Welcome to the program. Glad you’re with us. Going to talk today about, well what I promised you a few weeks ago, binding and loosening Satan. Well what does that verse mean in context because some of you have asked and I said, “I don’t see anywhere in the scriptures where we’re to bind or loose Satan. I think that verse is taken out of context. I’ll do some studying on it and get back to you.” That’s exactly what I did over the weekend.
All right, well let’s get to that question some of you have asked and I promised you I would study it and then come back to you after I’ve done so and indeed I have. The question is about those who believe in binding or loosening Satan. We see this as particularly of interest now because of our conversations in the last several weeks over dominion theology and particularly the New Apostolic Reformation. I think, again, we have to be consistent in defining the fact that not everybody that believes in dominion theology would agree with the New Apostolic Reformation. We have to be fair and accurate in saying that. There are those who follow dominion theology that would think those who are part of the New Apostolic Reformation are completely out to lunch with their idea of prophets and apostles being for today and that they can be the manifested sons of God, literally Christ embodied on earth, be sinless, raise the dead and perform these counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders but they don’t believe they’re counterfeit. I do however. So not everybody that believes in dominion theology believes in the New Apostolic Reformation.
However, of course, the New Apostolic Reformation folks do believe in dominion theology and the seven mountains and that we’re going to take over, they say, of arts and media and government and education and all these areas and then Christ can rule on earth. Well one way they want to – they have to accomplish this is by binding Satan, taking back dominion from Satan. We get that from Genesis 1:26 and 28 that says that God gave dominion over the birds or the air and the fish of the sea and every living thing to Adam, but nowhere do we see as we’ve pointed out in past programs was Adam given legal authority. He was given stewardship but that’s not the same thing as being given legal authority over the whole earth.
So these folks, however, misinterpreting scripture I clearly believe are now saying, “Okay, so we’ve now got to wrestle back dominion from Satan and we’ll do it in a warfare manner.” That’s why you have these terms that come from the New Apostolic Reformation that are very militant. You have general innocessors, Cindy Jacobs and you have – her and others talk about militant prayer and all these different terminologies that really invoke the idea of war or warfare. So their idea is that we have to war with Satan and we have to take dominion and we’ll have to do that city by city, town by town, state by state until eventually we’ve taken over the United States of America and this will hopefully spread throughout the world and eventually we will have – Christians, they believe, will have taken dominion and will set up God’s kingdom on earth then Christ can return.
Now we’ve talked in the past that nowhere in the scriptures do we see that. In fact, as we’ve said before Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. My kingdom is not from here.” Are we to be involved in kingdom building? Absolutely. But it’s in the spiritual realm as we preach the gospel and people are saved and we teach them everything the word of God has to say in context. Of course, that’s the key. Context, context, context, context. So we do believe in kingdom building but in the spiritual realm, not in a physical realm here on earth. Does that mean we believe in being isolationists or retreating? No. If that were the case we wouldn’t talk about many of the things we talk about on this program.
No. We believe we are to be salt and light. We are to uphold righteousness and in doing so we oftentimes then believe we need to get involved and calling on legislation or supporting legislation that is upholding righteousness, upholding Biblical principles such as freedom of religion or parental authority, the right to preach the gospel without having the pulpit shackled. We believe in those things and we should partake in those things to defend righteousness and because doing so actually, I believe, lifts up Christ to the culture and it says that we believe in something far greater than this world. We believe in Jesus Christ. Salvation by Christ alone. We’re lifting up as the Bible says the cross so that men may be drawn unto him.
That’s what I’ve said in past programs, that when we enter into Christian activism with false teachers like Glenn Beck or the New Apostolic Reformation what we’re doing is diluting the gospel. We’re lowering the gospel. We’re confusing people by being involved in unbiblical enterprises, spiritual enterprises. But if we come together as Bible believing Christians who say, “Yeah, you know what; We can partner up with this Christian group and that Christian group and this pastor and we all agree on these central Christian doctrines and we will let it be known what our voice is,” even if we fail in that act of upholding righteousness as far as legislation if that legislation fails, guess what? The gospel has still been lifted up because we were seen as people who were respectfully proclaiming Biblical truth and what our ultimate hope is which is not this world.
