Author: Grant

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The Sabbath, is it Saturday or Sunday?

GRANT SWART

God instituted the sabbath observance of the Old Testament for exactly the same reason he instituted the temple, the priesthood, and the sacrifices of that particular period in history. God did this to portray to man the way of salvation and life by faith in Christ. Just as a man, in keeping the sabbath, ceased from his own works, trusting God to provide everything he needed, so Christians come to Christ, ceasing from our own works, trusting Him alone for everything. Resting in Christ, we keep the sabbath of faith (Matthew 11: 28-30: Hebrews 4:7-10). Our rest is not merely on a day of the week, our rest is eternal in Christ.

However, when the Lord says the sabbath was made for man, we must never imagine, as is so often and erroneously done, that it was made for all men. The Scriptures are explicitly clear in telling us that the sabbath was made for the Jews of the Mosaic dispensation. It was never given to or required of Gentiles (Exodus 31:16,17). The word of God makes it quite clear that sabbath observance was a special sign between God and Israel, which only came about after God led the Israelites out of bondage in Egypt, and after Moses had received the Ten Commandments in Sinai. Between Adam and Moses there was no sabbath. Enoch walked with God, but he never kept a sabbath day. Noah was a righteous man, but he never observed a sabbath. Abraham was the friend of God, but he never kept a sabbath day.

Examination of the New Testament reveals that there is no obligation for the believer to keep the sabbath and also shows that the idea of a Sunday or Christian sabbath is unscriptural. There is one referral to the sabbath by the Apostle Paul in Colossians 2:16’17: “Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ”. The Jewish Sabbath was abolished at the cross where Christ canceled the written code, with its regulations (Colossians 2:14).

Christ is the Lord of the sabbath. The simple, clear and obvious meaning of this is that He who is the Christ of God instituted the church, fulfilled the sabbath, dispensed with the sabbath, and abrogated the sabbath, in exactly the same way and to exactly the same degree as he did all all the other carnal ordinances, rituals, and ceremonials of the legal (Old Testament) dispensation. Therefore sabbath day observance is expressly and positively forbidden in the New Testament (Galatians 4:10, 11; Colossians 2:16, 17).

The sabbath was given to Israel, not the church. The Jewish Sabbath is still Saturday, not Sunday, and has never been changed. The sabbath is exclusively part of Old Testament law, and Christ fulfilled all the laws setting Christians free from the bondage of the law (Galatians 4:1-26; Romans 6:14). Sabbath keeping is not a Christian “duty”, neither on Saturday nor Sunday.

Those who remain of the conviction that sabbath keeping is expected of the Christian, should then surely implement the sabbath law in its complete form, rather than choosing to implement only a part of it. These days most people leave their homes to go to church, which is explicitly forbidden by the sabbath law (Exodus 16:29), neither could sabbath observers build a fire on the sabbath day (Exodus 35:3), and in South Africa and many other nations, Saturdays and Sundays are by far the most popular days of the week on which barbeques (braais) are held. Furthermore, sabbath observers could not cause anyone else to work (Deuteronomy 5:14), which would mean that there should be no municipal services, medical personnel, policemen, astronauts, pilots, television, internet service or electricity provision on sabbath.

Most alarmingly, any person breaking the sabbath laws was to be put to death (Exodus 31:15; Numbers 15: 32-35). These laws have never been changed, except that the Lord Jesus Christ fulfilled them on behalf of the believer, removing the Christian from the bondage of the laws.

We are to worship God every day, not just on Saturday or Sunday. It is my strong conviction and hope to remind the reader again to test everything, including my words, in the Scriptures. Do not to allow false teachings by self-appointed legalistic and doctrinally unsound “pastors” to place you back into the bondage where lost people were before Christ became our Saviour and our sabbath, and provided for us our rest in Him, through faith.

