Stephen Vance

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Shad Sluiter

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Don Panchito

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Jason My Child

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Is the Pope the Antichrist?

 

The antichrist is a prophetic figure that the Bible predicts will become the last satanic-inspired dictator of the God-opposed worldwide government of the last days of the Great Tribulation.  Some scriptural references to this coming world leader are found in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12;" TARGET="_blank">2 Thessalonians 2:1-12; Revelation 6:1-2;" TARGET="_blank">Revelation 6:1-2; Revelation 13:1-18;" TARGET="_blank">Revelation 13:1-18; Daniel 7:20-27;" TARGET="_blank">Daniel 7:20-27; Daniel 8:1-27." TARGET="_blank">Daniel 8:1-27.

 

Many Bible scholars have tried to determine who this person may be.  Since the times of the protestant revolution, the Pope has been a favorite target because of his name as the “Vicar” of Christ on earth.

 

The Catholic Church relies on the Pope to be the representative of Christ on earth.  This “Vicar of Christ” or “Vicarious Christ” means that he takes the place of Christ.  Protestants love to apply this Vicar title to the term “Anti-Christ” since “anti” is the term to mean “takes the place of”.  In the sense of the meaning of the word, the Pope takes the place of Christ or becomes the “Antichrist”.  This virulent language appeared in Protestant literature since the Protestant Reformation and appeared for centuries in the notes of the popular Geneva Bible published by Protestants in Geneva, Switzerland.

 

Being the Vicar of Christ, the Pope claims to speak “ex cathedra” or “from the chair” in regards to matters of belief or doctrine.  Speaking this way, he claims to be infallible, without error.

 

Protestants find this teaching to be in grave error.  No man is infallible.  The apostles words were inspired, but since their passing, Scripture is complete.  The extent that the Pope agrees with the Scriptures is the only extent that he speaks the truth.  Catholics therefore believe, for example, that Mary ascended to heaven at the end of her life because November 1, 1950, the Pope declared this to be so.

Shad David Sluiter

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Abel

Hebrews 11:3-5" TARGET="_blank">Hebrews 11:3-5 By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.

 Noah

1 Peter 2:25" TARGET="_blank">1 Peter 2:25 And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly.

 Jacob

Genesis 49:1" TARGET="_blank">Genesis 49:1 And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days.

 Aaron

Exodus 7:1" TARGET="_blank">Exodus 7:1 And the LORD said unto Moses, See, I have made thee a god to Pharaoh: and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet. Moses Exodus 3:10" TARGET="_blank">Exodus 3:10 Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt.

 Samuel

1 Samuel 3:20" TARGET="_blank">1 Samuel 3:20 And all Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the LORD.

 David

Acts 2:29-30" TARGET="_blank">Acts 2:29-30 Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne;

 Elijah

1 Kings 17:1" TARGET="_blank">1 Kings 17:1 And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the LORD God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.

 Elisha

1 Kin 19:16." TARGET="_blank">1 Kin 19:16. Elisha … shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room. Isaiah Isaiah 1:1" TARGET="_blank">Isaiah 1:1 The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah . His (Isaiah) name means “The Lord Is Salvation

 Hosea

Hosea 1:1" TARGET="_blank">Hosea 1:1 The word of the LORD that came unto Hosea, the son of Beeri, in the days of Uzziah His name means “Salvation”. Verse 1 divine authority and message source. He is the first of twelve minor prophets

 Ezekiel

Ezekiel 1:3" TARGET="_blank">Ezekiel 1:3 The word of the LORD came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and the hand of the LORD was there upon him. His message was to the exiled people in Babylon He was a priest and about 30years old when God called him to be a prophet.

 Daniel

Matthew 24:15." TARGET="_blank">Matthew 24:15. When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)

 Malachi

Malachi 1:1" TARGET="_blank">Malachi 1:1 The burden of the word of the LORD to Israel by Malachi. I have loved you, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us?

 Zacharias the father of John

Luke1:67" TARGET="_blank">Luke1:67 And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people, And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David;

 Anna

Luke 2:36,38." TARGET="_blank">Luke 2:36,38. And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.

 Paul

Romans 1;" TARGET="_blank">Romans 1;1-6 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God, (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,) Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead: By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name: Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ:

 Peter

2 Peter 1:1-3." TARGET="_blank">2 Peter 1:1-3. Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour

 Jesus Christ:

Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:

 John

Revelation 1:1-2" TARGET="_blank">Revelation 1:1-2 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John: Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw. 

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Were the Old Testament saints born again?

I should think there could be no doubt that all the Old Testament saints were born of God, for how else could they have had communion with Him? The carnal mind (or the minding of the flesh) is enmity against God. How could David then have had the “desire to dwell in the house of the Lord,” or “thirst for the living God” unless he had received a new nature? The Old Testament saints were saved on the principle of faith, and no doubt God was revealed to their souls according to the measure of light bestowed. Our Lord speaks of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob sifting down in the Kingdom of Heaven with many from the east and the west (Matthew 8:11)," TARGET="_blank">Matthew 8:11), and in John 3:3," TARGET="_blank">John 3:3, he lays down to Nicodemus the law of entrance into that Kingdom, namely, th reception of the new life: “Except a man be born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God.”

