Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | December 21, 2025

The Christ of Christmas

For Over Four Hundred Years, God had Remained Silent!

The Prophets of Israel had not heard from Yahweh for hundreds of years; the last revelation had been given to Malachi in the 5th Century BC, then silence.

There was to be a massive change that would be made, instead of giving words of advice and instruction to the Prophets, God was going to send the Word made flesh; God would send the Messiah to take on human form and bring the good news of the Kingdom to Israel!

While there may have been silence from Yahweh, a great deal was happening that would prepare the way for the First Advent. I have used the Schofield Reference Bible from my early days at Berachah Church in Houston, Texas. On page 984, there is a summary of the 400 years of silence which has always been very dear to me; I have copied it below:

  1. The experience of the captivity seems to have destroyed the Jews’ tendency to idolatry. Their problem during the captivity, when they were deprived of the Temple and priest, was to maintain the exalted spiritual and moral ideals given them by the older prophets. Afterward, during the intertestamentary period, the problem continued. Despite the revival of Temple and priesthood, the struggle became one of preserving the prophetic faith of the Jews in the midst of outward persecution and sordid divisions within.
  2. The external means to this end was the synagogue, an institution which formed no part of the Biblical order of national life and which did not develop as a separate entity until after the time of Malachi. Its origin is obscure, but its roots may go back to the captivity when the Jews, who were without the Temple and its rites, met on the Sabbath for prayer. Such meetings, which would give opportunity for the reading of Scripture, would require some order of procedure as well as some authority for the restraint of disorder.  Whatever be its precise beginnings, the synagogue doubtless grew out of the necessities of the situation in which the Jews were placed during the closing centuries of the pre-Christian era. It served the vital purpose of maintaining familiarity with the inspired writings. Upon these the spiritual life of the true Israel (Rom. 9,6 note) was nourished.
  3. Also during this period there was created that mass of tradition, comment, and interpretation, known as Mishna, Gemara (forming the Talmud), Midrasim, and Kabbala, that was so superimposed upon the law that obedience was transferred from the law itself to the traditional interpretations.
  4. During this same period there arose the two great sects known in the Gospel narratives as Pharisees and Sadducees. (See Mt. 3,7 with notes.) The Herodians were a political party rather than a sect.

Among these people, the Jews, governed under Rome by an Idumean usurper, torn by bitter religious controversies, and maintaining an elaborate religious ritual, appeared Jesus, the Son of God, the Christ, and the Savior of the world.”

The world stage was being set by God for the massive change that was coming to mankind; the Pax Romana provided some stability while the Koine Greek provided a way to communicate.

God Breaks His Silence

The four Gospels tell the story of God’s visitation to his creation; the 400 years of silence were broken when the angel Gabriel spoke to Zachariah in the Temple:

 8 One day Zechariah was serving as a priest before God because his priestly division was on duty. 9 Following the customs of priestly service, he was chosen by lottery to go into the Lord’s sanctuary and burn incense. 10 All the people who gathered to worship were praying outside during this hour of incense offering. 11 An angel from the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense. 12 When Zechariah saw the angel, he was startled and overcome with fear.

13 The angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah. Your prayers have been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will give birth to your son and you must name him John. Luke 1:8-13

Six months later, the angel Gabriel appears to Mary:

“26 When Elizabeth was six months pregnant, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a city in Galilee, 27 to a virgin who was engaged to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David’s house. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 When the angel came to her, he said, “Rejoice, favored one! The Lord is with you!” 29 She was confused by these words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 The angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Mary. God is honoring you. 31 Look! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be great and he will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of David his father. 33 He will rule over Jacob’s house forever, and there will be no end to his kingdom.”

34 Then Mary said to the angel, “How will this happen since I haven’t had sexual relations with a man?”

35 The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come over you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the one who is to be born will be holy. He will be called God’s Son. 36 Look, even in her old age, your relative Elizabeth has conceived a son. This woman who was labeled ‘unable to conceive’ is now six months pregnant. 37 Nothing is impossible for God.”

38 Then Mary said, “I am the Lord’s servant. Let it be with me just as you have said.” Then the angel left her.” Luke 1:26-38

Although this happened over 2,000 years ago, the impact of this change still reverberates around the world today! The First Advent concluded with the Holy Spirit coming, to replace the ministry of the Son, with a ministry that is still in full effect even now!

Individual Christians have become a Temple of God, the Holy Spirit! Now, instead of a structure, the Holy Spirit indwells born-again believers! Every believer is a Temple of the Holy Spirit in this Dispensation of Grace, the Church Age!

Observing the Incarnation of God, the Son, at the First Advent!

