The

BEREAN SEARCHLIGHT
Studying God’s Word, Rightly Divided June 2019
TM
IN THIS ISSUE June 2019

Feature Article
Can a Believer Lose His Salvation? by Ricky Kurth.....................................5

Articles
A Father’s Day Challenge, by Kevin Sadler.................................................13
The Danger of the Occult, by Kevin Sadler..................................................19
Evidence for the Pre-Tribulational Rapture, by Ken Lawson.....................21

Departments
Conformed to the Image of His Son..............................................................4
Question Box...................................................................................................17
Copycat............................................................................................................18
News and Announcements..........................................................................30
This month’s cover is Thomas Point Lighthouse in the Chesapeake Bay, Maryland.
The Purpose of the Berean Bible Society is to help you understand and enjoy the Bible. The
Mission of BBS is to exalt the Lord Jesus Christ by proclaiming the whole counsel of God
according to the revelation of the Mystery. Our Goals are to evangelize the lost, to educate
the saved in “rightly dividing the Word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15), to energize the Christian life,
and to encourage the local church.
The Berean Searchlight is the official organ of the Berean Bible Society,
and is sent free of charge to any who request it.
Editor: Ricky L. Kurth/Layout and Design: Jessica Sadler (Book specials: Christine Mulholland)
Reader’s Rights & Responsibilities: BBS respects a reader’s right to hold views that differ from
those of our writers. If a reader has a serious concern with a specific article, it is his or her respon-
sibility to act in a manner that endeavors to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
This can best be accomplished by contacting the editor, who will then forward your concerns
to the author of the article in question. We promise to address all concerns in a timely manner.

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The Berean Searchlight (ISSN 0005-8890), June 2019. Vol. 80, Number 4.
The Berean Searchlight is published monthly (except July) at no subscription price, by Berean Bible
Society, N112 W17761 Mequon Rd., PO Box 756, Germantown, WI 53022-0756. Periodical post-
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 A Note From the President
Dear Friends in Christ,
My daughter, Katelyn, graduates from high school this
month. Life goes very quickly! I can remember the day
Katie was born as if it was yesterday. I always tease her that
I also remember that on the night she was born there was a memorable NFL
football game called “the Monday Night Miracle.” In truth, however, Katelyn
was the miracle on that Monday to us. My wife, Jessica, and I have watched
Katelyn grow and mature from a newborn baby into a young woman. She has
also grown and matured in her faith over the years since she trusted Christ.
Spiritual growth is God’s will for each of our lives. The Corinthians lack of
spiritual growth puzzled and frustrated the Apostle Paul. They were remain-
ing babes in Christ, although they had been saved for many years. At that
point, after all those years, they still could only be fed the milk of the Word,
and not the meat (1 Cor. 3:1,2).
God sets the highest goal for our spiritual growth: “to be conformed to the
image of His Son,” the Lord Jesus Christ (Rom. 8:29). By this, God teaches
us that He never wants us to stop growing. We will never reach God’s goal
on this side of glory. Not until the Rapture will each of us be “a perfect man,
unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ” (Eph. 4:13).
The materials we have available at Berean Bible Society are for helping
the believer’s spiritual growth. Often we are asked what we recommend for
newer believers as an introduction to the Word, rightly divided. Here is a list
of the works we recommend:
• Exploring the Unsearchable Riches of Christ (hardcover), by Paul M. Sadler
• Moses and Paul (paperback), by C. R. Stam
• The Twofold Purpose of God (paperback), by C. R. Stam
• Growing in God’s Grace (paperback), by John Fredericksen
• Now That I Believe (booklet), by Ricky Kurth
• Understanding Your Bible (booklet), by Kevin J. Sadler
• What It Means to Be a Grace Believer (DVDs), by Paul M. Sadler
From there, we recommend books that are more in-depth to aid believers
as they grow in grace: Things That Differ (Stam), Acts, Dispensationally
Considered (Stam), and Paul’s Epistle to the Ephesians (P. Sadler). Daily
devotional books are also outstanding in assisting the spiritual growth of the
believer. We sell two of these types of books: Two Minutes with the Bible
(Stam) and Daily Transformation (Fredericksen). You can order any of these
works through our website, or by giving us a call at 262-255-4750.

Grace and peace,

Pastor Kevin Sadler, President
Conformed to the Image of His Son
Some golden daybreak the trump is going to sound and the dead in
Christ shall rise, and we who are alive and remain shall be caught up to
meet the Lord in the air. Then, “we must all appear before the Judgment
Seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body,
according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. Knowing
therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men…” (2 Cor. 5:10,11).

When I stand at the Judgment Seat of Christ

And He shows me His plan for me;
The plan of my life as it might have been
Had He had His way, and I see
How I blocked Him here and checked Him there
And I would not yield my will,
Shall I see grief in my Savior’s eyes;
Grief though He loves me still?
Oh, He’d have me rich, and I stand there poor,
Stripped of all but His grace,
While my memory runs like a hunted thing
Down the paths I can’t retrace.
Then my desolate heart will well-nigh break
With tears that I cannot shed.
I’ll cover my face with my empty hands
And bow my uncrowned head.
No! Lord of the years that are left to me
I yield them to Thy hand.
Take me, make me, mold me
To the pattern Thou hast planned.
—Author Unknown
May God give us the strength to redeem the time wisely. Only one life;
’twill soon be past. Only what’s done for Christ will last.
Can A Believer
Lose His
Salvation?
PASTOR RICKY KURTH
Berean Searchlight Editor

D id you hear about the man

who said, “I lost my job as a
bank teller on my very first day.
“For by grace are ye saved
through faith; and that not of
yourselves: it is the gift of God:
A woman asked me to check her Not of works, lest any man should
balance, so I tipped her over.” boast” (Eph. 2:8,9).
And then there was the man who There are also other verses that
exclaimed, “I had a terrible day. teach that salvation is by grace
My mother-in-law got hit by a bus, (Rom. 3:24; Eph. 2:5). So when
and I lost my job as a bus driver.” you read a verse like our text in
Well, as difficult as it is to 2 Corinthians 6:1, a verse that
lose a job, it is an infinitely more says you can receive God’s grace
serious thing to lose your salva- “in vain,” it makes it sound like
tion. Thankfully, there are lots you can be saved by God’s grace,
of verses in the Bible that teach but then lose your salvation by
“once saved, always saved,” in- sinning too much, or by sinning
cluding Romans 8:35-39. too badly.
But there are also many verses But do you know what Paul
that sound like they are saying said to the Romans about receiv-
a believer can lose his salvation, ing God’s grace?
including our first text. After “…they which receive abun-
speaking of God in 2 Corinthians dance of grace and of the gift of
5:21, Paul went on to say: righteousness shall reign in life
“We then, as workers together by one, Jesus Christ…” (Rom.
with Him, beseech you also that 5:17).
ye receive not the grace of God in Here I need to point out that
vain” (2 Cor. 6:1). “they which receive abundance
What does it mean to receive of grace” are not some elite group.
God’s grace in vain? Well, as all All who are saved by God’s grace
true Christians know, people are have received abundance of grace.
saved by the grace of God, as Paul God is not chintzy with His grace,
explained to the Ephesians: and all who receive it also receive

