our Saviour said, “…I go away and come again to you.”

Beloved, there is only One who has died the death and has been raised from that death to turn us away from our iniquities. His name is Jesus.

“But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me.” (John 15:26) Compare this verse to Acts 2:33. “Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.” In this verse Christ rightly takes the credit for shedding or sending the holy Spirit which originally proceeds from God the Father.

It was no coincidence that before the Comforter could return to the earth, Jesus had to return to the Father. “Nevertheless I tell you the truth; “It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.” (John 16:17) “Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I.” (John 14:28) John wrote of Christ stating, “(But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)” (John 7:39)

Jesus spoke of the holy Spirit in this way: “And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: Of sin, because they believe not on me; Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged. I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.” (John 16:10-12) The question would be, when will He reprove the world of sin, of righteousness, of judgment, and say the things that the disciples could not bear at that time?

After His death Jesus said, “All power [Greek: exousia - authority] is given unto me in heaven and in earth.” (Matthew 28:18) Who reproves the sinner? It is Jesus: “If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloke for their sin.” (John 15:22) “Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.” (Acts 3:26) Also read John 3:18-21.

“Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.” (John 16:13)

Much talk has been given to the idea that the holy Spirit is a third being of a Trinity and that He is so humble He wouldn’t even speak of himself.

Our Savior said that He didn’t speak of Himself and yet He said, “I am the bread,” “I am the light,” etc. He could say things concerning Who He was because the Father told Him what to speak: “For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak. And I know that his commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak.” (John 12:49, 50)

The Spirit of truth has the identical character of the Son of God for it is the inner man of Jesus. When He comes as the Comforter He will not speak of Himself.

The Parakletos

One important and insightful point that should be mentioned is that the Greek word for “Comforter” in John chapters 14-16 is parakletos. This word is used five times in the Bible. The first four times it was translated “Comforter.” (John 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7)

In 1 John 2:1, parakletos was translated into the English word “advocate.” “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate [parakletos - comforter] with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” (1 John 2:1) The writer of the Gospel of John was the same writer of the epistle of 1 John. He uses the same word to express two similar thoughts. The concept of “advocate” as given in 1 John and the concept of the “Comforter” as recorded in John are therefore synonymous. The Bible teaches plainly that the Son of God is our parakletos, or Comforter.

First Corinthians 1:30 says, “But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption.” It was Christ who discussed the creation of man together with the Father. It was Christ who formed us with His hands. It was Christ who placed enmity between the church and the spirit of Satan. He spoke with Abraham, Noah, and Moses; led the Children of Israel through the Red Sea, the Jordan, and the captivity of Babylon. It was Jesus who was born of a woman, grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man. Christ led the disciples for three and a half years. Then He told His disciples that though He lived with them He would go away so He could live in them.

In closing, the Bible teaches us that there is a fallen angel who wants to hide our Comforter, Jesus Christ, from our view. He wants to receive the worship due to God and His Son. Isaiah describes the desires of Satan: “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.” (Isaiah 14:12-14)

Satan desires that the whole world should worship him instead of Christ. Beloved, false concepts of God such as the doctrine of the Trinity will prevent you from understanding the beautiful truth that the Son of the living God is your Comforter. In fact, these false views pave the way for the acceptance of the spirit of Satan in place of the Spirit of the Lord. Beloved, I pray that the Lord Jesus will bless you and that you may receive Him as your Comforter. ?

 

The Year 2000
Y2K And You

By Allen Stump

We are now less than twelve months away from the year 2000 A.D. Contrary to popular belief, the year 2000 is not the start of the next millennium. The next millennium will begin January 1, 2001. However, the date January 1, 2000 is considered an important date and many are expecting something climactic to happen then even if they do not know what it is.

Many religious leaders and organizations are looking for the world’s conversion and a millennium of peace to begin. The Pope and several evangelical Protestants are working towards a unified position and witness to present to the world. Anyone who is out of step will not be considered Christian because they are not willing to see the prayer of Christ as recorded in John 17 answered.

The most common thought among the people of the world regarding the year 2000 is what is known as the “Y2K” problem. Only those in a time warp have not heard about it. Y2K stands for the “year 2000.” It involves the possible shutdown of computers that were programmed with only a two-digit year dating system instead of a four digit year dating system.

