THE GREAT DIVIDE

 

The Great Divide

The Great Divide refers to the Rocky Mountains in north America. In Australia, similarly, there is the Great Dividing Range. Britain has its Pennine Chain. Generally, these mountain ranges separate the watershed to their east and west. An Old English word sceadan, meaning ‘to divide’, from which we derive the shed in watershed.

Mountains figure prominently in the Bible, too numerous to list. After the global flood Noah’s ark docked on Mount Ararat as the waters drained. Moses received God’s Law on Mount Sinai. Mt Moriah, where Abraham was supposed to sacrifice his son, became Mt Zion (the Temple Mount) where God actually sacrificed His Son. The Great Divides in the Bible are because of what God did on Mt Zion. Mt Zion’s watershed (or should we say bloodshed?) means that ‘As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us’ Psalm 103:12.

Another Great Divide, though not as popular, is the great chasm or great gulf that is fixed between Heaven and Hell. A rich man suffering the torments of Hell saw Lazarus, a poor man who in life sat at his gates, but whom he gave no pity nor assistance. Lazarus is at Abraham’s bosom in Heaven. But Abraham said to the departed rich man, “Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented. And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us”’ Luke 16:25-26.

Because of the Great Divide there is no escape from Heaven or Hell once there. Who in their right mind would wish to escape from Heaven anyway? Before you attempt to answer that, consider the fact that there are people who, like the rich man, do not wish to go to Heaven! The rich man heard the Gospel, the Good News about Christ, and His Kingdom of Heaven. Like many today, he was invited to repent and believe in the Gospel (Mark 1:15). However, like many today, he was not interested. Now he is in torments. ‘Then he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.’ Luke 16:24.

He had five brothers who were still alive, and he did not want them to end up where he was. ‘Abraham said to him, “They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.” And he said, “No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.” But he said to him, “If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead”’ Luke 16:29-31.

The Greatest Divide is between those who believe the Scriptures, Old and New Testaments, and what they say about Christ, and His being crucified, dead, and buried, but rising again from the dead, and those who do not believe. The former join Abraham and Lazarus in Heaven, while the latter join the rich man and the torments of Hades. Why? ‘Neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.’

Thank God the Great Divide between sinful man and the righteous God has been resolved by God sending His only begotten Son to die on Mt Zion for the sins of those who believe in Him, and to save them from His wrath as experienced by the rich man and illustrated by Jesus.

What is Reformed Theology? Review

A great primer and/or reminder of the Doctrines of Grace, a.k.a. the Five Points of Calvinism.

See the glorious God-centered and Biblical Calvinist T.U.L.I.P out bloom the stunted and scrawny man-centered Arminian DAISY, (Daisy as in God loves me, He loves me not...).

RC Sproul in his usual clear, concise and pastoral way explains to the reader how salvation is all of grace to the glory of God.

(1997 Repackaged edition published 2016)

Reading Matthew Review

 Full to overflowing with deep and rich Biblical insights!

Jampacked with Old Testament references, Spadaro demonstrates conclusively that Matthew records that Jesus (i.e. YHWH) came, paradoxically, to condemn and to save His people.

The priesthood and priestly-class had a lot to answer for. Spadoro brilliantly shows Jesus calling them to account in Matthew's Gospel.

DON'T BE A JUDAS!

 

23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

27 So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. 29 For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves. 30 That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. 31 But if we were more discerning with regard to ourselves, we would not come under such judgment. 32 Nevertheless, when we are judged in this way by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be finally condemned with the world.

33 So then, my brothers and sisters, when you gather to eat, you should all eat together. 34 Anyone who is hungry should eat something at home, so that when you meet together it may not result in judgment.

And when I come I will give further directions. 1 Corinthians 11:23-34.

DON’T BE A JUDAS! 

            Introduction

Is it just me, or did everything change one night when I was sleeping? I feel a bit like Rip Van Winkle, you know, the bloke that fell asleep and woke up a couple of decades or more later. In ye olde days people used to say to each other, “What do you think?” Now it’s, “How do you feel about that?”

