Bible Doctrine

I can’t recall whether I spoke on this subject before – the subject of the “Samson Option.”  It is a war doctrine of the present Israeli government.  When I say the present Israeli government I do not mean this is a new doctrine.  It was considered during the Yom Kippur War in 1973 when Golda Mair was prime minister of Israel.

This doctrine gets its name from the 16th chapter of the Book of Judges in the Old Testament.  You probably recall the story of how Samson was taken prisoner by the Philistines and held in a prison in Gaza after having his eyes put out.  “Howbeit the hair of his head began to grow again after he was shaven.”  And, of course, that was where his strength was.  The Philistines had Samson brought out of the prison to the amphitheater where they were offering praise to their god Dagon.  Samson told the young lad that led him into the theater to place him between the two pillars that supported that structure.  Praying to God to give him strength, Samson took hold of the two pillars as he cried to God, “Let me die with the Philistines.  And he bowed himself with all his might, and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein.  So the dead which he killed at his death were more than they which he killed in his life.” (See Judges 16, verses 21-30).

The “Samson Option” refers to the nuclear military strategy the Israelis will launch in a massive nuclear retaliatory strike if the state of Israel is overrun by her Arab neighbors or anyone else.  (Estimates of Israel’s stockpile of nuclear weapons range between 80 and 400 nuclear warheads.  It is believed Israel has the capacity to deliver them by several methods, including aircraft, as submarine launched cruise missiles, and via  the Jericho series of intermediate to intercontinental ballistic missiles.

Oh, they wouldn’t do that, you think?  In the 1973 Yom Kippur War, when Arab forces were overwhelming Israel, Prime Minister Golda Mair authorized a nuclear alert and ordered 13 atomic bombs be readied for use by missiles and aircraft.

There are 21 Arab states with a population of almost 465 million.  There is one Jewish state, Israel, with a population of 6.9 million.  Those Arab nations have repeatedly declared, “Israel has no right to exist!”

Like it or not, you are living in an era when nuclear war is not only a possibility but more and more like a probability.  For several years now Putin has had Russia conduct a nuclear war test twice a year.  The sounding of the nuclear threat sirens alerts all Russian citizens to hasten to their nearest bunkers and prepare for nuclear war.

It pays to keep up on the news of the world, especially in this time of national distress among so many nations.  My suggestion?  Get as close to the Lord Jesus Christ as you can and maintain that close relationship 24/7.

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

Donald Wiley

Mark Twain said, “What gets us into trouble is not what we don’t know, but what we know that just ain’t so.”

So many pastors know and know that they know such and such a doctrine is supported by scripture when in actuality they have embraced profound error without realizing such is the case. They have several scriptures they are absolutely certain supports their belief in some area. They will say, “Can’t you see? It says right here….” and then will quote a verse of scripture, or even a lengthy passage apparently proving their point. And thereby they have proved their point, their doctrine, their belief. Or, have they?

They forget, if they ever even knew, that foundational statements must first be considered, that the truth of any Bible doctrine must be built upon foundational truth, not the other way around. God gives foundational truth early on in the scriptures and then builds upon that foundational truth, fleshing out a doctrine or teaching in that manner.

For instance, “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground” and “dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return” is foundational truth. It cannot be set aside, voided, abrogated or changed. (See Genesis 2:7 and Genesis 3:19). And the first foundational LIE was when Satan told mother Eve, “You shall NOT surely die!” (See Genesis 3:4). And upon that foundational lie Satan built a Babylon of related lies such as belief in ghosts, seances, communion with the dead, prayers to and for the dead, purgatory, limbo, the Elysian fields, Valhalla, etc., etc., etc.

Jesus said that the true worshippers worship the Father in spirit and in truth, and that the Father was ever seeking such to worship Him. (See John 4:23). “God is a Spirit, and they that worship Him MUST worship Him in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24). In His high priestly prayer recorded for us in the 17th chapter of John’s gospel account, Jesus implored the Father, “Sanctify them through thy truth. Thy word is truth.” (See John 17:17). The only written word of God then in existence was the Hebrew scriptures – the Old Testament!

In His confrontation with Satan at the very beginning of His earthly ministry, Jesus said, “Man shall not live by bread alone (physical sustenance), but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God (that which provides spiritual sustenance)” (See Matthew 4:4).

