FIRST-TRUMP#top..........Sound the alarm in Zion..... ...........................

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A FORGETFUL GOD

⁶Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? (Luke 12:)

I'm a forgetful person. I tend to head out for something, and when I get to the place I was going, I find I forgot what I was after. I forget where I left my keys. And when I'm under pressure to remember the everyday things like my telephone number or my address, I find I've forgotten them as well. Do any of you have a problem with forgetfulness? I suspect you do. But why wouldn't we have a forgetful nature? We're created in the image of God, and it appears He's very forgetful Himself.

My mother developed what we suppose was Alzheimer before she died. She forgot who I was. We had to watch her because she would forget that a microwave was not an oven and she would put her metal cooking utensils in it. Our neighbors would tell us she was wandering the sidewalk of the neighborhood. My mother had an excuse for being forgetful, she was old.

My father became senile in his older years. He would imagine that he was traveling down the highway in a bus or a truck, and this while he lay in a nursing home bed. My father was blind, but he was certain he saw cats in his room that we 'seeing' people were blind to. My father had an excuse for his forgetfulness. He was old.

I heard of a lady who in her elderly years had forgotten how to chew. She had to be reminded to chew the food that was in her mouth or else she would die of starvation having forgotten that we must eat to live. This lady had an excuse being forgetful. She was old.

When a person grows old and forgetful they must have someone around to remind them of what they have forgotten. I haven't reached that stage - yet. But those described above had reached that stage. And fortunately, they had someone around to watch over them and to correct their forgetfulness.

God is very old. God has been around much longer than was any of the forgetful people mentioned above. In fact God must have been very old when He created this earth, whether that be 6,000 years ago as some believe, or it be billions of years ago as others believe it to have been. Whatever the case, God is very old.

We can forgive the forgetfulness of our elderly. They just cannot remember to remember the important things. And we must forgive God for His forgetfulness as well. But aren't we fortunate that, like our old folks, we have someone willing to remind God, and us, of what He has forgotten?

People who stand ready to remind our elderly of what they've forgotten are called "Caretakers." Some caretakers are hired by the state or the family of the elderly person to take care of that person. People who watch over God and His Word to correct the mistakes that God makes are called "Theologians." Theologians are highly trained people skilled in the knowledge of finding and explaining things that have been lost, misplaced, hidden, forgotten, or in some other way not made clear to us in the Bible. These people watch over the forgetfulness of God. And I'm sure God must be very thankful for these theologians, caretakers of the Word. Without them, the theologians, you and I would have been forever in darkness as to what God is trying to do, and what He wants to tell us.

God is a forgetful person. And being of a forgetful nature, He wants to forget our sins. This is an aspect of the forgetfulness of God that we hear of quite frequently in this Church age. But there are other aspects of God's forgetfulness that you and I forget to notice, and we must be shown by our gracious theologians those things we would have otherwise missed. Just so you won't forget to remember what these forgotten things of God are, I'll list just a few:

HEAVEN - In the beginning God created the Heaven and the Earth. We know this. And we know, or at least we assume, that at least one of the heavens (if there be more than one) is the sky we see above us. And maybe if we stretch waaaaay up there we can include the many galaxies and other things too wondrous to even imagine. But it seems God forgot to tell mankind about a Heaven where He lives, and where those who are chosen will live with Him. Is it on a cloud somewhere? We've been through the clouds, and except for the movies, it seems unlikely that Heaven is in the clouds. Maybe Heaven is on Venus, or Pluto, or some other orbiting sphere far, far away? Did God forget to tell us about Heaven and where we would spend Eternity? Thank goodness for the theologians and the fiction writers who understand the deep things of God and have given us a picture of the Heaven God forgot to tell us about.

HELL - On the other extreme we have that vast hole in the center of the earth called hell where God is going to punish those who don't fit into His wonderful Heaven. Where is hell? What is hell like? Why is God going to put His creation there to suffer forever?

