A Family Resemblance

Posted on March 11, 2022 by russellmckinney

Let me shock you: God’s chief characteristic is not love. “Then what is it it?” you ask. Answer: holiness. Psalm 47:8 doesn’t say God sits upon his “loving” throne. It says He sits upon His “holy” throne. When Moses stood before the burning bush and talked with the great I AM, he wasn’t told he was standing on “loving” ground. No, he was told he was standing on “holy” ground (Exodus 3:1-14).

How holy is God? The stars aren’t pure in His sight (Job 25:5). He cannot even look upon wickedness (Habakkuk 1:13). He speaks in holiness (Psalm 60:6), and He swears by His holiness (Psalm 89:35). Actually, His very name is “Holy” (Isaiah 57:15). It’s no wonder the seraph angels of Isaiah 6:1-3 cry out, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts!”

If God’s love trumped His holiness, everyone’s soul would go to heaven in the afterlife. But that doesn’t happen (Matthew 7:13-14; Luke 16:19-31). You see, people ending up in hell has nothing to do with God not loving them. To the contrary, He loves them enough that Jesus (God the Son) died for their sins (Romans 5:6-11; 1 Corinthians 15:3), and His death allows those who place saving belief in Him to be forgiven of all their sins (John 3:16-18; Colossians 1:14, 2:13; 1 John 2:12). So, why do people end up in hell? It happens because God’s holiness compels Him to judge the unforgiven sins of those who do not believe in Christ as Savior (John 3:36; John 5:40; Titus 1:15; Hebrews 2:3).

Think now about an earthly father whose chief characteristic is generosity. How best would that father’s child showcase the father-child relationship? That child would be generous, right? Whenever that child displayed generosity, people would say, “You act just like your father!”

Well, Christian, God is your heavenly father (John 1:1-5, 9-12; Galatians 4:4-7; 1 John 3:1). How then can you best show people that you are His child? You got it: be holy. This connection is made so clearly in passages such as 1 John 3:2-3, 1 Peter 1:15-16, and 2 Corinthians 6:14-18, 7:1.

In light of this, it’s no wonder that the spiritually lost people of this world don’t come knocking on the doors of our churches, begging us Christians to lead them to God. After all, what’s so appealing about a father whose children engage in sexual immorality, alcohol abuse, lying, cheating, foul language, pornography, drug use, backbiting, greed, provocative dress, and unforgiveness? And, let’s admit it, the lives of far too many Christians are marked by these sins and others that we could name.

As a pastor, I’ve seen some church members conduct themselves in ways that certainly did not cast their heavenly Father in a favorable light. Furthermore, I’ve heard these peoples’ feeble attempts to explain away their unholy behavior. “I know this is wrong, but…” “I understand that God isn’t pleased with what I’m doing, but I’m still a Christian.” “Whatever sins I’m committing are covered by the blood of Christ.”

The problem with all these lines is that they lean heavily on the love of God and play down His holiness. They make God out to be a God of mush and gush whose love forces Him to accept any and all standards of conduct. But this is not the God of the Bible. This is the God of the person who doesn’t have enough healthy reverence for God’s frightful holiness to repent of his or her sins.

Christian, if you have never done so, it’s time you started taking your heavenly Father’s holiness seriously. It’s time you gave some real thought to how your ways are causing Him to appear to others. You need to realize that your sins hurt your heavenly Father’s reputation as well as your own.

Since you are the child that God has produced via the born again experience (John 3:1-8), you are His statement to the world. Through you He is saying, “Here is what I can do with the person who becomes My child.” What good is that statement, though, if your life is marked by unholiness? The unholiness mars the family resemblance.

That’s why I encourage you to build personal holiness into your life. Live the kind of life that is worthy of the holy God who has forgiven you and made you His child. Remember, other people are watching you, and a few of them are judging the validity of your heavenly Father by way of your conduct as His child.

Posted in Backsliding, Character, Disobedience, Fatherhood, God's Holiness, God's Love, Heaven, Hell, Holiness, Obedience, Personal Holiness, Rebellion, Salvation, Sanctification, Sin, Temptation, Witnessing | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Fleas

Posted on March 9, 2022 by russellmckinney

Corrie ten Boom was a Jewish Christian who lived in Germany during World War II. She and her older sister, Betsy, were rounded up by the Nazis and taken by train to one of the worst concentration camps in all of Germany. Upon their arrival there, the sisters were tattooed with a number and placed into a cabin barrack for women. The barrack was so overcrowded the sisters had to sleep on the floor. What made their particular barrack even more gruesome than all the others was the flea infestation. Day after day, the women had to endure flea bites.

Early on in their imprisonment, the sisters decided to study their Bibles together and invite all the other women to join them. Most of the women showed no interest, but a few did. So, every morning the sisters would lead in a time of Bible study and prayer despite their constant fear that the guards could burst in at any time, confiscate their Bibles, and punish those who took part in the group.

One morning, after the girls had been imprisoned for years, they read 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18:

Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (K.J.V.)

Betsy was eager to obey the passage, but Corrie just couldn’t bring herself to give thanks for the fleas. Weren’t years of imprisonment bad enough? Wasn’t having to sleep on the floor bad enough? Why did their barrack, of all the barracks, have to be infested with fleas? If God was allowing the sisters to go through this time of injustice, the least He could do was take away the fleas. In the end, though, Betsy made Corrie thank God for the fleas. Older sisters do that kind of thing.

It was about three months later that the sisters were at last released from their imprisonment. A short time afterward they found a journal that had been written by one of their German guards. In one entry the girls learned why the guards had never interrupted their morning times of Bible study and prayer. Concerning that cabin, the guard had written, “We don’t ever want to go in that cabin because it is so full of fleas.”

