Showing posts with label 9/11. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 9/11. Show all posts

Thursday, September 11, 2014

9/11: My Wake-Up Call

Posted by Christine Pack


9/11 woke me up. In fact, it awakened both me and my husband from our easygoing lifestyle. You've read articles that mention there was a massive influx in church services right after 9/11 happened? My husband and I were part of that. We began attending a nearby church, with lots of questions in hand: If our lives can be snuffed out in an instant, what does it all mean? Is there a God? If there is a God, is He good? And if He is good, why did He let 9/11 happen? Turns out, we were asking all the wrong questions.

Somewhere along the way, I heard the gospel, the WHOLE gospel, and realized that life wasn't about me living a comfortable and problem-free life, trying to find what made me happy and "fulfilled" me (the most commonplace view of life in our luxurious, naval-gazing American culture). It was about this: where did I stand in relationship to a holy and just God? Where did I stand with this God Who made me, Who had a righteous claim on my life, and to Whom I would one day give an account? I came to understand that I had sinned against a high and holy God by breaking his commandments, and that because of this, I deserved death. I deserved not only death, but eternal judgment. I deserved hell.

Although I grew up in the "Bible Belt" and attended church faithfully with my family, I had never heard the true gospel message. Never. How was this even possible? I still wonder that sometimes, myself. How could I have faithfully attended church, year in and year out, walking every Sunday into a building that had a cross on top, without ever knowing what the gospel was? And yet, that is the reality. I grew up attending a church in which the gospel, the "good news," was never proclaimed. I heard about Jesus as a good person, a man who lived an exemplary life, a life that we ought to try our best to emulate. I heard that Christians should be kind, and seek to help others. These were partial truths, but these things are not the gospel message. Our church was known to have a huge mercy ministry outreach that gathered food and clothes for the poor in the community. Again......not the gospel. Kind and loving to do, but not the gospel.

What I had never heard before was that my good deeds were counted as filthy rags in God's eyes (Isaiah 64:6). I had never heard that all the "little" sins I had committed and rationalized away in my lifetime were actually offenses committed against a holy God. The times I had lied or coveted or dishonored my parents or displayed unrighteous anger, too many to remember or list, all these things were offenses against God. I had never been presented an image of a God of complete perfection and holiness and justice, with Whom no sinful being could dwell. When THIS God, the God of the Bible. was held up to me, I saw my sins in a new light. My eyes were opened, and I realized I needed a Savior. I needed Christ, and HIS perfect righteousness. Even though I had heard the name "Jesus" my whole life, I suddenly saw him in a new light. I had sung hymns about him and to him for years, and yet I had never understood why his death on the Cross was significant, because sin had never been properly explained to me.

You see, prior to hearing the gospel message rightly proclaimed, I thought of sin as something primarily "horizontal," as something I did to other people, but not as something "vertical," as actions I had committed against a perfect and holy and just God. But when I did, it was at this point that the term "good news" (which is what the word "gospel" means) had new meaning to me. The good news, the gospel, was that even though I was wretched and sinful beyond comprehension, the same God who is a Being of perfect, blinding holiness had, out of His great mercy and loving-kindness toward us, made a way for sinful creatures to be reconciled to himself. Two thousand years ago, He sent his Son, Jesus, into the world to live the life that I did not live. Jesus lived a life of perfect righteousness, never sinning in thought, word or deed, and then He willingly gave his life as an atonement for all those who would believe on his atoning death, and who would accept his imputed righteousness by faith. He lived the life we could never live, and freely offers it to all who will believe. This was an act of great compassion and mercy, and Jesus did this in order to act corporately on the behalf of sinners. What a good and loving God who would make a way for sins to be forgiven, and consciences cleansed! Is this not "good news"? Once I understood my own sinfulness rightly, I now saw this good news for what it was: the greatest news ever proclaimed in the history of the world. Sins could be forgiven! Only repent, and believe.

9/11 was the beginning of my conversion: from worldly wisdom and lies to truth, from death to life, from darkness to light. At some point in the months following 9/11, I was saved. I don't remember the exact day, but that doesn't really matter. What I do remember is my eyes being opened to the horrors of my own sin, and to my need, my desperate need, for a Savior. I didn't know much about the Bible at that point, but I knew enough to know that I was a sinner, but that God had made a way for me to be reconciled to Himself through the atoning death of Christ. What a good God!

