Find Things for Which to Be Thankful

Posted on December 30, 2022 by russellmckinney

A subway car was overly crowded, causing several people to have to stand. Naturally, most of them were griping about the situation. As the car pulled into another station where still more people boarded, one standing man said to those who were coming aboard, “I hope you people like standing because we’ve been doing it for a long time.” He didn’t see the crippled invalid who was helped aboard the train and graciously given a seat, but the invalid heard the comment. To it, he somberly replied, “Then you are fortunate.”

But, please, let’s not hypocritically judge the fellow who was standing. The fact is, he could have been any one of us. Speaking for myself, his complaint sounds just like something that I would have said. After all, it’s typical human nature, isn’t it? Yes, it is, but that still doesn’t make it right or pleasing to God.

Hebrews 13:15 says of Jesus:

Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. (N.K.J.V.)

By breaking down this verse into its three sections, we find that each section presents a different question for the Christian to answer. Question #1 is: “How are you doing these days at continually offering the sacrifice of praise to God?” Question #2 is: “What form has the fruit of your lips been taking recently?” And question #3 is: “Are you currently in the habit of giving thanks to the name of the Lord?” Truth be told, our answers to these questions probably leave much to be desired.

Christian, the Lord knows that you have legitimate problems, and He also knows that life can be a difficult game to play. But through it all, He remains forevermore worthy to be praised. Even during those times in which you don’t feel like praising Him, He is still worthy. The secret to praising Him during those times is to train yourself to count your blessings rather than complain about your troubles. As the old saying goes, “Count your blessings one by one, and it will surprise you what the Lord has done.”

Even that crippled invalid who was boarding that train wouldn’t have had to look very hard to find something for which to be thankful. First, he could have been thankful for the people who helped him get aboard the train. Second, he could have been thankful for the person who gave up his seat for him. Third, he could have been thankful that someone in his condition could get aboard a train and travel to distant places, places he could never have seen on his own. Do you see my point?

So, Christian, in the midst of all your grumbling and complaining, make yourself stop and be thankful for all the good things that God has sent your way. And if you can’t come up with anything, be thankful for the fact that Jesus Christ (God the Son) left heaven, took upon Himself human flesh, lived without sin among men, died on a cross to pay the sin debt for the sins of the world, arose from the dead, ascended back to heaven, and now offers salvation to anyone who will believe in Him as Savior. Trust me, that one item right there should be enough to keep you thankful for all eternity.

Posted in Adversity, Attitude, Christ's Death, Christ's Resurrection, Complaining, Contentment, Disappointment, Perseverance, Problems, Salvation, Suffering, Thankfulness | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Walking in Truth

Posted on December 28, 2022 by russellmckinney

I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. (3rd John 1:3, N.K.J.V.)

A man was on trial for murder. All the circumstantial evidence strongly indicated his guilt, but the police hadn’t been able to find the corpse. That left some doubt as to whether the jury would convict him. Nevertheless, the man’s defense attorney believed the jury was leaning toward doing just that. So, he resorted to a clever trick.

In the attorney’s closing argument, he said, “Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I have a surprise for you. Within one minute, the person presumed dead in this case will walk into this courtroom.” Then he looked down at his watch as if counting the seconds. Thirty seconds later, he turned and started staring at the courtroom door. The jurors, somewhat stunned, all fixed their eyes on the door as well. After the allotted time had passed, however, it became obvious that no one was walking through that door.

Finally, the attorney broke the courtroom silence by saying, “Actually, I made up the previous statement. But since each of you looked at the door with anticipation, I submit that you all have reasonable doubt in this case as to whether or not my client really killed anybody. And because of that, I insist that you return a verdict of ‘not guilty.’” The jury then retired to deliberate.

To the attorney’s surprise, they came back into the courtroom just a few minutes later and pronounced a verdict of “guilty.” Risking the ire of the judge, the attorney shouted at them, “How could you do this? You must have had some doubt. I saw all of you stare at that door.” To that, the jury foreman replied, “Yes, we did. But your client didn’t.”

As clever as lawyers can be, not one of them is in Satan’s league when it comes to twisting and distorting the truth. Revelation 12:9 says that he “deceives the whole world,” and Jesus said of him, “There is no truth in him” (John 8:44). Rest assured that if Satan was able to talk Eve out of the truth, he is able to deceive us, too. We are simply no match for him. That is why we must make it a matter of regular prayer to ask the Lord to give us discernment and wisdom in regards to what is true and what is a lie.