I don’t have a flea problem at my house. As a matter of fact, I can’t even remember the last time I was bitten by a flea. I do, however, have some other “fleas” for which I am hard pressed to be thankful. I didn’t ask for them. I didn’t see them coming. I don’t even think I deserve them. But I’ve got ’em. And the Bible says that I’m to give thanks for them. That isn’t easy.

In order for me to be obey this command, I must see my problems as somehow being a part of God’s grand plan for my life. He doesn’t make mistakes, and He knows how to use anything and everything to mold and shape me to become more like Christ. As Romans 8:28-29 says:

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. (N.K.J.V.)

Obviously, “all things” aren’t good in and of themselves. We know that. But God can use “all things,” even our problems, for good. As those two faithful sisters discovered, He can even use fleas.

Remember this the next time you find yourself griping and grumbling about a problem. You can’t see the big picture, but God can. He loves you, and that problem of yours might well be the chariot He uses to help you, not hurt you. Learn to pray words such as these:

“Father, I don’t enjoy this problem, but I want to thank You for it. I do this in the faith that You are going to use the problem to somehow bring about good in my life.”

Such praying will help you to understand your problem in a whole different light, a light that produces trust in God rather than bitterness toward Him. That, in turn, will help you to persevere when you feel like quitting.  Even more than that, it will help you to live victoriously in the midst of your “fleas.”

Posted in Adversity, Complaining, Contentment, Disappointment, Faith, Faithfulness, God's Omnipotence, God's Foreknowledge, God's Omniscience, God's Provision, God's Sovereignty, Patience, Persecution, Perseverance, Prayer, Problems, Suffering, Thankfulness, Trials, Trusting In God | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Is the War Between Russia and Ukraine a Part of Bible Prophecy?

Posted on March 7, 2022 by russellmckinney

Some people are wondering if the current war between Russia and Ukraine is a part of Bible prophecy. The short answer to that is, no, at least not specifically. It is only a part of Bible prophecy in the sense that Jesus said, “And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet” (Matthew 24:6, N.K.J.V.).

However, I do understand that the question is a reasonable one. I say that because Russia itself will indeed be a major player in the events that will lead up to Christ’s Second Coming. The proof passage on that is Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39, and by way of explaining those chapters I’ll close this post by using an extended section from my post entitled “The Four Horseman of the Apocalypse.” That post is found in the series “Bible Prophecy in Chronology.” Here goes:

I need to explain Revelation chapter 5. The apostle John, who has just experienced what we might call a “Revelation rapture” (Revelation 4:1-2), watches as Jesus – symbolically depicted as “the Lamb” – takes a certain scroll from the hand of God the Father (Revelation 5:1-7). The mere transfer of this scroll from the hand of God the Father to the hand of Jesus prompts a great heavenly worship scene (Revelation 5:8-14). The ones doing the worshiping are the four living creatures (most likely cherub angels) that surround God’s throne, the 24 elders (a group that symbolically represents the entirety of the church), and many other angels. Clearly, this scroll is a big deal, and Jesus now having it is an even bigger deal.

And so what is this scroll? In the ancient world, such parchment scrolls served as the title deeds in land purchases (Jeremiah 32:6-15). Therefore, this scroll has been called the title deed to the earth. The scroll has writing not only inside it but also on its back, and it is sealed with seven seals (Revelation 5:1). In such scrolls, the writing on the back was a summary of the writing found inside the document, and the writing on the inside contained the details of the transaction. The seals all had to be broken before the entire scroll could be read.

As for the scroll that Jesus takes in hand, the way it works is simple: Whenever Jesus breaks one of the seven seals, a corresponding event takes place down on earth. These events are commonly called “the seal judgments.” At the beginning of chapter 6, Jesus starts breaking the seals, and thus begins The Revelation’s record of the tribulation period. The breaking of the first four seals produce the riders that are known as “the four horsemen of the apocalypse.” These riders will be our subject for this post.

Seal #1 (Revelation 6:1-2): The Rider on the White Horse

Christ’s breaking of the scroll’s first seal causes a rider on a white horse to ride out “conquering and to conquer.” This rider is the Antichrist. In the symbolic imagery, he carries a bow but no arrows. This shows that he will initially play the role of a man of peace. I have explained in previous posts how he will come to power by overthrowing three of the kings of an alliance of ten kings that will constitute a revived Roman empire in the end times (Daniel 7:8,24). Following that coup, the other seven kings will give their power and authority over to him (Revelation 17:12-13), which will give him complete control of the entire empire.

At some point very shortly after the Antichrist comes to power, he will sign a seven-year treaty with Israel (Daniel 9:27). These seven years will be the tribulation period, the last “week” of “The 70 Weeks Prophecy” (Daniel 9:20-27). While it can be argued that the clock on the tribulation period starts ticking at the moment of the Rapture, the better understanding is that it starts ticking the moment the Antichrist signs that treaty. What the Bible doesn’t tell us is how much time elapses between the Rapture and the signing of that treaty. Clearly, though, it can’t be long. My guess is a few days or a few weeks at the most.

Christ’s most extensive teaching on the end times is called the Olivet Discourse because He gave it while He was on the Mount of Olives. The teaching is found in Matthew chapters 24 and 25, Mark 13:3-37, and Luke 21:5-38. It is noteworthy that Jesus opens the teaching by saying, “Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many” (Matthew 24:4-5). We can easily imagine that as He spoke to His apostles in general terms about false messiahs, He had in mind the ultimate false messiah that would one day come. It isn’t a coincidence that the Antichrist is depicted as riding a white horse. In Revelation 19:11-21, we find the account of Jesus returning to this earth for His second coming, and that account puts Jesus on a white horse as well.

