Saturday Song: Iron Butterfly, "Filled With Fear"

This song points out the danger of messing around with occultic invocations. The person in the song called up a power too big for him to handle. That's why he asked in the song why did he invite it here.

Listen to this psychedelic rock band's song here:

One trick Satan uses to enslave people is to make the occult seem harmless. My sister's friend had a game called Kabala which let children communicate with the dead. When one of us asked a poorly-phrased question, the spirit using the board asked, "Who?" That convinced all of us that this was no mere game but something potentially dangerous.

We didn't know then but it's a sin to use occult arts. In Deuteronomy 19:31 (BBE), God warned the descendents of Israel, "Do not go after those who make use of spirits, or wonder-workers; do not go in their ways or become unclean through them: I am the Lord your God."

Neither should we, who trust in Christ, attempt to communicate with the dead. Isaiah 8:19 (BBE) warns, "And when they say to you, Make request for us to those who have control of spirits, and to those wise in secret arts, who make hollow bird-like sounds; is it not right for a people to make request to their gods, to make request for the living to the dead?"

Like the person in the song, people who play with demons are in for a rude shock. Acts 19:14-16 (BBE) tells the consequence of not being protected by Christ. "And there were seven sons of a man named Sceva, a Jew and a chief priest, who did this. And the evil spirit, answering, said to them, 'I have knowledge of Jesus, and of Paul, but who are you?' And the man in whom the evil spirit was, jumping on them, was stronger than the two of them, and overcame them, so that they went running from that house, wounded and without their clothing."

Jesus and his disciples were able to cast out demons from people because of God's power. As Matthew 12:27 (BBE) shows, "And if I by Beelzebub send evil spirits out of men, by whom do your sons send them out? So let them be your judges."

On Monday, I'll post about faith and if it can exist apart from works.

The Most Frightening Day in History

What would you say was the most frightening day in human history? I'm sure we all would have a list of those disastrous events. But a day is coming where billions of people will be panicking but it'll be too late for them.

Jesus said he'd come back in judgement of all people who ever lived. Matthew 13:47-50 BBE) reads, "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net, which was put into the sea and took in every sort of fish: When it was full, they took it up on the sands; and seated there they put the good into vessels, but the bad they put away. So will it be in the end of the world: the angels will come and take out the bad from the good, And will put them into the fire: there will be weeping and cries of sorrow."

Notice that it's the Kingdom of Heaven which Christ was describing. The church has both saved and unsaved individuals in it. Jesus told a parable about a farmer sewing good seed and an enemy spreading weed seeds on the land during the night. But the weeds weren't pulled up lest they also root up the good wheat. At harvest time, meaning the end of this wicked age, the wheat was gathered up but the look-alike tares were burned. Matthew 13:40 (BBE) warns, "As then the evil plants are got together and burned with fire, so will it be in the end of the world."

Jesus likewise described the fate of the phoney Christians in Matthew 7:22 and 23 (BBE). "A great number will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, were we not prophets in your name, and did we not by your name send out evil spirits, and by your name do works of power?' And then will I say to them, 'I never had knowledge of you: go from me, you workers of evil.'"

But this most-frightening day also includes every sinner who ever lived on this planet. Revelation 6:15 and 16(BBE) declares, "And the kings of the earth, and the rulers, and the chief captains, and the men of wealth, and the strong, and every servant and free man, took cover in the holes and the rocks of the mountains; And they say to the mountains and to the rocks, 'Come down on us, covering us from the face of him who is seated on the high seat, and from the wrath of the Lamb:'"

When Christ comes again, every person will be separated according to their nature. The righteous will be on his right and the wicked on his left. As Matthew 25:31 and 32 (BBE), using a livestock metaphor, explains, "But when the Son of man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then will he be seated in his glory: And before him all the nations will come together; and they will be parted one from another, as the sheep are parted from the goats by the keeper."

Furthermore, hell is so horrific that the Bible uses metaphors such as fire, darkness, and worms to describe it's torments. Mark 9:48 and 49 (BBE) ends Christ's description of that place of eternal punishment. "Where their worm is ever living and the fire is not put out. Everyone will be salted with fire."

Even angels aren't immune to being exiled to hell. Jude 1:6 tells us, "And the angels who did not keep to their kingdom but went out from the place which was theirs, he has put in eternal chains and in dark night till the great day of the judging."