The time for joyful recognition of the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ will soon be here; this year, we observe the birth of the Lord on Thursday, December 25, 2025. While no one knows the actual date of our Lord’s birth, the 25th of December is the day we observe and celebrate the event!

The fact the exact date is unknown is relatively inconsequential in comparison to the overpowering reality it happened at all! To think, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, our Eternal Creator God, was willing to join his creation by being born of a virgin woman and taking on the mortal form of his creation is impossible to even imagine!

The Impact of Christmas!

The Lord Jesus Christ was born in a manger, that he might die on a cross for the sins of the world. His death opened the door to reconciliation with God by faith in Jesus Christ as Savior!

This opportunity has divided the world into two groups; those who have received Jesus Christ as Savior and been born again by the power of God, the Holy Spirit, and those who have rejected God’s offer of redemption and reconciliation through faith in Jesus Christ as Savior!

As a direct result of this choice, the world is divided into two groups; those spiritually alive and those spiritually dead. While the entire human race, born of a human father, is born spiritually dead; God has prepared a doorway to spiritual life by receiving Jesus Christ as Savior.

Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved!

Leave a Comment

Posted in Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | December 5, 2025

December 7, 1941

Photo from google.com/site/mgmartinezx/mgmartinez

“A Date Which Will Live in Infamy”

As the years pass there are fewer and fewer of us who can remember where they were and what they were doing when the bombing of Pearl Harbor was announced on the radio; I still remember that Sunday afternoon. I was an eight-year-old boy riding in the backseat of a Chevy, four door sedan, on a Sunday afternoon drive to look for campsites for the Boy Scout Troop my stepfather led. I’m sure that none of us could imagine the impact that attack would have on our country and our lives.

Although, by God’s grace, we were not as profoundly affected as many other countries around the world, it would certainly change life as we knew it. Some of the older boys that had been members of the troop would join up and never return; their lives lost on a distant battlefield. My stepfather had concerns about all of the boys that had gone through the troop and especially the boy leaders who had become patrol leaders and later assistant Scoutmasters. There were too many sad moments when we got the news that another former scout had died in the war.

War is Declared

Little time was lost in Washington D. C. in reacting to the attack; Congress was convened and President Roosevelt spoke to both houses.

Address to Congress
Requesting a Declaration of War with Japan
December 8, 1941

“Mr. Vice President, and Mr. Speaker, and Members of the Senate and House of Representatives:

Yesterday, December 7, 1941 — a date which will live in infamy — the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.

The United States was at peace with that Nation and, at the solicitation of Japan, was still in conversation with its Government and its Emperor looking toward the maintenance of peace in the Pacific. Indeed, one hour after Japanese air squadrons had commenced bombing in the American Island of Oahu, the Japanese Ambassador to the United States and his colleague delivered to our Secretary of State a formal reply to a recent American message. And while this reply stated that it seemed useless to continue the existing diplomatic negotiations, it contained no threat or hint of war or of armed attack.

It will be recorded that the distance of Hawaii from Japan makes it obvious that the attack was deliberately planned many days or even weeks ago. During the intervening time the Japanese Government has deliberately sought to deceive the United States by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace.

The attack yesterday on the Hawaiian Islands has caused severe damage to American naval and military forces. I regret to tell you that very many American lives have been lost. In addition American ships have been reported torpedoed on the high seas between San Francisco and Honolulu.

Yesterday the Japanese Government also launched an attack against Malaya.
Last night Japanese forces attacked Hong Kong.
Last night Japanese forces attacked Guam.
Last night Japanese forces attacked the Philippine Islands.
Last night the Japanese attacked Wake Island. And this morning the Japanese attacked Midway Island.

Japan has, therefore, undertaken a surprise offensive extending throughout the Pacific area. The facts of yesterday and today speak for themselves. The people of the United States have already formed their opinions and well understand the implications to the very life and safety of our Nation.

As Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy I have directed that all measures be taken for our defense.

But always will our whole Nation remember the character of the onslaught against us.

No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory. I believe that I interpret the will of the Congress and of the people when I assert that we will not only defend ourselves to the uttermost but will make it very certain that this form of treachery shall never again endanger us.

Hostilities exist. There is no blinking at the fact that our people, our territory, and our interests are in grave danger.

With confidence in our armed forces- with the unbounding determination of our people- we will gain the inevitable triumph- so help us God.

I ask that the Congress declare that since the unprovoked and dastardly attack by Japan on Sunday, December 7, 1941, a state of war has existed between the United States and the Japanese Empire.”

