Christian response,

Speaking in Tongues in Acts-Corinthians was a Spiritual Gift given to the early Church as a sign to unbelieving Jews of God’s work in establishing the New Covenant. These tongues which were actually understandable, intelligible, languages-dialects also assisted in spreading the Gospel to the known world…people who had never studied languages received the Gift of the Spirit to speak and/or understand languages they previously did not speak or understand.

With the publication of the first Canon of Scripture (Muratorian Canon – Circa 180AD) and circulation of the Gospels and epistles among the Churches, tongues were no longer needed and they ceased … but … at the pagan Temple at Delphi near Corinth, there was a pagan tradition where a pagan priestess would set atop a throne in the temple, below the throne was a burning substance that when inhaled became an intoxicant and the priestess would exhort awaiting parishioners with prophecy and often times her language was slurred and essentially gibberish due to her intoxication so that the waiting patrons left the temple more confused than when they entered seeking direction and guidance.

This pagan practice of a “priestess” chanting in gibberish prophecy carried-over into the Church at Corinth and provided much trouble for Paul and much confusion for the parishioners…this is most likely why Paul demanded that the women in the Corinthian Church remain silent (1 Corinthians 14:34).

Fast-forward to today…we now see “Churches” of Charismata like Pentecostalism and Church of God and non-Denominational…”full Gospel” Churches proclaiming the “Gift” of tongues which is actually nothing more than pagan gibberish and nonsense taught by those who simply cannot trust in Jesus as Lord and Savior, alone, but rely on signs and wonders and gifts to prove salvation; in fact, some Pentecostal Churches insist that unless a man or woman or child speaks in a tongue, they cannot be saved as tongues is THE sign of the Holy Spirit’s presence in one’s life. I left a teaching ministry over this issue as I was ordered to teach others to speak in a tongue…I rejected the paganism. This practice of tongues is darkness in origin, this is works, this is heresy…this is apostasy and places Pentecostal parishioners under unnecessary burdens, doubts, fears, and coerces them to speak in tongues in order to prove their faithfulness to God…but these parishioners know they’re speaking gibberish and nonsense but legalism mandates that they comply. This is NOT of God…this is of the Devil.

If speaking in tongues is extant today, why must we methodically and with much effort train our missionaries in other languages before sending them abroad to proselytize the World with the Gospel? Tongues, the ecstatic utterance of gibberish in today’s Churches of Charismata, is man’s attempt to prove his spiritual superiority by signs and wonders absent the simplicity of faith, alone.

Two interesting theological questions posted on FB:

1) If Jesus came to die for man’s sins, why didn’t he stay dead after death?

2) Why didn’t God kill satan, the cause of man’s problems, instead of killing his innocent son?

Christian response,

1) Jesus only died in body, not in Spirit and Jesus’ death atoned for mankind’s sin but His resurrection was as the “first fruits” of those who would die and be resurrected in like manner (1 Corinthians 15:20; Philippians 3:21). Jesus set the standard, paved the path for our resurrection, provided the example for us concerning the resurrection that is to come (John 5:29).

2) Satan is an angel, angels do not die (Luke 20:36) and God did not destroy Satan for his sin and rebellion because to do so would have negatively affected God’s relationship with the remaining two-thirds angels that did NOT follow Satan in the rebellion. Had God simply destroyed Satan, the remaining two-thirds would no longer love God via free will but out of fear and view God as arbitrary and wicked – a God who compels love as opposed to displaying love and receiving same; also, true love and relationship cannot exist in fear; in fact, God the Father commissioned the Son, Jesus Christ, to create the Heavens and the Earth as a repository for Satan apart from the Kingdom where nothing impure is permitted to exist (Rev 21:27) and God the Father is dealing with Satan here, partially constrained by Time and physics, as the Son of God, Jesus Christ, entered Time specifically to “destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8b).

God will maintain volitional love with the faithful angelic creation as God has defeated the evil and objectives of Satan through God’s own selfless love via the Gospel as demonstrated at the Cross and first pictured in Genesis 3:21. Satan’s objectives were defeated by Jesus at Golgotha and Satan, the fallen angels, the False Prophet, the Beast, will receive eternal torment in Hell subsequent to the Millennial Reign of Jesus Christ and the faithful angelic creation, having witnessed the horrors of Satan’s deception upon the Earth for 6000+ years, will fully concur with God that their former boss, an anointed cherub angel in direct service of God at the time of the rebellion, does deserve punishment in Hell, forever (Revelation 20:10).

The Saint Augustine, PD; Mayor Upchurch; State Police Commissioner Swearingen; Governor DeSantis, should all be ashamed and embarrassed for allowing the narcissistic thugs of the illegally LOUD Motorcycle – Auto – Truck Cult[ure] to audibly abuse and bully the citizens of Florida. I am currently sitting in an RV parked next to SH-1 in St. Augustine, Fl, a Walmart parking lot, and of the many thousands of miles I’ve travelled across the United States…of the many municipalities, counties, States, I have visited, from Texas to Washington, to Florida and all of those in between…Florida is the ABSOLUTE worst State for LOUD motor vehicle abuse and thuggery.

