Fleecing the Flock

Fleecing the Flock of God

One of the most shocking passages in all of the Old Testament is Jeremiah 5:31Open in Logos Bible Software (if available): “The prophets prophesy lies, the priests rule by their own authority, and my people love it this way. But what will you do in the end?” Sadly, churches today are far too much like this.

They are filled with these false shepherds and false prophets. Why is that? Because the people in the pews just love it this way. They love to be told what they want to hear. They love to soak up false gospels. They love to have their ears tickled.

All that sure beats getting the real gospel message which commands us to renounce self, deny the flesh, and pick up our cross daily. Who wants to hear that sort of message? Hardly anyone, which is exactly why we so rarely hear it anymore. But what we do get by the bucketful are messages catering to our carnality and our flesh.

Tell people they can get rich and live the good life and you will have a megachurch overnight. People love the sham prosperity gospel because it speaks to everything the flesh desires. Indeed, it is no surprise that the most greedy, materialistic, selfish and consumeristic nation on earth – America – is the birthplace of this pernicious false gospel.

dollar 3And examples of just how bad it really is are so easy to come by. Consider this recent story about yet another American prosperity preacher who is again fleecing his people – and they seem to lap it up! The story begins:

Popular televangelist and founder of World Changers Church International, Creflo Dollar, is now hoping to get 200,000 people to donate $300 each so he can buy a brand new luxurious $65 million Gulfstream G650 airplane for his ministry, which last year had billionaires reportedly waiting in line to get one.
An appeal on his website to fund the purchase of the multimillion dollar airplane noted that the appeal was triggered by a recent engine failure on his current carrier that could have resulted in a tragedy had it not been for his skillful pilot.
“The ministry’s current airplane, was built in 1984, purchased by the ministry in 1999 and has since logged four million miles. Recently on an overseas trip to a global conference, one of the engines failed. By the grace of God, the expert pilot, who’s flown with Creflo for almost 20 years, landed the plane safely without injury or harm to any passengers,” said the appeal. Dollar insisted that he needs one of the most luxurious private jets made today in order to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Um, I don’t think so. He does not need a $65 million dollar jet to preach the gospel. He may well want one to stoke his love of the good life, and to impress gullible believers, and to live like a ‘King’s kid’. And it would look real nice alongside his mega-mansion and fancy cars. But he does not need this to share the gospel.

Indeed, if he took the millions raised and used it on feeding the starving, clothing the naked, and looking after the marginalised and the oppressed, while speaking about Jesus, he would be doing far more for the Kingdom than flying around in his fancy-smancy jet.

And if you think this is not biblical, try reading the Bible for a change; maybe begin with these passages:

Matthew 13:22Open in Logos Bible Software (if available) The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful.

Luke 6:24-25Open in Logos Bible Software (if available) But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort. Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep.

1 Timothy 6:9-10Open in Logos Bible Software (if available) People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

James 5:1-3Open in Logos Bible Software (if available) Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you. Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days.

There are plenty of these sorts of warnings about wealth in Scripture. Yet this guy must have taken a scissors and snipped them all out of his Bible. Now if this sounds like I am judging this guy, you are absolutely right I am. And you should be too. This is just a prime example of the very thing Jesus and the disciples warned about time and time again. So who ya gonna believe: the Son of God and the inspired writers of the New Testament, or some con artist who calls himself Dollar?

If you really believe this guy needs a 65 mil plane to preach the gospel, then I have refrigerators I want to sell you in Alaska. Um, news flash: the disciples did not have a luxury private jet to preach the gospel. They walked and talked, or used a dodgy old boat.

Some biblical preachers even hitched a ride in the belly of a whale. God was able to get them around, without living a life of luxury. And guess what? The disciples made far more converts on their feet than this charlatan will ever make with his fancy jets and lavish lifestyle.

The prosperity gospel is simply one of the biggest frauds and grossest deceptions ever inflicted upon the Western church. It is leading millions of people to hell. Jesus even warned about this in crystal clear terms, yet we act as if he never said such things.

When he said “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!” he actually meant it. Really. Yet these preachers and their duped disciples think that being stinking rich is actually the way to go. But the Bible makes it clear that we should not seek for riches and wealth.

Of course we do not need to seek for poverty either. As we read in Proverbs 30:8Open in Logos Bible Software (if available), “Give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread.” And just think of all the daily bread masses of starving people around the world could have if this $65 million went to them and their needs, instead of the selfish and egotistical lusts of this get-rich-quick scammer.

