FROM THE PASTOR'S DESK Archives - Page 2 of 3 - The voice of LIBERTY BAPTIST CHURCH

DEALING SPECIFICALLY WITH MIDTRIB. POST TRIB. AND PREWRATH.

March 27, 2022March 27, 2022 tyBook Review, FROM THE PASTOR'S DESK

MIDTRIB. & POSTTRIB. Views arose in the late 1950’s early 1960’s. In debates the were soundly refuted and abandoned! Both fail to recognize the distinction between God’s program for Israel and God’s program for the NT church.

The same is true for the new PREWRATH Rapture view. But it still has become popular in this Laodicean Age. It was first espoused by Marvin Rosenthal in, The Prewrath Rapture of the Church 1990. His view divides the 70^th week of Daniel into 3 parts (The only division in Scripture is half, “in the midst of the week” Dan. 9:27, “time, times and the dividing of time” (or 3.5 years) Dan. 7:25 and forty and two months 3.5 years) Rev. 11:2 & 13:5) and has the last quarter as the wrath of God. (Hence, it is sometimes called, “The 3/4 rapture view”).

The basic thesis of the book is that the Church will be removed from the earth by the rapture just before the fourth quarter of the 70 th Week of Daniel. Rosenthal divides Daniel’s 70 th Week into three distinct periods: “The Beginning of Sorrows,” lasting 3 ½ years, the “Great Tribulation,” involving the first half of the last 3 ½ years or 21 months, followed by the Day of the Lord, spanning the second half of the 3 ½ years or final 21 months. Rosenthal belabors the point that the rapture will be after the Great Tribulation and before the Day of the Lord, the time of God’s wrath, which begins with the opening of the sixth seal (Rev. 8:1, pp.60, 61).

In Rosenthal’s scheme, the Church must endure Antichrist, the Great Tribulation, and after 64 months into the 70 th Week, it will be raptured.

On page 161 he has Elijah preaching for only 21 months, Scripture says 42!

Post-trib. And Prewrath proof texts:

Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. (Matthew 24:29-31)

Jesus here speaks of what follows after the tribulation of those days. Verse 31 is believed to be the rapture. His elect, here, are said to be Christians.

Christians ARE said to be elect. There are TWO elect bodies! The Bride AND Israel.

To some, since Jew and Gentile are one then ONLY one elect group exist.

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:28)

They are one elect body only when they are in Christ. Does a gentile/Greek outside of Christ stop being a Gentile? No. A Jew and a Gentile when they are in Christ make a new Creation called a Christian.

Israel (Jews) outside of Christ are also an elect body!

For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins. As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers’ sakes. For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. (Romans 11:25-29)

How do we know which group is being referred to in a passage of Scripture? Context!!!

When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) (Matthew 24:15)

DANIEL’S PROPHECY IS ABOUT HIS PEOPLE ISRAEL! NEITHER DANIEL NOR HIS PEOPLE ARE IN CHRIST!

But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: (Matthew 24:20)

CHRISTIANS DO NOT KEEP SABBATH!

And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. (Matthew 24:30)

TRIBES refer to the tribes of Israel!

Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: (Matthew 24:32)

FIG TREE REPRESENTS ISRAEL!

Prewrath advocates assert that The wrath of God is different that the other judgments of Revelation! Their view is that THE wrath of God does not begin until the opening of the 6^th seal Rev 6, because verse 17 says, For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand? (Revelation 6:17)

Verse 17 is the concluding verse of chapter 6 and follows after the opening of the 6^th seal. However, this is a chapter concluding statement not a beginning statement! “Is come…” is a past tense in the Greek NOT future tense!

Prewrathers say that the first seals are “the wrath of Satan and man” and not the wrath of God. (Marvin Rosenthal, Prewrath Rapture of the Church 1990).

But who is unleashing the wrath of “Satan and man”? The Lord Jesus Christ!

The prewrath view becomes problematic considering 1 Thess 5:3; For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. (1 Thessalonians 5:2-3). Peace is taken from the earth with the SECOND seal!!

The wrath of God MUST begin with the opening of the FIRST seal!

THE LAST TRUMP:

Since 1 Cor. 15:52 says, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump… (1 Corinthians 15:52) Posttrib. And Prewrathers assert that the last trump is the seventh trumpet judgment of revelation 11:15.

Rosenthal is confused when he says the 7 trumpets and the 7 bowls are the wrath of God, but then says the 7^th trumpet is the “rapture”. Without realizing that would put Christians through 6 trumpets worth of God’s wrath!!!

First trump and trumpet are not the same thing. Trump is a verb trumpet is a noun! A trump is a sound a trumpet is an instrument.

