They’ve been talking about peak oil for a long time. Do you remember invading Kuwait and how important it was to keep oil flowing to the U.S.? Do you remember when the U.S. was a net importer of oil. Then, came the fracking miracle. We are now an oil exporter due to fracking and being able to access oil that was unreachable before. Natural gas is a byproduct and is so cheap that they burn it off.
I recently learned the same thing has happened with nickel production. Nickel is found in two different host environments: laterite or sulphide. In the past, sulphide deposits were much more useful. But advances in metallurgy have made laterite deposits useful as well. The price of nickel has gone from $22 per pound in 2007 to $8 per pound today.
Many unbelievers think that the earth is a closed system and that humans are animals that are destroying the earth. Christians (especially postmillennialists) believe that God is in control and is actively involved in taking care of humanity. As the gospel spreads, righteous thinking and hard work will be blessed by God and He will provide for humanity and that everything is a gift from God.
Therefore, we are to do the right thing according to God’s Word and leave the consequences to Him. We are to worry more about freedom than safety. We are to care more about justice than we are to play on people’s fears.
I’ve been reading my own blog in the last couple days. I’ve posted soooooooooo many videos of cops abusing people who were doing nothing wrong. But, this is probably the best thing I’ve written.
I read a conversation with a covenanter. They have some peculiar beliefs, that you may have never heard about anyone believing. They are small in number, but they are smart guys. The doctrine I’m referring to is probably one that most evangelicals hold to in general, but these guys are passionate defenders of it. I hope I’m not misrepresenting it, but they believe that any new doctrines not held by the early church, or at least not held by the time of the writing of the confessions in the 1600s that it is false. To rephrase, they would say that any new doctrine would be false.
I know that I’ve believed something similar to that, and the pessimistic eschatological view of most evangelicals (premillennialism) would dictate something similar: that Christianity would have less and less influence, and fewer Christians over time.
However, covenanters aren’t premill, they are postmill, which is optimistic about the future. They seem to believe that the Westminster Confession (1646) is the apex of Christian knowledge, and they believe it wholeheartedly.
But, if postmillennialism is true, we may very well be in early church history, and Christianity will grow in influence. The curse is being reversed. The Holy Spirit is going to have more and more intamacy with believers. If that is true, it seems that our knowledge and application of Scripture may very well improve over time, and grow more detailed. We’re standing on the shoulders of giants who battled heretics and strived to accurately define important doctrines like the Trinity. The Westminster Confession may have been nearly perfect, but I think the authors would have been open to correction and would not expect anyone to just submit to what they say, or change their minds on something, just because they say it’s true.
Have you ever run across a portion of Scripture that is hard to understand? What immediately comes to mind for me is head coverings for women (1 Corinthians 11:2-16). I don’t think anyone really knows for sure what that means, though I think Bojidar Marinov has the best explanation. As the effects of the curse is pushed back by the spread of the gospel, is it possible that we will come to a better understanding of what that passage means? Is it possible that we will discover an ancient document that sheds light on the topic? How many other such difficult passages are there?
It seems to me important topics, such as most Christians’ understanding of Romans 13 is woefully lacking. It’s possible that covenanters are on the right track–that we just need to study historical Christian teaching on the topic. It’s also possible that as our evil form of government affects our interpretation of that passage, and once a majority of Christians have a better understanding of what the Bible teaches about government, they will demand a more biblical government.
I’m optimistic that God’s kingdom will grow as the gospel spreads. Our understanding of Scripture will improve and we will make new discoveries about the Bible and how to apply it to our lives. The apex of Christian understanding wasn’t 1646, but some date far in the future.
There is so much quality in these comments on Facebook. This might get long, but I want to compile a nice place to read through this in future months and years. It would be hard to find on Facebook again, and that’s not really even a good way to read comments in my opinion. I’ve put a next to the names of the commenters who are knocking it out of the park. Here it is.
ORIGINAL POST R.C. Sproul – Postmillennialist
John MacArthur – Dispensational Premillennialist
Voddie Baucham – Amillennialist
These three men represent(ed) all three of the major positions and yet were great friends. It should serve as a reminder that eschatology should not hinder relationships with other brothers, rather it should spur us on.
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NICHOLAS
All three are pietists, and receive(d) a lot of money while doing very little if anything for Christ’s kingdom, so they have much more in common than we at first glance might think
#DatChurchHustle
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JEREMY
Nicholas, you are saying Sproul did very little for Christ’s kingdom. Are you kidding me? Not evenly remotely close to the truth. I wouldn’t speak ill of MacArthur or Baucham either
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JOSEPH
Jeremy, //Sproul did very little for Christ’s kingdom//? He did a great deal institutionally. He also created a great following who were kept busy by his ideas and so did not have as much time to go in worse directions. He was really good at arguing for theory. He was a great guy to have a beer with.
Beyond that the fruit of his and all 19th & 20th century ministry is an entire culture that went from professing Christ to finding the church and Sproul entirely irrelevant.
It’s hard to call such men great. We by following their charm instead of Christ have given a world to our children which now must rebuild from the ground up.
Let’s not follow them.
With the reformers, what we should be saying is turn the priests out and put them to work if they will not work let them beg for their bread. For their institutions have nothing to offer, except the dim mimicry of the church of Jesus Christ.
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RANDOM COMMENTS RESPONDING TO NICHOLAS’ FIRST COMMENT
“This is not a good take.”
“You should feel bad.”
“Yeah you clearly have no idea what you’re talking about”
“kind of trollish of you if you ask me.”
“#datignorancehustle”
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NICHOLAS
Pastor worshipers are the cutest little baby Christians you’ll ever meet. Didn’t mean to slow the idol production. Carry on.
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ELI
Nicholas, if believing that faithful expository preaching of the word, ministering to a congregation, and being an apologist for the Christian faith advances the kingdom of God makes one an idolatrous pastor-worshipper, than I too am one since I think all three lived their lives accordingly. Perhaps you’d care to elaborate on why you think they did little or nothing for the kingdom of God, and share with us what you think they should have done. All we’ve got so far is a statement of your opinion which can only be evaluated in terms of my knowledge and preconceptions until you share what yours are.
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NICHOLAS
Eli, Not knowing the difference between productive kingdom work, and regurgitation of the milk of the word decade after decade; and not being discerning enough to tell the difference between a real pastor, and making a career of the perpetual marketing of milk is what makes you a baby Christian and pastor worshiper.
BTW, I love RC Sproul. I listened to him and read his books for years. But he’s not a pastor, and he did next to nothing for the kingdom, and I do appreciate the popularization of Calvinism as much as any Calvinist.
JMac, on the other hand, responsible as he is for infanticide in CA, is not fit to untie the sandals of a pop teacher like Sproul. I doubt if JMac knows the Lord.
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JOHN
Nicholas, What do you believe is in fact the difference between productive kingdom work and regurgitation of the milk of the word? Could you also elaborate on John Macarthur and infanticide?
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NICHOLAS
John, we see in Hebrews 5 that spiritual meat is defined as the message and application of practical righteousness. A true pastor trains the moral senses of Christ’s sheep to discern good and evil in every area of life, to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. Low hanging fruit would be the Biblical doctrine of murder applied to infanticide. A little higher would be concepts like economics, money, banking, welfare, and taxation in general. A little more meaty would be law enforcement, immigration, due process and consistent application of criminal justice concepts like lex talionis and habeas corpus. Every area of life, really: art, science, health-care, math, everything! Men like RC Sproul and JMac and Voddie could never teach us to think Biblically about these matters presumably because nobody ever taught them (and so they never taught you), and if somebody did teach them, there’s just no money in it, so best for the prudent celebrity to keep quiet about issues that are just too meaty. Best to stick to TULIP and theoretical eschatology. Nothing too practical.
What is productive kingdom work, then? We are commanded to go out and take dominion, to press Christ’s crown rights into every area of life, to–on the basis of all authority being given to Him–go out and put all enemies under His feet.
The kingdom is entrepreneurial centered, because the properly functioning Body of Christ is gifts oriented, and many members will take many gifts to the world for every area of life, whether your gift is mechanics or engineering or culinary or healing, your business will springboard off your gifts. Since the greatest will be the greatest servants, entrepreneurship and wealth necessarily follow from kingdom mindedness. This is the Biblical prescription for subduing the nations.
For 1,800 years, the Church believed this, and they went out and conquered every area of life. The Church did not center on pastors. The Church was centered on manifold gifts, each relevant for the mission of the Church, and for the discipline of the nations.
Men like Sproul, JMac, and Voddie need to get real jobs, and discover productive gifts. Instead, they discovered a profitable racket, and their business is ever telling the Church milky truths which we should all get past within 60 days of converting to Christ, and they thus doom us to perpetual immaturity, salt without savor, lamps without light. Real pastors mature Christ’s people ala Ephesians 4. False pastors make careers on the back of a perpetually immature Church.
Regarding JMac and infanticide, I’m referring to the part he played in the Satanic persecution of Operation Rescue. For all we know, JMac is single handedly responsible for the persistence of child sacrifice.
When JMac’s deacon, Bob Vernon, chief of police, came to his “pastor” for counsel regarding what to do do with the Rescuers, Vernon was advised to use the Romans 13 sword to crush the rebels.
First hand witnesses to Vernon’s execution of JMac’s pastoral counsel include JOSEPH, John Cummins, et al. Here’s an excellent YouTube video documenting these facts.
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JOSEPH
Nicholas, yes I had several meetings with Bob explaining what we were doing and why. Bob “when I put on my blues I am the property of the state” Vernon was confirmed by his Pastor John MacSomething to use state authorized violence to crush those who would rescue the unborn.
The church sees work/career through entirely secular eyes.
Work is gaining sufficient Genesis 1:24-27 dominion over an area of creation to be able to use it to meet someone’s needs.
Payment is either directly trading such need-meeting or monetizing your excess and paying for it.
God designed societies to exist through such exchanges and gave His law to be the ethical structure of them.
The economy is merely the part of our human exchange system you can measure with money. But it is no less spiritual or divinely ordained than anything else we exchange.
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NICHOLAS
That’s precisely why RC, JMacSomthinOrTheOther, and Voddie are all pietists. Their religion is fundamentally distinct from our postmil optimism.
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JOSEPH
Eli, look, Nicholas gave some theoretical arguments which you should weigh carefully. But there is a single fact that is unmistakable:
Whatever Sproul et. al. and Great Leaders like them were doing, an entire civilization has been lost through their “ministry” and they and the organizations they represent are vilified and considered racists and abusers by most of society. I know I know it’s not fair. But it is reality. Whatever these Great Ones taught and lived it was not the world-changing salvation.
Time to follow Christ and leave the great ones on the shelf where they preferred to spend their lives.
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NICHOLAS
Joseph, This is exactly what needs to be said from Christ’s Church, and until this is the consensus of the Body of Christ, you and I know that only judgement can be expected. All we can do is be faithful voices in the wilderness. Praise God for you, dear brother, blessed of God.
On the testimony of two witnessesses…
If we do not bring JMac, the false shepherd, up on charges of his crimes, we are ourselves infidels. The very least we should do is call his conversion into question.
Here’s another great post from Nicholas Perez, prompted by James White saying he’s become a postmillennialist:
If I were a pastor converted to postmil, I’d have to think about the fact that Jeremiah 31 and several other passages expressly teach that realization of the New Covenant/postmil hope involves the gradual ABOLITION of pastors and any special class of leadership.
Then I’d ask myself why after 2,000 years, pastors and special leaders have only gradually increased, while Christ has decreased.
Which would lead me to the conclusion that the Body of Christ is at this point in Church history burdened by leaders rather than edified.
I’d repent of making a career on the backs of the people of God. I’d get a job, or start a business. I’d sooner scrub pots and pans than participate in the Ministry Complex which perpetuates the immaturity of the Saints.
What shall we say if this line of reason is sound? Our only conclusion can be that if a pastor professes to be Postmillennial, yet continues to hold his position of leadership, knowing he is a cancer to the Body rather than a blessing, we have no reason to believe he is Postmillennial at all. Maybe not even a believer. If we are being charitable, he is so hopelessly schizophrenic that nobody should ever pay attention to a word he presumptuously says.
Working for the Secession of Fremont County from the Union
next to the names of the commenters who are knocking it out of the park. Here it is.