Surely this shews conclusively that Old Testament saints will only enter the Kingdom as born of the Spirit. 01 course, we make a difference between that—the bestowal of new life, and the indwelling of the Spirit or the baptism in the Spirit; these belong uniquely to New Testament saints. Nor do the Old Testament saints belong to the church, but they were undoubtedly individually regenerated. As for us, it seems safer and more practical to confine ourselves to what the Word reveals. No doubt the Spirit does work on men’s souls. It is just here that the mistake arises. It is to assume that the first work of the Spirit is to communicate life, whereas it is rather to create a sense of sin or at least of need. The natural man is dead in trespasses and sins, but this does not mean that he has no conscience or responsibility or capacity to listen.

I have heard it said that the 3000 at Pentecost in Acts 2" TARGET="_blank">Acts 2:  were “born of God” when they cried, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” and, if I mistake not, that Nicodemus to whom the Lord uttered the words “Ye must be born again,” was already born again, or he would not have come to the Lord. That a theory should entail such conclusions suffices, I think, for its refutation. The reception of the new life is connected with the reception of Christ, or the revelation of God proper to the dispensation. “As many as received Him, to them gave He the power (or right) to become children of God.” John 1:11-12" TARGET="_blank">John 1:11-12 There the order seems clearly_faith first, then life, because the new words are “even to as many as believed (not “had believed”) on His name”—"believing” is only another way of saying “receiving.” I think Hebrews 6" TARGET="_blank">Hebrews 6: , for instance, shews us how far men may go in the things of God, and yet never have been born again, and so with other passages. Alas, how many have evinced some interest in the things of God, and even like the stony ground hearers have received the Word with joy, but it has proved later to have been in appearance rather than in reality. How solemn the call to each is, to make our calling and election sure!

W.H.

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Go to the main Sunday school page for puzzles, lesson plans and other activities for Sunday school teachers.

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How can we reconcile with human ideas of justice the destruction of the two captains and their fifties?

Were they not only doing their duty in carrying out the orders of their king? Why should they be destroyed with lightning for that? (see 2 Kings 1" TARGET="_blank">2 Kings 1: ).

The key to this difficulty is found, I believe, in ver. 1, in reference to the third captain, who was spared. “Go down with him,” the angel said, “be not afraid of him.” It seems clear from this that Elijah did well to be afraid of the other two captains and their companies, who would have exceeded their mandate, which was simply to bring the prophet to the king, by killing him themselves :—lynching him in fact. Elijah thus acted in his own defence in the spirit of a prophet of judgment, enforcing the law and its penalties. What was fitting for him was not so for James and John, the servants of the Saviour of men, for they were “of His Spirit.”

W.H.

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What is a Daniel fast?

The Daniel Fast is a diet based on the story from the book of Daniel in the Old Testament.  Daniel and his three friends decided to fast in the sense that they refused to eat the meat provided to them by the King of Babylon.  Daniel was not fasting in refraining from all food.  Neither was Daniel trying to improve his health by losing weight or by avoiding unhealthy fats.  Daniel was interested in obeying the law of Moses.

Daniel 1:8-14" TARGET="_blank">Daniel 1:8-14  But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king's food, or with the wine that he drank. Therefore he asked the chief of the eunuchs to allow him not to defile himself.  (9)  And God gave Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the chief of the eunuchs,  (10)  and the chief of the eunuchs said to Daniel, "I fear my lord the king, who assigned your food and your drink; for why should he see that you were in worse condition than the youths who are of your own age? So you would endanger my head with the king."  (11)  Then Daniel said to the steward whom the chief of the eunuchs had assigned over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah,  (12)  "Test your servants for ten days; let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink.  (13)  Then let our appearance and the appearance of the youths who eat the king's food be observed by you, and deal with your servants according to what you see."  (14)  So he listened to them in this matter, and tested them for ten days.

Daniel decided to fast, not for health reasons, but for spiritual laws in the Bible.  Nebuchadnezzar had conquered the nation of Israel and was training a group of captured Jews to become officers in his government.  Part of the social adaptation to their new kingdom and culture was to eat the King’s meat.  It is likely that the meat itself was healthy, but involved in idol worship.
 
The concept of applying the Daniel fast to dieting is when a person decides to refrain from eating meat for a period of time.  The Bible does not command or recommend a person follow Daniel’s fasting method for health reasons. We are at liberty to follow a vegetarian diet or a diet that contains meat.  Other scriptures that deal with the matter of eating meat are found in Romans 14" TARGET="_blank">Romans 14 and 1 Timothy 4" TARGET="_blank">1 Timothy 4 and 1 Corinthians 8" TARGET="_blank">1 Corinthians 8…

Romans 14:1-4" TARGET="_blank">Romans 14:1-4  As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions.  (2)  One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables.  (3)  Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him.  (4)  Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.

1 Timothy 4:1-5" TARGET="_blank">1 Timothy 4:1-5  Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons,  (2)  through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared,  (3)  who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.  (4)  For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving,  (5)  for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer.

1 Corinthians 8:4-13" TARGET="_blank">1 Corinthians 8:4-13  Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that "an idol has no real existence," and that "there is no God but one."  (5)  For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth--as indeed there are many "gods" and many "lords"--  (6)  yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.  (7)  However, not all possess this knowledge. But some, through former association with idols, eat food as really offered to an idol, and their conscience, being weak, is defiled.  (8)  Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do.  (9)  But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak.  (10)  For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol's temple, will he not be encouraged, if his conscience is weak, to eat food offered to idols?  (11)  And so by your knowledge this weak person is destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died.  (12)  Thus, sinning against your brothers and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ.  (13)  Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.

Shad Sluiter

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