Asking the Hard Questions

 

 

After I have fasted

And after I have prayed,

After the solemn assembly

And my nerves are frayed,

After the prayer vigil

And after the prayer walk,

What do I do when nothing changes

And it seems just talk?

 

When people laugh

And they poke scorn at us,

When they mock at our God

And discredit the Lord Jesus,

When like in Elijah’s time

He mocked Baal’s prophets,

What do we do when this seems reversed

As a regular habit?

 

When God seems distant

And untraceable,

And there’s no apparent help

In time of great trouble,

And we say how great God is

But nothing ever happens,

Tell me what ought to be our response

When the unthinkable threatens?

 

 

When we pray for country

And it gets mockingly worse

And it appears that all we have done

Is to exacerbate its curse

Thus, a “where is your God”

Is the question scorners ask,

Please give me a watertight answer

Re this formidable task.

 

When I quote Scripture

About all God has done,

But yet in the recent past battles

Satan seemed to have won,

When the church seems clueless

Regarding what can be done,

Why should I not in frustration give up

And away from it run?

 

When Governments pretend

To respect the church

And call for its spiritual reflection

When the Nation hurts,

And when the church responds

Just as the Nation dictates,

Tell me this then, who is really in charge

Of the church’s fate? 

 

 

Is it not the Nation

That is calling the shots

To determine the church’s role

As well as its available slots?

When did Governments become

Regulators of the church?

How I wish the church would wake up

For this really hurts.

 

What exalts a Nation?

Is it still not righteousness?

Do we not see that our countries

Are one sordid mess?

Which churches will trumpet the call

For the country to repent

Rather than asserting their independence

And their fund-raising intent?

 

For our nation is divided

And so are our churches

And both have been majoring

In cosmetic excesses

Pretending to genuinely care

About God and the people

But yet guns, drugs and their importers

Make our lives miserable.

 

Rather than clean the mess

We pray for protection,

Rather than expose evil doers

We want God’s intervention

But He must operate on our terms

While we ignore His Word

Expecting Him to leave man unchanged

But fix the world.

 

 

Back in the Bible times

Whenever Israel strayed

They were instructed to repent

However hard they prayed,

So, however hard we pray

And however long we lament,

Will we bring God into our political affairs

And first up, genuinely repent?

 

Stewart Russell © July 28, 2024

 

Two Eschatological Views

 

 

The historicist and Idealist

The preterist and futurist,

Four eschatological positions

Comprise our last days list.

 

Feverish arguments

Concerning which one is right,

Each of the proponents

Claiming to have the light.

 

Like Armenians and Calvinists

Splitting Christendom in half

And people knowing no better

Sometimes having a laugh.

 

Mud-ites and non-Mud-ites

Arguing incessantly:

Concerning the healing of the blind

They disagree vehemently.

 

Four eschatological positions

Agreeing to disagree

And not necessarily agreeably

Or citing commonalities.

 

They have more in common

Than all that divide

But their focus on differences

Causes them to collide.

 

Two are particularly prominent

And two relatively mute,

I will focus attention on the two

At the centre of the dispute.

 

 

 

Preterist and Futurist:

These are the dominant two

The former adopts a past position

The latter: a future view.

 

Preterist indicates the past

Futurist is self-defining,

In terms of last days prophecies

Which, if either, is binding?

 

“Opinions” is not the truth

Though at times they converge

So, when arriving at a conclusion,

Hold to the Bible, I urge.

 

Neither position is salvific

Nor is a barrier to salvation

But both cannot be equally right

Is my humble submission.

 

Concerning last day prophecies

Most are already fulfilled,

The Futurist believe otherwise

They remain to be fulfilled still.

 

Concerning the Revelation

This book is about our future,

Preterist look at the 1^st century

And advance a different picture.

 

 

Preterist focus on stated time clues

And the audience relevance

While Futurist make light of these

And argue for a far distance.

 

Futurist prophetic stance

Is based on a modern-day Israel

Who from Old Testament times

Was God’s chosen people.

