Who Is This Anitchrist? And Who Are The Many Antichrists?

Little children, it is the last time: and as ye 

have heard that antichrist shall come, even

 now are there many antichrists; whereby 

we know that it is the last time. They went 

out from us; but they are not of us; for if 

they had been of us, they would no doubt 

have continued with us: but they went out, 

that they might be made manifest that they 

were not all of us. But ye have aan unction 

from the Holy One, and ye know all things.

1John 2:18-20 

     John is an apostle of love as can be seen in this letter, therefore to use the term "little children" ia a love term for those who he considers to be of Christ's bride. The Greek word used here refers to education, a training up, nuture of children, instruction, discipine, correctin, and chastisement. Some would take that word to just mean "little children" when it does in context but also has a larger meaning that I have given. Next about antichrist for the Greek is important to note for the two words translated as antichrist are speaking of two different beings. How? The first antichrist has before the word antichrist the article "the," and the second does not, therefore the first translation is "the antichrist is coming," and the second is that there are "many anitichrists now." What is an "anitchrist?" This word means to be an opponent, an imposter, or that a person is assuming aguise of Christ and by his opposition takes the place of Christ. One sure way to know if a person is an antichrist is to listen to their words when it comes to Christ, for if they will say that they beleive in Christ but either denies Him, or never, or hardly ever speaking about Him, and some even go so far as to deny that Jesus Christ came in the flesh. "The antichrist" (note the "the") is one who affirms himself to be the Christ. Do you know of anyone who says that he is a Christian and that he is the vicar of Christ? To be called the "vicar" of Christ is to placed onself as the substitute for Jesus Christ. It can be said that a person who substitutes himself in place of the "real" Christ who is in heaven might just be called the "anitchrist" one of many who are plaguing the Authentic Christian Church. Many are being misled and are leaving the true Authentic Christian Church. They were of us and now they are not and not only them but others who are honestly seeking Jesus Christ are misled. 

     John under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit says that you have an unction. What is an unction? It the act of annointing, or a medical treatment, to be soothing or comforting, or an affected or excessive earnestness in manner or utterance, to have moralistic fervor. So, you have been soothed, comforted by Jesus Christ and by the love from your brothers and sisters in Christ and you too are to be one who comforts and soothes. But there is more! You are also to have a fervor for Christ, for the Gospel, to be earnest in your following the command of Jesus to take the gospel anywhere you go, or speak. 

     John writes: "I have not written unto you becaue ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth. Who is a liar but hethat denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is anitchrst, that denith the Father and the Son. Whosever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also" (1John 2:21-23). The Greek is clear for before "Christ" is the Greek word for "the," not just some one calling themselves the "messiah" or "Christ" but "the Christ" and to deny the truth about Him is to be a liar. How do you deny Christ? Well, teach that He was just a phantom, or that He was just another prophet, or that He did not really come, and that He is not God. If you deny Jesus Christ, then you deny the Father. Why? Because the Father and Jesus Christ are One, not separate beings, but one of the Trinity that makes up the Godhead. If you acknowledge that Jesus Christ is the promised Messiah and that He died for you on the cross then you are speaking the truth and are not a liar. 

     I have attended many Churches and have heard many anecdotes, and analogies, and supernatural miracles, and never heard one word about Jesus Christ. There is no speaking of sin, personal sin that needs a personal Savior. I have attend some of these Churches, and it is almost all of them, the atmosphere is more like being at a Woodstock Concert" with euphoric utterances, and jumping around, shouting, and clapping (which in itself is not wrong) that is all about a person's feelings that have been fueled by some eloquent speaker driving them on to this frenzy. This is not Christianity and even is denying our Lord and Savior to achieve some personal "good" feeling, to feel godly.  You do not have to sit stoic, and have no feelings, but are those feelings fueled by the Gospel or be a man, or woman? It is alright to raise your hands in worship, even to clap at the appropiate times, even to shout out "amen." Yet, in all this Jesus Christ must not be denied in any form or manner. It is the Gospel that saves and the Gospel being preached is lacking in too many so-called Christian Churches. How is your Church? At times I miss the shouting out "amen" when the preacher has made an important point about Jesus Christ. Many of the people in Churches today look as thought they are ready to party, to go to the beach, or to the park, lake, and respect is missing in their dress which is a sign that their worship may not be all that genuine. Even announcers wear suits and ties, and the women announcers were proper respectful dress. Why not us who are coming to worship our God and Savior? Is this attitude and lack of respect a way to subtly deny Jesus? It may be! No, a person's dress does not save him, or make him an Authentic Christian, and many do not have the money to have such clothing. Really? Well, I have two expensive suits in my closet and the total cost, with ties, $26.00. As a loving brother or sister is you have the money buy a proper respectful clothing for someone and aid them to understand what it means to be respecful in all things towards or Savior and God. Others who come to your Church may think that they have come to a party and never hear about Jesus Christ. Is this not some form or manner of denial? Yes! You do not have to remain in denial for as John states: you know the truth.

The days of visitation are come,

     the days of recompence are come;

Israel shall know it: the prophet is a fool,

     the spritiual man is mad, for the multitude

of thine iniquity, and the great hatred.......

     My God will cast them away,

because they did not hearken unto Him:

    and they shall be wanderers among 

the nations.

                   Hosea 9:7,17

 Prepare now! Many anitchrists want your life

Richard L. Crumb

How Are We To "Love Not The World?" And How Are We To "Love The World?"

