What Spiritual Gifts Does the Bible Name?

Posted on August 7, 2019 by russellmckinney

Series: “Spiritual Gifts” (post #2)

To find out what spiritual gifts the Bible names, you have to consult three separate passages of scripture. The passages are Romans 12:6-8, 1 Corinthians 12:8-30, and Ephesians 4:7-16. By combining the lists from all three passages, we come up with 20 named spiritual gifts. Interestingly, the Ephesians passage and certain portions of the 1 Corinthians passage focus upon the Christians who actually have the gift rather than naming the gift itself. For example, “evangelists” obviously refers to Christians who have the spiritual gift of evangelism.

This post will list and briefly define all 20 of the spiritual gifts and provide the passage in which each gift is found. There is no particular order to the list. For many of the gifts, I’ll provide multiple names. These different names are a reflection of the different ways in which our English translations describe the gift.

  1. evangelism (Ephesians 4:11): This gift is the special ability to effectively tell others about Jesus Christ and their need of the salvation offered in Him. Christians with this gift enjoy sharing the gospel with unbelievers and do it with zeal. They lead many people to saving belief in Christ.
  2. ministry, ministration, service, serving, serving others (Romans 12:7): This gift is the special ability to personally minister to others by serving them. Christians with this gift love doing “hands on” acts of service for others. They are wonderful about being Christ’s hands, feet, and voice to people in need.
  3. faith, great faith, special faith (1 Corinthians 12:9): This gift is the special ability to have extraordinary faith in God and what He is going to do. Christians with this gift continue to trust God in a situation long after others have given up such trust. They will attempt great things for God when others are afraid to do so.
  4. exhortation, encouragement, counseling (Romans 12:8): This gift is the special ability to encourage, counsel, urge, or warn others. Christians with this gift use words and deeds that are highly persuasive and influential.
  5. pastoring, shepherding (Ephesians 4:11): This gift is the special ability to serve as the pastor of a group of Christians. The gift is associated with the call to preach and the ability to teach the Bible. Christians with this gift are skilled at shepherding people, which requires leading them, caring for them, protecting them, and spiritually feeding them.
  6. discerning of spirits, the distinguishing of spirits, the ability to tell the spirits apart, the ability to discern whether a message is from God or from another spirit (1 Corinthians 12:10): This is the special ability to know whether a situation is being energized and promoted by God or by Satan. Christians with this gift are especially adept at sensing when the demonic realm is causing something to happen. They know when something is “of God” and when it is “of the devil.”
  7. teaching (Romans 12:7, 1 Corinthians 12:29): This gift is the special ability to teach the Bible with profound effectiveness. Despite the fact that many Christians who have the gift of pastoring also have the gift of teaching, the two gifts don’t always run in tandem. In other words, a Christian can have the spiritual gift of teaching without feeling the call to preach.
  8. the word of knowledge, a word of knowledge, words of knowledge, a message of knowledge, the utterance of knowledge, the ability to speak with knowledge (1 Corinthians 12:8): This gift is the special ability to gather information and impart it. Christians with this gift are great at collecting data, bringing all the facts to bear upon a situation, and laying out all the options. However, they don’t necessarily know the best course of action. That’s not their gifting.
  9.  the word of wisdom, a word of wisdom, words of wisdom, a message of wisdom, the utterance of wisdom, the ability to speak with wisdom (1 Corinthians 12:8): This gift is the special ability to speak words of divine wisdom to others. Christians with this gift are uncommonly adept at offering godly, Bible-based advice. They are the best people in all the world to seek out for counsel.
  10. the working of miracles, the power to work miracles, the performing of miracles (1 Corinthians 12:10,29): This gift is the special ability to perform miracles by means of the power of God. Christians with this gift can cast out demons, raise the dead, and do other miraculous deeds.
  11. apostleship (Ephesians 4:11, 1 Corinthians 12:29): This gift is the special ability to serve as an apostle to the church at large. Christians with this gift will evidence “the signs of an apostle” (2 Corinthians 12:12), which means that any Christian with this gift must also have the spiritual gift of working miracles. The gift of apostleship will empower the Christian to be highly effective in a wide range of service to Christ, including evangelism, church planting, settling doctrinal disputes, and contending for the Christian faith against its attackers.
  12. gifts of healings, gifts of healing, the ability to heal, the power to heal (1 Corinthians 12:9,30): This gift is the special ability to physically heal by means of the power of God. Christians with this gift can cure sickness and disease instantaneously and completely without the aid of medicine, surgery, or physical therapy. The gift is typically associated with either the gift of the working of miracles, the gift of apostleship, or both.
  13. giving (Romans 12:8): This gift is the special ability to generously contribute one’s finances and possessions to support the Lord’s work. Christians with this gift contribute joyously and abundantly. They give, even to their own detriment many times, and they never begrudge doing it. To them, giving is a joy rather than an obligation.
  14. prophesying (Ephesians 4:11, 1 Corinthians 12:29, Romans 12:6): This gift is the special ability to speak God’s exact words as you are moved by the Holy Spirit. Christians with this gift metaphorically become the mouthpiece of God. The gift can involve preaching but it isn’t exactly the same as preaching. Prophesying is different than merely taking a portion of God’s written word and expounding upon it because prophesying doesn’t necessarily depend upon anything that has already been said or written. It can be fresh, new information that is coming straight from God. Oftentimes (but not always) it involves the foretelling of future events.
  15. showing mercy (Romans 12:8): This gift is the special ability to extend mercy to those who might not even deserve it. Christians with this gift are uncommonly tenderhearted and compassionate. They are slow to condemn and quick to grant another chance.
  16. speaking in tongues, speaking in different kinds of languages, the ability to speak in unknown languages (1 Corinthians 12:10,30): This gift is the special ability to be empowered by the Holy Spirit to speak in a foreign language that you have never learned. Christians with this gift won’t merely speak strange gibberish or incoherent babble. They will instead speak a known language while under the control of the Holy Spirit. A group of approximately 120 of Christ’s followers displayed this gift in the streets of Jerusalem when they proclaimed the gospel to thousands of foreign Jews who had come to Jerusalem to celebrate the Jewish holiday known as Pentecost (Acts 2:1-13).
  17. the interpretation of tongues, the interpretation of languages (1 Corinthians 12:10,30): This gift is the special ability to be empowered by the Holy Spirit in interpret a foreign language that you have never learned. Christians with this gift will be able to interpret what is being said when another person speaks in a language that is foreign to the setting.
  18. leading, ruling (Romans 12:8): This gift is the special ability to take charge of a body of people and lead it. Christians with this gift feel very comfortable in assuming leadership positions, even being burdened to do so. They are uncommonly clear minded and direction oriented. They quickly recognize problems and provide workable solutions. They don’t necessarily crave the spotlight, but they don’t mind standing in it.
  19. helps, helping, the ability to help others (1 Corinthians 12:28): This gift is the special ability to effectively perform simplistic acts of service that others might consider trivial. Christians with this gift notice little things that need to be done and enjoy doing them without recognition. Typically they are unsung heroes.
  20. administrations, administrating, governments, managing, the ability to direct things (1 Corinthians 12:28): This gift is the special ability to excel in administrative matters. Christians with this gift are great at planning, scheduling, and organizing. They understand how to create the “nuts and bolts” that make any endeavor hum along efficiently.

