The Advent Truth
If the end times make you anxious, remember the illustration Jesus Himself gave us.

In Matthew 24:8, after describing wars, famines, pestilences, earthquakes, and turmoil, Jesus said, “All these are the beginning of sorrows.” The word translated “sorrows” carries the idea of birth pains.

Birth pains can be frightening. They intensify. They become more frequent. But they aren't meaningless pain—they are announcing that something is about to be born.

Jesus didn't give Matthew 24 to terrify His people. He gave it so that when these things happen, we would recognize where we are and know that He already saw it coming.

Think about what birth pains mean: the closer the pains come, the closer the arrival.

Yes, this world is groaning. Yes, prophecy is moving toward its fulfillment. But God is also preparing a people to meet Jesus.

And while prophecy moves forward, heaven is not looking for an excuse to shut people out. God is doing everything consistent with His character, His Word, and human freedom to bring people IN.

“The Lord is... not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” — 2 Peter 3:9

Every additional moment is mercy. Every conviction is mercy. Every sermon, Bible study, providential encounter, warning, and invitation to repentance is evidence that heaven is still reaching for souls.

So don't spend the final moments trembling over what Satan is doing.

Look at what Jesus is doing.

The same Christ who told us the birth pains would come also said, “Let not your heart be troubled.” (John 14:1)

Prophecy isn't telling God's children, “Be terrified.”

It's telling us:

Jesus is coming.
Jesus is preparing His people.
Jesus is still saving souls.
And Jesus will not abandon you now.

The birth pains aren't merely telling us that this world is ending.

They're telling us that something infinitely better is almost here.

The Advent Truth.
CONSCIOUSNESS DOES NOT DETERMINE HUMAN VALUE.

One increasingly common argument says that ending the life of a developing child isn't really taking a human life because the child isn't yet conscious.

But think carefully about that standard.

Since when does consciousness determine whether a human being has the right to live?

A person who is asleep isn't consciously aware of the world around them. A patient under general anesthesia isn't consciously experiencing their surroundings. Someone knocked unconscious in an accident may temporarily have no awareness whatsoever.
Would that make intentionally ending their life acceptable?

Of course not.

That's because our value as human beings isn't created by our current level of consciousness.

And there's another problem: newborn babies don't possess anything close to the developed self-awareness, reasoning ability, memory, or cognitive capacity of adults. If consciousness determines human worth, exactly HOW MUCH consciousness is enough?

Where is the line?

And who gets to draw it?
The Bible gives us a radically different foundation for human value:

"So God created man in his own image..." — Genesis 1:27

Our value comes from WHO created us—not how much we can currently think, understand, communicate, remember, or accomplish.

David said:

"Thou hast covered me in my mother's womb... Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect." — Psalm 139:13,16

Jeremiah was told:

"Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee." — Jeremiah 1:5

And Luke describes John before birth using the Greek word brephos—"baby"—the SAME word used for Jesus after His birth (Luke 1:41,44; 2:12,16).

Before birth and after birth: a developing human life.
Human worth cannot safely be based on intelligence, independence, size, location, development, or consciousness. Once we make human dignity dependent upon possessing certain abilities, human rights stop being inherent and become something the powerful decide who qualifies for.

Human life has value because human beings bear the image of God.

The Advent Truth.
“New covenant” does not mean “no law,” and “a new commandment” does not mean Jesus replaced the Ten Commandments with a vague command to love.

Jesus said, “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you” (John 13:34). What was new? Not the command to love. Leviticus 19:18 had already commanded, “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” centuries earlier.

And Jeremiah 31 actually proves the opposite of the “law abolished” argument. God describes the NEW COVENANT Himself:

“I will put MY LAW in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts” (Jeremiah 31:33).

Notice what God does NOT say: “I will abolish My law and replace it with another law.” The difference is where the law is written. Under the new covenant, God writes His law upon the HEART.

Hebrews repeats Jeremiah’s prophecy: “I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts” (Hebrews 8:10; cf. 10:16).

Yes, Jesus said, “This cup is the new testament Abdulaziz Ibn Muhammad in my blood” (Luke 22:20). His blood ratifies the new covenant—but what covenant does Jeremiah say it is? The covenant in which GOD WRITES HIS LAW ON OUR HEARTS.

The problem with the old covenant was never that God’s moral law was defective. Scripture says, “The law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good” (Romans 7:12). Hebrews identifies the problem: “finding fault with them” (Hebrews 8:8). The people promised, “All that the LORD hath spoken we will do” (Exodus 19:8), but human strength could not produce obedience.

The new covenant provides what the old covenant experience lacked: forgiveness through Christ, a transformed heart, and God’s Spirit producing obedience from within.

And what does love look like?

“For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous” (1 John 5:3).

Grace doesn’t erase God’s law. Grace writes it deeper.

The old covenant could point to righteousness. The new covenant puts Christ within us to live it.

The Advent Truth.
John 13:34 is one of the most misunderstood verses in Scripture. Many claim Jesus replaced the Ten Commandments with one new command: “Love one another.” But is that what He actually said?