Love not the world, neither the things 

that are in the world. If any man love the world, 

the love of the Father is not in him. For all that

 is in the world,  the lust of the flesh, and the lust 

of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of 

the Father, but is of the world. And the world 

passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he 

that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

1John 2:15-17 

     The Greek word for love is: "άγαπα̃τε" and as I have pointed out before it is always: context, context, context, that leads us to the correct interpretation and translation. This Greek word used here by John as three possibilities: 1. 2person plural, present, indicative. 2. 2person plural, present imperative. 3. 2person plural present subjective. 1. The present tense in the indicative refers to present time and the active voice represnts the subject as acting instead of being acted upon; the indicative mood makes an assertion, in distinction, for example, for a command or a wish. 2. The subjunctive is the mood of dubious assertion, expressing probability, and therefore refers, commonly, to the future, i.e. to what may be or what may have been (the future from the standpoint of the past). 3. The imperative is the mood in which commands and requests are normally expresse. the context here does not allow for the future as John is presntly speaking to fathers, and young men. In the present tense indicative could be used here, that is, to be presently not loving the world, so it has the force of a command, or wish, and in the imperative it is a command or a request: start doing, start not loving the world. What is meant by "the world?" The Greek word: "κόσμον" means an orderly arrangement, a decoration and by implication, the world including its inhabitants. In Hebrews 4:3 it is translated "earth" and in contrast to "heaven." In Romans 4:13 by metonymy (that it to use the name of one object for another to which it is related or which it is a part). The Greek word for "love" "άγαπα̃τε" is from: "άγαπαάω” that means to love, to value, to esteem, or feel or manikfest generous concern for, to delight in, to be devoted.

     It is not wrong to be philanthranpic and done for the right reason, to have principled God love but we are to be separate from the world, not people, that cannot happen unless you become a hermit hidden away somewhere from the world. We are to not love the things of the world that make up what the world is in relationship to God and His commands. If the love of the world is leading a person in how they live their life and exercise life the Father is not in him. Oil and water do not mix and God is not a surfactant that is that He holds as one both good and bad, or as in life to hold oil and water on one molecule. What is wrong it to "love this world and the lust of this world, to have, more and and more, to be autonomous, and be in antinomy, do not tell me what to do...etc.... for this is of the world and not of the Father. We have a choice: live for and with God, or live for and with this world. This world with all its trappings is going to pass away and whoever is not found to be of God, to be an Authentic Christian, a child of God, adopted by Him will be destroyed along with this world.  

     God so love you that He came to you by sending His Wisdom to this world, Jesus Christ, the promised Messiah. If God so loved you as to die for you then will you do the same for Him?  

Though the LORD be high, 

    yet He respect unto the

lowly; but the proud He

    knoweth afar off.

                Psalm 138: 6

Love the world from afar off

Richard L. Crumb

 

 

Real Faith Gives Strength For Young And Old

I write unto you, little children, 

because your sins are forgiven you for 

His name's sake. I write unto you, fathers,

 because ye have known Him that is from

 the beginning. I write unto you, young men, 

because ye have overcome the wicked one. 

I write unto you, little children, because ye 

have known the Father. I have written unto you,

 fathers, because ye have known Him that 

is from the beginning. I have written unto you, 

young men, because ye are strong, and the 

word of God abideth in you, and ye have 

overcome the wicked one.

1John 2: 12-14 

     Semantics, what is it? Why is it important to know the meaning? Semantics has to do with or pertaining to meaning or arising from the different meanings of the words(s) or other symbols. I offer the Greek words and their meanings, not from what I want them to mean, rather to give the meaning from mostly Strong's Concordance and Dictionary along with the Greek Lexicon. Why? Because there are those who "spin" meanings of words that fit their theology, rather than allowing Scripture to define their theology. Also, to give to you a clearer understanding of what the writers of the Bible wrote. When the words used in translation do not give a full and clear meaning of the word then it is up to us to find out what is the full and clear meaning for if not then all sorts of theories are fronted as truth. For instance: The King James Bible, the New Word Translation, uses the Greek word: "νεανίσκοι" is translated as "little children," The NIV does not as it uses: "young men," when this word does not have that meaning at all and this translation gives way to doctrines about children that this Scripture does not imply or state. Verse 12 uses the Greek word "τεκνία" and does not have the word for "little" as this is added to attempt to give meaning to this word. Now, we must understand this word for it means, a child, daughter, son, and it is also used as a spiritual relationship (2Titus 2:1; Philemon 10). There are words for child, as to their age, and here in context this word gives prominence to physical and outward aspects of parentage. A doctrine that has been forwarded in some denominations is that as a child you do not have sins as do other more mature persons. This is not true. Yes, a child may not have committed certain sins but they are still sinful in the eyes of God for they have the results of the original sin in them and if not then why did Jesus have to die on the cross for the "sin" of the world?

     John in verse 12 must have the understanding of a persons spiritual relationship and that some are as little children in their spiritual growth and their growth in sanctification for in the next verses he addresses "young men" conjoining those two Greek words to apply to the same group. Remember, there are those who are babes in Jesus Christ and there are men who have grown in maturity so that there are peculiar states and they also have peculiar duties, but that does not eliminate the precepts and obedience common to all Authentic Christians, mutual love, and a contempt of the world. 