Seal #2 (Revelation 6:3-4): The Rider on the Red Horse

With Christ’s breaking of the scroll’s second seal, a rider on a fiery red horse heads out to “take peace from the earth.” This rider is the symbolic embodiment of war. So, at this point in the early days of the tribulation period, peace is taken from the earth and the killing begins. Jesus, in the Olivet Discourse, described it this way: “And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom…” (Matthew 24:6-7)

A good question to ask, though, is, “Why does warfare break out at this particular time?” After all, if the Antichrist comes in as a man of peace, he won’t be the one stirring up this hostility. What then is the trigger that starts it? The Bible doesn’t give us that answer, but by reading between the lines a bit we can come up with a couple of possibilities.

First, the effect of millions of people suddenly vanishing off the face of the earth in the Rapture really can’t be overstated. Think about the confusion. Think about the chaos. Think about the news reports. Think about the fear. Think about the paranoia. Think about the attempted explanations. Think about the world’s leaders panicking. Think about the different nations accusing each other of being behind the disappearances. That is a setting ripe for countries to go to war. It’s also ripe for individuals to perpetrate violence on other individuals, which might also be a part of the words “that people should kill one another” (Revelation 6:2).

Second, remember that 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 teaches that a great “falling away” will accompany the revealing of the Antichrist. This makes perfect sense in the wake of the Rapture. You see, the Rapture will remove all the authentic Christians from the world’s churches. This will leave only fake Christians and spiritually lost church members to carry on the services of organized religion. And how long will it take for the attendees to realize the hollowness of the post-Rapture “churches”? Not very long. Rather than provide people with answers for the current state of things, these spiritually bereft “churches” will help escalate people’s tensions, anxieties, and fears. Think of it this way: If the world has known the warfare that it has known with Christians here playing the role of salt and light, what kind of a powder keg will it become when they are gone?

But does the Bible name any specific war that might break out in the earliest days of the tribulation period? It would seem so. Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39 describe a war that will take place in the “latter days” (Ezekiel 38:16). For this war, the nation “Magog” will head a coalition force that comes into the land of Israel “like a cloud” (Ezekiel 38:16) and goes to war against Israel. “Magog” will be led by a prince identified as “Gog,” which literally means “ruler.” According to Ezekiel 38:5-6, the other countries in the coalition will be Persia (Iran, east of Israel), Ethiopia (south of Israel), Libya (southwest of Israel), Gomer (Germany, northwest of Israel), and Togarmah (Turkey, north of Israel). What’s most impressive about this coalition is that it’s far flung enough in scope for the locations of these nations to form a clockwise ring around Israel. The only gap in the ring is the Mediterranean Sea to Israel’s immediate west.

Since the leader “Gog” is described as coming from a place “far north” of Israel (Ezekiel 38:14-15, 39:1-2), most commentators identify him as the leader of that land we now call Russia. This goes along with the Jewish historian Josephus, who identified Magog as the land of the Scythians, which was located in what is now Russia. For that matter, “Magog” is the translation of the Hebrew word “Rosh,” and according to Wilhelm Gesenius, a famous expert in Hebrew, “Rosh” should actually be translated as “Russia.”

And how will this war go for Russia and her allies? Fatally. For starters, God will strike the land of Israel with a mighty earthquake that will throw the coalition forces into confusion (Ezekiel 38:18-20). That earthquake will then be followed by “pestilence” as well as “flooding rain, great hailstones, fire, and brimstone” (Ezekiel 38:22) as God slays every last soldier of the coalition forces (Ezekiel 39:1-5). The slaughter will be so great that it will take the people of Israel seven months to bury the bodies of all the dead foreigners (Ezekiel 39:11-16). In addition to all this burying, the people of Israel will gather up the weapons from the slain armies and somehow use those weapons as fuel for their fires for seven years (Ezekiel 39:9-10).

Okay, so when will this infamous invasion of Israel take place? It will occur at a time when Israel will be dwelling in safety and peace in its own land and operating with its guard down (Ezekiel 38:10-15). I promise you that none of that applies to Israel’s current state, and so we must be dealing with a future event. And what could cause Israel to feel safe enough to uncharacteristically drop its guard this way? I would suggest that it’s that peace treaty Israel signs with the Antichrist and his revived Roman empire. If this interpretation is correct, it means that very, very shortly after the signing of that treaty, Russia’s coalition army will roll into Israel and quickly meet its doom. This would explain how the people of Israel could use that weaponry as fuel for seven years (the seven years of the tribulation period), with the number seven being only slightly rounded up and used generally. Then again, it’s also possible that Israel using those weapons as fuel for seven years might extend into the time of Christ’s 1,000 year reign upon the earth, which will begin with His Second Coming to walk the earth again at the conclusion of the tribulation period following His victory over the Antichrist, the False Prophet, and all the armies of the world at the Battle of Armageddon (Revelation 19:11-21; 20:1-4).

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A Good Example of Discipleship

Posted on March 4, 2022 by russellmckinney

Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and to him the Lord said in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” So the Lord said to him, “Arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus, for behold, he is praying. And in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him, so that he might receive his sight.” (Acts 9:10-12, N.K.J.V.)

In this passage, a man named Ananias is called “a certain disciple.” That title certainly fits him because, to me, he serves as one of the Bible’s best examples of discipleship. What marks him is his obedience to God.