Once the Japanese had attacked Pearl Harbor the United States responded on December 8th with a declaration of war on Japan; because of treaties between Japan, Germany, and Italy that meant we had declared war on all three nations. Below is a copy of the declaration of war on Japan.

Congressional Declaration of War on Japan

“December 8, 1941

JOINT RESOLUTION Declaring that a state of war exists between the Imperial Government of Japan and the Government and the people of the United States and making provisions to prosecute the same.

Whereas the Imperial Government of Japan has committed unprovoked acts of war against the Government and the people of the United States of America:

Therefore be it Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
That the state of war between the United States and the Imperial Government of Japan which has thus been thrust upon the United States is hereby formally declared;
and the President is hereby authorized and directed to employ the entire naval and military forces of the United States and the resources of the Government to carry on war against the Imperial Government of Japan; and, to bring the conflict to a successful termination, all of the resources of the country are hereby pledged by the Congress of the United States.

Approved, December 8, 1941, 4:10 p.m. E.S.T.”

This was a remarkable moment in the history of the United States. The country had been burdened by an economic downturn known as the “Great Depression” which had created many hardships on the American people. In addition, the Central Plains had been ravaged by a drought that was so bad the whole area became known as the dust bowl. Having been raised in Houston, Texas I was indeed fortunate to have experienced little hardship from the depression or the drought.

Fortunately, the drought was beginning to lift by the time the war started and many speculate that the Second World War was the catalyst that brought the United States out of the Great Depression.

A Time for Remembrance

Sunday will be December 7, 2025, let us remember the great price that has been paid that we might continue as a free nation. The old saying, “Freedom is not Free” is as true today as it was on that fateful day in 1941.

Sadly, another form of treachery has once again endangered us, now a second date that will live in infamy has been added to the history of this country and that is 911, September 11, 2001. This is another vivid reminder that our freedoms must be defended or they will be lost.

If we value our nation, it is vital we recognize the changes in tactics that are being employed by those who wish to destroy it; attacks from without and within will continue until we are willing to deal decisively with those wishing its destruction.

First published December 7, 2011; revised and updated.

Leave a Comment

Posted in Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | December 1, 2025

To the Soldiers in the Spiritual War Concluded

 The Visible and the Invisible

It is important to recognize that the spiritual war is being fought in both the visible and strictly spiritual realms at the same time. I suspect that if mortal human beings should catch a glimpse of the battles at the spiritual level we would probably faint dead away.

One example of the war at the spiritual level is given in Daniel 10:12-13, “12 Then he said to me, “Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words. 13 But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia.”

The prince of the kingdom of Persia must be a very powerful demon to delay a messenger from God for 21 days; what is of particular interest to me is very likely it is this same demon that is influencing affairs in Persia today which is called Iran. While all of this is still going on, God’s clock is counting down toward the final events in the spiritual war.

The Church is Removed from the Earth

A time is coming, it is inevitable, when the true Church will be called home; the final chapter of the Church on earth will have fully played out. This is most specifically not a reference to organized religion as religion will, for at least a short time, prosper under the new regime.

The removal of the Church will have devastating consequences for the earth; not only the disappearance of millions of people from all over the world, but the removal of the restraining ministry of God, the Holy Spirit. For those who love sin, this will be sin on steroids! This is described in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12:

“2 Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, 2 not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. 3 Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.

5 Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? 6 And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. 9 The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, 10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, 12 that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”

He who now restrains is the Holy Spirit and He will be taken out of the way at the Rapture of the Church.

The Tribulation

Although the Rapture of the Church is not the catalyst that starts the Tribulation, it is likely the Tribulation will start within a few years of the Rapture. The second half of the Tribulation will get very bad as God’s judgments rain down on an angry and rebellious world. The Lord points out in Matthew 24:21-22, ” 21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.22 And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.”

Unlike the Genesis flood where only 8 were saved, at the end of the Tribulation there will be thousands of believers who will have survived to begin life again during the Millennial reign of Christ.

The Millennium

Although there will be something of a cease fire in the spiritual war it is not really over yet. For the moment, sin will have been dealt a devastating blow, but it is not finally disposed of. The Millennial reign of Christ will start with only believers who have survived the Tribulation; the Church who returned with Christ at the Second Advent; the Old Testament saints and the angels of God.

Unbelievers who survive the Tribulation will be cast into the Lake of Fire along with the beast and the false prophet to await the arrival of those who are condemned to go there at the Great White Throne judgment. 41 “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels, Matthew 25:41

In a way this will be a second chance at perfect environment on earth with only one flaw, the presence of the fallen sin nature in the mortal believers who survived the Tribulation and those who will be born to them during these 1,000 years. The descendants of those believers who survived the Tribulation will still be born with the fallen nature inherited from Adam. It seems that perfect environment is still not the answer to man’s sin problem, it didn’t work in the Garden of Eden and it’s not going to work during the millennial reign of the Lord Jesus Christ either.

