This article appeared in a 1985 VOE magazine
A TALE OF TWO MARKERS
“How pitiable that some people wrest the scriptures to their own soul’s destruction.”
Mr. Stanley Carter observed two contrasting tombstones in Greenbush Cemetery near LaFayette, Indiana.
This first was the marker of a believer who gave his life for the service of the nation during World War II. On the tombstone is engraved a likeness of the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ. Nothing could speak more beautifully of this believer’s faith than the text on the marker: “The Lord is my Shepherd”. The marker faces the east in the traditional manner of Christian burial. Matthew 24:27 says, “For as lightning cometh out of the east and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be.”
The second was a grave marker of an unbeliever. Even in death this man was militant in his scorn of the Word of God. He gave strict orders before his death that his grave should not be cut in the approved Christian fashion. He ordered that his remains should face south. It stands out by itself in the cemetery. On this unbeliever’s tombstone are these words:
Martin P. Jenners
Was born August 21, 1832 in a log cabin on the Northwest corner of Ferry and Fourth Streets
Died December 22, 1919
Then follow the words of unbelief that pierce the hearts of those Christians who see the grave:
My only objection to religion is that it is not true.
1 Corinthians 15:52, Isaiah 26:14
No preaching, no praying, no psalm singing permitted on this lot
The scriptures on the marker are these:
“In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump; for the trumpet shall sound and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed” (1 Corinthians 15:52).
“They are dead, they shall not live, they are deceased, they shall not rise; therefore hast thou visited and destroyed them, and made their memory to perish” (Isaiah 26:14).
The deceased Mr. Jenners rested his malignant unbelief on what he considered an apparent inconsistency of the Word of God. Poor foolish man! He fell prey to one of the oldest tricks of the devil—wresting a line of scripture from its context and making it the father of a sinful withe. Satan tried this routine on Jesus when he misquoted Psalm 91 to Christ… for it is written, “He shall give his angels charge over thee to keep thee…” (Matt. 4:1-15).
A close study of Isaiah chapter twenty-six reveals that God is talking about the restoration of Israel in the setting. He is contrasting the nation of Israel with heathen world empires such as Babylon and Assyria which have perished but which once held Israel captive. He says there is something indestructible about Israel. He says there is a destiny and an immortality woven into God’s dispensational plan because of Jehovah’s relationships and covenant with His people. Read the context of the scripture. The kings and nations that oppressed Israel shall not live again to oppress God’s chosen!
How sad that a mortal man challenged the word of an eternal God and lost his immortal soul.
This tale of two markers has a valuable lesson. Since Satan cannot destroy the truth of God’s word, he attempts two major attacks against it.
1- Satan attempts to steal the word when it is sown in the heart (Mark 4:14-20). Before the seed can germinate and take root, Satan (through persecution, pressure and tribulation) pushes the seed out of your spirit and the rootless become fruitless.
2- Satan will attempt to twist the scripture creating presumption and unbelief. This occurs when folks don’t rightly divide the scriptures.
Every major cult in America has enough scripture to draw the sincere heart, but enough false doctrine to damn the soul to eternity. They twist the scriptures for their own destruction.
I have read it said, you can put certain scriptures together and make them read what you desire. Example: “And Saul fell upon his sword…” (1 Samuel 31). “Go thou and do likewise…”. It appears by putting two verses together, that one should fall upon their sword as Saul did. This may be an extreme example, but false cults are just as extreme in their perversion of the pure truth.
When one studies the scripture, there are some important patterns of explanation you should take.
1- Read the entire passage in which the scripture appears. See if the words were written for Israel, for a specific nation of people, for the church, or in general for everyone.
2- Do a close word study of the verses to check the clear meaning of the Old Testament Hebrew and the New Testament Greek words. Here is an example:
There are two main Greek New Testament words translated “power”. One is “exousia” which is translated power in Luke 10:19: “Behold I give unto you POWER to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy…”.
The other word translated power is “dunamis” which is found in such passages as Acts 1:8: “You shall receive POWER after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you.”
Although both places translate the words as power in the King James Version, the two words have a different meaning in the original Greek text. The power of Luke 10:19 is literally “delegated authority”. Christ was giving us AUTHORITY over Satan’s power. In Acts 1:8, the word means “inherent power capable of reproducing itself”. This” dunamis” is the same anointing that rested upon Christ (Acts 10:38).
A close word study can bring to light powerful revelations from the scripture concerning the true meanings of the New Testament words.
3- Place the scripture in the proper setting. Some churches build entire doctrines upon “proof text.” These secluded verses are picked here and there and then tied together to “prove” their doctrine. Again, this can be dangerous. Our doctrines must be founded up on Christ and the apostles, not a few verses out of context.
4- Let the Holy Spirit bring the light of enlightenment to your spirit as you study the written word of God. He was the inspiration to the prophets who wrote, and He is the giver of understanding to those who seek God.
“We believe in the whole Bible rightly divided and the New Testament for our only rule and government”. (Declaration of Fatih – Church of God 1909)