Biblical Art Destroyed...

[melinky]

Here in Dallas we have the Biblical Arts Center, a small museum that contained some very nice pieces of art including a gigantic mural depicting the day of Pentecost. On Tuesday it went up in flames destroying about 90% of the artwork. Here is a link to the Dallas Morning New article.

It's very sad and looking like arson.

Yours in Christ,

Melinda

[rgrove]

That's a shame! I'll include the center in my prayers tonight and let my wife know as well. She has her degree in Art.

[Soulfyre]

I was very sorry to hear that, too, Melinda. The painting depicting Pentecost was well-known. And, as usual, little outcry will be heard. If it had been a synagogue that had been desecrated by neo-Nazi graffiti, the national press would be all over the story. But in many cases it seems as though it is open season upon Christians. We may lay some of this reactionary incivility at the feet of the religious Pharisees who propose to speak for us on a national level--those whose Christianity is only as consistent as it suits their purpose, and are therefore viewed with disdain by many who are sick of political hypocrisy. But I cannot lay the blame there entirely. For so long we have been asleep as our nation has plummeted into practical atheism and secularism. Francis Schaeffer was talking about these issues over thirty years ago. Like Jeremiah, he wept at what he saw as the inevitable consequence of our actions...or, more accurately, our inaction. For too long we have relied on a "free salvation", not realizing that discipleship is indeed costly. I fear we have sowed the wind, and are only beginning to reap the whirlwind.

In Christ,

Matthew (soulfyre)

[melinky]

I know what you mean. It seems that more and more Christians are becoming the target of a sort of reverse-discrimination. I suppose if this keeps going on, we'll be the minority and the proverbial shoe will be on the other foot.

At the risk of going "Church Lady" on you all, I have to say that I feel slowly, but surely, Satan is getting a firm grip on morality, the press, the entertainment industry, our schools and ultimately the economy. I am also feeling more and more like a minority. I think there are many more decisions being made on minor matters across all of these arenas that are about to spiral out of control, much like the "plummet into practical atheism and seularism" Matthew mentioned.

Yours in Christ,

Melinda

[rgrove]

I'm afraid I can't share long term skepticism, especially about Satan's activity in the world today. Here's an article by the late Dr. Greg Bahnsen entitled "The Person, Work, and Present Status of Satan". I believe that he accurately exegetes the topic from scripture. I'd also recommend a collection of his lectures and essays in a book called Victory In Jesus: The Bright Hope of Postmillennialism". I submit that the Bible gives us hope for the future and that if you really look around the world at what God is doing, he's doing magnificent things. And even though we may appear to be on the defensive in this country as Christians, we still exercise an extraordinary influence. If we didn't, then why do the politicians pander to us so heavily (regardless of whether they come through or not)? God's kingdom is still very active in this country. Compare our situation to that of Europe. They rolled over almost immediately, but in this country God's kingdom has been fighting every step of the way in the mission fields, in the court systems, in the education systems, and in the political systems. Do we win every time? No, but God's revealed plan in the Bible for our daily lives isn't that we never see setbacks in this world, but that we get back up, pick up our Cross, and continue to be a sanctifying influence in all areas of society not giving any ground to a defeated Satan. I better slow down, I'm getting all worked up again. I'll save my case for the Postmillennial hope for the eschatology section. ;D But take a look at that article. It really is pretty good and maybe eventually you'll start to see why people like me feel the Bible teaches something quite different than a visibly beaten, downtrodden and defeated kingdom here on earth with Satan standing on top glorying in his triumph.

Yours In Christ,
Ron

[melinky]

Ron,

Thanks for the much needed dose of optimism, I needed it right now. I think that ultimately I share your optimism, I believe with my whole heart that in the end, the victory will belong to Christ. Hopefully I'll have time to read that article over the long weekend.

Yours in Christ,

Melinda

[rgrove]

No problem. Once upon a time Methodists shared the postmillennial hope. Read Wesley and I think you'll find he was very optimistic about the future success of the gospel like almost everyone of that era. And again, I submit to you this is the testimony of scripture.

1 Cor 15:20-28 - "But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For "God has put all things in subjection under his feet." But when it says, "all things are put in subjection," it is plain that he is excepted who put all things in subjection under him. When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all."

I firmly believe that God will empower His people to fulfill the great commission through the power of the Holy Spirit. This is a recipe destined for success, not failure. The Father promised:

Psalm 2:7-8 - "7I will tell of the decree:
The LORD said to me, "You are my Son;
today I have begotten you.
8Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage,
and the ends of the earth your possession.