Next, The trump in 1 Cor. Is referring to Rosh Hashanah or the FEAST OF TRUMPETS. In the 7 Feasts prophecies it is BEFORE THE DAYS OF MOURNING (Yom Kippur) and The Feast of Tabernacles (The Lord shall tabernacle with His people (Millenium).

Paul would not be referring to Revelation because it had not yet been written and no one to whom he was writing to would know what he is talking about!

On the other hand, the last tump (of several) blown during Rosh Hashanah would have been well known to his readers.

NOAH AND THE FLOOD.

But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. (Matthew 24:37-39)

According to Rosenthal the day that Noah and his family entered the ark, on the same day God’s judgment fell (p. 196 &220). However, Scripture says they were in the ark for 7 days before the rains began! (Gen 7:4 &10)

PREWRATHERS GREAT TRIBULATION IS DIFFERENT FROM THE DAY OF THE LORD’S WRATH!

For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened. (Matthew 24:21-22)

Here is a time so unprecedented that there never was nor ever will be a day like it! Yet the rapture the wrath of God supposedly comes AFTER IT!

Prewrath and Post-tribbers claim Matt. 24:31 is the rapture of the Bride of Christ.

First See reasons above as to why the elect is Israel.

That this is the ingathering of Israel people fulfilling the Feast of Tabernacles prophecy is shown in the following scriptures:

And it shall come to pass in that day, that the great trumpet shall be blown, and they shall come which were ready to perish in the land of Assyria, and the outcasts in the land of Egypt, and shall worship the LORD in the holy mount at Jerusalem. (Isaiah 27:13)

And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth. (Isaiah 11:11-12),

Matthew 24 And Daniel’s 70th Week

January 14, 2022January 14, 2022 tyFROM THE PASTOR'S DESK

THIS PERIOD OF TIME (Daniel’s 70^th Week) IS WHAT JESUS IS REFERING TO IN MATT. 24.

When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) (Matthew 24:15)

But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: (Matthew 24:20)

CHRISTIANS DO NOT KEEP SABBATH

TRIBES refer to the tribes of Israel!

Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: (Matthew 24:32)

FIG TREE REPRESENTS ISRAEL

THE “RAPTURE” QUESTION II

September 25, 2021September 25, 2021 tyFROM THE PASTOR'S DESK

Critics have said, “The rapture is fake”. or “There is no rapture in the Bible”!

When you refer them to the rapture passages (listed below), they then respond, “I don’t see the word “rapture”!

The word “rapture” is not in the King James Bible because it’s a Latin word found in the Latin translation of 1 Thess. 4:17 “caught up”.

NT PASSAGES DEALING WITH THE RAPTURE:

In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. (John 14:2-3)

Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. (1 Corinthians 15:51-52)

For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up (harpazo, Greek) together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17)

Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. (2 Thessalonians 2:1-2)

1 Corinthians 15:51, tells us that it is a mystery (family [of God] secret). Something revealed only to the church not the public.

Jesus spoke of it in John 14 in a private briefing (upper room discourse) only to the 11 Apostles after kicking out Judas!

2 Thessalonians 2 mentions it in the context of false teachers who were teaching that they were already in the “tribulation” or the time of Jacob’s trouble.

1 Thessalonians 4 contains the expression from which the word rapture comes from: (caught up/harpazo).

OTHER PASSAGES WHERE HARPAZO IS USED:

Mt 11:12 the violent take <harpazo> it by force <harpazo>.

Mt 13:19 and catcheth away <harpazo> that which was sown

Joh 6:15 ¶ take <harpazo> him by force <harpazo>,

Joh 10:12 the wolf catcheth <harpazo> them

Joh 10:28 neither shall <harpazo> any man pluck <harpazo> them out of my hand.

Joh 10:29 no man is able to pluck <harpazo> them out of my Father’s hand.

Ac 8:39 the Spirit of the Lord caught away <harpazo> Philip…

Ac 23:10 and to take <harpazo> him by force <harpazo> from among them

2Co 12:2 such an one caught up <harpazo> to the third heaven…

2Co 12:4 How that he was caught up <harpazo> into paradise…

Jude 1:23 pulling <harpazo> them out of the fire…

Re 12:5 And she brought forth a man child, who …was caught up <harpazo> unto God…

THE “RAPTURE” QUESTION. PT. 1 INTRODUCTION

August 27, 2021August 27, 2021 tyFROM THE PASTOR'S DESK

I will be starting a series of articles on the “rapture” question. There seems to be a lot of discussion on this topic nowadays. This one is an introduction to the subject of eschatology (Which is a highfalutin way of saying end-time prophecy). Some may accuse me of defending a denominational teaching, but you would not if you knew me! Some will say, “You just hold to that view because you’ve never had your view challenged.” Au contraire! That is to say, “Nothing could be further from the truth!” I have been a diligent student of the Bible for nearly 40 years and have gone through it all (tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine) and held to postmill. amill. and now hold to premill/pretrb.