If you haven’t done so today, take a moment right now and ask the Lord for such discernment and wisdom. Tell Him that you don’t want to believe anything that isn’t the truth. Tell Him that you don’t want to be duped by Satan. Tell Him that you want to know the truth so that you can bring your life in line with it. And then listen to and heed the truth when God sends it your way. You see, without God’s help, you’ll never be able to fully walk in truth.

Posted in Choices, Counsel, Deception, Decisions, Demons, Discernment, Doubt, God's Will, God's Word, Satan, Seeking Advice, Spiritual Warfare, Temptation, The Devil, Truth | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Swimming at Your Own Risk

Posted on December 26, 2022 by russellmckinney

One summer, when the boys were young, we had one day left on our beach vacation. So, we used that day to give the boys a final opportunity to enjoy the ocean and pool. This had been the first year ever that Royce, our youngest, had enjoyed splashing around in the ocean more than splashing around in the pool. He had even used some of his own money to buy himself a boogie board in order to ride the waves properly.

Well, for a good while at the ocean that day, everything hummed along delightfully just as the week’s previous days had done. The boys played in the waves while Tonya and I laid on the beach. Then I joined the boys in the water, and Tonya waded in a few minutes later. So there we were, all four Mckinneys splashing around in the ocean, enjoying every minute of it.

But then suddenly, out of nowhere, I felt a brief but intense sting on my arm. It didn’t take me long to figure out that a jellyfish had stung me. The pain wasn’t enough to cause me to scream and head for the shore, but it did hurt, about like a bee-sting. Since I had no clue what to do and didn’t want to create a scene from the movie “Jaws,” causing hundreds to abandon the water, I decided to stay in the water and let the salt water disinfect the sting. I found out later that my plan was a good one. The worst thing you can do for a jellyfish sting is pour fresh water on it. That causes the toxins (or whatever they are) to spread.

After a few minutes, some small whelks raised up on my arm and I began to feel a slight tingling in my fingers. I thought, “If things get any worse, I’m going to have to get some medical attention.” Thankfully, though, that was the worst of it and before long my arm was virtually back to normal except for the small whelks. Okay, event over, right? Nope, not so fast.

About twenty minutes after I got stung, Royce rode an exceptionally large wave all the way into the shallows. But before he even fully emerged from the water, we heard him scream. And he kept screaming as he hurled himself out of the water, ran to our beach blankets, and buried himself in one of them. Honestly, Tonya and I would have feared that he had been bitten by a shark if not for the fact that I had been stung by a jellyfish just a few minutes earlier. That gave us a pretty good idea what had happened.

As it turned out, Royce’s sting was much worse than mine. It was as if a jellyfish had wrapped itself around his leg and kept stinging. He had big marks on the inside and outside of his leg and they were already becoming whelks. It was no wonder the poor little fellow had gotten out of that water so fast. I wouldn’t have hung around in there either!

As Tonya raced to comfort Royce, I made my way to our lifeguard and reported the two stings. The lifeguard immediately grabbed a spray bottle of vinegar and sprayed down my arm. Then she went over to Royce and did the same for his wounds. By that time, he was beginning to calm down somewhat, but he didn’t want any more to do with the ocean for that day. Consequently, we gathered up our things and headed for the pool.

Now, here’s the thing that you ought to know about those two jellyfish stings. All week long, as we had ridden those ocean waves, a warning sign had been posted just next to the lifeguard’s chair along the shoreline. What did that sign warn about? Jellyfish! You see, Royce and I, along with dozens and dozens of others, had been swimming at our own risk all week because jellyfish had been reported in the area and the warning sign was in place.

Accordingly, the spiritual application to this story is simple: God’s word, the Bible, is like that warning sign, and when your actions go against it, don’t be surprised when you get stung. Sure, you might swim around for a while and get along fine. You might even have some fun and enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. Ultimately, though, God will not be mocked and His word will not be ignored without consequence. Jellyfish stings hurt, but those stings are nothing compared to the hurt that we bring upon ourselves by sin. And just as Royce and I could offer no legitimate objection to us getting stung, neither can the sinner who has been warned by God’s word and blatantly ignored it.