Florida’s law enforcement community is absolutely as useless as the titties on a boar hog…shame on you Governor DeSantis for failing to provide the most basic of governmental responsibilities i.e. protection; shame on you Police Commissioner Swearingen for refusing to intercede on behalf of the innocent Floridian whose daily quality of life is routinely destroyed by the vehicular noise thugs…Florida’s law enforcement community is obviously and sadly impotent. I am personally ashamed of you.

Question asked on FB: Of all the planets out there in the Universe, why did God allow Satan to come here and influence humanity to compromise with evil?

Christian response,

The Earth was created specifically for and because of Satan in response to Satan’s rebellion in the Kingdom where nothing impure is permitted to exist (Revelation 21:27). In preparation for removing Satan from the Kingdom, God the Father commissioned the Son, Jesus Christ (John 3:35; Colossians 1; John 1; Hebrews 1) to take elements from the unseen Spiritual Realm and fashion those elements into matter that can be apprehended by life constrained by Time and physics (Hebrews 11:3). Jesus created the Heavens and the Earth for cause with rapidity. This creation narrative is articulated in Genesis 1 with “yom” representing a literal 24-hour day.

Long story short, Satan was extricated from the Kingdom (Luke 10:18) and placed here upon this Earth to be dealt with by the Son, Jesus Christ, at Golgotha (1 John 3:8b), a battle which was first prophesied in Genesis 3:15 and the battle strategy used by Jesus pictured first in Genesis 3:21… fulfilled 4000 years later at the Crucifixion. All of those other planets out there testify of our God’s reality, authority, dominion, so that those who reject God will be “without excuse” at Judgment (Romans 1:18-32).

If not for Satan’s rebellion, there would be no Heaven and Earth and mankind. God was perfectly content with His relationship with the beautiful Angels; that is, until His chief cherub angel coveted God’s dominion and authority and sin was found in him (Ezekiel 28:11-19). We are in the midst of an unfathomable cosmic, spiritual, war that engulfs us yet so few are able to see and fewer still ally with God, Jesus Christ our Warrior, who has already won the victory for us (Exodus 15:3; Revelation 17:14).

I do pity the Jew-the Israelite living today without hope of eternal life as they’re blinded from the Gospel and their heart is hardened from God’s Truth in Yeshua (2 Corinthians 3:15; Romans 11:25). Why such nihilism and hopelessness among Jacob’s children concerning life-death-eternity?

Recently, a Jewish contributor, noting the Tanakh, mocked the Holy Spirit’s testimony concerning the innocence of a child before God when that child dies in this life constrained by Time. This Jew considers death of the body to be the end of all existence and the death of a child as “just the way it is.” Why would the Jew, the Israelite, internalize such a nihilistic perspective about life, God, eternity?

The Tanakh is not focused upon one’s eternal destiny as the Tanakh only offered Sheol-Paradise as the respice for the soul as the “faithful” dead in God waited there for Messiah’s atonement before entering the Kingdom (Luke 16). The Kingdom of God was not accessible to the Old Testament saints (Adamic-Noahic-Law Covenant) as acceptable atonement for sin had not yet manifest even though righteousness (a right standing) with God was granted through faith (Hebrews 10; Hebrews 11). It was not until the Advent of Messiah, His blood atonement, that mankind could actually see the Father’s eternal plan, eschatological revelation through the Gospel and the defeat of the Evil One at Golgotha (1 Peter 1:20; 1 John 3:8b)…Israel, listen to your Messiah’s teaching, Yeshua is Messiah, we ARE living in the New Covenant (Matthew 26:28; Hebrews 8:7-12), and get your head out of a Covenant that only defined sin through Law, a Law that points you to your Messiah while that same Law condemned you void atonement (Romans 3:20; Galatians 3:10; Romans 8:3-4).

Children of Jacob…There is life subsequent to the death of this body in Time (John 11:25; 2 Corinthians 5:8). Don’t forfeit eternity simply because you’re too stubborn to read and study the entire Text provided you by the Holy Spirit. Our Creator’s words do not end at Malachi…that’s simply a 400-year interlude/intermission. God’s actual Plan for mankind begins with Matthew…don’t die without knowledge (Hosea 4:6); don’t walk away during the intermission. God did not abandon the faithful in Sheol; God will not abandon you if Yeshua is your Messiah by faith (John 3:16). Do not surrender your soul to the Devil (Isaiah 10:22; Romans 9:27). The veil is lifted by faith (2 Corinthians 3:16).

Question on FB: “What happens when a young child dies? Does the Bible answer this question?”

Christian response,

Yes, the Holy Spirit responds concerning the eternal destiny of a child who dies before the age of accountability.

When a child dies not having attained an age of reason sufficient to differentiate good and evil, right and wrong, God’s will concerning the matter of obedience v. disobedience, there is no condemnation awaiting this child as our Lord has told us that where there is no Law, there is no sin.