Over the years, as children are born, some of those children receive Christ as Savior but others do not. The Bible reveals that Satan, who had been confined, would be freed to exert his influence on mankind at the end of the Millennium with predictable results as described in Revelation 20:7-10, “7 Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea. 9 They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. 10 The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.”

The Great White Throne Judgment

By this time, the earth and the entire universe that we have always known will have been destroyed by fire. The great white throne judgment will finally bring the spiritual war to an end. This fearful event is described in Revelation 20:14-15, ” 14 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.” The spiritual war is now over.

The New Heaven and the New Earth

Finally, the creation that God wanted for us all along is fully realized; a place of unimaginable beauty and great joy. “3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. 4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

5 Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.” Revelation 21:3-5

Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

Leave a Comment

Posted in Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | November 24, 2025

To the Soldiers in the Spiritual War Continued,

After the Flood

In my previous article I related the history of the ancient spiritual war through God’s judgment on the earth by the world-wide flood. By way of summary we covered the original act of sin when Lucifer became Satan, Lucifer’s fall from grace followed by his successful effort to destroy the spirit of man and his almost successful effort to corrupt human DNA.

We discovered that although Satan no longer has a place in the kingdom of God, he still has access to heaven and is seen in God’s presence having a discussion about Job. The next big shift in the spiritual war is about to develop.

The Birth of the Seed of the Woman, our Kinsman Redeemer

Despite Satan’s best efforts, human DNA remained pure through Noah and the seven members of his family. It has been estimated that the earth’s population at the time of the flood was around 9,000,000,000 people, all but 8 drowned; which is certainly a catastrophe of Biblical proportions!

Now the work of correcting the distortion that had been created by Adam’s sin would be begun by the one person who could do it, the Lord Jesus Christ. The eternal Second Person of the Trinity, the one who created the universe and continues to sustain it by His power, would humble Himself so as to become a man, flesh of our flesh and bone of our bone and, as our Kinsman Redeemer, restore mankind to its rightful place as intended by God.

In the perfection of His saving work, He would even elevate us to a much higher plane than Adam ever knew, we were to become children of God and joint heirs with Christ in God’s eternal family! It was this that Satan dreaded and hated and sought to stop by his unsuccessful effort to corrupt human DNA. God’s promise to Adam and Eve of a seed would be perfectly fulfilled in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Most of us are familiar with the story of the birth of Christ and Herod’s attempt to kill him; our Kinsman Redeemer was born in order to die on the cross on our behalf and nothing was going to interfere with His perfectly achieving that goal.

The Victory is Won

It may seem strange to think of a horrible death on a Roman cross as a moment of victory, but that is exactly what it was; at that point the ransom was paid and the earth redeemed from Satan, Christ’s work of redemption was finished. It pleased God to delay the final implementation of this redemption to allow all who would be called to enjoy the blessings of salvation; this delay resulted in our becoming part of God’s family and more are being added every day.

The Next Big Step

Around 50 days were to pass after the resurrection before a new type of human being would be created by the power of God; this process of re-birth would continue until the Church was removed at the Rapture. The Holy Spirit of God came to earth to indwell all who had received Christ as Savior; the fabled temple in Jerusalem had been replaced by frail human bodies as the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit. From that point on the world contained two distinctly different classes of people, those who were spiritually alive and indwelt by God through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and those who were not and were still spiritually dead.

For an unrevealed number of centuries, God would be creating a new form of life, the born-again Christian who collectively would form the true Church, the body and bride of Christ. It would be impossible to overemphasize the vitally important nature of this change; God Himself would now indwell each individual Christian and never leave that individual either in time or eternity.

Individual human beings would be added to this group by the power of God starting at Pentecost and ending at the Rapture of the Church; before that there was no equivalent creation and after that process is closed, at the Rapture of the Church, that process will be stopped forever.

What Does This Mean?

God has done an enormous thing in creating this new creation, the Christian; those who have been born-again have been blessed beyond measure by being made a dwelling place for God. The Christian can never be separated from his creator because his creator is in him, forever. This should be the dominant thought in the mind of every Christian, we are the temples of God, we are the vessels through which Christ lives His life on earth.

