antichrist

The Unpardonable Sin

“Why, what evil has this man done?”Pilate


“Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven. Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come. Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit. You brood of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak what is good? For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart.” (Mat 12:31-34)



Journal,

An issue that believers sometimes find themselves grappling with has to do with what blasphemy against the Holy Spirit means, and if this ‘unpardonable’ sin has a bearing on a believer.

Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is one of the least understood of all Biblical teachings. Because of this it has been a cause of pain for the uninstructed child of God. This is especially true when a child of God ‘senses’ that a thing being done in the name of Jesus, may not be of the Lord. But someone then warns him or her to be careful, ‘You might blaspheme the Holy Spirit.’

The short side of the story is that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is not a believer’s sin. It has never been, not today, nor any other time. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. This sin comes from darkness. It comes from a continual Satanic warfare against God Himself. And this is what we need to determine from the Scriptures.

It is important to understand that the sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit was placed at the front door of a certain element of the Jewish leadership during the time of Christ. It was against that particular element that the charge was made and not at all against all the Jewish people at large. Keep in mind that the early church began fully as a Hebrew believing people. To help understand this element view these Scriptures: (Place cursor over any Scripture reference and it will appear.) Gen3:15; Mat3:7; Mat12:34; Mat23:33; John8:44; Rev2:9; Rev3:9.

This charge of blaspheming the Holy Spirit goes along with this statement made by the Lord,

“Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and it was your fathers who killed them. So you are witnesses and approve the deeds of your fathers; because it was they who killed them, and you build their tombs. For this reason also the wisdom of God said, ‘I will send to them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and some they will persecute, so that the blood of all the prophets, shed since the foundation of the world, may be charged against this generation, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the house of God’, yes, I tell you, it shall be charged against this generation.” (Luk 11:47-51)

The term ‘generation’ comes from two Greek words that suggest the idea of a multitude of contemporaries. It is also used as a special reference to the moral circumstances of a particular time or people. Jesus is addressing a class of people in Judaism who did the work of the devil. As a nation group Israel’s purpose was to bring forth the Messiah for all the nations. However, Satan had his place in Israel and especially in the leadership. This is why John the Baptist and Jesus spoke of this group as being of Satan. Whereas the gospel is for all people of all nations, Jews and otherwise, this particular element comes under a different banner. They are not simply non believers. They are active agents of Satan. It is one thing to be an active agent and another to be caught in the chords of ignorance such as was Paul. Cf. 1Tim1:12-15

Lets begin by examining a Scripture in its context. Jesus said,

“Everyone who confesses Me before men, the Son of Man will confess him also before the angels of God; but he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God. And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him.” (Luke 12:8-10)

Notice that the believer who confesses Jesus is placed out of the picture on the issue of blasphemy. The one doing the blasphemy is against Christ. The primary reason for the charge of ‘unforgivingness’ is because this sin is against God’s work of redemption in Christ. Thus we can readily guess who was the inspiration behind this sin.


A sin of defiance against God Himself

When you read the Scriptures where the sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is noted, in nearly every case the leadership has openly defied Jesus before the people. It was the leadership that contributed the work of Jesus as being of the devil. So the sin was in reality a sin of defiance against God Himself. The Holy Spirit has always been reckoned as the Spirit of the Almighty God. It is without question that the testimony of God Himself rested upon Jesus.

We need additional background for this. In Isaiah 63, God brings a charge against those of Israel who turned from Him. Listen carefully;

“In all their affliction He was afflicted, and the angel of His presence saved them; in His love and in His mercy He redeemed them, and He lifted them and carried them all the days of old. But they rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit; therefore He turned Himself to become their enemy, He fought against them.” (Verses 9,10)

Did the Jewish leadership in the day of Christ rebel and grieve the Holy Spirit? The point was that Jesus was doing things that only God Himself could do. He resurrected the dead. He opened blind eyes. He walked on water, multiplied loaves and fish, healed deformed bodies, healed lepers, and did all the things that the ancient sages said would be the signs of Messiah.

Carry this over to Acts 7:51,52, where Stephen makes his defense against the same Jewish element that had Jesus crucified. He says,

You men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit; you are doing just as your fathers did. Which one of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? They killed those who had previously announced the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become.”

I hope that this gives you an idea on what the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is. It is an open defiance against God, and it is done with a degree of knowledge. The blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is the sin where Satan seeks to maintain his warfare against the Lord of glory.