     John writes to admonish all Christians to "sin" not and gives one of the meanings for this letter. But if you do sin, you have an advocate with the Father. What is an advocate? We heare and even use this word but do you know what it means? An advocate is one who will support you or urge you by argument even to give an argument for the right for you to have your sins forgiven to the Father. We often only think of a the word "argument as a mean word, a fight, and can under the right circumstances, but there is more. So an argument can be a disagreement, can even be called a debate, or a process of reasoning, a series of reasons. Jesus gives and has the only reason for your sins to be forgiven and that is by means of His death that paid for sin, and is applied to all who put their faith, trust, and conversion in Him. God the Father sees you and forgives you through His Only Begotten Son Jesus Christ. God is gracious and merciful and by His coming to earth by sending His Wisdom to be fully man and fully God, the hypostatic union, He will forgive all who come to Him. Jesus Christ is the Righteous and the propitiation, that is by His death and your faith you are made favorable and have been given the right for God to be appeased. The power of regeneration is not by the works of man, but by those who are adopted as sons and daughters. 

     How can you be assured of forgiveness and regeneration and adoption? First: you must keep the word of God in all you do and say. Paul reminds us as fathers that we have the responsibility to teach our children about Jesus Christ and to impart and even embue the word of God in them by your reading the word of God with them and discussing about God, the Father and the the Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, that they are the Godhead and by means of the Trinity God will lead, regenerate and adopt them. Teach the children to be strong in their faith and to stay away from the sins of this world. Teach your children what it means to have Authentic Christian Faith. Teach your children what it means to "love" and how to "love" all brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ. 

     It is "young men" not "little children" that John is writing about and he is not teaching that children are sinless, but is teaching that all people, little children, young men and women need to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Mature Christians, you know the truth and you know that God does not lie, therefore all His promises have been and will be fulfilled, and the best promise of all is eternal life. Teach this!

Train up a child in te way

    he should go: and when

he is old he will not depart

    from it.

            Proverbs 22:6

The word of God your weapon of protection

Richard L. Crumb

What Does John Mean? "I Write To You A New Commandment."

And hereby we do know that we know Him, 

ifwe keep His commandments. He that saith, 

I know Him, and keepeth not His commandments, 

is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso

 keepeth His word, in Him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in Him. 

He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself 

also so to walk, even as He walked.

1John 2:3-6 

     Before I begin I want to thank all who take the time to comment as I enjoy and read all that is commented even those things written that are in someway opposed to what I write. Also it is important to listen to all that is proposed and said and then to examine that with Scripture. Learning to critically think is important in every part of life as there are those who are attempting to turn you from the truth, even in false advertising. Again I do thank you as it enlarges my understanding and hopefully to write to you what I have found in my study of the Scriptures.

     The apostle John under the leading of the Holy Spirit is writing to us as how to live as an Authentic Christian and to not be misled by those who are doing all they can to teach false doctrine. False doctrine leads to false exercise of one even making their worship to not be of God. So it is important that we read what God has revealed to us and in this case John is telling us that we are to keep God's commandments. That sounds pretty simple, maybe even juvenile, yet how often do we not keep His commandments? Or, how often does some denomination, or Church add to God's commandments? I know of a so-callled Christian Church, (I so "so-called" because this Church teaches that they are doing the truth of Scripture, but their exercise of this "so-called" truth belies Scriptural truth) and many are paying to go to their School of the Supernatural and although they go they are all about attitude and do not have the aptitude of knowing Scripture, the truth of Scripture. They do know how to be euphoric, and even at times in a frenzy in their "so-called" worship of God, but in reality they are not keeping the simple words of Scripture and the keeping of God's commandments. John is clear that to not teach the truth and not keeping God's commandments then that person(s) is a liar. But if a person keeps God's commandments then they are walking in love, not philathranpic love, (which is not all bad), but walking in God's principled love (agape). God's principle love is found in His commandments. 

     How often do you hear of someone speaking that they have a "secret", a "key," something "new" that only they have and now imparting to you? "If only you do this or that" then you will be blessed, and God will shine down on you and give to you, prosperity, a home, a car, a job, etc....etc... when the greatest blessing any person can have is salvation and by that salvation have eternal life. What other blessing do you need? Yes, we all have issues, problems, things that we would like, and we pray for God to give them to us, to lead us, to do, to do, to do, when God gave you a brain, the ability to think and to measure things, and to criticallyt think through a problem. Yes, by using what God as so graciously given us, a brain, and reading His word as ensuring that our decisions are in line with His commandments then we will be blessed. To know God's commandments is not enough, you must be "walking" as Jesus walked, and to be abiding in Him. 

     God does not change and His commandments do not change with the change in culture: "Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in Him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth" (1John 2:7-8). What does John mean when he said: "I write  no new comandment" and then: "I write a new commandment?" Sounds like "doulbe-talk" does it not? John is not writing a new commandment but telling you, the reader, that that old commandment is new to them because Jesus has come in the flesh and the darkness that surrounded people is now passing away. This darkness is passing away until the return of Jesus for His bride. The darkness of doubt, fear, and the lack of brotherly love can now be abated and that darkness is beginning to shine, brighter and brighter. How do you know that that light shines in you? By how you walk, how you keep His commandments, and this seen very clearly on how you treat and care for your brothers and sisters in Christ. John adds: "He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now. He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in Him. But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knowieth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes" (1John 2:9-11). Let me clear up that Greek word "μισω̃ν" as the word "hate" in English does not carry the full meaning of the Greek, the Greek word means "to hate" and this by malicious and unjustifable feelings towards others. In this writing of the word it is used as a relative preference for one thing over another, by way of expressing either aversion or thing realtively to those of another. Futhermore, it means to disregard for one's life relatively to the claims of Jesus Christ. Are you, or do you know of such instances whereby in your Church, the relationships between those attending your congregation have had your, or others, malicious and aversion due to some dislike about that person? I am not speaking of knowing one who is openenly speaking heresy but may in their walk still have much darkness that needs the light of the truth and you have that responsibility to lovenly bring that truth to them. This is the brotherly love, the commandment from old that may now be new. If a person continues to walk in this darkness they are blind, blind to the truth because of some false teaching, or other feelings that have led them into a deep dark place away from God, away from the One who will bless them, save them, and give to them eternal life. Brotherly love will kindly, with all grace and patience lead that person back to the light of the truth. What a joy it is to see one who has been walking in darkness come to the light, and what a blessing to know that God has used you to bring that light to them. 

