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THE GOSPEL OBSERVER
"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations...teaching
them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you
always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:19,20).
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October 1, 2000
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Astrology, Psychics, and The Bible
by Paul Smithson
Astrological and psychic predictions are occult
practices, for occults are defined as ``various arts and
practices pertaining to things beyond human understanding,
mysterious, things not disclosed, secret.'' Astrologers
profess to foretell the future and interpret the influence of
the heavenly bodies upon the destinies of men. Psychics are
those who profess to be sensitive to that which lies outside
the sphere of physical science or knowledge, predicting
through visions or by the cards. Such occult practices are
condemned throughout the Scriptures.
The fact that people in all walks of life are becoming
more and more involved in such occult practices can be
seen all around. Horoscopes are published in thousands of
daily newspapers throughout our nation. Occult books
(books that deal with astrology, psychics, mysticism, and
witchcraft) are on the best sellers list. In newspapers and
on television we see advertisements for psychic advice and
fortune telling concerning such things as your job, romance,
money, important decisions, anything about your life. Things
that were laughed at several years ago are now being taken
seriously by millions of people. Time magazine recently
reported a secret program of the Pentagon that employed
psychics in pursuit of the unknown. ``Ten years and $20
million later, the Pentagon discovered that psychics are
unreliable spies'' (Time, Dec. 11, `95; p.48).
Occult practices are idolatrous. When one goes to an
astrologer or a psychic for guidance and insight they are
looking in the wrong place. When one turns to men or the
stars for the answers of life he is trusting in something
other than God. Failing to acknowledge God as the ruling
force in one's life is to be guilty of sinful idolatry (cf. Col.
3:5).
Astrology and psychics attempt to foretell the future.
Astrologers claim if you were born on a certain date, under
a particular sign of the zodiac, certain event will happen.
The term ``horoscope'' comes from two Greek words , hora-
``hour'' and skopos- ``watcher.'' The idea is that the stars
and the planets are the watcher of time and the future, that
which determines the fate of our lives. Some psychics claim
that at the turn of the tarot cards one's future is
explained. They claim the star card means your life is
going to begin to shine or that the card of the three cups
means there will soon be rejoicing in your life. People are
curious about the future, but neither the stars nor a deck
of cards can tell you anything about it. God says, ``You do
not know what your life will be like tomorrow'' (Jas. 4:14).
A danger of occult practices is they shun personal
responsibility and place it upon the stars or the draw of
the cards as that which determines one's fate. The
Scriptures teach, however, that men are personally
responsible for their actions and will give an account for
them (2Cor. 5:10; Gal. 6:7).
Such occult practices are not new. They were very
common in ancient times, but were always condemned by
God. ``Divination,'' the general term for occult practices in
the Old Testament, included astrology and conjuring and
was something God strictly prohibited His people from
participating in (Deut. 18:9-14; 2Kgs. 23:5; Isa. 47:11-14; Jer.
10:1-2).
God did not want His people to have anything to do
with occult practices in ancient times and He does not want
His people to have anything to do with such things today
(cf. Ac. 19:19). To seek after such things and the so called
knowledge that they provide is to be lead away from God
and what He has revealed. The stars of heaven declare the
glory and power of God (Ps. 19:1-4), but they do not tell
the future nor give guidance. The apostle declared, ``See to
it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and
empty deception, according to the tradition of men,
according to the elementary principles of the world, rather
than according to Christ. For in Him all the fullness of Deity
dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made
complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority''
(Col. 2:8-10). Everything we need to know for this life and
beyond is found in Christ and His word. It is sinful to look
to or trust in anything else than Him ``in whom are hidden
all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge' (Col. 2:3).
-- Via Examining the Scriptures, 2/21/97
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Evidences: The Destruction of Jerusalem
by Jim Robson
The city of Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans in
70 AD.
The siege and fall of Jerusalem is described in
graphic detail by the first-century Jewish historian, Flavius
Josephus, in WARS OF THE JEWS, which was published
around 75 AD. According to the Gospels, Jesus prophesied
this event in approximately 30 AD. Let us look at Matthew's
account of Jesus' prophecy, and compare it with Josephus'
history.
1) Jesus: ``Therefore, when you see the `abomination
of desolation,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in
the holy place (whoever reads, let him understand), then let
those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let him who
is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his
house. And let him who is in the field not go back to get
his clothes'' (Matthew 24:15-18).
Josephus: ``It is now a miserable case, and a sight
that would justly bring tears into our eyes, how men stood
as to their food...the famine was too hard for all other
passions...insomuch that children pulled the very morsels
that their fathers were eating, out of their very mouths,
and what was still more to be pitied, so did the mothers do
as to their infants...when they saw any house shut up, this
was a signal to them that the people within had gotten some
food; whereupon they broke open the doors, and ran in...
the old men, who held their food fast, were beaten; and if
the women hid what they had within their hands, their hair
was torn for so doing...(WARS OF THE JEWS, book 5, chapter
10, section 3).
2) Jesus: ``But woe to those who are pregnant and to
those who are nursing babies in those days!'' (Matthew
24:19).
Josephus: ``She then attempted a most unnatural
thing; and snatching up her son, who was a child sucking
at her breast, she said, `O thou miserable infant! For whom
shall I preserve thee in this war, this famine, and this
sedition?...' As soon as she had said this, she slew her son;
and then roasted him, and ate the one half of him, and kept
the other half by her concealed'' (WARS, book 6, ch. 3, sec.
4).
3) Jesus: ``And pray that your flight may not be in
winter or on the Sabbath. For then there shall be great
tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the
world until this time, nor ever shall be'' (Matthew 24:21,22).