Through a vision, God told Ananias to go to Saul of Tarsus and place his hands upon him. That was like asking a German Jew to go and offer his help to Adolph Hitler. Saul was a man who sought out Christians, persecuted them, arrested them, and even had them put to death. Seek him out and help him? Even the devout Ananias had to question those orders. In the end, though, he did as he was told. That is, after all, what a disciple does. He obeys, even when he doesn’t see the reasoning, logic, sense, or safety of the assignment.

I wonder if you and I would be as obedient as Ananias. For all he knew, he was walking into imprisonment or death. That’s discipleship on display. If discipleship is about learning (and it is), then no class is more important than the one on obedience.

I’m afraid that the obedience of too many Christians is similar to the obedience of the little boy who was admitted to a children’s hospital. His awful behavior quickly gained him a reputation as a terror, and the doctors and nurses all looked upon him with dread. One day a visiting lady, who had been informed of the boy’s rebellious streak, offered him a deal. If the boy behaved himself and obeyed orders for a week, she would give him a dime. (This was back in the days when a dime meant something.) The woman returned at the end of the week and said to him, “I’m not going to ask the nurses if you behaved. You have to tell me yourself. Do you deserve the dime?” The little fellow paused for a moment as he reflected back upon his week and said, “Gimme a penny.”

Tell me, is there some standing order that is right now coming between you and Christ? Has He told you to do something you simply haven’t done? Are you in danger of having to settle for a penny, if even that, rather than a dime? If this is the case, then you need to learn from the story of Ananias. Quit laying out of the class of obedience because you don’t enjoy it. Just do what the Lord has told you to do and trust in His wisdom. Either that or forfeit the title “disciple.”

Posted in Backsliding, Confession, Discipleship, Disobedience, Dying To Self, Faithfulness, Fear, God's Will, Obedience, Rebellion, Repentance, Submission, Trusting In God | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

The Requirements of Discipleship

Posted on March 2, 2022 by russellmckinney

So, you say you have an interest in becoming a disciple of Jesus Christ? Let’s see how much interest you really have. First, in Luke 14:26, Jesus says:

If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. (N.K.J.V.)

Tell me, are you willing to put Jesus Christ above every other person in your life? It’s not that He wants you to literally hate your family members. (There are scores of other Bible passages that teach us to love our families.) The point is that your love for Jesus should be so much greater than your love for your family members that, by comparison, it is almost as if you hate those family members. How are you doing on that?

Second, in Luke 14:27, Jesus says:

And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. (N.K.J.V.)

In those days, a cross was an instrument of death. Now we would say, “And whoever does not extend his arm for the lethal injection and come after Me cannot be My disciple.” Here again, Jesus isn’t speaking of a literal physical death. How could He be when He follows it up by talking about coming after Him? The point is that you must die to self (your own desires, motivations, opinions, agendas, and goals) before you can qualify as a disciple. How are you doing on that?

Third, in Luke 14:33, Jesus says:

So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple. (N.K.J.V.)

Again, we must not run off too far with the literalness. Jesus isn’t demanding that you quit your job, sell your house, and give away all your possessions just so you can be His disciple. The point is, just as no other person should come between you and Jesus, no other thing should either. How are you doing on that?

You see, the reason why Jesus has so few true disciples is easy to understand: The requirements are HARD!!! In point of fact, they are so hard that the average person isn’t willing to meet them. But are you? Please think carefully before you answer because business doesn’t get more serious than this. Jesus asks for nothing less than a full-scale, all-out, no-holds-barred devotion from you. He demands to be given priority over everyone and everything in your life. And if you shy away from meeting this standard, then I’m sorry, but you cannot be His disciple.

Posted in Commitment, Discipleship, Dying To Self, Faithfulness, Family, Priorities, Sacrifice, Service, Submission | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

The Divine Link Between Growing & Learning

Posted on February 28, 2022 by russellmckinney

Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me… (Matthew 11:29, N.K.J.V.)

There was a preacher who had been in the ministry for twenty years. In a conversation he had with one of his church members, he said with pride, “I have averaged preaching three times a week for the past twenty years. That means that I have preached over 3,000 sermons over the course of my ministry.” The church member, who had endured too many of the preacher’s dull sermons, replied, “No, you have preached one sermon over 3,000 times!”

I like this illustration because it reminds me, as a preacher, of my need to grow. While I must never attempt to change the unalterable word of God, I do have a responsibility to preach what the apostle Paul called “the whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:27) and not just a handful of my cherry-picked topics. It’s also not a bad idea for me to use different styles (expository, topical, verse-by-verse, an outline, no outline) in my preaching. This keeps not only the preaching but also the preacher fresh.

Now let me relate all this to being a Christian. The word “disciple” translates the Greek word for “learner,” and learning walks hand in hand with growing. Just as a child grows by learning to talk, walk, put on clothes, brush his teeth, etc., the Christian must grow by learning more of the Bible, learning to pray more effectively, learning to live a holy life, learning to give, learning to witness, and learning to spiritually discern.

Sadly, however, many Christians aren’t learners. Instead, they are like children who reached a certain stage of growth and stopped growing. Why do surveys consistently tell us that the bulk of our churches are either plateaued (at best) or in outright decline (at worst)? It’s because most of the Christians who make up these churches are either plateaued or declining. When you stop learning, you stop growing.

I suppose that many of these Christians were once disciples of Christ, but they aren’t now. They’ve dropped out of class. They’ve turned in their textbooks. They’ve left school. By this, I don’t mean that they have lost their salvation. No, the eternal security of the believer really is a Bible doctrine. But there is a vast difference between sleepwalking through the routine of a casually Christian lifestyle and getting up each day, taking your seat in Christ’s classroom, and letting the master teacher walk you through your lessons for the day.