Again, God’s foundational truth is found in the Hebrew scriptures. “You shall seek me, and find me, when you shall search for me WITH ALL YOUR HEART! (See Jeremiah 29:13). That is foundational truth. Nothing recorded in the Greek scriptures – the New Testament – nullifies, abrogates, or changes that statement made by God Himself through the lips and pen of His prophet Jeremiah. Countless numbers of young and old have thought they made contact with their Creator and entered into fellowship with God by joining some local assembly of professing Christians. At no time did they seek a relationship with the Most High, or His Son Jesus, through wholeheartedly yearning for a relationship with God. They merely asked to be baptized and publicly stated they believed Jesus died for them.

Satan is far more clever then any human mind has ever conceived. He knows how to block and prevent someone from establishing a true, life-changing relationship with the Lord. He is a master at his craft – the art of deception. He knows how to divide, subdivide and subdivide again assembly after assembly thereby creating a new “Christian” denomination decade after decade.

Jesus’ grave and solemn warning is so easily forgotten: “Strait (difficult) is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leads unto life, AND FEW THERE BE THAT FIND IT” (See Matthew 7:14). “Not every one that says unto me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but HE THAT DOETH THE WILL OF MY FATHER which is in heaven” (See Matthew 7:21). Multitudes are believers. Few are DOERS! The most chilling words any believer will ever hear is Jesus Christ saying to them, “I never knew you. Depart from me…..”

I would urge that those who read my words take a renewed interest in the Hebrew scriptures, giving more earnest heed to God’s foundational truth contained therein. Remember that the only “Bible” the early church had for many years were the scrolls of the Hebrew scriptures. The last words of what we now call the New Testament were not even written until the final decade of the First Century A.D. Thousands of early church members knew nothing of any New Testament. Those living in widely separated Roman provinces in the early decades of the First Century would have been fortunate to have received a copy of even one of the apostles’ letters. A few would have been supremely blessed to have knowledge of epistles written by Paul, James, John or Peter. Think on these things and may the Lord grant you understanding.

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

Donald Wiley

Micaiah is a little known prophet of God, primarily because he wasn’t a writing prophet. He didn’t write a book of the Bible or have a book of the Bible named after him like Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, or many others. Very few of his words are recorded in the Bible, and those in but one chapter. Of the few words he spoke, these are the most important and most revealing: “As the Lord lives, whatever my God says, that I will speak” (See 2 Chronicles 18:13). The one common denominator of these men and women in all ages – the prophets and prophetesses of God – is given in that one verse of Holy Writ: “As the Lord lives, whatever my God says, that I will speak.” They were generally unpopular, often rejected. Though appearing quite ordinary, they were glaringly different. Your chances of meeting one in your lifetime were and are slim, but should you ever be so fortunate, you could count yourself among the most blessed of your generation, time and age.

Every true representative of the Most High could and should be able to say what Micaiah said: “As the Lord lives, whatever my God says, that I will speak.” They don’t water down the Word of God. They don’t omit some things, gloss over, or ignore what God has said, nor do they spurn three-fourths of God’s Word and ignorantly proclaim, “I don’t get my doctrine out of the Old Testament!” You can live a long life on this earth and never once meet one such personality. That is how rare they are.

This nation better prepare itself to witness how God moves in judgment against nations that ignore Him and spurn His judgments and commandments, especially after proclaiming to the world that they are one nation under God. When God removes His hand of protection from over a nation, that nation will have a hard and bitter lesson to learn. Let’s hope we learn it well.

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

Donald Wiley

As I have said many times before, the religious-minded person is the most narrow-minded personality you will ever encounter on earth. Once the human mind has absorbed a belief, a doctrine, a religious practice as valid, scriptural, or ordained by Almighty God that mind becomes quite effectively closed to any and all counter arguments or beliefs. They don’t want to hear it. As you speak with them you will see this glazed look come into their eyes, and you realize that they are tuning you out, not listening to a word you are saying. They are right. You are wrong. End of story. How often have I witnessed this phenomenon in the Mormon missionaries whom I have had visit me in my home. But I have witnessed the same, time and again, with all manner of believers. Most believers are just simply NOT open-minded.