 

God broke off with the Jews

That Gentiles could be ushered in

And some spectacular event will occur

To bring most of the Jews to Him.

 

First: the rapture of the Church

Then a time of great trouble

For all those that are left-behind:

In particular the nation of Israel.

 

In this seven-year tribulation

The Jewish nation will turn to God

And in a single day

All Israel will answer God’s call.

  

Next will be the millennium

During which Christ will reign:

This will be an exact thousand years

Is what the Futurist claim.

 

The final judgment will follow

And the consummation of all things

And Jesus will hand over to God:

The Father and eternal King.

 

 

Conversely Preterist believe

In an inexact thousand years:

Of a period beginning at Pentecost

Till the second advent appears.

 

The time of the final judgment

When Satan is cast in the lake of fire

With all that rejected Jesus Christ

And were in Satan’s hire.

 

Futurist interpret prophecy

Via current events

The matter of signs and wonders

Is their intent.

 

Thus, they’ve erred many times

As to when the world will end,

Regarding world event after event

They often see a trend.

 

They use modern day tabloids

To make sense of the Word

As it especially relates to Israel

As we have already heard.

 

Conversely, for the Preterist

Revelation is an almost done deal

A record of 1^st century events

As they back then unreeled.

 

John’s generation back then

Not a 21^st century generation

Thus, the proof of Biblical prophecy

And the book of Revelation.

 

Some Preterist believe

No prophecy is left to be fulfilled

But their eschatological explanation 

Leaves me baffled still.

 

 

For Futurist Israel is the key

And it always has been,

God made a promise to Abraham

That all Israel will be redeemed.

 

The question, however arises:

Which Israel does the Bible mean?

“Since not all Israel is Israel”

This from Romans we glean.

 

Preterist believe Jesus is the key

As shown in Matthew 24

And all he said to his audience then

In Revelation he develops more.

 

It was urgent for them:

They would see Revelation unfold,

They were not left in the dark

By John they were told.

 

Let Scripture interpret Scripture

As you finally decide

But understand that on neither view

Does our salvation ride.

 

Salvation solely rests

On our acceptance of Christ

And the only offering that suffices

Is Christ’s expiatory sacrifice.

 

That’s soteriology not eschatology

Accept Christ today!

What think ye of Christ?

He is the only.

 

Stewart Russell © June 5, 2021

 

I Never Knew You

 

 

“I never knew you:

Depart from me,”

The words of Jesus

“Ye that work iniquity.”

 

The first four words

Constitute my focus:

These four harsh words

Are words of Jesus.

 

“I never knew you:”

Follow by, “Depart from me.”

There is something here

We should easily see.

 

Bible commentaries

Give different meanings

And most of them differ

From what Jesus is saying.

 

I know very little Greek

And no Hebrew at all:

Neither is my forte

Neither is my call.

 

I don’t run for a dictionary

For words I understand,

And neither will I now:

That’s not the plan.

 

These words are explicit

They must mean what they say,

They are point blank clear

In them is no grey.

 

Could a mother say such?

Regarding her child?

Not the child she gave birth to:

No matter how wild.

A father could not say such

In respect of his son,

In his words would be no truth

Absolutely none.

 

If Jesus did not mean

What he actually said,

Can I therefore assume

He was not right in his head?

 

If there is a single such instance

in all of Scripture

Then the Word of God

Is less than a perfect picture.

 

Know ye not that a little leaven

Leaveneth the whole lump?

Hence, any falsehood in truth

And truth must be dumped.

 

 

So, consider the word “never”

That Jesus actually spoke

And bear in your mind

It is part of his quote.

 

An essential part at that

And this is a fact:

Jesus has never said anything

That he had to take back.

 

He said what he meant

And he meant what he said;

If he said you were never alive

You were always dead.

 

Such were the Pharisees

That pretended to be alive

But never knew the life-giver

Since the life-giver they denied.

 

Stewart Russell © August 22, 2020

 

Muzzle and Muffle

 

 

Muzzle and Muffle

Are two characters we employ

To shut up the Word

And steal our members’ joy.

 

I know this sounds funny

But it is true,

Let me get my thoughts together

And I will show it to you.

