jstaplz Podcast

My Journey Through Bible Translations

I started reading the Bible when I was 6 years old. My mother studied the Bible copiously and would often prefer using the KJV with a Strong’s Concordance. For secondary translations, she had lined up the NIV and the Amplified Bible. She later gave me her NIV and that was my first real Bible, a big step up from the picture Bible. 
I remembered various stories from the picture Bible and now that I have a real Bible, I was on the hunt for all the stories and all the verses my mother would often quote. I read the Passion accounts from all four gospels and then various other stories from the gospels and pieces from the book of Proverbs. 
A few years later, I was at a community summer camp program where they gave out NLT Bibles. That was refreshing as it was smoother to read and understand. The NLT was the first Bible I read Genesis through Revelation. 
A few more years later I’m a middle schooler. The church I was attending used the NIV for adults and the ESV for student ministry. It was around that time I was introduced to Reformed Theology and ESV fit right in that circle of that kind of Bible teaching. I realized why a formal translation that is modern is very valuable. The ESV quickly became a cherished favorite as it was an alternative to the KJV and NKJV that I considered more unpolished at the time, but was still familiar sounding to the verses I grew up hearing. It is a unique translation because it is an essential literal, modern translation, from the Alexandrian texts that the majority of scholars consider the oldest. I also appreciate that it doesn’t capitalize divine pronouns like the NKJV and NASB. I continued using the ESV for the next 15 years. 
I got married in 2018 and my wife and I moved to Joliet and joined a church that used the NIV in every ministry. I kept using the ESV but as time moved on, I got more involved and decided it would be easier to adapt back to the NIV. Lots of controversy surrounds the NIV so I decided to do my research. I acquired a fresh appreciation for the NIV as it is the mediating translation on the spectrum of English versions. Because it is not too formal or dynamic, it meets a perfect marriage for many Evangelical Christians around the world, hence to term “international.” 
Though I appreciate the NIV, it's never been my favorite. I don’t prefer a mediating translation. I tried the CSB for a couple of months but left it because it is ideal if you want something less formal than the ESV and more literal than the NIV. I see more value in a translation that leads more formal or more dynamic. For a while, the ESV and NLT met this need for me. I also realized that in many places, the NASB and NKJV are more literal than the ESV. Strangely, the ESV feels like the NIV in some renderings. 
This brings me to the KJV. I never thought I would ever grow to love the KJV, especially since I dismissed all the KJV-only rhetoric. After spending over a decade in the ESV (the great-grandchild of the KJV), I noticed that I love the more exalted language of the Bible. Some words and phrases grow from the King James Tyndale Tradition that have endured the test of time and find themselves in all the formal translations and even some in the NIV, though the NIV was the first translation to deliberately move away from sounding like the KJV, less traditional and more conversational. 
As of 2024, I can safely say I’ve returned to the translation my mother used, the first translation of my childhood. Frankly, many still read the KJV because they grew up with it. Whenever something “sounds like the Bible,” they are talking about the King James Version. Here are 11 reasons why I’ve chosen the KJV as my primary reading, studying, and memorizing Bible: 
 
1. It is not constantly updated.
2. Old English distinguishes between ‘you’ singular and plural.
3. Gives more place to the deity of Christ and the trinity (1 John 5:7).
4. The Old Testament consistently translates from Hebrew instead of LXX.
5. Beautiful and brief lyrical style.
6. Essentially literal translation.
7. Enduring language that influenced later translations.
8. Great for apologetics to cults (since most are KJV-only).
9. It is a translation that is not influenced by the post-modern world and political correctness.
10. Some argue very well that the textual basis can be traced closer to the time of the apostles than the manuscripts in Alexandria. (I’m still not convinced they are the oldest manuscripts, but I’m still curious to learn more.) 
11. A lot of church history quotes from the KJV. 
 
I am not KJV-only. I still find a lot of value in all the translations I’ve mentioned. I choose to start with a translation that all the others find their lineage from. When something is unclear because it is old or its a formal translation, I seek out resources, including other translations to see what it means. The NKJV is a close companion as well. I know some word choices are unnecessarily changed from the KJV in some places, but most of the text is nearly identical to the KJV, making the NKJV the only mainstream translation that reflects the KJV closest in Modern English.
On this channel, my default translation will be the KJV or the NKJV at times. I will still quote from various translations. The ESV still holds a place in my heart as I’ve memorized it for 15 years. The NIV and NLT are still helpful for their conversational, natural language renderings. 
God bless and I’ll see you next time. 
 

