The Rapture Will Come, But In God's Time!

The Rapture Will Come But In God’s Time!

by Pastor David L. Brown, Ph.D.

First Baptist Church of Oak Creek Wisconsin

www.FirstBaptistChurchOC.org www.sermonaudio.com/fbcoc

Blog - http://SaltLightTruth.blogspot.com Twitter – www.twitter.com/drdavidlbrown

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Email - FirstBaptistChurchOC@gmail.com

Harold Camping.05222011

·        Introduction

The RAPTURE is the next event on God’s prophetic calendar. It is imminent, which means, it could happen any time. No prophecies have to be fulfilled before the Rapture can take place. I long for the Rapture of Church Age believers. But, it has grieved me to see people make fun of the Rapture and God’s coming judgment on unbelieving people because of the bogus predictions of false prophet Harold Camping. We are seeing 2 Peter 3:2-4 come to pass -  “That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour: 3 Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, 4 And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.”

The Rapture WILL happen in God’s timing! Not Harold Campings. God WILL judge the Christ rejecters and unbelieving scoffers. We read in Jude 1:14-18 “And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, 15 To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him. 16 These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men's persons in admiration because of advantage. 17 But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; 18 How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts.”

·        Definition of Terms

Before I go any further, I want to define some words, so we are on the “same page” so to speak.

By definition The Rapture is the ‘catching away’ of Church Age believers in Jesus, as described in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, thereby fulfilling His promise that the Church was not appointed to wrath (1 Thessalonians 5:9-10), and completing the age of the Church.

Lets look at these Scripture passages: 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”

1 Thessalonians 5:9-10 “For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.”

So, what is the “Church Age” also called the “Age of Grace,” or as Ephesians 3:2 calls it, “…the dispensation of the grace of God.” John F. Walvoord says, “most expositors agree that the New Testament Church in some sense began on the Day of Pentecost.” Dwight J. Pentecost says, “After the day of Pentecost and until the rapture we find the church which is His body…After the rapture we find no church….” So to clarify then, we believe the Church Age began at Pentecost, in Acts 2, and will conclude with the Rapture of genuine believers.

It certainly is my pray, “even so come Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20). I want the Rapture to come today, and it could, or it may not come for another 100 years. But it WILL come in God’s time. Peter wrote – “The Lord is not slack [slow, tardy, delayed] concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night…” 2 Peter 3:9-10b.

The fact is, that the end time events that begin with the Rapture will come unexpectedly. Paul said in 1 Thessalonians 5:2  “For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.”

However, there have always been those who are intent on setting dates for the Rapture of the Lord, despite of the fact that our Lord clearly says you could not know the date.

Matthew 24:36 “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.”

Mark 13:32 “But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.”

Let me give you several examples of those who will not accept “NO” for an answer, and who think they do an end run around God and figure out the date. I was in Battle Creek Michigan about a week ago. There is an historic cemetery there. Battle Creek was a haven for the Seventh Day Adventists. James and Ellen White are buried there, the co-founders of that movement. This group was founded as a result of setting dates for the Lord’s return. Let me give you a brief historical sketch.

A Vermont farmer by the name of William Miller who developed a theory in the 1820′s, based on Daniel 8:14 that Jesus would return to the earth on March 21, 1844. The verse reads – “And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed."

Miller converted the days into years. He assumed the prophecy was given in 457 B.C. then calculated that Jesus would return 2,300 years later, on March 21, 1844. Further, he interpreted the “cleansing of the sanctuary” to refer to the purging of the earth by fire at the Second Coming of Jesus!

Miller’s date came and passed without any sign of the Lord’s return. He recalculated and set the new date for October 22, 1844. But, when nothing happened on this second date, most of Miller’s followers became totally disillusioned and abandoned him. The whole experience was dubbed “The Great Disappointment.” Miller died in disgrace four years later in 1849.

But that was not to be the end of the matter. One small group of Miller’s followers in New England decided that he had not been wrong after all. Led by a young so-called prophetess named Ellen G. White, they began to teach that on October 22, 1844, Jesus had returned invisibly and had entered the Holy of Holies in Heaven to begin an “investigative judgment” of the works of every person who has ever lived in order to determine their fitness for Heaven. They further taught that the reason Jesus did not return to the earth on the October date was because of the Church’s failure to observe the Jewish Sabbath. Worshipping on Sunday was considered The Mark of The Beast. They asserted that he would soon return Thus they founded what is known today known as The Seventh Day Adventists.