Wouldn’t it have been absurd for Jesus to look at the chosen twelve one morning and find only a chosen eight? I can just imagine that conversation. “Where are James and John today?” “Lord, they went home to help their dad, Zebedee, with his fishing business.” “And where is Matthew?” “He decided to return to his job as a tax collector so that he could start saving for retirement.” “And what about Peter?” “He went back to his house last night because his mother-in-law wasn’t feeling well.”

You say, “Oh, come on, Russell, that’s crazy talk. The chosen twelve would never have done such things.” Well, is it any crazier than when Christians today refuse to move up from the level of “Christian” to the level of “disciple”? Is it any crazier than Christians who peaked at the spiritual state of toddler? Is it any crazier than Christians who have been saved for years, even decades, who still act downright infantile when it comes to spiritual matters? Think about it.

Posted in Backsliding, Bible Study, Church Attendance, Commitment, Discernment, Discipleship, Dying To Self, Faithfulness, Giving, Personal Holiness, Prayer, Preaching, Sanctification, Service, Witnessing | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

A Crossroad in Life

Posted on February 25, 2022 by russellmckinney

The word “crossroad” probably brings up a certain mental image with you. I myself envision a dirt road out in the middle of nowhere that comes to a four-way intersection with three other dirt roads. The person who comes to such a place must make a decision. He can go straight, right, or left. For that matter, he can even turn around and go back from where he came. But make no mistake, he’s got to make some kind of move.

Actually, however, there are times when we come to a different kind of crossroad. I’m talking now about a crossroad in life. One fellow who came to such a place was Lot, the nephew of Abraham (who was then known as Abram). The story is found in Genesis chapter 13.

Abraham and Lot lived alongside each other in the land of Canaan. Each of them was very wealthy. In particular, they both had large flocks and herds. This became a problem when their region could no longer support the combination of their flocks and herds. Strife arose between the herdsmen of the two men, and it became obvious that something had to be done.

That’s when Abraham cordially, and with the love of an uncle, asked Lot to separate from him. He said, “Please, let’s put a stop to this fighting over grazing and watering territory. It’s a big land. If you take the left, I will take the right, and if you take the right, I will take the left.” It was a simple and godly solution to the situation.

Ah, but here’s where Lot made two mistakes. Mistake #1: He didn’t humbly and graciously pass the choice back to Abraham. You see, not only Abraham was the elder, he was the one to whom God had prophetically given all of Canaan. Truth be told, if it wasn’t for Abraham, Lot wouldn’t have even been in Canaan. Mistake #2: Lot made his choice based solely upon what looked good to him at the time. He cast his eyes upon the plain of Jordan, which was well watered like a beautiful garden, and said, “I’ll take that part of the land.” He didn’t pray about that decision. He didn’t seek God’s will about it. He just latched himself onto something that was appealing to his eyes.

That old saying “all that glitters is not gold” hadn’t been invented yet, but it would have helped Lot to hear it. Sure, that vast plain of Jordan was lush, fertile, abundant, and desirable in appearance. That was its bait. Its hook was that it was dotted with vile, wicked cities. You’ve heard of Sodom and Gomorrah, haven’t you? Those twin cities were located squarely in the heart of that region.

Not surprisingly, Lot, being the spiritually and morally weak person that he was, soon came under the tempting influence of Sodom. He began by setting up his camp and staking down his tents near Sodom. Later, he moved out of his tents and formally settled down in Sodom (Genesis 14:12). Finally, once he was settled there, he rose to a place of prominence and political prestige in the city. How do we know he rose to such a place? We know it because Genesis 19:1 speaks of him “sitting in the gate” of Sodom. Since ancient cities conducted their business at their gates, it was quite an earthly honor to hold what we might call a political seat at Sodom’s gate.

You say, “Okay, so, where’s the downside? It sounds like Lot did well for himself.” Oh, there was plenty of downside, enough to actually cancel out any upside that Lot’s choice brought him. First, Lot was living in Sodom when an enemy army came into town, looted it (Genesis 14:1-11), and carried off Lot with them as a prisoner of war (Genesis 14:12). That required Abraham to take 318 of his trained men and go and rescue him (Genesis 14: 13-16). Second, Lot was still living in Sodom when God sent two angels to utterly destroy the city by way of fire and brimstone. Lot lost all of his possessions as well as most of his family in that destruction (Genesis 19:1-26). Third, with Sodom now a charred wasteland, Lot and his two surviving daughters ended up living in a cave in the mountains above the city of Zoar (Genesis 19:30). It was there that his life hit absolute rock bottom as he, on two consecutive nights, got drunk and had sexual relations with each of his daughters (Genesis 19:31-35). The products of those incestuous relationships were two sons who grew up to father the Moabites and Ammonites, two races who caused the people of Israel many problems (Genesis 19:36-38).

Do you see how Lot’s wrong choice at life’s crossroad eventually brought catastrophe to his life? By failing to understand the dark vein that ran through what looked desirable to his eyes, he stupidly made the wrong choice at the crossroad and in so doing sent his life and the life of his family into a downward spiral. Beware, my friend, that you don’t make that same mistake. Even being a Christian isn’t enough to shield you from the results of going down the wrong road. Lot, after all, was a saved person in the sense of being an Old Testament believer (Second Peter 2:4-8). That’s why I implore you to pray serious prayers over your decisions and always seek God’s will rather than your own. He really does know the best path for you, and He will gladly share that knowledge with you if you will just slow down and ask Him.

Posted in Backsliding, Business, Change, Choices, Decisions, Discernment, Dying To Self, God's Will, Leadership, Obedience, Submission, Temptation, Trusting In God | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

One Flesh

Posted on February 23, 2022 by russellmckinney

Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. (Genesis 2:24, N.K.J.V.)

