No Marriage in Heaven

Putting together a bunch of different passages and thoughts in my mind, I've come to realize that I don't think heaven will be spending eternity with your spouse. That is, your current spouse here on earth, and you..., I just don't see as being 'married' in heaven.

My proof texts: the Pharisees challenge Jesus as to who the lady that had 7 dead husbands would be married to after the resurrection. Jesus said that they are not given in marriage after death. The question they presented was a good question, even though they were looking to stump Jesus, He just gave them the truthful answer. They said, Hey, she has 7 husbands which one will she spend eternity with if the resurrection is real? Jesus just told them that it doesn't work in Heaven the way it works down here. The question was mute because of the setup that will be in Heaven.

Romans 7:2 also says that a woman is bound to her husband as long as he liveth. When he dies, she is no longer bound by law to him. So, to me, it sounds like a marriage ends at the death of a spouse. A person can only be married to ONE person at a time, sorry Joe and Brigham, and if the first spouse dies, then the marriage is over and the person is able to marry again. If the marriage ends at death, then why would we suspect it to start up again in Heaven?

I love Sarah. She is my flesh. I truly can't imagine ever being separated from her. I am not going to take the time in this post to emphasize the way that a husband is to love his wife - but that is true and is a direct commandment from God. But at the same time, when the Bible says to look at the eternal and not the temporal, I don't think it refers to spending time with your wife in eternity, but rather working together as one flesh in this world for the things of eternal value.

Anyway, Just a thought...

How are you doing?

Are you doing good today? No, that's not bad English... If I said, "Are you doing well today?" I would be asking about your health, etc. But I asked if you're doing "good" today. James 4:17 says to him that knows to do good, but doesn't do it, that it is sin for him.

I've misused that verse before a little bit. For example, it is good for a person to go to Russia to be a missionary. Everybody agree? Well, then if you don't go to Russia to be a missionary then it is a sin, right? Because you know it's good and you don't do it...

I think the verse is more asking the question: What are you doing? Are you doing good, or are you failing to do good? There is a time and season for everything: reading Bible, evangelizing, fellowshiping, etc. and so there has to be balance when doing those things (you don't sit around and read your Bible all day, you have to evangelize too), but the question is: Is what you're doing good? Do you know that you're supposed to do things that are good (and not just vain!)?

If you know you're supposed to do good, and you don't do it - it's sin.

So, How are you doing?

Doctrine & Correction?

2 Timothy 3:16 says: "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness."

We are supposed to teach our kids the Bible. Dueteronomy 6 says, "And these words which I command thee this day shall be in thy mouth. And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt speak of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest in th e way, and when thout liest down, and when thou risest up..." The question that I have today is: are we teaching them the Correction part only? That is, is the only time that we teach our children (whether physical children or spiritual children) the Bible, when we teach them correction? They do something wrong and we say, Children, Obey your parents...

The Scripture is given for doctrine & correction (and reproof & instruction of course). Be sure to teach them what is right ahead of time. It's not fair to assume they know everything in the Bible and then correct them when they disobey something!


... and why are you assuming that I am writing this to my own shame! As if I'm guilty of this at times!!!???

I wish I was a girl

(I wonder how many of my faithful readers I lost by the title alone!)

So, really, I was reading Psalm 45 this morning where it talks about the "daughter of the king." The whole Psalm is praising the "king," and then it gets to verses 6-7 where Hebrews refers them to be speaking of Jesus! King Jesus!

If you're a girl, you ought to read Psalm 45 in light of being a daughter of the king (that makes you a princess). The king's daughter is all glorious within...

Anyway, as a boy, what hit me out of Psalm 45 was the last verse: "I will make thy name to be remembered in all generations: therefore shall the people praise thee for ever and ever."

This past Sunday Rik Benson preached a message in Junior High Sunday School on evangelism, and he finished the message in Acts 4 going through the story of the early church - boy, how far we've come away from the power and the boldness that they had, but that's a different post! He read Acts 4:17 which says, "But that it spread no further among the people, let us straightly threaten them, that they speak henceforth to no man in this name."