Another group also tried to hold to the 1844 date. It was led by Jonas Swendahl and was known as the Second Adventists.  They believed that 1844 did not mark the date of Jesus' return, but of the beginning of the last generation, which would be 30 years long. Swendahl taught that Jesus would therefore return in 1874.

 
One of Swendahl's followers was a former Presbyterian named Charles Taze Russell. When 1874 came and went, he concluded 30 years was not long enough for a generation.  So he added 70 years to 1844 and concluded that Jesus would return in 1914.  This and other differences led him to split from the Second Adventists and launch Zion's Watchtower and Herald of Christ's Presence.  His followers became known as the International Bible Students, and they went about the country with the message, “Millions now living will never die!”  Followers were to leave their churches and fellowship together.  All churches were considered apostate, but God had provided a new channel for their instruction, Zion's Watchtower Tract Society. What began as the International Bible Students has become the Jehovah's Witnesses.   The date of 1914 was changed to 1925, 1941, and 1975.  What began as calling Christians out of their churches to prepare for Christ's return has become an anti-Christian cult.  I believe we are seeing a rerun of what has happened before.

Harold Camping follows the line of false teachers who think they can out smart God. He was trained as an engineer and he loves numbers. He “plays” with them constantly, giving them meanings that will support his off-the-wall interpretations.

Here are just a few of his hair-brained calculations & teachings –

·        The Church Age ended on May 21, 1988 and the Tribulation began that day.

·        Between May 21, 1988 and September 6, 1994, the first six years of the Tribulation, almost no one was saved.

·        On September 6, 1994, God began to pour out His Spirit. This will result in a great end time harvest of souls during the last years of the Tribulation.

·        Since the Tribulation will last 8,400 days or 23 years, dating from May 21, 1988, the Rapture will occur on May 21, 2011.

·        Those left behind will be judged by Jesus for a period of five months, until October 21, 2011, at which time the world will come to an end.

·        Harold Camping teaches that the Holy Spirit is no longer working in the church.

·        Harold Camping teaches that EVERY church in the world is apostate.

These teachings raise a lot of questions, the most important being, “How did Camping arrive at the date of May 21, 1988 as the end of the Church Age?”

The answer is absolutely bizarre! He begins his explanation by claiming that the first Jubilee Year after the re-establishment of Israel in 1948 was 1994. Then he says that because the last part of the Tribulation is identified with a great multitude to be saved (Revelation 7), the last part of the Tribulation must have begun in 1994, since it was the first Jubilee Year since the re-establishment of Israel in 1948. He goes on to explain that because the first part of the Tribulation must be identified with the 2,300 days of Daniel, the Tribulation must have begun 2,300 days earlier, which would place it in 1988. AND, since the Church was established on the Day of Pentecost, the end of the Church Age must have occurred on the day before Pentecost, which in 1988 was May 21.

Are you confused yet? I certainly am, but there is one more thing I want to share.

“How did Camping come up with the date of May 21, 2011 for the Rapture?” Here is the trick the master magician used to come up with the date. He dogmatically claims that since the Tribulation lasts 23 years, the Rapture will occur on May 21, 2011, because that is 23 years after the Tribulation began on May 21, 1988. I can not figure out how he arrived at 23 years for the length of the Tribulation when both Daniel and Revelation make it clear that the Tribulation will last 7 years. I’m sure his answer is in his writing, or at least his head somewhere, but I can not find it.

To be honest, his writings are so obtuse that are like chasing a skunk in a labyrinth with no way out. This convinces many people that he must be a profound thinker and a genius. He must have received these revelations from God, because they do not make sense to the average person. 

I believe Harold Camping is a False Prophet. He is being used as a tool of Satan just like the false teachers of the past. By substituting the false, he is conditioning people to be skeptical of the true teaching of the End Times. As Paul wrote - “…let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings….” Romans 3:4 

False Prophet Harold Camping

Modern self-proclaimed prophet Harold Camping, the 89-year-old California radio station has proved once again that is a FALES PROPHET, predicting the rapture of the Church on May 21, 2011 and the destruction of the world (final judgment) on October 21, 2011. Camping predicted the end in 1994.