The union of a man and a woman in matrimony can be illustrated in various ways, but my favorite one involves two lumps of clay. Step 1: Take a lump of red clay in one hand. Step 2: Take a lump of white clay in the other. Step 3: Rub the two lumps together until they become one lump. Now, what does that new lump look like? Is it red? Well, there is some red in there, but it’s not completely red. Is it white? Again, there is some white in there, but it’s not completely white, either. The fact is, the new lump is a unique mixture of the red and the white. Welcome to marriage.

Tonya and I are very different. She goes to bed early, but I sit up late. She gets up early, but I sleep late. She could drink Pepsi every day for the rest of her existence on earth, but I’ve got to have some variety in my beverages. She’s not too big on leftovers, but I consider it a moral obligation to finish them. She gets quiet when she gets mad, but I get loud. She’s a math person, but I’m the language-arts type. She likes reality shows and home-improvement shows, but I like scary movies and old westerns. Her favorite meal is breakfast, but mine is dinner. Needless to say, we make for a strangely colored ball of clay.

The Bible teaches that the husband and wife become “one flesh” (Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:4-6). The old joke is that they go on the honeymoon to decide which one they’ll become! Getting back to the ball of clay, though, they won’t become either one. They’ll become a brand new entity, one every bit as unique as any one individual.

And how will this play out in real-life situations? Being “one flesh” means that if I have a bad day, Tonya’s day is affected, too. If she gets sick, I get caught up in the wake of her sickness one way or another. If there is a social gathering with her family, I’m expected to be there. If my salary isn’t adequate, she has to suffer for it right along with me. When one feels pain, so does the other. When one feels happiness, so does the other. We’re a team. We’re in everything together. Being “one flesh” is the lock in wedlock.

You see, marriage is not about two people flying solo. I don’t mean that a husband can’t have his personal space or that a wife can’t have her individual interests. A husband and wife don’t have to do everything together or be around one another 24-7. But there must be that realization that the two are always, deep down at their core, one. Frankly, this is why divorce is so gut-wrenching. If you pull yourself away from someone with whom you’ve been “one flesh,” you will inevitably leave a certain part of yourself with that person. For that matter, a part of that person will remain with you.

And so, with all this in mind, let me encourage every married person who reads this post to take a few minutes right now to grasp the seriousness of you being “one flesh” with your spouse. Make yourself come to grips with the reality that the relationship you have with that person is wholly different from the relationship you have with anybody else (your father, your mother, your child, your brother, your sister, your friend, etc.). You simply aren’t “one” flesh with any of them. It’s only your spouse that gets to exclusively play that role in your life, and the sooner you understand that and start living in accordance with it, the better off you (and your spouse) will be.

Posted in Adultery, Children, Divorce, Divorce & Remarriage, Family, Fatherhood, Husbands, Marriage, Motherhood, Parenting, Personal, Priorities, Wives | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Tragedy of Living the Wrong Life

Posted on February 21, 2022 by russellmckinney

Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:4, N.K.J.V.)

In the classic movie Field of Dreams, the young baseball player Archie “Moonlight” Graham makes it all the way to the Major Leagues in 1922. Unfortunately for him, he only gets to play outfield for half an inning at the tail end of his debut game on the last day of the season. He doesn’t even get to make any defensive plays in the outfield or get to bat. Sensing that his team will demote him to the minor leagues to begin the following season, he retires from baseball rather than spend another season in the lower ranks of the sport. He enrolls in medical school, becomes a doctor, and spends the rest of his life devotedly serving the people of Chisholm, Minnesota, as their small town’s doctor.

Fifty years later, Ray Kinsella, the main character in Field of Dreams, asks the elderly Graham what it was like to get so close to fulfilling his Major League dreams only to miss them by a breath. Graham answers, “It was like coming this close to your dreams, and then watching them brush past you like a stranger in a crowd.” But when Kinsella, as part of the movie’s magical storyline, offers Graham the chance to go back in time and at least get one professional at-bat, Graham turns down the offer. Incredulous, Kinsella tells him, “Fifty years ago, for five minutes you came within…you came this close. It would kill some men to get so close to their dream and not touch it…they’d consider it a tragedy.” Then comes one of the movie’s best lines as Graham looks at Kinsella and replies, “Son, if I’d only gotten to be a doctor for five minutes, now THAT would have been a tragedy.”

God told Jeremiah that his God-appointed role in life was prophet. God had determined that destiny for Jeremiah even before He had created him in the womb of his mother. Similarly, in the New Testament era, God said of Saul of Tarsus (who would become better known as the apostle Paul), “…he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel” (Acts 9:15).

But what if Jeremiah had refused the call of God into the prophetic ministry? What if Saul (Paul) had said, “I don’t want to bear God’s name before gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel; I’ve studied to be a Jewish rabbi, and I’m going to devote my life to presiding over a local synagogue”? Such choices would have surely been true tragedies.

Let me ask you a very personal question: Are you fulfilling God’s appointed destiny for your life? Phrasing the question another way: Are you living out the right dream? The truth is that God has all kinds of work that needs doing in all kinds of places. He needs doctors, dentists, nurses, firemen, mechanics, plumbers, farmers, electricians, lawyers, factory workers, salesman, teachers, secretaries, judges, musicians, painters, bus drivers, police officers, ball coaches, writers, carpenters, and every other kind of legitimate vocation you can name. It’s not all about prophets, missionaries, pastors, evangelists, and theologians with Him. And, of course, all this is to say nothing of His need for godly fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, grandfathers, grandmothers, aunts, uncles, etc. So, in the midst of everything you have going on in your life, and in regards to all the roles you are currently playing, can you honestly say you are living the life God had in mind for you before He created you in your mother’s womb?

