Happy New Year 2019

Thanks to all of those who follow my blog! By God’s grace this blog is read all over the globe, and I appreciate it. I thank you all! Have a great 2019 and praise the Lord and the Grace He gives us all! Can you imagine how horrible this world would be if God’s Grace was not with us? Those who say “How could God allow this?” and “Where was God when that plane went down?” If God took His hands off the wheel, we would have already obliterated ourselves by now!

1 Peter 2: 23-25
He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; 24 and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. 25 For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.

Because of God’s grace, all who put their trust in his work on the cross will receive forgiveness, salvation, regeneration, and eternal love of God. Again, God’s kindness to us is based on his character not ours. His grace to us is an act of his free will and not based on any ability, merit, or performance of our own.

Romans 3:28
28 For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.

It seems more now than ever before a tipping point has arrived. Jesus will make His triumphal return soon. The world of chaos we live in was prophesied since the Old Testament. We as humans have proven that if we don’t follow Jesus and His teaching we cannot look after anything. Sure we show progress in a lot of areas, however progress could also mean progressing over a cliff.

Please pray for peace on earth for the year 2019!

God Bless

Brian Mason

Why the “Swoon Theory” Does Not Work, and Psalm 22

The “Swoon Theory” is the theory that Jesus never really died on the cross. It is the theory that Jesus never really died on the cross but that He was crucified and was close to death. It also states that He was taken down from the cross and put in the tomb. After three days in the tomb He revived and managed to roll away the stone, escape from the tomb and appear to the disciples making them think He had risen from the dead.

Oh yes, there are flaws in this theory!

1. Both friends and enemies of Jesus believed that He was dead. The Roman executioners were very good at their jobs. They drove nails into his feet and wrists after they whipped and beat Him to a pulp. They stuck a spear into His side! A tradition with the Romans was to break the legs of the crucified to speed up the death process, they didn’t break Jesus’ legs because they knew He was already deceased. Breaking of the legs made the victim unable to push himself back up to breathe, the victim would then die from asphyxiation, cruel indeed! Pilate confirmed His death afterward.

2. Jesus was wrapped in about 75lbs of bandages and spice. Would they embalm a living body?

3. How could Jesus still be alive 36 hours later in that tomb? A man that was badly bleeding and with horrific injuries?

4. Even if He could survive that length of time in a tomb, how did he roll extremely (historians say the rock was 2 tons) heavy stone away from the mouth of that tomb?

The Islamic Faith holds onto this theory as evidence that Jesus is NOT the Christ! They have some outlandish ideas of how the body went missing, but fall flat. One is that the disciples stole the body. How did the disciples not get noticed by the Roman guards that were trained to guard the tomb with their very lives? Another theory trying to debunk the rising Christ is that there was a substitute Jesus on the cross. This assertion has no evidence at all to back it up. How do they explain all the friends and enemies of Jesus watching this punishment not know it was Jesus Himself? His Mother too?

Many skeptics have many many lies to discredit the Word of God. Please pray for the unbelievers, and take solice in the fact that Jesus said He will return and all knees will bow!

John 14:1-3 NASB
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.

Psalm 22 prophesied Jesus’ crucifixion centuries before crucifixtions were even around! Praise God!