June 2019 5
“the gift of righteousness.” And And God’s workforce is a ser-
because of that, Paul says that vice to which every Christian
all who receive God’s grace “shall” should aspire to enter, for the only
reign in life—no ifs, ands or buts proper response to being saved
about it! by God’s grace without works is
So what then does it mean to to work for Him to show your ap-
receive God’s grace in vain? Well, preciation for being saved by His
the only reliable way to interpret grace! Isn’t that what Paul went
the Bible is by comparing Scrip- on to tell the Ephesians?
ture with Scripture (1 Cor. 2:13), “For by grace are ye saved…
and there’s another verse that not of works…For we are His
talks about receiving God’s grace workmanship, created in Christ
in vain. So let’s let this other Jesus unto good works, which
verse interpret our text. Com- God hath before ordained that
paring himself to the 12 apostles, we should walk in them” (Eph.
Paul told the Corinthians, 2:8-10).
“…by the grace of God I am When God saved you by His
what I am: and His grace which grace, He made you a new crea-
was bestowed upon me was ture in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17). But
not in vain; but I labored more Ephesians 2:10 says that the
abundantly than they all…” reason God “created” you a new
(1 Cor. 15:10). creature was to do good works
Paul says that he didn’t receive for Him. So if you don’t labor for
God’s grace in vain, he labored for Him by doing good works, then
the Lord instead. That means you have received His grace in
that receiving God’s grace in vain vain. You received His grace, but
means receiving it and then not didn’t do anything with it.
laboring for Him.

Ever Wonder Why

God Saved You?
You see, the reason God saved
you by His grace wasn’t so you
could sit on your hands or twiddle
your thumbs doing nothing while
waiting for the Rapture. The
reason God saved you was so you
could labor for Him.
It may sound strange to say, If I give you a car, I give you
but God is not what we call “an the power to go places. But if
equal opportunity employer.” If you never go anywhere, you’ve
you’re not saved, He won’t let received that car in vain. In the
you work for Him! Now if you or same way, grace gives you the
I were to refuse to hire someone power to labor for the Lord. But
on the basis of religion, we’d find if you’ve received the power to
ourselves in trouble with the law. labor for the Lord, and you never
But God only hires Christians to do anything with it, you have
enter His workforce! received it in vain.

6 Berean Searchlight
 Many years ago, the National drink, let there be a parking spot
Library Association had a clever right in front of the bar.” And sure
television advertising campaign enough, his eighth time around
slogan that I’ve never forgotten. the block, there it was!
It said, “If you do not read, you That’s an example of making
are not better off than someone provision for the flesh, to fulfil the
who cannot read.” Well, if you do lusts thereof. If you have a drink-
not labor for the Lord now that ing problem, making no provision
you are saved, you’re no better off for the flesh would mean taking
than an unsaved person who can- the long way home from work
not labor for Him—at least you’re instead of the short way home, if
no better off as far as serving the the short way takes you past your
Lord is concerned. favorite watering hole.
The bottom line is that re- But if the flesh is the part of
ceiving God’s grace in vain has you that makes you want to do
nothing to do with getting saved evil, what’s Paul mean when he
by grace and then losing your tells saved believers, “If ye live
salvation because you sinned too after the flesh, ye shall die”? Some
much or too badly. It has to do say it means that if a Christian
with receiving God’s grace and lives after the flesh and does evil
not letting it work in your life by that he’ll die eternally by losing
laboring for the Lord. his salvation.
But later on in that same 8th
A Matter of Life and Death chapter of Romans Paul issued
The next verse we want to con- the thunderous declaration that
sider that makes it sound like a nothing can separate us from
Christian can lose his salvation is, God’s love (8:35-39). So either this
“…if ye live after the flesh, ye master logician who was writing
shall die…” (Rom. 8:13). under the inspiration of the Spirit
Now if you’re not sure what of God contradicted himself in
Paul means by “the flesh,” your the very same chapter, or there
flesh is the part of you that wants is some other explanation for Ro-
to do sinful things. After mention- mans 8:13—and there is!
ing several sinful things in Ro-
mans 13:13, Paul went on to say, Die A Slow Death
“...make not provision for the First of all, Paul means that
flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof ” if you live after the flesh, you’ll
(v. 14). die physically. Have you ever
As you can see, your flesh is the wondered what Paul meant when
part of you that not only wants he wrote,
to do sinful things, it lusts to do “Children, obey your parents…
sinful things. that…thou mayest live long on the
Did you hear about the Chris- earth” (Eph. 6:1-3).
tian man who quit drinking, but Christians often ask what the
who one day felt the need for just connection might be between
one drink? In the face of this obeying your parents when you
temptation, he prayed, “Lord, are a child and living a long life.
if you want me to have just one But if you don’t learn to obey your

June 2019 7
parents when you are growing up, unto God who gave it” (Eccl. 12:7).
you’re not likely to obey the law But that means that the Biblical
when you become an adult. And if definition of death is separation.
you don’t obey the law, you might When you die physically, your
get shot while robbing a liquor soul and spirit are separated from
store, or die in the electric chair your body.
for killing someone. And even if
you never get caught committing Spiritual Death
a crime, you’ll always be looking But the Bible also speaks
over your shoulder, worrying that about a spiritual kind of death.
you’re about to be apprehended Paul wrote,
for crimes you’ve committed in “God, who is rich in mercy…
the past. And that can cause when we were dead in sins, hath
stress, and stress can cause high quickened us together with
blood pressure, heart attacks, Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)”
and a host of other illnesses that (Eph. 2:4,5).
will shorten your life here on the When you were unsaved, you
earth. were spiritually dead in your sins,
So yeah, sowing to the flesh and needed God to quicken you
will cause you to die a little by saving you from being dead in
physically every day, and fulfill your sins.
the apostle’s words in Ephesians What’s it mean to be “dead
6:1-3. in sins”? Well, if someone who
is physically dead is someone
whose soul and spirit have been
So if you... separated from his body, then
someone who is spiritually dead is
then you have someone whose soul and spirit are
received His separated from God. That’s the
spiritual condition of all unsaved
grace in vain. people. And that explains what
Paul meant when he wrote,
“…walk not as other Gentiles
walk…being alienated from the
life of God…” (Eph. 4:17,18).
But there are other kinds of The “other” Gentiles that Paul
death in the Bible other than had in mind here were unsaved
physical death. Here it may help Gentiles, and he described them
to pause and define death. Death as “being alienated from the life of
is not the cessation of existence, God.” That’s the spiritual condi-
as is often thought to be the case. tion of all unbelievers: separated
Speaking of Rachel, Moses wrote, from God, alienated from His life.
“...it came to pass, as her soul And if you are alienated from life,
was in departing, (for she died)…” you’re dead.
(Gen. 35:18). And if you die in that spiritu-
When it comes your turn to die, ally dead condition, you will have
your soul will depart from your to die again, and go to a place that
body, “and the spirit shall return the Apostle John called,