It’s less about I.Q. nowadays and more about E.Q., Emotional Quotient a.k.a. Emotional Intelligence, i.e., E.I. Having a high I.Q. meant that you were brainy. Having a high E.Q. or E.I. apparently means that you have a lot of self-awareness, self-regulation, self-motivation, empathy, and social skills. A high I.Q. means that you know a lot about stuff, but a high E.Q. means that you know a lot about yourself.

Of course, some people may have a high I.Q. as well as a high E.Q., and it’s all a bit more to do with psychology than theology. But the point I make is that intelligence and thinking seem to have morphed into emotions and feelings. In the following we’ll be looking at the Lord’s Supper.

What do you think about the Lord’s Supper? Or how do you feel about the Lord’s Supper? Do you have an intelligent understanding of the Supper or do you have an emotional understanding? Or, preferably, do you have both, i.e., a mind and a heart understanding? I would like us to look at 1 Corinthians 11:28-29 in particular:

 

28 Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. 29 For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves.

Examining the Self

Why should you examine yourself before you partake of the Lord’s Supper? Well, according to the Apostle Paul who wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, “those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves.” Thus, partaking of the Lord’s Supper can be a dangerous thing. Therefore, examining the self, prior to eating and drinking is a wise and prudent, an intelligent thing to do.

Now, we’re not here dealing with those who don’t have or did have but have lost mental faculties. We’ll leave that one for another day. But for now, does anyone like exams? There are exams at school. Exams at university. My wife and I had to sit an exam before becoming Australian citizens.

There’re all kinds of exams all over the place. There’re even exams in church! There is an exam to become a Communicant member! And, related to being a Communicant member, there is an exam before Communion! “Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup.”

Yes, school exams, “uni” exams, citizenship exams, church exams, but here we see a self-exam. You’d think that the self-exam would be the easiest one to cheat on, what, with no one but yourself doing the grading, unlike other types of exams.

“How did you go in the self-exam?” “Yeah, I gave myself 10 out of 10, full marks!” But wait a minute. Are you aware that God knows your every thought? Are you aware that God knows what motivates you? What you feel? How you feel about others? Yes, for what it’s worth, E.Q. or E.I. comes to mind, you know, self-awareness, self-regulation, self-motivation, empathy, and social skills.

In other words, are you in a good position to partake of the Lord’s Supper with the Lord and with the Lord’s people? Are you sure? Some people let the bread and the cup pass them by because they think or feel that things are not quite right between them and the Lord or maybe one or some of the Lord’s people or both. That’s fine. That’s normal for a Christian.

However, that’s different to thinking that you are simple unworthy to partake of the Lord’s Supper because you are a sinner.  Yes, get right with the Lord and/or your brother or sister in Christ before partaking, but keep in mind that the Lord’s Supper is the Gospel in visual form. It is a picture of Christ shedding His blood to redeem sinners.

Therefore, the Lord wants to dine with you. He requests that you attend His table. He wants to spiritually nourish you, to strengthen your spirit. He wants you to know that your sins have been forgiven because of what He did for you. He offered His body as a perfect sacrifice to God’s justice for you to propitiate God’s wrath, and He shed His blood to expiate your sins, to cleanse you of all your iniquities.

Therefore, examining the self includes and engages the mind and the heart. “Do I know what I’m doing here at the Lord’s Table? Do I feel the love of God? Do I love the Lord, and do I love His people? Do I love God with all my heart, with all my soul, and with all my mind, and do I love my neighbour as myself? Yes, do I love myself?”

You are to love your neighbour as yourself, which certainly includes loving fellow Christians as yourself. What is it about loving yourself that you don’t understand? Do you think that God wants you to hate yourself? Is that it?

In the old hymn, O for a Closer Walk with God, we find the words,

Return, O Holy Dove, return,

Sweet Messenger of rest!

I hate the sins that made Thee mourn

And drove Thee from my breast.

The author was feeling as if God the Holy Spirit had deserted him. But notice that he didn’t hate himself for it. No, it’s, “I hate the sins that made Thee mourn”! It’s his sins that he hates, not self. In other words, he loves God so much that he knows no rest until he knows that God has forgiven his sins.