There are several sections of the Bible where this is revealed:

19 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

9 You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. 10 But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. 11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you. Romans 8:9-11

20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20

15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments. 16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.18 I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. 19 “A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also. 20 At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.21 He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.” John 14:15-21

What an unqualified cause for rejoicing and gladness; this knowledge alone should make every day of your life a joy and be a never-ending source of praise and thanksgiving! We have every reason to rejoice in Christ always and delight ourselves in the blessings He has poured out on us. The words of Philippians 4:4-7 should dominate our thoughts, “4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

One More Thing

While the Holy Spirit is now indwelling all those who are born-again, there is another ministry of the Holy Spirit to the world which is described in John 16:7-11 ” 7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.8 And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:9 of sin, because they do not believe in Me;10 of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more;11 of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.”

The Holy Spirit is restraining sin in the world today, as bad as it seems to be, it will get worse when the Church is removed at the Rapture; things will become more like they were before the flood when, “5 Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” Genesis 6:5

In the last of this series we will cover from the Rapture to the end of the spiritual war.

Leave a Comment

Posted in Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | November 17, 2025

To the Soldiers in the Spiritual War

Like it or Not, You’re a Soldier if You’re a Christian

Have you ever thought of yourself as a soldier? There are few classic physical manifestations of warfare in most of our lives; we’re not surrounded by bombed out villages and carnage so we may doubt the reality of a spiritual war or be lulled into thinking we really don’t have to be involved in any “spiritual warfare.” If you’re thinking any variation of these thoughts then you’re wrong and potentially endangering yourself and others.

Although it will change during the final conflict, we are now dealing with destruction and carnage in the lives of everyone at a spiritual level as the spiritual battle for men’s soul’s rages around us. The carnage is being displayed in many lives as people make bad choices and cause themselves and others serious harm. Broken lives, broken marriages, broken commitments of many sorts litter the battlefield of this war.

What is Going On Today in the World?

We have witnessed a heating-up of the spiritual war since this was first published in 2014. Since then, the number of Christians killed each year for their faith has continued to increase. In some countries, churches are being burned as well.

While the trend in society seems to involve an abandonment of objective moral standards; the problem of right and wrong, and good versus evil, goes back to a time before the creation of man.

It is entirely possible that we are approaching the climax of this ancient struggle; the Bible has outlined the general conditions that will prevail at that time and it appears that more and more pieces are falling into place. God moves according to His own timetable so this climax may occur within the next few years or the next few hundred years.

I feel it a real blessing that God is waiting; the following, addressed to Christians, points out in 2 Peter 3:8-9, “8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

I suspect each of you can join with me in an outpouring of praise to the Lord for our opportunity to join the body of Christ by faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. By God’s grace we are still living in a time when people all over the world are being saved. “And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” Acts 2:47b It is exciting to see how many are coming to the Lord in faith and being saved each day that passes!

Going Back to a Time Before Time

The problem with sin did not begin with Adam’s direct disobedience to a command from God but at a time, possibly before the creation of time, in eternity past. There are a number of brief references to this event given in the Bible. Let us start with what appears to be an account of the earliest recorded incident which is described in Ezekiel 28:12b-17; the following is believed to describe Lucifer who is later known as Satan:

“‘You were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. 13 You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone adorned you: carnelian, chrysolite and emerald, topaz, onyx and jasper, lapis lazuli, turquoise and beryl. Your settings and mountings were made of gold; on the day you were created they were prepared. 14 You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones. 15 You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you. 16 Through your widespread trade you were filled with violence, and you sinned. So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God, and I expelled you, guardian cherub, from among the fiery stones. 17 Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor.”

We are given further information in Isaiah 14:12-15 where the infamous five I wills of Satan are recorded:

12 How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! 13 You said in your heart, “I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon. 14 I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.” 15 But you are brought down to the realm of the dead, to the depths of the pit.”

At this point Lucifer/Satan had lost his position in heaven but still had access to heaven; we encounter Satan in heaven speaking with God in Job 1:6-7:

“6 One day the angels came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them. 7 The Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?”

Satan answered the Lord, “From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it.”

Notice how Satan brags of his authority over the earth; when Adam sinned, the human race died spiritually and forfeited its position of authority over the earth to Satan, Satan became the “Prince of the Power of the Air” and mankind became spiritually dead slaves to sin as described in Ephesians 2.

“2 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.” Ephesians 2:2-3

The World and God’s Plan Put in Danger

If this was not enough, a Satanic plan was put into effect to try and eliminate any possibility of one who would be the seed of the woman and crush the head of the serpent described in Genesis 3:15:

15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”

The reference to the offspring of the woman is seen as the first promise of the Messiah and the victory that would someday be won at the cross when Christ would spiritually crush Satan’s head. The striking of his heel is seen as the death of Christ on the cross, a short lived victory as Christ rose from the dead three days later.