8 Berean Searchlight
 “…the lake of fire. This is the first place. It’s found in the rest
second death” (Rev. 20:14). of Romans 8:13:
The “second death” is also a “…if ye live after the flesh, ye
separation. It is the separation of shall die: but if ye through the
a man’s soul from the life of God Spirit do mortify the deeds of the
for all eternity in the lake of fire. body, ye shall live” (Rom. 8:13).
Now that’s not talking about
The Death of Your obtaining eternal life by mortify-
Christian Experience ing the deeds of the flesh. We’ve
But when Paul says, “if ye live already seen that you can’t get
after the flesh, ye shall die,” he eternal life by being good (Eph.
has still another kind of death in 2:8,9). This is talking about the
mind. I call it “Christian death.” opposite of Christian death. It’s
You may be saved and unable talking about living the Christian
to be separated from God’s love, life—and I mean really living the
but sin will have a deadening Christian life. Living it up, spiri-
effect in your life. And if it goes tually speaking!
on too long, all of your spiritual Think about it. If the begin-
vital signs will flatline, and you’ll ning of Romans 8:13 is about
show absolutely no evidence of being spiritually dead while you
spiritual life. You’ll be like the live, then the contrast found in
woman of whom Paul wrote, the end of the verse must be about
“…she that liveth in pleasure is being spiritually alive while you
dead while she liveth” (1 Tim. 5:6). live. That is, if living after the
If you find yourself in a condi- flesh causes the death of your
tion like that, you won’t be sepa- Christian experience, then morti-
rated from God, but you may feel fying the deeds of the flesh must
like you are separated from Him. mean to give life to your Christian
The only good thing about experience. Paul is talking about
Christian death is that it is a living your Christian life to the
death from which you can raise fullest, on the very highest plane
yourself, as Paul exhorted the imaginable. If you don’t believe
Ephesians: that mortifying the deeds of the
“Awake thou that sleepest, and flesh will accomplish this in your
arise from the dead…” (Eph. 5:14). life, try it and see! What have you
Christian death isn’t perma- got to lose?
nent. It’s more like sleeping. It’s
a death from which you can wake The Eruption
yourself by doing what Paul told of Corruption
the Corinthians to do: The last verse we want to con-
“Awake to righteousness, and sider that sounds like you can
sin not…” (1 Cor. 15:34). lose your salvation is,
All you have to do to save your- “…he that soweth to his flesh
self from Christian death is stop shall of the flesh reap corrup-
doing what is wrong and start tion…” (Gal. 6:8).
doing what’s right! Now you probably know what
But now, there is a way you Paul means by sowing and reap-
can avoid Christian death in the ing. Those are agricultural terms,

June 2019 9
the Bible’s words for planting and alive in the whale. He let him die
harvesting. and raised him from the dead to
But if you are not sure what it make him a true type of Christ
means to sow to the flesh, that’s (Matt.12:40).1 That’s why after
just a different way of expressing God raised him from the dead,
what Paul wrote in Romans 8:13 he said,
about living after the flesh. There “…the weeds were wrapped
the apostle wrote that living after about my head…yet hast Thou
the flesh brings death. Here he brought up my life from corrup-
says it brings corruption, and tion, O Lord my God” (Jonah
some say that the corruption a 2:5,6).
believer will reap for sowing to the After three days in the gastric
flesh is a loss of salvation. juices found in the whale’s stom-
But if nothing can separate ach, Jonah’s body had begun to
a believer from the love of God corrupt.
(Rom. 8:35-39), then there must We see this definition of the
be some other explanation for that word corruption again when
word corruption in this context— Paul talked about the body of a
and there is. deceased believer that we plant
In Scripture, the word “corrup- in the ground, saying,
tion” is associated with decay. It “…it is sown in corruption; it
is often used to refer to the decay is raised in incorruption” (1 Cor.
of a dead body. When Job was so 15:42).
sick he felt like he would die, he Did you ever hear the old
wrote, joke: What is the great composer
“…the grave is mine house…I Beethoven doing in his grave?
have said to corruption, Thou art Decomposing! That’s the meaning
my father: to the worm, Thou art of the word corrupt. Corruption is
my mother…” (Job 17:13,14). the decomposing of the component
Physical bodies corrupt in the parts of a dead human body, the
grave, and maggots feast upon dissolution of its elements.
them. Do you see the connection
between the word corruption and Spiritual Corruption
a rotting, decaying, physical body? But if physical corruption refers
to the breakdown of the compo-
nent parts of a physical body,
then the spiritual corruption that
comes from sowing to the flesh
must refer to the breakdown of the
component parts of the Christian
life. We saw in Romans 8:13 that
if you live after the flesh you’ll die
the death of your Christian experi-
ence. Well, corruption is what fol-
lows that death, the breakdown of
We see it again in something the elements of your Christian life.
Jonah said. Contrary to popular If you’re not sure what the ele-
opinion, God didn’t keep Jonah ments of your Christian life are,