Posted in Backsliding, Choices, Confession, Disobedience, God's Chastening, God's Judgment, God's Word, Obedience, Personal Holiness, Rebellion, Repentance, Scripture, Sin, Sowing and Reaping, The Bible | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Logic Demands That We Believe in the Virgin Birth

Posted on December 23, 2022 by russellmckinney

“Why We Should Believe in the Virgin Birth” series: (post #3)

We’ve been in a series of posts on the question of why we should believe in the virgin birth. With the two previous posts, we learned that we should believe in the virgin birth because scripture and Bible prophecy demand it. Now, with this third and last post, we’re going to see that logic also demands it.

Can you name the problem with any man fathering a child? It’s the fact that a sinner can only produce another sinner. This has been the tragic, vicious cycle that mankind has been in since the moment Adam ate of the forbidden fruit and became a sinner.

When Adam impregnated Eve that first time, perhaps he hoped that the baby would not bear the marks of his sin. Sadly, though, it surely wasn’t too long into Cain’s life before Adam realized that his race was ruined. Cain came complete with the inborn nature of a sinner, and that meant that he, like his mother and father, was marked for death. As the Bible says, sin brings death, and the moment Cain was conceived, the clock began ticking on his mortality.

But it wasn’t just Cain who was born to die. All of Adam’s other sons and daughters shared in that same fate, because they were all products of their daddy’s sin-tainted seed. Then, of course, as Adam’s sons grew up one by one, they themselves took wives and fathered children, who were in turn born as sinners as well.

And so it went, on and on, down through the ages because it is an unchangeable fact that a sinner can only father another sinner. Romans 5:12 puts it this way:

Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all have sinned — (N.K.J.V.)

Now, it is with this in mind that I want you to put yourself in the place of God. You’ve got to get a Savior into this world, a Savior who will die for all the sins of the world. Obviously, if that Savior is going to die for those sins, He Himself must be completely without sin. But how could any baby be born into the human race without passing through and coming under Adam’s taint of sin? How could a sinless child be conceived in a mother’s womb when every potential father on planet Earth was a sinner? I’ll tell you how: the virgin birth. The man in the male-female/biological relationship would have to bypassed altogether.

And that’s just what God did. Luke 1:35 lets us see as far as we can see into the mystery of the virgin birth. That verse says:

And the angel (Gabriel) answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.” (N.K.J.V.)

You see, there had to be something miraculous and supernatural about Christ’s birth. He simply couldn’t be the seed of Joseph and yet still be sinless and perfect. As fine a man as Joseph was, he was defective material. He was a sinner, a sinner who could only father another sinner. That’s why Christ’s birth had to be different. Really, when you come at it from a doctrinal standpoint, the virgin birth was perfectly logical. That’s why we say that logic demands that we believe in the virgin birth.

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Bible Prophecy Demands That We Believe in the Virgin Birth

Posted on December 21, 2022 by russellmckinney

“Why We Should Believe in the Virgin Birth” series: (post #2)

This is the second post in a three-part series on why we should believe in Christ’s virgin birth. With the first post, I explained that we should believe in the virgin birth because scripture demands it. With this one, I want to show that we should believe in it because Bible prophecy demands it.

In Matthew 1:22-23, Matthew weaves an Old Testament prophecy into his God-inspired writing. He writes:

So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet saying: ‘Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,’ which is translated, ‘God with us.’ (N.K.J.V.)

This prophecy was given by the prophet Isaiah some 700 years before Jesus was born. We find the story in Isaiah chapter 7. The Lord instructed Ahaz, the king of Judah (Israel’s southern kingdom), to ask for a sign as proof that the allied forces of Syria and Israel (Israel’s northern kingdom) would not invade and conquer Judah. God said the requested sign could be anything on earth or in the heavens. But Ahaz refused to name a sign. His problem was that he had pretty much already set his heart on getting his help from another group of people, the Assyrians.

The Lord was displeased with Ahaz’s refusal and went ahead and named a sign anyway. God said, “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.” That is the part of the prophecy that Matthew quotes in his gospel. For the rest of the prophecy, God went on to say other things about the child. First, the child would eat curds and honey. Second, before the child would be old enough to know to refuse the evil and choose the good, the kings of Syria and Israel would meet their doom and the king of Assyria would invade the land of Judah.