I remind you of what the Bible says - Matthew 25:13 “Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.” Also, note Mark 13:30-32 “Verily I say unto you, that this generation shall not pass, till all these things be done. 31 Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away. 32 But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.”

The truth is, the Rapture is imminent (could happen at any time). 1 John 3:3 says, “…every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.”

His false teaching on the Rapture and the end of the world is not his only problem. He teaches a false salvation and tells his followers that all churches are corrupt and totally ignores Hebrews 10:25 “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”

Camping is a false prophet! Steer clear of his false teachings. If you listen to Family Life Radio, beware of his teachings, in fact do not listen to them at all. Deuteronomy 18:22 says, “When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.” Camping has spoken presumptuously! He his deceived his followers. May their eyes be opened to this man’s lies!

We need to keep on keeping on for the Lord. Two Scriptures come to mind - Romans 13:12 “The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.” Ephesians 5:15-16  “See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, 16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.”

Our Suffering Yet Victorious Savior

Our Suffering Yet Victorious Savior

by Pastor David L. Brown, Ph.D.

First Baptist Church of Oak Creek Wisconsin

www.FirstBaptistChurchOC.org                                www.sermonaudio.com/fbcoc

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Text: Isaiah 53:5-11

Today we remember the most important event in Christianity, the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is the day Christ arose victorious from the dead. When Christ revealed himself to the Apostle John on the Isle of Patmos He said, “I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.” Revelation 1:18. Hallelujah, we have a Savior who is ALIVE! We have a Savior who making intercession for us today before God (Romans 8:34)! Hallelujah! However, I remind you that before our Lord’s Victorious Resurrection, there was an enormous amount of suffering that he went thru. In this message, we are going to consider the sacred symbols associated with our Savior’s suffering and then look at the symbol of His Victory. Again, I remind you that all Christ’s suffering was for us! Isaiah 53:5 says, “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.”

·        The Scourge

“But he was wounded for our transgressions… and with his stripes we are healed.”

Scourging was a common and brutal form of corporal punishment that involved tying the victim to a post or bench and whipping him severely. The number of blows was fixed as we read in Deuteronomy 25:2-3 – “And it shall be, if the wicked man be worthy to be beaten, that the judge shall cause him to lie down, and to be beaten before his face, according to his fault, by a certain number. 3 Forty stripes he may give him, and not exceed: lest, if he should exceed, and beat him above these with many stripes, then thy brother should seem vile unto thee.” Later, by Rabbinical instruction that was reduced to thirty-nine. Paul says that five time he had received 39 stripes from the Jews (2 Corinthians 11:24). The person being scourged was to receive thirteen stokes on the chest and twenty-six on the back. It was not uncommon for victim died from a scourging. Perhaps you are wondering, why Paul didn’t die. He was whipped five times. The answer is revealed in a study of the Greek words used. The Greek language indicates that there were three levels of whipping. Scourging was the worst. Then there was flogging and finally chastisement. Different whips were used in administering the beatings. The flagrum or scourge used on Christ likely had lead balls and pieces of bone affixed to it, because we know His flesh was mutilated by the beating. Isaiah 50:6 prophetically foretold, “I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting.”

Why was Jesus Christ bruised and beaten? The Apostle Peter tells us, "Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. 25 For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls." 1 Peter 2:24-25. Christ had no sins of His own (1 Peter 2:22). He was paying for our sins. The scourge is a symbol of the awfulness of our sin and the terrible price Christ personally paid for our sins (Isaiah 52:14).  

·        The Crown of Thorns

“And when they had platted [to twine or braid] a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews! 30 And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head.” Matthew 27:29-30 

The Crown of Thorns is a symbol of Christ suffering public humiliation and public rejection. The Lord of Glory was despised and rejected of men! Why did he allow it when he could have stopped it! Christ could have called 81,912 angels (Matthew 26:53) and they would have instantly been at His side to stop this! The answer is found in 1 Peter 3:18 “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God…” Christ suffered for you and for me!

·        Cruel Nails & The Cross

“For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have enclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.” Psalms 22:16. “He that is hanged is accursed of God.” Deuteronomy 21:23

The Jews detested the death of the cross. Roman citizens were exempt from this heinous form of death. This form of death was reserved for the most serious crimes such as treason, desertion in the face of the enemy, piracy, assassination, sedition, etc. The suffering of death by crucifixion was intense, especially in hot climates. Severe local inflammation, coupled with bleeding from the jagged wounds produced traumatic fever, which was aggravated the exposure to the heat of the sun, the strained of the body, and insufferable thirst. The swelling around the rough nails and the torn lacerated tendons and nerves caused excruciating agony.