10 Berean Searchlight
Paul describes some of them in to raise Lazarus from the dead,
Galatians 5:22: they told him,
“…the fruit of the Spirit is love, “…Lord, by this time he stin-
joy, peace, longsuffering, gentle- keth: for he hath been dead four
ness, goodness, faith, meekness, days” (John 11:39).
temperance…”
If you sow to the flesh, your
“love” will start to break down. “...what’s Paul
The carnal Corinthians were fa-
mous for sowing to the flesh, and mean...
Paul had to write an entire chap- ‘If ye live after the
ter about love to them (1 Cor. 13). flesh, ye shall die’?”
And did they sound like a very joy-
ful bunch? Obviously, their “joy”
had also begun to break down.
If you sow to the flesh, your
“peace” will begin to corrupt as Did you ever hear someone
well. You’ll start to feel uneasy say, “It smells like something
about the way you are living. died in here!” Well, if you sow to
Some even get to the point where the flesh, and reap the corrup-
they doubt their salvation, and tion of your spiritual life, that’s
lose the peace that God wants us how your Christian life starts to
to enjoy. Additionally, the Cor- smell! And the longer it goes on,
inthians certainly weren’t very the more abhorrent and repellent
“longsuffering.” They were taking the stench becomes.
one another to court (1 Cor. 6), and
needed to take Paul’s advice to Don’t Raise a Stink!
“suffer yourselves to be defrauded” And losing your testimony will
instead (1 Cor. 6:7). lead to the breakdown of your
Sowing to the flesh will break effectiveness in sharing Chris-
down the rest of the fruit of the tianity with others. And that’s
Spirit as well, and that will cor- still another component part of
rupt your testimony before the your Christian life. We are to
world. And your testimony is be living our lives in such a way
another component part of your that attracts others to Christ, not
Christian life. And when it starts repels them. The corruption of
to break down, we make Christi- our Christian life can only cause
anity smell bad to the world. it to stink, and cause others to
Perhaps you’ve seen television run from the Lord holding their
murder mystery dramas where a noses, as it were.
body must be exhumed in order Sowing to the flesh will affect
to solve the case. At such times, all of those areas of your spiritual
the law enforcement officials who life and more—but it won’t affect
open the casket are often seen your salvation. That’s because
gagging, vomiting, and fainting. your salvation doesn’t depend
This is because when a body dies on what you do or don’t do, it de-
and begins to corrupt, it starts pends on what Christ did for you
to smell. When the Lord went on the cross of Calvary.

June 2019 11
 Of course, if you don’t care Now I know that sounds like Paul
about your love, your joy, your is saying that if you are good, you’ll
peace, your testimony, or your ef- reap salvation in the next life. But
fectiveness as a Christian witness, we’ve already seen that this verse
you can go around stinking up isn’t about the next life. It’s about
your spiritual life if you want to. reaping what we sow in this life.
But what you should do instead is So how do we reap everlasting
found in the rest of Galatians 6:8: life in this life? Well, Paul gives
“…he that soweth to his flesh us an example in…
shall of the flesh reap corruption; (Continued in Pastor Kurth’s up-
but he that soweth to the Spirit coming book, More Rightly Divided
shall of the Spirit reap life ever- Answers to Frequently Asked Ques-
lasting.” tions).
If you live your life for the Spirit 1. For more information about this, see the
of God, instead of living it for your May, 2006 issue of the Berean Searchlight,
flesh, you’ll reap everlasting life. pages 17-22.

A Faithful Man is

Home
After Pastor Jeff Farrell led me to the
Lord in 1970, I watched him lead Don
Webb to Christ a short time later. Within a
few months, we were both enrolled in Pas-
tor Farrell’s pastor training program, each
of us longing to give our lives to the Lord
in the ministry of His rightly divided Word.
A few years later, it was Don who gave
me the only compliment I never forgot.
After hearing me speak one day, he said, “You are apt to teach,” quoting Paul’s
words in 1 Timothy 3:2. I considered it high praise, for his aptitude for teach-
ing was obvious to everyone. It is evident in his book Basic Bible Doctrines, a
classic work on the fundamentals of our faith. His aptitude made him a popular
speaker at Bible conferences, and enabled him to be greatly used of God to
teach His Word throughout his life.
But I was able to witness Don’s true greatness last year when we both spoke
at a Bible conference in Kenai, Alaska. After one of the meetings I heard a
visitor tell him that he had been insensitive to the heartache that a visitor to the
conference had expressed the previous day. I was about to jump to his defense,
when I heard Don say, “You’re right, I could have been more sensitive to her
pain.” The humility he showed that day is just one example of how grace was
more than a doctrine to Don, it was a way of life. A life that I will sorely miss,
but one that I will rejoice in again someday, thanks to the Savior who gave His
life for us both. —Pastor Ricky Kurth
A Father’s Day
Challenge

PASTOR KEVIN J. SADLER

BBS President

“A young single preacher took his first part-time church while he

was going to seminary. He preached a message one Sunday called,
‘10 Facts On How To Raise Perfect Children.’ A few years later, he got
married and they had their first child. He pulled out the old sermon
to preach it again, but decided to retitle it, ‘10 Suggestions on How to
Raise Healthy Children.’ After the second child was born a couple of
years later, it was time to preach it again. This time he titled it, ‘10
Possibilities for Parenting Children.’ Well, the third child came. This
time he revised the whole thing and called it ‘10 Prayers for Parents.’
Several years later when they became teenagers, he burned the mes-
sage and wrote a new one simply titled, ‘Help Me Jesus.’”1
Parenting is a challenge. We need the Lord’s help. Being a parent
is much more than providing food, clothing, shelter, and perhaps help
with college tuition. That is just providing, and is too narrow of a
view. God has called parents to a more profound task. We are called
to shepherd and guide our children on God’s behalf. We are to lead
them toward the Lord Jesus Christ and the salvation found in Him
alone, that they may trust Christ as their personal Savior. We are to
plant God’s Word in their minds and hearts, and build a solid, biblical
foundation for their lives. We are to cultivate their relationship with
the Lord, so they may trust Him and find the strength, peace, and
meaning for their lives that comes from knowing Him and His Word.

Bring Them Up, Don’t Tear Them Down

“And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring
them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord” (Eph. 6:4).
Paul addresses the head of the family, “fathers,” and gives them
negative instruction as well as positive. First, he tells fathers to “pro-
voke not your children to wrath.” The Greek word “provoke to wrath”
means to exasperate or anger.
“Provoke not your children to wrath” refers to everyday family life,
and a repeated pattern of treatment, a way of living that, over time, has
a tearing-down effect on the child. This repeated provoking over time
leads to a built-up, deep-seated anger, resentment, and wrath within
the child. Provoking children to wrath happens in a number of ways:

June 2019 13
constant criticism, discouragement, unreasonable demands, severity,
neglect, favoritism, inconsistency, breaking promises, faultfinding,
sarcasm, overreacting, failing to sacrifice for them, etc.
Instead of provoking their children to wrath, God wants fathers to
provide their children with a loving, nurturing, and godly home. God
wants fathers to bring their children up, not tear them down.
This verse demonstrates that the father has the primary responsi-
bility before God to raise his children in the nurture and admonition
of the Lord. The father is to be the spiritual leader of the home. God
wants children to learn from their father’s example of what it means
to love the Lord and to live for Him.
“One startling bit of
research conducted by “ ...‘teach them diligently’...carries
the Christian Business the image of sharpening a knife by
Men’s Committee found
the following: When the
going over a whetstone...until the
father is an active believer, knife is razor sharp.”
there is about a seventy-
five percent likelihood
that the children will also
become active believers.
But if only the mother is
a believer, this likelihood
is dramatically reduced to fifteen percent.”2
The key to the wise rearing of children is that it’s to be in “the nur-
ture and admonition of the Lord.” Parenting and training children is
not to be carried out in our own wisdom, or by the many opinions of
the world, but according to the teaching and guidance of God’s Word.
The Lord is to be our children’s Teacher. And fathers are to look to
Him, and use His Word to raise their families. As we do so, we will
mold our children, not into our image, but into Christ’s. This is what
is truly best for our children.