We’re seeking to be good citizens in accord with what are the Biblical principles of the scripture for government. But when we do this, uniting in spiritual enterprises with false teachers we confuse the culture. We confuse the world. In fact what we say is that we are ultimately committed more to patriotism or nationalism, Christian activism more than we are the gospel and we’re willing to compromise the gospel more than – we’re willing to disobey the scriptures and enter into spiritual enterprises because the end does justify the means. That’s not true. That does not justify the means but that’s the message we’re sending. We confuse people that these teachers, their false Jesus and their false gospel must be okay because look at all the Bible believing Christians who have united with them.
So we have to be involved in Christian activism but we have to do it Biblically. But this is why we have to then also point out to folks that this idea of going around and binding Satan city by city, town by town, state by state so that we can have victory in legislative matters or in restoring morality is not Biblical at all. I think Todd Free was who said last week when he was a guest on our program, “Satan doesn’t really care if you go to hell as a policeman or a prostitute.” He doesn’t really care. So we have to be careful not to be involved in moralizing just as the Muslims are seeking to moralize and force Sharia law on us. We as Christians don’t want to be trying to force onto the culture and say, “You have to follow these ideals,” because again, whether they’re a policeman or a prostitute Satan doesn’t really care how they enter into hell.
So that doesn’t mean of course then that we say, “Oh well, que sera sera; whatever will be will be and don’t do anything.” No, because again, we go back to why are we upholding righteousness or right living? Because it is what Christians are called to do as we are ambassadors for Christ, as we represent Christ. But what we need to be calling people to, I believe, is holiness because as we proclaim holiness – what is holiness? Separation from sin. Will we be holy in this life? No. It’s we’ll be pursuing holiness, the character nature of God but holiness is separation from sin. We will battle the sin nature, Romans 8 – but as we pursue holiness, the character nature of God, as we pursue righteousness guess what the byproduct is? It’s justice. Justice. What is just? That which is consistent with the character nature of God.
What are you doing when you pursue the character nature of God? You’re pursuing righteousness. You’re pursuing holiness. So the church would be far better off to spend more time I believe preaching the gospel and calling people to repentance and calling for people to live and pursue a righteous life through faith in Jesus Christ because then we haven’t tried to moralize people who are seriously acting out what is natural to them in their flesh, in their unsaved, depraved state but as we seek for them to understand the gospel and the holy spirit reveals their sin to them and they come to true faith and repentance in Jesus Christ and they begin now to be disciple and to pursue righteousness we have more people now living out the byproduct of righteousness and holiness, one of them being justice, to live justly and walk humbly with thy God. But we don’t hear a lot of talk today about walking in holiness or pursuing holiness or pursuing righteousness and that’s a key missing ingredient I believe in our Christian activism.
But again, the point of the program today is to say, “What of these folks who say that we must bind Satan”? That is one reason why I believe we saw someone like Lou Ingle going into California with the Proposition 8 movement and having all these prayer rallies so they could bind Satan, I believe and then – that’s what they believe. That’s from my research what I think they were trying to do and then they could pass their Proposition 8. Is that in the scriptures? No.
When we come back from the break you might want to get a pad of paper and a pen or pencil and take down some of these passages so that I can explain to you really what they mean in context so we can be good Bereans. Now don’t forget for those of you listening in the Wisconsin area we’d love to have you join us April 17th in Fond du Lac for our Sunday afternoon Worldview Weekend rally with myself and Usama Dakdok. All the details are at WorldviewWeekend.com, WorldviewWeekend.com. We’ll be back with more.
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Welcome back. Glad you’re with us. Brannon Howse here. Our Website is WorldviewWeekend.com. WorldviewWeekend.com. It’s not too late to join us in a few weeks for the Branson Worldview Weekend. If you’d like to register for the Branson Worldview Weekend, the 8th annual Branson Worldview Weekend you’ll find all the details at WorldviewWeekend.com. Our keynote speakers will include Ken Ham of Answers in Genesis. He may have been kicked out of a couple home school conferences a few weeks ago but he’s not been uninvited with us. We’re glad to have Ken Ham come and preach Biblical truth in light of the understanding of creation and what’s going on in the area of science and what is science.