Partaking of the Lord’s Supper is about knowing that God has forgiven all your sins. That is why you are to examine yourself before partaking. Are you a sinner? Yes! Have you sought God’s forgiveness for your sins? Yes! Have you sought, if possible, to make amends with those you’ve sinned against, even fellow Christians? Yes! Then come and sup with the Lord at His Supper.

Examining the Sacrament

The Lord’s Supper, also known as the Eucharist, and Communion, is a sign and it is a seal of God’s Covenant with you. Jesus said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” The new covenant is what we call the Covenant of Grace, which is another name for the Gospel. Therefore, the Supper is a sign and seal of the Gospel to you the self-examined believer.

Some prefer to use the word Ordinance instead of Sacrament to describe the Lord’s Supper. However, the word sacrament comes from the Latin meaning sacred as in holy, which in turns derives from a New Testament Greek word which has to do with “swearing allegiance”.

Most Christians know that theologians debate the meaning of the Supper. Does the bread and wine change its physical properties? In what way is the Lord present at His Table? Are the bread and cup merely symbols? We don’t have much time to go into any of that. But suffice to say that by sign we mean that the Lord’s Supper is a picture of something, something that is real.

A painting of a mountain-lake hanging on your wall is not the real thing. It is a depiction of the real thing. It is a sign of the real thing. However, the Lord’s Supper is not just only a sign. It is also a seal. In the old days letters were sealed with wax, often with the imprint of a signet ring. If you were to look up the word signet you’d see that it contains the word sign. It is a sign and a seal.

The wax seal on a letter let you know who the letter was from. In our case, the Lord’s Supper is from the Lord. It has His seal on it. And all this means is that you are to discern who the Lord’s Supper is from. You are to discern the Lord’s body in it.

As the Westminster Confession of Faith. chapter 27, para 2 puts it, “There is in every sacrament a spiritual relation, or sacramental union, between the sign and the thing signified…” Have you got it? The bread and the wine do not take on the physical properties of Christ’s flesh and blood. But rather the bread and wine during the sacrament are spiritually united to Christ. By partaking of the elements, we feed on Christ by faith.

It’s as Paul says earlier in chapter ten, “Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ?” 1 Corinthians 10:16.

Therefore, treating the Lord’s Supper merely as an ordinary meal and not as a sacrament is akin to seeing Jesus physically, but denying His divinity! Think about it: We do not worship Jesus’s humanity. We worship Him because He is divine, i.e., God in the flesh. But to worship His divinity we must see the connection between His humanity and His divinity. Therefore, likewise, to discern the body of Christ in the sacrament, we must see the connection between the bread and the wine and the God/Man Jesus Christ. Otherwise, it’s just another, albeit strange, but ordinary meal to you.

What happens if you don’t discern the Lord’s body? “For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves.”

In other words, if you don’t judge yourself first, God will judge you! The Lord’s Supper is God swearing His allegiance to you, and, in turn, it is you swearing your allegiance to the Lord. That’s what we mean by a seal. He is sealing His covenant agreement with you, and you with Him. You are swearing allegiance to Christ.

The sign is the bread and the cup, and the seal is you partaking of it knowing that your sins have been forgiven because of Christ’s sacrificed body and shed blood. It’s the Gospel visualized. “For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.”

So, we see then, that you eating and drinking at the Lord’s Table is a visual proclamation of the Lord’s death on the cross, with everything that the message of cross entails. Therefore, is it any wonder that the Lord through His Apostle wants you to get it right? You are to examine yourself. And you are to discern the body of Christ while you’re eating and drinking at the Lord’s Table.

As we begin to wrap things up, where exactly does Judas Iscariot fit into all of this? Someone once said that when you read the Bible you ought to keep three things in mind: context, context, and context.

The context of what we’re looking at is found where Paul, by way of introduction to his instructions about the Lord’s Supper, says in 1 Corinthians 11:23, “For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed…” Betrayed by whom? Judas. Therefore, don’t be a Judas! Learn to discern.