There is much debate as to how God’s sign was literally fulfilled in the days of King Ahaz. It seems clear, though, that if the sign was only fulfilled in Christ’s birth, that wouldn’t have been any kind of a sign to Ahaz. After all, Ahaz lived centuries before Jesus was born. Therefore, the sign surely had some kind of partial fulfillment in Ahaz’s time. For example, maybe a virgin, a girl with which Ahaz was associated, got married shortly after God gave this sign, and maybe the newly married virgin got pregnant by her husband and gave birth to a son in less than a year. Some even contend that the woman was Isaiah’s second wife, his first wife having died.

Frankly, we just don’t know the exact details of how God’s sign played out to King Ahaz. What we do know is how the sign was ultimately and perfectly fulfilled. Matthew leaves no doubt about that. That final fulfillment came when Jesus was born to the virgin Mary. And here again we see, in the precise wording of the Biblical text, that Mary was a virgin when she bore Jesus. The Hebrew word used to define the young mother in the Isaiah passage is almah, which comes from the root word alam, a word that means “to hide or conceal.” This proves that the word specifically refers to a virgin. As one writer has said: “The name was given to a virgin because she is said to be hidden or concealed in the family of the parents.” So, based upon Matthew’s use of the prophetic passage from Isaiah, we can say assuredly that Bible prophecy demands the virgin birth.

Before we move on, though, let me tell you about one other prophecy the virgin birth fulfilled. This one goes all the way back to the garden of Eden. According to Genesis 3:15, after Adam and Eve had sinned in the garden, God said to Satan (who was inside the serpent at the time), “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He (her Seed) shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.”

What jumps out at us from this prophecy is the strange idea of a woman having reproductive seed. That just simply isn’t the way the human reproductive system works. So why did God prophesy to Satan about the Seed of the woman?

He did it as a way of telling Satan about the virgin birth. Thousands of years from that fateful day, Jesus (the One who would strike a blow to Satan’s head) would be conceived in the womb of a virgin. Putting it another way, He wouldn’t be the product of the seed of a man. Instead, He would be history’s only seed of a woman. For this reason, Genesis 3:15 has been called “the first gospel.” And that prophecy, along with the one from Isaiah chapter 7, is undeniable proof that we should believe in the virgin birth because Bible prophecy demands it.

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Scripture Demands That We Believe in the Virgin Birth

Posted on December 19, 2022 by russellmckinney

“Why We Should Believe in the Virgin Birth” series: (post #1)

In the December 25th devotion from his classic devotional My Utmost For His Highest, Oswald Chambers writes:

Jesus Christ was born into this world; not from it. He did not emerge out of history; He came into history from the outside. Jesus Christ is not the best human being the human race can boast of – He is a Being for whom the human race can take no credit at all. He is not man becoming God, but God Incarnate – God coming into human flesh from outside it. His life is the highest and the holiest entering through the most humble of doors.

I want you to take careful notice of that last line: “His life is the highest and the holiest entering through the most humble of doors.” What was that most humble of doors? It was the womb of a young Jewish virgin.

I dare say that we cannot fully wrap our minds around this fundamental truth. Jesus (the Son of God, God the Son) laid aside His power and glory, left heaven, invaded time and history, and in some miraculous way that we cannot fathom became a human fetus in the belly of young Jewish girl who was not officially married and had never had sexual relations. Is it any wonder that liberals and skeptics have a hard time swallowing that? They say, “The idea of the virgin birth is nothing but a fairy tale for adults!” Or, they say, “That whole story is just Christianity’s way of mimicking the traditions of the pagan religions in which the mythic gods and heroes supposedly sprang from supernatural sources.”

Sadly, such criticisms have collected their toll of doubt on some professing Christians. Even among certain preachers of our day, there are some who say, “It doesn’t really matter whether or not you believe that Jesus was born to a virgin. The important thing is just to believe in Him. At best, the virgin birth is a minor issue and a secondary doctrine.”

But is this attitude an acceptable one? Absolutely not! Not only is Christ’s virgin birth a major issue, it is also a foundational doctrine. As evidence of this, I’m going to devote three posts to a series I’m calling “Why We Should Believe in the Virgin Birth.”

So, with this first post, I want to say that we should believe in the virgin birth because scripture demands it. Yes, the Bible really does teach that Mary was a virgin when she conceived baby Jesus in her womb. Allow me to offer four easy-to-understand references.

