Old Christians
Old Christians
I admit that I am old and being old, I follow the tendency of old people to criticize modern ways and things and sing the praises of the old times, when things were “better”. I still remember listening to these ancient people in my youth and sometimes their criticisms were unjust and their memory of the olden days was not accurate. Not everything is good because it is old and not everything new is bad. But even in my youth I knew enough to respect and appreciate the old preachers, who expounded biblical values. I remember sitting in the front pew to hear them.
However, I see that there are many people, who call themselves Christians, who are not like that. They don’t want to sing the old hymns and they don’t like to listen to preaching about old Christian morals and principles. One young man, who visited our home in Germany said, “I know legalistic Christians, who think that they can’t go to dances.” Well, I am one of them, because in my day young people were taught that mixed dancing excited your passions and, even if that was not true, it certainly provided nothing for the new man, created in Christ Jesus. Today, Christians think that they can rejoice in all the world’s entertainment and also rejoice in Christ.
I invite you to consider some undeniable, biblical facts. In the first place, the world is degenerating morally and spiritually: “Evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived” (2 Ti.3:13). Paul counseled Timothy to persist in what he had learned, because “from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” In the next chapter, Paul predicted that the future would bring increasing decay: “The time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth…” The only prevention was “preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.”
Spiritual declension will continue to the end: “In the last days difficult times will come…” Already in the first epistle, he warned about the doctrines of the last days: “The Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons…” (1 Ti.4:1). It ends with a total apostasy: “Let no one in any way deceive you, for (the day of the Lord, v.2) will not come unless the apostasy comes first…” (2 Th.2:3).
Values lower little by little and decay is gradual. Since I have observed the trappers setting their snares (Ps.124:7) over the years, it is my duty and responsibility to warn this generation about the traps. I have noticed that each descending step on the ladder begins with a shock. Very bold people enter the picture with a new fad and a few bold people follow them. The majority rejects them, but little by little everyone becomes accustomed and the thing becomes normal practice. I have to confess that I have not been totally free.… to a certain degree, I have become accustomed to some things. I will name several things, in which many, if not the majority of Christians today, participate and add what the Bible has to say against them.
Alcoholic beverages: Do not look on the wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it goes down smoothly; at the last it bites like a serpent and stings like a viper. Your eyes will see strange things and your mind will utter perverse things. And you will be like one who lies down in the middle of the sea, or like one who lies down on the top of a mast. They struck me, but I did not become ill; they beat me, but I did not know it. When shall I awake? I will seek another drink” (Pr.23:31-35). Read it carefully and see that the Bible teaches that it is dangerous even to look at it, because it leads to addiction. Blasphemy: “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain” (Ex.20:7 also Dt.5:11). It is one thing to pronounce the words, it is another thing to give approval to those who do: “They not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them” (Ro.1:32). Do you give approval to a movie, in which there is blasphemy? No? Well, keep on watching them and in time you will grow accustomed to it. Indecent and extravagant clothing: “I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments” (1 Ti.2:9). “The daughters of Zion are proud and walk with heads held high and seductive eyes, and go along with mincing steps and tinkle the bangles on their feet” (Is.3:16). Tattoos: “You shall not make any cuts in your body… nor make any tattoo marks on yourselves…” (Lv.19:28). Hair: “Does not even nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a dishonor to him, but if a woman has long hair, it is a glory to her?” (1 Co.11:14,15). In the last verse, the teacher is nature, that is, the natural reason and manner, for which God, from the beginning in creation, had willed for such things. What goes against the original purpose of God is perversion. This is true in music and in art. What is abnormal and unnatural is a perversion. The Bible doesn’t have to mention that which common sense teaches about what is bad and is harmful, such as smoking and taking drugs.
Truth is eternal and those who are born again have received a new spirit and a new mind. In all of history, when people are born again, they have been taught eternal truth. Recognizing that fact, John Wesley said, “All new doctrine is false doctrine.” I don’t teach new things. When I receive something from the Word of God that is new and fresh to me, I always confirm it by commentaries or by teaching that have been accepted by Christians, who are wiser than I am. In my experience since youth, I have observed many fall into the trap of new doctrines.
There are two passages in Jeremiah that are of utmost importance for our times: “Stand by the ways and see and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; and you will find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it’” (Jer.6:16). And Jeremiah 18:15 is also very interesting: “My people have forgotten Me, they burn incense to worthless gods and they have stumbled from their ways, from the ancient paths, to walk in bypaths, not on a highway (main transit way).” That means that they want to clear their own unused paths, rebelling against eternal truth and those who have followed it. Yes, they are rebels and also arrogant, believing that they have something that great men and women of the church in the past did not have. Until they appeared, they think, the world had not yet seen the best, and their people trust fanatically in “revelations” that have never been known before.
To those who persist in following a contemporary mentality, I want to show you where it ends. It is precisely for entertaining such thoughts that some have arrived at a point that I want to show you now:
What I am telling you is this: Every Christian, who is accepting the modern modes of Christianity, is on this road… I don’t say that all will finally accept homosexuality; I am only saying that he is on this road. To me, it is the deceit of the end times, preparing the way for antichrist. Study well 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12 and remember that God loves truth more than He loves the people of the world! This passage proves it.
I struggle about putting these editorial comments before you, but I reduced them to just a few. They even quoted John 3:16, but I couldn’t let that stand in the middle of this perversion. We need to know the nature of the deception that is all around us and too often among us. Here, if you can stand to read them, are the comments:
A Gay Bible
Homosexuality in The Bible
The Queen James Bible seeks to resolve interpretive ambiguity in the Bible as it pertains to homosexuality: We edited those eight verses in a way that makes homophobic interpretations impossible.
A Fabulous Bible
The QJB is a big, fabulous Bible. It is printed and bound in the United States on thick, high-quality paper in a beautiful, readable typeface. It is the perfect Bible for ceremony, study, sermon, gift-giving, or simply to put on display in the home or Church.
You can’t choose your sexuality… you can choose a Bible.
Editor’s Notes
What We Changed
• Revelation says not to “edit the book,” and people often extend that to mean the entire Bible, not just the book of Revelation.
We also refused to just say “that’s outdated” and omit something. Yes, things like Leviticus are horribly outdated, but that doesn’t stop people from citing them. We wanted our Bible bulletproof from the ones shooting the bullets.
Genesis 19:5
And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? Bring them out unto us, that we may know them. (KJV)
We side with most Bible scholars who understand the story of Sodom and Gomorra to be about bullying strangers. Strangers were not well-treated or well-regarded at the time of Bible (hence so much of the Word urging the love and acceptance of others).
Therefore, we changed the verse to the following:
Genesis 19:5
And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? Bring them out unto us, that we may rape and humiliate them. (QJV) (Page 21)
Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13
Leviticus 18:22
Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is an abomination. (KJV)
Leviticus 20:13
If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them. (KJV)
Leviticus mentions Molech in several places. Archetypal pagan rituals for worship of Molech included child sacrifice, as well as sex with male temple prostitutes.
We therefore change Levticus 18:21 and 20:13 to read as follows:
Leviticus 18:22
Thou shalt not lie with mankind as with womankind in the temple of Molech: it is an abomination. (QJV) (Page 75)
Leviticus 20:13
If a man also lie with mankind in the temple of Molech, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them. (QJV) (Page 76)
Romans 1:26-27
Romans 1:26
For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against their nature: (KJV)
Romans 1:27
And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. (KJV)
Most scholars (us included), agree that the sin in Romans 1 isn’t being gay or lesbian or having gay sex. The sin was worshiping pagan idols instead of God, as it was in Leviticus, as it is everywhere in the Bible.
We have changed the verses to the following:
Romans 1:26
Their women did change their natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, left of the natural use of the woman, burned in ritual lust, one toward another; (QJV) (Page 545)
Romans 1:27
Men with men working that which is pagan and unseemly. For this cause God gave the idolators up unto vile affections, receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. (QJV) (Page 545)
Romans is our most major editing, but also one of our most powerfully free of interpretive ambiguity; it has been made very clear, yet retains all of the content of the original.
The Editors
… they have much more to say under every scripture above, and on they go to include five more perversions of God’s holy Word, but my stomach is turning and I’ve had enough. I hope you have, too.
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