BELOW IS AN OVERVIEW OF THE SCHOOLS OF THOUGHT IN ESCHATOLOGY

1st Preterism: This view holds that Daniel’s 70^th week and most of the Olivet Discourse was fulfilled in in the first century. Prophecy for the most part is not to be taken literally but as poetry. For example, Matthew 24: 29&30,

To the preterist this was fulfilled in A.D. 70 with the destruction of Jerusalem and simply means the fall of the old age and the beginning of the new age of Christianity. Origen is the origin of this view of prophetic poetry. He taught at the gnostic Alexandrian School in Egypt in the 3^rd century. This is the view of the Roman Catholic church. In the Counter-Reformation, the Jesuit Luis de Alcasar promoted the preterist view among protestants. Preterists are either Amillennial (no future reign of Jesus for a literal 1000 years but the millennium is the church age) or Postmillennial (Jesus will return after the church has established a thousand years on earth).

Allis, Oswald T., Prophecy and the Church. (Eerdmans 1945)

Campbell, Roderick, Israel and the New Covenant. (Presbyterian & Reformed Pub. 1954)

Chilton, David, Days of Vengeance: An Exposition of the Book of Revelation. Ft. Worth Texas: Dominion Press (1987)

__________, The Great Tribulation. Ft. Worth Texas: Dominion Press (1987)

________, Paradise Restored: A Biblical Theology of Dominion. Ft. Worth Texas: Dominion Press (1987)

Gentry, Kenneth, The Beast of Revelation (Institute for Christian Economics, (1989)

_______, Before Jerusalem Fell: Dating the Book of Revelation (I.C.E.: 1989)

Hanegraaff, Hank, The Apocalypse Code. (Thomas Nelson, 2007)

Russell, J. Stuart, The Parousia (1878)

Next is Historic Premillennialism: Like preterism, this school believes the 70^th week of Daniel was fulfilled in AD.70, but the millennium is future and literal and the Olivet Discourse and the Revelation is in continuous fulfillment. The major problem with H.P.is like Preterism, it fails to distinguish between God’s program for Israel and the N.T. church! Popular among the Protestant Reformers, but it is mostly promoted today by the Seventh Day Adventist cult.

R. Clouse (ed.), The Meaning of the Millennium: Four Views. (Intervarsity, 1977)

Gundry, Robert H, The Church and the Tribulation. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1973

Ladd, George Eldon, The Gospel of the Kingdom. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1959)

________, The Blessed Hope. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1980)

Smith, Uriah, Daniel and the Revelation (1897)

Finally, we have futurism, The distinguishing point about futurism is that it sees Daniel’s 70^th week (7years) as a future event. This study of the “rapture” has to do with the rapture’s timing: pretri. midtrb. posttrib. Or prewrath.

THOUGHTS ON PREACHING

January 25, 2021March 4, 2021 tyBook Review, FROM THE PASTOR'S DESK

Preachers and other Christians who know that, “the very best way for you to be spending your leisure, is to be either reading or praying,” desire books to read in compliment to the Scriptures. As Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 4:13, “…bring with thee…the books, but especially the parchments. (Scriptures)” Spurgeon continues, “Some of our very ultra Calvinistic brethren think that a minister who reads books and studies his sermon must be a very deplorable specimen of a preacher. How rebuked are they by the apostle He is inspired, and yet he wants books He has been preaching at least for thirty years, and yet he wants books He had seen the Lord, and yet he wants books He had had a wider experience than most men, and yet he wants books He had been caught up into the third heaven, and had heard things which it was unlawful for a men to utter, yet he wants books He had written the major part of the New Testament, and yet he wants books The apostle says to Timothy and so he says to every preacher, ‘Give thyself unto reading.’ You may get much instruction from books which afterwards you may use as a true weapon in your Lord and Master’s service. Paul cries, ‘Bring the books‘— join in the cry.”