I hope you're a child of the Lord and not of your father, the Devil. So many folks assume they'll be paradise bound when they die but they'll end up incarcerated with demons eternally. That's why I'm writing my book, You Think You're Going to Heaven? I want none of my readers to end up in such a horrifying place.

On Saturday, I'll post about a sunken ship and that was immortalized in a song by Gordon Lightfoot.

Christ Knows Our Pain

One of many benefits of being born again and being adopted into the family of Christ is that he knows what we're going through. In man-made religions, the gods barely tolerate their worshippers. And philosophies such as Buddhism have no real answers to our human condition.

Unlike-manufactured deities, Christ has made us his children and sacrificed himself to pay for our sins. Hebrews 2:14 (BBE) explains, "And because the children are flesh and blood, he took a body himself and became like them; so that by his death he might put an end to him who had the power of death, that is to say, the Evil One;"

Jesus, our high priest, understands our infirmities. Hebrews 4:15 (BBE) explains, "For we have not a high priest who is not able to be touched by the feelings of our feeble flesh; but we have one who has been tested in all points as we ourselves are tested, but without sin."

Christ knows what it's like to be human, as Matthew 8:24 (BBE) shows. "And there came up a great storm in the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves: but he was sleeping." Our Lord was so tired from ministering and teaching that even the storm didn't wake him.

Our Master became thirsty, as John 4:5 and 6 (BBE) demonstrates. "So he came to a town of Samaria which was named Sychar, near to the bit of land which Jacob gave to his son Joseph: Now Jacob's fountain was there. Jesus, being tired after his journey, was resting by the fountain. It was about the sixth hour." That's when he met a sinful woman who came to get water but who also received living water.

Our Saviour also knew how deeply it hurts to be betrayed by a friend. We read in Luke 22:47 and 48 BBE) how he was turned in by one of his own disciples to the authorities. "And while he was saying these words, there came a band of people, and Judas, one of the twelve, was in front of them, and he came near to Jesus to give him a kiss. But Jesus said to him, 'Judas, will you be false to the Son of man with a kiss?'"

I could write so much more about the humanity of Christ but I'll save it for my book, You Think You're Going to Heaven? To many unsaved folks, Jesus was just a kind man who got killed for saying how nice it would be if people were nice to one another. I hope I may show the dynamic person Christ was in my writing.

On Thursday, I'll post about the most terrifying day in history. It's yet to come.

Bruce Atchison, Christ Knows Our Pain, Hebrews 2:14, Hebrews 4:15, Matthew 8:24, Luke 22:47 and 48, You Think You're Going to Heaven?

Saturday Song: Inner Circle, "Bad Boys"

This is one of my favourite reggae songs. The American TV show, "Cops" used it as their theme song, an apt choice as far as I'm concerned.

I found the full length version of the tune. Take a listen to it.

I'm glad that God is the ultimate police officer and judge combined. This saves us the trouble of seeking revenge on those who wronged us. As the Apostle Paul reminds us in Romans 12:19 (KJV), "Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord."

We couldn't have perfect revenge even if we could take it. We only see a person's exterior so we don't understand why they did what they did. But Jeremiah 17:10 (KJV) quotes God as saying, "I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings."

Furthermore, God knows what people are up to. Revelation 20:12 (KJV) says, "And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works."

People figure God can't see them if they do their sins in secret. But Jesus tells us in Luke 8:17 (KJV), "For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither any thing hid, that shall not be known and come abroad."

And as God spoke through his prophet in Jeremiah 23:24 (KJV), "Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD."

What a relief it is that God will repay the crimes against us by the wicked. Does this song and what I wrote make you glad? Please let me know in the space below.

Monday's post will be about how our Lord went through all the trials of life which we experience.

Joining the Ultimate Royal Family

What would you think if a royal family wanted to adopt you? I'm sure most of us would be flattered and some might even accept that offer. We could give up our jobs and live in luxury. No more mowing lawns or making dinner for us since some servants would do all that.

What many folks shamefully reject is the magnanimous offer of the King of Kings to adopt them into his family. Paul explains this benefit of surrendering one's life to Christ in Romans 8:13-15 (BBE). "For if you go in the way of the flesh, death will come on you; but if by the Spirit you put to death the works of the body, you will have life. And all those who are guided by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not get the spirit of servants again to put you in fear, but the spirit of sons was given to you, by which we say, Abba, Father."

Though our spirits are adopted at this time, we'll also have new bodies to live in when Christ returns. Romans 8:23 (BBE) explains, "And not only so, but we who have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we have sorrow in our minds, waiting for the time when we will take our place as sons, that is, the salvation of our bodies."

