Question #1:
Could you explain Mark 11:13-14?
Response #1:
On Jesus' cursing of the fig tree
during His final days (Mk.11:13-14; Matt.21:18-19), there are two points
of explanation I think should be made. First, the miraculous nature of
this event is addressed by our Lord Himself in Mark 11:20-26
(Matt.21:20-22). In terms of the miracle itself, our Lord assures Peter
and the rest of the disciples that they too can (and will) do and
perform similar miracles through faith which is solid and without doubt.
Clearly without the power of God no human being can affect a tree in
such a way. And in terms of other miracles, things we pray for that are
impossible to the eyes of the world, we are promised here by our Lord
for whom nothing is impossible that if we believe we will receive what
we are praying for. It will indeed come to pass, as long as 1) we
believe and do not doubt, and 2) we ask in an attitude of forgiveness in
respect to any who have done us wrong. For if we forgive others, God
will forgive us and hear our prayers; and if we believe without doubt in
our heart that God has/is given/giving us what we ask, then we will
receive it.
The fact that Jesus does not here add all the other caveats on prayer
does not mean that He is hereby abolishing them. In addition to doubt
(cf. Jas.1:6-7), Jesus also mentions lack of forgiveness as a hindrance
to prayer, and of course there are others. For example, if what we ask
is outside of the will of God (cf. 1Jn.5:14), or if what we ask is
really only to gratify our own lusts (cf. Jas.4:2), then we should not
expect to receive what we ask for, no matter how strong our faith might
be. It is also not the case that prayer requests are received
instantaneously. It was the next day when the fig tree was seen to be
withered, and we know that "persistent prayer" is both commanded and
encouraged in scripture (cf. Jesus' parable of the persistent widow:
Lk.18:2-8). Further, although during the Millennium, prayer will be
answered immediately (Is.65:24), the implication of that fact is that,
of course, in this present world we are sometimes required to wait as
the Lord tests and refines our faith (e.g., Abraham was 99 before his
request for a son came true - but it came true with blessing upon
blessing). On the comparison to "moving mountains", please see the
following link:
Moving
Mountains in Mark 11:23-24
The second thing that needs to be said about this passage involves the
important symbolism of what Jesus did in cursing the fig tree (and
therefore why He did it). This passage is very reminiscent of what our
Lord says in the parable of the unfruitful fig tree (Lk.13:6-9; compare
Is.5:1-7). The fig tree in Mark represents unproductive Israel
specifically, and, by application, anyone under the Lord's scrutiny who
fails to produce (cf. the parable of the talents). Like fig trees, the
Lord plants us, nurtures us, protects us, and gives us everything we
need to grow spiritually to the end that we might help others to do
likewise (i.e., that we might bear our own "fruit"; cf. Jn.15:1-8). But
when the day of visitation comes, the time for which the Lord has been
patiently waiting, if we have not done what He set us here to do, then .
. . .
As Paul says in regard to our appearance before the judgment seat of
Christ, "we know what it is to fear the Lord" (2Cor.5:11 compared with
5:12). We believers who are indeed pushing forward in spiritual growth
and producing the fruit that Jesus would have us produce "delight in the
fear of the Lord" (Is.11:3), just as Jesus our forerunner and example
did in regard to His Father during His earthly life. This holy fear is
thus no terror but a thrilling encouragement to stay on the right road,
following closely in our Master's footsteps, confident as we do so that
the day will come when we are out of this world (and so out of all
danger), that blessed day of days when we will receive from the Lord's
hand an overflowing reward for all that fruit He did find when He came
to us.
Please also see these links:
Is Jesus the only One ever to restore sight?
The Course of Jesus' Earthly Ministry (in BB 4A: Christology)
In the One who was the fear of Isaac and whom we strive to love with all
our hearts, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Bob L.
Question #2:
I recently stumbled on to your site inadvertently. As I am reading through your analysis, I am struck by its clarity, authenticity and fearless approach to issues that may provoke either sadness of intellectual resistance. Last night I read your discussion as to how the US may (indeed) be the home base for the anti-christ, and would (therefore) qualify as the Babylon of Revelation. Let me raise with you one thorny issue for you to consider and answer at your leisure. It is clear that there will be a great falling away, however, in your discussion you used the phrase "former believers" My thinking is that there could never truly be a "former believer," although there could be a vast host of former Methodists, Episcopalians, etc. Does John address this issue when he talks about the spirit of anti-christ having gone out from the church, but not being "of" the church.
Let me again thank you for putting such a fine teaching tool online.
Response #2:
Thanks for your trenchant and
complimentary remarks. It is true - one wouldn't write such things out
of a desire for popularity. Ichthys is neither an advertised nor "highly
linked" site, and that has tended to be a good thing I think. I have
total confidence in the Lord's ability to steer any and all who are
genuinely interested in benefiting from such teaching to this URL.