I will say it again, “If open-mindedness, the ability to listen to reason, to ponder, to prove were assigned a value in the world’s financial markets, that quality would be assigned a value greater than that of diamonds, gold or platinum – because it is that rare!” One well worn argument you hear time and again is “all these people can’t be wrong!” What an incredibly stupid statement. You mean all these Nazis can’t be wrong? Or do you mean, all these Communists can’t be wrong? Or, all these Roman Catholics can’t be wrong? Or is it the millions of Muslims who can’t be wrong? Stop measuring the correctness of your beliefs by the number of individuals who agree with you. The apostle Paul warned, “When we measure ourselves by ourselves we are not wise.” Remember, Jesus Christ warned that FEW would find the pathway of truth. Are all others just written off. Of course not! Their time of enlightenment is future. Because death is no obstacle to God and God’s time-line runs out a lot further than most would even begin to suspect. Keep this FACT in mind when mulling over when Christ might return.

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

Donald Wiley

You have probably heard that term, maybe used it yourself, “seventh heaven.” Men use that term to describe being elated or overjoyed about something or some experience: “I was in seventh heaven!” Few realize that terminology comes from the Koran, not the Bible. The Koran speaks of there being seven heavens. The Bible speaks of there being only three: the first heaven being the atmosphere around this earth, the second being that vast expanse of space in which there are stars, planets, and the like. And, of course, that second heaven extends outward in space billions and billions of light years. The third heaven is the heaven of the Bible, the place of God’s habitation. The apostle Paul speaks of being “caught up to the third heaven.” (See 2 Corinthians 12:2). Our astronauts think they made quite a trip going to the moon. They ought to talk with Paul. He went trillions of miles further! That is WHY Paul says he doesn’t know whether he was “in the body” or “out of the body” (same verse as above). Paul in his lengthy journeys had to cross many mountains. He knew that the higher you ascended the colder it got and the more difficult it became to breathe, so he allows that he might not have been in his physical body when making that astonishing trip. Since with God ALL THINGS are possible. He might well have been in his physical body. This is another account in the scriptures that screams to us: DO NOT LIMIT GOD! I always consider this FACT when praying for healing.

God can raise the dead! And has done so on several occasions. There is no respect of persons with God, though He does consider our dedication and degree of obedience when considering hearing our petitions and granting requests. Spiritual rebels have little, if any, power in prayer. I word myself that way due to the fact that God is absolutely sovereign and can even overrule Himself if He so chooses. Sometimes even a pagan can cry out to God for help and God will move on that pagan’s behalf. God, unlike Allah, truly is the Most Merciful – “full of mercy and plenteous in kindness” is the way scripture puts it. (I am meditating upon the Book of Ephesians. That is why my mind was turned to consider the issue of heaven.) I highly recommend the reading of the Letter to the Ephesians. It consists of but six short chapters, but contains some of the greatest revelation about God and Christ as can be found in all of Holy Writ. Read it once more even if you have already read it a dozen or more times. I have read it dozens and dozens of times and am supremely blessed every time I do so.

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

Donald Wiley

The Spirit of God prompted that question in my mind several days ago. Over the last few days and evenings the Lord graciously provided me with the answer – HIS answer – to that question. The first pondering He planted in my mind was to wonder just how the apostle Paul would have expounded upon the 48th chapter of Genesis to those in the various congregations he taught and nurtured. The 48th chapter of Genesis, of course, is the passage where Jacob, or Israel, pronounces a blessing upon the sons of Joseph – Manasseh and Ephraim. Remember, Paul felt certain that he and his fellow apostles might be the last Christians to die prior to the return of the Lord. (See I Corinthians 4:9). He cautioned young people desiring to marry that it would be better to marry than to burn with passion for one another, yet reminded them that “the time is short” and that the fashion of the present world was soon to pass away. (See I Corinthians 7:9, 29 and 31). Therefore, if Paul thought that the blessing Israel pronounced upon Ephraim and Manasseh had not been fulfilled, he would have had to conclude that the blessings pronounced would only find fulfillment in the yet to come kingdom of God! The Spirit of the Lord then drew my attention to the glaring fact that Ephraim was never mentioned in the New Testament and Manasseh was mentioned only once, in Revelation 7:6.