22 My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?
Far from my deliverance are the words of my groaning.
2 O my God, I cry by day, but You do not answer;
And by night, but I have no rest.
3 Yet You are holy,
O You who are enthroned upon the praises of Israel.
4 In You our fathers trusted;
They trusted and You delivered them.
5 To You they cried out and were delivered;
In You they trusted and were not disappointed.
6 But I am a worm and not a man,
A reproach of men and despised by the people.
7 All who see me sneer at me;
They separate with the lip, they wag the head, saying,
8 “Commit yourself to the Lord; let Him deliver him;
Let Him rescue him, because He delights in him.”
9 Yet You are He who brought me forth from the womb;
You made me trust when upon my mother’s breasts.
10 Upon You I was cast from birth;
You have been my God from my mother’s womb.
11 Be not far from me, for trouble is near;
For there is none to help.
12 Many bulls have surrounded me;
Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled me.
13 They open wide their mouth at me,
As a ravening and a roaring lion.
14 I am poured out like water,
And all my bones are out of joint;
My heart is like wax;
It is melted within me.
15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd,
And my tongue cleaves to my jaws;
And You lay me in the dust of death.
16 For dogs have surrounded me;
A band of evildoers has encompassed me;
They pierced my hands and my feet.
17 I can count all my bones.
They look, they stare at me;
18 They divide my garments among them,
And for my clothing they cast lots.
19 But You, O Lord, be not far off;
O You my help, hasten to my assistance.
20 Deliver my soul from the sword,
My only life from the power of the dog.
21 Save me from the lion’s mouth;
From the horns of the wild oxen You answer me.
22 I will tell of Your name to my brethren;
In the midst of the assembly I will praise You.
23 You who fear the Lord, praise Him;
All you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him,
And stand in awe of Him, all you descendants of Israel.
24 For He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted;
Nor has He hidden His face from him;
But when he cried to Him for help, He heard.
25 From You comes my praise in the great assembly;
I shall pay my vows before those who fear Him.
26 The afflicted will eat and be satisfied;
Those who seek Him will praise the Lord.
Let your heart live forever!
27 All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord,
And all the families of the nations will worship before You.
28 For the kingdom is the Lord’s
And He rules over the nations.
29 All the prosperous of the earth will eat and worship,
All those who go down to the dust will bow before Him,
Even he who cannot keep his soul alive.
30 Posterity will serve Him;
It will be told of the Lord to the coming generation.
31 They will come and will declare His righteousness
To a people who will be born, that He has performed it.

God Bless

Brian Mason

Atheists are “Brights”?

I wonder if Christians know that we were called one of the first atheists? This is true, as we refused to worship Pagan gods.

Yet unlike the so-called modern atheists (nothing modern there), we didn’t have to use arguments that have been crushed 2000 years ago! We have the Word of God! When the atheist has no ground to stand on when we define the terms and ridiculous statements that they come up with. Such as “Everything came from nothing”. What? Atheism cannot even answer one of the most important philosophical questions regarding our own existence! It is flawed and lacking and at best can offer us only ignorance and guesses.

Atheism fails to account for existence.

The assinine defenses they come up with staggers the imagination! Funny that atheists call themselves “The Brights” and believers “The Dims”! How much arrogance does the atheist have to have?

Okay “Brights”, explain how everything came from nothing, and life came from non-life?

Psalm 14:1 (NASB)

“The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.”
They are corrupt, they have committed abominable deeds;
There is no one who does good.”

God Bless

Brian Mason

Is There an Age of Accountability Found in the Bible?

The quick answer is no. The so-called Age of Accountability has been commonly thought of as 12 years of age. There is no written indication of this in the Bible. It is the supposed age where children were accountable for their sins, unless they repent of their sins and put their trust in Jesus. This is based on a Semi-Pelagian type of belief. Pelagianism: the teaching that people are not born with fallen natures. They will fall when they choose to sin, and that would be the age of accountability. Semi-Pelagianism: teaches that people are born with fallen natures, but they are capable of choosing between good and evil.

* Notice To Atheists / Unbelievers*

I have wrote this numerous times before, however I will write about this again. I have no problem answering questions and dialoguing as long as it stays on topic. I do not have the time of day to chase rabbit trails and field insults! Insults and circular arguments are worthless to everyone. I will not post a comment if it turns down that road.

God Bless

Brian Mason

Did Jesus Exhibit Divine Authority?

Yes He did. He stated He is the Son of God. Luke 22: 70-71 “70 And they all said, “Are You the Son of God, then?” And He said to them, “Yes, I am.” 71 Then they said, “What further need do we have of testimony? For we have heard it ourselves from His own mouth.”” He used divine titles for Himself, such titles included “I AM” and “Son of Man”, and the Jews of their time knew exactley what He meant. The Jews tried to stone Him to death for blasphemy! In fact, the only charge the Jews had on Him before His crucifixion was that He claimed to be the Christ! Supposed blasphemy was the death penalty!