Okay, there you have it, a listing of the 20 spiritual gifts the Bible specifically names. Now we need to turn our attention to asking and answering a very important question. That question is, “Does the Holy Spirit still impart all 20 of the spiritual gifts today?” Ah, now that’s a good question! And in my next post I’ll provide my answer to it. So please stay tuned….

Posted in Discernment, Evangelism, Faith, Giving, God's Work, Individuality, Leadership, Mercy, Ministry, Pastors, Preaching, Series: "Spiritual Gifts", Service, Speaking in Tongues, Spiritual Gifts, Spiritual Warfare, Teaching, The Holy Spirit | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Spiritual Gifts

Posted on August 5, 2019 by russellmckinney

Series: “Spiritual Gifts” (post #1)

Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant. (1 Corinthians 12:1, N.K.J.V.)

The apostle Paul told the Christians of Corinth that he didn’t want them to be ignorant (uninformed) concerning the subject of spiritual gifts. Sadly, many Christians today are just that. It is with this in mind that I’d like to devote a short series of posts to the subject. This first post will ask 7 questions about spiritual gifts and provide quick answers to each question.

Question #1: Who has a spiritual gift? The Bible teaches that every true Christian has at least one spiritual gift. Some Christians have more than one, but every Christian has at least one. In 1 Corinthians 12:7, Paul tells those Christians of Corinth that the Holy Spirit manifesting Himself (making Himself known, displaying Himself) by way of a spiritual gift is given to “each one,” referring to each Christian.

Question #2: What is a spiritual gift? A spiritual gift is a God-given ability to perform a particular act of service.

Question #3: How is a spiritual gift different than a talent? A talent is an ability you receive at birth. Even though it usually takes years for that talent to come to the front and display itself in your life, it’s there, lying dormant inside you, at birth. It just needs to be discovered, brought out, and refined through practice and use. Examples of a talent are a musical talent, a writing talent, a mechanical talent, an athletic talent, a talent for mathematics, etc.

A spiritual gift is a skill the Christian receives the moment he or she is “born again” (John 3:1-21). It is an ability the person did not have before becoming a Christian. Like a talent, it might take many years for the Christian to figure out that he or she has a particular spiritual gift, but the gift is there from the moment of the “born again” experience.