He’s going to specifically speak on the topic I’ve asked him to speak on so we can film it and put it into a DVD, “Already Gone.” Why are young people leaving the faith? What is the church not doing? I’ll give you a little hint. We’re not teaching Biblical worldview theology and doctrine. We’re not giving them a reason for the hope that we profess. We’re teaching them a lot of stories, a lot of Bible stories but not the theology and doctrine that holds them secure in their faith. So he’ll speak on that among other things.
We’ll have Usama Dakdok with a new presentation, Ron Carlson on the worldview of Mormonism as we have two Mormons running for president. John Lefler, I talked to him the other night. He’s giving a brand new talk that he’s completely changed and rearranged and updated since his talk a couple years ago that he gave that some of you may have seen on DVD called, “The Coming Persecution of the West.” Well he’s drastically updated it because of the things that are happening quickly in America since he gave that talk a couple years ago at another conference, but this will be his first time to ever be with us at a conference and we’re excited to have him speak for us and bring the Biblical and historical perspective on what’s coming and how we can make it the greatest hour for the American church even in the face of persecution.
Kind of interesting we’re talking about dominion theology. One group is saying we’re going to take dominion and usher in the kingdom of God on earth which is not true. That won’t happen until the millennium and then there’s John Lefler and myself and all the other speakers who will be with us who have I believe a correct Biblical view and that is we’re going to see a great falling away. We’re going to have what Jesus said, “All the nations of the world will hate you and you will be persecuted but blessed are those who are persecuted.” Why can this be the greatest hour for the American church?
Mark E. Laughlin will be acting out portions of the Book of John. Randy Alcorn speaking on Heaven and on Roman 8:28. He’ll give a whole talk on that one verse, “All things work together for good for those who are called according to his purpose.” He’ll speak on that. Marty Getts will be with us playing the piano and putting scripture to music. Dr. Jerry Vines will be speaking as well as Dr. David Noble. All the information is at our Website, WorldviewWeekend.com. WorldviewWeekend.com.
All right, critical issues commentary. They did a great piece on this back in April of 1992 that I found over the weekend on binding and loosing Satan. Critical Issues Commentary 1992, here’s what they wrote. “The customary meaning of the Rabbi expression is equally incontestable namely to declare forbidden or permitted” – that’s what it means to bind or to loosen. It is to forbid or to permit as it was done by the rabbi. Then they write, “And thus to impose or remove and obligation by doctrinal decision.” Has nothing to do with binding Satan. They ask in the report, “Did the apostles ever utter, ‘I bind you Satan,’” as we hear so many say today, ‘You need to bind Satan’? I have to tell you there were many years ago when I believed this was true because we heard it so many times and even in churches that the pastors and the folks should have known better.
So a lot of us have fallen prey to this idea that we have to bind Satan so he doesn’t interrupt our church services and this kind of thing but there’s nowhere in the scriptures that we ever see the apostles utter these words, “That I bind you Satan,” not once in such an utterance. Is such an utterance recorded in the New Testament? The article continues concerning Matthew 16:19 William Henry Dirkston states, “The very wording note whatever, not whoever,” talking about binding whatever is in heaven and on earth. “The wording” – that’s again coming from Matthew 16:19, this common verse that is cited for that binding and loosening – he says, “The wording note whatever, not whoever shows that the passage refers to things, in this case beliefs and actions, not directly to people.”
Binding and loosening are rabbi terms, terms that were used by the rabbis meaning forbidding and permitting. Thayer’s Greek English Lexicon of the New Testament under the entry – and it gives you the Greek words so that you can read it in context goes on to talk about the idea that this again is to forbid or to prohibit or to allow. So again, it has nothing to do with binding Satan. The article continues, “The authority to bind and loose is the authority to declare what is God’s mind on a matter of doctrine or practice.” This is what the early church did in Acts 15. To bind is to obligate. To loose is to remove obligation. Binding in this context has nothing to do with speaking words to Satan or demons.