Here are some examples of Jesus’ divine authority:

1. He commanded demons to leave people, and the demons obeyed Him. Matthew 10:1, Luke 4:36 and Mark 3:15.

2. He calmed the stormy wind and sea with just a short phrase. Matthew 8: 26-27

3. He claimed the authority to forgive sins and trangressions as well as grant people with eternal life. Matthew 9:6, 8 and Mark 2:10

4. He taught with divine authority Mark 1:22, Luke 4:32 and Matthew 7:29

5. He healed lepers, and others with different forms of diseases. Gave the authority to others the abilty to heal.He also resurrected people from death. Mark 5:38-43,Luke 4:39 and John 11:33-34

Yes Jesus is God! Repent and rejoice!

God Bless

Brian Mason

Does the Bible Give It’s Okay to Killing Babies?

Atheists and Bible skeptics will often attack the moral stance of the God’s Word by quoting Psalm 137:9

“How blessed will be the one who seizes and dashes your little ones against the rock,”

If you look at the written scripture in context you will see that the Bible does not say it is okay the kill babies. The Psalmist was speaking of the Babylonian captivity, and how the captors were treating God’s people. Revenge was very common in those days and the Psalmist wished the same to the captors as he may have witnessed those offences done to them. He wanted their complete annihilation.

There is no scripture that reads that God condoned such actions. It was merely recorded in the Old Testament.

The atheist or skeptic in any case must first have a standard against which to measure good and bad, to say this is unacceptable; and without a standard, no complaints can be legitimately offered. This is a sincere question that if not answered by the skeptic, makes the critics’ accusation problematic.

Christmas and the Attack on Christianity

I thought I would re-re-post this article as I am still reading a lot of utter nonsense about Christmas!

It amazes me on how much can come out of the Miracle of Christmas. How so many people and faiths show their true colors, including the worldview/religion of Atheism and Paganism. The confusion is so deeply rooted that I find that even Christians don’t know what to make of the Holiday. Just recently I was in a room with several atheists (I would presume atheists) that felt it was ok to openly criticize how” stupid” Christians are to celebrate December 25th as that was the birthday of Mithras, and he was born of a virgin…etc. Well, very little research is necessary to see that the “myth” of Mithras is quickly brought into light as a “myth” and all other written myth facts on other mythical beings as stated in the documentary “Zeitgeist” et al. are erroneous and just plain lies from the producers. Mithras was written to be “born out of a stone,” according to that myth. If not bold face lies, then adequate research was not done and was a direct attack on Christianity.

Yes, it is true that the Bible does not tell us to celebrate December 25th as Christ’s birthday and you will likely not find a Theologian that would say that it is. In theory, Christ’s date of birth is thought to have been during the spring harvest. In fact, nowhere in the Bible does it read that we must celebrate it. However, that does not mean we cannot celebrate our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ. Amen!

What has spurned on this article is the brashness of how the Antichrist atheists and Pagans openly will throw around such vitriol. If I was just to walk into a room and started mocking homosexual’s or racial slurs in a place where I did not know the cultural, religious or racial makeup of the crowd, I could be sued out of my jeans!

I truly believe that as Christians we should keep our eyes on our Lord Jesus. Why do we as Christians not stand up in allegiance to this onslaught? Is it in our character to let it go? Jesus taught us to love, persevere humility, sacrifice, and forgiveness. How should we respond? “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places,” Eph 6: 12

The writer of the Book of Peter warned us Christians about the coming persecutions:

“Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; 13 but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing; so that also at the revelation of His glory, you may rejoice with exultation. 14 If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. 15 By no means let any of you suffer as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler; 16 but if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not feel ashamed, but in that name let him glorify God. 17 For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18 And if it is with difficulty that the righteous is saved, what will become of the godless man and the sinner? 19 Therefore, let those also who suffer according to the will of God entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right.” 1 Peter 4: 12-19

We are clearly in the end times. Persecution and yes, MURDER of Christians will exponentially rise as it did in the past. So how are we to handle this? 1 Peter 3: 13-17 says it all.

“And who is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good? 14 But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. And do not fear their intimidation, and do not be troubled, 15 but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence; 16 and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. 17 For it is better if God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong.”

Christianity is a real threat to their ways of the world. Don’t kid yourself! Keep your eyes on the cross!