In many ways, 9/11 was tragic and horrible, but I thank God for using it to open my eyes about the futility of life without Christ. I hope that those I love and care about who have not been born again might be encouraged today to think more deeply on spiritual things.
"All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away." (Isa 64:6)
"Then said I, 'Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the middle of a people of unclean lips: for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.'" (Isa 6:5)
"The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse." (Rom 1:18-20)
"From that time, Jesus began to preach, saying, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.'" (Matt 4:17)
"You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.' But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says 'You fool!' will be liable to the hell of fire.'" (Matt 5:21)
"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.' But I say to you that everyone who looks upon another with lustful intent has already committed adultery in the heart." (Matt 5:27)
"For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it." (James 2:10)
"The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent." (Acts 17:30)
"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." (Matt 7:13-14)
"Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'" (John 14:6)
"Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and you shall keep my judgments, and do them." (Eze 36:25-27)
"Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?" (1 Cor 1:20)
"Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. For the wisdom of the world is folly with God. For it is written, 'He catches the wise in their craftiness.'" (1 Cor 3:18-19)
"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast." (Eph 2:8-9)
"God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood, to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished." (Rom 3:25)
"For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people." (Titus 2:11)
"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Rom 5:8)
"Jesus himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed." (1 Pet 2:24)
"For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures." (1 Cor 15:3)
"Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all." (Isa 53:4-6, prophesied 700 years before Jesus was born)
"Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, 'If you continue in my word, then you are my disciples indeed; And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.'" (John 8:31-32)
"So Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him." (Heb 9:28)
"(The lost) will face a reckoning before Jesus Christ who stands ready to judge the living and the dead." (1 Pet 4:5)
"So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God." (Rom 14:12)
"And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:14-16)
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, behold! all things have been made new." (1 Cor 5:17)
"For God says, 'In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.' Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation." (2 Cor 6:2)
“The Spirit and the Bride say, 'Come!' And let the one who hears say, 'Come!' Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life." (Rev 22:17)

 Additional Resources 

Are You Soundly Saved? (Kirk Cameron)

The Good-O-Meter

Are You a Good Person?

6 Messages on the Gospel (Alistair Begg)

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

A Commentary on The Harbinger

Posted by Christine Pack

(Update 9/5/13: After learning that Jonathan Cahn claims he is not a gnostic, I have edited this post to better reflect what I'm saying.)

A book called The Harbinger is fast becoming a lightning rod issue among evangelical Christians, with many Christians saying it is exactly what America needs right now to "wake up" and repent, and come back to biblical truth, but other Christians having concerns over how Cahn interprets certain passages meant only for Israel as if they have application for America today. The cover of Cahn's book (right) states that The Harbinger is an "Ancient Mystery that Holds the Secret of America's Future."

Could this be true? Could it be that there are hidden truths that need to be decoded and unveiled to Christians today? And if so, for what purpose? Cahn seems to think so, and has written a book which proclaims that. The Harbinger is a fiction book, and features a character known as The Prophet who is slowly giving seals to one of the main characters. These seals contain messages (nine in all) which are meant to be put together as clues in a mystery, so that a final, distinct message will emerge and be revealed. This message, once decoded, is intimated to hold the secret to bringing America back to its moral center and becoming once again a Godly nation.

After hearing Jonathan Cahn speak a few times, and after reading the book, I will say that Cahn does give a clear gospel message in The Harbinger, but at the same time, I do have some concerns about this book which I will address here.

 Gnosticism 

There is an exchange between two of the characters in The Harbinger who are discussing a secret message from a mysterious character ("The Prophet") in the book:
"It's the appointed time, but not for an ancient nation. It's time for the word to be given.....for the mystery to be revealed.....for the message to go forth. It's the appointed time⎯but not for an ancient nation." (The Harbinger, p 13)
Friends, anytime you see language like this, and like the language below (also from The Harbinger).....
■ "ancient mystery hidden for thousands of years......but now revealed" 
■ a "mystery" that holds a "secret" to our future 
■ "clues" needed to "unlock" a mystery 
■ "messages" that need to be "unveiled"
......what you are dealing with is an ancient heresy called Gnosticism.

