Bible Doctrine

What if you decided to plant a small vegetable garden in your backyard, and while turning over the soil your implement struck something solid.  Clearing away the dirt, you found a large obviously quite old strong box.  With one sharp blow of a hammer the lock fell off.  Opening the strong box you discovered that it contained several hundred $20 gold pieces.  Would you be excited?  Would your heart beat a little bit faster? You would probably experience an adrenalin rush like never before.

How on earth can a Christian, someone who believes the Bible is true and its contents reliable totally and completely, how can such a person read the 21st verse of Revelation chapter 3 without being mentally staggered by what they find there?  Here is that verse: “To him that overcomes will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father  in His throne.”  The only way a Christian can read those words and not be excited is 1) They don’t believe what Jesus just promised the overcomer, or 2) They realize they are not an overcomer, hence the promise does not include them.

What is an overcomer, you ask?  An overcomer is someone who has overcome, or is consistently victorious over the deceptions and temptations of Satan.  They have obeyed the COMMAND of their Lord to “Be ye holy, for I am holy!”  (See I John 2:13-17 and I Peter 1:16). They have, with the Lord’s help, overcome any and all temptations to sin.

No wonder Satan inspires multitudes of preachers to assure their congregations they cannot totally break with sin in this life!  No wonder Satan perverts such texts as Romans 7 and I John 1:8.

Brethren, don’t envy King Charles III his temporary and mostly powerless throne over a small portion of this earth.  If we overcome, we shall sit with our Lord on His throne that rules the entire universe and all living things in heaven and earth, principalities and powers being made subject unto us. And we will enjoy that reward throughout the ages of the ages. What a future!  Don’t be satisfied with getting into heaven, yet so as by fire, or by the skin of your teeth.  Go for the reward, the apostle Paul called “the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus!” (See Philippians 3:14).  That’s the mark I press toward.  Won’t you join me?

Christ’s Faithful Servant (Galatians 1:10-12),

Donald Wiley

“For this is my covenant unto them (to all who put their trust in Jesus Christ and surrender their lives to Him), when I shall take away their sins.” (Romans 11:27).  Notice, God’s covenant is not merely the forgiveness of our sins, or paying the death penalty for our sins, His covenant with us is that He will take away our sins!  The former liar will lie no more.  The former thief will steal no more.  The Lord has taken away those sins.    

“For the law (the Old Covenant) made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope (the New Covenant) did, by the which we draw nigh unto God.” (Hebrews 7:19).  Remember, without holiness no man shall see the Lord.  (See Hebrews 1:14).  Therefor it is imperative that the Lord be permitted to do His sanctifying work.  Sanctification is as much a part of the salvation experience as justification.  God doesn’t forgive us then leave us in our sinful condition.  How absurd!  His winnowing “fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly purge His floor (here meaning the body of Christ, His church), and will gather the wheat (His purified sons and daughters) into His garner (the Kingdom of God), but the chaff (those clinging to their sinful ways as a lifestyle) He will burn with His unquenchable fire.” (Luke 3:17).

An unquenchable fire is not a fire that burns forever, or eternally, but a fire that none can extinguish until it has accomplished what God has designed for it to do, that is to snuff out the life and reduce to ash all who rebel against the Lord and refuse to obey Him.  

“For, behold, the day cometh that shall burn as an oven, and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble, and the day that cometh shall burn them up, says the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.” (Malachi 4:1).  A tree is not totally destroyed if you merely cut it down.  It is totally destroyed when roots and branches – the whole tree – is burned in a fire.  This is a perfect analogy of the fate of the wicked.  They will be totally, completely, utterly destroyed.  “And ye (the faithful elect) shall tread down the wicked, for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this.” (Verse 4 of Malachi 3).

Christ’s Faithful Servant (Galatians 1:10-12),

Donald Wiley

Those not intimately acquainted with the scriptures, knowing only bits and pieces of scripture, are certain that godly folks, saved individuals, most certainly do go to heaven when they die. Just their bodies die. The real “you” lives on either in heaven or hell. That is the popular concept of many. This belief is embraced by them due to the fact that they have in their minds a scripture here and a scripture there that SEEMINGLY supports such a view. One such text upon which they rely to “prove” their belief is the account given in Matthew 17, Mark 9 and Luke 9 of the “Mount of Transfiguration” experience where Jesus takes Peter, James and John with Him up into a high mountain and “was transfigured before them (they saw it with their own eyes), and His face did shine as the sun and His raiment was white as the light” (See Matthew 17:1-2). The very next verse in that text in Matthew says: “And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elijah talking with Him” (verse 3).