Now we also come to the idea of Satan’s house plundered where we have the idea of the strong man and the weak man and someone breaks into their home of the stronger man and he controls that house and steals from the weaker man. We see that in Matthew 12, chapter 12 of Matthew. The Critical Issues and Commentary says the key verse which some claim as support for binding Satan in this passage through direct verbal assault is verse 29 of Matthew chapter 12. In this passage Jesus uses a metaphor to illustrate his own mission. A strong man controls his own house until a stronger man comes, binds him and plunders the house.
We also see this recorded in Luke 11:21-22. It records the same illustration but Luke does not use the term bind but says the stronger man attacks him and overpowers him. He takes from him all this armor on which he had relied, Luke 11:22. The Critical Issues and Commentary continues, “Satan is a strong man. His palace or house is this present, evil age, Galatians 1:4. And his goods as it was talked about in that verse are men and women under his evil influence.” So we have to again look at the verse in context. We’re talking here about Satan coming after these goods which are men and women, coming into this house which is this present, evil age – Galatians 1:4 – and the goods that he’s looking to plunder and steal and take away are men and women under his evil influence.
The article continues, “However he” – Satan – “has not been left in peace to manage his affairs. A stronger Jesus has assailed and overcome him. The deliverances in the ministry of Jesus demonstrated Jesus’ power to deliver people from the power of Satan.” What deliverances? When Satan would deliver people from the bondage of Satan, from demons, when he would cast out demons. The article was saying, “Reveal Satan’s power over” – or I mean, “Jesus’ power over Satan.” So, “The deliverances in the ministry of Jesus demonstrated Jesus’ power to deliver people from the power of Satan. The spoiling of the kingdom of darkness will go on throughout church history, through the final victory though the final victory is not complete until Christ returns in glory.” So today we’re still having this spiritual warfare. That’s clearly talked about, is it not in Ephesians 6?
But the article continues. Bind is used here in Matthew 12 is metaphorical.” It’s metaphorical terminology, not a magic word the utterance of which will stop the activity of evil spirits. That the Luke account does not even use the word bind shows this. The meaning is that Jesus is stronger than Satan and that the casting out of evil spirits in his ministry proves the fact. The goods that are plundered, again, are people previously held in bondage. This plundering has been going on since the day of Pentecost, the coming of Jesus and the binding of Satan liberates the souls of people who were all of their lifetime subject to slavery, Hebrews 2:15.
“How is this,” writes the author, “accomplished?” The Bible does not leave us in the dark. Is it not accomplished by people continually shouting, “I bind you Satan,” into the heavenlies. Hebrews 2:14-15 declares, “Since then the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise also partook of the same; that through death he might render powerless him who had the power of death that is, the devil and might deliver those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.” Hebrews 2:14-15.
So the stronger man is Jesus not us when we look at it in context. When the author or Hebrews says that it was through death that Jesus would render the devil powerless to hold his captives he can only be referring to the cross where Christ paid for our sins. Colossians 2:13-15 makes this very clear. Listen to what Colossians 2:13-15 state, “And when you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh he made you alive together with him having forgiven us all our transgressions, having cancelled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us and which was hostile to us and he has taken it out of the way having nailed it to the cross. When he had disarmed the rulers and authorities he made a public display of them having triumphed over them through him.”
In one commentary it says that last verse could have been changed. “He made a public display of them having triumphed over them through the cross.” It says in this version, “Having made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through him.” Through him who? Jesus Christ. In what manner? The cross, his death and resurrection. So it could very easily be said he made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through the cross, through him, through Jesus Christ and his death, burial and resurrection. So if the goods of Matthew 12:29 are people held in bondage then binding of the strong man that accomplished their release was through the cross. It was through Jesus Christ. It has nothing to do with you and I verbally claiming to bind Satan. We don’t see that anywhere in the scriptures. We don’t see the apostles doing this anywhere.