Putting the Lord First

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love
the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with
all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall
be in thine heart” (Deut. 6:4-6).
Imparting God’s truth to children, begins with the parents. Before
Israel was to teach their children diligently about the Lord (v. 7), Moses
wrote, “These words…shall be in thine heart.” Moses’s instruction to
the parents was, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart,
and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.” Thus, we learn that, if
we first want our children to love the Lord, we need to love the Lord.
“Gospel musician Hilding Halverson told of overhearing a conversa-
tion between his son and two other little boys. The youngsters were

14 Berean Searchlight
bragging about their dads. One boy said proudly, ‘My dad knows the
mayor of our town!’ Another said, ‘So, my dad knows the governor of
our state!’ Halverson’s son then came up with this touching comment,
‘That’s nothing—my dad knows God!’ Upon hearing this, Halverson
quickly slipped away to his room and with tears in his eyes said, ‘O God,
I pray that my boy will always be able to say, ‘My dad knows God.’”3
Deuteronomy 6:4-9 charges parents in Israel to pass down their
faith and love for the Lord to their children. The principle teaches us
that fathers must prioritize their relationship with the Lord, putting
the Lord first in their lives. That growing relationship, and the truth
and love that then resides in their hearts, is what God wants fathers
to pass on to their children.

Teaching and Talking

“And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt
talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest
by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And
thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be
as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the
posts of thy house, and on thy gates” (Deut. 6:7-9).
“Thou shalt teach them,” God’s Word says to parents. It is a serious
mistake to think that Biblical training is the duty of the Sunday school
or a Christian schoolteacher. The local church is involved in Christian
education, but it is meant only to supplement what is done in the home.
Moses saw the home as the primary delivery system for the passing of
God’s truth from generation to generation.
Parents are the greatest influence of all on children. The deepest
spiritual impact on children takes place as fathers and mothers faith-
fully teach them God’s Word, and it dramatically increases the likelihood
of their trusting Christ as Savior. Teaching them can be done by simply
reading the Bible together and talking about it, or using children’s
materials such as our Growing Up In Grace lessons. It’s important
to remember though that God’s truth is learned most effectively and
powerfully by young ones in the loving environment of a home where
knowing God is the top priority.
The Hebrew word translated “teach them diligently” (v. 7) literally
means to sharpen, point or pierce. It carries the image of sharpening
a knife by going over a whetstone again and again until the knife is
razor sharp. God’s Word must be repeatedly taught and reviewed in
order to sharpen children in the truth.
God’s command to “teach them diligently” was to be carried out,
however, in the context of normal, everyday life. The instruction
is simply to talk about spiritual things with children and to do so
just like talking of anything else in the home. The word “talk” (v. 7)
doesn’t mean a formal proclamation or lecture, but rather just having
a conversation. You don’t lecture. You don’t get out the pulpit and

June 2019 15
whiteboard. You just talk about it. The idea is just an easygoing,
natural flow of conversation.
God wants spiritual things and His Word to fit naturally into the
regular dialogue and lifestyle of the home. Teaching and training
in the home is to be mainly centered around everyday life. Parents
teach their children God’s Word and validate it in the context of daily
living. In doing so, we should look for and capitalize on spontaneous,
teachable moments. We should ask God for these teachable moments.
The Lord often drew from ordinary life in order to illustrate the truth,
using birds, flowers, coins, and sheep. And when a Scripture verse
is applied to or associated with a real-life experience, that verse will
likely become forever part of that child.
We are to talk about spiritual things with our children “when thou
sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when
thou liest down, and when thou risest up.” Whether at night when you
lie down or in the morning when you rise up, whether sitting at home
or walking outside, whenever, wherever, whatever you are doing, we
are to take advantage of opportunities to talk about the Lord with our
children. We don’t preach at them. We simply strive to reach their
hearts by making God real to them, and showing how God relates to
everyday life and what He means to our lives.
“And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and…as
frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the
posts of thy house, and on thy gates” (vv. 8,9). The principle here is
for God and His Word to be central in a family’s life. The Lord is to
be at the forefront in our homes. God wants our homes so full of His
Word and the acknowledgement of Him that our children can’t help
but think of Him.
One winter day in the Colorado wilder-
ness, a man found it necessary to go see
a neighbor who was ill, and lived beyond
a steep and rugged mountain. The man
climbed the dangerous trail for some time
through the drifted snow, not realizing
that his little boy had been following him.
Suddenly, as he was trudging and strug-
gling through the deep snow, he heard a
young voice behind him call out, “Be care-
ful, Daddy, I’m walking in your steps!”4 Our children are walking in
our steps and, as fathers, we should take great care in how we live, in
the kind of example we are to them, and that we raise them “in the
nurture and admonition of the Lord.”
1. Jim Drake, “The ‘S’ Word: Parents And Children,” Sermon Central, May 9, 2007,https://www.
sermoncentral.com/sermons/the-s-word-parents-and-children-jim-drake-sermon-on-parenting-
106395?page=1&wc=800.
2. “7 Characteristics of a Great Father,” City Central Church, June 20, 2017, https://citycentral.org/
blog/7-characteristics-good-father.
3. “Devout Fathers, Preaching.com, accessed May 7, 2019, https://www.preaching.com/sermon-
illustrations/devout-fathers/.
4. Source Unknown.
BBS Regional Conference—Maryland

August 23-24, 2019

Location: Holiday Inn Solomons

Conference Center and Marina
155 Holiday Drive, Solomons, Maryland

Speaker: Pastor Kevin Sadler, BBS President

Theme: “Gifts You Can’t Re-Gift”

For directions or more information, contact our host

Bart Dobers at (240) 587-8458/email: dobers@hotmail.com

Question Box
“Was the centurion in Matthew 27:54 saved?”