The arteries of the head and stomach were supercharged with blood and a terrific throbbing headache ensued. The mind was confused and filled with anxiety and dread. The victim of crucifixion literally died a thousand deaths. Tetanus often appeared and the rigors of the attending convulsions would tear at the wounds and add to the burden of pain, till at last the bodily forces were exhausted and the victim sank into unconsciousness and death. The sufferings were so frightful that “even among the raging passions of war pity was sometimes excited.”

But why did Christ endure all of this? There are two passages, one in Galatians and one in Colossians that answer this question –

Galatians 3:13   “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:”

Colossians 2:13-14 “And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; 14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;”

My friend, these are the sacred symbols of our suffering Savior –

The Scourge; The Crown of Thorns; The Cruel Nails; & The Cross

He suffered all these for you! W. G. Ovens wrote –

Wounded for me, wounded for me,

There on the Cross He was wounded for me;

Gone my transgressions, and now I am free,

All because Jesus was wounded for me!

There is yet one more important symbol that we must look at. It is the symbol of victory!

·        The Empty Tomb

“…Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee,” Luke 24:5-6

The literal, physical, bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ is the cornerstone of Christianity! The resurrection of Jesus Christ proves that He was the Son of God and that God accepted His sacrifice as payment for the sins of mankind. (See - Romans 1:4 says that Christ was “…declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.” 1 John 2:2 says, “And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.”)

The New Testament church was born out of Peter preaching the resurrection of Jesus Christ in Act 2. Peter preaches it again in Acts 4, then again in Acts 10. Stephen preaches the resurrection in Acts 7. Philip preaches it in Acts 8. In Acts 9, 13, and on through 28, Paul preaches the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

Why is the resurrection so important? It is through the resurrection of Jesus Christ that we are born-again. The same divine power that physically raised Christ from the dead is the power that brings the spiritually dead sinner to spiritual life. 1 Peter 1:3 says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” Paul put it this way: “Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification. 1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: 2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” Romans 4:25-5:2.  But, there’s more. Believers will be physically raised from the dead to immortality just as Christ was (1 Corinthians 15:20-23). The unsaved will be raised as well, but to eternal damnation in the Lake of Fire (Acts 24:15). The resurrection you will have part in depends on what you have done with Christ. Is Christ your Savior? If not, I urge you to receive Him today!

Remember The Titanic?

REMEMBER THE TITANIC?

Ó 1976 & 2008 by David L. Brown

·         THE TRAGEDY

April 15, 1912 was a tragic day in maritime history. April 15, 2008 marks the 96^th anniversary of this century’s most catastrophic shipping calamity. At 2:40 a.m. the “unsinkable” luxurious White Star Liner, Titanic, pride of the British merchant fleet, plunged to its watery grave becoming a humungous coffin for 1,517 perplexed people.

·         THE GREAT DELUSION

Too many have an errant, even flippant view of God. One crewmember brazenly stated,  “Not even God could sink this ship!” It was commonly stated that the ship was “unsinkable.” This was the selling point of all the promoters. After all, it was the world’s largest vessel in 1912: 882 ½ feet long, weighing 46,328 tons, with a double bottom of 5 to 6 feet thick to insure added safety.

Thirty-two-year veteran E.J. Smith, the Titanic captain, stated, “I cannot imagine any condition that would cause the ship to founder. I cannot imagine any disaster happening to this vessel. Modern shipbuilding has gone beyond that.”

People would have harangued anyone as a lunatic who would have said the Titanic would sink on her maiden voyage. It was a known “fact” that the only way possible she would sink would be if both keel plates on her double bottom hull were torn at least half her length.  The odds of that happening were too high to figure! Especially considering there were 30 watertight compartments designed to prevent that from ever happening. Adding to the air of security, or might I say false security, was the presumptuous talk that the 46,328 ton Titanic traveling at 18 knots could slice through anything without sinking.