Psalm 47 declares that God is king over all the earth and that God reigns over the nations, verses 7-8 of Psalm 47. His throne is in the heavens and his sovereignty rules overall. “The Book of Job,” writes the author or Critical Commentary Issues, “The Book of Job reveals that Satan needed permission from God to bring calamity upon Job. The principalities and powers both the good and the bad ones and the heavenlies are under God’s authority. Rebellion and evil, spiritual power are real and dangerous but not outside God’s ultimate and final control.” Is Satan on a leash? Absolutely. Does God allow these things to happen? Yes, he does. Does God approve of them? No. He can’t approve of evil I don’t believe.
Now some may argue this fact with me. I don’t believe God can approve of evil. That would go against his character and nature. But does God allow certain things in a sinful, fallen world? Absolutely. Did God cause 9/11? No. I do not believe so. Did God allow it? Yes, he did. He could have stopped it and we don’t know what he may have stopped on that day, what ideas or plans he may have confused so they would not come to pass.
Did God cause Hitler? Well did God raise up Hitler? Yes, he did. Did he raise up you? Did he raise up me? Yes, he did. No one has been raised up and walking on the earth that God didn’t allow. But did cause Hitler? No, I do not believe God is the author or evil. But did God allow it? Yes, he did allow it. Why? Because we have a sinful, fallen world and man has a free will to do sinful things. Does that mean that God cannot use what it meant for evil for good? Yes, he can. So what God allows is not always necessarily what he approves of. Satan is on a leash. God is sovereign. God is in control. So when we come back we’ll continue talking about this in relation to this myth of binding Satan.
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Welcome back to the program. Glad you’re with us. Brannon Howse here. Our Website is WorldviewWeekend.com. WorldviewWeekend.com. We’re talking about as I promised last week or maybe it was the week before that after I had a chance to do some thorough research and look at it in context of why the idea of binding and loosening Satan is not something we find in the scriptures when we study it in context. Of course we originally discussed awhile ago from the passage that many people quote on that topic coming out of Matthew 16:19 that that verse has to do with the expressions you would have heard from rabbis, what they decree forbidden or permitted, what they bind or what the loose, what they allow or what they don’t allow under God’s principles, ideas, doctrine, precepts. So we have to look at that in context.
Many will quote again from Matthew dealing with the strong man. Of course, what we have discussed is that the strong man, he comes into the house is Satan but then a stronger man is there and the stronger man is Jesus and he triumphed over Satan through the cross, through the resurrection of Christ. The goods that were being stolen by the thief in the house were people who were under the enslavement of Satan, but Christ has come and has triumphed over as he being the strongest man. He triumphed over the thief, over Satan seeking to take these goods which in context are the people for those who through faith and repentance enter into a relationship with Christ.
We went on to talk about the fact as we were going into the break that God does allow certain things but God is sovereign. Satan is on a leash and the Critical Commentaries article from April ’92 that I read on this was excellent. It says, “If Christians are concerned about these principalities,” mean demons, the things that we talk about and read about from Ephesians 6, “If Christians are concerned about these principles they should appeal to God who is in final authority over those principalities.” Look in Jude verse 8-9 where it says that Michael, the archangel, “Did not dare pronounce against him,” meaning the devil, “a railing judgment but said, The Lord rebuke you.” Again, if the angel – if Michael the archangel is not going to get into a debate with Satan and not going to start hurling, “I bind you,” statements on him what would that say of you and I? It’s not something I think we should be doing.
He again said, “The Lord rebuke you,” because again, they really are under the authority of God. They are on a leash. The article continued, “Those who would use extra Biblical spiritual warfare techniques to place themselves in rulership over principalities and powers in the heavenlies are usurping God’s rightful place of authority. Victory over Satan and his hosts is achieved through submission to God and his Messiah Jesus Christ.” The apostles prayed to God when they got into trouble. You can see that in Acts 4:21-33.
They prayed to God. Peter and John were threatened and told they could no longer teach in the name of Jesus. When the saints heard of this they immediately bound the spirit of unbelief ruling over the city. Right? No. They, “lifted their voices to God with one accord and said, Oh Lord it is thou who didst make the heaven and earth and the sea and all that is in them.” You read that in Acts 4:24. They quoted scripture about the sovereignty of God. It said, “A prayer to God.” They went on and quoted more scripture. “Why did the Gentiles rage and the people devise futile things? The kings of the earth took their stand and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ.” Acts 4:25-26.