"What is dispensational premillennialism / premillennial dispensationalism?"

Question: "What is dispensational premillennialism / premillennial dispensationalism?"

Answer: Premillennialism as a system is primarily based on a literal method of biblical interpretation. The main premise of premillennialism is that Jesus will literally return to the earth before (pre) the millennium begins and that He himself will inaugurate and rule over it. Premillennialists can be divided into two groups with respect to their central approach to the prophetic Scriptures, historic premillennialists and dispensational premillennialists. The basic difference between the two is the emphasis that each gives to the nation of Israel during the millennium, the period of a thousand years during which Christ will reign on earth (see Revelation 20:1-7).

Historic premillennialists believe that scriptural prophecy, especially the passages in Daniel and Revelation, give the entire history of the Church in symbolic form. Thus, they look into the Church’s past and present to find prophetic fulfillment and to see where they are in God’s prophetic timetable. Most historic premillennialists hold that the nation of Israel will undergo a national salvation immediately before the millennium is established, but there will be no national restoration of Israel. Thus, the nation of Israel will not have a special role or function that is distinct from the Church.

In contrast to historic premillennialism, dispensational premillennialism has gained popularity among modern evangelicals. Dispensational premillennialists hold that the second coming of Christ, and subsequent establishment of the millennial kingdom, is to be preceded by a seven-year-long period known as the “Tribulation,” the earthly activity of the Antichrist as well as the outpouring of God’s wrath on mankind. Dispensational premillennialists hold that the nation of Israel will be saved and restored to a place of preeminence in the millennium. Thus, Israel will have a special function of service in the millennium that is different from that of the Church or saved Gentiles.

Another difference is that most dispensational premillennialists hold that the millennium is for a literal 1000 years, while some historic premillennialists assert that the 1000 years is figurative for a long period of time. Basically, the fundamental difference between historic premillennialism and dispensational premillennialism consists in the latter’s insistence on maintaining a distinction between the nation of Israel and the Church. According to dispensationalists, the millennium will be a period of history in which God reverts back to fulfilling His Old Testament promises made to ethnic Israel, after this modern “Church Age” in which we live today is concluded. As such, the millennium will be a state of Jewish dominion over all the world, along with a newly restored Jewish temple and priesthood.

The Christians who reign with Christ will all have been given eternal, glorified bodies, and will reign spiritually, while the Jews will own the world physically, and will live, marry, and die (although evincing incredible longevity), just as people have throughout the history of the world. It is only after this thousand-year period, in which God fulfills His promises to ethnic Israel, that Christ will put down a final rebellion and usher in the eternal state with its New Heaven and New Earth (Revelation 21-22).

Historic premillennialism, conversely, requires none of this strict dichotomy between God’s spiritual people, the Church, and His physical people, ethnic Israel; it merely looks ahead to a time when Christ will reign visibly on the earth, before He brings in the eternal state.

Hank Hanegraaff’s Abuse of Biblical Truth

Hank Hanegraaff’s Abuse of Biblical Truth

by Ken Ham
Most of you have likely heard of Hank Hanegraaff, president of the Christian Research Institute (CRI) and host of the radio broadcast Bible Answer Man. In a recent issue of the Creation Research Journal, which is published by CRI, Hanegraaff made some very disturbing statements about Scripture’s account of dinosaurs and sea monsters—and the serpent in the Garden of Eden.

Hanegraaff wrote a book on the issue of creation titled The Creation Answer Book. I previously published a review on my blog.

Sadly, The Creation Answer Book made it evident that Hanegraaff does not hold to a literal Genesis (but buys into geological and astronomical evolution), as he was unwilling to understand Genesis in its most natural form—historical narrative.