I’m not trying to get you to throw your life into total upheaval by quitting your job, selling your house, and moving to a foreign country. Truth be told, you might be living the exact life God wants you to be living. What I am trying to do is get you to take a personal inventory of the various roles you are currently playing. Maybe you really are missing God’s plan in some way. Maybe you are off stride. Maybe you do need to make some God-approved changes.

If that’s you, please don’t be afraid to mind God by stepping out in faith and doing what He is burdening you to do. Even if that means the death of one of your dreams, you’ll get to enjoy the birth of a new one that is even better. With so many people out there playing roles God never meant for them to play, it is vitally important that you get yours right. So, if you are on point at doing that, then stay the course and keep up the good work. But if you aren’t, then just know that the days of your life are ticking away and every day lost is one you can’t get back.

Posted in Change, Dying To Self, God's Will, God's Work, Human Life, Individuality, Influence, Priorities, Service, Trusting In God, Work | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Giants in the Bible

Posted on February 19, 2022 by russellmckinney

Now it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them, that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose. And the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not strive with men forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.” There were giants on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown. (Genesis 6:1-4, N.K.J.V.)

In my previous post, “Who Were the Sons of God?” I explained that the “sons of God” from Genesis 6:1-4 were fallen angels that demon possessed men on earth, married earthly women, and produced children through those women by using the reproductive seed of the men. Certainly that makes for a bizarre interpretation, but it is nevertheless the one that fits the totality of scripture (both the Old Testament and the New Testament). Now, with this post, I want to say some things about the giants that are mentioned in Genesis 6:4.

Unfortunately, even among people who understand “the sons of God” to be fallen angels, there is a tendency to believe that the “giants” of Genesis 6:4 were the offspring of those sexual unions between fallen angels are human women. In point of fact, though, that is not what Genesis 6:4 says. What it says is: “There were giants on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men.” You see, that word “when” plainly proves that the giants were already on the earth when the forbidden sexual unions took place. That means, of course, that the giants couldn’t have been the result of those unions.

To further make this case, Genesis 6:4 goes out of its way to say that there were giants on the earth afterward. That raises the question: “How could there have been giants on the earth after Genesis 6:1-4 if it takes a sexual union between a fallen angel and a human woman to produce a giant?” Remember, all the giants that were on the earth during the days of Genesis 6:1-4, not to mention all the offspring of those forbidden sexual unions, got wiped out during the flood of Noah. Still, though, giants somehow cropped back up in the human race after the flood.

The Philistine giant Goliath, for example, was nearly ten feet tall (1 Samuel 17:4), and the giant Og, who was the king of Bashan, slept on an iron bed that was over 13 feet long and 6 feet wide (Deuteronomy 3:1-13). Likewise, Deuteronomy 2:9-22, Joshua 11:21-23, 17:14-18, 2 Samuel 21:15-22, and 1 Chronicles 20:4-8 all describe the Israelites doing battle with giants. Obviously, it doesn’t take some kind of otherworldy sexual union between a fallen angel and an earthly woman to produce a giant. Actually, the Bible’s record indicates that there were a lot of giants in existence in the days of the Old Testament. For example, the Bible leaves no doubt about the following:

  • The Anakim were a race of giants. (Numbers 13:33; Deuteronomy 2:10-11, 20-21)
  • The Emim were a race of giants. (Deuteronomy 2:10-11)
  • The Zamzummim (or Zuzim, Genesis 14:5) were a race of giants. (Deuteronomy 2:20-21)

The Hebrew word the Old Testament almost always uses for “giants” is rephaim. As evidence of this, the Anakim are referred to as rephaim (Deuteronomy 2:11) as are the Emim (Deuteronomy 2:10-11) and the Zamzummim (Deuteronomy 2:18-22). Similarly, raphah, the singular form of rephaim, is used in reference to individual giants in 2 Samuel 21:15-22 and 1 Chronicles 20:4-8. While it is possible that rephaim refers to a specific race of giants, it is more likely that the word is merely a general term for “giants” regardless of their race.

Interestingly, however, the Hebrew word that is translated as “giants” in Genesis 6:4 is not rephaim but nephilim. This particular Hebrew word is used in only one other verse in the Old Testament. That verse is Numbers 13:33, and it says the giant race known as the Anakim (“the descendants of Anak”) came from the nephilim.

That is, at least, how the majority of our English translations (the King James Version, the New King James Version, the English Standard Version, the New International Version, etc.) translate the verse. If that translation is accurate, it seems to indicate that the nephilim were the earth’s original race of giants and that all the other giant races (the Anakim, the Emim, the Zamzummim, etc.) sprang from them over the course of time. This assertion makes perfect sense considering that the events of Genesis 6:1-4 happened so early in human history.

The only potential problem with the assertion is the fact that at least one reputable translation, the New American Standard Version, translates Numbers 13:33 to say that the Anakim were part of the nephilim rather than descended from them. If that translation is the correct one, it probably means that the word nephilim is just a general term for “giants” rather than being a reference to a specific race of them.

As for the origins of giants, the Bible doesn’t tell us anything. That leads us to the logical conclusion that Adam and Eve’s d.n.a. somehow produced the giants that were on the earth when the events of Genesis 6:-1-4 took place. Additionally, that same d.n.a. (coursing through Noah and his descendants) produced the giants that were on the earth during the post-flood era. The point is, the giants described in the Bible were not aliens from another planet. Certainly they were genetic freaks, but they were no doubt fully human.