What is it that makes this sin unpardonable

What makes the sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit unpardonable is that it actually aligns itself with Satan. But it is very important to understand that this is a sin against knowledge. Paul was ignorant of his role. Not all are innocent in this regard. This level of blasphemy is a sin that blatantly denies and defies and defiles all the evidence of the work of the cross in Jesus Christ. It is a sin where one’s conscience can become seared. It is a sin against the Light of God. It is the sin of Antichrist. This is why Jesus said,

“If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. He who hates Me hates My Father also.” (Joh 15:22-23)

Listen also to John:

“Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son. Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father; the one who confesses the Son has the Father also.” (1Jn 2:22-23)

The Lord very carefully lays this issue out. Listen carefully to the language:

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

“This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.” (Joh 3:16-21)

Is the same spirit of antichrist at work today

There is no question that the antichrist spirit is in the world. It manifests in many forms. One of its most belligerent forms is found in Talmudic or Rabbinic Judaism. When the temple was destroyed in 70 a.d., the Pharisees took on the mantle of Judaism and set about to establish their authority over all Israel. In their Talmudic writings the Lord Jesus is treated as a sorcerer and a deceiver.

This is how Jesus is treated in the Talmuds:

1) He and his disciples practiced sorcery and black magic, led Jews astray into idolatry, and were sponsored by foreign, gentile powers for the purpose of subverting Jewish worship (Sanhedrin 43a).

2) He was sexually immoral, worshipped statues of stone (a brick is mentioned), was cut off from the Jewish people for his wickedness, and refused to repent (Sanhedrin 107b; Sotah 47a).

3) He learned witchcraft in Egypt and, to perform miracles, used procedures that involved cutting his flesh, which is also explicitly banned in the Bible (Shabbos 104b).

 

Now for the good news. Jews by the multiplied thousands are turning to Jesus Christ today. Why are they turning? Because of the power of the gospel. The apostle said that there was nothing that could be done against the truth. AntiChrist, you are on the way out. Enjoy hell!

Here are examples from the untold hundreds of Jewish people who have come to discover new life in Jesus…


In Christ always,

Buddy



 


 

 







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When the Nations Shutter and Shake…

Lion and Lamb“See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking. For if those did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape who turn away from Him who warns from heaven.

“And His voice shook the earth then, but now He has promised, saying, ‘YET ONCE MORE I WILL SHAKE NOT ONLY THE EARTH, BUT ALSO THE HEAVEN.’” Heb12:25,26)


Readers,

The eyes of the world remain focused on the Middle East. We are seeing an uncontrolled fire storm that began working its way out from the environs of ancient Babylon. The fire continues to break out here and yon. Right now the fire is burning intensely in Afghanistan. Break outs continue in Iraq, Lebanon, Israel, Somalia, not to speak of all the ‘***istan’ nations of the former Soviet Union. The fire in Iran continues to smolder.

What’s it all about? Believe it or not, the final thrust of anti-Christ Islam will be on Jerusalem. It all ends in Jerusalem. That is where the story of redemption had its beginning and that is where it has its ending. Jesus Christ is returning to Jerusalem.

As I have often said, the Bible is the only book under heaven that records history before it happens. As for Christians, we have our instructions. Jesus said that men’s hearts would began to fail because of the things coming on the earth. Not so with God’s people.

Jesus said,

“Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.” (Joh 14:1-3 NASB)

And again,

“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful. You heard that I said to you, ‘I go away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved Me, you would have rejoiced because I go to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. Now I have told you before it happens, so that when it happens, you may believe.” (Joh 14:27-29 NASB)

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The war over souls

You can be sure that all the wars fought on this planet have a spiritual backdrop to them. From time immemorial warfare has always been about the minds and souls of men and women. So while believers are told to remain focused on Jesus, the fact remains that we are engaged with spiritual forces. In the midst of all this we are told to keep ourselves aligned with the victory of Christ.

With this in mind I want to share part of a counseling session I had with a brother in Iraq. The enemy was playing with his mind. I was able to help him regain his footing.

Bob: I know the enemy is the “prince of the air” and I try to keep myself covered in prayer because of all the Muslim prayers that are broadcast over P.A. systems all around me 5 times a day.

Buddy: You are most correct that the enemy is called ‘prince of the air.’ Your situation is unique because of where you are. Islam is actually antichrist. Most people do not realize this. Satan has been preparing his antichrist armies for 1400 years in preparation for the count down.

I don’t mean to begin on a negative note, but it is very important that you understand this. Where you are, the ‘thoughts’ of darkness will be everywhere. This is why you are having battles in your mind. To ‘hear’ Muslim prayers 5 times a day is certainly a downer.

Bob: Lately I’ve started having troubling questions pop into my mind, even when I’m in prayer or reading the Bible. Basically, I find myself thinking, “How can this be true? Does God really exist? Is Christ a reality?” Now, mind you, this all happens while I am in fervent prayer to God or reading about Christ. I try to tell myself “If you didn’t believe you wouldn’t be praying to Him so intensely and talking to Him so much.”