Hell, as we have been told since the beginning of writing, is in the center of the earth. When this theory was first imagined the earth, it appears, was a flat thing, or a square, or in some other way it would allow for a few thousand people with coal shovels to live and work. Dante gave us a vivid picture of this very thing, which we still have with us today as an example of hell, having no other example to go by. Like Heaven, God forgot to give us a very clear picture of where most of His creation will spend eternity. An oversight I'm sure. It's hard to remember every little thing. But it seems to me that Adam might have given more serious thought before biting into that apple if he had been told he would spend eternity shoveling coal, rather than what God told him, that being that he would return to dust. Aren't we glad we have the theologians to set us straight on that matter? Now, when we sin and ignore the call of God, we can understand the hell we're to experience because of our decision. We don't fool ourselves into thinking death means death like God told Adam it meant. Oh, how blessed we are to have the theologian, especially when we have such a forgetful God.

RECREATION - We find that God gave us quite a picture of the creation of this world. He even told us what day He created what, and that each of these creations was good. But being a forgetful God, He somehow forgot to tell us that He had once created a magnificent earth, perfect in all its ways, just as is every creation of God since God can't create anything but that which is perfect. Then when things didn't go the way they should, God found He had to destroy this world and start all over again. This took millions or even billions of years. That's a long time, but not in the eye's of God. And God being forgetful as He is, He forgot to mention this in His instruction manual to us. It took the sharp eyes of the theologian to uncover this fact by turning over a jot here, and by twisting a tittle there. Fortunately for us God left these tiny droppings of information for the theologians to find, otherwise we would have never known about that first creation. And if we didn't know about the first creation, then how would we ever have been able to explain the Ice Ages, and the dinosaur, and other such things our scientists have "proven" to be a fact of life?

CAVE MAN - Science has found that there was a kind of man on this earth before Adam and Eve. We call these Prehistoric Man, or Cave Men. Of course there's a possibility that Adam was created a cave man, but somehow I just can't imagine this as being so. Where did the cave man come from? Did he evolve as is supposed by so many, including Creative Evolutionists and their set of theologians? Is there anything impossible with God? Not as long as we have theologians and fiction writers with us it isn't.

SATAN - I think all of us will agree that Satan, God's finest creation called Lucifer, was once a majestic and perfect angel, just as we wished our children would be. Lucifer was the choir leader in Heaven, right up there with Gabriel (who played a horn in the choir it seems) and Michael the Arc Angel. Some say he was even the brother of Jesus. I think that's rather a stretch even for a theologian or a science fiction writer myself. But there are those who believe this to be true. And who am I to say otherwise? I wasn't there, at least not that I can remember.

Satan was a naughty angel. And having a naughty heart, he thought he could tell God what to do, and even be like God and take God's place. There was a mighty war in Heaven as Lucifer and his legion of misfits brought out their big guns and battled it out with Michael, Gabriel, and I suppose Jesus as well since He must have been there too. Satan lost the war, and God cast him and his fallen angels down to earth.

Isn't that an amazing story? Just amazing. Have you read the story about Lucifer and his fall? You haven't? Haven't you read the Bible? The story is right there. All you have to do is know which jot to push aside and which tittle to discard, and there it is, plain as day. And besides, what else do you think was going on all those billions of years before Adam and Eve? You don't think God was up there on His throne twittering His thumbs wondering what to do with Himself do you?

GARDEN OF EDEN - We're told in vivid language about God creating a garden in the East of Eden. This, as we've seen, is not God's first attempt at creating a world and a people. He's had two failures before. This to me seems rather odd, that is that a perfect God can have so many dismal failures, but that's precisely what we're shown to be true. God failed in Heaven, and He failed with His first creation of earth and had to start all over again. And as it turns out, this third attempt was also a failure, the result from which you and I have to suffer. Why was this third attempt a failure? Hadn't God learned from His previous mistakes? Apparently not. In fact, God being so forgetful as He apparently is, He forgot that out of all the vast universe He had created, it was here that He had cast that naughty ol' Lucifer and all those thousands of demonic angels of his. If God had only remembered that, we would very likely still be living in the Garden of Eden. And how do we know all these things? Because God told us about them? No, God forgot to tell us all these important facts. He left it up to the theologians to tell us what He had forgotten. Maybe that's why God created theologians, to correct His mistakes.