They continued to pray to God. In fact in verse 28 concerning what was done by wicked men against Jesus, “To do whatever they hand and they purpose predestined to occur.” “Those who uttered this prayer,” writes the author, “had a different theology than many do today.” They saw the providence of God in the situation they faced, not merely the work of principalities and powers of darkness. They did not utter one word against any power of darkness in the heavenlies. What they ask next in their prayer is crucial to understanding the apostolic view of spiritual warfare. They prayed, “And now Lord” – this is what they prayed. “And now Lord take note of their threats and grant that they bond servants may speak thy word with all confidence while thou dost extend they hand to heal and sign and wonders take place through the name of the holy servant Jesus.” Acts 4:29-30. So again, we don’t see them shouting out threats or binding Satan. We see them imploring to God, making pleas to God who is their authority, who is their protection.
The author continues writing this excellent piece, “That they prayed to God for the boldness to speak his word, preaching the gospel authoritatively.” That’s exactly what they did as recorded in the rest of the Book of Acts. We also see some of this in Hebrews 2:4 where he allowed them to do great signs and wonders, the apostles. What for? Then, that office which I believe is now closed today – we did a whole show on that – in order to show credibility, authority from where their authority came to give credibility then to preach the gospel. Not for self-proclamation, self-promotion, not so they could pack out a stadium and sell prayer handkerchiefs. Acts 4:33 tells the results of their prayer. “And with great power the apostles were giving witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus and abundant grace was upon them all.” So there.
It’s absolutely crucial that we realize that so many of these folks that are wanting power for themselves, authority for themselves want you to come under their leadership as the apostles and prophets of today are taking scripture out of context to empower themselves and make you believe that you are subject to them and to bring, I believe, credibility to what I believe is a false Jesus and a false gospel that they’re preaching. I really believe that. But again, we have looked at it in context today. Our number here is 1-800-347-9829, 1-800-347-9829, 1-800-347-9829. You’ll get a bore, the comment or a question. 1-800-347-9829.
There are plenty of other scriptures that we if time allowed we could look at in regard to this but I think the thing that we should take home most of all in this is, number one, studying the scriptures in context that we’ve said; number two, would be from my perspective in how do we deal then with spiritual warfare is that we have to, again, understand that who is ultimately in control. “Greater is he that is in me than he that is in the world.” I believe that when we resist the devil, the Bible says, he will flee from us. How do you resist the devil? I believe one way you do that is by turning to the scriptures. “Thy word have I hid in my heart that I may not sin against thee.” I think one of the strongest tools that we as Christians have in dealing with the spiritual warfare that is truly there – Ephesians 6 – is by quoting the word of God.
Look at what Jesus himself did when he was in the wilderness and Satan came to him to tempt him. What did Jesus do? He quoted scripture to Satan. Satan of course turns around and quotes scripture out of context. Should we then be shocked that the false teachers of today who are following their father, the devil, are quoting scripture out of context? All the more reason why we need to know the scriptures and study it in context.
One of the most dangerous things you can do is quote scripture out of context or take one verse out of context and thereby end up with bad theology and doctrine. In fact if not this week next week I’m going to do a whole program showing you how the name it and claim it crowd takes scripture completely out of context to get you to open up your purse strings. Not men. Hopefully you’re not carrying purses. To open up your wallets. Verses they take out of context to get you to give money to them. When you look at the verses in context you know what’s clearly the truth? The verses they’ve giving to you have nothing to do with money. Nothing. The context is not even money. But how many people know that? Because they’re not Bereans.