Satan’s plan involved a corruption of human DNA that would prevent the promised redeemer from ever being born; a dangerous plan that required extreme measures to defeat it, the death of billions of human beings by a world-wide flood. This event is described in Genesis 6 and has been covered in some detail in other articles. It is sufficient to point out Satan’s plan was defeated and those most directly responsible, the sons of God who kept not their first estate, are being severely punished.

4 For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment; 5 and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly” 2 Peter 2:4-5

6 And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day” Jude 6

2 Comments

Posted in Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | October 27, 2025

The False Doctrine “Jesus was a great teacher, but he was not God.”

With this false doctrine we arrive at a foundational Satanic deception that has been deployed with some success over the centuries; 28% say that “Jesus was a great teacher, but he was not God.”

This is not even logical; in John 10: 25-33 it is written:

25 Jesus replied, “I have already told you, and you don’t believe me. The proof is the work I do in my Father’s name. 26 But you don’t believe me because you are not my sheep. 27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me, 29 for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand. 30 The Father and I are one.”

31 Once again the people picked up stones to kill him. 32 Jesus said, “At my Father’s direction I have done many good works. For which one are you going to stone me?”

33 They replied, “We’re stoning you not for any good work, but for blasphemy! You, a mere man, claim to be God.”

It appears to me this is a clear claim by Jesus to be God! If Jesus is not God then he must be delusional; a delusional teacher who lies is certainly not a great teacher!

There are only two options regarding Jesus, he is either God or he is delusional; a great teacher is not an available option!

The description of Jesus given in Colossians 1:15-20 is a delight to all who love Jesus Christ as Savior and God:

Christ Is Supreme

15 Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.
    He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation,
16 for through him God created everything
    in the heavenly realms and on earth.
He made the things we can see
    and the things we can’t see—
such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world.
    Everything was created through him and for him.
17 He existed before anything else,
    and he holds all creation together.
18 Christ is also the head of the church,
    which is his body.
He is the beginning,
    supreme over all who rise from the dead.
    So he is first in everything.
19 For God in all his fullness
    was pleased to live in Christ,
20 and through him God reconciled
    everything to himself.
He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth
    by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.

This is the Jesus who is the Creator/God of the Bible and has the only name under heaven whereby we must be saved!

Leave a Comment

Posted in Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | October 22, 2025

The False Doctrine that God Accepts all Religions

As we continue our study of the false doctrines listed in “The (Abysmal) State of Theology in 2025, Ken Ham, Answers In Genesis”, we come to the fourth false doctrine listed:

47% agree that “God accepts the worship of all religions, including Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.”

The Bible is very clear on that point! In Acts 4:5-12 it is written:

5 The next day the council of all the rulers and elders and teachers of religious law met in Jerusalem. 6 Annas the high priest was there, along with Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and other relatives of the high priest. 7 They brought in the two disciples and demanded, “By what power, or in whose name, have you done this?”

8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers and elders of our people, 9 are we being questioned today because we’ve done a good deed for a crippled man? Do you want to know how he was healed? 10 Let me clearly state to all of you and to all the people of Israel that he was healed by the powerful name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, the man you crucified but whom God raised from the dead. 11 For Jesus is the one referred to in the Scriptures, where it says,

‘The stone that you builders rejected
    has now become the cornerstone.’

12 There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.”

Peter was speaking to the top leaders of Israel and told them the name of Jesus Christ is the only “name under heaven by which we must be saved.”!

Any religion that fails to clearly teach that basic truth is a false religion! That most specifically includes apostate Christian churches as well as Judaism, Islam and any other religion which fails to teach the basic doctrines of Christianity!

Any religion which fails to include the following basic doctrines of Christianity in their teachings is a false religion:

Basic Christian Statement of Faith

· We Believe that God is the creator of the universe both of the seen and unseen realms and that God the creator is also the giver of life.

· We believe the Holy Bible is God’s word Personally spoken by God for mankind for the purpose of revealing who He is and it is without error in all issues to which it speaks.

· We believe in the Trinity (Trinity), one God in three Persons, consisting of Father, Son Jesus, and Holy Spirit.

· We Believe Jesus Christ is Divine God who came from Heaven to mankind as a man yet retaining the Divinity of God and who while living a sinless life was rejected and betrayed by man to be crucified and die on the cross yet not to remain dead but to Resurrect the third day in accordance with His Everlasting Divine life.