We also read in 1 Corinthians 15:51-53 (BBE) that, "See, I am giving you the revelation of a secret: we will not all come to the sleep of death, but we will all be changed. In a second, in the shutting of an eye, at the sound of the last horn: for at that sound the dead will come again, free for ever from the power of death, and we will be changed. For this body which comes to destruction will be made free from the power of death, and the man who is under the power of death will put on eternal life."

But for now, we have access to all the spiritual blessings of God through the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 2:19 (BBE) says, "So then you are no longer as those who have no part or place in the kingdom of God, but you are numbered among the saints, and of the family of God,"

We also can do what the Levites in Israel could never do, except for the chief priest once a year. Because we're Christ's children, we may enter his throne room through prayer. Hebrews 10:22 (BBE) invites us, "Let us go in with true hearts, in certain faith, having our hearts made free from the sense of sin and our bodies washed with clean water:"

Isn't this, along with the peace of mind and rest promised us, worth surrendering our wills to the Master? I'll point this out in my next book, You Think You're Going to Heaven? Through Adam, we all have offended the creator of the universe. But through Christ, we gain his pardon. Doesn't it make sense therefor to give up our own foolish ways to follow him?

On Saturday, I'll post about a song which was used on a reality police show.

What's Jesus Doing These Days?

Somebody who doesn't know much about the Bible might wonder what Christ is doing these days. After all, he ascended into heaven and we won't see him again until he comes back to judge humanity.

The Bible does tell us something of what our Lord is up to. For example, we can read what he does for us in 1 John 2:1 (BBE). "My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may be without sin. And if any man is a sinner, we have a friend and helper with the Father, Jesus Christ, the upright one:"

Better still, he gives us forgiveness when we sin, as 1 John 1:9 (BBE) points out. "If we say openly that we have done wrong, he is upright and true to his word, giving us forgiveness of sins and making us clean from all evil."

Through John, we get a glimpse of what our Lord is like in his heavenly home. Revelation 5:5 and 6 (BBE) shows him receiving the deed to the universe from the Father. "And one of the rulers said to me, 'Do not be sad: see, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome, and has power to undo the book and its seven stamps.' And I saw in the middle of the high seat and of the four beasts, and in the middle of the rulers, a Lamb in his place, which seemed as if it had been put to death, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent out into all the earth."

We also see that Christ received authority and power at his ascension. Daniel 7:13 and 14 (BBE) foretold this. "I saw in visions of the night, and there was coming with the clouds of heaven one like a man, and he came to the one who was very old, and they took him near before him. And to him was given authority and glory and a kingdom; and all peoples, nations, and languages were his servants: his authority is an eternal authority which will not come to an end, and his kingdom is one which will not come to destruction".

John, the disciple of Christ, also wrote down what our Lord dictated to him regarding the seven churches in what is now Turkey. I believe he's still concerned with his church. Paul described us as Christ's body with him as the head. Since Jesus gave no indication of this relationship ending, I must assume that it will be for all eternity.

I'll be writing more about Christ and his role as the head of the faithful in my next book called You Think You're Going to Heaven? Our Lord is still working through his people to shape them into fit citizens for his eternal kingdom. What an honour we've been given!

Thursday's post will be about a royal family anybody can join.

Saturday Song: Elvis Costello, "Watching the Detectives"

I must admit that I enjoy songs which aren't about the joys and vicissitudes of love. This is a song about the coarse and often immoral world of detectives. The murderer under suspicion also shows her callous side in this song as she files her nails while they're dragging the lake for a body or bodies.

Hear "Watching the Detectives" here.

So, how does a person become heartless? It comes from stifling one's conscience until it no longer afflicts one with guilt. The Apostle Paul explained how people can become cold-blooded sinners in 1 Timothy 4:1-2 (KJV). "Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils, Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;"

Once the nerve endings in seared flesh die, pain can't be felt. So it is with the consciences of the habitually wicked. Lying and other sins are only evaluated by such people for their effectiveness in getting them what they want. In Paul's example, it was for gaining a following. In other folks, sinning is their way of gaining power and riches.

How glad I am that God promised an end to this madness. Christ will return to crush Satan's rebellion totally. It can't happen too soon for me but people who haven't repented and given their lives over to Christ will wish they had more time.

If you enjoyed this song and what I wrote, please leave a comment in the box below. But if not, have a great weekend anyway.

On Monday, I'll deal with the question of what Christ is doing today.