Question #4: How does the Christian receive a spiritual gift? The process, which happens instantaneously, plays out as follows:

  • (1) The individual places saving belief in Jesus.
  • (2) At the moment of the person’s saving belief, God the Holy Spirit enters into the person’s body and takes up permanent residence there (Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; 2 Corinthians 1:22; 2 Corinthians 5:5; Galatians 4:6; 1 Thessalonians 4:8; 2 Timothy 1:14; 1 John 3:24). This experience is known as Holy Spirit baptism (Acts 1:4-5; 1 Corinthians 12:13), and it is what it means to be “born again” or “born of the Spirit” (John 3:5-6).
  • (3) The indwelling Holy Spirit inwardly imparts to the person at least one spiritual gift that is to be used in service to Jesus. Like a talent, it might take many years for the Christian to figure out that he or she has a particular spiritual gift, but the gift is there from the moment of the Holy Spirit’s indwelling.

Question #5: Does every Christian receive the same spiritual gift? No. There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, and God distributes them as He sees fit (1 Corinthians 12:1-6; Romans 12:6-8). The Bible compares spiritual gifts to the different parts of the human body (1 Corinthians 12:12-26). Each part (gift) is important and has a job to do in the overall health of the body.

Question #6: How should a spiritual gift be used? Each gift should be used in love (1 Corinthians 13:1-13) to help others (1 Corinthians 12:7). A spiritual gift should not be used to promote one’s self. It also shouldn’t be used in pride or ego. God wants each gift to be used to serve Him by way of serving others.

Question #7: How many spiritual gifts does the Bible specifically name? The Bible specifically names 20 spiritual gifts. This total is derived from combining the lists that are found in Romans 12:6-8; 1 Corinthians 12:8-10; 1 Corinthians 12:28-30; and Ephesians 4:7-16.

In my next post, I’ll list all 20 of the gifts and give a brief description of each one. So until next time, stay tuned…..

Posted in God's Work, Ministry, Series: "Spiritual Gifts", Service, Spiritual Gifts, Talents, The Holy Spirit | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Intersection of Death

Posted on August 3, 2019 by russellmckinney

Imagine a horizontal line running west to east across the center of your computer screen. This line represents your will in a decision. Now imagine a vertical line running north to south right through the center of your screen. This line represents God’s will in that same decision. The point where those two lines intersect in the middle of the screen is the intersection of death where God wants you to die to your will and do His.

I don’t mean to imply that God’s will is always different than your will. Unless you are a full-blown rebel who bucks God at every turn, His will can oftentimes align with your inner desires. Two proof texts for this are:

Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm 37:4, N.K.J.V.)

for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. (Philippians 2:13, N.K.J.V.)

The problem, however, is that we are all still infected by our inborn nature of sin and this nature is constantly working within us to keep our desires out of alignment with God’s. Isaiah 53:6 describes the chasing of our own desires as going our own way:

All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. (N.K.J.V.)

The “Him” referenced in that verse is none other than Jesus. As Jesus hung on the cross, God the Father laid all the iniquity (sin) of every member of the human race on Him and Jesus died as the substitutionary sacrifice for all those sins. Because of this, anyone who now authentically believes in Jesus as their personal Savior has all their sins forgiven. Still, though, even those of us who have had all our sins forgiven have to continue to struggle with the lingering effects of our inborn nature of sin. We won’t be freed from that nature and those effects until we are freed from these mortal bodies.

This brings us back to the point of my opening illustration. Think of what you want done in a situation as being a horizontal line, and think of what God wants done in that same situation as being a vertical line. Tell me, are you submitted enough to God to put your will to death on the altar of that point of intersection? Frankly, most people aren’t. Here’s hoping that you are the exception to that rule.

Posted in Brokenness, Choices, Christ's Death, Desires, Disobedience, Dying To Self, God's Will, Obedience, Rebellion | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Happily Ever After

Posted on August 1, 2019 by russellmckinney

Everybody loves a happy ending. The fact is, though, that such an outcome usually depends upon just exactly what degree of “happy” the individual is expecting. If those expectations are unrealistically high, well….

The Bible’s classic illustration of this is found in God giving the land of Canaan to the people of Israel. When God first spoke to Abraham, He called him to a land that He would show him (Genesis 12:1). Abraham would spend the rest of his life living in tents as a nomad in that land, always having the divine deed to it (Genesis 13:14-18) but never being able to possess it in the usual way.

It would be Abraham’s descendants, once they had multiplied to over two million strong, who would possess Canaan, but even that would only come after 400 years of enslavement to the Egyptians (Genesis 15:13-14). At last, though, the nation of Israel did settle Canaan. Moses led them to the brink of settling it, and Joshua led them in finishing the job.

But what did that settling entail? Oh not much, just the small matter of conquering the land. That meant that Israel had to go to war against the land’s occupants, various races of warlike people who worshiped strange idols and held to moral standards that were vastly different than Israel’s. Some of these people were literally gigantic in stature and all of them lived in cities that were heavily fortified (Numbers 13:25-33).