*Much appreciated PeterDeHaan.com for the use of the attached image above

**Many thanks for the seeds which grew from Pastor Don’s printed work

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No Grace but Free and Sovereign Grace

Grant Swart

There is no grace but free and sovereign grace, no election but eternal and unconditional election, no redemption but particular and effectual redemption, no salvation but by the irresistible grace and omnipotent power of God the Holy Spirit, and no security but by the absolute preservation of God’s immutable goodness.

And any pretended gospel that does not proclaim these things is, as Paul says, “another gospel” that is damning to the souls of men.            

[Unknown]

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The Greatest Evil in this World

Grant Swart

Man-centered, works-based, freewill religion — call it by any name you will — is the single greatest evil in this world. . . and is the greatest cause of evil in this world.

The good works of religion without Christ are the most abominable evils imaginable. . . Man-centered, freewill works-religion robs God of His glory, tramples underfoot the blood of Jesus Christ, does despite to the Spirit Of Grace, and gradually abases society to its lowest, most contemptible state. . . ‘Evil workers,’ as Paul describes them in this context, are Arminians — freewillers, legalists — people who teach that God’s salvation depends on, or is in some way determined by, man: ‘evil workers.’

Don Fortner

Ephesians 2:8-9King James Version

8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

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YDELHEID: DIE EERSTE SONDE TEENOOR GOD

Grant Swart

Alles tevergeefs, sê die Prediker, alles tevergeefs, dit is alles tevergeefs! (Prediker 1:2). Die Hebreeuse woord vir “ydelheid” word hier vertaal as “alles tevergeefs”, en beteken letterlik “damp” of “asem”. Dit kan ook as “betekenisloos”, “leegheid” of “nutteloosheid” vertaal word. Die prediker hierin is Koning Salomo, en hy vertel ons dat, nadat hy alles wat die wereld kan aanbied ondersoek het, hy bevind het dat dit alles betekenisloos is. Dit is nutteloos om wereldse doele na te jaag, want hulle verdwyn almal met ons laaste asem. Daardie grondslag help ons om te verstaan hoe die woord ydelheid op ander wyses in die Bybel gebruik word.

In die Griekse Bybelteks is die woord vir ydelheid “kenodoxia”, wat letterlik “leë heerlikheid” beteken. Dit beliggaam die oortuiging dat ‘n mens verdien om bewonder te word as gevolg van ‘n mens se vermeende voortreflike skoonheid, krag, status, talent of voorneme.

Romeine 8:20 sê dat die hele skepping aan nietigheid onderwerp is as gevolg van God se vloek. Toe Adam gesondig het, het God alles vervloek wat Hy gemaak het (Genesis 3:17–19). Met ander woorde, perfeksie het verlore gegaan. Ydelheid bring mee dat die mens daardie perfeksie self weer wil najaag. Die hele skepping skiet nou tekort aan sy oorspronklike doel; eerder as om in harmonie met God te werk, het bewoners van die aarde op mekaar en teen God gedraai. Ons steier steeds van die gevolge van daardie vloek. Alles wat bedoel was om reg en uitstekend te wees, is onderstebo. Die chaos en waansin van die wêreld soos ons dit ken, is te wyte aan die feit dat God die skepping aan nietigheid onderwerp het (Romeine 8:21).

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Biblical Doubts?

Doubt cat & lion

Tom Hill

“Who first coined the saying ‘A camel is a horse designed by a committee’? I don’t know, but I expect it was the same person who said ‘An elephant is a mouse designed to government specifications’.” (1)

This bit of trivia induces laughter. However, French philosopher Jean Baudrillard (1929-2007) applied this saying to truth. It developed into the creed for our culture today.

He declared that truth results as a product of a consensus of values. His declaration fostered a revolution in the nature and formulation of truth claims. Now, culture believes that all claims of truth develop within a group or culture, not from an objective standard. Ironically, no standard converted into the standard.

Cultural Truth Claims

Baudrillard’s theory developed into today’s benchmark for truth claims with far reaching effects. It brings us to the following conclusions:

  • the rejection of any objective standard for determining truth claims;
  • the belief of many interpretations of “truth”, i.e., every group and culture possesses its own “truth”; and
  • the rejection of any one explanation of life as THE truth.