·         THE PEOPLE

The Titanic has received worldwide publicity, with the owners, designers, builders, captain, crew and news media proclaiming it as the safest, most luxurious attraction ever. They made it seem as if it were the Eighth Wonder of the World and a first class booking cost like it also.  The best accommodations were reserved for $4,350, while the less expensive first-class rooms were a mere $2,300. That was a BIG PRICE back then.

For that money, you might guess the class of people that were attracted to an expensive “unsinkable” ship offering the plushest transatlantic accommodations in the world.  The tall, 48-year-old John Jacob Astor IV was probably the most renowned. If not, he was at least the riches, worth some $150 million. His wealth included companies still known today:  Western Union, The Equitable Life Assurance Company, and Mercantile Trust Company. At 48 he took Madeline, his bride of 19, and reserved the best of accommodations on the Titanic as the final leg of a trip from Egypt. He never stepped foot on dry land again after boarding at Southhampton, England although his wife escaped the watery grave and later gave birth to his son, John Jacob Astor V.

Benjamin Guggenheim, age 47, was worth $95 million.  Jay Bruce Ismay of International Mercantile Marine Company and White Star Line chairman was on board with his wife and children. He was worth about $40 million and he wanted everyone to know it. His wife was a “display piece” for his wealth.  It is said that one string of her pearls was worth $250,000.

Among the noted Americans on the Titanic was Major Archibald Butt. He had been military aide to the 25^th president, Theodore Roosevelt and at the time was returning to Washington from a visit to Italy and specially visiting the Vatican on behalf of President Taft. Butt was serving President Taft as military aide also.

There was Isidor Straus, an elderly Bavarian Jew who made his fortune in commerce and banking. He was also a partner with R. H. Macy in New York City’s famous store by the latter name. He was returning from the Rivera. It is said he was worth $50,000,000.

Great men of industry, commerce and finance, as well as a sprinkling of aristocrats of Europe, held prime places on the Titanic. Leading theatrical and motion picture figures, a renowned American publisher, a British journalist, a famous metallurgical engineer, a fashion designer and dozens of other celebrities were aboard. Such great wealth and fashion; the women outstandingly arrayed in the finest Parisian gowns, shimmering with enough jewels to sink a lifeboat. The rich and famous, as well as hundreds of average people like Lawrence Beesley, a London schoolmaster going to visit his brother in America, did not have the slightest inkling of the tragic disaster they would encounter at 41° 46′ N. and 50° 14′W.

·         THE PLEASURES AND PROBLEMS

Amid the swimming pool, Turkish baths, library and reading room, gymnasium, miniature golf course, child’s playroom, tennis courts, restaurants, ballrooms, tailor shops, dress shops and palm-lined courts, people had no time to be interrupted from their amusement. Wallace Hartley and his eight-man orchestra often captivated the attention of the passengers with light waltzes and American Rag Time. An electric camel, horse, 16 pianos and a “hospital equipped with an operating room” testified to the extravagant heights White Star Lines had gone to quench the thirst for pleasure and amusement of the rich. She even published her own magazine enroute – “The Atlantic Daily Bulletin”.

The alarming truth is that a fire was burning in number 6 coal bunker when they left Southhampton. In fact there was a near disaster when the Titanic pulled away from port because it displaced such an immense volume of water in such a restricted area that it caused a powerful suction, which combined with an offshore breeze dragged the ship the New York from her berth, snapped her mooring lines and a collision between the two was missed by just a matter of inches! Adding further to the danger, it was discovered after the Titanic was under way that there were no binoculars in the crow’s nest with which to watch and spot danger more easily.

There was a fourth problem. The accounts that I have found set the number of people, in total, from 2,222 to 2,340. There were 20 lifeboats with a capacity of 58 each. That meant there was room for 1,160 if each boat were filled to capacity.

The fifth problem was bad seamanship. Despite all urgent warnings of ice by radio and signal lamp, the Titanic, in hopes of an early arrival in New York harbor, sailed at near top speed of 22 ½ knots, into slushy iceberg infested waters.

On that cloudless, breezeless night of April 14, 1912 with only the stars for light, the Titanic rammed a huge iceberg, which ripped a 300-foot gash into the one side of the “unsinkable” ship. Lady Cosmo Duff Gordon, in her stately room, was awaken by the jolt and was quoted to have said, “It seemed as though somebody had drawn a giant finger along the side of the ship”. Many were so busy the jar went unnoticed.