In his day, sinners had to believe “that Jesus is the Christ,

the Son of God” to have eternal life (John 20:31), and that’s
what he confessed—but only after he “saw the earthquake,
and those things that were done” after the Lord’s death. So
if he believed on Christ, he may have believed like the ones
who “believed…when they saw the miracles which He did”
(John 2:23), the ones to whom the Lord would not commit
Himself (v. 24).
Additionally, “Jesus is the Christ” was the Lord’s message
to the Jews (Matt. 15:24). Gentiles were required to bless
Abraham’s seed to be saved (Gen. 12:1-3), like the centurion
who built the Jews a synagogue (Luke 7:5). So the centurion
at the cross would have had to add works like that to his faith
to be saved (cf. Matt. 25:31-46). —Pastor Kurth
 Copycat
It has been said that “imitation
is the greatest form of flattery.”
In my younger years, I would
imitate the professional baseball
players I saw on television, copying
their batting stances or pitching
motions. I wanted to play profes-
sional baseball as a young boy, and I thought by imitating my favorite players,
I could achieve that goal.
Did you know the Apostle Paul tells believers to imitate God? In Ephesians
5:1 it states, “be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children.” To be a follower of
God means to imitate Him. How can a believer do this? This may seem to be
too lofty of a goal, but it is possible as the believer walks in the new man “which
after God is created in righteousness and true holiness” (Eph. 4:24).
Since the believer can walk in the “new man,” (Eph. 4:24) it is possible for
him/her to imitate God by walking “in love” (Eph. 5:2). Love is a decision. It
is doing what is best for someone, even if that person does not know it. The
Lord Jesus Christ showed us this love by making Himself of no reputation,
taking on the form of a servant, and being made in the likeness of men, He
humbled Himself and was obedient unto the death of the cross (Phil. 2:7,8).
He paid the full price for your sins on that cross. Believe the good news and
trust Him for your salvation today (Eph. 2:8,9). Then… you CAN imitate God,
by allowing His Word to work through your life as you love others as Christ
loved us (Col. 3:16,17; Eph. 5:1,2). —Pastor Jim Tollar

August 2-4, 2019

BITELY BIBLE CONFERENCE

Location: Bitely Community Church
10781 N. Bingham Avenue, Bitely, Michigan
Speakers: Pastor Kevin Sadler and others!
Theme: “The Dispensation of the Grace of God” (Eph. 3:2)
For directions or more information contact:
Pastor Ken & Regina Lyon at 231-721-5087 or
www.facebook.com\Bitely.Community.Church
 The Danger of the
Occult
PASTOR KEVIN J. SADLER
BBS President

“Joe Gutierrez tells five stories from his 42 years as a steelworker

in the book, The Heat: Steelworkers’ Lives and Legends. In one story,
called ‘Snow Danced in August,’ he describes a scene of silvery dust
flakes that frequently floated to the floor in an area of the mill where
steel strips rolled over pads in a tall cooling tower. For years, workers
and visitors alike flocked to the sight, which was especially picturesque
at night.
“Then they discovered the dust was asbestos. ‘Everybody breathed
it,’ wrote Gutierrez. He now suffers from the slow, choking grip of
asbestosis, as do many plant workers.
“‘Who am I? I’m everybody. Can’t walk too far now. I get tired real
fast and it hurts when I breathe, sometimes. And to think we used to
fight over that job.’
“How many things in our culture resemble the silver flakes in that
steel mill? Enchanting but deadly.”1
The practice of the occult is one of the things in our culture that
resemble the silver flakes in that steel mill. For many, there is a con-
stant temptation to dabble in it. Reading horoscopes is thought to be
a harmless, innocent activity. A survey once estimated that more than
50 million Americans read their horoscopes every day to see what they
should do or what they should expect that day. Horoscopes are readily
available. They can be found online easily. A daily horoscope is found
in nearly every newspaper across the country.
The occult comes in many different forms: fortune-telling, tarot
cards, palmistry, numerology, astrology, séances, rune stones, the I ch-
ing, ouija boards, and tea leaves. You can easily find places of business
dedicated to these things. Shows featuring mediums are on television
now. Witchcraft, satanism, and spiritism are practiced openly.
The English term occult comes from the Latin verb occultus, which
refers to hidden or concealed things. As we use the word today, it
refers to dealings with the spirit realm. The Scripture forbids any
participation in the occult. Paul, our apostle, warns the Body of Christ

June 2019 19
about practicing idolatry, worshipping the creation and false gods, and
having “fellowship with devils” (1 Cor. 10:19,20). The stern warnings
to Israel in the Mosaic Law teach us what God thinks about astrol-
ogy and the occult, and that is enough for us to know that we need to
avoid these things.
“Take ye therefore good heed unto yourselves…Lest ye corrupt
yourselves…And lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven, and when
thou seest the sun, and the moon, and the stars, even all the host
of heaven, shouldest be driven to worship them, and serve them...”
(Deut. 4:15,16,19).
“There shall not be found among you any one...that useth divina-
tion, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, Or a charmer,
or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.
For all that do these things are an abomination unto the Lord...”
(Deut. 18:10-12).
What many consider an innocent activity is an abomination in the
eyes of God. Consulting mediums, tarot cards, horoscopes, palmists,
etc., belittles God. Doing so is to say, “I believe that God is either unable
or unwilling to tell me all that is good for me to know.” In essence, it
demonstrates the belief that God lacks the love or goodness to guide
me, so I will take matters into my own hands.
For our own good, the people of God should shun the evil snare of
all practices of the occult. All that we need to know about the future
or the supernatural realm comes through the Word of God. By faith,
we take our stand on the sufficiency of the revelation of God’s Word.
And we trust the One who is with us each step of our journey through
life, guiding, caring, and helping us all the way.
1. “Deceptive Appeal,” Preaching Today, October 2001, exerpted from “Steelworkers Break the Mold,”
Chicago Tribune, June 2001, https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2001/october/13312.html.

Midwest Grace Fellowship

Bible Conference August 16-18, 2019

Wellsville Manor Care Center

304 W. 7th Street, Wellsville, Kansas

Speakers: Pastor John Fredericksen, Pastor Thomas Schwartz

For directions or more information contact:
David Tidd (620) 380-1259/Cornerstonefarmdl@gmail.com
or Byron Finley at Finfarm@gmail.com
EVIDENCE FOR THE PRE-TRIBULATIONAL
Rapture of the Church

PASTOR KEN LAWSON

BBS Board Member

T he appearing of our Lord

Jesus Christ for His Church
is one of the best attested rev-
convincing scriptural reasons
why we believe that the Rapture
of the Church will happen before
elations in all of Paul’s writ- the coming Tribulation.
ings. Paul intended for this to
be a purifying expectation, and The Rapture of the Church
a comfort to those who are suf- is a distinctive Pauline truth.
fering. However, in recent years We do not read of the Rapture
this blessed hope has been at- outside of Paul’s epistles. Paul
tacked from all sides as either taught by revelation that the
a misunderstanding emanating Church, the Body of Christ, is a
from the dispensationalists, or mystery (or secret) unknown to
as a misguided illusion that has men of previous ages (Eph. 3:1-
gained an audience among those 6; Col. 1:25-27). The Rapture is
who refuse to consider church the blessed hope of this Church,
history and tradition. and the final act of God for our
It has been well said that the dispensation. Therefore it can-
Pre-Tribulation Rapture of the not be a part of Israel’s program
Church to heaven was the last of prophecy outlined by the Old
truth recovered from the Bible Testament prophets. Since those
by teachers who championed dis- prophets foretold of the Tribula-
pensational truth, and now, after tion (Dan. 12:1; Matt. 24:21), the
a period of popularity, it is becom- Body of Christ cannot be there
ing the first recovered truth that without violating its distinctive
is losing support among believers. character as a new creation
Whether it is currently popular separate and distinct from Israel
or supported by church history is (Eph. 2:14-17). Anyone who puts
immaterial in the end. The issue the Church through any part of
is: Is it correct according to the the Tribulation must deal with
Scriptures rightly divided? In the incongruity of a secret church
this short aricle, we will review in participating in a prophesied era.
a concise form some of the most Some pre-tribulationists have