MARK OF CAIN - Just what is the mark of Cain? Do you know what it is? Maybe it's a mark like the mark of the Beast. Or maybe it's the color of someone's skin. Or maybe it's circumcision. Since we have many theologians, there are many different versions of what the mark of Cain might be. For myself, it seems to me that whatever that mark might be, it disappeared in the flood, unless one of Noah's daughters-in-law carried it on the ark with them. But not being a theologian, you can't go by anything I say. Like I've said before, I wasn't there.

THE LAW - What does the words "forever" mean to you? When you say the words, or when you hear the words, what do you think of? Do you think of the modern wedding where two people pledge their love forever? Forever in so many cases means "until disagreement do us part." That's our interpretation of forever, but what does the word mean to God? If we're to live in Heaven forever, then I hope forever means a very long time. But If I'm sent to that other place, I hope it's the modern concept of forever.

I suspect that God, being so very old as He is, thinks in the terms of a long, long time when He says forever. I look in the first five books of the Bible and I see the words "forever" many, many times. The word usually follows another word used very often by God, and that is the word "Statutes." Just what is a statute? According to the Hebrew a statute is: "an enactment, law or a decree." Since I don't speak Hebrew, I decided to look up the word in my dictionary. It says a statute is: "a law or a rule." In my mind this is saying the same thing. God said over and over that His laws, His statutes, were to be upheld "Forever." Does that mean until He changes His mind, or until we decides to alter His meaning? I don't think it does. But there are many among us who apparently think this is what God means when He says "forever." But we must remember, God is very old, and He tends to forget things, especially the little things that strongly effect our eternal soul.

JESUS AND THE COMMANDMENTS - Is Jesus God? This is a question that places many people in the Church in opposition to one another. Is Jesus God? This is not what I'm really asking, and it has little or nothing to do with this story. Apparently, according to the theologians, Jesus has the same slip of memory as does God the Father. God must have forgotten that He said His statutes would be in effect forever, and the dire consequences that would come about upon those who break those statutes. And being the Son of God, Jesus must have forgotten them as well. According to the theologians there are no more laws to follow. Jesus having died on the cross to do away with sins means there are no more laws. Have I got my facts straight? Some of you will say I do, some will say I don't. It all depends on which denomination you belong to, and which set of theologians you follow. For those of you who follow the strain of belief that the commandments are no longer in effect, I would like to direct you to two portions of Scripture. The first is in Mark chapter 10 where Jesus tells the rich man what he must do in order to have the eternal ("forever") life he seeks. The second is in John chapter 15 where He tells His disciples that He's giving them a commandment. There are many others of course, like in Matthew chapter 5 where He tells us that whoever breaks even the least of the commandments will be considered least in the Kingdom of Heaven. Apparently Jesus forgot that His mission was to do away with the laws that He, Himself was keeping (and by the way, yes, Jesus was a Christian).

Fortunately we have the theologian to set us straight on this matter. If they hadn't, we would still be trying hard to do what is right in order to avoid spending eternity in a place where they shovel coal day and night. And what kind of world would this be if we were all trying to do the right thing, just because it's the right thing to do?

LOVE AND SHARING - This is another area in which the theologian has had to correct Jesus and the Apostles. Jesus has stated in many places the need to sacrifice one's self for not only their family, for their friends, but also for their neighbor and their enemy. The Apostles followed suit in this regard, even dedicating complete chapters to this very subject. We're told that those who do not love others more then themselves will not be accepted into Heaven, and can not be a disciple of Jesus. But faithful to their cause, the theologian has stepped up to the plate and corrected this misgiving, telling us that if we're baptized, and we wear the Christian banner (often this is predicated by a proviso that one belong to the "right" church), they don't have to follow these commandments in order to reap all the rewards promised to the faithful. Of course they say a Christian ought to do these things, because they're nice things to do, but it isn't really necessary.