In this more recent article, called “Leviathan, Dragons, and Dinosaurs, Oh My!” (CRJ, vol. 36, no. 2), Hanegraaff denies that the Bible’s accounts of the sea creature leviathan and the large behemoth (that we think is an apt description of what could be a sauropod dinosaur) are literal. Working through Job chapters 38–41, Hanegraaff claims that of all the things God lists to Job, these two creatures are meant to be understood as metaphors. He writes the following:

In sum, Leviathan and Behemoth are not dinosaurs but personifications that illustrate a metaphysical reality. As such, the mythology of the dragon underscores the reality of the Devil.
Well, he’s right on one count—leviathan was not a dinosaur, because only particular land animals (possibly behemoth) were dinosaurs. Leviathan was a sea creature, and thus was created on Day Five of Creation Week (Genesis 1:21). Hanegraaff, though, seems to think that some Christians believe leviathan was a dinosaur. At AiG, we understand the technical definition of dinosaur is for a group of land animals, and so we have never suggested leviathan was a dinosaur. Leviathan was a real animal that lived in the sea. The description could fit something like the great Kronosaurus, but we don’t know for sure.
What’s more, every other creature (living or nonliving) that God mentions in Job 38–41 (e.g., lion, raven, donkey, wild ox, ostrich, horse, locust, hawk, or eagle) are literal objects that Job saw. Why would God suddenly mention two “personifications” (which means to give living traits to an inanimate object or idea) in the midst of literal objects?

In fact, leviathan is mentioned repeatedly in Scripture (Job 3:8, 41:1; Psalm 74:14, 104:26; Isaiah 27:1). There’s no denying this was a real creature that people were familiar with. Hanegraaff’s conclusion doesn’t make sense in light of all this, but it does reveal his denial of the fact that man lived alongside these great beasts (dinosaurs), which were also made on Day Six of creation along with man. God even pointed out to Job that behemoth was made along with you (Job 40:15).

Hanegraaff, however, relies on a “literary” understanding of Scripture. He says that means he reads God’s Word “in the most obvious and natural sense,” but his views on dinosaurs above clearly contradict that. In other words, he doesn’t believe that dinosaurs, which are land animals, were made on the same day as Adam.

But it actually gets worse: Hanegraaff also denies there was a literal serpent in the Garden of Eden that audibly spoke to Eve. He claims the following:

Eve was not deceived by a talking snake. Rather, Moses used the symbol of a snake to communicate the wiles of the Evil One who deceived Eve through mind-to-mind communication . . .
Now, Hanegraaff’s claim clearly contradicts the plain reading of Genesis 3, which has already been shown beyond doubt to be historical narrative. So how is his reading the “most obvious and natural”? Really, it isn’t. His view on the serpent here causes problems for how we’re to read 2 Corinthians 11:3, where the Apostle Paul clearly considers the serpent to be literal. Furthermore, Paul warns that just as the serpent (a real serpent) beguiled Eve, so Satan will use the same method on us. And that method was to get people to doubt God’s Word, which would lead to unbelief. Sadly, Hanegraaff, by his compromise position in regard to the serpent, is really getting people to doubt God’s Word in Genesis.
Because Hanegraaff holds to an old earth (and hence, also denies a global Flood), that in order to support his views, he has to explain away literal references to man and dinosaurs living alongside each other in Genesis—and that carries over into how he reads much of the creation account in Genesis.

It’s sad that influential Christians like Hanegraaff wholeheartedly accept many secular humanistic ideas like long-age geology and the big bang. When they accept these competing (anti-biblical) claims and mix them with their Christianity, something always has to give. Most people give up what the Bible plainly says in light of the “secular religion” of long ages. I want to encourage you to stand strong on the authority of God’s Word and watch out for these secular ideas in the church. Don’t mix these two religions (Hebrews 10:23). To do so is really no different than the Israelites mixing with the Baal worship of their day. Man’s fallible word should never be used to reinterpret God’s clear Word. To do so is to attack and undermine the authority of the infallible Word.

Moreover, beyond the Bible’s many references to land-dwelling dinosaurs and great sea creatures, there are flood and dragon legends from around the world. It makes sense from these abundant accounts that many of the land “dragons” were actually dinosaurs and the sea dragons were sea creatures like the pliosaurs. Of course, Hanegraaff denies that there is any truth to these accounts, but at the Creation Museum, we actually have a new Dragon Legends exhibit opening soon that presents this compelling evidence. I doubt Hanegraaff will like this spectacular exhibit one bit, as it lays out—from historical records—many of the dragon legends.

Our high-quality Dragon Legends exhibit, opening later this month, contains amazing artifact models, artwork, and facts surrounding the dragon legends we have researched from around the world. And what’s our conclusion? The evidence that these legends provides actually confirms what the Bible says—man, dinosaurs, and sea monsters existed together since Creation Week.

"What is kingdom theology?"

Question: "What is kingdom theology?"