Reading books is important but is more important to read the best books, because as the Book of Ecclesiastes says, “...of making many books there is no end…” and not every book is worth reading. But how do we know before we read it? The best way is to ask someone who has read it if it is any good. That’s why many preachers and Christian readers are always asking, ”What are you reading?” That is why I’m starting this section to say what books are on my desk.
I have discovered a great resource for older (and usually better) books is PDF files which can be found at places like www.archive.org or www.ccel.org . However I also suffer from what some folks call the Piccard syndrome. Piccard was the commander of the Enterprise in the 1980′s Star Trek tv show. In the age where everything is on the ship’s computer, Piccard could be found reading a hard bound book. Those PDF files are wonderful but there’s nothing like a real book. I even like them used and musky. Ahh, Bring the musky smelling books!
Always on my desk is the Bible. I still have the Bible I used in college back in the 80′s, a Cambridge turquoise center column reference, King James Version of course and a New Pilgrim Bible KJV, which is a study Bible like the old Scofield Reference Bible.

So what are you reading?

Pastor Ty

THIS JULY 4th, 2020 MARKS OUR 244th ANNIVERSARY. CONSIDER WHAT THE FOLLOWING QUOTES TELL US ABOUT OUR HERITAGE,

June 22, 2020June 22, 2020 tyFROM THE PASTOR'S DESK, WHAT'S HAPPENING

“It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great Nation was founded not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For that reason alone, people of other faiths have been afforded freedom of worship here.” Patrick Henry

The general principles on which the fathers achieved independence were the general principles of Christianity. I will avow that I then believed, and now believe, that those general principles of Christianity are as eternal and immutable as the existence and attributes of God.” John Adams

“God who gave us life gave us liberty. And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are of the Gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with His wrath? Indeed, I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that His justice cannot sleep forever; That a revolution of the wheel of fortune, a change of situation, is among possible events; that it may become probable by Supernatural influence! The Almighty has no attribute which can take side with us in that event.” Thomas Jefferson

_–On July 4, 1821, President John Q. Adams said, “The highest glory of the American Revolution was this: “It connected in one indissoluble bond the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity”

Proclamation on January 1, 1795 of February 19th, 1795 as a day of national Thanksgiving. “It is in an especial manner our duty as a people, with devout reverence and affectionate gratitude, to acknowledge our many and great obligations to Almighty God, and to implore Him to continue and confirm the blessings we experienced. It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible. It is impossible to account for the creation of the universe, without the agency of a Supreme Being. It is impossible to govern the universe without the aid of a Supreme Being. It is impossible to reason without arriving at a Supreme Being. Religion is as necessary to reason, as reason is to religion. The one cannot exist without the other. A reasoning being would lose his reason, in attempting to account for the great phenomena of nature, had he not a Supreme Being to refer to.” George Washington

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY AND GOD BLESS!

Pastor Ty

COVID-19 AND THE MARK OF THE BEAST?

March 31, 2020March 31, 2020 tyFROM THE PASTOR'S DESK

During this trying time (the Covid-19 Stay at Home quarantine) there have come up a multitude of “conspiracy theories” on YouTube and social media. Mind you I am aware of a conspiracy to bring in a one world government (New World Order) which I have studied for nearly 40 years. More importantly, I have studied and taught the Biblical prophecies which speak of these things occurring in the end times. However, I think some are trying to stir up fear when the Bible-believing Christian should in reality get excited if end-time Bible prophecy is being fulfilled! The only ones who should be in fear are those who are not prepared.

One of these conspiracy theories alleges that Covid-19 was created in order to get everyone to accept a vaccine which is a microchip and further alleges that this chip is the mark of the Beast. Most who know anything about Bible prophecy have probably heard of this. Let us examine this theory in the light of Scripture and let it guide us in evaluating all these theories.

And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six. (Revelation 13:16-18).

We read further:

And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. (Revelation 14:9-11).

It is true that the text says in the right hand or forehead and the mark could very well be a chip implant. However, in order to qualify to fulfill this prophecy, the vaccine cannot be in the shoulder or anywhere else but, can only be the right hand or forehead! Also, receiving the mark requires allegiance to the “beast’s” one-world-government.

Before this prophecy can be fulfilled requires other events to occur before. First the rapture, then the revelation of the man of sin. While the Satanic occult world knows this prophecy and have been working long and hard to make it happen, but it cannot happen until God allows! For us as Christians, we need only to trust and obey!

God Bless

Pastor Ty

THOUGHTS ON PREACHING

March 7, 2020March 7, 2020 tyFROM THE PASTOR'S DESK

Monday, December 19, 2011

posted by Ty Blake

Those who are called to preach (it’s not a vocation that we choose) know that our “charge” is given in the Scripture in the inspired writing of the Apostle Paul in 2 Timothy 4:2. Simply; “preach the word!”

PREACH: To proclaim, herald, teach with authority, pronounce, public discourse on a religious subject or from a text of scripture.