By 12:10 a.m., April 15, Thomas Andrews, the Chief designer of the Titanic had informed Captain Smith the ship had incurred some serious damage, but there was no need to alarm the people. The crew was notified and ordered to uncover the lifeboats and distribute life vests. Many refused to put on the vests, saying they didn’t want to ruffle their gowns with those dirty vests! John Jacob Astor was asked where his life vest was and he replied, “I didn’t think I needed it”!

At 12.45 a.m. Captain Smith ordered an S.O.S. flair fired but no assistance would come after many firings. The call was given – “To The Life Boats…women and children first” but people had been brainwashed by the pompous publicity – “Unsinkable”, and the cries for the most part were not taken seriously. The truth is that many lifeboats pulled away with only a dozen or so people in them while the capacity was 58. One story has it that people were chipping off hunks of icebergs and having snowball fights on deck.

At 1:30 a.m. a series of explosions turned the dream cruise into a nightmare. People were shocked into the reality of impending disaster. The stampede was on. A few men were said to have disguised themselves as women in an effort to get in the lifeboats.

There were men on the Titanic that day that could have bought it, but in those last moments they did not have enough money to buy a seat in the lifeboat.

Some say 705 lived to tell of the terrible tragedy. The British Government said 1,490 people perished. The British Board of Trade said 1,503 and the U.S. Senate Investigating Committee said 1,517. That figure is probably the most accurate.

Eyewitnesses say that the partings were horrible…children snatched from parents and thrown into lifeboats. Women torn from their husbands by ship stewards and placed screaming into the boats.

One eyewitness said a man was holding his 12-year-old son. Many came and begged him to let the boy loose and put him into the boat. The man tried to push his son away several times but the little boy would not release his grip from his dad.

At 2:40 a.m., April 15, 1912, as the band played the Episcopal Hymn, Autumn: “All against my soul combined, Hold me up in mighty waters, keep my eyes on things above, Righteousness, divine atonement, peace, and everlasting love”, as the Titanic slipped beneath the icy waters, 1,600 miles from New York City, off the Banks of Newfoundland. It came to rest in 16,500 feet of water.

Those drifting in lifeboats heard the calls of those left struggling in the sea. The Third Officer, Herbert Jolin Pitman testified at the Senatorial inquest, after burying his head in his hands and sobbing – “Sir, you asked about the screams…it was just one long, continuous moan!” some lifeboat groups rowed frantically in an effort to get away from the terrible sound. Some tried singing, some plugged their ears, some just rowed.

The “Unsinkable” ship sunk on her maiden voyage, becoming a gigantic gloomy sepulcher for 1,517 people.

·         SPIRITUAL APPLICATIONS SHOULD BE CONSIDERED

1. “Not even God can sink this ship” was a seaman’s rash remark. Men throughout the ages have endeavored to demonstrate their independence from God and even think themselves equal with God Almighty. The sailor’s remark was a flippant one, probably made in jest. Many today feel they are “above” relying on the Lord. The Bible reminds us, “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall. Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud.” (Proverbs 16:18-19) I do not believe God sank the Titanic, but I believe He allowed it to happen. We are also reminded, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: For whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.” (Galatians 6:7-8) Despite the claims of the designers, builders, owners, captain, crew and news media, that the Titanic was unsinkable, in essence claiming, “Lord, we will care for ourselves, we do not need Your protection or help, we are the masters of our own destiny and captains of our fate”, the ship sank. After all these years the incident is a lamentable and catastrophic reminder to the world that we still need God.

2. There is more to life than luxury. The Titanic had the grandest accommodations. There were none better in the world…tennis courts, bars, ballrooms, dining rooms, gambling dens, an elevator and plush cabin accommodations. Those securely resting in the comfort and luxury of the palatial surroundings found too late that the builders had furnished much for self-gratification and enjoyment in life, but little for saving it. There were 20 lifeboats with a capacity of 58 each on the Titanic. There were no crew members assigned to man the lifeboats in an emergency. The lifeboats contained no provisions, no fresh water, and some had no plugs in the water drains. The Bible says, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Matthew 6:33) The age in which we live offers many luxuries to strive for and enjoy. Most get an education, get a job, get married, buy a home, have a family and continue to work, striving to acquire enough earthly things and to be set by the time they retire. Then they die. If there has been no “seeking God” their situation is hopeless for all of eternity. They cannot take a single cent to the grave with them. Are you prepared for eternity?