First, in Matthew 1:18, the Bible says:

Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. (N.K.J.V., emphasis mine)

Second, in Matthew 1: 22-25, we read:

So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.” Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name JESUS. (N.K.J.V., emphasis mine)

Third, Luke 1:26-27 says:

Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. (N.K.J.V., emphasis mine)

Fourth, Luke 1:34 says of Mary after Gabriel had told her that she was going to conceive a son:

Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?” (N.K.J.V., emphasis mine)

In these passages that use the word “virgin,” the Greek word that gets translated as “virgin” is parthenos. It is the same Greek word that was used in the naming of the famous Parthenon, which was the Greek temple dedicated to the virgin goddess Athena. You see, the Bible really does teach that Mary was a virgin when Jesus was conceived in her womb.

Of course, I hope that my quoting of these passages from Matthew and Luke is enough evidence for you to agree that scripture demands that we believe in the virgin birth. Sadly, however, it isn’t enough evidence for some people. Consider the following true story as proof of that.

Harry Rimmer, who was a well-known Presbyterian minister of his day, once found himself in a sad situation as he served as a member of the ordination council that was examining a young man for ordination into the ministry. Rimmer was astonished to hear the young man boldly state, “I do not believe in the virgin birth.” Even more astonishingly, when some of the other ministers began to sternly question the young man about his unorthodox viewpoint on the matter, an older minister from the council spoke in the young man’s defense by saying, “I don’t want this council to make a big point of this because I don’t accept the virgin birth either.”

It was at this juncture that the council turned their questioning from the young candidate to the older minister. They asked him, “Why don’t you believe in the virgin birth?” But the older minister was ready with a quick reply. He said, “Because it is only found on two pages of the New Testament. Matthew and Luke are the only ones who ever mention it. In all of the writings of Paul, he never introduces the question of the virgin birth.”

Upon hearing that answer, Dr. Rimmer became so incensed that he finally had to speak up in the meeting. He stood up and said to the older minister, “Tell us then, what do you teach and preach?” Calmly, the minister responded, “The Sermon on the Mount. That is enough for anyone.” As soon as those words had fallen from the minister’s lips, however,  Dr. Rimmer said, “It’s not enough for me. I don’t believe in the Sermon on the Mount.”

Now it was the older minister’s turn to be shocked. He looked at Dr. Rimmer and asked, “Why not?” To that, Dr. Rimmer used the older minister’s faulty reasoning against him by saying, “Because The Sermon on the Mount only occurs on two pages of the New Testament, and Matthew and Luke are the only Gospels who mention it.”

Do you see how absurd the older minister’s argument was? While it’s true that the gospels of Mark and John never mention the virgin birth of Christ, the plain fact is that neither of those gospels specifically mentions Jesus being born at all! Mark’s gospel leads off with the account of the beginning of John the Baptist’s ministry, and Jesus first enters into Mark’s storyline as a grown man who travels from Nazareth to Galilee to be baptized by John. And as for John’s gospel, the closest he gets to describing Christ’s virgin birth is to say of Jesus: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us…” (John 1:14, N.K.J.V.) Can we assume, then, that because these two gospels make no mention of Christ’s actual birth that Jesus wasn’t born? Of course not!

In conclusion, it is absurd to say of the virgin birth, “It can’t be scriptural because it is only mentioned in two of the four gospels.” How many times does God have to record something for it to be considered a legitimate doctrine or teaching? If He says something once it’s enough, and He says on multiple occasions that Jesus was born to a virgin. Therefore, to sum up the point of this first post from this series, we should believe in the virgin birth because scripture demands it.

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Recalculating

Posted on December 17, 2022 by russellmckinney

In my last post, I mentioned G.P.S. systems as examples of the otherworldly technology that now passes for our normal, everyday lives. I remember the first time that Tonya and I used one of those systems for our family’s vacation trip. When I asked why the system featured a woman’s voice instead of a man’s, my son Ryan had a good answer. He said, “Since men never ask for directions, they probably figured that mostly women would be using it.” I couldn’t argue with that.

The more we drove, the more we became accustomed to having that woman’s voice in the van with us. Every so often we’d hear her say something like, “In 1.2 miles turn right onto Deer Park road and continue 3.6 miles.” It was pretty cool stuff. I even began to anticipate her voice piping up when I knew we were coming to a turn. I’d ask Tonya, “Shouldn’t that woman be saying something by now?”

Unfortunately, though, there was one word we heard the woman use a few too many times on that trip. The word was, “Recalculating.” Whenever we missed a stated turnoff, she would go silent for a moment and then say, “Recalculating.” Then she would pick her directions back up from our new position. It got to the point where we would miss a turn and I would immediately say, “That woman is not going to like that.” Then right on cue we would hear, “Recalculating.”