Many years ago I had noted that Ephraim figured largely in Hosea’s prophecy, that, in fact, Ephraim was mentioned THIRTY-SEVEN TIMES in that short prophetic book. I was compelled to read the fourteen chapters of Hosea over and over and over again, literally dozens of times. In this study I will share with my readers what I then saw plainly and clearly in that ancient inspired book.

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

Donald Wiley

Speaking of the Lord’s Supper, the apostle Paul wrote the Corinthian congregation, “For as often as you eat this bread, and drink this cup, you do show the Lord’s death till he comes.  Wherefore whosoever (remember, he’s writing to church members – believers) shall eat this bread and drink this cup of the Lord unworthily (having sin in their life they have not confessed and abandoned) shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.” (See I Corinthians 11:26-27).  Can you think of a more serious sin than that??  “But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.  For he that eats and drinks unworthily, eats and drinks damnation (judgment) to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.  For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep (have died).”  (See I Corinthians 11:28-30).  Notice that God’s judgment on this sin is immediate and extremely harsh, some believers even suffering he death penalty! 

Do you really think this particular sin is the only sin God punishes in a believer’s life?  Not at all!  God punishes the sin of lying and fraud quickly as well even to the extent of taking the life of the offender.  (Read Acts 5, verses 1 through 11.  Ananias and Sapphira had lied to God (verse 4), and God exacted immediate and terrible punishment on them for their folly). “ALL LIARS shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone!”  (See Revelation 21:8).  There is no caveat in that verse that excludes Christian liars.  Ananias and Sapphira were Christians.  “And there shall in no wise enter into it (the holy city) any thing that defiles…or makes a lie” (See Revelation 21:27).  In no wise, the text says, and certainly not through Jesus Christ.  It is Jesus Christ, the Alpha and Omega who uttered that warning.  One last time the solemn warning is given, “Blessed are they that do (keep) his commandments that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city, for without are dogs (the unclean), and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolators, and whosoever loves and makes a lie” (See Revelation 22:14-15). 

Men may mock and defame those who keep God’s commandments now, but someday they might stand dumbfounded as they watch the commandment keepers enter in through the gates of the Holy City while they themselves are turned aside! At the final fall of Babylon (earth’s false religious systems including every confusion from Buddhism to Islam and Mormonism to Roman Catholicism), the sacred record says, “Here is the patience (endurance) of the saints.  Here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus” (See Revelation 14:12).  The two go hand-in-hand.  Jesus said, “I have kept my Father’s commandments” (See John 15:10).  “And the dragon (Satan) was angry with the woman (God’s church), and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, WHICH KEEP THE COMMANDMENTS OF GOD, AND HAVE THE TESTIMONY OF JESUS CHRIST” (See Revelation12:17).  The testimony of Jesus Christ was “I have kept my Father’s commandments” (Again see John 15:10).

“Whosoever commits sin transgresses also the law (God’s law), for sin is he transgression of the law” (See I John 3:4).  And God’s law goes far beyond keeping the Ten Commandments.  Anything God says, “Don’t do this” constitutes a law of God, and failure to obey that directive is sin and “every transgression and disobedience receives a just penalty of punishment” (See Hebrews 2:1-2).  Those who customarily escape such punishment need to contemplate Hebrews 12, verses 5 through 8 and 2 Corinthians 13:5, for their only escape is to confess each sin and forsake the same.  The blood of Jesus Christ then covers their sins.  God help us all to understand.

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

Donald Wiley

Millions of Christians are totally convinced that any sin they commit has already been covered by the shed blood of Jesus Christ and, thus, pre-forgiven by Him.  In order to accept this belief as spiritual truth one must totally ignore scores of scriptures written by the apostles.  “Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip (from our minds).  For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast (impossible of being annulled, abolished or repealed), and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence (repayment) of reward (penalty or punishment), how shall WE (New Covenant believers) escape (a just punishment for our sins) if we neglect so great salvation (a salvation that enables us to live holy lives, escaping every temptation to sin), which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them (those first apostles) that heard him?”  (See Hebrews 2:1-3).

“Examine yourselves whether ye be in the faith (truly converted).  Prove your own selves.  Know ye not your own selves how that Jesus Christ is IN you, except ye be reprobates (a spiritual outcast).”  (See 2 Corinthians 13:5).  Christian congregations around the globe are literally filled with men and women, young and old, who are spiritual outcasts and do not have an inkling of their peril or condition.