Theology Is Mystery

Theology Is Mystery
 
Romans 11:33–36 NKJV
33 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out! 34“For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has become His counselor?” 35“Or who has first given to Him And it shall be repaid to him?” 36 For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.
 
“Depth” points to how little known yet profound God is! The world in its wisdom does not know God. It is impossible for unregenerate people to fathom God or know him. For those of us that do know him, we don’t fully comprehend him. If God could be fully understood by humans, that is a strong indication that someone made him up. People press Christians all the time to defend the doctrine of the trinity because they think that makes Christianity illogical. God can only be 1 or 3 gods in their estimation. They have no category for mystery, for a God that cannot be fully comprehended by humans. That is an indication that God has not been invented by someone and that he decided to reveal himself to some people. 
 
For those that acknowledge the Lord, they will question his motives, his words, his deeds, and his wisdom. But who has known the mind of the Lord? If we cannot fully comprehend who he is, what makes you think we can read his mind and know his secrets? Creation cannot instruct its Creator. God decides to reveal his wisdom to us and we struggle to understand and agree with it because it is superior to us and beyond us.
 
Moreover, nobody can add to God’s worth by giving him something he didn’t have. God created everything and all we are belong to him. This is also terrifying and should inspire worship within us. Our sin is a considered debt to God and there’s nothing we can do to pay God back. There is no law keeping or sacrifice you can give God to to escape his righteous wrath on your life. But God sent Jesus who paid the debt for us so that we could be reconciled to God. 
 
All things belong to him, start and end with him. This is a mystery. 
 
Deuteronomy 29:29 NKJV
29 “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.
 
God knows everything and we do not. God chooses to reveal some of what he knows to us and we learn from his wisdom. Wisdom is involved in God’s decision to keep some things secret. We have the desire to know everything but we are finite with limited brain capacity. We are smart and capable of knowing very much, but omniscience is a virtue that only God possesses. 
 
God Holds Mysteries
God demonstrates his omniscience by revealing secrets to select individuals that he trusts to communicate it faithfully to others. We see this in Joseph’s story at a smaller level when he interprets the dreams of his two prison mates.
 
Genesis 40:8 (NCV)
8 “God is the only One who can explain the meaning of dreams.”
 
We see God’s omniscience on bigger display with Daniel regarding Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. God gives dreams as a method of communicating his plan to humanity. 
 
Babylon was the most powerful nation on earth when Judah went into exile and was carried off. Daniel and his friends were among the captives. They were considered the best of the best and after 3 years of Babylonian education, they were given government positions. Even though they were government officials in an evil government, they remained faithful to the God of Israel. 
 
God gave King Nebuchadnezzar a nightmare that shook him awake. In a frenzied panic, he demanded his smartest servants to tell him the dream and interpret it. Of course, nobody can do this unless they receive a revelation. Those that couldn’t do this would face a death sentence. Then God intervened.
 
Daniel 2:17–19 (ESV)
17 Then Daniel went to his house and made the matter known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions, 18 and told them to seek mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that Daniel and his companions might not be destroyed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. 19 Then the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision of the night. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven.
 
What was that mystery? The mystery was the dream, but it was also the message of the dream, the message revealing God’s plan concerning the most powerful nations of the earth from Daniel’s time onward. 
 
Mysteries of the Kingdom
The mystery of God’s kingdom is foggy in the Old Testament but made clearer by Jesus and even clearer by Paul. 
 
Matthew 13:11–13 (NKJV)
11 He answered and said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12 For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. 13 Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.
 
Jesus has just explained the reaction the crowds had to his preaching. Jesus taught them with many parables, and most people walked away confused, without bothering to ask Jesus what he meant. The parable Jesus told was a story where a farmer scattered the same seed on 4 different soils and only one terrain yielded growth. The seeds represents the mystery of God, the terrains represent the listeners, and the point is that few people, you could say 1 out of 4 people will get the mystery.
 
A mystery is a secret plan that God reveals to a person that they wouldn’t otherwise have known. The same word “mystery” appears in Daniel (Aramaic raz) that appears here in Matthew (Greek musterion). This is demonstrated when Peter confessed Jesus to be God. 
 