And He said unto me, Son of man,

    I send thee to the children of Israel,

to a rebellious nation that hath rebelelled 

    against Me: they and their fathers have

transgressed against Me, even unto this very day.

                     Ezekiel 2:3

Bring light to someone today

Richard L. Crumb 

Who Is This Light? God, Jesus, Or Both?

This then is the message which we have 

heard of Him, and declare unto you, that

 God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. 

If we say that we have fellowship with Him, 

and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: 

but if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, 

we have fellowship with another, and the 

blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us 

from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, 

we deceive ourselves, and the truth 

is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is

 faithful and just to forgive us our sins, 

and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 

If we say that we have not sinned, we make

 Him a liar, and His word is not in us.

1John 1:5-10 

     In the book of John and John the Baptise ensures us that Jesus is the Light and that he was bearing witness to that Light, the One sent into the world. It is this light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world (John 1:9). John is clear and plain that Jesus is God (John 1:1) and that the Word is the Light and is God. Life, life eternal, is only through Jesus Christ and our confession, not only of our sins, but our confession that Jesus is God the Savior. This confession is proved to be real by our conversion shown in the exercise of our life. Here in the first book of John once again God is called Light and we are to walk in that light and the blood of Jesus who is also called the Light for John connects the two by informing us taht the message is of Him. Who is the "of Him?" It is Jesus Christ and is conjoined to God as also the light. To say anything different is to be a liar and though one is living a "good moral" life that will not save you from your sins. If we say we are walking in the Light and teach a doctrine that is foreign to the truth of Scripture, no matter how twisted a Scripture is tortured to prove a theology, that life is not saved and that person is a liar. Furthermore, if we walk in the light then we have fellowship with one another which is why we have congregations: we are to care for one another in Agape love, that is a love based on God's principle, a God principle love. 

     You may say: "I am a Methodist," or "I am a Baptist," or "I am a Presbyterian," or " I am an Epicopalian,", or any other denomination but being associated with a denomination will not save you. You may feel cleansed of your sins, and that might be true, but it is only true if you are walking in the Light, the truth of who is Jesus Christ and have Authentic Christian Faith, a faith built upon, not man's doctrine, but on the pure word of God. Catholics run to a priest to confess their sins and get some sort of abolution, but that is not Scriptural, the Charismatics get all worked up in some "holy" frenzy, a euphoric event, but that will not save you, in fact it does not even show that you are an Authentic Christian. Jesus is to whom we confess our sins (1John 1:9). Only Jesus can cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1John 1:9). 

     John makes this one thing very clear: "My little children, these things write I unto you, tht ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world" (1John 2:1-2). The propitiation is that by the death of Jesus Christ and our conversion to Him we are then made to be favorable with God. This propitiation is available for the whole world but unless faith is received and this by hearing the word of God that propitiation falls on deaf ears and that person is not in favor with God and deserves the punishment that God holds in reserve until He comes again for those who He holds in favor: His children who believe on Him and in the sacrifice of His Son Jesus Christ. 

     The world is in a mess, and the Church, that is the people of the Church are in a mess with so much heresy and false teaching misleading so many people that the time is now for all of us to be in the word, studying, looking up meanings of the Greek word when it is unclear, and to change from the culture of this world to the culture of Authentic Christainity. The question is: Will you?

Let them give thanks to the LORD

     for His unfailing love and His 

wonderful deeds for men. Let them

    sacrifice thank offerings and tell

of His works with songs of joy.

                  Psalm 107: 21-22

Confess your sins and you will be forgiven

Richard L. Crumb 

Learning the Reason John Wrote Three Epistles

That which was from the beginning, which 

we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, 

which we have looked upon, and our hands have 

handled, of the Word of life; (for the life was 

manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, 

and shew unto you that eteral life, which was 

from the Father, and was manifested unto us;) 

that which we have seen and heard declare 

we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: 

and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and 

with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things 

write we unto you, that your joy may be full.

1John 1:1-4 

     We have finished the two letters of the apostle Peter and now turn our attention to the apostle John. We have previously studied the book of John, now we turn to those three letters written probably around the end of the first century. John who lived and died about 100 years, who taught Polycarp, and probably Ireneaus who also was a student of Polycarp and wrote letters to the Churches must not be confused with John the Baptist who was the son of Elisabeth, sister of Barnabas, and surnamed Mark (acts 12:12, 25; 13; 15:37) the son of Zacharias and Elisabeth, the forerunner of annoucing that Jesus Christ was the One whom he spoke of as the Messiah. John the apostle was a fisherman and who became the apostle of love, the man whom Jesus loved. Charles Wesley's words of John: 

                "A Caesar's title less my envy moves 

                Than to be styled the man whom Jesus loves;

                What charms, what beauties in his face did shine

                Reflected ever from the face divine."