Remember to be ready to make a defense to everyone as Peter wrote. Christian Apologist Greg Koukl uses what he coins as “The Columbo Tactic,” that is when confronted by an attack or accusation start by asking the question, “What do you mean by that?” then you can follow up by “How did you reach that conclusion?” After those probing questions, you will find their argument will not hold up, or at least getting them to think, thus dropping a pebble in their shoe.

Remember that Christian Persecution is rampant and that it is, as usual, open season on Christians. Please remember to pray for the persecutors and always keep Christ your primary focus. As the scripture that Peter wrote:

“And who is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good? 14 But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. And do not fear their intimidation, and do not be troubled, 15 but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts…”

Merry Christmas! Stay on guard! Glorify Christ in all you do! AMEN!

 

God Bless

Brian Mason

What? Mary Is Part of the Trinity? The Quran Says So!

The Quran is wrong in so many places. I will visit more of these errors in up coming blog posts.

– Surah 5:116, “And behold! Allah will say: ‘O Jesus the son of Mary! Didst thou say unto men, worship me and my mother as gods in derogation of Allah?” ” He will say: “Glory to Thee! Never could I say what I had no right (to say). Had I said such a thing, thou wouldst indeed have known it. Thou knowest what is in my heart, Thou I know not what is in Thine. For Thou knowest in full all that is hidden.”

Let’s take A look at Muslim commentary on this verse.
– Commentary regarding Surah 5:116, “And, mention, when God says, that is, when God will say, to Jesus at the Resurrection in rebuke of his followers: ‘O Jesus, son of Mary, did you say to mankind, “Take me and my mother as gods, besides God”?’ He, Jesus, says, shuddering: ‘Glory be to You!, exalted be You above all that does not befit You, such as [having] a partner and so on…” (http://www.altafsir.com/Tafasir.asp?

As a note, commentary on Surah 4:171 mentioned above also reveals that Mary was mistakingly considered part of the Trinity as is described in the Quran.

– Commentary regarding Surah 4:171, “So believe in God and His messengers, and do not say, that the gods are, ‘Three’, God, Jesus and his mother. Refrain, from this and say what, it is better for you, [to say], which is the profession of His Oneness. Verily, God is but One God.”(http://www.altafsir.com/Tafasir.asp?

Mistake:: Surah 5:116 implies that Christians taught that Mary is not part of the Trinity (which the Quran says is three gods). Christianity has never taught that Mary is to be worshiped or part of the Trinity. The Quran made a mistake.

God Bless

Brian Mason

Do We Need “Good Works” and “Faith” to be Saved? Book of James Explained

The Roman Catholic Church is quite clear in their stance that Roman Catholics must have “Good Works” as well as Faith to be saved. It is in their Catechism:

The specific precepts of the natural law, because their observance, demanded by the Creator, is necessary for salvation,” (CCC, par. 2010).

“The Decalogue [the Ten Commandments] contains a privileged expression of the natural law. It is made known to us by divine revelation and by human reason,” (CCC 2080).

” . . . the Second Vatican Council confirms: ‘The bishops, successors of the apostles, receive from the Lord . . . the mission of teaching all peoples, and of preaching the Gospel to every creature, so that all men may attain salvation through faith, Baptism and the observance of the Commandments,'” (CCC 2068).

However this is not a biblically based doctrine. It is a dangerous doctrine that if the Roman Catholic believes, will be on their way to hell. The RC will cite the book of James as proof that works are required for Salvation! However this is not true.

James begins this section by using the example of someone who says he has faith but has no works, “What use is it, my brethren, if a man says he has faith, but he has no works? Can that faith save him?” (James 2:14). In other words, James is addressing the issue of a dead faith; that is nothing more than a verbal pronouncement. It is empty of life and action. He begins with the negative and demonstrates what an empty faith is (verses 15-17, words without actions). Then he shows that that type of faith isn’t much different from the faith of demons (verse 19). Finally, he gives examples of living faith that is words followed by actions. He writes of Abraham and Rahab as examples of people who demonstrated their faith by their deeds. In brief, James is examining two kinds of faith: one that leads to godly works and one that does not. One is true, and the other is false. One is dead, the other alive; hence, “Faith without works is dead,” (James 2:20).

Please pray for the Roman Catholic follower to repent and leave that apostate religion.

God Bless

Brian Mason