Wake Up!

WAKE UP WAKE UP! is a weekend conference for the church to wake up to the culture war it is involved in. Adam Barr of Borderlands Ministries and I have teamed up to put this weekend teaching together. Please contact me via “The Crew” page.

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Puerto Rico Watch out! …Its a Hurricane, Its a Typhoon - no, its Jose Luis de Jesus and it’s Judgement Day!

It seems that Jose de Jesus is bringing Judgment to Puerto Rico. As I have said before, he sure has an angle on marketing techniques that put many a cult leaders to shame. This announcement was found on his website:

Jesucristo hombre, Dr. José Luis de Jesús Miranda, el juez de todos, viene a traer justicia a Puerto Rico, desenmascarando la maldad del sistema religioso corrupto y declarando justos a sus escogidos.

Este 17 de diciembre, el mundo será testigo de la segunda venida de Cristo. El Rey de Reyes llega a suelo boricua. Puerto Rico será el escenario donde cientos de personas presenciarán en vivo, mientras millones sintonizarán vía satélite, el evento que marcará el rumbo de la historia.

Te invitamos a corroborar las evidencias de que Dios yá está en la tierra, y la labor que Él está haciendo, la cual hemos resumido en estas páginas.

A rough translation of the above declaration states that:

Jesus Christ (man), Dr. Jose Luis de Jesus Miranda, judge of all, will come to bring judgment to Puerto Rico in order that he could unmask the religious corruption as well as the evil that resides in the religious system, all this while declaring all of the chosen as “just.”

This December 17th the world will be a witness of the second coming of Christ. The king of kings will touch upon the boricuan land. Puerto Rico will be the stage where hundred’s of people will witness “live” while millions will watch through satellite tv the event that will put a mark upon history.

We invite you to corroborate the evidence that God is already on earth and that we have resumed the work that He is doing on these very web pages.

This has an eerie similarity to the past failed Jehovahs Witness’ prophecies. As Matt Slick from Carm.org points out, all of these were declarations of similar second comings and judgments that really left the Watchtower organization in shame:

1897 “Our Lord, the appointed King, is now present, since October 1874,” Studies in the Scriptures, Vol. 4, page 621.

1899 “…the ‘battle of the great day of God Almighty’ (Revelation 16:14), which will end in A.D. 1914 with the complete overthrow of earth’s present rulership, is already commenced.” The Time Is at Hand, page 101 (1908 edition).

1916 “The Bible chronology herein presented shows that the six great 1000 year days beginning with Adam are ended, and that the great 7th Day, the 1000 years of Christ’s Reign, began in 1873.” The Time Is at Hand, page ii, (forward).

1918 “Therefore we may confidently expect that 1925 will mark the return of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and the faithful prophets of old, particularly those named by the Apostle in Hebrews 11, to the condition of human perfection.” Millions Now Living Will Never Die, page 89.

1922 “The date 1925 is even more distinctly indicated by the Scriptures than 1914.” The Watchtower 9/1/22, page 262.

1923 “Our thought is, that 1925 is definitely settled by the Scriptures. As to Noah, the Christian now has much more upon which to base his faith than Noah had upon which to base his faith in a coming deluge.” The Watchtower, page 106 4/1/23.

1925 “The year 1925 is here. With great expectation Christians have looked forward to this year. Many have confidently expected that all members of the body of Christ will be changed to heavenly glory during this year. This may be accomplished. It may not be. In his own due time God will accomplish his purposes concerning his people. Christians should not be so deeply concerned about what may transpire this year.” The Watchtower, 1/1/25, page. 3.

1925 “It is to be expected that Satan will try to inject into the minds of the consecrated, the thought that 1925 should see an end to the work.” The Watchtower, Sept, 1925 page 262.

1926 “Some anticipated that the work would end in 1925, but the Lord did not state so. The difficulty was that the friends inflated their imaginations beyond reason; and that when their imaginations burst asunder, they were inclined to throw away everything.” The Watchtower, page 232.

1931 “There was a measure of disappointment on the part of Jehovah’s faithful ones on earth concerning the years 1917, 1918, and 1925, which disappointment lasted for a time…and they also learned to quit fixing dates.” Vindication, page 338.

1941 “Receiving the gift, the marching children clasped it to them, not a toy or plaything for idle pleasure, but the Lord’s provided instrument for most effective work in the remaining months before Armageddon.” The Watchtower, 9/15/41, page 288.

1968 “True, there have been those in times past who predicted an ‘end to the world’, even announcing a specific date. Yet nothing happened. The ‘end’ did not come. They were guilty of false prophesying. Why? What was missing?.. Missing from such people were God’s truths and evidence that he was using and guiding them.” Awake, 10/8/68.

1968 “Why are you looking forward to 1975?” The Watchtower, 8/15/68, page 494.