But you say, “Brannon, okay, I agree with you. You’ve laid it from the scriptures. You’ve broken it down. We’re not to be binding Satan verbally. That’s not in the scriptures. Those who are citing those verses are taking them out of context. What do we then do?” I gave you the answer but to repeat to make sure that you understand what I’m saying. You pray. “The prayers of a righteous man availeth much.” You pray. You quote scripture and you preach the gospel. You do those things in your spiritual battle and I believe you have the covering that you need because the Bible says that his angels encamp around us and I believe that we can indeed turn to the one who these principalities are subject to the evil principalities and that is God. Again, I love that verse, “Greater is he who is in me than he that is in the world.”
All right, 1-800-347-9829, 1-800-347-9829. Let’s go to Matt in Milwaukee. Matt welcome to the program. Thank you for calling in Matt.
Well it sure is Matt and I’m thankful for young guys like you. You sound rather young. Can I ask how old you are?
Yeah. Well I’m thankful for young guys like you that are listening, number one, but are more importantly interested in knowing the Bible in context, studying the Bible in context, aware of the many false teachers out there that are perverting the scriptures with their own fleshly desires to deceive people for their own gain because I’m concerned that many young people today and young is relative I guess depending on the age you are but many young people today are not studying – and older people as well are not studying the Bible in context. But I think it’s a great trend coming up on young people because of this idea of this idea of contextualization, of deconstruction, deconstructionism. They get together and they say after they read a passage of scripture, “Well what does that mean to you? How do you feel about that?” There’s no harmonuities going on.
Matt, I appreciate your call because it reminded me to mention this and that is this that today part of this whole emergent church is that really there should be no one leader. That’s why they sit on a stool and they remove the pulpit and they have a conversation or a dialogue because, “Really no one ultimately knows. So let’s just have a conversation about it. You can’t say, ‘Thus saith the Lord.’ You can’t declare with absolute certainty because how do we really know? You can’t really know what the author meant to convey.” This of course started in the English departments of America’s universities with post-modernism. You know that right-crowd, that it began in the English departments and we see it today taught in whole language.
You can’t really know what an author meant to convey. It’s up to each individual reader to interpret what they think the author meant to convey. Deconstructing. They do it with the word of God as they sit around and share their ignorance with each other about how they feel, what it means to them. But reality it doesn’t matter how they feel about it. The issue is what does it really say. How do you know? By studying it in context. We’ll go to Dave when we get back and more of your calls. 1-800-347-9829, 1-800-347-9829. Get on board right now.
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Welcome back. Glad you’re with us. 1-800-347-9829. 1-800-347-9829 is the number. If you want to get on board with a comment or a question 1-800-347-9829. I have two lines open. 1-800-347-9829. Again, 1-800-347-9829. By the way, if you appreciate programs like this we have over 1,000 hours and growing in our Worldview Weekend Situation Room. Although MP3s of this broadcast from years gone by including all the audios of our Worldview Weekend keynote presentations that you can – from the years gone by that you can listen to including six of my books in e-book format, the Grave Influence book in audio format is in there.
You can watch our TV program on demand there and much more. We’ve put many of our videos in there as well that you can actually watch for free as a member of the Situation Room. We’re putting more up regularly. If you want more information on the Situation Room and joining it all you have to do is visit our Website WorldviewWeekend.com or SituationRoom.net. SituationRoom.net. All right, let’s go to David in Milwaukee. David, welcome to the program. Thank you for calling in David.
Well that is a very good question. I would think it is probably different for different folks and what they’re doing. So I would venture to guess you’ve got a little bit of both going on but even if they were doing it, let’s say, in the name of Jesus there’s nothing again in the scriptures that says that you have to do this or that you should be doing that. That what you should be doing is not speaking to demons or speaking to Satan. What you should be doing is praying to God to deliver you and to protect you and defend you. Again, my encouragement as we study the scriptures is these folks should be praying to God. That help you?
Good question. Well thank you David. We don’t have a date right now. We’ll be in Fond du Lac this Sunday night and more informations on that at WorldviewWeekend.com. Right now we don’t have a date set to come back to Milwaukee but we will be in Rockford, Illinois right off the interstate. Easy to get to. Not too far from Milwaukee, about 90 minutes, at the Clock Tower and myself and Dr. Irwin Lutzer and Usama Dakdok will be in Rockford, Illinois the Sunday night before Thanksgiving.
So right now that’s the closest we’re coming to you will be this weekend in Fond du Lac or this coming November with Dr. Irwin Lutzer and Usama Dakdok and myself in Rockford, Illinois at the Clock Tower right off the interstate. So it will be very easy and quick to get to from Milwaukee and we moved it right there. So easy access right off the interstate. You can see Clock Tower from the interstate. So we’d love to see you there. Let’s go to Ethyl also calling from Wisconsin. Ethyl, welcome to the program. Thank you for calling in Ethyl.
Yeah, thank you Ethyl. Well I don’t see anywhere in the scriptures where we’re to bind anything. Again, that verse in context as we were talking about earlier and I know you just tuned in but if you want to listen to it later tonight at our Website – we post it at WorldviewWeekend.com – you can hear the entire program for free. That verse in Matthew that where people quote binding and loosening had to do with the rabbis and what they would allow or what they would not allow related to the teachings of doctrine, what was doctrinally allowable, what they would permit or not permit. So that’s what it related to binding.
So again, I don’t see anywhere in the scriptures where we are called to bind anything. Again, we are to resist the devil. We quote scripture. We preach the gospel. We plead to God. We pray to God. We understand, “Greater is he who that is in me than he that is in the world.” We understand that God is in control. God is sovereign. He has authority over the principalities, the evil ones as well. They really are on a leash. They can only do what God allows them to do and even when certain things happen to us like what happened to Job that is not something you would say, “Oh I’m really excited about that. I’d love to go through what Job went through.” But even understanding what Job went through for our own lives helps us to understand that even when that was going on God was in control.
You didn’t see Job turning around, shouting to Satan, “I bind you Satan.” Nowhere do we see Job doing that. In fact Job starts to plead to God and is asking God, “What’s going on?” But what is happening there in the end? God is being glorified. God allowed it to show forth the faithfulness of Job. Satan wanted to test Job to see was Job really – “I’m not so sure Job’s going to follow you. He’s got all these great things that you’ve given to him. That’s why he follows you.” God allows him to be tested.
Sometimes we’re allowed to be tested. The trials and tribulations work out a far greater faith for us. But ultimately what happened to Job that God did allow – Satan had to go to him for permission – what happened to Job was to the honor and glory of the Lord. So this idea that, “Well bad things happen to you; it’s because you don’t have enough faith; you need your best life now,” or as Joel Osteen says in Your Best Life Now, “Bad things happen to you because you wanted them to happen; you had these negative thoughts and negative attitudes and you attracted them to yourself.”
That’s, again, this fallacy of this law of attraction and we did a whole show last week on the secret, the source of the secret where you have “Christian” authors and speakers, word of faith people including the late Oral Roberts when they filmed this before he passed away talking about this law of attraction and other people who I’m just so disappointed were on there. Such as you need to understand that you can cause good things to come to you through this law of attraction. Well yes, they also – Joel Osteen teaches that bad things can come to you. Well is that what happened to Job? No, that’s not what happened to Job. God allowed it. Why did God allow it? For his ultimate honor and glory.
So even times we have – and this is again why we understand this in the persecution because the persecution that I believe is coming those who don’t understand what is going to happen to us as Christians if the Lord does not return are going to think that God has abandoned them when he has not and they’re going to say, “Why would God allow these evil things to happen to me?” For the same reason they were allowed to happen to Job. God is still in control. The same they were allowed to happen to the apostles, why we see so many horrible things that happened to the disciples of Jesus Christ, beheaded and burned and crucified and stoned to death and speared through. Why? For the ultimate glory of the gospel.
They signed their name in blood. They saw the risen Lord. They were willing to lay down their life for the truth of the gospel and look how many were impacted by that. My concern is if people don’t understand correct theology and doctrine they’re going to think God abandoned them. They’re going to think that these things that are happening to them really have no ultimate purpose or merit, they’re their own fault for having negative thoughts when reality is even when the church appears to lose Christ wins. Great quote by Irwin Lutzer. So I hope that answers your question. Again, we’ll put this up on our Website tonight, WorldviewWeekend.com
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