· We believe that the death of Jesus on the cross provided complete atonement for all the sins of the world therefore cleansing those who choose to be cleansed from their sin to then receive the Holy Spirit and by receiving the Holy Spirit becoming “Born Again” and being Born Again becoming children of God. Children in the family of God and as children in a personal relationship with their Father who is God above all and as children also inheritors in the Heavenly Kingdom of Jesus the kingdom that is without end.

· We believe that Jesus is the judge of all of mankind’s thoughts, intentions and actions and that He is just and wise in His judgment. As judge, Jesus will judge the unjust to everlasting condemnation while to the righteous He will give of His life, His gifts, and His glory.

· We believe Jesus physically rose from the dead, was seen by many eyewitnesses and has now ascended back into Heaven where He originally came from. He is currently seated in Majesty, Power and Authority alongside the Father and is currently accessible in both Prayer and Fellowship.

36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him. John 3:36 KJV

Leave a Comment

Posted in Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | October 17, 2025

The Third Person of the Holy Trinity

The Holy Trinity is the Ultimate Expression of Reality!

It is extremely saddening for me to observe the perverted, distorted view of reality embraced by a vast part of humanity! So very few believe the reality revealed in the Holy Bible or have the vaguest notion what that might even be!

It should not be surprising then if those who have no glimpse of what Biblical reality is all about should seek to compromise the cornerstone of that reality, the Holy Trinity. I have written more on this in “What is Reality”.

In “The (Abysmal) State of Theology in 2025, Ken Ham, Answers In Genesis”, several areas of doctrinal error were described including, “53% think that “The Holy Spirit is a force but is not a personal being”.

The “Doctrinal Statement” of Dallas Theological Seminary perfectly summarizes the Biblical teachings on the Holy Trinity; under the classification “Godhead” it is written:

Article II—The Godhead

We believe that the Godhead eternally exists in three persons—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—and that these three are one God, having precisely the same nature, attributes, and perfections, and worthy of precisely the same homage, confidence, and obedience (Matt. 28: 18–19; Mark 12:29; John 1:14; Acts 5:3–4; 2 Cor. 13:14; Heb. 1:1–3; Rev. 1:4–6).

That is precisely what I believe and have used as the foundation for my worldview! I rejoice in the Holy Trinity as my ultimate reality by whom and for whom I exist!

1 Comment

Posted in Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | October 14, 2025

The Fatal Flaw with Which Every Human, with a Human Father and Mother, is Born!

The Descendants of Adam

As a human being, you have been born into a family which labors under a curse, the curse of spiritual death. This curse goes all the way back to the beginning of the family directly to the original father of us all, Adam!

The Bible reveals the painful details of the spiritual death of our collective father in the first chapters of Genesis. We learn that although Adam was created in a state of innocence, that innocence was lost when he decided to deliberately violate a direct command from his creator. The following verses from Genesis explain what happened:

26 Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.”

27 So God created human beings in his own image.
    In the image of God he created them;
    male and female he created them.

28 Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.”

God had created man in his own image to rule over the earth. Adam was given one command to obey:

“15 The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it. 16 But the Lord God warned him, “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden— 17 except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.” Genesis 2:15-17

The Fatal Choice

The Bible is not clear on how much time had passed before Adam made the disastrous decision to disobey God; I have written more on that in “The Garden of Eden” The sad reality of Adams choice resulted in the spiritual deaths of both Adam and Eve plus all of their unborn descendants which most specifically include you and me.

We, and every other child of a human father, have been born spiritually dead with a living sin nature! This is fully revealed in the Book of Romans, chapters 5-6.

12 When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. 13 Yes, people sinned even before the law was given. But it was not counted as sin because there was not yet any law to break. 14 Still, everyone died—from the time of Adam to the time of Moses—even those who did not disobey an explicit commandment of God, as Adam did. Now Adam is a symbol, a representation of Christ, who was yet to come. 15 But there is a great difference between Adam’s sin and God’s gracious gift. For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ. 16 And the result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins. 17 For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ.

18 Yes, Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone. 19 Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous.

20 God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant. 21 So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

The False Doctrine of “Everyone is born innocent in the eyes of God.”

To suggest everyone is born innocent is to directly contradict the Bible and the revealed testimony of God, the Holy Spirit! That is foolish and potentially deadly! I have written more on this in “What Does Being a Christian Really Mean?”

The first two false beliefs listed in The (Abysmal) State of Theology in 2025, Ken Ham, Answers In Genesis; 64% believe that “Everyone is born innocent in the eyes of God.” 53% agree that “Everyone sins a little, but most people are good by nature.” are total contradictions to the teachings of the Bible!