June 2019 21
unwittingly weakened their posi- (2 Cor. 5:18-21). He is withhold-
tion by claiming the Rapture was ing judgment to administer His
revealed by Christ in the Olivet grace (Rom. 5:20-21). Compare
Discourse (Matt. 24-25), which is Psalm 2 with Acts 7.
most assuredly an integral part of
Israel’s prophetic program. Mid-
Acts dispensationalism greatly “Where you
strengthens the Pre-Tribulation begin the Church
position. Where you begin the
Church determines where you
determines where
end it! It began with God’s rev- you end it!”
elation to Paul after Israel’s fall
in unbelief, and will end before
God resumes His dealings with
her as a nation.
The Seventieth Week of
Paul tells us that the Church Daniel pertains to Israel, not
has been delivered from the the Body of Christ (Dan. 9:24-
wrath to come (1 Thes. 1:10; 27; Jer. 30:7). This should be a
5:9; Rom. 5:9). The wrath of God weighty argument for dispen-
covers the beginning, middle, and sationalists, who make a stark
end of the Tribulation, as well as distinction between Israel and
the Second Coming of Christ (Rev. the Church. The great object of
1:10; 6:16-17; 19:11-21; 2 Thes. Satanic attack during the last
1:7-10; Isa. 63:1-6). half of the Tribulation is the
remnant of Israel, not the Body
The Dispensation of Grace of Christ (Rev. 12:9-12). The two
ends before the Tribulation witnesses and the 144,000 will
begins. It is impossible to ex- be the chief actors for God during
ecute a program of grace and this time. These are all Jewish
a program of judgment at the (Rev. 7:1-8; 11:3-12).
same time. They are mutually Finally, it is the remnant of
exclusive. Israel who will be waiting for
A. There are different gospels Christ’s return after the Tribu-
proclaimed: Grace—Acts 20:24; lation, not the Church (Mal.
Romans 3:24 and Kingdom— 3:16-18; Ezek. 20:33-38; 37:11-
Matthew 24:14. 28; Zech. 13:8-9; 12:10-14). The
If the Church were in the Gentiles who are saved during
Tribulation, we could not obey the Tribulation come to a knowl-
Paul’s command to fight against edge of Christ through Israel’s
evil principalities and powers in testimony, not the witness of the
heavenly places since they will Body of Christ.
have been cast down to earth
(Rev. 12:7-9; Eph. 6:12). Paul spoke as though the
B. There are different programs Rapture was imminent, that
involved. Under grace, God is work- is, as far as we know, it could
ing a program of reconciliation happen at any time. Paul

22 Berean Searchlight
himself expected to be raptured, to come to pass, then look up,
but knew the Tribulation had not and lift up your heads; for your
begun (1 Thes. 4:16; 1 Cor. 15:51). redemption draweth nigh” (Luke
21:28). They were not to begin
Members of the Body of looking for the coming of the
Christ are never warned or Lord until these signs began to
prepared to go through the appear. In contrast, Paul gives
Tribulation. This omission is no signs, only spiritual and moral
especially telling considering that trends that could be descriptive
Christ in His ministry to the Jews of any place in church history
both warns and prepares them to (1 Tim. 4:1-3; 2 Tim. 3:1-9; 4:3-4).
go through it (see Matthew 10, 24, As Pastor J. C. O’Hair used to say,
and 25; Mark 13; Luke 21). “We are not looking for the signs
of the times, because this is not
None of the Second Coming the time for the signs.”
passages mention the Rap-
ture of believers being caught The Relation of Church and
up in the clouds of the air. Government—Members of the
We can check out the Old Testa- Body of Christ are told to be subject
ment and see many prophecies of to governmental authorities and
Christ’s Second Coming to Israel pray for them (Rom. 13:1-7; Titus
and the nations to bring in the 3:1; 1 Tim. 2:1-4). This will be out of
Davidic Kingdom on earth, but place in the Tribulation, as the gov-
none of them refer to the revela- ernment will be under the control
tion of 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18. of Satan and the Beast (Rev. 13:4).
This is also true of the Gospels,
the Circumcision Epistles, and The Necessity of an In-
the Book of Revelation. terval—After the Rapture, the
Judgment Seat of Christ must
take place before believers enter
the kingdom (Rom. 14:10-12;
2 Cor. 5:9; 1 Cor. 3:11-15; 4:5).
This meeting in the air is not to
determine salvation or damna-

Last Days tion, but reward or loss of reward

for the believers. The interval of
at least seven years between the
Rapture and the Second Coming
seems adequate to accommodate
The Last Days of Israel’s the many millions of saints for
prophetic program and the the “Bema Seat.” This would re-
Last Days of the Body of quire a Pre-Tribulation Rapture.
Christ do not match. Jesus
warned the Jews of His day to The argument of 1 Thes-
look for signs that would herald salonians 4:13-18—The Thes-
His coming (Luke 21:20-27). salonians were well schooled in
“And when these things begin God’s prophetic program (1 Thes.

