Becoming the Priesthood of Truth

 

The Apostle Paul warns Timothy that in the last days, perilous times will come. One of the perils he speaks of is a resistance to truth. Men in these last days, he also warns, will be always learning, but never able to come to the knowledge of truth (2 Timothy 3:1, 7-8).

As believers in Christ, and in the Word of God, we have received the truth:

"...having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever...Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you."   1 Peter 1:23-25)

We were born again out of the abiding, incorruptible nature of the word, which makes it truth ("Thy word is truth", Jn. 17:17). Becoming born again is the direct result of that very power of truth.
Jesus came to bring truth to us:

When Pilate asked Jesus if He was a king, Jesus answered,

You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice."  Jn. 18:37.

Sadly, Pilate reflects not only the world spirit of his time, but of our time as well, by cynically asking "What is truth?"

This truth to which Jesus came to bear witness, is an offense to those who refuse to hear it, to those who "resist the truth". Jesus exposed this even in those who were believers in Him:

Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." 

                                                                               Jn. 8:31-32

However, these believing Jews took offense in this, saying that their father was Abraham, and Abraham had already made them free. They declared they had no need of an additional freedom. Jesus pointed out that by sin, they were in bondage still, and they needed the freedom of the truth that He brought, the truth of His Father. These believers became so offended, that they desired to kill Jesus. "But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has brought you the truth which I heard from God..."  (v. 40). They also accused Jesus at that point of having a demon (v. 48). And these were those who believed in Him!

We have accepted the truth, and have been born again as a result of truth, and perhaps we feel that we "have arrived" at our spiritual destination. However, our journey does not end there. Peter reveals the spiritual truth and responsibility of a priesthood:

"...you also as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ."    1 Peter 2:5

This spiritual house, this priesthood, is built upon a chief cornerstone of truth, Jesus Christ. However, while this cornerstone of truth is precious to us, it is a stone of stumbling, a rock of offense (v. 6-8) to those who reject the truth, just as Jesus revealed in His own believers, above. They were offended, even to the extent of desiring to murder.

Scripture gives strong warnings to those who purposefully deny and suppress the truth-the wrath of God is revealed from heaven. They are also sent strong delusions that cause them to believe the lie that condemns them, because they did not believe the truth, and they did not receive the love of the truth. They will never be allowed to enter the beautiful city of God, the New Jerusalem, because they love and practice a lie. (Rom. 1:18, 2 Thess. 2:10-12, Rev. 21:27, and 22:15).

God will not allow the lie to live beside His truth. It is the same in the holy priesthood of believers spoken of in 1 Peter. If this priesthood does not stand for the truth, the LORD has a controversy with them. The whole land mourns because of a priesthood that compromises the truth of their Chief Cornerstone, with the lie:

"There is no truth or mercy

Or knowledge of God in the land.

...Therefore the land will mourn;

And everyone who dwells there will waste away

With the beasts of the field

And the birds of the air;

Even the fish of the sea will be taken away.

...My people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge.

Because you have rejected knowledge,

I also will reject you from being priest for Me.

Because you have forgotten the law of your God,

I also will forget your children."

Hosea 4:1, 3, 5-6

 

We can easily see that the condition of our land today is the same as that being described by the Prophet Hosea, above.  A priesthood that forgets, or purposefully rejects the truth, or is offended by the truth, or afraid to offend others with the truth, is a priesthood that is rejected by God. It is a priesthood that brings mourning to the land and its inhabitants. Bondage, instead of freedom, covers the land. Where is the holy priesthood of believers?

 



We, the priesthood, are instead exhorted by Paul who said:

"...God, from the beginning, chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word, or our epistle."  2 Thess. 2:13-15

 

 

 

Recommended viewing: "Monumental", a 2012 documentary

See trailer below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WuN86qIqfw0



Oppositions of Science

 

Noah's Ark has often been in the headlines lately. There are places where full-scale ark replicas have been built for people to experience. They have been built according to the dimensions and description found in the Book of Genesis. These replicas have been subject to many challenges and attacks. There are many mockers, some of whom mock in the name of science.

One particular article is the account of someone, describing himself as a Christian, who visited one of the newly built replicas. This article describes his belief that the flood and ark descriptions in Genesis are not to be believed as truth. He also describes his god, who bears no resemblance to the God of scripture.

It is very interesting to note that scripture itself brings warnings of those who do not believe  the accounts of the flood, nor the saving ark of Genesis. These warnings also have to do with the deceptions of the Last Days that will come upon the earth:

"Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of His coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. For this they are willingly ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished."            2 Peter 3:3-6

In the above verses, Peter tells us that these mockers are willfully ignorant of the flood event. They choose to ignore the event, rejecting the idea that a divine judgment had once covered the earth. They apply this same denial to the return of the Lord. Recognizing the truth of a world-wide judgment, as well as the return of Christ, would require a change in behaviors from them, of course.
Both Peter and Paul discuss the motives and methods used to deny the concept of the flood specifically, and God's judgment in general. The methods used include false prophets and teachers, even among the church, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord. Their followers will blaspheme the way of truth (2 Peter 2:1-2). These heresies ruin those who hear them, and cause the increase of ungodliness. They spread like a cancer, destroying from within, causing the hearers to stray from the truth, and overthrow their faith (2 Tim. 2:14-18). They also use science falsely called to oppose the Word of God as being unbelievable, and unreasonable (1 Tim. 6:20).
True science is not an opponent of God, nor of scripture. Many scientific principles and laws were revealed in scripture hundreds and even thousands of years before man discovered them. "Science falsely called" in the 1 Tim. 6:20 scripture above, if it is like the false science of today, ventures outside of the protocols of the scientific method, and is filled with bias and unverifiable, unrepeatable conclusions. It is interesting that even in Paul's day, as it is today, these biased false findings tried to present themselves as fact. We are aware of the terrible toll some of these biased, unverifiable "theories" have had on faith in our time, because they have been taught as fact.
The motive behind these heresies that overthrow faith in the hearers, is the desire to continue in the thoughts, attitudes, and behaviors that are destined for the judgment of God as the earth is corrupted by them. These behaviors are rooted in lusts, and covetousness, by those who are self-willed and presumptuous (2 Peter 2 and 3). We have seen these behaviors proliferate in our time, and we have seen the hostility and rejection of God's Word in these same persons. The nature of the deception of these blasphemies and heresies is such as to cause them to be acceptable to even some of faith, and that faith becomes ruined. As mentioned in the above example of the person who visited the ark replica, even some who claim Christianity see no problem in denying the truth of the nature of God, and of His Word.





The judgment flood and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis are true. Every culture in the earth has a common flood account*. The accounts of these judgments told in scripture are told not only as truth, but as a warning example not to be willfully ignored. Along with these warnings, also comes the message of deliverance and salvation. Noah and those with him were delivered in the ark out of the judgment of the flood. Lot and his family were delivered by angels out of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (2 Peter 2:5,7,9). The LORD's deliverance was always a foreshadow of His Salvation, His Son, Jesus. So the heresies not only try to rob man of the truth of God's judgment, but also to rob the knowledge of God's provision of merciful deliverance and salvation from that judgment. No doubt we will hear more challenges and mockery of the Genesis flood and the ark in the future because it is a phenomenon of the Last Days.
However, even as the rebellious angels who sinned and were chained with darkness in the pit, were not spared judgment, sure judgment is also determined for those who teach the destroying heresies that overthrow the faith of others in order to increase ungodliness (2 Peter 2:4-9).





What are our instructions in these matters? Paul tells us to shun these deceptive teachings, which are profane and idle babblings, and teach instead the truth with gentleness, patience, and humility, correcting those who are in opposition. It is possible, through these efforts, that God may grant them repentance. We are to flee from our own destructive lusts, and cling to righteousness, guarding what has been entrusted to us (1 Tim. 6:20-22). We are to study the Word of God, rightly dividing (holding the straight course, teaching correctly) the Word of truth (2 Tim. 2:16-25).
Though heresies and deceptions abound, we determine in our hearts to guard what has been entrusted to us.


*Flood Accounts of Different Cultures Handed Down from Antiquity
http://www.nwcreation.net/noahlegends.html


Redeeming the Time, Redeeming the Land

 

We are living in a time of great darkness, with the darkness seeming to grow deeper every day. That darkness manifests in many different ways, but it is all of the same darkness. It is the spiritual darkness that rejects truth and life. It rejects the Word of God, and rebels against His LORDship. In recent days, as in the past, the darkness has taken the form of racial hatred and violence, terrorism, perversions, child murder, murder in general, and other forms that we are seeing on the news every day. Sometimes, we are tempted to forget the plan of God in the midst of this darkness. Even as we see this darkness seeming to spread further and further over our nation and the whole earth, scripture tells us that God foresaw it happening and prophesied about it:

"Arise, shine;

For your light has come!

And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you.

For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth,

And deep darkness the people;

But the LORD will arise over you,

And His glory will be seen upon you."

Isa. 60:1-2

The same (kabode) glory that the LORD, Himself, possesses, He has given to us, as well as the same (ore) light as is Jesus, who said, "I am the light of the world." (Jn. 8:12, 9:5). This is the same light that Jesus spoke of when He told us that we also were the light of the world (Mt. 5:14).

It is the way of the LORD, that when darkness tries to reign, He pours out His glory light upon us and tells us to shine with it. As we know in the natural, the darker the surroundings, the greater effect light has upon it. So it is also in the spiritual realm.

The prophet Daniel told us that when the darkness of wickedness would flourish, "...the people who know their God shall be strong and carry out great exploits." (Dan. 11:32).

The call and purpose for God's people in these troubling dark times is clear. This is when the light of the Gospel in us should appear at its greatest. This is the time when the light of the uncompromised truth of God's Word is needed to save lives and souls, to deliver them out of that darkness and into His marvelous light, even as we were delivered.

The Apostle Paul instructs us, when dealing with those outside the faith, to let our speech "always be with grace, seasoned with salt" (Col. 4:5-6). We are always to speak the grace of God, but also with the salt of truth that preserves and cleanses. He says by doing this, we "redeem the time". What a deep concept. It means to recover from the power of another the epoch waited for, the fixed time when things are brought to crisis. We can possibly say then that the darkness is trying to have power over the timing, or delay the timing, of the return of Christ, the awaited epoch. However, one reason that God has poured out His own glory, and His Son's light upon us, is for the purpose of taking back that time. It requires us to be the fullness of that light.

Why is it so important that we not compromise the truth we know with the darkness around us? The light that the darkness cannot destroy from the outside (Jn. 1:5), it will try to destroy from the inside. Jesus warned:

"The light of the body is the eye; therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness....If thy whole body therefore be full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle doth give thee light."

Lk. 11:34-36

Even a small compromise with darkness, destroys the whole light within, according to Jesus.
Similarly, the Apostle Paul tells us in Eph. 5:1-27 to be imitators of God, avoiding the works of darkness, and to walk as children of light. He says that these dark works and behaviors are even shameful to talk about. These behaviors come from fornication, uncleanness, covetousness, and idolatry. Do not be partakers with them. While we once shared in these dark works, we are now light in the Lord, proving (giving evidence) of what is acceptable to the Lord, rather than the abominations of darkness. Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, he tells us, but rather expose them, making them manifest out of hiding by the light of Christ.

He concludes these thoughts by saying in v. 16:

"See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil."

Again, he talks about the concept of "redeeming the time".  While we are redeeming the time from the power of the darkness, we are also redeeming our land from that darkness. If we care about the spiritual condition of our land, God has given us His own glory to bring to it, if we will walk in that glory and light.

Let us understand, above all, that "Christ is head of the church; and Savior of the body." (v.23).  A church that compromises with darkness, though it pleases the world, has removed Christ from its headship. For by His headship, He is presenting to Himself a "glorious (kabode) church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish." (v.27).

 

 

Recommended reading: "Redeeming the Land", by Gwen Shaw, 1987 (see links below)

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