Next time we will discuss 53% think that “The Holy Spirit is a force but is not a personal being”

Leave a Comment

Posted in Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | October 7, 2025

The (Abysmal) State of Theology in 2025, Ken Ham, Answers In Genesis

The following blog, by Ken Ham, raised serious concerns about the current level of understanding of what Christianity is all about. It is my intention to address these issues in a series of blogs which will provide a clear Biblical description of what the Bible actually teaches us about them.

Featured in Ken Ham Blog

Well, the results of the new State of Theology survey from Ligonier Ministries and Lifeway Research is now available, and it’s as disappointing as the 2022 version. The answers were an inconsistent mess highlighting US Evangelicals’ lack of knowledge regarding what the Word of God teaches regarding doctrine and theology. Biblical illiteracy is an epidemic.

I’ll give you just a sampling of the results, filtered for Evangelicals, but first here is their definition of an Evangelical:

Evangelicals were defined by Lifeway Research as people who strongly agreed with the following four statements:

  • The Bible is the highest authority for what I believe.
  • It is very important for me personally to encourage non-Christians to trust Jesus Christ as their Savior.
  • Jesus Christ’s death on the cross is the only sacrifice that could remove the penalty of my sin.
  • Only those who trust in Jesus Christ alone as their Savior receive God’s free gift of eternal salvation.

So what do these Evangelicals believe beyond those four basic beliefs?

Well,

  • 64% believe that “Everyone is born innocent in the eyes of God.”
  • 53% agree that “Everyone sins a little, but most people are good by nature.”
  • 53% think that “The Holy Spirit is a force but is not a personal being”—compare this with the fact that 98% agreed with the statement: “There is one true God in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.” Talk about inconsistent!
  • 47% agree that “God accepts the worship of all religions, including Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.”
  • 28% say that “Jesus was a great teacher, but he was not God.”
  • 17% believe that “The Bible, like all sacred writings, contains helpful accounts of ancient myths but is not literally true.”
  • 19% affirm that “Modern science disproves the Bible.”
  • 16% likewise say that “The Bible’s condemnation of homosexual behavior doesn’t apply today.”
  • 28% think that “Religious belief is not about objective truth”—and another 19% aren’t sure how to answer this question.

Whew, what a shocking mess! To be considered an Evangelical on the survey, each respondent had to answer that they “strongly agree” that “The Bible is the highest authority for what I believe,” and yet 19% think science has disproven it, a similar percentage likewise don’t think what the Bible says about homosexuality applies to us today, and nearly half are confused about objective truth and Christianity!

Similarly, 98% affirm the doctrine of the Trinity, but over half think the Holy Spirit is just a force, and 28% think Jesus was just some great teacher. That doesn’t make sense!

They also affirmed it’s important for them to tell others about Jesus and that Jesus’ death is the only way to be forgiven, and yet nearly half think God accepts the worship of other religions. Again, such inconsistency in beliefs!

We’ve raised generations on “Bible stories” without giving them the meat of God’s Word, teaching them to think biblically, or shaping their biblical worldview.

The state of theology among so-called Evangelicals is sobering. It really should be a wake-up call to both pastors and parents. We’ve raised generations on “Bible stories” without giving them the meat of God’s Word, teaching them to think biblically, or shaping their biblical worldview. Instead of being guided by Scripture, they’re guided by a mishmash of biblical teaching and our culture’s beliefs.

It’s results like these that prompted us to write our Answers Bible Curriculum (we now have separate versions for Sunday school and homeschool). We want to come alongside churches and parents to raise godly generations who know what they believe and why they believe it. That’s why our curriculum is a chronological journey through the whole Bible and features apologetics, biblical worldview, doctrine, theology, and life application. I encourage you to check it out.

So what can we do about these kinds of survey results? Well, first, parents need to be teaching their children! Don’t just assume your children are learning what they need to know about God, the Bible, and salvation at church. Ultimately, it’s your responsibility to teach and disciple your children. Have you prioritized that in your home? Are you even equipped to do this kind of teaching with your children? If not, start and learn together!

Secondly, pastors and other Christian leaders need to stop assuming their congregations know the basics of the Christian faith, and they need to start incorporating theology and doctrine into their teaching. Pastors are called to be shepherds, discipling the flock. Part of that is teaching doctrine and theology so their churches are filled with robust Christians who’ve moved on from “milk” to “meat.”

I pray these shocking results serve as a wake-up call to the church to obey Christ’s parting command before his ascension:

All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. (Matthew 28:18–20 NIV)

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,
Ken

This item was written with the assistance of AiG’s research team.

Next time we will discover what the Bible actually teaches about, “Everyone is born innocent in the eyes of God.”

2 Comments

Posted in Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Older Posts »

Categories