Gnosticism is a very old heresy that teaches that the truth has to be decoded, uncovered, unlocked, unveiled, discovered.
Secret Knowledge = Gnosticism
Gnosticism is a heresy because, according to God, we are given all that we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3) in God's word. We don't need to decode secret mysteries, unravel sealed up messages, decipher clues, or pull back the veil on hidden things. All that we need, all that God wants us to know, is contained in the Bible. Now, I will grant that in the New Testament, Paul does talk about the mystery of Gentiles and Jews being united together in a common church and common faith (something that could have scarcely been imagined in Old Testament times). There is also the mystery of Jesus Christ, who was dimly glimpsed through types and shadows in the Old Testament, but Who was gloriously revealed in his fullness as our Savior in the New Testament. But these are mysteries which are laid open for all to see and know and understand and respond to, and not clues on a Mysterious Journey to Somewhere (which is really the more western understanding of the word "mystery").
"I have not spoken in secret, from somewhere in a land of darkness; I have not said to Jacob's descendants, 'Seek me in vain.' I, the LORD, speak the truth; I declare what is right."(Isaiah 45:19)
As a former Gnostic, I found great comfort as a born again Christian in understanding that all that God truly wants me to know He has plainly revealed in his Word. I spent more than a decade of my life as a New Ager/Gnostic going from teaching to teaching to teaching. I lost track of how many conferences I went to, books I purchased, teachers and gurus that I sought out, all in an effort to find truth. My quest for truth was sincere, but truth proved to be surprisingly elusive to attain. By the time God saved me, I was weary. I was worn out. I didn't have it in me to go after One More Thing. All I could think of at the end was that I wanted rest, just a little bit of rest, from all my fruitless searching. The Lord, in his infinite mercy, gave me rest by rescuing me out of the mire of man-made wisdom and giving me the elegant simplicity of his Word. There is such a lovely purity and clarity in knowing that I can rest securely in the knowledge that all that God wants me to know I can find in the Bible.
"Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28)
Now please understand that I'm not saying that Jonathan Cahn is a heretic or a gnostic. My concern, however, is in the way that Cahn seems to interpret at least portions of the Bible as if looking through the lens of gnosticism. And for myself personally, that hermeneutic of viewing the Bible as sort of this big pile of clues to be decoded is just not wise, and not a good interpretative model. If you are unfamiliar with the teaching of Gnosticism, please listen here to Phil Johnson's in-depth discussion of Gnosticism.

 Fiction? or Fiction Masquerading Itself as Fact? 

Much like William P. Young's troublesome book The Shack, The Harbinger also has a fictional character who is teaching things that are contrary to Scripture, but which the author wants to claim as truth. Of course, when pressed on the biblical problems with the teachings, both Young and Cahn have resorted to saying, But it's only a fictional character! The problem with this is that Young and Cahn both personally believe what they have written, and are seeking to teach a wide audience of readers what they believe to be true, while hiding behind the label "Fiction."

 The Truth About America's Future 

The truth about America's future (and the future of all nations, for that matter), is that God holds the future in His hands. Yes, we should pray, we are commanded and exhorted to pray, but ultimately, we know that our sovereign Lord will work all things together for the good of those who love him and for HIS own purposes (Romans 8:28). And sometimes, in God's sovereign wisdom, this means that He will allow countries to fall, and nations to topple. Even, that is, nations that He has used in a mighty way to proclaim his truth to the world. I certainly do not desire to see America fall, and I pray for the leaders of this country, but at the same time, we know from the Bible that God has often used times of distress and difficulty as a means of chastening and disciplining his people.
"The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever he will." (Proverbs 21:1)
When I was a fairly new Christian, I came across a resource called James Ussher's Chronological Chart of History that helped steady my thinking in this regard. James Ussher was a 17th century Anglican bishop who painstakingly charted out the bloodline from Adam and Eve to Jesus.  His chart features the Biblical timeline going across the top and the corresponding world history underneath it. It's so amazing to look at this chart, and see God's hand sovereignly guiding all of human history.  Below the scarlet thread of Jesus's bloodline, you see nations and kings rise and fall, rise and fall, but above it all, God's bloodline marches steadily onward toward the fulfillment of his purposes.