I’m glad that when it comes to God’s guidance in our lives, He knows how to recalculate. That means that even if we do miss His will for a given situation, it isn’t the end of our walk with Him. He doesn’t throw up His hands and say, “Well, now you’re on your own.” Instead, it’s as if He says, “Recalculating.”

Please don’t misunderstand me. I’m not saying that missing God’s will is ever good or acceptable. He never grins about it and playfully says, “Oh, you little rascal, what am I going to do with you?” No, missing His will is always serious, serious business, and there will always be unpleasant consequences for doing so. My point is simply that missing one of the turns of God’s will doesn’t mean the end of your journey with Him. If it did, we would all be hopelessly adrift as we move through life, forevermore cut off from the voice and guidance of our Maker.

I don’t know where this post finds you today, but maybe you are just coming out of a situation in which you really missed God’s will. Well, I’m not patting you on the back and saying, “There, there, honey, what you did was understandable,” but I am saying that God hasn’t abandoned you. Even now He is in “recalculating” mode concerning you, and He wants you to pick back up with Him right where you are and start following His new instructions. If you will do that, you’ll find that He can still take you to some wonderful places. Even more than that, there will be some great scenery for you to enjoy along the way.

Posted in Backsliding, Choices, Disobedience, God's Love, God's Omniscience, God's Will, Grace, Obedience, Repentance, Trusting In God | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

G.P.S. and Armageddon

Posted on December 15, 2022 by russellmckinney

By now, even the most “old school” of us know about G.P.S. systems. G.P.S., as I’m sure I don’t have to tell you, stands for Global Positioning System. When these systems first hit the market, they were small devices that attached to a vehicle’s windshield or dash to give the driver highly specific directions on what roads to take and when to turn to reach whatever destination the driver had programmed into the system. The systems would even list local stores and restaurants in the area. Nowadays, of course, those mounted versions have been replaced by ones that are either built into our vehicles or our cellphones.

How do G.P.S. systems work? From what I hear, the system links up to a satellite somewhere out in space and computerized information is relayed via the connection. While I realize that is a very rudimentary explanation, frankly, that’s about as deep as I want to get into the technology. Beyond that, it starts to get a little too creepy for me.

You might be asking, “What do you mean by that last statement?” Okay, I’ll tell you. First, the fact that the data concerning virtually every interstate, highway, and site location in the world can be stored in a device that I can hold in my hand is too “Star Trek” for me. When did we get smart enough to devise such technology? Second, if a satellite up in space can tell exactly where my vehicle is at any given time and place, who knows what else the powers that be know about me and mine? That’s too “Big Brother” for me. Third, by living in a world that has become so dependent upon computers, we seem to have ripened ourselves for some kind of cataclysmic technological meltdown in the future. And that’s a little too “book of The Revelation” for me.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m really not the type to go around playing Chicken Little by saying, “The sky is falling.” I’m also not the type to grow a long beard, dress in weird clothing, and stand on a street corner holding a sign that reads, “The end of the world is near.” With that said, though, there is something about the book of The Revelation that has aroused my curiosity for years. That something is the fact that the book makes specific mention of horses being used in battle in the future.

The passage is Revelation 19:17-18, two verses which are found in the context of the book’s account of the famous Battle of Armageddon. They read:

Then I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, “Come and gather together for the supper of the great God, that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, both small and great.” (N.K.J.V. emphasis mine)

The bloody carnage that will be on display in the wake of the battle of Armageddon will be unfathomable. Revelation 14:20 speaks of blood flowing as high as the horses’ bridles (about four feet high), covering a distance of 1,600 furlongs (the approximate distance between the site of the Battle of Armageddon and Edom in the south). Then, in addition to that verse, the words of Revelation 19:18 speak of untold numbers of corpses and carcasses that will become a great feast for the vulturous birds of the air. This brings me to the point I’m trying to make: A bird can’t eat the remains of a tank, a jeep, a helicopter, a fighter jet, or a transport truck, but it can eat the remains of a horse. Because of this, how can we not interpret the horses at the Battle of Armageddon to be literal horses?