So, there you have it. Moses and Elijah are not dead, awaiting a resurrection to restore them to life. They are very much alive. Right? Not so fast. Keep reading Matthew’s account and you will read these words in the 9th verse: “And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, ‘Tell THE VISION to no man, until the Son of Man be risen again from the dead.'”

Note well, what they saw was only a vision – NOT REALITY. And it was a vision of a FUTURE EVENT! Also note that one of the people taken up on the mountain with Jesus was Peter. Let’s allow Peter – one who was there that day – to explain to us what this VISION portrayed: “For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you THE POWER AND COMING OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty (His majestic SECOND COMING), for He received from God the Father honor and glory when there came such a voice to Him from the excellent glory (during the “Mount of Transfiguration experience”), ‘This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.’ And this voice which came from heaven we (Peter, James and John) heard, when we were with Him in the holy mount.” (See 2 Peter 1:16-18).

God the Father gave Peter, James and John a glimpse into the future with this vision. They saw Jesus Christ returning to earth in glory with Moses and Elijah beside Him as Paul says the dead in Christ are resurrected first! They saw a FUTURE event in this VISION. They saw what was to come thousands of years later – NOT what was then a reality.

Moses is dead, folks. So is Elijah. So are grandma and grandpa. Preachers had better start reading their Bibles a little bit more thoroughly and allowing scripture to interpret scripture. Elijah’s chariot ride did not take him to the third heaven, trillions of light years from earth. It didn’t even take him to the second heaven, that great expanse of space wherein are billions of galaxies. It took him up into the first heaven, the sky in which we now fly in aircraft. And it brought him back to earth, or are you, too, ignorant of the Bible books of 1st and 2nd Kings and 2nd Chronicles?

Jesus knew what He was talking about when He said, “No man has ascended up to heaven, but He that came down from heaven, even the Son of man…” (See John 3:13). He spoke these words to the Pharisee rabbi Nicodemus. Had Nicodemus corrected Jesus, telling Him, “Wait a minute, rabbi. Elijah ascended to heaven. So did Enoch,” Jesus would have corrected Nicodemus, telling him, “No they didn’t. I said NO MAN has ascended up to heaven. You had better read those Bible texts a bit more closely if you think they say otherwise!”

God have mercy on those ignorant of His inspired Word as they are ripe for Satan’s clever deceptions. I assure you many anointed teachers of God’s Word see clearly the truths given above. But huge numbers of well-meaning “preachers” do not. They, therefore, become the blind leading the blind. They may see clearly some basic Bible truths, yet remain blinded in many all-important areas. Someday God will sort them out. Those truly converted children of God so deceived will suffer the loss of many rewards, though. And that is truly tragic.

Christ’s Faithful Servant (Galatians 1:10-12),

Donald Wiley

Do you know WHERE the annual feast days of Passover, Pentecost and Tabernacles were to be kept? Jerusalem – only Jerusalem, and nowhere else. The ONLY time these annual feasts were observed somewhere else was when there was no city of Jerusalem, but once Jerusalem was founded God Himself decreed that it was in that city alone these three feasts were to be observed.  (See Deuteronomy 12:5; Deuteronomy 26:2 and Ezra 6:12). When you find these feasts (Passover and Pentecost) mentioned in the New Testament, do you know where they are being observed? Jerusalem – only Jerusalem, and nowhere else.

These feasts were intimately tied to an agrarian culture and society, a culture where tilling of the land and growing of crops was paramount.  An offering of a sheaf of wheat and two loaves of bread as wave offerings figured largely in the keeping of the Feast of Pentecost.  The Feast of Tabernacles required the children of Israel to dwell in booths constructed of branches of palm trees, the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook, not in the comfortable lodgings of some resort hotel.  Various and sundry offerings by fire were required to be made during these annual feasts where a priest officiated.