As Americans, we tend to think that we are so mighty, the greatest nation on earth.  Well, when you look at Ussher's timeline, you realize that ALL these kingdoms once had their day in the sun, but where are they now? Egypt was once the mightiest nation in the world, known for the architectural magnificence of their awe-inspiring pyramids, and for taming the Nile River. Babylon, known for their acclaimed Hanging Gardens, and brilliant military campaigns led by Nebuchadnezzar. Rome, their amazing Roman roads and contributions to education and government. Where are they now? Some of them are still around, but do they rule the world? Looking at this chart is truly humbling, and it brings the deeper realization that all that is here will one day be burned up and destroyed, when God himself creates a new heavens and a new earth. No government that exists here on earth - not even America - will be reigning in that Kingdom to come. But this is not bad news, this is glorious, good news, that should gladden the heart of all who truly love God and bend the knee to his sovereign will and purposes.

As far as America goes, all people everywhere are commanded to repent and believe on Christ for the forgiveness of sins, but that is not the basic message of this book. This book teaches that there is a secret message encoded in the Bible that needs to be decoded to be understood, and if we will only buy this book and decode this message, then we can bring America back. But as I wrote above, this is the heresy of Gnosticism. Our country does not need a "special" Gnostic teaching to tell us more than we already know about repentance, salvation and the forgiveness of sins. In fact, I tend to agree with John MacArthur (When God Abandons A Nation), that when we look around us, we don't need to wonder, will we be judged? because we are already under judgment. First came the sexual revolution of the 60s/70s/80s (Romans 1:24), then came the homosexual revolution (Romans 1:26-27), and next comes the debased mind (Romans 1:28). We are following the trajectory laid out in Romans 1, and where we are indicates not a country that is basically good and can come back to its moral center, but a country that has been given over to its depravity. So we can churn out book after book about "taking back America" and "reclaiming America" (including Jonathan Cahn's The Harbinger), but in my opinion, America is past the tipping point. True Bible-believing Christians are in the minority in this country, and a minority is never going to reclaim a culture. We need to proclaim the gospel and snatch the few that we can from the flames.

 Jonathan Cahn Goes on Glenn Beck's Show To Discuss How To "Save A Nation" 

Harbinger author Jonathan Cahn joined Mormon Glenn Beck for two segments of Beck's June 26/June 27 programs, and said the following things about The Harbinger:
"The Harbinger is a two and a half thousand year mystery that lies behind everything." 
"The message of The Harbinger is not to condemn, it's to wake up and it's to call back. This is I believe coming out now for a reason, it's to save a nation, and to turn back."
"We can't maintain our blessings without God.....America is blessed as much as America follows God. If America does not follow God, you cannot expect the smiles of heaven."
Once again, a Gnostic teaching about a "mystery" that has to be decoded, and a call for America to turn back to God. But, why is Jonathan Cahn, who is a Christian pastor, linking with a Mormon (Glenn Beck) in order to proclaim his message? Christians and Mormons do not worship the same God, and for Cahn to appear with Mormon Glenn Beck and for the two to discuss God and America turning back to God can only serve to send a very confusing message to the world about who "God" is.

 Conclusion 

Does The Harbinger hold clues to helping America find her way back God? In my view, Jonathan Cahn's book is "hooking" those Christians in America who are burdened over the rising tide of immorality in our country, and who desire for America to repent and come back to the Lord. This is not a wrong or wicked desire.....it's just that, it might not play out that way, in God's sovereign plan. And this desire can become problematic, especially when Christians begin linking with non-Christians (as Jonathan Cahn did with Mormon Glenn Beck) in an effort to force those desires to come to fruition.
"Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?" (2 Corinthians 6:14)

 Additional Resources 

Can Scripture Ever Mean What It Never Meant? Case Study: The Harbinger (Pastor Eric Douma)

Implications of The Harbinger (Erin Benziger)

The Harbinger: Fact or Fiction? (David James)

The Harbinger: Prophetic Fact or Fickle Fiction (Apprising Ministries)

The Harbinger - A Review and Commentary (Pastor Larry DeBruyn)

The Harbinger - A Review (Pastor Gary Gilley)

What To Make Of The Harbinger Mystery (Stand Up For The Truth, Amy Spreeman)

The Rise and Fall of World Powers (Dr. John MacArthur)

When Contending Becomes Cantankerous (a pro-Harbinger interview, with Jan Markell, Eric Barger, Jill Martin Rische)