RICHES - Jesus told the rich man he must give up his riches if he wanted to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. He even went so far as to say the rich will have a harder time getting into Heaven than a camel will have trying to squeeze through an eye of a needle. We see in the second chapter of Acts where all the new Christians got together, sold their belongings, and distributed the wealth where it was needed most. And we learn both from the Bible and from history that the early Christians stood in jeopardy of losing everything they had, even their lives, because they declared themselves to be a Christian. This kind of thinking does not sit well with affluent Americans. The idea of going without the absolute necessities of an extra car, a large screen TV, an up-to-date computer, broadband, I-Pad, cell phones, a shelf full of the newest DVD's, and the most up-to-date Gameboy, daily ration of junk food, in-fashion clothing, a rack of shoes for every day in the year, and other "Just-have-to-have's" is unthinkable. How many Christians do you suppose we would have in America if they were told they had to do as Jesus and the Apostles said they must do? Would you freely sell all you have and add the proceeds to the pot in order to acquire the Holy Spirit and be afforded eternal life? I have very little "wealth", relatively speaking, to surrender. But I would have to give such a concept much deliberation before I signed on the dotted lines. Jesus said: ²⁵And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them, ²⁶If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. ²⁷And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. ²⁸For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? (Luke 14:)

How blessed we are to have theologians who spend their day and nights in their humble palatial mansion studying up ways whereby we can sidestep the misgotten things of God and still experience the blessings of the Christian life. What would we do without them?

TRIBULATION - There's a day coming that we all wish to avoid. That day is called "The Great Tribulation." We are told there has never been anything like it before, and there will never be anything like it after. It's going to be a lulu. I don't want to be there. Do you? I didn't think you would. God said this is going to involve the whole world. There's no way to pinpoint the event to some certain place whereby we fine, cake-fed Christians might avoid it. No, it will be everywhere. We would like very much to tear out the Book of Revelation from our Bible and pretend the event will never occur. In fact, the Book of Revelation and the Tribulation conflicts with our newly-found discovery of the Love of God. Before this discovery, thanks to our theologians, we thought God was an angry and a vengeful God who would punish the wicked. But now we know better. If it weren't for the Tribulation, it would be so much easier to propagate and explain the love and universal forgiveness of God. If it just weren't for the Book of Revelation.

Ridding ourselves of the Book of Revelation might ease our mind a tad or two, but unfortunately we also have the Book of Ezekiel, and Isaiah, and the other prophets who spoke of that coming day. We can't tear all those books out of our Bible can we? And even if we could, we still have the Words of Jesus describing the event in the other Gospels. No, we're stuck with the Tribulation.

Theologians to the rescue. How can we avoid looking at the Tribulation? Well, the theologians have come up with several different approaches whereby we may pretend like we won't have to experience the Wrath of God. We would like to assume that God merely forgot that He is a loving God and is no longer angry at the world for our sins, and for killing His only begotten Son in such a hideous fashion. But even our theologians have given up hope following this way of thinking. But they are not stumped. No indeed. They are up to par and they've come up with several alternatives.

One way we might avoid the inevitable is to see it as something that will never happen, or that will occur many centuries in the future. Some have taken that course of thought, but it is far from the prevailing view. Mostly it's those belonging to no Christian faith, or to an offshoot Christian church who might take such a view.

Another more commonly accepted view is that the Tribulation, and all prophesy, is in the past. There is nothing but good things that lie ahead. That's a difficult stance to take when the world is getting worse and worse, but it still has its adherents.

A third perspective one might take is to see themselves gone during the Tribulation. This is the prevailing view on most fronts. And it's the view cinema makers can appreciate because it lends itself so well to the science fiction and fantasy genre which so many of us love to watch and read. In this pictograph we have the Church of wonderful believers, which, don't you know, all Christians who believe the right things, who are going to the right church, and were baptized in the right way, belong to - being whisked away into the sky to who knows where, thus escaping the horrible things that's happening to this sinful earth. To substantiate this theory, the theologian once more had to step in and correct the forgetfulness of God. It appears that God forgot to tell us about a secret appearing of Jesus whereupon He will personally come, riding on a cloud, and rapture His Church, His bride, to never-never land. At one time in recent history there was another very small group of about 40 people who believed much the same way. They thought Jesus was coming, not on a cloud, but in a rocket ship behind a comet. And to prepare for His secret coming, they did some strange things to themselves, then they laid down peacefully and allowed themselves to be suffocated. A bazaar way of thinking you say? Yes, it's one of the bazaar ways of thinking, this I must admit.