 

So, you are a believer

That is a great thing to be

But you were saved under a brand

That’s a denomination ID.

 

You were taught by them

And told what to believe

And you now understand the Word

Based on teachings received.

 

You have walked with them

And also with the Lord

Based on their interpretation

Of the Holy Word.

 

There is nothing wrong here

At least for a time

But you must allow the Holy Spirit

To develop your mind.

 

The time must come

When you must read for yourself

Become more mature

And grow in spiritual health.

 

 

Shake off those two characters:

Muzzle and Muffle,

Read the Holy Word for yourself

And with it grapple.

 

It is a denomination’s nature

To think for you

By muzzling and muffling the Word;

That’s how they were taught too.

 

I belong to a denomination too

And I guess I’ll always be,

I don’t plan to hop from place to place

The light for to see.

 

The right interpretation

Is where every denomination’s at

And on the basis of their interpretation

You agree to their pack.

 

But please remember

As you learn you should grow,

We should not let any denomination

Interrupt this flow.

 

 

It is by diligent study

And the leading of the Holy Spirit

That we can learn the Word too

Today and tomorrow, bit by bit.

 

If your denomination does not say

What the Holy Word says,

From that particular interpretation

It is time to part ways.

 

Our allegiance is to God first

And His Holy Word

When the denomination comes first

That is being absurd.

 

Shake off Muzzle and Muffle

And dig into God’s Word!

First, explicitly and then implicitly

And see where you have erred.

 

Let the Word correct your error

By what it says up front

And the Holy Spirit will enlighten you

What is the right account.

 

There is no need to interpret

What the Bible has explicitly said,

The implicit only comes into play

When there’s more to what’s read.

  

Regarding the implicit

To other scripture passages refer

And stay away from Muzzle and Muffle

Which denominations prefer.

 

Stay with the literal

When the literal makes sense

And please my brother, my sister,

I mean no offense.

 

Stewart Russell © January 29, 2021

 

Treasure in Earthen Vessels

 

 

2 Corinthians 4:7-9

But we have this treasure

In earthen vessels,

That the excellency of the power may be of God,

And not of us.

We are troubled on every side,

Yet not distressed; 

We are perplexed,

But not in despair;

Persecuted,

But not forsaken;

Cast down,

But not destroyed…

I don’t know the origin

Of the COVID virus

But that is neither here nor there

Since I know Jesus.

What if its cause is 5G?

Or what if it is man-made?

What if it’s an experiment

Now on an escapade?

None of these things

Ultimately matters,

At the end of the day

When compared to one's soul,

All is noisy chatter.

The believer has an assurance

That’s expressed in this scripture,

Read it and feed on it

And you will get the picture.

 

Frail is the housing

Of both the saved and unsaved,

Brought on by sin

Though at first, perfectly made.

  

Our fore-parents disobeyed

The directive God gave

When they fell for the temptation

Offered by Satan, the Knave.

Ever since then

The world has been cursed,

And in these times that we live

It is getting worse.

And being saved

Does not protect us from its ills

But knowing that God dwells in us

Should give the believer a thrill.

 

Yes! We have this treasure

In an earthen vessel,

Even though like everyone else,

We endure life’s hassle.

That treasure is of God

And not of us,

It’s the compliments of the Father,

The Spirit and His Son, Jesus.

Especially at this time

God’s excellency should show,

In every single believer

So that the world may know…

That we have a hope

In spite of COVID,

It’s an eternal salvation

That only Jesus can give.

Meanwhile,

We are troubled on every side,

Yes, we are oppressed!

But believers in Christ

Should not be distressed.

   

We are perplexed

Though not in despair,

At this time the believer

Should not be pulling out his hair.

Persecuted, but not forsaken;

Cast down, but not destroyed;

It is the life of Jesus in us

That we now enjoy.

Hence, we should bear God’s image

As His princely children

And at the same time not make light

Of this COVID problem.

 

My wife shared with me

This passage of scripture,

And I trust like we did,

You have got the picture.

Stewart Russell © March 2020