     The early Christians faced heresy in the Church which was a problem of distinguishing orthodoxy from heterodoxy, faithful ministers from false teachers. We have that problem today, therefore a study of God's word without the encumberaning effect of presuppostions that are used to prove God's word rather than God's word informing us of God's teachings whereby we arrive at the truth of God. the apostle John formulates about tighteousness, love of fellow believers, and correct Christology. Furthermore, John gives to how we are to test the Christian profession of teachers and of oneself.

     Cerinthianism which is a heresy of Gnosticism probably was growing in Christendom by the time of John's writings of these letters. Irenaeus wrote this account: "John left a bath house hurriedly when the Gnostic leader Cerinthus entered: "There are lso those who heard from him [Polycarp] that John, the Lord's discipe, going to bathe at Ephesus, and perceiving Cerinthus inside, rushed out of the bath house without bathing [and] exlaing, 'let us flee, lest even the bath house fall down, because Cerinthus, the enemy of the truth, is inside'" (Irenaeus, Against Heresies 3:34). What is this heresy? Against this Cerinthian doctrine John stresses that it was the one person "Jesus Christ" who began his public manifestation by being baptized and finished it by being crucified: "This is the One who came by water and blood--Jesus Christ; not by the water only, but by the water and by the blood (1John 5:6). That is, Jesus Christ really died as well as entered His ministry by the water of baptism. Against this the Cerinthian doctrine teaches the notion that matter is inherently evil, (this is definitely Gnostic) and Cerinthus distingiushed between an immaterial, divine Christ-spirit and a human Jesus with a physical body, and said that the Christ-spirit came on the human Jesus right after Jesus' baptism and left just before the crucifixion.

     Another heresy is Docetism. Docetism is not really a single heretical movement. It is, rather, a doctrinal point intrinsic to a number of early Christian heresies and even some contemporary Christian (or Christ-related) denominations. A heretical teaching about the person of Christ which holds that Christ, the divine Word, only seemed to assume the flesh of Jesus. The term is from the Greek dokein, "to seem." Jesus' life, suffering, death, and bodily resurrection were considered unreal. It thus undermines belief in the reality of the Incarnation as a doctrine of Christian faith. The roots of docetism lie in the pervasive Greek understanding of matter as evil and of God as incapable of suffering or "impassive."Docetism has cropped up in a number of Christian belief systems, and even has some adherents still. The main reason that it keeps coming up, is that, in one form or another, it rationally answers the question, How could God be human? How could God have died? The Docetist answer, of course — whatever the reasoning might be — is that God never was human and never actually died. More orthodox Christians consider Docetism to be among the most severe threats to their beliefs, since it denies the resurrection, which they consider to be the most important facet of Christianity. Without it, one might as well not believe in Christ at all! Thus, there will always be some Docetist theology popping up here or there, and there'll always be some orthodox "enforcers" trying to suppress or debunk it. 
     There were many more heresies that the early Christians faced as they attempted and at times succeeded to change the truth into what they believed to be true according especially to the doctrine of the Gnostics. As much as the early Christians had to stay alert to these heresies we too today have to stay alert for in at least some way those heresies continue to affect the Church. 
     Who else should we listen to other than the one who walked, talked and touched Jesus Christ. The man John who lived many years and saw that the truth was being infected by heresy and wrote to alleviate Christians from the sin of believing in those heresies. We too today must remove the sin of false teaching. 

If a member of the community sins
    unintentionally and does what is 
forbidden in any of the LORD's commands,
    he is guilty.
               Leviticus 4:27

Confess your sins: God is merciful to the repentant

Richard L. Crumb

Learning The Meaning Of Growing In Grace And Knowledge

Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, 

what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, looking for and 

hasting unto the coming of he day of God, 

wherein the heavens being on fire shall be 

dissolved, and the elements shall melt with 

fervernt heat? Wherefore, beloved, seeing 

that ye look for such things, be diligent that

 ye many be found of Him in pece, without spot, 

and blameless. And account that the longsuffering

 of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved 

brother Paul also according to the wisdom given 

unto him hath written unto you; as also in all 

his epistles, speaking in them of these things; 

in which are some things hard to be understood, 

which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, 

as they do also the other scriptures unto their 

own destruction.

2Peter 3:11-16 

     Notice that I have included the italics where they were inputed into the writings and by this many have misunderstood why it was necessary to do so. Good translation is not just a literal translation. Translation must be put into good English and by doing this to not lose what the Scriptures indicate by context. "Seeing" was added but does not exist in the writing of Peter as he only wrote, "then things things" but it is not wrong to add that word "seeing" to give clarity to what Peter has been inspired to write. The word in Greek often translated as "looking" or as in the King James Version states: "as you look forward" is a good English translation as the this word means to be expecting, to anticipate, to look while waiting. This is important to know for we are to be "expecting with anticipation the coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. When Jesus Christ returns this world, all of its elements will be destroyed, melt, by fire, a fire of fervent heat. 

     Should we worry? No! Not if you are an Authentic Christian and have Authentic Christian Faith for not to just "look" as the Greek word does not say for it is to be diligent. How are we to be diligent? To be spotless, blameless and to be in peace. Peace with this world? No! Peace among all brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ no matter their ethenticity, or their culture whereas dress of festivals may be different, not sinful, but are good, and lead people to worship God in a right manner. Some Christian antics are just that, antics, leading people to believe they are worshipping God when in fact all they are doing is feeding and fueling their lustful desires, to feel godly when in fact they are just following the euphoric actions promoted by those Christians are warned about and against. 