Answer: At its most basic definition, kingdom theology is simply the area of theology that studies the Kingdom of God. In that sense kingdom theology is a legitimate and beneficial part of theology as a whole. But there are also whole theological movements labeled as “kingdom theology,” so one must be careful to understand how the term is being used.

Basically, kingdom theology divides human history into two broad periods of time: the “present evil age” and the “age to come.” The first started with the fall of man and will last until the Second Coming of Christ. The “present evil age” is marked by sin, sickness, death, disease, war, and poverty. In it Satan is seen as the ruler of the world (Ephesians 2:2 and 6:12), although his rule is limited. The “age to come” is when the Kingdom of God rules, providing eternal life and freedom from sin, sickness, and suffering. It is a time of universal peace on earth and God’s sovereign reign over all of creation.

One type of kingdom theology is what is sometimes referred to as the “already but not yet” view of the Kingdom of God. This view, popular among Charismatics, teaches that the “end times” began with the ascension of Christ into heaven. It is also called “inaugurated eschatology” because the life, death, and resurrection of Christ are seen as inaugurating, or ushering in, the beginning of the last days. Those who hold this view believe that the Kingdom of God is already here but has not yet been fully consummated.

Kingdom theology teaches that, ever since the time of Christ, both ages are in play. So, while the Kingdom of God is already begun (inaugurated by Christ) and Christ is already ruling from heaven, the full benefits of the Kingdom have not yet been realized, and we still suffer the effects of the fall. Because the Kingdom of God is still “not yet” here in all of its glory and power, Christians still suffer sickness and death. Until Christ returns physically, we will not experience the fullness of the Kingdom of God. Among the adherents of kingdom theology, there is a debate about the degree to which the power of the Kingdom is manifest today. One of the more extreme positions is that God has already rid the world of sickness and death, if we would only have enough faith to believe it.

Kingdom theology became a popular teaching in the Vineyard movement and was embraced by Charismatic leaders such as John Wimber. A distortion of kingdom theology has influenced the Latter Rain Movement and other aberrant theological systems. Some groups do not see a distinction between the two ages and assume the full benefits of the Kingdom are available right now. This leads to many outlandish and unbiblical claims concerning miracles, a Christian’s ability to live totally free from sickness and disease, and other errors.

Taking the biblical concept of kingdom theology to unbiblical extremes, some claim that the miracles performed by modern-day “prophets and apostles” are greater than anything done by the original apostles. This erroneous teaching has spawned a whole movement of unbiblical and sometimes heretical teachings such as Kingdom Now Theology and Dominion Theology. The teaching is also popular among “Word of Faith” teachers.

The basic premise of kingdom theology—that the Kingdom of God is in effect now—is true. God is the sovereign ruler over all things, and we know from Scripture that Jesus Christ is “at the right hand of God” (Acts 7:56). Jesus is “both Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:36). Where some proponents of kingdom theology go wrong is in their belief that all the Old and New Testament promises of the Kingdom of God directly apply to Christians today.

The teaching that salvation brings a total healing of all diseases and problems right now does not come from Scripture. Jesus said that His kingdom is “not of this world” right now (John 18:36), and He taught His disciples to pray, “May your Kingdom come soon” (Luke 11:2, NLT). The promises of the Kingdom await a future and more complete fulfillment at Christ’s Second Coming.

Extreme forms of kingdom theology, such as the Kingdom Now doctrine, have many problems. First of all, such teachings diminish the need for Jesus to return. After all, if the fully realized Kingdom of God is in effect for Christians today, why does Christ need to return at all? Second, Kingdom Now theology makes God dependent on man and his faith; in order for God to accomplish His will, we must have faith and claim the promises (usually taken out of context). God’s rule is diminished and His sovereignty attacked by many Kingdom Now teachers. Man controls his own destiny through his words and the power of his faith.

Starting with the false teaching that God “lost control” of the earth when Adam and Eve sinned, exponents of extreme kingdom theology believe that God has been looking for a “covenant people” who will take back control of the earth from Satan. Through the power of their faith and by following “last-days apostles and prophets,” the church will regain dominion over the kingdoms of this world—including the “kingdoms” of sickness, disease, and financial problems. Those who embrace this teaching are looking forward to, as God’s covenant people, taking control of the government, education, science, and every other aspect of the world. They believe this will be achieved as believers use the miraculous gifts of the Spirit before the return of Christ.