First, loving your neighbor wasn’t new. Leviticus 19:18 had already commanded God’s people, “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.”

Jesus said, “As I have loved you.” He was calling His followers to the self-sacrificing, cross-centered love that He Himself demonstrated. The command wasn’t replacing God’s law—it was revealing its fullest expression.

In Matthew 22:36-40, Jesus summarized the law with two great commandments. But notice where He quoted them from. “Love the Lord thy God” comes from Deuteronomy 6:5, and “Love thy neighbour as thyself” comes from Leviticus 19:18. The context of both passages is obedience to God’s commandments. Deuteronomy 6 follows the repetition of the Ten Commandments in chapter 5, while Leviticus 19 repeatedly calls Israel to keep God’s statutes and includes commands that reflect the second table of the Decalogue. Jesus wasn’t replacing the Ten Commandments—He was summarizing them.

What does loving God look like? Worship Him alone. Don’t make idols. Honor His name. Remember His Sabbath.

What does loving your neighbor look like? Honor your parents. Don’t murder. Don’t commit adultery. Don’t steal. Don’t lie. Don’t covet.

Paul agreed. In Romans 13:8-10 he quoted commandments against adultery, murder, theft, and coveting before concluding, “Love is the fulfilling of the law.”

John agreed too. The same apostle who recorded John 13:34 later wrote, “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments” (1 John 5:3).

The Bible never pits love against obedience. It unites them.

The world says, “Just love.”

Jesus says, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” (John 14:15)

It’s not my opinion, it’s the Advent Truth.

The Advent Truth.
The devil wants you to believe you’ve gone too far. Jesus says, “Come unto Me.”

Maybe you’ve fallen. Maybe you’ve stumbled again. Maybe you’re tired of fighting the same battle. But hear this: the very fact that you’re still fighting is evidence that the Holy Spirit hasn’t given up on you.

Jesus is still your High Priest. He still presents His blood before the Father on behalf of those who come to Him in repentance (Hebrews 7:25; 1 John 2:1-2). As long as there’s breath in your lungs, there’s still an invitation to receive His grace.

Yes, we’re living in serious times. Prophecy is being fulfilled. The world is growing darker. But if all you do is stare at the storm, fear will consume you. Keep your eyes on the One who walks on the water.

Revelation repeatedly says, “To him who overcomes…” The Greek idea isn’t describing someone who never falls. It’s describing the one who keeps overcoming—the one who refuses to quit. Proverbs 24:16 says, “For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again.” The righteous are not those who never fall; they’re the ones who, by God’s grace, keep getting back up.

So when Satan whispers, “Stay down. God is finished with you,” answer him with the promises of Christ. Repent. Get back up. Keep walking. Keep trusting. Keep surrendering.

Victory isn’t found in your strength. It’s found in abiding in Jesus.

If you need prayer, you’re welcome to leave a comment (keeping in mind it’s a public forum), or send me a private message or email instead.

Don’t quit now. We’re almost home.

THE ADVENT TRUTH
The debate over Junia has become one of the most common arguments used to justify women serving as pastors. But before anyone builds an entire doctrine on Romans 16:7, we should slow down and ask: What does the text actually say?

First, we don’t even know with absolute certainty that Junia was female. The earliest Greek manuscripts were written in all capital letters without accent marks. Those manuscripts do not distinguish between the feminine Junia and the masculine Junias. The accents that identify the name as feminine were added centuries later. Many scholars believe the name is feminine, while others argue it could be masculine. The point is simple: the evidence isn’t so clear that this verse should overturn the broader testimony of Scripture.

Second, even if Junia was a woman, Romans 16:7 still does not prove she held the office of pastor or elder. The Greek phrase can legitimately be translated either as “well known to the apostles” or “outstanding among the apostles.” Both renderings have scholarly support.

Third, the word apostolos simply means “one who is sent.” In the New Testament it is used in more than one way. Jesus is called an Apostle (Hebrews 3:1). The Twelve were apostles. Paul was an apostle. Barnabas is called an apostle (Acts 14:14), and Epaphroditus is literally called “your apostle” in Philippians 2:25 (though many English versions translate it “messenger”). The word does not always refer to the governing office established by Christ.

Finally, Romans 16 never calls her an elder, overseer, bishop, or pastor. When Scripture specifically gives the qualifications for those offices in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1, it lays out a consistent pattern.

A single debated name, a debated translation, and a debated use of the word “apostle” are not enough to overturn the clear pattern of Scripture. Sound doctrine is built by harmonizing all the evidence—not by allowing one difficult verse to reinterpret the rest of the Bible.

The Advent Truth.
Galatians 5:18 is one of the most abused verses in Scripture:

“But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.”

Many assume that means Christians no longer have to obey God’s commandments. But keep reading.

The very next verses list “the works of the flesh”: adultery, fornication, idolatry, hatred, murder, drunkenness, and more (Gal. 5:19-21). On what basis are these called sins if God’s moral law no longer applies?

Paul answers that himself.