Somebody said once (I wrote it in my Bible) that this would have been the end of Christianity. Had they spoke no more in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, the next generation would have not known, and Christianity would have been dead (don't worry, God would not have let that happen.) But the question is: Are you speaking the name of Jesus? Are you making His name to be remembered in all generations?

Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven, given among men, whereby we must be saved.

Ancient Landmarks

There are seven new wonders of the world (www.new7wonders.com). I like that kind of stuff. Now, don't make fun of me for making this comparison - there is nothing wrong with people picking 7 new wonders of the world, etc. But, here's the thing - landmarks are changing. Proverbs 22:28 tells us not to remove the ancient landmarks.

So, I don't have time for a long thought today. Lunch doesn't look like a reality with today's schedule, but I wanted to ponder this: When is it ok to change the standards that heroes of the faith have held to? Billy Sunday preached against the theater, cards and dancing. And, I'm not going to take the time right now to list all of the others and the things they preached against. But today some Christians have taken down those landmarks - those boundaries (protective measures) - and have no problems doing these types of things.

Now, the Reformers also removed some ancient landmarks - things like the sale of indulgences, the authority of the pope, etc., but that was because those things violated Scriptures.

What qualifications should we put on an ancient landmark before we can take it down? Is it just because we don't want to have the same standards any more that we can chuck them? Should we play cards now (I assume he refers specifically to gambling, not Go Fish) just because we want to? Should we dance just because we want to - even though a generation ago dancing was worldly and evangelical Christians would have no part of it.

Anyway, just a thought...

KJV-Only Reason # 5

Ok, let's start out by reviewing... I have been going through the reasons why I am King James Only. For what I mean by that, I refer you back to: Reason # 1. The first four reasons that I gave for being King James Only are:

• Reason #1: Because a man of God challenged me on the issue when I spued my ignorant challenges against it.
• Reason #2: Because the KJV has all of the verses that are supposed to be in there.
• Reason #3: Because the Translators of the King James Bible treated the Scriptures as the word of God.
• Reason # 4: Because the KJV was translated from the Most and Best manuscripts

The next reason I am going to give is not conclusive in itself, but does add to it. The reason has to do with the faithfulness and dependability of the King James. The KJV has been around for almost 400 years (I wonder what kind of anniversary party will be had in 4 years!). Even though it has been under the most severe attacks my Laodicean-aged scholars - oftentimes the most respected in the field - the King James Version has stood the fire. I have to admit that in the past few years (finally) it has ceased to be the number one Bible Version sold, however just the fact that it is still among the top couple, shows that it has not gone anywhere.

Reason # 5: Because I can depend on it being around for another 100 years and I won't need to replace it and learn a new version.

20 years from now, when the Even More Newly Revised-Again Update New Revised Standard Version is released, or the So-Far Most Recent For This New Day Today's New International Version (those are the EMNRAUNRSV and the SFMRFTNDTNIV for those of you that are interested, coming soon to an encyclopedia near you), I will be able to sit down with my AV and read it the same as I am reading it today.

I said that this reason is not conclusive in itself, because if history shows that another translation ends up lasting for 400 years and truly "replaces" the KJV in its popularity, that will not change the truth of some of the other reasons that I have been giving.

Now, I probably won't be so concerned about the KJV in 100 years, as I suspect that I will be able to see the Word of God in Person! But until then, it is reasonable to be KJV-Only.

Silence

Shhhh...



Everybody quiet...



Was that difficult for you? It seems that silence is such a difficult thing for many people to deal with in America. We would not dare allow silence on the radio or on TV, and of course that has spilled over into the church service where we can't allow there to be any dead air-space. On our drives, we have the music going - not even necessarily vain or bad music, but it's playing and making noise.


When there's nothing going on, you have a tendency to... brace yourselves... to Think. You might find yourself contemplating the things of God.


So, my challenge to all of you - turn off your radios/CDs/tapes in the car for one week. Good or bad - and see how it goes.


Be still and know that I [not I as in Andy, but as in the LORD] am God.