Admittedly, this whole line of thought hinges upon the interpretation that the events of The Revelation are future events that should be understood literally, an interpretation that not everyone buys. For example, some people believe that the vast majority of the events were fulfilled when the Romans laid siege to Jerusalem and finally destroyed it in 70 A.D. Others believe that the events should be understood allegorically or figuratively rather than literally. But after studying The Revelation for many years now, preaching through it on multiple occasions, and writing blog posts about it, I side with the now predominantly held belief that the events should be taken literally and are still to come in the future. This world simply hasn’t yet seen the likes of all that is described in The Revelation.

So, that brings us back to the matter of the literal horses at the coming Battle of Armageddon. The question is: Why will this world’s future soldiers be relegated to mounting horses? Well, could it be that there is coming a time when our vast array of military technology, technology which is based upon computers, will cease to function? Will someone invent a weapon, perhaps some type of EMP (Electromagnetic Pulse) device that will render not only the world’s machinery but also the world’s computers inoperative? While I freely confess that this is all mere speculation on my part, it’s certainly something to think about.

If it does happen, I suspect (and again I’m not presenting any of this as indisputable fact) that it will not take place until after the man the Bible calls the Antichrist has instituted his worldwide identification program known as “the mark of the Beast” (Revelation 13:16-18). That will take place at the midway point of the coming seven-year tribulation period. Students of prophecy puzzled for centuries as to how the Antichrist would be able to pull off such a worldwide program, but now, with computers having the power to store oceans of data and give us a cashless society, the puzzle is solved. Therefore, I’m guessing that all our machinery and computer technology will still be up and running at the halfway point of the tribulation period.

You see, this is the kind of stuff that I think about when I use a device such as a G.P.S. I know, I know, I should just sit back and enjoy the ride, right? But give me credit for at least trying to understand how all of today’s computer wizardry factors into Bible prophecy. I may not have all the answers right, but at least I’m trying to take the test.

Posted in Bible Study, Christ's Second Coming, Coming Judgment, God's Word, Prophecy, Scripture, War | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Importance of Speaking Up

Posted on December 13, 2022 by russellmckinney

In the summer of 2011, Tonya and I loaded the boys into the Dodge Caravan and headed down to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, for a vacation. Ryan was fourteen years old at the time and Royce was ten. One experience from that vacation stands out as memorable, and I’d like to use this post to share it with you.

It was our last night on the town, the Thursday night before we checked out of the hotel on Friday morning and began the long trip home. Since the boys had never experienced the attractions and stores of Myrtle Beach’s famous Ocean Boulevard, we drove up there and made a night of that whole scene. For starters, Royce went into the Ripley’s Haunted Adventure while Ryan went into the Ripley’s Believe It Or Not Museum. Next, they both went into one of the arcades and played some skeet ball. That’s the game where you roll the ball up the ramp and try to make it jump into certain holes. Some holes are worth more than others, and in the end you are awarded tickets based upon your point total. Then you take those tickets to the counter and swap them for a prize. The more tickets you have, the better prize you get.

Okay, so Ryan goes to one lane and Royce goes to another, and when Ryan finishes his game, his tickets start rolling out of the machine appropriately. But when Royce finishes his game nothing happens, even though he has accumulated enough points to earn some tickets. So now Tonya and I have a decision to make. Do we let the injustice go and chalk it up to bad luck? Or do we take the time to go tell a worker that the machine hasn’t awarded Royce the tickets he has earned? In the end, we decided to go and tell, a decision that was surely helped along by the fact that Royce was quite upset about not getting any tickets while his brother did.

After we reported the problem to the girl at the counter, she came over to the machine, gave it a quick inspection, and very politely said, “I’ll call our maintenance guy, but this will take a few minutes. Will you wait?” At this point, I was beginning to regret saying anything because there was no telling how long it might take this fellow to get there. But as the old saying goes, “In for a penny, in for a pound.” So, we agreed to wait.

Thankfully, the young man wasn’t too long in coming, and he quickly diagnosed that the machine had simply run out of tickets. He then pulled out a big roll of tickets and reloaded the machine. That’s when things got interesting. As he finished the reloading, he said, “Now get ready because whatever amount of tickets this machine should have been giving out all along is going to come out, and your boy is going to get them all.” Ever the pessimist, I thought to myself, “Sure, sure. We’re probably talking four or five extra tickets here. The thing probably ran out just before Royce played it.”