In Romans 7:7 he asks, “Is the law sin? God forbid.” Then he explains, “I had not known sin, but by the law.” He even gives the tenth commandment as his example: “Thou shalt not covet.”

Paul’s definition of sin hasn’t changed. The law reveals what sin is.

So what does “not under the law” mean?

Romans 6:14-15 gives the answer. Paul says believers are “not under the law, but under grace,” and immediately asks, “Shall we sin?” His response is emphatic: “God forbid.”

Clearly, “not under the law” cannot mean we’re free to break it. It means we’re no longer under its condemnation because Christ has paid our penalty.

The Holy Spirit doesn’t abolish God’s law; He writes it in our hearts (Jer. 31:33; Heb. 8:10). Ezekiel 36:26-27 says God gives us His Spirit so that we will walk in His statutes. The Spirit empowers obedience—it never excuses disobedience.

In fact, the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23) is a perfect description of the righteous life God’s law has always pointed toward. Love fulfills the law (Rom. 13:8-10), not by replacing it, but by producing genuine obedience from the heart.

Grace saves us from sin’s penalty. The Spirit saves us from sin’s power. Neither gives us permission to continue living in sin.

If being led by the Spirit meant God’s commandments no longer mattered, then the Spirit would be leading people to violate the very law He inspired.

That’s impossible.

The Advent Truth.
The modern idea that the gift of tongues is ecstatic gibberish or a private prayer language simply does not match the Bible’s description of the gift.

In Acts 2, when the Holy Spirit was poured out, the disciples spoke in real human languages that the people present actually understood (Acts 2:6-11). Parthians, Medes, Elamites, Egyptians, Romans, and many others each heard “the wonderful works of God” in their own native language. The miracle was the supernatural ability to speak an unlearned language so the gospel could be preached across language barriers.

Some appeal to 1 Corinthians 14, but notice something important: the word “unknown” in the KJV is printed in italics. That means it does not appear in the original Greek text. Translators supplied it because they thought it clarified the sentence. Paul simply wrote “tongue” (Greek: glōssa), the normal word for a language.

Paul’s concern in 1 Corinthians 14 was not gibberish, but order in worship. If someone spoke a language the congregation did not understand, there had to be an interpreter. Otherwise, they were to remain silent (1 Cor. 14:27-28). The entire point of spiritual gifts is to edify the church, not to create confusion, for “God is not the author of confusion” (v. 33).

The purpose of tongues has always been evangelistic. God miraculously enabled His servants to proclaim the gospel to people who spoke different languages. Once the message had been communicated, the temporary need for that miraculous gift had been fulfilled. Scripture never presents tongues as unintelligible sounds or an emotional experience disconnected from communicating truth.

The Holy Spirit still empowers believers today, but His goal remains the same: to exalt Christ, proclaim the gospel, and build up the church according to God’s Word—not through confusion, but through truth.

It’s not my opinion, it’s the Advent Truth.

28 Beleifs # 13
THE REMNANT AND ITS MISSION

The universal church is composed of all who truly believe in Christ, but in the last days, a time of widespread apostasy, a remnant has been called out to keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. This remnant announces the arrival of the judgment hour, proclaims salvation through Christ, and heralds the approach of His second advent. This proclamation is symbolized by the three angels of Revelation 14; it coincides with the work of judgment in heaven and results in a work of repentance and reform on earth. Every believer is called to have a personal part in this worldwide witness.

The Advent Truth
The Bible never promises that following Christ will be easy. It promises it will be worth it.

When Daniel refused the king’s food, obedience risked his future.

When the three Hebrews refused to bow, obedience led them to the furnace.

When the apostles refused to stop preaching Christ, obedience led them to prison.

And when Jesus obeyed His Father perfectly, obedience led Him to the cross.

The question has never been, “Is this commandment convenient?” The question has always been, “Do I love God enough to obey Him?”

Jesus said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” (John 14:15)

Notice He didn’t say, “If it’s easy…” or “If culture agrees…” or “If it doesn’t cost you anything…”

Love obeys.

This is where modern Christianity often stumbles. We have become experts at asking how little God requires instead of asking how fully we can surrender. We negotiate with clear commands because obedience might cost us friendships, careers, relationships, popularity, or personal desires.

But discipleship has always involved denying self.

Jesus said, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.” (Luke 9:23)

Paul wrote, “I die daily.” (1 Corinthians 15:31)

And again, “They that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.” (Galatians 5:24)

The Christian life is not about making Jesus fit into your lifestyle. It’s about allowing Jesus to transform your life.

Obedience doesn’t earn salvation. Christ alone saves by grace through faith. But the same grace that forgives also teaches us to deny ungodliness and live holy lives (Titus 2:11-14). Faith that never produces obedience is a faith Scripture consistently challenges us to examine.

So when God’s Word confronts your habits, traditions, entertainment, relationships, speech, Sabbath, or any other area of life, don’t ask whether obedience is convenient.

Ask whether Christ is worthy.

Because the One who gave everything for you is worthy of everything from you.

“If ye love me, keep my commandments.”