Josephus: ``I shall therefore speak my mind here at
once briefly:-That neither did any other city ever suffer
such miseries, nor did any age ever breed a generation
more fruitful in wickedness than this was, from the
beginning of the world'' (WARS, book 5, ch. 10, sec. 5).
4) Jesus: ``And unless those days were shortened, no
flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake those days
will be shortened'' (Matthew 24:22).
Josephus: ``Now the number of those that were carried
captive during this whole war was collected to be
ninety-seven thousand; as was the number of those that
perished during the whole siege, eleven hundred thousand,
the greater part of whom were indeed of the same nation,
but not belonging to the city itself; for they were come up
from all the country to the feast of unleavened bread, and
were on a sudden shut up by an army...'' (WARS, book 6,
ch. 9, sec. 3).
5) Jesus: Then Jesus went out and departed from the
temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings
of the temple. And Jesus said to them, ``Do you not see all
these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall
be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down''
(Matthew 24:1,2).
Josephus: ``And now, since Caesar was no way able to
restrain the enthusiastic fury of the soldiers, and the fire
proceeded on more and more...thus was the holy house
burned down, without Caesar's approbation'' (WARS, book 6,
ch. 4, sec. 7). ``Now, as soon as the army had no more
people to slay or to plunder...Caesar gave orders that they
should now demolish the entire city and temple...``(book 7,
ch. 1, sec. 1).
In last month's edition of Evidences, we looked at
some of the manuscript evidence for the New Testament, and
saw that it all points to the conclusion that its contents
were written when and by whom they claim to have been
written. In fact, in the case of the Gospel of Matthew, there
is a recently discovered fragment that dates to sometime
before 68 AD. As noted above, Jerusalem was destroyed in
70 AD.
-- Via Preach the Word, November 1996
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How Does God Speak to Us Today?
by Leon Mauldin
"Comment on the claim that Jesus speaks to some
people today, either audibly, or by making a 'mental
impression on them.'''
Answer: The question really becomes one of whether
the Bible is sufficient, or must we look for later revelations.
In 1 Cor. 2:10ff. we learn that the Holy Spirit
searched the ``things of God'' and revealed them to the
apostles. That which the Spirit revealed unto them was
preached orally and also put in written form, under the
direction of the Holy Spirit. Paul ``wrote'' what had been
revealed to him so that others could ``read'' (Eph. 3:3).
God has granted unto us all things that pertain to life
and godliness (2 Pet. 1:3). In Eph. 3:3-5 we are taught that
God made known the truth of Christ by his holy apostles
and prophets by the Spirit. This fulfilled the promise Jesus
had previously made to the apostles in John 16:13 that the
Holy Spirit would guide them into all truth. The Spirit did
this.
But the point is, that this inspired revelation is
complete. We are furnished completely unto every good work
(2 Tim. 3:16,17).
The faith has been once for all delivered to the saints
(Jude 3). This does not leave room for additional
revelations. Consider the principle of Gal. 1:9. cf. 2 John 9.
This word is God's power unto salvation (Rom. 1:16),
and is the standard by which all will be judged (Jas. 2:12;
John 12:48). Jesus calls by the Gospel (2 Thess. 2:14). Jesus
speaks to us through the word (Heb. 1:1,2).
Consider how Jesus speaks to the churches (Rev.
2:1f): ``Likewise, the Spirit speaks expressly (1 Tim.4:1f),
and, ``He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says
to the churches'' (Rev. 2:7).
Regarding having a mental impression that Jesus is
speaking to one today: Remember that our feelings are not
infallible. They are not our standard (Prov. 14:12; Jer.
10:23). Paul looked back at that time when he had been in
error and still was able to say, ``I have lived in all good
conscience before God until this day'' (Acts 23:1; 26:9).
``The heart is deceitful above all things...'' (Jer. 17:9). This
is why we have the Bible. The evidence whereby we may
know if we stand approved before God is not our feelings,
even in good conscience, but rather whether our conduct is
in harmony with God's word (Phil. 1:27; Jas. 1:21; 1 Pet.
1:22-23).
There is no indication that Jesus speaks directly to
anyone today, with either an audible voice, or through
making mental impressions. If we want to hear Him speak,
we must listen to His word, the Bible, and specifically the
New Testament. Jesus knew that this is how faith in Him
would come about: ``I do not pray for these [apostles] alone,
but also for those who will believe in Me through their
word'' (John 17:20).
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NEWS & NOTES
I'll be preaching this Saturday in Bethlehem, PA, for
their gospel meeting, which begins Friday (October 6) and
continues through Sunday. Bill Echols and Brad Hopkins
will also be preaching. My lesson will be on Christian
Evidences: Why I Believe in God.
The gospel meeting in Gettysburg with Melvin Curry
will be October 8-13.
On October 28 (Saturday), I'll be preaching in Exton,
PA, as one of the speakers for their gospel meeting. My
assigned topic is ``the role of Christian children.''
Free Bible courses are available upon request.
We appreciate all of you who are visiting with us this
Lord's day. Please come again.
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Avondale
CHURCH OF CHRIST
P.O. Box 421
1606 Glen Willow Rd., Avondale, PA 19311
(610) 268-2088
Sunday: 10:00 A.M. Bible class
11:00 A.M. Worship
6:00 P.M. Worship
Wednesday: 7:00 P.M. Bible study
evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (610) 925-3567
e-mail: tedwards@onemain.com
web site: http://www.mypage.onemain.com/tedwards/avondale
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