3. The worthlessness of money in the light of eternity. There were men aboard the Titanic who could have bought her. But in those last sinking moments their entire fortunes were not enough to by a seat in a lifeboat. Remember the words of Mark in his gospel – “For, what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul:” (Mark 8:36-37)

       

Friend, if you are without Christ as your personal Saviour, it is like being on the Titanic with no room in the lifeboat. Jesus Christ said, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life; No man cometh unto the Father but by me.” (John 14:6) “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) “He that believeth on Him is not condemned: But he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” (John 3:18) “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:13)

Have you ever called on Christ Jesus and asked Him to forgive your sin and come into your life as Saviour? Would you like to? Why not pray this simple prayer of acceptance? “Lord…I know that I am a sinner, and that I deserve to go to Hell, but I now believe that Christ died for me, and now by faith receive Him as my personal Saviour and Lord.”

4. The Alternative…

If you were to die tonight without Christ, what would be your fate? Remember Third Office Pitman’s testimony relating to the sounds as the Titanic slipped to its watery grave – “Sir, it was just one long, continuous moan!” Hell will be like that… “There shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 13:42) Do not sink in your sin…Repent of your sin and reach out to the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved.

Why I Do Not Celebrate Lent

There are certain special events that are clearly seen in the Bible. Here are several examples. Palm Sunday is a remembrance of the day when Jesus Christ entered into Jerusalem and the crowds cheered Him as their King. John 12:13 “Took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him, and cried, Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord.”

We also remember the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ. We read in John 19:30 “When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.” We know that Jesus was three days and three nights in the grave. He prophesied this in Matthew 12:40 “For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” Paul attests the fact that this is exactly what happened (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). We will remember the death of our Lord Jesus Christ this Friday.

Then there is the Resurrection. Resurrection Sunday is next week! To be sure we will be focusing on the glorious event. My heart is warmed by the words of the angel recorded in Mark 16:6 “And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him.”

However there are other non-biblical events that we do NOT celebrate, that have their origin in paganism but have been transported into Christianity. What I am referring to is what is called LENT. When I was a child, I went to a church that celebrated Lent. I never really understood why we celebrated it when I was younger. When I started going to the Baptist church they did NOT celebrate the Lenten Season. I want to explain why.

·        The Modern Definition of Lent

Lent is the 40-day period (Sundays excluded) prior to Easter, which the Catholic and most Protestant church observes as a penitential season. It begins on Ash Wednesday (which can occur any time between February 4 and March 11, depending upon the date of Easter), and it concludes with the Passiontide, the two-week period during which the church's liturgy follows Christ’s activity closely through the final stages of his life on earth. These two weeks are called Passion Week and Holy Week.” The Roman Catholic Church says it was established to commemorate the 40 days that Jesus was tempted in the wilderness by Satan.

However, you can search the Scriptures diligently, from Old Testament to New, and you will find no mention of Jews or Christians observing an annual period of 40 days of fasting and abstinence preceding the festival of the Passover or Resurrection Sunday. Yet today much of the Christian world observes a 40 day period called Lent, which precedes the festival of Easter Sunday.

Some have falsely claimed that the celebration of Lent goes back to the time of the Apostles. Believe it or not, Lent was never observed by Christ or His Apostles.

·        The Pagan Origin of Lent

But, where did the Catholic Church get Lent? The word actually comes from the Anglo-Saxon Lencten, meaning “spring,” which in turn was derived from the Anglo-Saxon word lenctentid (pronounced LENG-ten-teed), which means the time of lengthening and flowering. The entire spring season was called Lenctentid.

The ancient Anglo-Saxons (and other pagans) celebrated the return of spring with rioteous fertility festivals commemorating their goddess of fertility and of springtime, Eastre. In fact, the word Easter is derived from the Scandinavian Ostara and the Teutonic Ostern or Eastre, both pagan goddesses of fertility. The complete month of April was called Eostur-monath with the entire month was dedicated to Eostre.

The pagan religion taught that Eostre was one responsible for changing a bird into a rabbit, this then is how the rabbit became an Easter symbol. Rabbits symbolize the fertility of springtime. It should be noted that the rabbit's capacity of abundant production of young is especially great at this time of year.