Buddy:You are describing the battle of ‘thoughts’ perfectly. Two things are going to be very important for you in this regard. Foremost, recognize where all these doubts are coming from. (Remember Eve’s battle.) Knowing this is the key to knowing how to do spiritual warfare correctly. Here is your foundation Scripture:

“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing [thoughts, etc.] raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.” (2Co10:4,5)

The second thing is going to come straight from you. This is the time to make quality decisions. I cannot stress this enough. Until you make a consistent, firm, and resolute decision that Jesus Christ is Lord of your life, and that God’s Word is true, regardless, your whole thinking process will be honeycombed with doubts. Indecision is the path of failure. This is why you find so much in the Bible about making choices. The Lord does not remove our ability to choose for Him. Also keep in the background of your faith that the Lord will reinforce every decision you make for Him.

Bob: I’m troubled by even entertaining these questions. God has been so merciful to me and blessed me so greatly. Jesus has redeemed me from the darkness into the Kingdom of Light by paying for my sins by His sacrifice upon the cross. I do NOT like these troubling thoughts.

Buddy: If you are going to doubt anything, doubt your doubts. Do not allow even for a moment any thought to remain that speaks against your faith in Jesus.

Other things you can do are:

(1) Each morning as soon as you have time, reach for your Bible and pray the prayer of David; “Open my eyes, Lord, that I may behold wonderful things from Your Law.”

(2) Join yourself to another believer and began to extend your fellowship circle. Ask the Lord to lead you in this.

(3) Keep writing me. I will support you in all that I can. Ask questions. Share your thoughts. I will never stop being your friend.

…. End of Exchange….

Consider this news report from Washington  (Military brief. July 26, 2010): “Suicides among Army and Air National Guard and Reserve troops have spiked this year, and the military is at a loss to explain why. … Suicides among military personnel and veterans are at an epidemic rate, and it’s getting worse,” said Tim Embree, a former Marine who served two tours in Iraq and is now a legislative associate for Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, an advocacy group.”Don’t think for a moment that there isn’t a spiritual component behind this.


The intricacies of endtime events

Now let’s continue on with the study on the shuttering of the nations. The intricacies of endtime events go much further than this study can cover and certainly beyond my own limited understanding. But there are some things in the Scriptures that speak pretty conclusive to what we can expects as the days of redemption grow shorter.

Jesus was accosted by the Pharisees and Sadducees in their asking Him for a sign. He said,

“Do you know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but cannot discern the signs of the times?” (Matt. 16:3)

The Lord was saying that while they claimed to understand the elements of nature, they were blind in regard to what was happening before their very eyes. The Messiah was present. Redemption had come and they did not recognize it.

Does this have any relevance to the church today? Most assuredly. The church is now in a very special phase of redemptive history. As a relevant sign in the count down God give us a fixed point. Both Jesus, the prophets of old, and the apostles all pointed to the rebirth of the nation of Israel as a prominent fixture that the times of the Gentiles was closing. That sign was fixed May 14, 1948.

The apostle Peter told the Jewish peoples that Jesus had been received into heaven and would remain there, but would send ‘refreshing(s)’ [special moves of the Holy Spirit] until the period of restoration of all things.

“Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; and that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you, whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time. “ (Act 3:19-21 NASB)

What did Peter mean by the term restoration? The Greek term ‘apokatastasis‘ means a restitution of a thing to its former condition. This expression denotes the times spoken of as ‘the fullness of the Gentiles,’ and would then include conversion of the Jews to Jesus.

This was a primary concern for the Lord’s Hebrew apostles. In Acts 1:6, they asked Him,

“Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?”

Jesus responded,

“It is not for you to know the times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority.”

Thus while we cannot know the exact moments for the unfolding of events, we do have one fixed sign. This is why May 14, 1948 is so important to redemption history.

Israel who had lost her nationhood in the year 70 a.d., was brought forth again as a nation among other nations. Thus we have Isaiah 66:8, fulfilled;

“Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Can a LAND be born in one day? Can a NATION be brought forth all at once? As soon as Zion travailed, she also brought forth her sons.” (Caps always for emphasis only.)

Then we have this from the Lord:

“And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled under foot by the Gentiles [other nations] until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.” (Luke 21:24 Until the gospel has gone into all the world. Cf. Mat24:14)

Point at hand is that the nation of Israel today is not the nation she is going to be. Jews returning to the land is at the heart of Old Testament prophecy. Israel today is largely secular, with Talmudic Judaism in charge of her religious affairs. The fact that Israel is largely secular is not a bad thing in comparison to the Christ-hating Talmudic religion.

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The spirit of grace

Now let’s combine two Scriptures, one from the old and the other from the new. Both with the same objective.

First Zechariah 12:10:

“I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me [This is Yahweh speaking] whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him [Jesus the crucified One], and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him [Jesus] like the bitter weeping over a firstborn.”