Continue reading →

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Kettery: onvergeefbare sonde

rose-colored-glasses-dan-holm

*Grant Swart

Nog nooit in die geskiedenis het ‘n uitvinder of ontwerper van valse leringe hom bekeer tot die Christendom nie – ‘n sonde van daardie aard is veels te groot, want dit is die opperste vorm van godslastering en dit is ‘n sonde teen die Heilige Gees. Dit is juis waarom God toelaat dat uitvinders en ontwerpers van valse leringe se harte en sinne verhard word. Dienooreenkomstig word die woorde van Jes 6:9,10 vervul: En Hy het gespreek: Gaan sê aan hierdie volk: Hoor altyddeur, maar verstaan nie, en sien altyddeur, maar bemerk nie. Maak die hart van hierdie volk vet en maak hulle ore swaar en bestryk hulle oë, sodat hulle nie sien met hul oë en met hul ore nie hoor en hul hart nie verstaan nie, en hulle hul nie bekeer en gesond word nie.

Die Here Jesus het geen hoe priester ooit omskep en tot bekering gebring nie, maar hulle dissipels is wel omskep – mense soos Nikodemus, Josef, Paulus en ander soos hulle. Die profete van ouds het geen valse profeet ooit omskep na die Christendom nie. Selfs kon Paulus nooit enige valse profeet na die waarheid en lig van die Here Jesus Christus toe lei nie, maar hy het toepaslike aanwysings gegee: Aan ‘n man wat partyskap verwek, moet jy jou onttrek ná die eerste en tweede vermaning, wetende dat so iemand op ‘n verkeerde pad is en sonde doen en selfveroordeeld staan (Titus 3:10,11).

Dus kon selfs die heilige dokters nooit ‘n meester van kettery omskep het nie, nie omdat hulle Continue reading →

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Kersfees: Nugter nagedink oor 25 Desember

christmas-tree-blue cool

Grant Swart

Ek het groot waardering en respek vir God se kinders wat radikaal heilig wil lewe en in alle dinge die wil van God eerste probeer stel. Dis immers in ooreenstemming met  die duidelike opdrag in 1 Petrus 1:16 “Wees heilig, want Ek is heilig!”  Aan die anderkant is daar wel ook Christene wat ‘n behae daarin skep om hare te kloof en andere skuldig te laat voel oor nietige randsake. (moontlik as gevolg van onkunde)

Een so ‘n saak is die vraag : “Mag ‘n Christen Kersfees vier?”


VASTE FEITE

Kom ons begin met die nugtere stel van ‘n paar feite wat vas staan en waaroor almal behoort saam te stem :

Feit nommer een is : Jesus is nie op 25 Desember gebore nie. 

Verder:

  • Die groot meerderheid van mense op aarde vier Kersfees op ‘n goddelose en Godonterende manier (met vreet op aarde in plaas van vrede op aarde)* 
  • Daar is geen Bybelse bevel om Kersfees as ‘n feesdag te vier nie.
  • Daar is wel duidelike Skrifgedeeltes wat die geboorte/menswording van Jesus beskryf.
  • Daar is wel toegewyde gelowiges wat Kersfees vier op ‘n Godverheerlikende wyse.
  • Daar is ook opregte Christene wat niks met Kersfees te doen wil hê nie en dit as deur en deur heidens beskou.

Uit bogenoemde is dit klaar duidelik dat Christene verdeeld is oor hierdie saak. Selfs onder Christene Continue reading →

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Christmas and the Christian

christmas tree 40

Grant Swart

As the years have passed, the “festive” or holiday season, which includes Christmas day, has become a commercialized farce, along with other similar secular celebrations such as Mothers Day and Valentines Day. The original meaning and “reason for the season” has been replaced with lavish parties, extreme festivities, entertainment and expensive gifts. While there is nothing wrong with any of those things, they certainly do not represent Christmas. No longer is it “the thought that counts”, rather the value of the gift which apparently demonstrates the level of affection one has for the recipient. Rarely is the birth of our Saviour brought into the picture on Christmas.