Three times in each and every year ALL the males in Israel were commanded by God to gather in Jerusalem to honor these annual feasts! (See Exodus 23:14-17; Exodus 34:23-24; Deuteronomy 16:1-3, 16). The distance between Capernaum and Jerusalem alone was nearly eighty miles! Assuming an average walking speed of 3 mph, it would take over 26 hours to walk to Jerusalem from Capernaum if one could keep up such a pace with few rest stops. This indeed was a laborious journey. Have you ever walked 80 miles non-stop? It would have taken much longer for many Jews to make this trek if they were advanced in years or had physical infirmities.

When Paul says he hastened to be in Jerusalem for the feast of Pentecost, it was not because he felt obligated to keep this feast, but it was because the Word of God was growing mightily and Jews were beginning to magnify the name of the Lord. (See Acts 9:17-20).  Paul knew that many thousands of Jews would congregate in Jerusalem to keep the Feast of Pentecost.  He saw this as a marvelous opportunity to preach Christ to them.  (See Acts 20:16).  Later, after Paul discerned that the Jewish people were then largely accursed from Christ Paul remained in Ephesus purposely missing the observance of Pentecost in Jerusalem for “a great and effectual door” had been opened to him among the Gentiles by the Holy Spirit.  (See Romans 9:1-3 and I Corinthians 16:8-9)

You can carefully read the Bible from cover to cover and nowhere will you find that God allowed anyone, not any prophet or apostle, to change the place where these three feasts were to be observed. Jerusalem alone was the locale where God commanded these annual sabbaths were to be observed! The apostle Paul makes a frank and telling admission in this matter when he writes, “But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me by His grace to reveal His Son in me that I might preach Him among the heathen, immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood (did not ask for another apostle’s input) neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me, but I went in unto Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus. Then AFTER THREE YEARS I went up to Jerusalem TO SEE PETER (not to keep an annual feast), and abode with him fifteen days” (Galatians 1:15-18).

This former Pharisee of the Pharisees freely admits he purposely missed observing nine annual feast days in Jerusalem. And, at that time, there is not a whisper in any scripture passage that believers were observing these feasts in various Gentile cities! But that’s not all. Paul goes on to say “Then FOURTEEN YEARS after I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, and took Titus with me also. And I went up by revelation, and communicated unto them the gospel which I now preach among the Gentiles…” (See Galatians 2:1-2). That is FORTY-TWO more annual feasts Paul purposely missed attending in Jerusalem, the ONLY city where God ordained these feasts were to be observed!

Friend, you better let the Holy Spirit and the Word of God instruct you lest Satan bring you under the curse of the law of works. (See Galatians 3:10-13). Do not add to the Word of God lest God add to you the plagues therein.  What you have just read is NOT mere speculation.  These are the cold hard facts of scripture. What you have read is clear scripture, not clever argument. God help you to understand.

Christ’s Faithful Servant (Galatians 1:10-12),

Donald Wiley

God has no double standard, no respect of persons.  He shows no favoritism in His judgments.  When Jesus said, “No servant can serve two masters” that included Solomon and all born human.  (See Luke 16:13).  

In closing the sacred record, God inspired John to write: “He that overcomes (this world’s attractions, his fleshly lusts, and Satan’s myriad deceptions) shall inherit all things, and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.  But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, AND IDOLATORS (including Solomon), and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death” (See Revelation 21:7-8).  

The apostle Paul is in full agreement with his fellow apostle John, when he writes: “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God?  Be not deceived (believers can be): neither fornicators, NOR IDOLATORS, nor adulterers, nor effeminate (males who intentionally attempt to change their sexual orientation and appearance – not those who happen to be born with delicate features), nor abusers of themselves with mankind (those who pratice homosexual or lesbian acts), nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God (See I Corinthians 6:9-10).  Countless numbers are deceived into believing that such personalities as those just spoken of by Paul will indeed inherit the kingdom of God if they merely believe Jesus died for them.  They think that though these evil ones continue their evil practices, “It’s all under the blood, brother!”  They think the eternal kingdom of God will be filled with such personalities.  How grossly deceived they are.

Few seem to have read the closing chapter of Solomon’s life.  Those events are clearly recorded for us in the 11th chapter of I Kings.  Let me quote a few statements recorded in that chapter concerning wise King Solomon: “His wives turned away his heart, for it came to pass when Solomon was old that his wives turned away his heart after other gods…For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Amorites.  And Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord (yes, God did take notice of Solomon’s idolatry)…Then did Solomon build an high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon…And the Lord was angry with Solomon, because HIS HEART WAS TURNED FROM THE LORD GOD OF ISRAEL, which had appeared to him twice, and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods, BUT HE KEPT NOT THAT WHICH THE LORD COMMANDED” (See I Kings 11:3-10).