Beyond the secret rapture theory there are other variations that do not involve an escape from the Tribulation, but rather a protection from the Holocaust. This usually involves some form of preparedness such as making one just as suitable for the presence of God as is possible. And this frequently involves the following of the Holy Spirit, Who's purpose it is to lead the faithful into such a readiness. This view is not very popular because it involves the Christian doing something about their own salvation, a concept shunned by the modern theologian.

WORKS - There are two camps on this issue. There's the work camp that says you have to work out your own salvation as Paul said we must do; and there's the no-work camp that says if you work, then you're not saved. In, around, and intermingled with these two camps are those who say something to the effect that some work is involved or necessary in order to obtain salvation. It's too bad God is so forgetful, because if He weren't, He might have remembered to tell us for sure if we're supposed to work, or if we're not supposed to work. Of course He did remember to tell us that we will be judged according to our works (Mat 16:27; Rev 2:26), and He used the example of a tree and a vine that did not produce fruit being cast into a fire, adding something to the effect that there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. But these things are hidden right out in the open and expressed far too many times to be seen. Had God forgotten that unless something is hidden under a mossy rock or a broken tittle that theologians and Pharisees can't find it? Maybe they can use that excuse when their works and thoughts of the heart are judged, do you think?

CONFESSION & REPENTANCE - This apparently is a biggy in many of the theologian's eyes. It's especially popular with some of the commentators and preachers on the radio. And when someone speaks about confessing and repenting, some of these spokesmen for God can become downright irate. Confession is something confined to the Catholic persuasion, and it is condemned to hell along with those who would dare to confess their sins. Jesus died for our sins, they say, and therefore God can't see them any more. We find that God is not only forgetful, but He's blind on top of His other disabilities. I guess the eyes of God, as well as His memory, is going to return someday soon, and that will be the reason for the Wrath of God. I wonder who God's wrath is going to be poured down upon. Might it be someone who has been distorting His words, do you think?

Some commentators and theologians do not take the extreme view of God being totally blind, they just say that once the initial confession, that of having been a dreadful sinner, is accomplished, then no more is needed. In fact, any more than the initial confession puts one in the place of those confessors mentioned previously. Confession is a no-no. Repentance on the other hand seems to be a bit more vague. What is repentance? Some theologians say repentance is letting God make you into what He wants you to be. That's an interesting take I must say. I take it that if I fail, once I've been saved, that it's God's fault if I don't live up to His standards. Hmmm.

BAPTISM - Baptism is another of those doctrines that has difficulty finding its place in the Bible. Does sprinkling count? How about baptizing babies? How much water is enough? Can too much water be used in the process of baptizing? What words should, or must be said in order for the person baptized to be saved? Is baptism a means of becoming part of the family of God, that is, does it save a person? Or is baptism merely an outward show of what's happening inside the person? Does a person receive the Holy Spirit at the time of water baptism? Or is the Holy Spirit given at a later date? Lots and lots of toys for the theologian to play with. If only God wasn't so forgetful. Just imagine how much easier it would be on all of us if He had only remembered to tell us what words to use, which denomination to belong to, and how much water to use. But then, if He had remembered it would have cheated the theologian out of some of their favorite toys.

OVERCOMERS - Have you ever seen this word before? Very possibly you haven't because it appears that it's a concept preached on very rarely. In fact, in all my days, I've only heard the subject of the overcomer preached by one preacher.