And the Son laid hold of the promise!

Matt 28:18-20 - "And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

The gospel will continue to spread and then God will pour out His Spirit upon the Jews and graft them back into the olive tree (Rom 11:11ff). Then we will see an outpouring of the Spirit such as we have never before seen! (Rom 11:12). God's original plan for His creation will be fullfilled in this age, then there will be a final apostasy where, for reasons known to God alone, he will loose Satan to deceive the nations as he had before Jesus arrived and ushered in His kingdom (Rev 20:7-11). Then Jesus will come visibly and usher in the new heavens and the new earth wherein righteousness shall dwell forever and ever. Amen! He will see to it and the victory will be His and His alone through His effectual, conquering, world reconciling love.

Jer 31:31-34 - "Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the LORD. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more."

A day during the New Covenant now in place where "no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD."! What a glorious revelation! The Father has declared it, the Son has inaugurated it in His blood on our behalf, and the Holy Spirit is reconciling this world to it's Creator every moment of every day. Seek out the true teaching of scripture on these things and then look upon the world from God's perspective over time, not just Dallas in the here and now, and in that light I'm certain you'll start seeing the glass as being half full, not half empty. ;D

Yours In Christ,
Ron

[melinky]

You know Ron, I enjoy your writing most when you are proclaiming the gospel! I have a feeling you'd make a fine preacher.

Actually, I am very much a glass half-full person in pretty much all aspects of life. I also tend to lean more toward the post-mil belief, but I was raised in a very pre-mil home, so this post-mil stuff is still pretty new to me. It would be similar to me explaining to you that the sky is really green and you've just been seeing it wrong.

It seems to me, and please correct me if I'm wrong, both views have us moving toward a day when Christ will return, the difference comes in what will happen after His return. Post-mil says we will have the Kingdom of Heaven at that time and pre-mil says there will be seven years of tribulation, a great, final battle and then the Kingdom.

I guess I'm just dismayed by the shear quantity of non-believers, but as you said, I need to put my faith in God and His Word. Yep, I can tell I'm due for some time over at your post-mil board, it's just finding the time.

Yours in Christ,

Melinda

[rgrove]

Thank you for the compliment. Indeed, I do love the Gospel! And I love talking about it even more...

Actually, I am very much a glass half-full person in pretty much all aspects of life. I also tend to lean more toward the post-mil belief, but I was raised in a very pre-mil home, so this post-mil stuff is still pretty new to me. It would be similar to me explaining to you that the sky is really green and you've just been seeing it wrong.

I do understand your reservations. On our board, reformedlibrary was a dispensationalist (that's what you described, historic premills like Soulfyre don't accept the pre-trib rapture theory concocted around 1830) until partway through Bible college, ghostmill's (KCsr here) father is still a dispensationalist preacher, I was dispensationalist and my wife was raised in a rabidly dispensationalist household. My mother-in-law considers us to be from Mars or something and probably seriously questions my influence upon her daughter's theology (although my wife has no well organized eschatology, probably best described as an optimistic amill). Kenneth Gentry, one of the current writers you'll see us mention frequently, was a rabid dispy, so much so that he refused to buy life insurance in the 70's because he didn't believe he'd ever see it used. There are many of us who have come to recognize dispensational premillennialism has serious problems and then, when we began reading, we returned to the postmillennial hope that was the general consensus of the evangelical church before the two world wars (which understandably had created a lot of pessimism about the world and postmillennialism declined and pessimistic premills and amills surplanted it as the dominant eschatologies).

Time is hard, and I know reading can be tough for many people. That's why I recommend MP3's a lot. Greg Bahnses, who I've mentioned here before, is outstanding at presenting the postmill position. He's the one that finally brought me around from sitting on the "optimistic amillennial" fence actually... Links to Bahnsen's postmill MP3's can be found here:

postmill.proboards42.com/index.cgi?board=objections&action=display&thread=1120151565

Some MP3's by Kenneth Gentry can be found here:

www.cmfnow.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=427

Perhaps that would be better for you than reading books? They're only $1.99 a piece. Generally 40-60 minutes per MP3.

Yours In Christ,
Ron

[melinky]

They would probably be drive-time listening. I've tried listening to audio books while working, but it doesn't work well for me, I miss most of the story. However, when I drive, I can listen successfully, as long as no one else is in the car.

I'll give them a try, thanks for the recommendation.

Yours in Christ,

Melinda