I can just imagine some Israelite saying to God, “Uh, Lord, I kind of thought that after we had endured the Egyptian persecution and the centuries of waiting, us possessing Canaan would be a lot easier. If you have given us this land, why do we have to fight to possess it?” The phrase “happily ever after” hadn’t been invented yet, but I figure that’s the outcome that many Israelites had in mind once they arrived at Canaan. They were looking for a walk in the park, not a war in the land.

But isn’t that just like life? A man asks God to open a door for him to get a job that pays enough to afford a good life, and God grants that request. But does that new job produce a “happily ever after” ending? Nope. What it produces is a year-in-year-out routine of clocking in and doing the work, aggravating as that work might sometimes get, that comes with that job.

The man then asks God to send him a woman to marry, and God grants that request. But does that wedding produce a “happily ever after” ending? Nope. What it produces is a marriage that has to be cultivated and maintained every day of every week of every month of every year of every decade.

The married couple then asks God to bless them with a child, and God grants that request. But does that birth produce a “happily ever after” ending? Nope. What it produces is a lifetime responsibility of raising that child, nurturing it, training it, and meeting its constantly changing needs.

You see, somewhere along the line we Christians got the wrong idea about Canaan. Somehow Israel’s promised land of Canaan became associated with our promised land of heaven. That’s why we have so many songs that compare dying to crossing over the Jordan river. Well, speaking for myself, I certainly hope that heaven isn’t like Canaan. I’d hate to get up there and have God say, “Okay you’re here in the land I’ve given you, but in order for you to settle down in it you’re going to have to fight giant angels who live in fortified cities.” So much for heaven being a place of rest!

The takeaway lesson from all this is that as long as we are living upon this earth there really is no idyllic “happily ever after” state. What we get instead are a series of challenges that await us around every new corner in every new place. Even retirement presents its own unique set of potential pitfalls and problems. Will you have enough money to live comfortably? Will your health hold up? How will you occupy your time? Will you downsize? Will you move to be closer to your kids? You get the idea.

This doesn’t mean that some seasons of your life aren’t easier or more pleasant than others. It also doesn’t mean that God doesn’t know when you need to drive on a smooth road for a while. But just remember that life on earth is not designed to be a cakewalk. Perhaps it was once, in Eden, but those days are long gone. Now there are giants to be fought, fortified cities to be conquered, and unruly lands to be possessed. Summing up the situation, there is work to be done and godly service to be rendered. Fairy tale endings are for children’s books and the movies, not for real life. For the Christian, such an ending only comes in the afterlife, and tragically for the lost person it doesn’t even come then.

Posted in Adversity, Change, Disappointment, Family, Fatherhood, God's Will, Marriage, Motherhood, Parenting, Problems, Trials | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Dead In Sin or Dead To Sin?

Posted on July 29, 2019 by russellmckinney

One little word can make a big difference. A Biblical example of this is found in the salvation experience. The difference is between the words “in” and “to.”

Ephesians 2:1-5 and Colossians 2:13 teach that each of us was born dead in trespasses and sins. Furthermore, each us remains in that spiritually dead state until the moment we place saving belief (faith) in Jesus Christ. At that moment, the spiritually dead sinner is made spiritually alive in Jesus (Ephesians 2:5).

What happens next is beautiful. The New Testament model is that the salvation experience is quickly followed by the newly saved believer (Christian) agreeing to be baptized — by immersion to be specific — in water. Baptism by immersion is a public object lesson that signifies to all the witnesses that the newly saved believer (Christian) is professing to now be dead to his or her old way of living and is going to walk in the newness of life found in following Jesus (Romans 6:1-4). And what does the Bible call this new walk? It calls it being dead to sin (Romans 6:2,11).

Being dead to sin means that the Christian is no longer a slave to sin (Romans 6:6), having been set free from its bondage (Romans 6:7). Because of this spiritual emancipation, the Christian should no longer allow sin to reign in his or her body (Romans 6:12) and should use the different parts of the body as instruments of righteousness rather than unrighteousness (Romans 6:13). The idea of sin continuing to have dominion over the Christian is virtually unthinkable to the New Testament mindset  (Romans 6:1-2,14).

This doesn’t mean that the Christian will ever reach a state of sinless perfection while upon this earth. No, as long as the Christian lives in a mortal body, sins will on occasion be committed. However, the point of being dead to sin is that the Christian will not engage in a lifestyle of persistent, continual, habitual sin. While slip ups and stumbles are to be expected as part of us having the Adamic nature of sin coursing through our veins, the slip ups and stumbles should never become the rule rather than the exception. Falling down into the mud is one thing. Continuing to lie there and wallow in it is something else entirely.

And so the question on the table for each of us right now is: “Am I dead in sin or am I dead to sin?” If you are a Christian, you are dead to sin, at least you are supposed to be. Admittedly, some Christians are so backslidden that it’s hard to tell that Jesus is even their Savior because they certainly aren’t walking in the newness of life that He offers. But this isn’t the norm. This isn’t the standard. This isn’t the ideal. Being dead to sin means that you are no longer dead in sin, and the proper response to such a condition is to live a life that is free from sin. That’s how it’s supposed to work, and that’s how it will work, Christian, if you will let Jesus have His way in your life.