As to your question, you certainly have a point in that a large number
of the so-called "apostates" will never have actually been believers in
the first place. But this does not explain it all. I was raised a
Presbyterian and in later years highly influenced by teaching that
proclaimed a kindred, hyper-Calvinistic "eternal security" - a nice,
warm-and-fuzzy thing to believe (but a dangerous one if not true).
Coming to terms with the fact that scripture not only didn't support
this theory but in actuality contradicted it in very stark terms was in
many ways (in company with the same problem vis-a-vis the pre-Trib
rapture theory) central to the development of the theology outlined at
Ichthys. In short, I determined long ago to let scripture be my guide in
a very real and concrete way, opening up to whatever was there
regardless of who it alienated or offended. Not that it is my purpose to
alienate or offend - far from it. I wish to know the truth - nothing is
more important than the truth - and would wish for all my brothers and
sisters in Jesus to wish to know it as well. But it is my intention to,
by diligent and careful study, determine as best I can by God's grace
precisely what the Bible teaches in all things and to teach what I am
given to find out, regardless of consequences.
On the "former believer" point in particular, yes, the words are
actually carefully chosen. You see, I believe that scripture teaches
that faith is very much a living thing. It can grow, and it can decline.
If left completely untended, it can also, like a plant in the heat
without depth of roots, succumb to the scorching of life's trials and
tribulations (the point behind the seed that falls on rocky ground in
the parable of the sower: Matt.13:5-6). Nowhere will the heat be hotter
than during the Great Tribulation and we are told that the falling away
that will take place under its intense pressure will be considerable.
There are many whose faith is weak, who are lukewarm in their zeal for
the Lord, and it will largely be from the ranks of this group that those
who are prophesied to fall away from the faith during that terrible time
will come. After all, apostasy, from the Greek, means to "stand (i.e.,
move/fall) away", and I think it is difficult even prima facie to make
the argument that Paul is talking only about institutional affiliation
in 2nd Thessalonians 2:3 with his use of apostasia. In 1st
Timothy 4:1, the Spirit says, he tells us, that in the last days "some
will fall away (apostesontai) from the faith", and all usage and
logic point to this meaning "belief" rather than mere participation in
the community.
In short, I believe that scripture clearly teaches the possibility of
loss of faith, a very sobering thing to contemplate indeed, especially
when one considers the unprecedented pressures that will be brought to
bear on faith during the Tribulation. Here are some links to places
where this subject is treated in much greater detail:
Apostasy and the Sin unto Death (in BB 3B)
The Process of Apostasy (in CT 3A)
The Great Apostasy (in CT 3A)
Eternal Security: where does one draw the line?
Eternal Security
response #1
Eternal Security
response #2
Three False Doctrines
that Threaten Faith (Pet.#27, deals with "eternal security")
The Parable of the
Sower (in Pet.#12)
Perseverance of Faith
(Pet.#26)
The
Process of Apostasy (in Pet.#26)
Thanks again for your interest and for your very kind comments.
In the One who will ever remain faithful to us, our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ - may we ever remain faithful to Him!
Bob L.
Question #3:
Our local paper recently featured a article on someone who practices "Feng Shui". It is some sort of Chinese spirit force. Are you familiar with it?
Response #3:
I'm sorry to say that I don't know
very much about this at all beyond what is generally out there in the
ether. That is, there is supposed to be some sort of spirit attraction /
repulsion or agreement / conflict (or chi / sha ?) between the
material world and our relationship to it. This gets into the whole
harmony vs. disharmony thing and as far as I know it is mainly being
applied today in the west in the arrangement of objects to promote
harmony over disharmony. In "Bob" terms, it means that if your house is
giving you bad vibes, you could move the sofa, or you could hire a
spiritualist to come do mumbo-jumbo and then tell you to move the sofa
(for a hefty fee, or course). Like all such practices which seek to
invest a "spiritual" element into things that have nothing to do with
true spirituality (as defined by God in scripture), everyone who opens
him/herself up to this sort of thing runs the risk of demonic influence
or worse. Sometimes this "mild" sort of anti-biblical false spirituality
may seem very benign, but it can act as a doorway into other, darker
practices, and to progressively greater obedience to demonic influences.
Martial arts, for example, usually have a large degree of this sort of
false mysticism which, when indulged too much, can result in the giving
over of one's will to satanic forces. If I'm not mistaken, Feng Shui is
connected to divination and astrology, so you can see the point here.
Bottom line, things like this while they may seem relatively harmless if
a person doesn't take them seriously, can be become very harmful to the
extent that 1) they begin to be taken seriously, or 2) they contribute
to weakening a person's natural common sense defenses against things
that every conscience will initially rebuff. The only real difference
between something like this and a Ouija board or Tarot cards is that the
"magic" is of eastern instead of western origin, and so in our pop
culture of the day not only has more cachet, but also at the same time
is not considered as dangerous as western black magic (and for that very
reason is perhaps more dangerous still; please see the link:
Demon Possession).
In Him who is the only truth, our Savior Jesus Christ.
Bob L.