Mystery of God’s Son
Matthew 16:13–17 (NKJV)
13 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” 14 So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.
 
Jesus affirms Peter’s declaration that Jesus is God’s Son, acknowledging that the Father revealed this directly to Peter. The teaching that God has a Son was completely new. This is where the doctrine of the second person in the trinity is starts. It starts with a revelation from God. Apparently, no human has thought of this idea, and to this day, the idea of a trinity is nonsensical to people who don’t get that this teaching is a mystery. To them, God is either three or he’s one; he cannot be three in one. This passage is spectacular because it shows the truth of how people considered Jesus (and still do), with a contrast with Peter’s confession on which the Church was born. 
 
Often in ancient Greek cults, knowledge was hidden, and the only way to obtain such knowledge was through an initiation rite, perhaps where cultic stories where rehearsed. Adherents were sworn to secrecy upon the penalty of death, which is why little is known about such cults. God however, doesn’t hide knowledge because he is power-tripping. God is more than happy to reveal his will to anyone who will listen and submit to him. Revealing his plan is a gracious thing for God to do and this inspires worship within Daniel. 
 
Mystery of the Holy Spirit
1 Corinthians 2:10–11 (ESV)
these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God
 
The Holy Spirit is the one who teaches us what God said and enables us to understand the Bible. Those who deny that the Holy Spirit is God show that they don’t have God’s Spirit, and they show they don’t know the Word of God. To adapt the words of Jesus, the mystery has not been revealed to them. 
 
Mystery of the Gospel
As we trace this theme of mystery throughout the Bible, it is very general in the Old Testament, specifically Daniel. Then it gets clearer as Jesus preaches about the kingdom of God. Paul is the biblical author that speaks the most clear about the mystery.
 
1 Corinthians 4:1 NLT
1 So look at Apollos and me as mere servants of Christ who have been put in charge of explaining God’s mysteries.
 
Paul lets us know that there is more than one mystery. As we’ve already seen, God’s plan is a mystery, so is his Son, and so is the kingdom that he brings. In short, all of God’s work is mysterious. Unless God reveals these mysteries to you, you simply won’t get it. You will be on the outside looking in and you will label all of this as illogical. 
 
Matthew 11:25–27 (ESV)
25 At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; 26 yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. 27 All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
 
Jesus tells us that the Father hides things while the Son reveals them to some people. The people God reveals them to are not the smartest people or the most studied, but the humble, the children. And Christians are the children of God. 
 
How Mysteries Are Revealed
English Standard Version Ephesians 3:3–6
the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly. When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise of Christ Jesus through the gospel.
 
Paul teaches that God’s revelation is progressive. Doctrine doesn’t become something else, but it evolves over time as God reveals various elements of his plan to people that have not otherwise been disclosed. God revealed the truth about Christ in redemptive history. 
 
1 Corinthians 4:5 NKJV
5 Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one’s praise will come from God.
 
God is the only one who able to reveal truth because he is the only one who is all-knowing. This is why he is able to disclose hidden things.
 
Who Mysteries Are Revealed To
Colossians 1:25–26 (NKJV)
25 I became a minister according to the stewardship from God which was given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God, 26 the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints.
 
That truth, or mystery is the inclusion of Gentiles in God’s plan of salvation. This is not revealed to Jews, cults, Hebrew Israelites, or pagans. This truth is only known by the Christians. 
 
Psalm 25:14 NKJV
14 The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him, And He will show them His covenant.
 
Proverbs 3:32 NKJV
32 For the perverse person is an abomination to the Lord, But His secret counsel is with the upright.
 
Amos 3:7 NKJV
7 Surely the Lord God does nothing, Unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets.
 
Unbelievers are blind because of their own stubbornness, and ultimately God has not revealed the truth to them because they reject his word. 
 
What Is The Mystery?
1 Peter 1:10–12 (NKJV)
10 Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, 11 searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. 12To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things which angels desire to look into.
 
Peter remarks that God has been working a plan of salvation since the beginning, and its mysterious to the rest of us because we have to learn about it and God is the only one who is eternal, seeing this plan from beginning to end. 
 
Ephesians 1:7–10 (NKJV)
7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace 8 which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, 9having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, 10 that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him.
 
Note the constant theme of God being the only one who can reveal mystery and the people to whom he reveals it. Most people will not know the mystery. 
 