Now Romans 11:25-27:

“For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery — so that you will not be wise in your own estimation — that a partial hardening has happened to Israel [the Christ-rejecting nation group] until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; and so all Israel will be saved [nation group looks to Jesus]; just as it is written, ‘The Deliverer will come from Zion, He will remove ungodliness from Jacob.

“This is My covenant with them, WHEN I TAKE AWAY THEIR SINS.'”

The sins of the Christ-rejecting Israel can only be taken away when they come to faith in the atonement of Jesus Christ.

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The coming restoration

Let’s come back to what Peter said about the times of restoration:

“…that He [the Father] may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you, whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time.” (Acts 3:20,21)

The Greek term for ‘period’ is chronos. It speaks of a particular time or space or season of events. This takes in various things that belong to the season of restoration.

The Greek term for ‘restoration’ is a double compound. It is only used here. Interestingly enough it is also used by the Jewish historian, Flavius Josephus, for the return of the Jews from captivity, and for the restoration of the year of Jubilee. That is the how the term was understood during the time of Christ.

Of course the Jewish people in the time of the apostles would understand this much better than the ‘Johnny-come-lately’ folk of today’s western Christianity, who think they have the answers for everything.

The period of restoration has a dual focus. I believe it includes the Church restored to her lost heritage in preparation for her departure. More and more Christians today are breaking free of sectarian separations and from religious yokes of bondages, and are rediscovering their true freedom in Christ.

The second focus is the land of Israel. (As I’ve already shared.)

What makes the period of restoration so unique is the overlap of focus in the kingdom of God. At the same time the Church is being prepared for her departure, the Jewish peoples are being gathered to the land of Israel to fulfill her prophesied purposes. In this sense God is working with the Jews and with the Christians. The Jews are being prepared for their Messiah.

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A time of special insight

The prophet Daniel was told that there would be a time of special insight given God’s people in the latter days. This would certainly apply in part to the Christian church, but it would especially apply to Jewish peoples during the tribulation. (That insight was to be locked up until the time came. I see it as belonging to the book of Revelation.)

As for the Christian portion, Paul elaborates on this in 1 Thess. 5:1-3,9-10 and 2 Thess. 2:1,5-13. (You may wish to view these Scriptures.)

For the Jew there is a period of tribulation they must endure before the Savior comes out of Zion. The Bible also gives place for a pseudo-Church during the final hours of this age. (Pseudo refers to something that appears to be true but is not. A false pretender.)

The true church refers to those who are inborn of the Spirit of truth and will not follow anyone other than Jesus, in spite of signs & wonders. However, the pseudo Church will follow after lying wonders.

Let’s listen to some of the final words that Jesus spoke over Jerusalem.

“When He approached Jerusalem, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, ‘If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For the days will come upon you when your enemies will throw up a barricade against you, and surround you and hem you in on every side, and they will level you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.” (Luke 19:41-44)

And again,

“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling. Behold, your house is being left to you desolate! For I say to you, from now on you will not see Me UNTIL you say, ‘Blessed is He [Jesus] who comes in the name of the Lord.” (Matt23:37,38)

So, will the kingdom of God be restored to Israel? Will Israel really turn to the Lord Jesus and become part with His people? Can it be proved by the Scriptures? I believe it can. For your extra study consider these Scriptures: (Isa1:26; Jer23:3-6; Hos3:4,5; 5:15; 6:1-3.)

Yes, it is all there. But the point remains as I said at the beginning of the study, Christians are not to let their hearts become troubled over all these things. Our eyes are to remain focused on Jesus alone.

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Can nature be speaking

Have you considered the oil situation in the Gulf of Mexico. China is fighting the same thing.  In addition to the anti-Christ armies making their way towards Jerusalem, you have hurricanes, tsunamis, earth quakes in various places, along with weather doing strange things.

Consider these Scriptures:

“…and a third of the creatures which were in the sea and had life, died; and a third of the ships were destroyed.” (Rev 8:9 NASB)

“When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be frightened; those things must take place; but that is not yet the end. For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will also be famines. These things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.” (Mar 13:7-8 NASB)

“For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now.” (Rom 8:19-22 NASB)

 

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The shuttering and shaking

Are the nations beginning to shutter? What do you think? Is the time of giving birth close at hand?

Consider once again this warning from the book of Hebrews concerning a shaking to come:

 

“See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking. For if those did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape who turn away from Him who warns from heaven. And His voice shook the earth then, but now He has promised, saying, ‘YET ONCE MORE I WILL SHAKE NOT ONLY THE EARTH, BUT ALSO THE HEAVEN.’

“This expression, ‘Yet once more,’ denotes the removing of those things which can be shaken, as of created things, so that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire.” (Heb 12:25-29 NASB)

OK children of the Lamb. Here is your song…

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[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCxU8QGCFX0[/youtube]

Much love in Jesus,

Buddy

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