Are the words recorded by the apostles John and Paul trustworthy?  Does God have a double standard?  Is He, in truth, a respecter of persons?  Was Jesus mistaken when He said, “No servant can serve two masters?”  Did Solomon prove Him wrong when he served not only two masters but several masters?  Should we look to some other “holy” book for the truth?  Did King David know what he was talking about when he told Solomon, “And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve Him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches all hearts (even Solomon’s AND YOURS, my reader), and understands all the imaginations of the thoughts.  If you (Solomon or any one else) seek Him, He will be found of you, but if you forsake Him, HE WILL CAST YOU OFF FOREVER” (See I Chronicles 28:9).  God help you to understand.

Christ’s Faithful Servant (Galatians 1:10-12),

Donald Wiley

Many scriptures speak of how God uses the weather to both discipline as well as rescue nations.  Many decisive battles, battles that actually decided the outcome of great wars, have been decided by the weather.  Nations have been rescued from defeat by the enemy when weather intervened and changed the course of battle.  But God also both disciplines nations and warns nations by devastating, life-threatening weather.  Those who spurn God’s Word and the counsel contained therein just see weather as no more than natural phenomena, taking no heed to its warning.  And, again I say, you ain’t seen nothing yet.  Even godless Muslim nations are going to be able to recognize God’s hand of discipline raised against America.  This, of course, will embolden them to believe that God is then on THEIR side.  ISIS supporters use such arguments to gain recruits from what were once known as “Christian” nations.  They point to America’s same-sex marriages and transgender approval as proof America indeed needs to be utterly destroyed. 

One’s safety is to be found only in total submission to Jesus Christ.  Those who fail to bow to His LORDship will be in jeopardy of being harmed or killed in a variety of ways – weather, terrorist attacks, lone racist atrocities, etc., etc., etc.   A mere generation ago, during the days of Roosevelt and Truman, the very idea of same-sex marriage and changing one’s gender would have been seen as utterly satanic, godless, incredible, unbelievable.

Moral corruption is a fast growing cancer that proceeds from Stage I to Stage IV with unbelievable speed.  And once Satan gets a toe-hold in a society his ability to move and destroy progresses faster than human mind can conceive.  Don’t look for ISIS to be stopped.  Only genuine, wholehearted repentance and turning to God in abject surrender and faith would do the job.  And I don’t see that as very likely.  Again I say, fasten your seatbelts for we are in for a very rough ride. 

Christ’s Faithful Servant (Galatians 1:10-12),

Donald Wiley

Paul could confidently exhort the Corinthian believers, “Be ye followers of me even as I also am of Christ” (see I Corinthians 11:1), and cry out to the Galatian believers, “Christ LIVES in me” (see Galatians 2:20). How could Paul seriously, and without hypocrisy, exhort the Philippian believers to be “blameless, and harmless, and without rebuke” if he, himself, was ever giving in to the pulls of the flesh? (see Philippians 2:15). Paul wrote the Corinthians, “I know of nothing against myself” (see I Corinthians 4:4). Or, as the New International Version words it, “My conscience is clear.” Paul knew of NO SIN in his life. In fact, he wrote that “a bishop (a spiritual overseer of an assembly) MUST BE BLAMELESS, JUST, HOLY” (see Titus 1:7-8). He wrote similar words to Timothy. (see I Timothy 3:1-7). Are we to believe that Paul, an apostle, was himself not qualified to be a bishop???!! Paul exhorted the Thessalonian believers, and by extension you and and me, “Abstain from all appearance of evil. And the very God of peace sanctify you WHOLLY (UTTERLY, COMPLETELY, THROUGH-AND-THROUGH), and I pray God YOUR WHOLE SPIRIT AND SOUL AND BODY (THE TOTAL YOU) be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He who calls you (to this walk of holiness), who also WILL do it (IF you resist Satan, put off the deeds of the flesh, surrender to Christ’s LORDship and let HIM work)” (See I Thessalonians 5:22-24). How could Paul be so sure Jesus would bring these believers to such a continued walk of holiness and purity of life? He had done it for Paul, that’s why.