The troubles that could be associated with the Y2K problem have been discussed quite a bit for the last few years. Since almost everything is computer driven and controlled today, if the computers come to a standstill, society will also. As someone said, “It would be like going back to the horse and buggy days without the horse and buggy!”

While banking and communications were the early targets of concern, the biggest fear today centers around the electric power plants. If they shut down everything else shuts down including computer-controlled systems that are Y2K compliant.

Computer “experts” seem divided on how many and what types of systems will be ready by the end of the year, but all seem to expect some problems. A few believe that the main “bugs” will be worked out by then; some believe that total chaos will occur at the stroke of midnight! How should we approach the problem?

If I were to tell you that there would be no problems with Y2K and you made no preparations and then chaos occurred, I would be, to a degree, responsible for your situation. I could take the view that total shutdown will occur. If the system fails then, I would look like a prophet. If total shutdown did not occur I could say that God in His mercy gave us more time and at least you were not hurt by being ready. The truth is that while I have my ideas about Y2K, I do not claim to be an authority or have the answers.

Some have said that there are too many of the “Big Boys” who wish for normal life to prosper and continue when the year 2000 comes to let things crash. Perhaps this is so. I do know that the technical answers to the problem exist. Implementation may not be as easy. One of the first places the Y2K bug showed up was in using credit cards that had expiration dates in the year 2000. Interestingly it did not take the banks very long to clear up this problem. Money still talks! Although at last report few if any banks were totally Y2K compliant, they claim they are working on it and plan to be ready by year’s end.

I have believed for years that it is important to get out of the cities and move into the country to live. If we do not get out of the cities now we may not be able to later. Many who live in metropolitan areas and rely on public transportation could not leave in the event of a power outage. Some have automobiles but you cannot drive your car without gasoline. Gasoline cannot be pumped and sold without electricity.

For those in the country there would be three main necessities: water, food, and shelter. The biggest concern would be fresh water. Those who depend on city water supplies or for electricity to pump water from wells will be without water if the electric power fails. Springs or wells that could be hand drawn can supply water. Food would be the next biggest concern. Personally, I plan on the biggest garden I have ever planted this year. Food should be canned or dried but not put up in freezers for obvious reasons. Another necessity is dry shelter and, where climate necessitates, warmth is important. Wood-burning stoves may work well to produce heat for some, but remember, chain saws use gasoline. Getting the wood in early and having several tanks of fuel on hand would be important. Other heat sources could be coal or liquid propane as well as solar heat and power.

There is a certain amount of preparation that needs to be made even if the Y2K bug is fixed. As we noted earlier, it is imperative that we get out of the cities. According to prophecy there is coming a time of trouble in this world, both physically and spiritually, such as has never yet been seen. Some have suggested that the powers that be will use Y2K to start a national emergency and declare marshal law starting the final movements of earth’s history. With the current track record of President Clinton combined with his upcoming Senate trial and the problems with Iraq, this is not a “far fetched idea.”

One thing we can know for sure, if it is time for history to close, nothing will stop its onward march. The signs tell us that we are near the coming of Jesus in the clouds of heaven. If the year 2000 is not the end it is certainly the beginning of the end. The question that should haunt us is: “Are we making the preparation necessary for the end times?” Proverbs 22:3 says, “A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished.”

While there are physical preparations that all Christians should be making for either Y2K or the time of trouble, the most important preparation is the spiritual life. While we have a work to do (physically and most importantly spiritually) in getting ready for the times ahead, there is a world to warn of coming destruction! The Lord is not pleased with a self-centered program of self-preservation. I pray that we would not become so engrossed with the coming problems that we fail to give the message God has commissioned us to give. I believe that if we are about our Father’s business He will see that our preparations, which are necessary, will be completed.

Whatever is ahead let us above all be faithful. “And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.” (Luke 12:42, 43) ?

(Allen Stump is the editor of a monthly newsletter published by Smyrna Gospel Ministries entitled Old Paths. He is an associate worker here and a good friend of mine. You can contact him by sending correspondence to Present Truth, or by e-mail at allen@smyrna.org.)

 


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