Posted in Backsliding, Baptism, Belief, Discipleship, Disobedience, Doing Good, Personal Holiness, Rebellion, Salvation, Sin | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

When False Teeth Become a Problem

Posted on July 27, 2019 by russellmckinney

but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy for I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:15-16, N.K.J.V.)

In his booklet How to Kill a Church Without Really Trying, Tom Malone tells the story of a female church member who didn’t live a life of personal holiness. As bad as that was for her, it caused even worse repercussions for a local dentist who knew her. I’ll let Malone tell the story in his own words. He writes:

I will never forget meeting an unsaved dentist. I tried every way in the world to get him saved but could not. Finally I got him to come to church during a revival meeting. During the invitation someone went back and spoke to him and said, “Doctor, we would like for you to be saved.” The dentist said, “There will have to be some changes made before I get saved.” The person asked, “What do you mean?” The dentist answered, “There is a woman up there in that choir with a set of false teeth in her mouth for which she has owed me for two years. She has been singing to me tonight about Jesus and a Christian life; but if that is the Christian life, I don’t want it.”

Malone closes that story by saying of the dentist, “I don’t blame him.” Speaking for myself, I’m with Malone on that one. Why would anyone want to embrace a Savior whose followers don’t pay their bills?

Christian, let this short post find a lodging place in your heart and life. When you use profane language, engage in sexual sin, gossip, lie, cheat, steal, get drunk, get high, slack off at work, don’t pay your bills, etc., you hurt more than your own reputation. You also hurt the reputation of the Savior you profess to love and serve. Remember that you are the only Bible some people ever read and they are drawing their opinion of Jesus and Christianity by watching you.

Posted in Adultery, Alcohol, Backsliding, Character, Church, Discipleship, Doing Good, Dress and Appearance, Drugs, God's Holiness, God's Work, Holiness, Homosexuality, Influence, Lying, Making Restitution, Money, Personal Holiness, Repentance, Righteousness, Salvation, Sanctification, Sex, Sin, Temptation, The Tongue | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

The Great War: A Winning Side and A Losing Side

Posted on July 25, 2019 by russellmckinney

Series: “The Great War” (post #5, last one)

This post will finish up the series “The Great War.” The Great War between Satan and God produces at least four results. Result #1 is soldiers are enlisted for the war. Result #2 is the war produces casualties on both sides. Result #3 is the war produces injuries on both sides. And what is the fourth result? It is this: In the end, God will be declared the victor in the war.

Bible prophecy is a big, rich, complex subject. It plays itself out over vast eons of time, and it is always working toward the grand finale of The Great War. With this in mind, here is the sequence of events that will culminate in God being declared the eternal victor:

  1. Jesus returns to earth’s sky for the Rapture and snatches away the bodies of all Christians. (1 Corinthians 15:50-58; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)
  2. The earth experiences a seven-year period of tribulation which includes: the rise to world power of The Antichrist and his propaganda minister The False Prophet, numerous wars between human armies, famine, the death of multiplied millions, and great cataclysmic events. (Revelation chapters 6 through 18)
  3. Jesus formally returns to the earth to walk it again and establish His 1,000 year kingdom upon it. (Revelation 19:1-16; 20:1-6)
  4. Upon His return, Jesus wins the Battle of Armageddon (the battle that brings the tribulation period to a close). He merely speaks the word and all of the soldiers involved in the fighting are slain. These casualties become more evidence of the second result of The Great War. (Revelation 19:17-19)
  5. The Antichrist and The False Prophet become the first occupants of a place known as “the eternal lake of fire.” This hellish site is even worse than the hell that exists now. (Revelation 19:20-21)
  6. Satan and all the other fallen angels are imprisoned in a place called “the bottomless pit” for the duration of Christ’s 1,000 year reign. (Revelation 20:1-3; Isaiah 24:21-22)
  7. Jesus sends His angels out to separate the world’s inhabitants who lived to see the end of the tribulation period. The inhabitants are separated into two categories: saved (the sheep) and lost (the goats). The saved will be those who believed in Jesus as Savior during the tribulation period. The lost will be those who didn’t. The saved are welcomed into Christ’s 1,000 year reign on earth. The lost are slain and their souls banished to the hell that exists now. (Matthew 25:31-46)
  8. After Jesus has ruled over the earth for 1,000 years, Satan and the other fallen angels will be released from their imprisonment in “the bottomless pit.” (Revelation 20:7)
  9. Satan will immediately compass the world and gather a new army consisting of millions of humans. This will be his final attempt to overthrow Jesus. The humans who will follow him will be the offspring of those saved believers who entered into Christ’s 1000 year reign in their earthly bodies. These “kingdom kids” will grow up in a world that has Jesus has its King, but as soon as another alternative (Satan) is presented they will align themselves with Satan. (Revelation 20:8)
  10. Satan and his new army will march to Jerusalem, where Jesus sits upon the throne. But it is then that God the Father will cast fire down from heaven and that fire will devour Satan’s human soldiers. (Revelation 20:9)
  11. Following this final defeat, Satan and all the other fallen angels will join The Antichrist and The False Prophet eternally in “the eternal lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:10; Matthew 25:41)
  12. The souls of all of history’s lost people (beginning with Cain and running all the way through every single one of those “kingdom kids”) will be called forth from the hell that exists now. Each soul will be eternally reunited with the body it once inhabited. These bodies will all be resurrected in a mass resurrection that Jesus described as “the resurrection of condemnation.” Each lost person will stand body and soul before Jesus for a time of judgment and then be cast body and soul into “the eternal lake of fire” to join Satan, the other fallen angels, The Antichrist, and The False Prophet there eternally. (Revelation 20:11-15; John 5:25-30)
  13. At this point. The Great War will finally be 100% concluded as each angel and each human will be properly stationed once and for all in their eternal categories.
  14. The heaven and earth that exist now will pass away by fire. God will then create a new heaven and a new earth to stand in their places. There is considerable debate as to whether this new heaven and new earth will be completely new versions or merely the old heaven and the old earth purged and renewed by fire. At any rate, there will be some kind of a new heaven and a new earth. (Revelation 21:1-8; 2 Peter 3:10-13)
  15. Following the emergence of the new heaven and the new earth, the eternal city of New Jerusalem will begin accepting occupants. These occupants will be the saved from all of history. This is the city in which they will spend the rest of eternity. (Revelation 21:9-27; 22:1-5)