What you have just read is God’s truth and Jesus Christ’s own plain, easy-to-understand answer to the question: “Do we have to sin?” What you do with this knowledge is your affair, your responsibility. My responsibility is “to him who has been given much, there is much required.” I am giving to fellow believers what my Lord has given to me. I have met my responsibility.

Christ’s Faithful Servant (Galatians 1:10-12),

Donald Wiley

Alright, let’s look at 1 John 1:8: “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” At first glance one might think that few Christians make such a claim. On the contrary, hordes of Christians, millions of believers make that claim, and they are deceiving themselves in doing so. This is HOW they make that claim, and this is WHAT John meant when he wrote those words: They claim that the shed blood of Christ covers all their sins: past, present and future. Therefore, they believe they have no sin. John says they deceive themselves with that argument or belief. God DOES see a believer’s sins if and when a believer lets down his, or her, guard and transgresses. It is ONLY a believer’s PAST sins that are blotted out and removed from him as far as the east is from the west. (See Romans 3:25).

Look at I John 1:8 in context. Beginning with verse 6, we read: “If we (believers) say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness (that is, SIN), we lie (break the 9th commandment), and do not the truth. But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light (thus avoid sin), we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from ALL sin. If we say that we have no sin (while walking in darkness, lying, SINNING), 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” (verse 7 through 9). And, in the beginning verse of chapter 2, John wrote, “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye SIN NOT!” Do you see it? All John is saying is if, as believers, we sin and think God does not see that sin, that our sins are no longer counted against us, we deceive ourselves! When the glorified Jesus Christ looked upon the believers at Ephesus, He saw their sin, telling them, “Thou art fallen…REPENT!” (See Revelation 2:5). To the church at Pergamos, Jesus commanded, “Repent!” (See Revelation 2:16). He gives that same command to Thyatira (verses 21 and 22), to Sardis (See Revelation 3:3, and Laodicea (verse 19). The absurd interpretation many give to 1 John 1:8 would mean believers should be able to say, “Thank God, we’re not deceived. We’re all still sinning. Are you still sinning, brother? Hallelujah, then you’re not deceived. Keep on sinning!” Don’t you see how utterly absurd is the popular interpretation of 1 John 1:8? The popular interpretation of that verse would make every child of God a slave of sin, God Himself warning us not to think we can stop sinning!!! How utterly ridiculous and how crafty is Satan in his deceptions. John says He writes this letter “that ye SIN NOT!” (See I John 2:1). And goes on to say “Whosoever abides in Him SINS NOT” (See 1 John 3:6). This does not mean a believer cannot, or will not sin. It means a believer need not sin. The apostle Paul presents this magnificent hope in I Corinthians 10:13, when he dogmatically affirms: “There has no temptation taken you but such as is common to man. But God is faithful, who will not suffer (allow) you to be tempted above that (which) ye are able (to bear), but will with the temptation (at that exact moment in time, simultaneously) also make a way to escape (a GOD-MADE, hence a PERFECT way of escape) that ye may be able to bear it (bear up under temptation without sinning).”

Christ’s Faithful Servant (Galatians 1:10-12),

Donald Wiley

This is a huge universe in which we dwell. And it has been here a long time. Our God is a Creator God. He is good at what He does and He has been doing it a long time – throughout all eternity past. Many never stop to consider that just as there is an eternity future, so there has been an eternity PAST. God has been creating forever! There never was a time when God did not exist. We mortal humans have a hard time grasping that something, or Someone, has always existed and never had a beginning. Every living thing in our sphere of existence has a definite life span, calculated in segments of time that are quite small. Even a hundred, or a thousand, or a million years to God is but a millisecond.

There truly are billions, even trillions of galaxies. And, I agree with the scientific community, that most if not all of those galaxies contain planets like our solar system, and that billions of those planets might support life forms of some sort. DON’T LIMIT GOD! This planet alone contains and supports hundreds of thousands of life forms from amoebas to elephants, sardines to whales, and hummingbirds to giant condors. Whose to say God didn’t populate some other planet or planets with some type of life forms. Are we to believe God didn’t get the bright idea of creating other living things until just the recent past? Something to think about, friend, something to think about.

Christ’s Faithful Servant (Galatians 1:10-12),

Donald Wiley