Paul wrote the Corinthian congregation that he feared “when I come again my God will humble me among you, and that I shall bewail (grieve over) many which have sinned already, and have not repented” thinking their sins were pre-forgiven, already covered by the shed blood of the Lord.  (See 2 Corinthians 12:21).

Writing to the church in Galatia, Paul said, “Be not deceived.  God is not mocked (you haven’t put one over on God), for whatsoever a (Christian) man sows that shall he also reap.  For he that sows to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption, but he that sows to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.  To be continued…… 

When Jesus spoke the words “it is finished” on the cross he was making reference to our secured salvation. Or was He? Perhaps it has never dawned on those who say that when Jesus spoke those words He had not even died at that point. Therefore the penalty for sin had not even been paid yet when He said, “It is finished!” Therefore, He could not possibly have been referring to our salvation. And Paul plainly declares that Jesus was raised from the dead for our justification, and Jesus was a full three days away from being resurrected when He said, “It is finished!” So He could not have been referring to the penalty for sin having been paid at that point or our having been justified by the shedding of His blood when He uttered those words. (See Romans 4:25). Then what did He mean?

The three most misunderstood words in John’s gospel account, perhaps even in the entire New Testament, are the words, “It is finished.” (See John 19:30). I can’t begin to count the number of times I have heard someone say that when Jesus Christ spoke those words from the cross He was making reference to our salvation, that it was then finished and completed. Nothing more could be done to bring a lost world to God. That was it. Christ Himself had said, “It is finished”! But, those who say that, forget one primary and important rule of Bible study and scripture exegesis, or interpretation – they forget to look at the context! Yes, even the most revered preacher and theologian can sometimes fail to consider the context. We are all fallible and subject to err and err greatly sometimes’

One needs to consider the Greek word that the King James translators translated by the English word “finished,” as most in-depth Bible students are well aware that the translators did not always choose the best word when translating the Hebrew and Greek languages. (That’s why there are more than a dozen different translations, or versions, of the Bible). The Greek word teleo (pronounced tel-EH’-o) means “to complete, to execute, to conclude, discharge, or perform.” Was there something that was discharged, concluded or performed just before Jesus uttered those words thereby causing Him to say, “It is finished”? There most certainly was! Jesus Christ had fulfilled a scripture prophecy just moments before saying, “It is finished.” And it was the last prophetic scripture that had to be discharged or performed before Jesus Christ could die!

Let’s go back to the 28th verse of John 19 and begin reading there: “After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, THAT THE SCRIPTURE MIGHT BE FULFILLED, said, “I thirst.” Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar, and they filled a sponge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, and put it to His mouth. WHEN JESUS THEREFORE HAD RECEIVED THE VINEGAR, He said, “It is finished,” and He bowed His head, and gave up the ghost (Greek pneuma, pronounced NYOO’-mah, meaning “breath, spirit, life”). He had just discharged or performed the last prophetic scripture penned by the Hebrew prophets concerning the Messiah’s sufferings by saying, “I thirst” and drinking of the vinegar lifted to his lips by a Roman soldier. Which scripture? Psalm 69:21, which says, “They gave me gall for my meat, and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.”

Enroute to Jerusalem and the cross, scripture says “He took unto Him the twelve, and said unto them, ‘Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, AND ALL THINGS THAT ARE WRITTEN BY THE PROPHETS CONCERNING THE SON OF MAN SHALL BE ACCOMPLISHED (teleo, the same Greek word translated as “finished” in John 19:30).” See Luke 18:31. Before breathing His last on the cross, Jesus knew that the prophecy of Psalm 69 still needed to be fulfilled, performed, accomplished – finished. That’s WHY He said, “I thirst.” And that is WHY, after receiving the vinegar, Jesus said, “It is finished.” Those who say He was referring to our salvation when He uttered those words might mean well – but they are in error on that point.

THAT is rightly dividing the Word of God. Something even the most highly respected preachers sometimes fail to do so. And that is how gross error is perpetuated in the various Christian assemblies.

Think on these things and may our Lord’s Spirit guide you as you do so.

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

Donald Wiley