NowTHINK!AboutIt

11 Reasons The Churches Of Revelation Don’t Represent Church Ages

January 25, 2025 by EnnisP 1 Comment

The Seven Churches Reveal Seven Problems
That Can Happen To Any Church
At Any Time

The book of Revelation fascinates everyone. From start to finish, the mysteries pile up. It mentions many things we haven’t seen or experienced personally, and because those novelties are represented in terms we can’t readily explain (four living creatures with six wings each and full of eyes), one of two things happens: we avoid the text completely or become so obsessed no rational outcome is reached.

That may be why the book opens with some words to encourage us to hold the line.

Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things written in it; for the time is near. (Revelation 1:3)

We’re told up front that this is prophecy, meaning it points to future events, things that haven’t happened yet. The perspective is very much forward looking, but it’s also important to note that it has a starting place. Jesus addressed Himself to people of that day, not ours.

What Jesus said does apply to anyone at any future time but He addressed Himself specifically to individuals who were living at the time the Book was written. Jesus delivered his message to real churches in real time.

Seven churches were targeted in the first three chapters and Jesus had a individual message for each of those churches. Those churches were located in Asia Minor (modern day Turkey) and all of them were started by the first generation of Christians. From their experience, today’s churches can learn a lot.

But what do these messages mean? How should we interpret this material?

One school of thought suggests that these churches, aside from being local and individual, also characterize periods of time or ages from the first century till now. The people who teach this say we are in the Laodicean period today which, obviously, is the last period characterized in this list.

Not only does that idea argue against the church age theory, there are also many other reasons to reject this idea. [Read more…] about 11 Reasons The Churches Of Revelation Don’t Represent Church Ages

Religion Breeds Good And Bad Spirits In Adherents

January 13, 2025 by EnnisP Leave a Comment

Repentance Reflects Your Mindset
Not Your Knowledge

Before we begin, a clarification.

When I mention the word spirit, I’m not talking about a personal being, like the Holy Spirit or a demonic spirit or even the human spirit. I’m talking about attitude, perspective or outlook.

In a word, mindset.

Your personal spirit is the core of your being. Your attitude reveals which way your spirit is leaning. Attitude is the barometer of how well you’re doing spiritually.

Attitude and spirit are, of course, inalterably connected but they aren’t the same. When people cheer loudly and excitedly at sporting events, they are said to have lots of spirit but that expression of spirit is different to the personal spirit from which it derives in the same way thoughts are different to the brain.

I’m focused on your attitude, not your personal spirit. [Read more…] about Religion Breeds Good And Bad Spirits In Adherents

Judgment vs Judgmental

January 11, 2025 by EnnisP Leave a Comment

Judgment Is What We Do
Judgmental Is What Others Do To Us

Judgment and Judgmental are two concepts that are easily confused. They aren’t the same. Judgment is something everyone uses everyday for every decision. It’s a process we go through before making decisions.

Sometimes we side with our better judgment. Sometimes we ignore better judgment. Sometimes it’s good, sometimes it’s bad but either way, the outcome is what we do to ourselves.

There are many skills needed to make good judgments (analytical thinking, emotional intelligence, patience, ethics, pragmatism, and more) but the more important issue is something we don’t usually talk about.

We need to make judgments because we don’t automatically have all the answers to the situations that confront us regularly.

We are not all-knowing. We can’t see all the details.

King Solomon’s first test as a leader is a good example. When two prostitutes squabbled over a baby, Solomon relied on a skill we don’t often associate with good judgment, emotional intelligence (I Kings 3:16-28).

It was a tangled mess. Two mothers were claiming to be the parent of one baby and there was no clear physical evidence to prove one true and the other false.

The ability to judge these situations was scarce. No one knew how to solve this problem so they resorted to the King. The good judgment he employed in solving this problem made him widely respected and it reveals the value of good judgment.

It wasn’t Solomon’s charisma, good looks or physical stature that won the hearts of his people. It was his wisdom (good judgment) that made him great in their eyes. [Read more…] about Judgment vs Judgmental

Catholicism Is More Bad Than Good

December 21, 2024 by EnnisP Leave a Comment

“Unworthy” Speaks To The Manner
In Which You Relate To Others
Not Your Nature

Catholicism is big. Put your finger anywhere on any map and you’ll land close to Catholic influence.

Unfortunately, that can be good or bad. Sometimes very bad.

Even as I write this I know some will balk because they know a few Catholics. They work with some. They are neighbors to others. They’ve heard about Mother Theresa and all these people left very good impressions. They’re good people. They do good things. They are pleasant, social, helpful and the like.

If that was all there was to the argument, enough said, let’s move on but it isn’t.

My arguments here are not aimed at the good Catholics you’ve come to love.

The truth I’m focused on is the fact that everyone has been influenced by the Catholic church. That includes you and me both.

I’m not saying you like them or not, that you agree or disagree. I’m saying that what you think, the way you think, has been in same way influenced by Catholic ideologies.

Catholic Influence Is Both Good And Bad

Influence isn’t necessarily wrong but in the case of the Catholic Church, influence is both negative and positive in every sense. They do good things on the one hand and then turn it into something bad on the other.

Doctrinally, they emphasize the name of Jesus often and loudly. That’s a good thing. They quote Scripture in their services and many of those quotes include the very words Christ spoke. Sometimes that’s all they do other than go through repetivite ceremonies with great fanfare and, of course, offer the sacraments.

The ceremonies don’t offer much in the way of explanation but the sacraments – Communion – are usually accompanied by Scripture which does provide a little understanding.

In every case, however, the simplicity of Scripture is skewed in a Catholic direction. [Read more…] about Catholicism Is More Bad Than Good

Autocracy Inc.: A Book Review

December 15, 2024 by EnnisP Leave a Comment

Political Chaos Anywhere
Is A Threat To Democracy Everywhere

Anne Applebaum, the author of Autocracy Inc. is an American journalist and historian. Her writing has focused on the history of communism and other social issues in central and eastern Europe.

Her book is well documented and an easy read.

The title really drew me in.

Autocracy Inc.: The Dictators Who Want To Run The World

It is, of course, no revelation that dictators want to run the world and we know who the dictators are: Putin, Xi, Lukashenko, Kim and several others, all of whom are mentioned in the book.

What most people don’t realize is that these leaders have little in common. I doubt they even like each other. As far as I know, they don’t socialize on a regular basis.

Put them all in a locked room for an extended period of time and it’s likely only one would emerge still standing. [Read more…] about Autocracy Inc.: A Book Review