The word "overcomer" is not in the Bible, not in exactly that form it isn't. The Bible says "He who overcomes." And this is a concept most generally found in the Book of Revelation, the book theologians like to avoid as much as possible because it's too confusing and it conflicts with the other doctrines they've discovered. In fact, there are some famous and well known theologians throughout history that say the Book of Revelation shouldn't be in the Bible at all. And I've seen where at least one of these theologians claimed the Book of Revelation is nothing but an account of a madman's dream. Hmmm. I find it interesting that the modern theologians and pastors avoid the Book of Revelation, except when they want to add some spice to their sermons and stories recounting how exciting the Tribulation will be. Oh, but I must remember to mention, they're sure to tell their listeners that they will miss this event, except as spectators viewing the excitement from a hoovering cloud.

Do you know what an Overcomer is? If you try to learn for yourself what an overcomer is it will scare you to death. Thankfully the theologians have taken the bite out of the word by saying an overcomer is a person who has been baptized. Do yourself a favor, curl up on your sofa with a tall one and accept what the theologians tell you. Don't listen to what God tells you. Remember, He tends to forget things like the fact that you, the Christian is saved and wonderful just the way you are.

OLD TESTAMENT - Why do we even bother with the Old Testament these days? Isn't it just a book telling some wild and interesting stories like the plagues of Egypt, Samson and Delila, David and Goliath, and a few others that make for nice children's books and movies? Most of the Old Testament does nothing but instruct the Jews on the law, which we know doesn't apply any more. And besides, there's so much violence in the Old Testament. God is always destroying things, and punishing people with floods, famines, and captivity. And all this just because they broke a few rules that He was going to do away with anyway. And then there's the prophets that keep talking about how God is going to strike people dead if they don't behave. Who want so read something like that? Why can't they just tear out all the pages except the Psalms (which is also about anger and doing right, but at least it's in song), and maybe the story of Ruth? Wouldn't that make sense? If God had only remembered that He is not an angry God, but rather that He's all love and forgiveness. If He had remembered what the theologians know about Him, then maybe He wouldn't have kicked Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden. Maybe He wouldn't have had that spat with Lucifer long, long ago. Maybe He wouldn't have created a hell where He's going to burn people forever and ever. What do you think? Aren't we lucky we have the theologians to correct the forgetful mistakes of God?

Why do we have the Old Testament in our Bible? The Old Testament is much larger than our New Testament. Is there a reason why almost every Bible comes with both books? Paul said: ⁶Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. ⁷Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. ⁸Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand. ⁹Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents. ¹⁰Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer. ¹¹Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. ¹²Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. (1Cor 10:)

Much of what we know about Jesus and of God the Father comes from the Old Testament. The Old Testament is the foundation upon which the New Testament is built. Without the Old Testament the New Testament wouldn't make much sense. In fact, we find, if we look out in the open and not behind hidden jots and tittles, that much, if not almost everything Jesus and the Apostles said was directly from the Old Testament, and this often in quotes. So why do we try and disregard what the Old Testament is showing and telling us? I believe it's for the same reason we don't like the Book of Revelation: It's not telling us what we want to hear.

CULTS - What is a cult? Have you ever wondered what a cult is? In the eyes of the theologian, thus in the eyes of the preachers and the churches, a cult is a group of people who do not agree with nor follow the Bible. How do we define "following the Bible"? We define the truth of the Bible according to what we believe. If you and I disagree on a topic that either or both of us calls essential, we would each consider the other a cult, a heretic. The Christians were a cult to the Jews of their day. The Jews were a cult to the Romans and the Greeks who didn't believe in the Jewish view of God. The Jews were, and are a cult to all Christendom because they don't accept Jesus. The Protestants are a cult to the Catholics, and the Catholics are a cult to the Protestants. The modern (post Vatican 2) Catholic is a cult to the Traditional Catholic and vice versa. The Charismatic is a cult to the Fundamentalist, and everyone is a cult to the Jehovah's Witnesses. Who is a cult? Everybody is a cult, to someone else. And what did Paul have to say about those who say "I'm of this, and I'm of so 'n so"? But we do it anyway, because our theologians have told us it's the right thing to do.