What did Judas do at the Lord’s Table, when the Lord transformed Old Testament or Old Covenant Passover into New Testament or New Covenant Lord’s Supper? He dipped his hand into the bowl at the same time as Jesus. And Jesus said, “The one who has dipped his hand in the bowl with Me will betray Me. The Son of Man will go just as it is written about Him. But woe to the man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born” Matthew 26:23.

Therefore, you must treat the meal as a sacred meal. It is a sacrament. It is not about betrayal. It is about allegiance.

Judas partook of the Lord’s Supper not discerning the body of Christ therein. Therefore, Judas ate and drank judgement upon himself. Examine yourself before you eat of the bread and drink from the cup, lest you too betray the Lord.

Like Judas, some of the Corinthians were failing to discern the body of Christ in the Supper. However, we don’t necessarily need to write off everyone who fails to see Christ’s body in the Supper as non-Christian. It says in Hebrews, “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as son” Hebrews 12:5b-6.

If we keep in mind that chastening and punishing, like repentance and remorse, are similar but not identical, then it will help us to understand the difference between God rebuking you and rejecting you. As the Apostle says, “Nevertheless, when we are judged in this way by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be finally condemned with the world” 1 Corinthians 11:32.

Judas felt remorse for what he did, but apparently he didn’t have true repentance. Therefore, intelligent tears of repentance trump emotional feelings of remorse. It’s the difference between discerning the body of Christ beforehand, and eating and drinking judgment on yourself. Judas ate and drank in an unworthy manner. Therefore, he was guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord, and he, therefore, paid the price, the ultimate price.

Some of the Corinthians were in danger of doing the same. That is why Paul wrote his Lord’s Supper directive. You Corinthian? Don’t be a Judas! Don’t betray the Lord. Don’t betray the Lord at the very place where He is showing you a sign and giving you a seal.

Conclusion

The bread and the cup are set apart from a common to a holy use for the duration of the sacrament. At the beginning they are bread and wine. In the middle they are bread and wine. And at the end they are still bread and wine. However, during the sacrament the bread and wine are being used in a spiritual exercise whereby by faith we are able to have our faith nourished and strengthened by spiritually feeding on the body and the blood of Christ.

Judas ignored the sign and the seal of the Covenant in the Lord’s Supper, He trampled the blood of the covenant beneath his feet and paid the price. Judas clearly was a covenant-breaker. Unlike those Disciples who had fallen asleep later on the night Jesus was betrayed and then arrested, Judas went on to sleep the sleep of death. He ate and drank judgment on himself.

We started off by talking about I.Q.s and E.Q.s, Intellectual Quotients and Emotional Quotients or intelligence. What do you now think about the Lord’s Supper? Or how do you now feel about the Lord’s Supper? Do you have an intelligent or an emotional understanding of the Supper? Preferably you have both, i.e., a mind and a heart understanding. Examine yourself. Don’t be a Judas.

CROSS & CULTURE

 This book is a must read. It is a wake-up call for those Christians who were asleep while the enemy was sowing weeds among the wheat. To change the metaphor , Cross and Culture describes the pouring of the West's Christian foundations, the cause of its concrete cancer, and the remedy.

Do yourself a favour and get a copy while there's still time for Christians through Christ to stop the rot.

TIME & SPACE

                                                                Time & Space

‘Space, the final frontier.’ So began the opening line of Star Trek which ran for three seasons from 1966-69. The starship Enterprise was on a five-year mission: ‘to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before.’ When we think of space, we may think of outer space. And when we think of time, we may think of years. The Enterprise on its five-year mission in space speaks of the two things, i.e., time and space.

Space and time can be measured on earth by length, breadth, and height, providing a three-dimensional view of space. And a clock and a calendar can do the same for time. However, a souped-up starship Enterprise travelling through outer space at the speed of light and above causes the average mind to boggle. What happens to time and space when their laws seem to be altered or even denied? We’ll leave that one with Einstein and Hawking and their ilk! However, there is One who is above and beyond time and space, One who transcends everything in creation.