14 For if those who live by the law are heirs, faith is useless and the promise is worthless, 15 because the law brings wrath. And where there is no law, there is no transgression. Romans 4

12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, so also death was passed on to all men, because all sinned. 13 For sin was in the world before the law was given; but sin is not taken into account when there is no law. Romans 5

So then, God, in His mercy, does not hold the mentally ill, the child, culpable for disobedience as their lack of cognitive acuity and immaturity prevents them from fully understanding the consequences of their behavior; therefore, they are innocent before God because the Law is absent, impotent, as an arbiter of their free will relevant to the immature and cognitively impaired.

King David also confronted this question when his child died. King David made the following statement,

21 Then his servants said to him, “What is this thing that you have done? You fasted and wept for the child while he was alive; but when the child died, you got up and ate food.” 22 And he said, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, ‘Who knows, the Lord may be gracious to me, and the child may live.’ 23 But now he has died; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I am going to him, but he will not return to me.” 2 Samuel 12

King David, a man after God’s own heart, knew that his child was secure in the presence of our Lord and that he would, one day, go to be with that child in God’s Kingdom. The Holy Spirit working through King David has revealed this truth for us and may we have peace in this knowledge when the innocent youth die among us?

Jesus also responds in this way…

Why does “sin” remain a relevant issue for the Christian subsequent to the imputation of Messiah’s righteousness?

First of all, sin, a violation of God’s moral law, results in enmity, seperation, between man and God as God is Holy and perfect in righteousness…God will not tolerate the destructiveness of sin in His presence or in His Kingdom (Revelation 21:27). Sin in the unsaved and disobedience in the saved in Jesus is a problem until the redeemed in Jesus rid themselves of this flesh, this body of death…please allow me to explain…

The struggle in the human condition is sin or violating God’s moral law because we are born from an earthly father, Adam, that introduced sin into human kind and through federal headship that sin is transferred genomically to every human being from Adam forward (Romans 5:12); theologically, this is referred to as a “sin-nature” (Romans 7:14-25) and the moment we attain an age of reason/accountability before God, the moment we are aware of our sin and our rebellion against the moral law infused within us and arbitrated by the conscience, we become culpable before God for our own sin (Deuteronomy 24:16; Jeremiah 31:30).

Combating the ramifications of sin is why Jesus Christ came into the World through the womb of the virgin woman; that is, to circumvent the sin-nature of Adam (Genesis 3:15; Matthew 1:23) as Jesus entered the Realm of Time to “destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8b). Jesus walked this Earth in flesh for 33.5-years and fulfilled the moral law of God with absolute perfection (Matthew 5:17) thereby qualifying Himself as the ONLY acceptable atonement for our sin (Hebrews 10). God the Father, by Covenant, agrees to forgive the sin of and redeem anyone who will sincerely believe that Jesus is Lord who died to pay their sin-debt (John 3:16-18; Romans 10:9-10); furthermore, God the Father agrees to impute the perfection of Jesus into the life of the one who believes in Jesus as Lord (2 Corinthians 5:21) and subsequently Gift them the Holy Spirit to live in them and guide them in obedience to God’s will through the daily process of sanctification (Ephesians 1:13-14; John 14:16).

Though the redeemed = the faithful in Jesus Christ are “born again” by faith in Jesus as Lord and seek to walk in obedience to the Holy Spirit, the redeemed in Jesus, though they have a new nature that HATES sin (2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 5:16), the redeemed remain beleaguered with a sin-nature in the flesh that wars against the new nature in the Spirit (Ephesians 6; Romans 7; Galatians 5:16-26). It is this OLD sin-nature that, at times, causes us to behave in a way that interrupts intimacy with our Lord and the sin-nature will be a struggle until we exhale our last breath and rid ourselves of this body of death. Sin has been “the problem” beginning with Satan and his rebellion in the Kingdom; sin and free will are the foundation for God’s Law as Moral Law is the arbiter of free will.

Jesus’ mercy and grace is mocked on FB relevant to Luke 19:27: “But as for these enemies of mine who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slaughter them in my presence.”

Christian response,

Jesus is speaking in parabolic form concerning the Judgment of the Condemned that will manifest subsequent to His Millennial Reign; truly, there is a Judgement for sin that is coming (Rev 20:11-15) when the man or woman who has rejected Jesus our Messiah as Lord and Mediator for sin will stand before Him and be adjudicated guilty for sin and ultimately die the “second death” in Hell; this judgment is not Jesus’ will as Jesus suffered and died to provide us an alternative to Hell by faith in Him as Lord, a salvation earned for us by Jesus through the forgiveness of sin but God will remain true to His words and the soul that sins shall die and NOTHING impure will be permitted to enter the Kingdom of God (Rev 21:27); therefore, if a man or woman does not repent of their sin and trust exclusively in Jesus as Lord for the Mediation of that sin, they will die in sin (John 8:24) and die the “second death” in perdition (Revelation 20:11-15).