     Jesus Christ is the Savior, not some angel, as Jehovah Witnesses teach, nor a brother to Satan, as the Mormons teach, no, He is the only Savior and God who will save all of God's children, both those alive at His coming and those who have died before His coming, all to come to life eternal. 

     Peter reminds us of Paul that he wrote epistles that were to be read as instructions to Christian. Albeit they may be hard to understand that misunderstanding is not just for those who are Atheists, they do not care about God, but to those within the Church claiming to have a knowledge, a secret, a "key" that somehow they have been priviledge to have and impart that "secret," "key," making themselves seem to be godly when in fact they are those who "spin," "twist," Scripture to fit their theology. How do I know they are those who claim to be a Christian? They also look into the Old Testament and twist those writings to fit their ideology or theology. 

     Peter ends this letter: "Ye therefore, beloved, seeing (to know beforehand; my notes), you know these things before, beware lest ye also, bing led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness. But grow ing race, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen. (2Peter 3:17-18).  

     This is the end of this study on the letters of Peter and I do hope and pray that you have gained knowledge and that you have grown from the inside/out and have considered your faith seeing and expecting the coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. By this expecting you have put away this world's culture, and you have embraced Authentic Christianity, furthermore, that others, without a word from you can see your Authentic Christian Faith. 

     May the peace of God reside upon you now and forever.

For the LORD takes delight in His people;

    He crowns the humble with salvation.

Let the saints rejoice in this honor and sing

    for joy on their beds.

                       Psalm 149:4-5

The Lord delights in you, therefore delight in Him

Richard L. Crumb

What Does It Mean: "One Day Is Like A Thousand Years And A Thousand Years As One Day?"

But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing,

 that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, 

and a thousand years as on day. The Lord 

is not slack concerning His promise, as some men

 count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward,

 not willing that any should perish, but that all 

should come to repentance. But the day of

the Lord will come as a thief in the night;

 in the which the heavens shall pass away 

with a great noise, and the elements shall

 melt with fervent heat, the earth also and

 the works that are therein shall be burned up.

2Peter 3:8-10 

     Ungodly men and women, children, who have not accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior will be destroyed. This may sound harsh and that a loving God would never destroy. Really? God who is Just demands justice. Sin is unjust against God who created men and women to have life, to have the good that God intended for men to have and then lost by sin, a sin agianst the will of God. Justice then would be that those have sinned against God would be judged and that judgment is final: they must pay for their sins. God has throughout history provided the means for all to come to know Him but many rejected Him, even Israel at times rejected God and were punished. In time God came to earth by sending His Wisdom to become the Son of God, the Son of Man to pay this debt that man cannot ever pay. All that needs to be done to have salvation is to recognize that a person is sinful and in need of a savior and then recognize that Jesus is that Savior and by faith in Him they will be saved, eternal salvation, this free gift from God given to men by His Grace and Mercy. Men and women, children all over the world need to hear the word of God and we are the means to bring to them His word by which faith comes (Romans 10:17; Ephesians 2:8,9; 4:8).  We are to take this faith giving word to the world (Matthew  28:16-20; Acts 1:8): will you? You may not be called to go into foreign lands or to be a full-time evangelist, but you are commanded to take this message of salvation to your world. Will you? 

     Men have distorted a passage in Peter to meet their presuppositions and one such distorting is: "one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as on day." Some teach this literally as with Jehovah Witnesses, but they have had to revise their beliefs due to the fact that their prophecies about the coming of Jesus Christ does not fit their understanding of these words. Other Christian Churches and men have distorted this to fit their presuppostions about the coming of Jesus Christ. So then, how are we to understand these words of Peter? Peter seems to be referring to a common saying among the Israelits founded on: "For a thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night" (Psalm 90:4). God is eternal, no beginning, no end, always present therefore time is something different to Him and for Him a thousand days, years, are just like a day to Him. Furthermore, the Hebrews interpreted days of millenniums, and reckoned millenniums by days, and used tht phrase in confermation of it. Peter does not give us a start date, or time, for the thousand years to begin, or end, he just tells us that for God time is insignificant but not for men and women who need to come to Jesus Christ now and be saved. Furthermore, for God, for Jesus Christ God Himself who died for men and promised to come again will certainly come again even though for some time for His coming seems slack. But here is a problem, men count time different from God, but God will keep His promise to come. He, God, promised to come when He spoke to Adam and Eve, and to others thoughout history until the day came that God came into Mary to fulfill that promise. That promise was that by Him salvation was now for all who will come to Him and believe on Him and put their faith in Him. God is and has been longsuffering but a time is coming when God will put an end to the ungodly as He did by the Great Flood, and by His mercy saved eight souls who believed in Him. 

    We do not know the day or the hour Jesus is coming for He will come like a thief in the night, but He is not coming silently, for there will be great noise, and then this earth will be dissolved by fire and all that are therein who have not accepted Jesus Christ will be destroyed and thrown into the Lake of Fire (Revelation 20:11-15). We can see that this world is getting worse and that God is being removed from almost every part of life and being replaced by an ideology like Socialism, Atheism, and this occurred by men and women before the Great Flood, then God seeing that man will not change, albeit that God's will is for all men to come to Him and be saved, they will not and God will judge them to be destroyed. 

     Is this love? Yes! For God will protect His children from the influence of sinful men. A time, a time without time, when a day is like a thousand years comes to all God has saved wherein all of God's Authentic Christians with Authentic Christian Faith will live eternally for God has a plan for His children who will live eternally as He intended when He created men and women. Will the flames of fire lick you unto death, eternal death, or will you enjoy the peace of God eternally living as God intended for you to live? You have a choice, what will your choice be?