CONCLUSION - I've taken a lot of liberties with this article, and I've poked fun at a lot of people. It sounds as if I'm condemning the theologian. Actually I'm not. The theologian is just someone who is trying to make sense of the Word of God. Some theologians have given their life for what they believe. This speaks highly of them and of their beliefs. However, sacrificing one's life for a belief does not make that belief a fact. There are people throughout the world even today who are blowing themselves up for their beliefs.

Theologians are not a truth unto themselves. I suspect each of us are expected to be a theologian (be learned in the Word) by our Creator. David takes pride in the fact that he was a theologian. Paul tells us that we are to study the Word in effort to rightly divide the Word of Truth. And we're told to search the Scriptures in order to know and believe that Jesus is in fact the awaited Messiah. This sounds to me like we're supposed to be the very thing I make fun of.

My point is not if the theologian is right or if he is wrong. There are theologians in every religion, in every denomination, and in every what is called a cult. And I suspect, or at least I hope that each and every one of those theologians are sincere in their search. But we must keep in mind, that although a theologian is sincere, that does not make them right, which is evidenced by the fact that there are thousands of views and thousands of denominations. What's important is that each of us search the Scriptures ourself, with the aid of the Holy Spirit, and decide what is true or what is not true. We will have to stand or fall according to what we believe, and for how well we follow that which we believe. We won't be able to point our finger at a theologian or a preacher and say we only did what we were told to do. God said we're to answer to Him, and to listen to His voice, not someone who says they're the voice of God, or that supposedly understands the will of God.

God is not forgetful. I think all of us knows this. But I think we tend to forget that God is not forgetful. James tells us that we are not to be a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the Word. I think we all, and this certainly includes me, tend to forget that God has a good memory, and that He is watching over us to see if we remember to keep our promises to Him, and to one another.

Theologians are a way of life, especially in the Christian Church. What we believe, and what we hope will save us is highly dependant upon one theologian's view or another. Considering this, it might do us well to understand just what a theologian is. Of course we know a theologian is someone who is well versed in the Word, as well as in all religions of the world. But we should also keep in mind that being well versed does not mean a person accepts or believes what they are well versed in. There are theologians who have studied the Word for no other reason than to discount what they find. One such group of theologians is highly visible in the media, and their undermining doctrines are very popular and well presented as far as cinematography is concerned.

Have you ever wondered just what a theologian looks for when he or she studies the Bible? What is the mindset of such a one? How much influence does the Holy Spirit, that is, does God have upon their studies?

Of the many aspects of theology there are two I think you should be aware of in particular. One of these aspects is that of logic. A theologian is expected to use his intellect, his rational mind to uncover the truths of the Bible. He is to find a way to explain to the uninitiated, the unskilled in the ways of God, what God is saying and what God is doing. Does this sound to you more like science than it does Spirituality? Yes, that is precisely what the study of theology is: Science. And if you consider that it's science that has given us the concepts of evolution, the Big Bang, and the many other concepts that have confused and misguided the world and the Church, you might be better able to understand why there are so many schisms and divisions in the Church.

Theology, as it is seen today, is trying hard to compromise, that is intertwine, the beliefs of the world with those of the Bible. To the churches, and to the theologian, the primary purpose of the Church is to bring people to agreement with the Church, and to have everyone baptized. In this way they feel they are saving the souls of the lost. This may very well sound like a noble cause, and if their fundamental understanding of the Bible was correct, then I would have to agree. However, when we read the Word of God through the eyes of the Apostles rather than the eyes of the theologian, then we see that the purpose of the Church is to prepare the Christian for the presence of God. This was the purpose of the wilderness journey the Israelites had to take. This is the training ground the Apostles had to follow. And this is the testing ground Jesus said all who follow Him must accept and take. This has all but been forgotten in the modern churches. And for this, we have the compromising efforts of the theologian to thank.

The second effort of the theologian is that of a defense of the Gospel. By this it is meant a defense of Christianity and its beliefs. In times past, when Christians were under heavy persecution, it was necessary to prove the validity and the reality of the Christian faith. Then when Christianity became popular, it was no longer necessary to defend the Bible and its views, but instead to defend and prove one's denominational views. This is what we have today. The Bible is not what is being presented to the world or to the churches, but in its place the doctrinal beliefs of each of the denominations is being set forth.