Kingdom theology, when correctly understood, is certainly compatible with true, biblical Christianity. The danger comes from those who distort the theological construct into an unbiblical doctrine. Proponents of kingdom theology can run the gamut from sound Bible teachers, to outright heretics. We should be careful to avoid broad-brushing the entire movement and instead judge each teacher or church by comparing what they are teaching to Scripture.

Responding to the Jehovah’s Witness attacks on the deity of Christ

Responding to the Jehovah’s Witness attacks on the deity of Christ
by Matt Slick

If Jesus is God, why did He pray to the Father in John 17?
Jesus prayed to the Father because as a man, under the Law (Gal. 4:4), He needed to pray to the Father. The Bible teaches that He was both God and man (Col. 2:9, John 8:58 with Ex. 3:14). Also, Jesus has two natures. Therefore, we will see two types of Scripture concerning Jesus: those that seem to focus on His divine-side and those that seem to focus on His human-side. The Jehovah's Witnesses are simply ignoring or changing the divine-side Scriptures and concentrating on those that describe His human-side. See Hypostatic Union for information on the two natures of Jesus.
Also, God is a Trinity which means that the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit are all divine but are distinct persons and not three gods. The person of the Son prayed to the person of the Father. This makes sense since Jesus was fully divine and fully human at the same time.

If Jesus is God, why did Jesus say the Father was greater than He (John 14:28)?
He said this because His position was different from that of God the Father--not His nature. Heb. 2:9 says that Jesus was made for a little while lower than the angels, and Gal. 4:4 says that He was under the Law. Therefore, as a man, He was in a lesser position than the Father but not different in nature. This would also explain why He grew in wisdom and stature (Luke 2:52).
By comparison, a husband is the head of the family, and the wife is not. Though their positions are different, he has greater authority. Their natures are the same. This is how it works with Jesus. His nature is the same as the Father, but He was sent by the Father (John 6:44) and was in a lesser position due to His incarnation and being under the Law.

Why did Jesus ask, "Why call me good, only God is good?" in Luke 18:19?
Jesus said this because it is true that only God is good. When Jesus said this, He wasn't saying that people can't do good things on a human level but that true goodness belongs to God alone. He is the standard of what is good. So, we must ask the Jehovah's Witness, "Was Jesus good?" Obviously, the answer has to be yes. Therefore, when Jesus said that only God was good, He was confirming His own deity because what He was doing was good.

Why did Jesus say that He could only do those things that He saw the Father do in John 5:19?
He said this because as God in flesh, He was able to do the same things that God the Father could do. No mere man or angel could rightfully say this. If Jesus is the second person of the Trinity, then He would naturally be able to do whatever the Father can do. Therefore, Jesus is divine.

"Is partial preterism biblical? What do partial preterists believe?"

Question: "Is partial preterism biblical? What do partial preterists believe?"

Answer: Preterism is the eschatological view that the “end times” prophecies of the Bible have already been fulfilled. So, when we read what the Bible says about the tribulation, we are reading history. Preterism is divided into two camps: full (or consistent) preterism and partial preterism. Full preterism takes an extreme view that all prophecy in the Bible has been fulfilled in one way or another. Partial preterists take a more moderate approach, and many partial preterists consider full preterists to be guilty of heresy.

Those who hold to partial preterism believe that the prophecies in Daniel, Matthew 24, and Revelation (with the exception of the last two or three chapters) have already been fulfilled and were fulfilled no later than the first century AD. According to partial preterism, there is no rapture, and passages describing the tribulation and the Antichrist are actually referring to the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 and the Roman emperor Titus. Partial preterists do believe in the return of Christ to earth and a future resurrection and judgment, but they do not teach a millennial kingdom or that Israel as a nation has a place in God’s future plan. According to partial preterists, the Bible’s references to “the last days” are speaking of the last days of the Old Jewish Covenant, not the last days of the earth itself.

In order for partial preterists to maintain their position, they insist that the book of Revelation was written early (before AD 70). They must also use an inconsistent hermeneutic when interpreting prophetic passages. According to the preterist view of the end times, chapters 6—18 of Revelation are highly symbolic, not describing any literal events. Since the destruction of Jerusalem did not involve the wholesale destruction of sea life (Revelation 16:3) or agonizing darkness (verse 10), these judgments are interpreted by the preterist as purely allegorical. However, according to preterists, chapter 19 is to be understood literally—Jesus Christ will physically return. But chapter 20 is again interpreted allegorically by preterists, while chapters 21—22 are understood literally, at least in part, in that there will truly be a new heaven and new earth.

No one denies that Revelation contains amazing and sometimes confusing visions. No one denies that Revelation describes many things figuratively—that’s the nature of apocalyptic literature. However, to arbitrarily deny the literal nature of select portions of Revelation is to destroy the basis of interpreting any of the book literally. If the plagues, witnesses, beast, false prophet, millennial kingdom, etc., are all allegorical, then on what basis do we claim that the second coming of Christ and the new earth are literal? That is the failure of preterism—it leaves the interpretation of Revelation to the opinions of the interpreter.

Those who hold to partial preterism also do not read Matthew 24 in a literal sense. Christ spoke of the destruction of the temple (Matthew 24:2). But much of what He described did not occur in AD 70. Christ speaks of that future time as one of “great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again. If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened” (Matthew 24:21–22). Surely, this cannot be applied to the events of AD 70. There have been worse times in the history of the world since then.

The Lord also says, “Immediately after the distress of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken. At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory” (Matthew 24:29–30). In order for the events of these two verses to have already occurred, Jesus Christ must have returned bodily in AD 70—but He did not. The partial preterist believes that these verses do not refer to a bodily return of Christ but to an appearing of His judgment. However, this is not what a normal, literal reading of the text would lead anyone to believe. It is the “Son of Man” whom people see, not just His judgment.

Partial preterists also appeal to Matthew 24:34 where Jesus speaks of “this generation.” They say that Christ was referring to those living at the time He spoke the words recorded in that chapter; thus, the tribulation had to occur within about 40 years of His statement. However, we believe that Jesus was not referring to the people of His day but to the generation who would witness the events recorded in Matthew 24:15–31. That future generation will witness all of the swiftly moving events of the last days, including Christ’s bodily return (verses 29–30).

The partial preterist viewpoint leads to a belief in amillenialism (or post-millenialism) and is associated with covenant theology. Of course, it rejects dispensationalism. But its main problem is its inconsistent hermeneutic and its allegorizing of many biblical prophecies that are better understood literally. While partial preterism is within the scope of orthodoxy, it is not the majority view among Christians today.

Book Review - What on Earth Is God Doing? by Renald E. Showers

What on Earth Is God Doing? by Renald E. Showers

This book provides a biblical answer and reveals Satan’s counterfeit to the three major worldview questions: Where have we come from? Why are we here? Where are we going? (p. 128). The Lord has a plan and a goal for all of His creation, and it is these that Satan makes every attempt to thwart. Since God’s ultimate purpose is made possible only through the Redeemer, the devil focuses much of his attention on subverting, or even attempting to eliminate, the Savior. What on Earth Is God Doing? traces this conflict between God and Satan through history.

Showers understands all of history in light of this conflict and, therefore, reads both biblical accounts and historical events through this lens. This being the case, the author often does not proof-text many of his statements but sees events in light of his understanding of this conflict. For example, concerning Cain’s murder of Abel, Showers writes, “Thus the first murder in history was committed because of Satan’s goal to prevent the Redeemer’s coming” (p. 21). The biblical text does not actually give this as the reason for Cain’s actions, but it is a reasonable assumption based upon the bigger picture of our understanding of Satan and his efforts as outlined in Scripture. Showers sees the major events of our world within this pattern of spiritual struggle. While the details are hidden from man, nevertheless Ephesians 6:12-18, among other scriptures, give us a peek behind the curtain to reveal the reality. At the same time we must be careful to note that the devil and God are not equal entities. Satan is a created being who will eventually be vanquished. But for now our Lord has chosen to allow the devil to be the “god of this age.”

Showers devotes each of his nine chapters to distinct periods of time. The first four chapters discuss the biblical accounts while the next four trace the divine/satanic battle throughout church history, as Showers interprets these events. The last chapter returns to Scripture, examining the prophetic sections which describes the Lord’s final victory over Satan and his schemes, and the setting up of God’s kingdom on earth.

What on Earth Is God Doing? provides a helpful short overview of major events and movements throughout human history from a solid dispensational perspective. It pulls back the curtain on these events to reveal the spiritual battles behind the scenes. This helps the reader to understand more clearly that life is not random but has divine purpose.