There is a war being waged on the traditional Christmas by the secular world, atheists, legalists and followers of false religions. “Merry Christmas” is being replaced with “Seasons Greetings” or “Happy Holidays”. This, of course, is being done in an attempt to promote a religiously tolerant society with the will, values and rights of man as the central focus. All the while, the battle for your bucks in the countdown of shopping days to Christmas rages on.

christmas dog 20

It was Santa Claus did it!

Back to the controversial issue among many Christians, which is the partaking or avoidance of Christmas celebrations. Continue reading →

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Angus Buchan roadshow: Coming soon.. to infest your community

Angus Buchan USA add

 Grant Swart

About a letter of concern from a brother in Ireland.

From far beyond South African shores, the adopted country of self-styled superstar and cowboy preacher of iniquity, Angus Buchan (2 Co 11:13), and where he first hatched plans for his evil and blasphemous road-show, a brother in Ireland has sent us thought-provoking and concerned correspondence.

Adam’s letter serves to further illustrate the alarming rate at which the vile deception of the false gospel is expanding, under the guise of Christianity and in the hands of unscrupulous religious fraudsters. Buchan employs his particular version of deceitful gospel to masquerade as Christianity, exploit the desperately religious world (2 Cor 4:4) and to glorify secular humanism and false spirituality at the expense of God’s Word and Truth.

With his charismatic personality, his magnetic appeal to the unbelieving masses in the religious world and his strategically choreographed stage performance, which always seems to involve the weather in one way or another (Mat 24:24), Buchan has been able to deceive tens of thousands of “seekers” into believing abominable lies about the Lord God. In South Africa, as well as on a rapidly expanding international stage, Buchan and his Mighty Men franchise has been able to gather a fanatical cult Continue reading →

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REPENTANCE: Legal vs. True

Repentance

Grant Swart

If our forgiveness was dependent on what we as sinners could do (or refrain from doing), in order to repent, who would be so bold as to claim that they could achieve it sufficiently as to gain recognition by a perfectly Holy God? Is repentance something we can and should do in order to be saved, or is repentance a gift granted to those who are saved by God?

All too often one hears the instruction issuing forth from religious zealots: “You must repent, you must turn from your sin, you must turn to God, or…!”. In my country, as I suppose it is in many others, many will-worshipping churches have coined a new favourite phrase: “Turn or burn!”, and in some Afrikaans congregations the translated phrase, “Draai of braai”, is bandied about with even more self-righteous enthusiasm. As if it were simply up to the listener to do the turning, and God will have no choice but to accept those who turn!

Those who do not have Christ, hear these warnings and are left terrified by their own inability to do what the preacher expects of them. They have heard the stern instructions, but have no understanding of it, no idea of where to start, or how to go about this seemingly impossible task. How can they turn to God when they do not know Him, do not know where He is, or who He is? How could they possibly repent without God’s help and without the guidance of His Holy Spirit? Continue reading →

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End The War On Racism…

Madiba vs Voortrekker Monument 16 Dec 2013

 

I have re-posted this from Bill’s blog. It has very particular relevance to all my people in South Africa, especially to those who are embroiled in their own witch-hunts and who live to fuel the fires of the exhausted war on racism. By continuing to partake in a war against racism, one wars against oneself, because there really is only one race.

billrandles's avatarPastor Bill Randles Blog

This is a column of  sheer Wisdom and insight from Daniel Greendfield,aka Sultan Knish, of Frontpagemag.com- Pas Bill

We’ve all but given up on the War on Drugs and the War on Terror has been scaled down to a few drones occasionally taking out a gang of Jihadis in Pakistan or Yemen.

Even the original kind of non-metaphorical war has been slashed to the bone with the military barely having enough metal left to scare off a flock of crows.

But the War on Racism has never ended. And it will never end.

The left has claimed that the War on Terror and the War on Drugs and even every real war were pretexts by the military-industrial complex, the prison industry and all the other industries to seize power by manufacturing a crisis.

But they are the ones who maintain a state of racial emergency long after the crisis has…

View original post 1,156 more words

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A blasphemous church serves a generation of religious liars

upside-down-church 1

Grant Swart

We live in a generation which is certainly under God’s judgement, if you care to pause for a few moments and ponder the general state of the society in which we now live, I’m sure that much will become quite evident. Of course, those who are of the world, who are happy to be embroiled in pursuing wealth, health and prosperity and all kinds of ways to proving their own self-righteousness and personal value before God, will not recognize the fact that they are under that very same judgement.

Never before have materialism, humanism, pride and self-worth been so prominently at the forefront of man’s thinking and priorities. Almost every marketing strategy, campaign and advert appeals directly to the will, over-inflated importance and vain pride of man. No other singular concepts have ever been as sharply focused on, as human rights, vanity and the deceitful ideology of human democracy are, in our generation.

This same critique must be leveled at the marketing done by many “churches”, the bulk of which are at great pains to take their particular brand of will-worship or church tradition to the lost multitudes of the world. The grossly erroneous interpretation of true church growth, cleverly disguised as “spiritual revival”, is one which interprets that the greater the number of misguided people who respond to these highly effective sales ploys is, the greater the tacit approval of God must be for their brand of faith or for their particular efforts. It is God who adds to His church, not pastors, synods, committees, councils, conferences or the efforts of individuals or congregations. Continue reading →

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Mandela and Voortrekker monuments: Idols of my beloved people

Madiba vs Voortrekker Monument 16 Dec 2013

Grant Swart

On 16 December 1949, the majority of Afrikaners and a few others in South Africa inaugurated the Voortrekker Monument on a hill overlooking the city of Pretoria. A group of these South Africans continue to gather there annually, in a large constructed amphitheatre, to hold a secular ceremony in celebration of a day of remembrance, which they call the Day of the Covenant or Day of the Vow. They hold the belief that, years before, on 16 December 1838, a group of Voortrekkers had made an Old Testamental type of covenant with Almighty God. They believe that this covenant had moved God to empower them to defeat a large army of black Zulu warriors at the Battle of Blood River, in what is today, Kwa-Zulu Natal.

To the contrary, man does not have the ability to influence God’s plan for history. The Voortrekkers won the battle against the odds, not as a result of the covenant they thought they had made with God, but according to the eternal will of God. God was not taken by surprise by the events of that day, He was not waiting to see what the Boers or the Zulu Impi would do, He caused the events to happen exactly as they played out, from eternity.

The 40m wide, 40m long and 40m high construction of the Voortrekker monument, which is modeled on and resembles an Egyptian monument, has a cenotaph as central focal point. Continue reading →

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Christmas and the Christian

christmas tree 40

Grant Swart

As the years have passed, the “festive” or holiday season, which includes Christmas day, has become a commercialized farce, along with other similar secular celebrations such as Mothers Day and Valentines Day. The original meaning and “reason for the season” has been replaced with lavish parties, extreme festivities, entertainment and expensive gifts. While there is nothing wrong with any of those things, they certainly do not represent Christmas. No longer is it “the thought that counts”, rather the value of the gift which apparently demonstrates the level of affection one has for the recipient. Rarely is the birth of our Saviour brought into the picture on Christmas.

There is a war being waged on the traditional Christmas by the secular world, atheists, legalists and followers of false religions. “Merry Christmas” is being replaced with “Seasons Greetings” or “Happy Holidays”. This, of course, is being done in an attempt to promote a religiously tolerant society with the will, values and rights of man as the central focus. All the while, the battle for your bucks in the countdown of shopping days to Christmas rages on.

christmas dog 20

It was Santa Claus did it!

Back to the controversial issue among many Christians, which is the partaking or avoidance of Christmas celebrations. Continue reading →