One step lower on the Christian scale, below that of the denominations, is the Universalist view of Christianity. We can see the inroad tracks of this Universalist view as it works it's way into the Mainline and Traditional churches. Threads of this effort are Unconditional salvation, Abortion, Sexual orientation, Women in the ministry, Universal acceptance of everyone and everything, Refraining from preaching about sin in general, Jesus being but one appearance of God in human form, Lack of respect demonstrated toward the sanctuary, Emphasis on entertainment over praise, Catering to the young rather than concentrating on maturity of the believer, and other such doctrines that Jesus and the Apostles warned us would befall the Church in these latter days.

While the world is trying, with much success, to distort, compromise, and infiltrate the Church, the denominations are reinforcing their denominational walls with Articles of Faith, Core Beliefs that separate them from other groups of believers. Jesus said that a house divided must fall. We, the Church, are not only divided, but we take great pride in our divisiveness and our battles with other believers not part of our camp. Walls, however, do not only keep others out, those we consider the "Enemy," but they give a false sense of security to those within the walls. Because of this false sense of security, the enemy already within the walls has a greater freedom to undermine and contaminate those within the walls.

The Bible tells us that when leprosy is found in a person, that person must be put out of the camp. Paul gives us a vivid picture of this very thing in Corinthians, using leaven and an active sin as our example of a form of leprosy. We also see that a building that is contaminated with leprosy must be torn down and taken outside the camp. God presented us with an unmistakable example of this when He had the Temple destroyed, and the people who were contaminated driven from the land He calls His own. Yet we of the Church do not learn from history, instead we believe as did the Jews: "It's different with us, we're God's special people." We no longer try to isolate the sinner and convince him or her of the need to change their ways. Instead we justify their sin, and we invite the sinner to preach from the pulpit.

We are one step away from Ecumenicalism. Ecumenicalism is, as is denominationalism, a dividing process. It is a mathematical equation that takes its number to its lowest denominator. The Church is already at it's lowest division in many churches, and it's traveling down a rapid slope in many of the others. How very little it will take for the World View to become the Church View, at which time we will have Ecumenicalism in full swing.

Paul tells us: God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. ¹¹For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. ¹²Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. ¹³Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. ¹⁴But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. (1Cor 2:)

¹And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. ²I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. ³For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men? ⁴For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal? (1Cor 3:)

⁵For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. ⁶For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. ⁷Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. ⁸So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. (Rom 8:)

Yet we find the theologian feels, as does the scientist, and the humanist, that they must use their carnal mind to figure out the things of God. And what they learn, we are taught. And what we are taught, we are expected to believe. And it's our belief, our faith, that will save us.

In this, as well as in all my writings, I strive to present a new way of looking at ourselves, at the churches, and at the Bible. I believe that in order to be in touch with God, we must continually look at the Bible with fresh eyes to see if there is something new that God might be pointing us to. I do not believe we should be adding concepts and theories that are not thoroughly supported by the Word, as is all too often done. But neither do I believe we should allow ourselves to settle for a superficial understanding of the Bible.

¹³Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for the LORD hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted. ¹⁴But Zion said, The LORD hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me. ¹⁵Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. ¹⁶Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me. ¹⁷Thy children shall make haste; thy destroyers and they that made thee waste shall go forth of thee. (Isaiah 49:)

¹When I would have healed Israel, then the iniquity of Ephraim was discovered, and the wickedness of Samaria: for they commit falsehood; and the thief cometh in, and the troop of robbers spoileth without. ²And they consider not in their hearts that I remember all their wickedness: now their own doings have beset them about; they are before my face. (Hosea 7:)

¹⁶Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name. ¹⁷And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him. ¹⁸Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not. (Mal 3:)

³²Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin--; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written. ³³And the LORD said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book. (Ex 32:)

¹¹And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. ¹²And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. ¹³And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. ¹⁴And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. ¹⁵And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. (Rev 20:)