Now, in conclusion, let me leave you with a thought. The average Christian’s goal in life is to make life as easy and as comfortable as possible. We want the money, the possessions, the friends, the family, etc. that come with “the good life.” But what God would say to each of us is, “There is a great war going on and I need blows struck at the enemy.”

You see, Christian, God hasn’t left you here to do your own thing. He’s left you here to do your part in the fighting. You have assignments that only you can carry out and missions that only you can accomplish.

And so I ask you, “How much soldiering are you doing these days?” If it isn’t much, then I trust that this series will serve as your call to arms as you take your place in this worldwide battlefield that we call life. Am I asking you to enlist in God’s army? No, you’re already enlisted! I’m simply asking you to start acting like a soldier by striking some real blows at the enemy. Oh and by the way, when you do, be sure to duck. Remember, the enemy tends to strike back. That’s how war works.

Posted in Angels, Christ's Second Coming, Christ's Return, Demons, Eternity, God's Omnipotence, God's Wrath, God's Judgment, God's Sovereignty, Heaven, Hell, Prophecy, Restoration, Resurrection, Satan, Series: "The Great War", Spiritual Warfare, The Devil | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

The Great War: Injuries Inflicted

Posted on July 23, 2019 by russellmckinney

Series: “The Great War” (post #4)

The Great War that is the ongoing battle between Satan and God produces four distinct results. Thus far in this series we’ve covered two of those results. Result #1: Soldiers are enlisted for the war. Result #2: The war produces casualties on both sides. This post will identify result #3, which is: The war produces injuries on both sides.

Casualties resulting from war are obviously worse than injuries resulting from it, but the injuries shouldn’t be overlooked. As for scriptural examples of individuals who suffered injuries inflicted by Satan, I’ll mention three. They are:

  1. In Job 2:1-10, we read about how Satan attacked Job physically by inflicting him with painful boils that covered his body from head to foot.
  2. In Luke 13:10-17, we read about a Jewish woman whom Satan had bound with “a spirit of infirmity” for 18 years. This “spirit of infirmity” was a demon that produced a crippling back condition inside the woman. That condition left her stooped over, unable to raise herself erect, for 18 years. Jesus loosed her from the demon and in so doing healed her, and He was quick to point out that her condition had been the work of Satan.
  3. In Matthew 17:14-20, Mark 9:14-29, and Luke 9:37-43, we read about a father who brought his son to Jesus. The boy was possessed by a demon that caused him to foam at the mouth, gnash his teeth, experience violent seizures, become as stiff as a board, and injure himself by either throwing himself into fire or trying to drown himself in water.

These stories prove conclusively that Satan, either personally or working through his demons, can produce physical injury to an individual. But are there times when God doles out such injuries? You’d better believe it. Here are three scriptural examples of those:

  1. In 2 Kings 6:8-23, we read about an army of Syrian soldiers who were sent to bring the prophet Elisha to the king of Syria. But Elisha prayed that God would strike those soldiers with blindness, and God did just that. Even though God soon restored their sight, those soldiers were definitely injured for a while.
  2. In Acts 13:4-12, we read about a sorcerer named Elymas who caused problems for Saul (the apostle Paul) and Barnabas as the pair ministered on the island of Paphos. At one point Saul had had enough and called for the hand of the Lord to strike Elymas with blindness. Immediately a dark mist fell upon Elymas and he became so blind that he had to be led around by the hand. In this instance, the blindness was permanent.
  3. In Revelation 16:1-2, we read about a foul, loathsome sore that God inflicts upon each person who takes the mark of the beat (the Antichrist) in the coming tribulation period. In addition to being gross, this sore will also be exceedingly painful. As a matter of fact, it will be so painful that it will cause each person who has it to gnaw his or her tongue in pain (Revelation 16:10-11).