Oh, but then those tickets started rolling out. They rolled and rolled and rolled until finally they were spilling down onto the floor! My eyes lit up and so did Tonya’s, and Royce squealed in delight. Ryan, who can’t be anything but the classic older brother, just stood there green with jealousy because he had actually gotten a higher score than Royce and should have ended up with more tickets than him. On and on the scene went as the tickets continued to stream out of that machine. At one point, the worker grinned at us and reminded us, “Remember, I’m giving him all these tickets.”

So, what was that final total? We ended up with approximately 275 free tickets. To put that total into perspective, Ryan had won about ten with his game and Royce had earned even less than Ryan. Obviously, that machine had been out of tickets for a long time and a great number of kids had played it and taken their losses without reporting the problem. We ended up splitting the tickets between the boys and letting them go nuts cashing them in for multiple gifts at the counter.

And that brings me to the spiritual application of all this. It’s a simple one, really. Since God has called us Christians to be “salt” and “light” in this world, He will bless us when we take the role seriously and speak out when something is wrong. You see, He doesn’t want us to just sit back and let wrong go unchallenged. While the rest of the world seems forevermore willing to accept a status quo that is just plain ungodly, we, as Christians, should never stop trying to make that status quo better by speaking out against its ills.

Christian, could it be that you are right now in the throes of a situation that desperately needs some spiritual salt and light? Even more than that, could it be that you are the one whom God is burdening to spread that salt and provide that light? I’m really not trying to stir up trouble for you here, but the fact is that life’s skeet-ball machines don’t get fixed until someone points out the problem.

Now, will your attempt to correct a wrong situation be well received? That’s tough to answer because each situation is different. Just as me speaking up that night at Myrtle Beach resulted in a pleasant outcome, the single worst experience of my entire life (and my family’s life) came as the result of me speaking up in another far more egregious situation. What you must always remember, though, is that God doesn’t hold you responsible for how your efforts are received.

Think of it this way: Once you’ve thrown out the salt and turned on the light, your job is done, and God will then reward you somehow or someway with some tickets of blessing. I can’t predict exactly what those tickets will be, any more than I can predict how others will respond to you bringing salt and light to the situation. But what I can do is assure you that God is definitely in the business of granting rewards — in this life, the afterlife, or both — to those who perform difficult assignments for Him.

Posted in Church Discipline, Commitment, Discernment, Discipleship, Doing Good, Faithfulness, Fear, God's Will, God's Work, Honesty, Influence, Ministry, Obedience, Persecution, Personal, Problems, Reward, Sanctification, Service, Sin, The Tongue, Truth, Witnessing | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

“My Cross Is Too Big for Me to Bear”

Posted on December 9, 2022 by russellmckinney

A Christian woman was forced to continually deal with a ongoing problem in her life. Eventually, she faded into total self-pity. Time and time again she told people, “My cross is too big for me to bear.”

One night she dreamed that she went to heaven. In the dream, she approached Jesus and said, “Lord, my cross is too big for me to bear.” Jesus said, “I understand. Would you be willing to trade it for another one?” The woman enthusiastically answered, “Yes.” “Very well,” said Jesus, “let’s go into that room over there and find you another one.”

As the two entered the room, the woman was amazed at not only the number of crosses but how intimidating most of them were. There were big crosses, heavy crosses, twisted crosses, and even crosses with nails in them. Finally, after a good deal of searching, she saw a small, easy-looking cross standing in the corner. She looked at Jesus and said, “That’s the one for me right there. I’ll take it.” Jesus said, “Okay, but that’s the one you brought in.”

Christian, there isn’t a doubt in my mind that your problem is real. It is unpleasant, painful, and burdensome, and I wouldn’t even begin to try to explain it away for you. Furthermore, I don’t pretend to know all God’s reasons for either causing you that problem or at least allowing you to have it. That’s His realm, not mine.

But what I will do is remind you that you certainly aren’t the only person in the world who has a problem. If the crosses we bear were visible, you’d be amazed to see that everybody is carrying at least one and many people are carrying more than one. You’d also see that many of the crosses are big enough and bad enough to make you cringe.

You see, what you need is some perspective on things. In order to acquire that perspective, you’ll have to get your eyes off yourself and start noticing others. Stop talking so much about you and start listening to them. If you’ll do this, I think you’ll find that your cross isn’t nearly as unbearable as you think it is.

Posted in Adversity, Attitude, Complaining, Contentment, Depression, Disappointment, Encouragement, Perseverance, Problems, Suffering, Trials, Trusting In God | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment