Is the Trinity in Matthew? “A true and accurate knowledge of the Trinity is a blessing in and of itself . . . the Trinity is the highest revelation God has made of himself to His people. It is the capstone, the summit, the brightest star in the firmament of divine truths”—The Forgotten Trinity, page 10“The Gospel according to Matthew . . . no otherwas so frequently quoted in the noncanonical literature of earliest Christianity”—Preface to Matthew in the New American Bible (NAB)read more
Should sincere Christians pledge allegiance to the flag of any nation? Let’s look at the facts of this situation, and Bible principles that may apply. Since “each of us will give a personal account to God” (Romans 14:12 NLT), each person must make a personal decision regarding this issue. This article is presented to give a scriptural overview of the facts, but is not intended to tell anyone what they should, or shouldn’t, do.
For starters, reciting a pledge is required by the United States constitution, and there is no law in the United States that requires anyone to recite a pledge of allegiance. The U. S. Supreme Court has ruled that it is completely voluntary to recite the pledge, or not recite the pledge, and recitation of the the Pledge cannot be required by anyone, nor by any entity, governmental, or other. The pledge was not even composed until 1892, over 100 years after the founding of the U.S.
Most people, like robots, parrot the words of this pledge. Most do it because they sincerely think that is what they are supposed to do. Some do it out of pressure to conform to what is expected of them. Does not mean that you, as a Christian, should recite it? The Bible encourages the use of, “wisdom and understanding . . . sound judgment and discretion” (Proverbs 3:21 NIV), and advises against ,“following the crowd” (Exodus 23:2 NIV).
The Bible tells us that Christians should obey the laws of the nations they live in. “Everyone must submit to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and those that exist are instituted by God. So then, the one who resists the authority is opposing God’s command, and those who oppose it will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have its approval. For government is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, because it does not carry the sword for no reason. For government is God’s servant, an avenger that brings wrath on the one who does wrong. Therefore, you must submit, not only because of wrath, but also because of your conscience. And for this reason you pay taxes, since the authorities are God’s public servants, continually attending to these tasks.Pay your obligations to everyone: taxes to those you owe taxes, tolls to those you owe tolls, respect to those you owe respect, and honor to those you owe honor.” (Romans 13:1-7)
The one exception to this principle of obedience to the governing authorities is laws which conflict with God’s laws. Jesus stated this principle,”Then He said to them, ‘Therefore give back to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.’” (Matthew 22:21) Jesus’ apostles and early Christians followed this principle when commanded to do violate what Jesus told them to do. “Peter and John answered them, ‘Whether it’s right in the sight of God for us to listen to you rather than to God, you decide.‘ (Acts 4:19) “But Peter and the apostles replied, ‘We must obey God rather than men. ‘” (Acts 5:29)
But keep in mind that the Pledge of Allegiance is not required by law, nor can it be required by any rule or ordinance.
Which Bible principles might a person want to consider in deciding whether to recite the Pledge or not?
1.Jesus directly, without any qualifiers, prohibits Christians from making an oath to anything for any reason. “Again, you have heard that it was said to our ancestors, You must not break your oath, but you must keep your oaths to the Lord. But I tell you, don’t take an oath at all: either by heaven, because it is God’s throne; or by the earth, because it is His footstool; or by Jerusalem, because it is the city of the great King. Neither should you swear by your head, because you cannot make a single hair white or black. But let your word ‘yes’ be ‘yes,’ and your ‘no’ be ‘no.’Anything more than this is from the evil one.” (Matthew 5:33-37)
2.Jesus points out the eternal truth that a person cannot serve two masters at the same time. “No one can be a slave of two masters, since either he will hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot be slaves of God and of money.” (Matthew 6:24) This principle also applies to serving other masters, or serving God. One master always takes precedence. For Christians, that master should be Almighty God!
3.Jesus’ Kingdom is not part of this world. “‘My kingdom is not of this world,’ said Jesus. ‘If My kingdom were of this world, My servantswould fight, so that I wouldn’t be handed over to the Jews. As it is, My kingdom does not have its origin here.'” (John 18:36)
4.His followers are not to be part of this world. “If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own. However, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of it, the world hates you.” (John 15:19) “I have given them Your word. The world hated them because they are not of the world, as I am not of the world. ” (John 17:14) “They are not of the world, as I am not of the world.” (John 17:16)
5.Christians’ primary citizenship and loyalty is heavenly, not earthly. “But our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. ” (Philippians 3:20)
6.The oath of “allegiance to the flag and the republic for which it stands” is tantamount to idolatry in that the person puts his/her allegiance to it unqualifiedly. “Little children, guard yourselves from idols.” (1 John 5:21) This pledge of unqualified allegiance to the flag and nation makes it an idol, ahead of Almighty God.
Christians are told to, “live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear” (1 Peter 1:17 NIV), similar to pre-Christian faithful ones who were, “foreigners and strangers on earth” (Hebrews 11:13 NIV). Following Bible principles makes Christians like “foreigners and strangers”, oddballs, to this world.
Early Christians, at times, were said to be
“all guilty of treason against Caesar, for they profess allegiance to another king, named Jesus” (Acts 17:7 NIV). read more
According to an article published March 10, 2016 on BBC News, scientists have discovered the oldest-known fossil of a pine tree. The article says: “these oldest pine fossils are preserved as charcoal, the product of fire, suggesting that the co-occurrence of fire and pines is something that’s very ancient, that goes back to the very origin of these first pine trees.” If fire and pines “co-evolved,” why is it not possible they were both created by the same creator? There are no other options.
The article can be read here: http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-35767640
According to an article published on March 11, 2016 on BBC News, a newly discovered fossil gives an “extraordinary” insight into life just before the dinosaurs disappeared. It says “at the time, the world was recovering from a massive extinction that wiped out most living species.”
Why could this “massive extinction” not be the Biblical flood of Noah’s day? (Genesis 6-8) The article goes on to say “the fossil is ‘beautiful’ and fills an evolutionary gap.” But all this is is a reptile that was not previously known to exist by modern science. It’s no “missing link.” All creatures were to reproduce “according to their kinds” (Genesis 1:11,12,21,24,25). There is no contrary evidence to prove the Bible wrong.
The article can be found here: http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-35783598
Some Christians today believe only the actual spoken words of Jesus to be divinely inspired and to be taken as the authoritative word of God, and other Bible writings to be merely the words of man. This is not the way the early Christians viewed things. For example, Jude viewed the Apostles’ teachings and writings as authoritative Scripture, the word of God:
“But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. They said to you, ‘In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.'” (Jude 17-18)
Peter’s view of the Old Testament and Paul’s writings
Some modern Christians believe the Old Testament (OT) was simply the word of man and is fallible, and some even believe that only the words of Jesus were divinely inspired. Below, we will examine the Apostle Peter’s view of the OT and also his view on his fellow apostle Paul’s writings:
“Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” (2 Peter 1:20-21)
Peter viewed God viewed as the source of Scripture. God is infallible, so His word is also.
“For, ‘All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord endures forever.’ And this is the word that was preached to you.” (1 Peter 1:24-25)read more
Jesus Believed the Old Testament the Infallible Word of God
Jesus believed the Old Testament to be the infallible word of God
Some modern Christians, and virtually all non-Christians, believe the Old Testament (OT) was simply the word of humans and is fallible. However, Jesus Christ Himself believed the Old Testament to be the infallible word of God. Below, we will use scriptural quotations followed by comments to show why this is true:
“But do not think I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom your hopes are set. If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?” (John 5:45-47) The revelation God gave Moses is inseparable from the revelation God was giving through Jesus.
“He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.'” (Luke 16:31) If someone doesn’t listen to Moses and the Prophets – which means the entire OT – then nothing will convince them.
“Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.'” (Luke 16:29) We need to pay attention to the Old Testament, since it’s part of the infallible word of God.
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:17-19)
Jesus regarded the Old Testament as infallible, accurate and reliable down to the smallest detail. Jesus taught that fidelity to the OT witness determines a person’s stature in the kingdom, obviously infallible.
“But that doesn’t mean that the law has lost its force. It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for the smallest point of God’s law to be overturned.” (Luke 16:17 NLT) The new covenant fulfilled the OT law and prophets, however, the OT is still useful and important. It’s still God’s word for us today. There is much history, wisdom and counsel, and prophecies, both fulfilled, and yet to be fulfilled, that is there for our benefit today.
“And he continued, ‘You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions! For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and, ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.'” (Mark 7:9-10) The OT, Jesus said, is from God. God is infallible. Therefore the Old Testament is infallible, the word of God.
“Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, ‘We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. He will be delivered over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him and spit on him; they will flog him and kill him. On the third day he will rise again.'” (Luke 18:31-33) Jesus said everything written about himself through the prophets will be fulfilled. The Old Testament must be God’s infallible word.
“He said to them, ‘This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.’Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, ‘This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day.'” (Luke 24:44-46)
“If he called them ‘gods,’ to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be set aside-” (John 10:35) “Scripture cannot be set aside.” Jesus testified to the complete authority, reliability and therefore infallibility of the Old Testament.
“Jesus replied, ‘You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God.'” (Matthew 22:29) Jesus used the OT to correct false doctrine, indicating Old Testament scripture is an important, in fact, infallible, source of doctrinal authority.
“Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.” (John 17:17) When Jesus said “your word is truth,” what was he referring to? The OT is included.
“For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” (Matthew 12:40) Jesus affirmed that the book of Jonah was truthful, part of the OT.
“because those will be days of distress unequaled from the beginning, when God created the world, until now—and never to be equaled again.” (Mark 13:19) Jesus confirmed the Genesis creation account, part of the OT.
“from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, this generation will be held responsible for it all.” (Luke 11:51; see also Matthew 23:35) Jesus referred to the Old Testament as factual, infallible by mentioning all the martyrs, from Genesis, first book and first martyr to Zechariah, last book, last martyr.
“But about the resurrection of the dead—have you not read what God said to you, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead but of the living.” (Matthew 22:31-32)
“Have you not read what God said to you?” Jesus said regarding the OT as the word of God.
“As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. ” (Matthew 24:37-39; see also Luke 17:26-27)
Jesus regarded the Genesis flood as truth, the word of God.
“It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.” (Luke 17:28-29)
Jesus also regarded the destruction of Sodom as factual, the word of God.
“Jesus answered, ‘It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’'” (Matthew 4:4) “Jesus answered him, ‘It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’'” (Matthew 4:7) “Jesus said to him, ‘Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’'” (Matthew 4:10)
“and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: ‘The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.'” (Luke 4:17-19)
Regards Isaiah as God’s word.
“You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.'” (Matthew 5:21) “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.'” (Matthew 5:27)
Viewed Exodus as factual (20:13-14; 21:23-25), the word of God.
“Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.'” (Matthew 5:33)
“‘Do you hear what these children are saying?’ they asked him. ‘Yes,’ replied Jesus, ‘have you never read, ‘From the lips of children and infants you, Lord, have called forth your praise’?'” (Matthew 21:16) ” Jesus said to them, ‘Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?'” (Matthew 21:42)
Regards the Psalms as truthful (8:3; 118:22)–as the word of God.
“‘It is written,’ he said to them, ”My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.'” (Matthew 21:13)
“So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand— ” (Matthew 24:15)
Views Daniel as genuine and prophetic (9:27; 11:31), as the word of God.
Paul–The Old Testament, Luke, and the Old Covenant
Some modern Christians believe the Old Testament (OT) was simply the word of man and is fallible. However, the Apostle Paul viewed the Old Testament as the infallible word of God. How did Paul view the Old Testament, Luke and the Old Covenant? Below, we will use scriptural quotations followed, by comments to show why this is true:
“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of Godread more
Is There Any Evidence of Alternate, Parallel or Multiple Universes?
Some people, including scientists, believe there are alternate, parallel or multiple universes that exist. This idea is also called the Strong Anthropic Principle (SAP), What are the facts?
“By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible”—Hebrews 11:1 NIV
MSN News published an article on November 4, 2015 about possible new evidence of alternate or parallel universes. The article says:
“Prepare to have your mind blown.
An astrophysicist says he may have found evidence of alternate or parallel universes by looking back in time to just after the Big Bang more than 13 billion years ago.
While mapping the so-called ‘cosmic microwave background,’ which is the light left over from the early universe, scientist Ranga-Ram Chary found what he called a mysterious glow, theInternational Business Timesreported.
Chary, a researcher at the European Space Agency’s Planck Space Telescope data center at CalTech, said the glow could be due to matter from a neighboring universe ‘leaking’ into ours, according toNew Scientistmagazine.
‘Our universe may simply be a region within an eternally inflating super-region,’ scientist Chary wrote in a recent study intheAstrophysical Journal.
‘Many other regions beyond our observable universe would exist with each such region governed by a different set of physical parameters than the ones we have measured for our universe,’ Chary wrote in the study.
While the findings sound promising and have already gained the attention of other astronomers, asRussia Today (RT)reported, it could be quite complicated to verify, since the Planck telescope provides limited data for further study.
‘Unusual claims like evidence for alternate universes require a very high burden of proof,’ Chary noted in the study.”read more
10,000-Year-Old Extinct Lion Cubs Discovered in Near-Perfect Condition in Siberian Permafrost
MSN News published an article on October 27, 2015 about extinct lion cubs being discovered in Siberian permafrost. The article reports:
“Two extinct cave lion cubs were discovered in permafrost in northeastern Siberia, a ‘sensational’ and unprecedented find according to The Siberian Times. The cubs are believed to be at least 10,000 years old, though they might be even older, and were found almost perfectly preserved thanks to the permafrost.
The region where the cubs were discovered, the Sakha Republic, has yielded discoveries before, including woolly mammoths, woolly rhinoceros, bison, and horses. The remains of the lions are the most complete specimens of their kind ever discovered, according to researchers involved.
Cave lions lived during the Middle to Late Pleistocene eras in Eurasia, the British Isles, to the far east of Russia, and into Alaska and northwestern Canada. Their extinction remains something of a mystery because they had few predators and, due to their smaller size, they wouldn’t get trapped in bogs like woolly mammoths and rhinos. One theory is that their extinction might have been due to a decline in prey. By studying the cubs, scientists hope to reach firmer conclusions.”
Apparently, this is another classic case of ancient animals being apparently quick-frozen by the global flood of Noah’s day, although the article doesn’t mention the global flood. It’s only a “mystery” to those who are either ignorant of, or deny, the global deluge. Of course, the best proof of the global flood is because the Bible tells us it really happened.
“Higher and higher on the earth the waters swelled, until all the highest mountains mountains under the heavens were submerged. The waters swelled fifteen cubits higher than the submerged mountains. All creatures that moved on earth perished: birds tame animals, wild animals, and all that teemed on the earth, as well as all humankind. Everything on dry land with the breath of life in its nostrils died” (Genesis 7:19-22 NAB). read more
Is the Trinity in Matthew? “A true and accurate knowledge of the Trinity is a blessing in and of itself . . . the Trinity is the highest revelation God has made of himself to His people. It is the capstone, the summit, the brightest star in the firmament of divine truths”—The Forgotten Trinity, page 10 “The Gospel according to Matthew . . . no other was so frequently quoted in the noncanonical literature of earliest Christianity”—Preface to Matthew in the New American Bible (NAB)