And so, make no mistake, as the fighting between Satan and God rages on, there are injuries that are inflicted upon both sides. Sometimes Satan is the cause of these injuries, but sometimes God is their cause. Sometimes the injuries are temporary, but sometimes they are permanent. But no matter what type the injuries are, and no matter who is responsible for them, the injuries are very real and very debilitating, and they are yet another result of The Great War.

Posted in Demons, God's Wrath, God's Judgment, Persecution, Satan, Series: "The Great War", Sickness, Spiritual Warfare, The Devil | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Great War: Casualties on Both Sides

Posted on July 20, 2019 by russellmckinney

Series: “The Great War” (post #3)

In the previous post, we named the first result of the ongoing war between Satan and God. That result is: Soldiers are enlisted for the war. The soldiers who fight in Satan’s army are the lost unbelievers of this world. The soldiers who fight in God’s army are the saved believers. To be enlisted into Satan’s army, all you have to do is be born into Adam’s fallen race. To be enlisted into God’s army, you must be born again by placing your belief in Jesus Christ as your personal Savior.

Now let’s move on and look at the second result of The Great War. That second result is: The war (like any other) produces casualties on both sides. We’ll start by looking at the casualties inflicted by Satan and his army.

In John 8:44, Jesus says about Satan, “He was a murderer from the beginning.” What’s interesting about that statement is that we can study the Bible from Genesis to The Revelation, from the table of contents to the maps, but we will not find even one verse where Satan personally takes a sword or some other instrument and kills someone. So how could Jesus call him a murderer?

Satan uses two methods to get his killing done. Method 1: He creates circumstances that result in the loss of life. Method 2: He uses some of his soldiers (lost unbelievers) to get his killing done. I’ll provide a scriptural example from each category.

For the first category, we can look to the story of Job. In Job 1:18-19, a great wind suddenly sweeps across the wilderness and levels the house in which Job’s seven sons and three daughters are dining. Even though the text doesn’t specifically say that Satan created that wind and aimed it at that house, the implication is clear based upon the events of the previous chapter. That’s the chapter in which God agrees to allow Satan to touch all that Job has (Job 1:6-12). Therefore, it is perfectly legitimate to classify Job’s ten children as casualties of The Great War.

For the second category, we can look to the story of Herod the Great. In his attempt to kill the baby Jesus, Herod had all of the infants two years old or younger from Bethlehem and its surrounding districts put to death (Matthew 2:16). Someone might point out that Satan didn’t directly order Herod to kill those children. No he didn’t, but we have to keep in mind what Jesus said about lost unbelievers. He said their father is the devil and the devil’s desires they want to do (John 8:44). This means that those poor infants can also be classified as casualties of The Great War. They take their place alongside other martyrs such as Abel (Genesis 4:1-8) and Stephen (Acts 8:54-60).

By now you might be thinking, “Boy, Satan has certainly been responsible for a lot of casualties of war!” Well, he has, but let’s not make this particular result of the great war a one-sided deal. The truth is that God has claimed a lot of lives Himself. Consider the following list of examples:

  • It was God, working through a worldwide flood, who killed the entire human race except for Noah and his family (Genesis chapters 6 through 9).
  • It was God, working through two of His angels, who killed the inhabitants of the twin cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by reigning fire and brimstone down upon those cities (Genesis 19:1-29).
  • It was God who killed all of the Egyptian firstborns as the tenth plague that He inflicted upon the Egyptians (Exodus 12:29-30).
  • It was God who drowned Pharaoh’s army in the waters of the Red Sea (Exodus 14:1-31).
  • It was God, specifically Jesus in the form of The Angel of the Lord, who passed through the ranks of the Assyrian army one night and killed 185,000 soldiers (2nd Kings 19:35).
  • It was God, working through one of His angels, who struck Herod Agrippa dead (Acts 12:20-23).

And then there are the stories in which God works through His soldiers (saved believers) to actually take human lives. Here are some examples of those stories:

  • God worked through the soldiers of Israel to kill thousands of the inhabitants of the land of Canaan and claim that land for Israel (Deuteronomy 20:16-18).
  • God worked through the judge Gideon to kill Oreb and Zeeb, two Midianite princes (Judges 7:24-25).
  • God worked through the judge Samson to kill thousands of the Philistines (Judges chapters 14 through 16).
  • God worked through the prophet Samuel to get Agag, the king of the Amalekites, hacked into pieces (1 Samuel 15:32-33).
  • God worked through David to get the giant Goliath killed (1 Samuel 17:1-58).
  • God worked through the prophet Elijah to get 450 of the prophets of Baal executed (1st Kings 18:20-40).

All these stories, as well as others that could be listed, show us that God hasn’t exactly been passive in The Great War. Let the record show that He isn’t anything like the mush-and-gush, grandfatherly deity that so many people envision in their minds. Even though He loves each member of the human race, that doesn’t mean that He doesn’t understand fully that He’s in a war with an enemy who doesn’t play nice. God’s original plan for the human race was the idyllic conditions of the Garden of Eden, but once war was declared He got up to speed quickly on what it takes to fight it.

And what is the greatest piece of evidence that proves that God understands that His war with Satan produces casualties? It’s the fact that He Himself, in the form of God the Son (Jesus Christ), became a casualty of the war. You see, it was the betrayal of Judas Iscariot that kick-started the chain of events that led to Jesus being arrested, tried, and crucified. But what most people don’t understand about Judas is that he was literally demon-possessed by Satan just before he betrayed Jesus (John 13:27). Therefore, because of that Satanic possession, we are right to say that Satan worked through Judas to get Jesus killed. Think about that. The Great War is so bad that it actually claimed the life of Jesus. That’s why we shouldn’t be surprised to learn that it has claimed the lives of many others as well.

Posted in Angels, Christ's Death, Demons, God's Wrath, Human Life, Satan, Series: "The Great War", Spiritual Warfare, The Devil, War | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Great War: Soldiers Enlisted

Posted on July 18, 2019 by russellmckinney

Series: “The Great War” (post #2)

Satan and God are at war. They have been since at least Genesis chapter 3. Despite the fact that this greatest of all wars is supernatural, the results it produces are the same as those produced by human wars. There are four of these results and with this post we’ll identify the first of them. That result is: Soldiers are enlisted for this war.

First, who are the soldiers who get enlisted to fight for God? They are the saved believers. To be clear, these people aren’t saved because they fight for God; they fight for God because they are saved. We refer to the saved believers from the Old Testament era as “Old Testament believers.” We refer to the saved believers from the New Testament era as “Christians.”

You see, Christian, you really need to get your mind wrapped around the fact that the moment you placed saving belief in Jesus, you got drafted into God’s army. You might as well have gone down to God’s local recruiting office and signed your name on an official document. Of course if your salvation experience was anything like mine, nobody told you that placing your belief in Jesus automatically enlisted you in God’s army. But trust me, it happened.

This metaphor of the Christian as a soldier was one of the apostle Paul’s favorite ways of describing the Christian life. He most prominently featured it in his writings to his protege, Timothy. In 2 Timothy 2:3-4, he tells Timothy:

Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer. (N.I.V.)

In 1 Timothy 1:18, he says:

This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare (N.K.J.V.).

Finally, in 2 Timothy 4:7, he says of himself:

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. (N.I.V.)

Another passage where Paul evokes the imagery of the Christian as a soldier is 2 Corinthians 10:3-5. There he says to the church of Corinth:

For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. (N.I.V.)

And so, Christian, when you stop thinking of your time in this world as a picnic, a vacation, or a trip to the mall, and starting thinking of it as a war, then you’ll start to understand this life a lot more clearly and accurately. No matter where you find yourself, you are on a battlefield. Even if everything around you is tranquil and peaceful, the fighting continues unceasingly in your own mind as you strive to take each of your thoughts captive and make it obedient to Jesus.

Second, who are the soldiers who get enlisted to fight for Satan? They are the lost unbelievers. No matter what the era is — Old Testament or New Testament — these people do Satan’s bidding. In 2 Timothy 2:24-26, Paul describes them as being “in opposition” to God’s people and says they need to “escape from the snare of the devil” because they have “been taken captive by him to do his will.”

Likewise, Jesus once told a group of lost Jews:

“You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do…” (John 8:44, N.K.J.V.)

The apostle John hits this same vein in 1 John 3:10 when he describes two categories of people: “the children of God” and “the children of the devil.” He writes:

So now we can tell who are children of God and who are children of the devil. Anyone who does not live righteously and does not love other believers does not belong to God. (N.L.T.)

At this point, a good question to ask is, “How does a person get enlisted into Satan’s army?” The unfortunate answer is that all a person has to do to get enlisted into Satan’s army is be born into Adam’s sin-fallen race (Ephesians 2:1-3). That, by default, makes the person a child (a soldier) of the devil, and the person remains that way until he or she switches armies by making the decision to believe in Jesus as Savior.

So tell me, have you made that decision? You say, “But I don’t want to be a soldier in any army. I want to be neutral.” Friend, that’s not an option that is available to you. There is no Switzerland in the great war. You have to be in one army or the other. The only question is, which army will it be?

Posted in Belief, Change, God's Work, Righteousness, Salvation, Satan, Series: "The Great War", Service, Spiritual Warfare, The Devil | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment