Posted – 2 Aug 2017
One of the great signs of these end times predicted in the “Olivet Discourse” by Messiah/Jesus is the rise of the unbelief of general truth by the world of mankind and in particular is a more grievous sign, namely unbelief of truth by His Bride (Church). This is predicted by John the apostle in Revelation 2 – 3 and the “last days” falling away is described within the Seven Churches. This is just before the “appearing” and coming for His Bride (rapture of the church).
In the book of John, he uses the word “light” throughout to mean “truth.” In John chapter 12 starting at verse 35 to the end of the chapter we see Jesus talks of the “light” and says to walk while you have the “light.” He quotes the word of Isaiah the prophet in response to the people’s unbelief of Jesus. “Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” And then it says a profound statement in verse 39. Therefore they could not believe because Isaiah said again: (verse 40)
“He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, lest they should see with their eyes,
Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn so that I should heal them.” Isaiah 53:1
Notice this same theme of John introduced from his very first chapter; is speaking of the “light and darkness.” Again this is presented in chapter 12 and follows the passage concerning the “truth/light and unbelief/darkness” theme.
“Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going.”
“Though Jesus did many signs, the people didn’t believe in him.” Wow! Can you imagine being present when Lazarus was raised from the dead and you remain in unbelief? Can you imagine being an eye witness to that event and still reject the Messiah through unbelief? Just imagine what power that takes! What is the cause of that rejection?
R.C. Sproul says “the problem is that faith in this New Testament category is not something that rests in the final analysis simply on intellectual cognition or intellectual submission. Satan knew the truth of Christ before He ever raised Lazarus from the dead. Satan could observe the resurrection of Lazarus and Satan could not be converted because it’s not that Satan didn’t know the truth but he hates the truth.” Note: this step of Hating the Truth is the power of unbelief.
“All the signs that Jesus gave were not enough to persuade the people of the truth of Christ the Messiah because in addition to those outward signs, what is required for faith then and is the same thing that is required for faith now, namely the ministry of God’s Holy Spirit that accompany those signs; that accompany those words to remove the scales from our eyes and to unstop our ears.
John is observing this and though He (Jesus) had done many signs they didn’t believe him. Why? That the word of Isaiah the prophet would be fulfilled when he spoke;
‘Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?’
Now notice that John has a strange combination and conjunction of two completely different texts of Isaiah – the first one is from Isaiah 53 that was just noted but then he gives us a reason the people don’t believe our report and why people don’t believe in Christ the Messiah, even though he manifested himself clearly and plainly with the visible signs he gave to them. To understand this, John goes to Isaiah 6, where Isaiah has the vision of the Lord high and lifted up. He takes away Isaiah’s sin and then He speaks to Isaiah, saying;
‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for Us?’ Isaiah says “Here am I! Send me.”
Remember that Isaiah was given his commission by God Himself. He was “Chosen” to go by God when He says, “Go, but: Hearing they will not hear; Seeing, but do not see.”
This is because God has made a Judgment against sinful people who hate the truth, and He has given them a spirit of blindness, a spirit of a hardness of heart and He has stopped their ears and actually prevents them from believing – AS A JUDGEMENT. It’s not that God forces people into sin and then once they are in sin refuses to rescue them from sin. But He turns the sinner over to his sin, which is the most ghastly and horrible judgment any person can receive from the hands of God. When you think of unbelief, think of clay that has not been kept moist and not worked. It will turn hard just like an unbelieving heart.
We now fast forward in the New Testament to the Apocalypse of God where He sends people into the last judgment and where He says ‘Let him who is wicked – Be wicked still.’ Notice the context here is a long period of time.
So over a long time period, if people don’t want to hear – God stops their ears. If they don’t want to see – He covers their eyes. And that’s the reason Isaiah is told; ‘they could not believe.’ It’s not just that they did not believe but they in verse 39 – “Therefore they could not believe.”
Remember the formula; the reward of unbelief comes from taking time to continually reject the truth and it just doesn’t happen overnight. It’s because we practiced rejection of the truth and that is why God gives unbelievers up to their wickedness.
This judgment is upon this generation because they refuse to look for truth. Can you imagine, 40 years of rejection and not even looking at it? I have known some pastors, some relatives and friends have become blind to the “light.” They do not want to examine truth for fear they might discover they have been preaching their falsehoods all their adult life. Scholars say that if you are unwilling to defend your position, it is an affirmation that your position is not true. You know it’s not true subconsciously or even consciously in secret.
(R. C. Sproul continues) “God ordains not only the ends but the means. God from all eternity has chosen the foolishness of preaching as the means to which He will bring his people to salvation. He doesn’t need you and He doesn’t need me but He gives to you and He gives to me the unspeakable privilege and opportunity in participating in His mission of dispersing truth. This mission was not established not as an afterthought, after the fall of mankind but this missionary endeavor of the Church and the missionary endeavor of Christ began in eternity. We call that the Covenant of Redemption. Before God made a covenant with the human race, there is a covenant in eternity among the three persons of the Godhead; Namely, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.
And from all eternity it was the plan of God to “make” the world out of this “created” cosmos and to redeem mankind in that world by sending God the Son into that world on a mission as the Father’s appointed missionary. His words… ‘Whoever believes in me doesn’t believe in me but in the one who sent me.’ ‘He who sees me sees the Father who sent me.’ ‘I come as a light and he who believes in me should not abide in darkness.’ ‘Anyone who hears my words and does not believe, I do not judge him but those who reject me, it’s My word that will judge him in the final day.’ Jesus says to his disciples, ‘As the Father has sent me, so send I you.’ ”[1]
In three of my writings, I talk about what repentance means. It means healing of our souls. People and our land need healing from the sins of unbelief/darkness. Two ways to receive healing is 1) by asking the Holy Spirit to accept our Repentance and 2) Turn from these false teachings and pursue the truth! Keep on Pursuing the Truth!
The church is also in that needy group – big time! Let me say that truth is not relative! I find many “passages” or “chapters” from various disciplines of science that describe old and abrupt beginnings. “In the beginning” or “suddenly” is not just a little beautiful piece of poetry, of truth. Not surprisingly, students and scientists know exactly the truth of these phrases and find it consistent with an old universe. It is not just “a big lie” that COBE, WMAP and PLANK satellites present the exact same science data of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) that points back to the age of the universe of about 1%: 13.7 ± 0.13 billion years. If God made the Beginning as a singularity point of finite time, why is the church so bent on trumpeting just 6000 years old ‘beginning’ in the face of solid contrary data evidence? The question remains, are we truly in the last days? We are if we do and say nothing. Jesus says to his disciples, ‘As the Father has sent me, so send I, you.’ We must speak the truth in love.
And now let us go back to the Apocalypse of God for a final thought. “Therefore I counsel you to purchase from Me gold refined and tested by fire, that you may be [truly] wealthy, and white clothes to clothe you and to keep the shame of your nudity from being seen, and salve to put on your eyes, that you may see. Those whom I [dearly and tenderly] love, I tell their faults and convict and convince and reprove and chasten [I discipline and instruct them]. So be enthusiastic and in earnest and burning with zeal and repent [changing your mind and attitude]. [Prov. 3:12.]” Rev 3:18-19 (Amplified Version)
[1] This is not an endorsement of R. C. Sproul by me to his ministry. However, concerning John 12, it was a message of great wisdom. I felt it appropriate to share his insights of God’s Word as “truth” – “light” and “darkness” – “unbelief.”
Pursuit For Truth 