However, Jose Luis de Jesus saved himself from risking total humiliation with erratic second coming predictions and “just appeared” without anyone really knowing. Nevertheless, he did set a day for judgment and It will be Dec. 17th of 2006. As you can see, he literally ran with the marketing slogan “every eye will see” and set out a press release to all of the news outlets for his world judgment.

While the seriousness of this cult cannot be ignored it occurred to me that he acts and talks and even has mannerisms similar to a latino icon that sort of paved away to this whole predicting the future, giving into mystical and esoteric revelations nonsense: None other than Walter Mercado. Just look at these pictures below and read here and you could almost swear that Walter could of acted as a sort of John the Baptist to this guy. Why, with all of the syncretistic tendencies in many of the spanish speaking evangelical countries, it is no wonder how people like Walter and Jose Luis de Jesus can influence so many bible believing Christians.

Remember, and I especially plead to all of my spanish speaking readers: These are some of the aberrations he teaches that are contrary to the Scriptures themselves:

1. Preexistence - according to their understanding of Hebrews 12:9 and Jeremiah 1:9

2. We were evangelized in Heaven - Rev. 13:8

3. We were incarnated while sent to earth

4. Adam was really the serpent of the book of Genesis

5. The apostle Jose Luis de Jesus was sent to earth so that he could believe, learn and explain the mysteries of God

6. This same apostle is the one whom the apostle Paul talked about in 1 Cor. 3:10

7. And of course, every cult’s favorite: NO TRINITY

Español: Por favor les imploro de que oren por esta secta para que Dios abra los ojos de miles de personas que estan siendo enganados por el enemigo de nuestras almas. Visiten al Centro de Investigaciones Religiosas y bajen los siguientes articulos que descubren la verdad sobre la secta de Jose Luis de Jesus:

• Ministerio Creciendo en Gracia y sus extrañas doctrinas — AC-041
• ¿Un nuevo apóstol para los gentiles? — AC-042
• Creciendo en Gracia y la superioridad del Apóstol Pablo — AC043
• Los dos “cristosâ€� de Creciendo en Gracia — AC-044

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Theology Gets a Bad Rap

Theology has a bad reputation. Somehow people tend to think of theology as some cerebral subject reserved for ivory tower professors. I don’t agree. Every church serious about its mission has a statement of faith which is a theological statement. Claiming yourself to be an evangelical or a charismatic is a statement about theology. Some try to say they’re followers of Jesus - this, too, is a theological statement.

Theologians may be concerned about the finer points of theology. Some may even wrangle over concepts. In a positive sense, this keeps theologians sharp. Fortunately, not everyone is called to be a theologian. However, that is not to say that not everyone ought to know theology.

Theology is simply words about God. That’s the literal interpretation. However, theology is the study of God’s person and His works. Understanding that the universe is a work of God is saying something about God. The universe’s immensity tells us something about God’s infiniteness - not that the universe is infinite, but to us mortals, it appears that way. One has to wonder, “What kind of being could make this?” It doesn’t take special revelation to understand the exactness of God’s created order. In fact, theologians call this “general revelation.” Even a pagan can know this:

because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. (Romans 1:19,20)

These verses tell us that man is responsible for the knowledge God has revealed to him through creation. It’s plain that there is a lot to know about God through what He’s made. This is sound theology. Knowing God is always practical. Knowing about God is always practical also. Theology, therefore, is practical.

When I see something about God, His eternal power and divine nature, it causes me to worship - when I realize God has spoken to me, not in cryptic signs, esoteric or hidden meanings, but in plain language. The heavens declare the glory of God. The more I learn about intelligent design, irreducible complexity, and specificity, the more clearly I see the face of God, or at least His mind.
God is still making foolish those who claim to be wise. His construction and functional design of a simple cell is more complex than the most complex invention of man. DNA reveals a complex mind with infinite powers of creation. This is theology. Some refer to it as natural theology. Regardless of what we call it, it is valid.

Theology proper is concerned with the study of the attributes of God as revealed in Scripture. This requires special revelation. What follows here is one of my favorite quotes from Thomas Aquinas

[I]t was necessary that man should be taught by a divine revelation; because the truth about God such as reason could discover, would only be known by a few, and that after a long time, and with the admixture of many errors. Whereas man’s whole salvation, which is in God, depends upon the knowledge of this truth. Therefore, in order that the salvation of men might be brought about more fitly and more surely, it was necessary that they should be taught divine truths by divine revelation. It was therefore necessary that besides philosophical science built up by reason, there should be a sacred science learned through revelation. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, First Part, Question 1

Anyone who thinks Thomas is guilty of placing too much emphasis on reason ought to be persuaded differently. He places the emphasis here on revelation through the Scripture in order to know the salvation from God. Creation can reveal God’s attributes, but Scripture reveals His redemption. Through creation and the Scripture we could all come to know this awesome being we call God.