The Creator, i.e., the Triune God, is Omnipotent, Omnipresent, and Omniscient. Time and space, therefore, are creatures of the Creator’s creating, and, as such, one would expect to see as it were His fingerprints all over everything His hands have made, including time and space. For, “The heavens [space] declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands. Day after day [time] they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge” Psalm 19:1-2. Notice the word “knowledge”. The word “science” is derived for the Latin for knowledge.

The Star Trek series were works of fiction, science-fiction. However, each episode was based on knowledge, i.e., science or scientific knowledge. God, for His own glory, has designed space to reveal knowledge to human beings, i.e., creatures that He created in His own image. Therefore, it would be a mistake to omit Him from any scientific equation. Yet, that is what many scientists do! That is why the Enterprise was seeking ‘out new life and new civilizations’ in outer space! The presupposition is that if life forms spontaneously formed on the planet earth, then it must be the same on other planets in outer space. This, of course, is faulty reasoning because it removes God and the knowledge (science) He has revealed in His creation and, more particularly, in His Word. If there are any technologically advanced (or other) beings on any other planets, then God is their Creator as He is ours. Thus, there are two types of science: that which presupposes God and that which does not.

Time and space are revelation of God. ‘In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth’ Genesis 1:1. Time began in the beginning when the eternal God created it along with space, into which He placed created matter, which includes stars and planets. There are scientific laws because God is the original Law giver. Science-fiction shows such as Star Trek bend and even break these laws. However, this is not to say that we should not test and explore God’s laws, even in entertaining ways. But let us do it to His glory!

‘Thus says the LORD: “If you can break My covenant with the day and My covenant with the night, so that there will not be day and night in their season…”’ Jeremiah 33:20. God has covenanted with time, and also reveals Himself in space. Therefore, glorify Him in time and in space as we ‘boldly go where no man has gone before.'

POST-CHRISTIAN?

 

What comes to mind whenever you hear the word post-Christian? Do you have visions of a previous golden age when the butcher, the baker, and the candlestick-maker all did their work consciously to the glory of God? Does the word post-Christian conjure up memories of a time all the nations had beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks and studied war no more (Isaiah 2:2-4; Micah 4:1-5)? No? Then what do those people mean when they say post-Christian? I think they mean that Christianity had more influence in the world in the past than it does now.

Probably the most valuable thing I learned from being in the army for a dozen years is that leadership means influence. Is that it? Christianity had better leadership in the past than it does now? That sounds about right. As recorded in the New Testament, after Pentecost, Christians full of the Holy Spirit began to turn the world upside down with the Gospel (Acts 17:6). Yes, influence!

In one of His parables Jesus said, ‘The kingdom of heaven is like leaven which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened” Matthew 13:33. Has the kingdom of heaven been spread throughout the whole world at any previous point in history? Sure, Britain and Europe and their subsequent colonies throughout the world had been to lesser and greater extents leavened with the spread of the kingdom of heaven. However, none of these were bona fide sustainable Christian nations. Clearly. the leaven of the kingdom of heaven still had a lot more influencing to do.

Yes, there were some glimmers of hope that our Christian prayers would be answered, e.g., “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven” Matthew 6:10. There was Constantine, who become the Western Roman emperor in 305 whose influence ended the up to that point persecution of Christians for a while. However, you really have to wait till the Reformation beginning in 1517 to see the influence of the Gospel take off once more.

God raised up good and strong leadership during the Reformation and afterwards, men like Luther, Calvin, Zwingli, Knox et al, the Puritans and the Presbyterians in Britain, and the Reformed in Europe. To be sure, these influences made a major impact on the developing world. However, the Reformation, as much as it was a force for good, was not the exactly a “Golden Age”. The opposition from the forces of darkness was legion. Christians were tortured and burnt at the stake for believing the Gospel never mind spreading it!