THE WORD: The word is used of two things in Scripture: 1. The LORD JESUS CHRIST the incarnate WORD. Which we are to proclaim. But the context supports here 2. the Scriptures. (2 Timothy 3:15-17).

So, then we see the preacher is to preach the Scriptures. Not opinions. politics, philosophy or psychology! Let us leave the political punditing to the political pundits. It does not belong in the Pulpit!

Expository preaching is preaching the word. Some preachers may preach a message and then try to build the Scripture around his message. However, in expository preaching the message comes from the text. That is, the text itself gives the message. As Haddon Robinson teaches it’s finding the “big idea” of the text of Scripture and that becomes the message.

EXPOSITION means the setting forth of the meaning or purpose; A discourse designed to convey information or explain what is difficult to understand; An explanation of something. As a verb TO EXPOSIT means to set forth, expound, elaborate, flesh out, to clarify the meaning of a subject (In our case the Bible).

To exposit also means TO EXPOUND (see above): To present or explain systematically and in detail or to explain the meaning of. The word expound is used several times in the New Testament:

But without a parable spake he not unto them: and when they were alone, he expounded all things to his disciples. (Mark 4:34)

And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly. (Acts 18:26)

And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. (Luke 24:27)

Here notice the response: And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures? (Luke 24:32)

Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures (Luke 24:45)

Maybe this is explained best in Nehemiah 8:8, So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.

Expository preaching gives GOD the voice not man. It gives the teaching authority because it’s “Thus saith the LORD”. Expository preaching increases the Biblical knowledge of the congregation and stirs in them a love for GOD’s word and promotes a desire in them to study it for themselves. Bible exposition puts forth HIS word to them and it’s the word of GOD that transforms lives (1 Thessalonians 2:13).

The preacher’s employ is THE BOOK (The Bible, The Scriptures, The Word)! He is to faithfully exposit/expound (teach) it. And he is to be the faithful steward of it’s mysteries. (2 Timothy 2:15, 1 Corinthians 4:1&2).

In expository preaching, GOD and HIS Word are exalted and not the man behind the pulpit! While, at times, the preacher as a “watchman on the wall” (the subject of another post), he must warn against current trends. But to step down from the pulpit into the world of politics is to put one’s hand to the plough and looking back (Luke 9:26).

Pastor Ty

The Importance Of Reading.

January 15, 2020January 15, 2020 tyFROM THE PASTOR'S DESK

My granddaughter loves books! She is only about a year and a half old, but she has her books in a bookcase. I’ve watched her look through her books and sometimes she’ll bring one for somebody to read it to her. My son (an avid reader) and my daughter-in-law (a schoolteacher) are raising her right encouraging her to read. Each week they take her to the library. I now know what Fort Dodge does with the tax dollars that thy don’t use to fix their roads! (Priorities, right?) The ability to read is the basic building block of all learning. The better we develop our reading skills the better we can learn all subjects. The fact that God gave us a book (Bible) shows us that He wants us to read. Paul wrote to Timothy who was Pastoring the church at Ephesus at the time, “Give attendance to reading…”! Timothy 4:13

Pastor Ty

ENCOUNTERING THE ARK!!!

January 9, 2020January 9, 2020 tyFROM THE PASTOR'S DESK

Not long ago, over a dozen from our church (and some friends) went to the Ark Encounter. Upon arrival to the parking lot my GPS said we still had 1.1 miles to go. Indeed, you could see the Ark replica a mile away. A bus takes you back to it.

I’m funny in that I can get a little queasy on the second-floor roof of my house cleaning out the gutters, but in the canyons out west I have no fear. The last time we were in Colorado I videoed the Mesa Verde, but you cannot fully grasp their size unless you’re there. The same with this life-sized replica! Its size must be experienced. I find the cargo space on this thing is HUGE.

For many years some have seen the Ark as a tiny boat with a giraffe’s head sticking through the top. No wonder so few take it seriously! Unfortunately, it’s not just the “Priests of the Evolution Cult” that mislead people about the Ark. A lot of the misinformation came from some well-meaning Sunday School teachers. HOWEVER, I THINK IT’S TIME FOR THE TRUTH TO BE SEEN.

Noah, the Ark and the flood are not just allegorical stories but historic facts. They were believed to be literal by the Apostle Peter (1 Peter 3:2, 2 Peter 2:5) and more importantly Jesus! (Matt. 24:37, 38 & Luke 17:26, 27) And that alone is good enough for me.

POSTED AUGUST 6TH, 2016 BY PASTOR TY BLAKE