I should also tell you that most ancient races, including the Anglo-Saxons, included spring festivals to celebrate the rebirth life, using the Egg was a symbol of fertility, life and re-birth. This is old Latin proverb catches this idea -- Omne vivum ex ovo. This means “all life comes from an egg”.

Where did the Anglo-Saxons get Lent. We have go back to the ancient Babylonian mystery religion. “The forty days’ abstinence of Lent was directly borrowed from the worshippers of the Babylonian goddess. Among the Pagans this Lent seems to have been an indispensable preliminary to the great annual festival in commemoration of the death and resurrection of Tammuz.” (The Two Babylons).

But why did the church at Rome institute such a pagan holiday? “To pacify the Pagans to nominal Christianity, Rome, pursuing its usual policy, took measures to get the Christian and Pagan festivals amalgamated, and, by a complicated but skillful adjustment of the calendar, it was found no difficult matter, in general, to get Paganism and Christianity—now far sunk in idolatry—in this as in so many other things, to shake hands” (The Two Babylons).

Cassianus, the monk of Marseilles, writing in the fifth century A.D. contrasting the primitive New Testament Church with the Roman Church of his day, “that the observance of the forty days had no existence, so long as the perfection of that primitive Church remained inviolate.”

Lent was not observed by the first century Church! It was first addressed by the church at Rome during the Council of Nicea in A.D. 325, when Emperor Constantine officially recognized that church as the Roman Empire’s state religion. Any other form of Christianity that held to doctrines contrary to the Roman church was considered an enemy of the state. In A.D. 360, the Council of Laodicea officially commanded Lent to be observed.

Originally, people did not observe Lent for more than a week. Some kept it for one or two days. Others kept it for 40 consecutive hours, falsely believing that only 40 hours had elapsed between Christ’s death and resurrection. Eventually, it became a 40-day period of fasting or abstaining from certain foods. “The emphasis was not so much on the fasting as on the spiritual renewal that the preparation for Easter demanded. It was simply a period marked by fasting, but not necessarily one in which the faithful fasted every day. However, as time went on, more and more emphasis was laid upon fasting…During the early centuries (from the fifth century on especially) the observance of the fast was very strict. Only one meal a day, toward evening was allowed: flesh meat and fish, and in most places even eggs and dairy products, were absolutely forbidden. Meat was not even allowed on Sundays” (Catholic Encyclopedia).

From the ninth century onward, Lent’s strict rules were relaxed. Greater emphasis was given to performing “penitential works” than to fasting and abstinence. According to the apostolic constitution Poenitemini of Pope Paul IV (Feb. 17, 1966), “abstinence is to be observed on Ash Wednesday and on all Fridays of the year that do not fall on holy days of obligation, and fasting as well as abstinence is to be observed on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday” (Catholic Encyclopedia).

Today, Lent is used for “fasting from sin and from vice…forsaking sin and sinful ways.” It is a season “for penance, which means sorrow for sin and contrition to God.” However, before giving up personal sins and vices during Lent, the pagans held a wild, “anything goes” celebration to make sure that they got in their share of debaucheries and perversities. All Catholic and some Protestant countries traditionally call the day before Ash Wednesday "Fat Tuesday" or Mardi Gras today. Some call it Carnival and Shrove Tuesday.

·        The Biblical Problems With Lent

ü Lent Has Its Roots In Paganism

You cannot Christianize Pagan observances. This principle is set out in Deuteronomy   7:1-5  

Ephesians 5:11 “And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.”

ü Lent Is A Man Made Celebration

Colossians 2:20-23 “Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances, 21 (Touch not; taste not; handle not; 22 Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men? 23 Which things have indeed a show of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body; not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh.”

ü The Bible Does Not Instruct Penance

Penance is an act of self-mortification or devotion performed voluntarily to show sorrow for a sin or other wrongdoing. It includes contrition, confession to a priest, acceptance of punishment, and absolution.

ü The Bible Does Call For Repentance and Confession To The Lord

1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Revelation 2:5 “Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.”

ü We Are To Daily Live In A Christ Honoring Way

Luke 9:23 “And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.”

Ephesians 5:15-16 “See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, 16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.”

Our focus should not be on human tradition, fabrication or speculation, but on the reality of things recorded in the Bible – Palm Sunday and Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem, His death on the Cross for our sins and His victorious resurrection. Thank you Lord Jesus for what YOU have done for us!