     I went to Palo Alto at the Veterans Hospital and met with my surgeon for my cancer and while it was planned for some cosmetic surgery on my nose we did not feel the need to do so as I am breathing easily and there was no real need to correct the little disfiguration. That was good, but I also learned that the margins of my tissue removed had signs of some cancer so I must be seen and examined every three months for the next two years. Oh well! In every life a little rain must fall, but I, and you too, have an umbrella to protects us and that unbrella is the Holy Spirit, God Himself, so that no matter what happens He will keep His promise to all who are saved. Praise God!

He who dwells in the shelter

    of the most High will rest

in the shadow of the Almighty.

    I will say of the LORD, "He is

my refuge and my fortress, my God

    in whom I trust.

                      Psalm 91:2

Are you resting in God, or by your own efforts?

Richard L. Crumb

Learning How God Stirs The Minds Of His Children

This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; 

in both which I stir up your pure minds 

by way of rembembrance: that ye may be 

mindful of the words which were spoken

 before by the holy prophets, and of 

the commandment of us the apostles

 of the Lord and Savior; knowing this first, 

that there shall come in the last days scoffers, 

walking after their own lusts, and saying, 

Where is the promise of His coming? For since 

the fathers fell asleep, all things continue 

as they were from the beginning of the creation.

2Peter 3:1-4

     Before I begin I will not be able to write my blog on Monday as I am going back to the Veterans hospital in Palo Alto to have my surgery looked at and any reconstruction necessary. So far the cancer does not look like it is returning so all is good. 

     This blog is also one that is attempting to stir up your minds, to aid you in your growth as an Authentic Christian and that you will change from the inside/out, converting complete conversion to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.We have the words of the prophets of God in the days before Christ, and we have the words written to us under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit by those men who walked and talked with Jesus some three years. We also have the inspired writings of men who were companions of those apostles and they too under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit were guided to add that which God wills for us to have in knowing Him, the Savior, and how we are to exercise our faith. 

     Our conversion, this changing from the inside/out and the growing of our faith does not come in a vacuum for there are those who scoff at us, at Christianity and even are doing all they can to eliminate Christianity from the world. Not just Islam, but those Atheist who demand that God be removed from the earth, even from Islam. This attempt to harm, to remove, to eliminate people of God is not a new thing as it has been the thrust of those who do not believe in the God of the Bible from old, until now and will continue until the Last Day when Jesus comes for His bride and destroys Satan and this satanic world. I have been asked this question several times: When is Jesus returning? Why is He waiting so long? Does He, if He is God, really care about all this suffering? Good questions! Do you have an answer? Well, I hope to give you information to be able to defend your faith: (1Peter 3:15). 

     Peter gives us and answer: "For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: wehreby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: but the heavens and the earth, wheich are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day ofjudgment and perdition of ungodly men" (2Peter 3:5-7). Atheist, and even many nominal Christians question that the world was deluged by water both from the heavens and from under the earth. They believe in an old earth theory, whereas Authentic Christians from Scripture find that the earth is not as old as those scoffers speak. Those ignorant persons do not believe that God will destroy this world and scoff at the Bible that teaches us that God will destroy this world, not just the physical earth for earth can and is used of people and those scoffers are being reserved for judgment and perdition (the Greek word literally means destruction). Perdition may mislead you as it carries the meaning of a state of final spiritual ruin, loss of the soul, damnation. But this is not what perdition meant in older days, it meant destruction. This Greek word in the analytical states: consumption, desstruction; waste, profusion, a state of being destroyed. Why I make sure that you understood this word is that "perdition" has become a theologial term and some give several different meanings to it but the Greek is clear: God will destroy the ungodly. 

     How have ungodly men atempt to destroy Christianity? By several means and one such mean is to reframe our educational system to line up with the Humanist Manifesto which clearly is an attempt to teach our children, even you who have gone through the education system in the last 40-50 years. This system has found its way into the Common Core approach to education. Children are taught about attitudes more that aptitudes. History has been rewritten to fit this change as how children see the world. God has been removed from or educational system and Pantheism, Atheisim, and multiculturalism, inclusiveness, diversity, are being taught and final, evolution is taught as truth when in fact: even the evolutionists are divided on evolution, they do not have a consensus as to the age, or how the earth, the universe came to be. They have not an answer and they have not any proof, they only have an hypothesis that has not and cannot be proved. We on the other hand have Scripture that says that God created all that is created and we have proof: the creation just as the men of old: Moses in this case, wrote under the guidance of God so that we would not be ignorant of how created all that exists. God says He created trees: trees exist. God says He created animals: animals exist. God says that He destroyed the world by a global flood: we have evidence of this flood all around the earth. Scoff as they like: We do not need to be intiminated by them for we have the truth of God's word, a truth based on the fact that all that has been written in the Bible cannot be disproved and all that He said would come to pass has come to pass. We now can be assured that that which He says will happen to the ungodly: will happen!  All that wil happen to the godly: will happen!

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

                             Genesis 1:1a

Add to your faith: knowledge: knowledge of the true God

Richard L. Crumb

    

 

Learning What Is The True Purpose Of Liberty

These are wells without water, clouds that 

are carried with a tempest;  to whom the mist 

of darkness is reserved for ever. For when 

they speak of vanity, they allure through 

the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness,

 those that were clean escaped from them who 

live in error. While they promide them liberty,

 they themselves are the servants of corruption: 

for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is 

he brought in bondage. for if after they have 

escaped the pollutions of the world through 

the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, 

they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the

 latter end is worse with them than the beginning.