So, when was this Christian era that came before this supposed post-Christian era? From what I can see of history, the Gospel and its influence has always been met with opposition. Sometimes that opposition was greater than lesser, and sometimes lesser than greater. However, Jesus is still the Hope of the nations (Matthew 12:21; Isaiah 42:1-4). Therefore, we look forward to a future Christian age. The signs from the past show that this is not only possible, but that His kingdom will come, and that His will will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

So, we’re back to leadership, i.e., Christian influence. What is happening in the pulpits throughout the land, throughout the West? Not much! We’ve got packed church buildings, correction, concert auditoriums, lots of singing, handclapping, but not much Gospel. Sure, there may be a pep-talk with some verses of Scripture thrown in to sanctify it, but, as the old lady said at the burger shop drive-thru in the old TV commercial, “Where’s the beef?”

How can Christians be expected to “turn the world upside down” when they don’t know the Scriptures, and worse, they don’t know how to apply what little they do know? Scripture should influence art, architecture, economics, science, education, i.e., everything. A big one would be politics. 

Recently, many Christians did not like the way President Trump combed his hair, used Twitter, and said a bad word or two, while having a shady past. Therefore, they were happy to see Joseph Biden become USA president in Trump’s stead. Biden immediately set to work dismantling all of Trump’s great achievements which he accomplished by his pro-Christian stance in the Whitehouse. The nations in the Middle East had begun to beat their swords into ploughshares regarding their tensions with the nation of Israel. Indeed, Trump was nominated for three (or was it four?) Nobel Peace awards for his hard work there. He was surrounded by a Christian influence. He kept Communist China in its place and eased the tensions to almost zero with Communist North Korea. No mean feat!

Biden? Pro-abortion, pro-war, anti-worker, immediately closing the Keystone Pipeline, (getting Canada offside by doing so!), and ensuring that the oil has to be shipped at the extra cost to the tax-payer by truck and rail, and making USA dependent on foreign oil imports (with all its dangers and costs, keeping the Suez Canal open etc.). The bottom line is that Trump under Christian influence was far better for the world than Biden under so-called post-Christian (a.k.a. Secular) influence.

Yes, it’s Jesus Christians follow, not politicians. However, I hope you can see from this short essay the major impact the Gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven can make when Christian leaders use it properly, be it in politics (as briefly just demonstrated), art, education, music, capitalism, economics etc.

Where are we at today? Well, we’re still looking forward to that Christian era that we’re supposed to be “post” of. We’re locked in the midst of worldwide germ-warfare. Leftist/Progressive governments have declared their totalitarian hand by insisting on extended lockdowns for little or no logical and/or scientific reasons. The terrified masses simply conform to their agenda. We live in a climate of fear, fear of COVID-19, fear to discuss it for fear of being berated by others and/or locked up by the government for non-conformance. There seems to be no end in sight to the spontaneous lockdowns.

In Australia it is unwise to travel interstate lest you get stuck away from home due to a random lockdown. Yes, it’s germ-warfare inflicted on innocent people. Kids not being permitted to go to school may perhaps have some benefits, such as having a break from Secular indoctrination!

Progressivism, Socialism, and Communism all go hand in hand. When Christianity retires from the cultural battlefield, these three stooges move into stronger positions. The hammer and the sickle are the symbols of Communism. Whenever Communism goes quiet it is merely the hammer swinging back to take another blow. Then wham! The “three stooges” won’t go away until Christianity once again has strong leadership. Christianity won’t have strong leadership until the Gospel is rediscovered. The Gospel won’t be rediscovered until Christians seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.

Calvinism is the direct and total antithesis of Communism. The former is about doing all things (music, ironing, mathematics, physics, chemistry, building, war, peace, living, dying etc.) to the glory of God. Communism, with its attendant Socialism/Progressivism, is all about the glory of man with man-made systems of government, Godless art, movies, architecture, biology, sex, child-rearing etc.

O.K., if you don’t wish to call yourself a Calvinist, at least learn how to understand and then apply the clear teaching of the whole Bible in your life. Then you will become a greater influence for good. Then the leaven of the kingdom of heaven will begin to spread through the whole batch of dough, i.e., your nation and the world, then the mustard seed will begin to grow into a great tree, then we will see the age of Christianity.

Post-Christian? The nations have to be Christianized before they can become post-Christian. So, let’s get on with it…