Mystery Revealed To Paul
Galatians 1:15–16 (ESV)
15 He… 16 was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles
 
Paul wasn’t one of the twelve apostles who walked with Jesus. But Jesus personally revealed himself to Saul of Tarsus (later known as Paul) and commissioned him as an apostle. 
 
Acts 9:15 NKJV
15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel.
 
Jesus revealed himself to Paul and chose him to proclaim his gospel to both the Israelites and the Gentiles. The Hebrew Israelite cult claims that the Gentiles are the Jews from the Diaspora. That cannot be possible since Paul’s ministry obviously focused on making disciples for Jesus from the Roman empire, planting churches in Modern-day Turkey. 
 
Response to Mystery
People have mixed responses to Jesus when he preached about the kingdom of God and performed the signs of the kingdom. The gospel writers Matthew and Luke use the word θαύμαζω (thaumazō) which is a neutral term. “Amazed” could explain people’s awe at a miracle (Matthew 15:31, Luke 11:14; Luke 24:41), or critique (Luke 11:38).
 
 
Mystery of Evil and the End
People have been asking throughout human history about the problem of evil. I’ve said it before and I’ll keep saying that evil is in the world because of sin wrecking the world through sinful people. God is waiting for many to repent, but some will end up as reprobates. 
 
In addition, there is a broader aspect of the mystery of evil, which is deeply rooted in eschatology. 
 
1 Corinthians 15:51–53 NKJV
51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
 
This is Paul’s teaching about the end of the world. History culminates with the resurrection of believers to new bodies. This will happen instantly, and Paul labels this as a mystery. A mystery is what seems illogical to the unbeliever. 
 
Revelation 10:7 NKJV
7 but in the days of the sounding of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, the mystery of God would be finished, as He declared to His servants the prophets.
 
The seventh trumpet is the end of the world represented in an apocalyptic vision. This is when the mystery is revealed because it is accomplished. The mystery isn’t a static truth, it is an event that brings God’s salvific work in the world to complete. 
 
Conclusion
Deuteronomy 29:29 NKJV
29 “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.
 
We need to be ok with not having all the answers. We cannot explain mystery unless God speaks to us. Even with the witness of Scripture, some doctrines are hard to fully explain like the trinity, the virgin birth, etc. and all of that falls in the category of mystery because God does what he does and his will and ability far exceed our ability to fully understand him. 
 
God bless!

10 Challenges Christians Face Before The Return of the Lord

10 Challenges Christians Face Before The Return of the Lord
 
Regularly gather with believers (Hebrews 10:25). Ever since Covid, the church has never quite bounced back to where it was in 2019 as far as attendance goes. Nominal Christians were affirmed in their lazy approach to the faith. Every church was divided into 3 groups - those that kept giving and serving, those that eventually came back, and those who left never to return. A popular counter argument is that the church can gather spiritually or online instead of in person. Even though technology helps the church a lot, it does not replace personal interaction. This is evident in the rise of mental illness since the shut in orders.
Observe the Lord’s Supper mindful of his return (1 Corinthians 11:26). We often observe the Lord’s table with a focus on what Jesus came to do. Even though the Last Supper is historically rooted, the emphasis is not on Jesus’ entrance into history, but his return. Jesus died to establish his kingdom and there is a day coming when Jesus will be back to fully inaugurate the kingdom and remove everything and everyone who stands against him. Some people would judge God for this, but if God is the creator of the world, he has all the rights to do whatever he wants and those that judge him ironically prove why they are not fit for eternal life. Though God extends the offer of salvation to all those who hear the gospel, some will reject the invite, discounting themselves from eternal life.
Love believers and unbelievers (1 Thessalonians 3:12-13). Jesus warned us that people’s capacity for loving other people will severely diminish (Matthew 24:13). Several factors play into this situation, as there is a rise in violence, famines, death, lies, and moral corruption. It is easier than ever to assume someone is an idiot, especially after hearing them share their beliefs. We need to get really good at separating people from their beliefs. Ideas promote life or death, and people are vehicles for those ideas to be enacted. Many ideas need to be destroyed, while the people who ascribe to those ideas need to change their mind. People aren’t the problem, the destructive ideas they hold are. If Christians don’t make this distinction, they will fall into the trap of hating the people they are supposed to be loving and preaching the gospel to.
Practice patience (James 5:8). As we race forward toward the end of the world, there will be ample opportunities for God’s people to lose their cool over the evil in the world. We need to be aware of what is happening, but we shouldn’t be living on the news. Our meditation, our contemplation, the majority of our thoughts should be focused on God’s Word, not fear-mongering news and politics. We need to pace ourselves and continue to follow God faithfully. This is what it means to be patient. Fear makes it difficult to practice patience.
Live a different life from the world (1 John 2:28; 3:2-3). God has called us to be holy, or different from our unbelieving acquaintances. The life we live now will give us reason to be confident when we meet Jesus, or ashamed. We may claim that we know Jesus, but will Jesus say that he knows us? We don’t want to shrink from him in shame. Are we living a life that is purifying us now? Are the spiritual disciplines in your life fueled by your hope in God’s promises about the end of the world? The world is quick to ridicule holy people, but that’s because holy lives show the stark contrast against everyone else’s lives that are commonly marked by evil. Be different. Even if you never open your mouth about Jesus (and you should), your life shames people by comparison. Light exposes darkness. It’s always been that way.
Refrain from judging others (1 Corinthians 4:5). As I’ve already mentioned, evil will increase, and so it is easier than ever to judge whether or not people will be going to heaven or hell. We need to judge ideas, not people. When we judge people (Paul did in 1 Corinthians 5:12), we shouldn’t be making eternal judgments over people, because that’s reserved for God. Only God knows the heart and how people will end up. Some people start really well but will not continue living faithfully before God. Other people may seem to be beyond hope, but will be saved later. We need to play the long game and leave those eternal judgments to God.
Preach the Word (2 Timothy 4:1, 2). We are always supposed to speak on God’s behalf as a prophetic voice to our culture and to the nations. Sometimes the season is favorable and people are friendly to the message. Most of time, preaching about sin and the need for Jesus is not popular and out of season. However the culture feels at any given moment, the church doesn’t change what she believes or declares. We are an anchor at stormy seas, a constant presence in the midst of a culture that is always changing its mind, disagreeing with itself, while progressively getting worse and worse.
Comfort the hurting (1 Thessalonians 4:16, 18). In the last days, Christians will lose loved ones, either to natural death or to martyrdom. These circumstances cause immense emotional pain, making it easier than ever to get selfish, as you focus on your own pain. The challenge here is to reach out and comfort someone else who is hurting. Idealistically, we should be comforting each other so that nobody should have to suffer alone.
Win souls (Jude 21-23). In the midst of a world that hates Christians more than ever, we need to remember to be a compelling group that is marked by love, mercy, and truth. We are to continue to be a group that continues to engage with those who doubt. All this must be done without compromising into the conduct of the world. Honestly, one of the biggest critiques on the church today is that we look just like the world. No wonder we are not compelling. The world doesn’t want what it already has. Back to point 5, we need to be holy so that we can please God and offer the world something different.
Be concerned with heaven (Colossians 3:1-4). The life of our minds and the course of our lives are conditioned by if we are truly saved. If you are saved (“with Christ” as Paul would say), you cannot be a nominal, name-only Christian. Christ is life, not a piece of it, not even the highest priority. The point of our lives and everything in our lives is Jesus. If this is our mindset, we will be heavenly-minded. We will think about Christ’s coming kingdom and that gives us our marching orders for life on earth. This is the answer to Jesus’ prayer (Matthew 6:10).

7 Bowls of God’s Wrath

EP 44 | 7 Bowls of God’s Wrath
 
Revelation 15-16 is the biblical horror story describing how the world ends. The question is if this passage is literal like Jerry Jenkins and Tim LaHaye do with their Left Behind series, or if this literature is more symbolic. My hermeneutical journey compels me to choose the latter because that’s how the apocalypse works, and most of Revelation has been a series of visions and sounds. 
Chapter 15 is a prelude to the following chapter. It starts with a sign in heaven. The last time we saw a sign in heaven was in chapter 12, as we were reintroduced to the celestial woman, Israel. Signs act as omens as they hint at what’s coming. This time, it is the destruction of the created order. 
The big question that Revelation (especially these two chapters) bid us to ask is about God’s morality. Is God evil? Is it evil for God to wipe out evildoers, and remove their wicked governments, and their wicked cultures? 
God is praised for being holy and right. You cannot ask God if he’s evil without asking if God would still be right if he never did anything about the evil in the world. No matter what interpretation you hold regarding the Millennium of Revelation 20, this book of the Bible is clear that the church will be persecuted and Christians will be killed by the agents of the beast, the dragon, and the false prophet. God’s martyrs cry out to him for justice 
People have been stumped by the problem of evil for thousands of years. I believe the answer to the question is not hard to understand but difficult to accept. If God punished evil, nobody would survive. Evil exists because people are evil and inflict evil on others. There is certainly evil in the world and that evil dwells in seed-form within the heart of every human. This is why we need Jesus so we can be holy, and thus be spared from the wrath of God. 
At this point in the book of Revelation, the 7 bowls contain God’s wrath, and once they are poured out on the earth, cosmic justice will be met for the killing of God’s people. These bowls are similar to the trumpets, but instead of one-third destruction to various things on earth, the bowls are destruction. It’s a horror story about the end!
 
 
 

The Unforgivable Sin

The Unforgivable Sin
 
Solomon told us that there is a time to speak and another time to keep quiet (Ecclesiastes 3:7).
Wisdom is saying the right thing, at the right time, to the right person. If those three things do not align, you should stay silent.
If you follow Jesus, you should have a heart for the lost. This should propel you to go public with your faith and speak up regarding what is true. Some people will listen to you and be curious to learn more. God has primed that person’s heart to be more receptive. Perhaps tragedy moves people to seek out a Christian to pray for them, or to find answers. And when that time comes, we should be ready to answer for why we believe Jesus (1 Peter 3:15). Not everyone will be convinced, like the crowd at Mars Hill after Paul preached (Acts 17:16-22), but they left curious. Others dismissed Paul as a babbler. Apologist Frank Turek once said that if you cannot convince them, plant the seed. The seed works like a rock in the shoe, an objection or point that stays with the opponent that begins ever so slightly to cause doubt on what they believed was false.
Other people will never listen. We don’t know who they are. It could be that they would be ready to listen later on in life. But as we are sharing our faith, it was never the Lord’s intention for us to spin our wheels in the mud, trying to convince the obstinate and hard-headed (Matthew 10:14; Luke 9:5). Say it once and then move on. Your very life is a witness that speaks when your mouth is silent.
The hard truth to accept is that some people will never repent (Rev 9:20-21). One example is Judas Iscariot. I wondered for a long time why Jesus called him the son of perdition (destruction). It is because he chose destruction. He was not beyond hope. Like Peter, he could have sought restoration after the resurrection of Jesus from death, but instead, he bought a rope a hung himself. Even in his guilt, the closest to penance that he reached, he still did not seek the Lord for mercy. He chose death and destruction.
Some sin will end in forgiveness and some sin will end in death (1 John 5:16-17). We are not encouraged to pray for the sins that will end in death, and I will venture to say that sin is stubborn unbelief. There is no point in praying for such as person who is determined to be wrong though he thinks he’s right. Jesus called out a similar attitude in the Pharisees who had committed the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit by saying that Jesus’ power came from demons and not from the Holy Spirit (Mark 3:28-29). Perpetual sin and refusal of God’s words and work result in the impossible situation of repenting (Hebrews 6:4-6). This is why we are encouraged to let the obstinate wicked depart headlong to their destruction (Revelation 22:10-12).
This means there is no point in arguing with people. I’ve said this before. Pay close attention to how people ask questions. Their tone reveals if they consider themselves as an authority over you or a humble student attempting to add to their knowledge. Some people ask questions to trap you like they did Jesus (Matthew 22:15). They want to confuse you and cloud your reasoning so they can sneak in and subvert your faith. Cults work just like this. This is one reason why Jesus told us to ignore blind guides (Matthew 15:12-14).
Don’t spend all your energy and time arguing with those who think you are a moron for being a Christian. Go be a Christian! Go live like you believe that this is all true! Stay vigilant over your life, your doctrine, and your work. If the devil cannot get us to disbelieve, he will try to distract, or exhaust us. Don’t fall for it. I’ll end with 1 Timothy 1:3-7.

Why Should Christian Learn About Archaeology? (ft. Adam Doyle)

Can Someone Believe In Faith and Science? (ft. Adam Doyle)

What Do You Do With Noah And The Flood? (ft. Adam Doyle)