Getting back to Numbers 13:33, that verse is found within the context of the story about Moses sending 12 Israelite spies into Canaan to scout out the land. After spending 40 days in the land, the spies return to Israel’s camp and give their report. Numbers 13:32-33 says:

And they gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, “The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature. There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight” (Numbers 13:32-33, N.K.J.V.).

If those spies were speaking literally when they said that all the people they saw in Canaan were men of great stature, it means there were other races of giants besides the previously mentioned Anakim, Emim, and Zamzummim (Zuzim). I say that because in Numbers 13:29 those spies report seeing the Amalekites in the south, the Hittites, Jebusites, and Amorites in the mountains, and the Canaanites by the Jordan river and the Mediterranean Sea. Perhaps, then, those races were giants as well or at least races that included giants. We do know that God Himself said the Amorites had height like the height of the cedars and were as strong as the oaks (Amos 2:9). Furthermore, Og (the giant who slept on that massive iron bed) was the king of Bashan, an Amorite city, and he is described as being the only giant left from the remnant of the giants (Deuteronomy 3:11).

The size of Og’s bed gets us into another question: “Just how big were the giants in the Bible?” That bed’s size is given in cubits, and it was 9 cubits long and 4 cubits wide. If we go with the generally accepted measurement of 18 inches per cubit, the bed was 13.5 feet long and 6 feet wide. That puts Og’s size pretty much on par with Goliath’s whose size is given as “six cubits and a span” (1 Samuel 17:4). Since a span was half a cubit, Goliath was 9’9 tall.

By way of possible contrast, 1 Chronicles 11:23 says that Benaiah, who was one of King David’s greatest soldiers, killed an Egyptian man who was five cubits (7’5 feet) tall. Is it significant that the Bible does not call that Egyptian a “giant” but instead describes him as “a man of great height” (N.K.J.V.)? Actually, the word “great” is even added in by the translators. What the original Hebrew says is that the Egyptian was a man of height. A parallel passage, 2 Samuel 23:21, only calls him “a spectacular man” (N.K.J.V.).

While most people know the story of how David killed Goliath, that story is far from the only one in which a giant is defeated. In Genesis 14:1-12, we find the Bible’s first account of human warfare as an alliance of four kings from the area of the Euphrates river march their armies west into Canaan and are met by five kings from the lower Jordan valley’s region of the Dead Sea. But before that epic battle, the allied armies of those four kings attack and defeat: the Rephaim in Ashteroth Karnaim, the Zuzim in Ham, the Emim in Shaveth Kiriatham, the Horites in the mountain of Seir, the Amorites in Hazezon of Tamar, and the Amalekites (Genesis 14:5-7). As I have already explained, we know for sure that the Rephaim, the Zuzim, and the Emim were races of giants, and the Amorites (at the very least) included giants. Still, though, those allied armies didn’t have any trouble defeating those races.

Likewise, the armies of Israel were able to bring all of those giant races and others under their heels. For example, Joshua 11:21-23 says that Joshua’s army cut off the Anakim from all the mountains of Israel and utterly destroyed them from their cities. The remnant of Anakim that managed to survive were forced to take refuge in three Philistine cities: Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod. That explains how the city of Gath, which was Goliath’s hometown (1 Samuel 17:4), came to be home to giants.

Four more Philistine giants are spoken of in 2 Samuel 21:15-22 and its parallel passage 1 Chronicles 20:4-8, but they are all killed by David’s soldiers. As 2 Samuel 21:22 puts it: “These four were born to the giant in Gath, and fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants” (N.K.J.V.). The Hebrew word translated as “giant” in that verse is rapha, the singular form of rephaim, and the unnamed giant in question was the father of Goliath. We know he was Goliath’s father because 1 Chronicles 20:5 calls one of the slain giants “the brother of Goliath.” Therefore, since all four of the giants were the sons of the same unnamed giant, they all must have been Goliath’s brothers (presumably, Goliath being the oldest). This probably explains why David took five smooth stones rather than one out to face Goliath (1 Samuel 17:40). He must have heard that Goliath had four giant brothers who were also part of the Philistine army.

In closing, let me say that Israel’s multiple victories over multiple giants should give us, as Christians, confidence that God will help us defeat the giants that we face in our lives. Obviously, those giants won’t look like the Rephaim, the Anakim, the Emim, etc., but the challenge they will present to us will be every bit as daunting as the challenge faced by the Israelites. Like the Israelites, many times we will even feel as small as grasshoppers, but what we should always keep in mind is that any giant can be defeated if God decides that it must happen. That, after all, was the great secret that allowed the Israelites to slay all those giants. It was God’s decreed will for the Israelites to conquer that entire land of Canaan, and all those giants were standing in the way of that happening.

So, maybe you have some giant in your life right now, some problem, some impediment, or some circumstance that is just terrorizing you and trying to block you from claiming blessings that God wants you to have. If that describes you, then my advice to you is simple: Ask God to help you defeat that giant and then do all your fighting at His bidding and in His way. The truth is that giants really can be either toppled or put to flight, but it doesn’t happen without God doing His part and you doing your part. Just as it took courage for David to walk out into that valley and face Goliath, it will take courage for you to do battle with your giant. If, however, you are fighting not only in God’s will but also for it, then you can surely win the showdown. How do I know that? I know it because God’s people have been winning showdowns with giants for a long, long time.

Posted in Adversity, Angels, Belief, Doubt, Encouragement, Faith, Fear, God's Provision, God's Will, God's Work, Leadership, Needs, Prayer, Problems, Spiritual Warfare, Suffering, Temptation, Trials, Trusting In God, Worry | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments