Monthly Archives: October 2019

How Did God Speak to Moses?

Posted on by Pastor Ricky Kurth

“If no one can see God’s face and live (Ex. 33:20), how did He speak to Moses ‘face to face’ (Ex. 33:11)?”

The phrase “face to face” can be taken literally (2 John 1:12), but it can also be taken in a figurative sense. For instance, God is said to have spoken “face to face” with the people of Israel when He gave them the law (Deut. 5:4), but they didn’t see His face (Deut. 4:12). So we must conclude that the phrase “face to face” there is a figure of speech.

What does it mean? Well, compare how God defines speaking face to face to Moses:

“If there be a prophet among you, I the LORD will make Myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream. My servant Moses is not so… With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the LORD shall he behold” (Num. 12:6-8).

In speaking to Moses, God spoke apparently (clearly), and not in visions and dreams and dark speeches. That’s the figurative meaning of “face to face.”

This understanding is the only answer to our Pentecostal friends who say that tongues will not “cease” (1 Cor. 13:8) until we get to Heaven. They insist that “that which is perfect” (1 Cor. 13:10) is Heaven since that’s when we’ll see the Lord “face to face” (v. 12). What Paul was actually saying is that once the Bible is perfect or complete, the will of God can be understood as clearly as if we were in His presence!

To the Reader:

Some of our Two Minutes articles were written many years ago by Pastor C. R. Stam for publication in newspapers. When many of these articles were later compiled in book form, Pastor Stam wrote this word of explanation in the Preface:

"It should be borne in mind that the newspaper column, Two Minutes With the Bible, has now been published for many years, so that local, national and international events are discussed as if they occurred only recently. Rather than rewrite or date such articles, we have left them just as they were when first published. This, we felt, would add to the interest, especially since our readers understand that they first appeared as newspaper articles."

To this we would add that the same is true for the articles written by others that we continue to add, on a regular basis, to the Two Minutes library. We hope that you'll agree that while some of the references in these articles are dated, the spiritual truths taught therein are timeless.

Two Minutes with the Bible lets you start your day with short but powerful Bible study articles from the Berean Bible Society. Sign up now to receive Two Minutes With the Bible every day in your email inbox. We will never share your personal information and you can unsubscribe at any time.

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The Fullness of Pentecost – Acts 2:1-4

Posted on by Pastor Ricky Kurth

Video of this message is available on YouTube: The Fullness of Pentecost – Acts 2:1-4

Summary:

“Pentecost” (2:1) was one of Israel’s 7 annual feast days.  Passover (Lev. 23:4,5) typified the cross (I Cor. 5:7).  Unleavened bread (Lev. 23:6) typified how He died without the leaven of sin, so we should purge sin from our churches and our personal lives in response to Christ being sacrificed for us (I Cor. 5:7).  Firstfruits (Lev. 23:10) typified Christ’s resurrection, and how He was the firstfruits of the resurrection of believers in Israel and in the Body of Christ (I Cor. 15: 20,23).

Then came Pentecost, which means “fiftieth.”  It came 50 days after firstfruits (Lev. 23:15) and spoke of the coming of the Holy Ghost (John 14:16-18).  The Lord taught the apostles for forty days (Acts 1:3), leaving them 10 days to pick a replacement for Judas (Acts 1:15-26).  Now here in Acts 2, the fiftieth day feast was “fully come” (2:1).

It was fully come symbolically too.  Just as all those passover lambs in the past were types of the fullness of Christ’s sacrifice, so all the Pentecosts in the past were types of the fulness of the coming of the Spirit at this Pentecost.

“Rushing” (2:2) was associated with the Spirit (Ezk. 3:12) as was the wind (John 3:8).  The windy Spirit power of God could be used constructively (Ezek. 37:9,10) or destructively (Isa. 40:6-10).  The filling of the disciples with the Spirit here in Act 2 was constructive, but Jews who rejected their message will face His destructive power.

The sound filling the house (2:2) was typified in II Chron. 5:13, where Solomon’s temple was filled because of the oneness of the 120 priests (v. 12).  Since the temple will be a restoration of the kingdom as it was in Solomon’s day (Acts 1:6), the oneness of the 120 disciples here (Acts 1:15) was a taste of the kingdom.

These cloven tongues were not the fulfillment of Mt.3:11. John was talking about the fire that will come at the Second Coming of Christ (v. 12 cf. II Thes. 1:7,8).

They were given visible tongues of fire on their heads (Acts 2:3) to notify them they were being filled with the Spirit, sort of like Luke 3:21,22.  They were given tongues of fire to signify how they’d now speak in tongues (Acts 2:4).  “Cloven” means divided (Lev. 11:7), further signifying how they’d speak in different tongues.  It also symbolized how they were to walk separate from the Gentiles (Lev. 20:25,26) and from unsaved Jews (Ps. 1:1; Pr. 9:6), and how the Spirit that filled them was about to enable them to walk separate from sinners (I Jo. 3:9; 5:18).  They couldn’t sin at Pentecost!

What’s that tell you about our Pentecostal friends?  They insist they are filled with the Spirit, and can imitate the ability to speak in tongues.  But if you’re going to say you are filled with the Spirit as they were at Pentecost, you should also be able to not sin as well.  That’s a little harder to imitate.

I don’t mean to be unkind in saying this.  I only mean to assure God’s people that they are not missing out on a blessing that our Pentecostal friends tell them they are missing out on, the ability to speak in tongues.

When we tell our Pentecostal friends that God is not filling men with the Spirit today the way He did at Pentecost because God started a new program with Paul, they will sometimes ask, “Then why Paul did Paul say to be filled with the Spirit?” (Eph. 5:18).  But the filling of the Spirit didn’t always cause men to speak in tongues in the Bible.  Sometimes it caused them to know how to build a tabernacle (Ex. 31:3-5), or prepare men for the Messiah (Lu. 1:15-17) or assure Mary that the Lord would “perform” what the angel said (Lu. 1:41-45), or prophesy (Lu. 1:67).

What does the filling of the Spirit do today?  Well, at Pentecost, it caused men to speak in tongues.  Today it causes men to speak in psalms and hymns and thanksgiving (Eph. 5:18-20).

How can we be filled with the Spirit?  Colossians 3:16,17 says that being filled with the Word of God causes men to speak in psalms and hymns and thanksgiving.  That means to be filled with the Spirit today, in the dispensation of grace, you must be filled with the Word of God.

Beware!

Posted on by Pastor Paul M. Sadler

“Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils” (1 Tim. 4:1).

“But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived” (2 Tim. 3:13).

In the last days of grace, there will be two areas for which to be especially watchful in regard to those who minister the Word. Paul warns us that some, but not all, will depart from the faith that was once near and dear to their hearts. They will abandon the sound doctrine that was first delivered to us by the Apostle Paul and will instead give heed to seducing spirits. As they teach things that are contrary to Paul’s gospel, it will cause a great deal of confusion among the brethren, which is a masterful ploy of Satan, who is the author of confusion. But why would these teachers knowingly depart from the truth? The reasons are many and varied: notoriety for discovery of a so-called new truth, wider acceptance in mainstream Christendom, larger numbers, and other temptations of fleshly, earthly gain.

The level of confusion increases dramatically when we add ministers who intentionally deceive the unsuspecting to build a utopian or cultlike ministry. Paul says they have “a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof” (2 Tim. 3:5). In a word, they will deny the preaching of the Cross, which is the power of God unto salvation (Rom. 1:16; 1 Cor. 1:18). Those who come under their spell will have their ears tickled with inspirational messages, but there will be a deafening silence when it comes to the deity of Christ, the virgin birth, or Christ’s precious blood.

The apostle is clear to all who will listen when he says, “from such turn away.” If you fail to do so, you will be swept into what is either their unsound teaching or a web of deception. Beware! Paul’s solution to avoid these dangers is really quite simple: “But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them” (2 Tim. 3:14). In a nutshell, follow Paul as he followed Christ. A well-rounded understanding of Paul’s epistles will be a safeguard against error and will protect you from being misled or succumbing to the clever schemes of men.

To the Reader:

Some of our Two Minutes articles were written many years ago by Pastor C. R. Stam for publication in newspapers. When many of these articles were later compiled in book form, Pastor Stam wrote this word of explanation in the Preface:

"It should be borne in mind that the newspaper column, Two Minutes With the Bible, has now been published for many years, so that local, national and international events are discussed as if they occurred only recently. Rather than rewrite or date such articles, we have left them just as they were when first published. This, we felt, would add to the interest, especially since our readers understand that they first appeared as newspaper articles."

To this we would add that the same is true for the articles written by others that we continue to add, on a regular basis, to the Two Minutes library. We hope that you'll agree that while some of the references in these articles are dated, the spiritual truths taught therein are timeless.

Two Minutes with the Bible lets you start your day with short but powerful Bible study articles from the Berean Bible Society. Sign up now to receive Two Minutes With the Bible every day in your email inbox. We will never share your personal information and you can unsubscribe at any time.



Two Minutes with the Bible is now available on Alexa devices. Full instructions here.

Berean Searchlight – October 2019

Posted on by BBS Webmaster

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