Theology is practical in that knowing God and knowing about God teaches me how to relate to Him. It might make me reflect on His covenantal determination to show His wondrous love to everyone. It might also move me to touch someone with His love. I know God’s love personally, but also as it is revealed in Scripture. In fact, Scripture defines how God loves us and why He does.
We know God through experience also but not only through experience. And experience ought not to be the judge of our knowledge. Experience can testify to our knowledge but cannot judge its validity. Anyone who says “Experience is the best teacher” doesn’t know the rest of that statement. The whole statement is “Experience is the best teacher in the school of fools.” Experience is an ancillary teacher, a handmaiden.

Studying theology, learning about God is important. It’s hard work, but not impossible. There have been countless men whose knowledge about God has been recorded to help us know Him. They allow us to stand on their shoulders and get a better glimpse of the one who is unseen.

Learning about God through creation and through Scripture is like having both oars in the water. Using only one oar will get you going in circles. Pulling both evenly gets us going straight. There are times when one “oar” might need to be emphasized. For me, it was learning natural theology. I’d been a student of theology proper and understood what I could of special revelation, God’s grace and mercy. His redemptive acts in Jesus allow us to see His covenantal nature. But zeroing in on wondrous works of creation and the natural law written on our hearts has evened out my view of God. And, ironically, one has strengthened the other.
Theology has had a bad rap. Knowing God and knowing about God gives us a balanced view. It also gives us a more accurate view of God. In a day of pluralistic theologies and relativism, this strengthens our witness.

In closing, let me suggest some roads to learning theology. It may help to know there are several ways to approach theology. Biblical theology concerns the revelation of God through Scripture as He reveals himself through covenant. Historical theology is the study of the church’s documentation of doctrines through the ages. Practical theology is concerned with direct application. Systematic theology or theology proper is the analysis of God’s attributes. These would be concerned with special revelation.
Natural theology is nearly ignored today. However, the intelligent design movement may urge us to reconsider. You have to go back several centuries to find this classical view of God. The teachers of the scholastic period were experts in natural theology. This is probably why the reformers rejected it. It was all too catholic.

Whichever course you pursue remember that everyone does theology and it is recommended that what you do ought to be sound.

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The Epidemic of the Century

What I am about to tell you is very frightening, very frightening indeed. It is so frightening that if you succumb to the very thing I might be warning you against, then it is frightening to think that you think this might not be as frightening as it is. It is a disease of pandemic proportions that even the most sophisticated infections are not as dangerous, not as subtle, not as endemic as the one I am about to expose from you.

The disease is called apathy.

Apathy has infected more people than any other disease and longer than any other large scale epidemic. The disregard for truth has become more evident in our times, more than any other time, in our entire existence. The fact that many, many people just don’t care about some of the more important issues like value, justice, truth, love, and beauty is just a glaring example of the times we live in. Whether we live or die, whether there is truth or dare, whether there are moral absolutes, whether macro evolution is true, and even whether God himself exists doesn’t seem to phase the common person out there.

Even though this attitude of heart has existed in one way or another throughout the centuries, it has become more apparent in this day in age. Whenever we stopped asking questions about the above values and started denying the very essence of the things we treasure there started a slow erosion towards apathy. Even ten years ago while modernism gasped for air before it gave away to postmodernism, people still cared about whether reality is real. I personally think that all postmodernism really is is modernism’s hangover. We debated, reasoned, deconstructed, empiricized, essences out of existence. Hence, all we were left with is the leftover carcass of meaninglessness, indifference, and hatred towards all things precise and true in favor for ambiguity, non-judgementalism, and all things perspectival.

“So what if its true?” is said by the common person. This is so telling of the culture we live in that even if we were to find all truth, there will never be enough of it to bring a person against his apathy towards it. “You can bring a horse to water but you can make him drink.”

Nevertheless, Its funny to see people who don’t care - care about the fact that they don’t care. It’s like saying “I don’t have a position on this particular issue.” Then the question could be asked whether that IS a particular position about the issue. However, even if we demonstrate to the culture at large that we have weighed their argument in the logical scale and have found it wanting, the end result is no different than the musings of child in his terrible two’s: “so!”

I was recently reading Peter Kreeft’s book on apologetics where he mentions that there are twenty-four or so arguments for the existence of God. However, if people do not care whether there are twenty four or twenty four thousand then what is to become of our commandment to present proofs for the faith we have been endowed with. It is troubling and disheartening to even think about whether it is even worth throwing the pearls of wisdom to the swine of indifference.

Then we are left with a penetrating question, “How then shall we live?” I’ll explore this issue more in the next post or so. That is, if I care to even do it.

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