 For it had been better for them not to have known 

the way of righteousness, than, after they have 

known it, to turn from the holy commandment 

delivered unto them. But it is happened 

unto them according to the true proverb, 

The dog is truned to his own vomit again; 

and the sow that was washed to her

wallowing in the mire.

 2Peter 2:17-22

     Yesterday I spend the whole day seeing doctors and other appointments. It did give me time to think about what I am writing, the why, the reason to speak as sucinctly as I can and the answer is in this Scripture. The world, and especially the United States is under attack and if we do not wake up and see what is occurring we will lose the freedoms that we have and are founded upon Scripture, by men who were converted to Jesus Christ. Christianity is under a swell of lies and attack by those who would eliminate Christianity even as it has and attempts to eliminate Christians. How is this happening? It is because Christians have gone asleep. Many Churches have fallen prey to the culture of this world and allow that which Scripture speaks against or for to be or not to be in their Church and even in some denominations. Not all Christians are asleep, they are just the minority. The Presbyterian U.S.A. Church allow homosexuals to be part of the leadership, and some Churches allow abortion and use a twited semantic to make their actions to be of the Bible. This going back to the world was happening in the day of Peter so he under the power of the Holy Spirit addressed this problem, and the words of God apply to us today. The writer of Hebrews wrote well these words: "For if we sin willfully after that we have received the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins" (Hebrews 10:26). When was the last time you heard this Scripture from the pulpit? Jude, which we will study after the letters of John wrote: "For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodlymen, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ" (Jude 4). 

     Billy Graham declared: "We have confused liberty with license--and we are paying the awful price. We are a society poised on the brink of self-destruction." Thsoe men and women who came to the United States looking for a place to be able to freely worship God put much emphasis on liberty. They knew and we also know, that is, if one critically thinks about this, that liberty is not the same as licentiousness or a license to do whatever your bodily passions want. Today the cry is for liberty, not the liberty that our founding fathers knew and preached and put into our Constitution, by the cry today is for liberty to do whatever one wants to do, this is not true liberty. Following this line of thinking, if one can do whatever he or she wants then we cannot condemn Hitler, or Mao Tse Sung, or North Korea, or other people who have done atrocities: i.e., the killing of those in Orlando, Florida. If liberty is to be free as being taught and understood by those of today's culture then we have no right to say whatever is being done is wrong. Today it is taught and believed by many that there is no absolute, that there is only absolute relativity. That is not freedom, that is not liberty, for who is to decide that something as the liberty of relativity. The founding faithers did not teach this world's liberty for they have changed the meaning of liberty to fit their licentious lifestye, a semantical change: i.e., as "gay" being now defining homosexuality instead of what the word has always meant, to be happy. Are homosexuals "happy?" Yes, to some extent, but they do have the highest occurrence of sexual transmitted diseases. Hmmm.....! 

     Author Charles Hummel, fromer head of Barrington College wrote: "real liberty can only be conceived in terms of the purpose for which we were made...." Freedom and liberty cannot be properly defined without consider purpose: that for which something was made. Teh example given by Hummel is a good one: "Consider a modern diesel locomotive flashing accross the country at high speed on shiny rails. Is that trin most free when it is speeding across the countryside on the rails, or when it leaps the tracks and thunders by, smashing barns and houses ans scattering cars and people? Obviously, it is most free when it is where it was meant to be. (Charles Hummel, Becoming Free (Downers Grove, Ill.: IVP, 1973), 10.A booklet.

     Freedom, liberty, is not a license to do whatever makes a person feel good, or gives him a purpose. Freedom and liberty is to do that for which a person was meant to be and do and that purpose is given to man in Scripture. Changing words, or semantics, is not freedom, it is a liberty to do whatever a person thinks is right or wants to happen and we must avoid any changing of words, whether it be from this world, as in "gay," or from a denomination that adds to their worship that which does not have warrant for it is not the purpose of the Church. Men have crept into the Church with fables, lies, and present Scripture in such a way as to either gain profit, or to just change minds to their way of thinking. Some Christians after hearing the truth go back to their old ways, or they now adhere to a teaching, a doctrine that is not found in Scripture. Furthermore, many have brought into the Church hersies, and allow that which God has plainly and clearly told us that it is wrong. 

     Yes, we are under attack by Islam, they want to rule you, to rule the world, and some have fallen prey to their rhetoric and teachings because they are those who have returned to their "vomit" or once again are "wallowing" in the mud they had left, or just have never accepted and converted to Jesus Christ, they were nominal Christians at best. As Peter wrote: "the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. for it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness" (2Peter 2:20b, 21a).

     We are to examine ourselves and ensure by Scripture that we are following the truth of Scripture and not some man's theology. Yes, you will be affected by your choice and understanding and exercise of faith, but not you only, your children, your grandchildren, and friends, and others you may not even know see you as you really are, therefore, we need to change from the inside/out and fully, completely convert to Jesus Christ at any cost and then to do whatever you can to ensure that those who would destroy Christians and Christianity do not do so. If it is to be done it is up to you and me. Will you do it? 

If you will return, O Israel, 

  return to men," declares the LORD.

If you put your destestable idols out

   of my sight and no longer go astray,

and if in a truthful, just and reigheous way

    your swear, as surely as the LORD lives,

then the nations will be blessed by Him 

   and in Him they will glory.

                  Jeremiah 4:1-2

Seek the liberty found in God

Richard L. Crumb