June 2019 23
5:1-3). If they believed, or if it safety” happens before the day of
was Paul’s intent to teach, that the Lord. If the day of the Lord
the living members of the Body refers only to the Second Coming
of Christ would go through the of Christ after the Tribulation (as
Tribulation before being “caught post-tribulationists say it does),
up,” they should have rejoiced for then it will have them saying
their “dead in Christ” rather than “peace and safety” at the end of
mourned. After all, they were the Tribulation while in the midst
with the Lord, and had missed the of the Battle of Armageddon.
persecution of the Man of Sin and Something is awry here! Since
the wrath of Satan. Instead, they the Tribulation gets worse in
were confused about the details judgment (with the seven seals,
of the Rapture (not the day of seven trumpets, and seven vials
the Lord), and received instruc- of God’s wrath), no one will be
tion to comfort one another that able to say peace and safety then.
they would all participate in the Therefore the Rapture must come
Rapture together, and so miss this before the Tribulation.
terrible time of trouble.
The argument of 2 Thes-
The argument of 1 Thes- salonians 2:1-7—Paul pleaded
salonians 5:1-3—“But of the with the believers not to be “shak-
times and the seasons, brethren, en” or “troubled” by false reports
ye have no need that I write that they were in the day of the
unto you. For yourselves know Lord. Such pleading he made in
perfectly that the day of the Lord virtue of “the coming of the Lord
so cometh as a thief in the night. Jesus Christ, and our gathering
For when they shall say, Peace together unto him.” Again, Paul’s
and safety; then sudden destruc- purpose was one of comfort and
tion cometh upon them, as travail encouragement. They would not
upon a woman with child; and be subject to the day of God’s
they shall not escape.” wrath, because of the expecta-
This passage presents three tion of Christ’s coming. At this
prophetic phrases: A. the times point, most post-tribulationists
and seasons (Acts 1:7); B. the day again make a sharp distinction
of the Lord (Zeph. 1:14-18); and between the Tribulation and the
C. a thief in the night (Matt. day of the Lord. The Tribulation
24:43; Rev. 3:3). These three (they say) is the wrath of men,
have to do exclusively with Is- the wrath of Antichrist, and the
rael’s prophetic program not the wrath of Satan, while the day of
Mystery of the Body of Christ or the Lord comes afterward and is
the dispensation of grace. These the wrath of God.
are set off from 1 Thessalonians The trouble with the Thessa-
4:13-18 by the word “But” (verse lonians was that while they were
1) which shows the dis-relation- bravely enduring persecutions
ship between these three and the and tribulations (2 Thes. 1:4), the
Rapture. Paul taught by contrast. enemy had confused them with
According to the passage, the these false reports that they had
announcement of “peace and actually entered the time of the

24 Berean Searchlight
Lord’s vengeance upon the world. shall make a covenant with
Now if the distinction between Israel for one week of years
the time of Tribulation and the (Dan. 9:26-27). Since the wise
day of the Lord was as stark as will be able to identify the
post-tribulationists insist that it Antichrist at the beginning of
is, there would have been no bet- Daniel’s Seventieth Week, it
ter opportunity to have clarified necessitates a Pre-Tribulation
the issue than right here. Rapture.
Here are the facts: 3. The removal of the Re-
A. The Thessalonian Chris- strainer—The expression
tians knew they were being per- “what withholdeth” is neuter,
secuted by the unbelievers. but its masculine equivalent is
B. They thought this could be v. 7, “until He be taken out of
the day of the Lord. the way.” This is undoubtedly
C. This was contrary to what the Holy Spirit in the Church
Paul taught them previously. at the Rapture.
D. Paul had not changed his We have seen that the Pre-
teaching on this. Tribulation Rapture of the
E. He made no attempt to cor- Church is well supported by
rect the error by instructing them Paul’s teaching in a variety of
that they could not be in the day different ways. This truth is
of the Lord’s wrath since they more than just academic, or one
were being persecuted by men in which we have been armed to
(the wrath of men). win arguments. It should also
F. Instead, he referred them to make an impact on our faith and
his original teaching while among life as Christians.
them. Before the day of the Lord, If it is really true that Christ
there must be: could appear to us at any moment,
1. A falling away (KJV)— how does that affect your attitude
Greek-hee apostasia, literally toward the work of Christ in your
the departure, not just from particular ministry? Does that
Bible doctrine but the depar- give you a desire to be about the
ture of the Church to heaven Master’s business seeing that
via the Rapture (2 Thes. 2:1; the time could be short? Do
1 Thes. 4:15-18). you hold to the teaching of the
2. Man of Sin revealed— Pre-Tribulation Rapture of the
This revelation will occur when Church? Wonderful! Now does
“the prince that shall come” that truth hold you?

“See then that ye walk circumspectly,

not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time,
because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye
not unwise but understanding what the
will of the Lord is” (Eph. 5:15-17).
June 2019 25
 BBS Letter Excerpts

From our Inbox: From Minnesota:

“Ever since I started reading Pas- “About seven years ago I started
tor C. R. Stam, it has unlocked for listening to Les Feldick…Shortly
me a deeper understanding of the after I started with him, I found Ber-
gospel of grace (Rom. 16:25 & 1 Cor. ean Bible Society. The Bible, rightly
2:7) and rightly dividing the Word of divided, has answered all the ques-
God. In my Christian living, it has tions I have had concerning all the
changed how I worship our living so-called contradictions that were in
God in spirit and in truth, and it gave the Scriptures. There are no contra-
me a peace of mind and change of my dictions there now. I wasn’t dividing
heart as well.” the Word where it ought to be.”

From Pennsylvania: From our Inbox:

“Your site...helped me steer clear “I wouldn’t share today’s Two
of all the nonsense that struck fear in Minutes for anything [“A Memorial
me…I had a rough childhood…I had of Calvary”]. Ya’ll know the power of
thoughts of, ‘I have to do good works? your words, you should really be more
What good works? How many? For aware of things you post!”
whom? Where? How do I know if
they were good enough? Did I do From New Jersey:
enough? Are they every day?’ I was “In the past three weeks, I have
horrified. I heard James 2 so many been able to receive Pastor Sadler’s
times I wanted to hide under a rock video programs. I absolutely like
and die…Knowing my salvation is the way he is presenting them. He
not about my performance, but what speaks slowly and clearly, and his
Christ did alone, has changed my life.” anecdotes are memorable for me. He
explains situations in a way I can
From Montana: easily comprehend.”
“Another great program today,
Pastor Kevin. I would like to order From British Columbia:
several copies to give away.” “After reading ‘Justification’ by
Kevin Sadler, I was so impressed that
From Colorado: I’ll be making about six copies to send
“Don’t give up the program. Peo- and give to friends and family.”
ple need the truth.” (Thank you for
your gift, it will help us keep Trans- From North Carolina:
formed By Grace going strong! –Ed.). “Much of our learning, after read-
ing Things That Differ, came from
From Facebook: the teaching of the dedicated men at
“So enjoy this program! [Trans- BBS. We are thankful for each one
formed by Grace].” there, including those in the office.”

26 Berean Searchlight
From Minnesota: From our Inbox:
“Thank you so much for sending “I have just finished the fourth
the Searchlight to me…I pray for volume of Revelation. All four in the
you daily, making it a part of my series are well done.”
devotions.”
From West Virginia:
From Florida: “Thank you for sending the publi-
“Thank you for this article! It is cation to prisoners in West Virginia.
perhaps the best exposition on these We pray for you often.”
verses I have ever read.”
From our Inbox:
From Arizona: “I had been struggling with the
“Hey Ricky, thanks for a great flesh/sin problem for quite some
conference! I have sent the messages time.…I was confused and troubled…
to three people already, and have but I was determined to find the
advised them to print out the lecture answer…and…I found Paul Sadler’s
notes or they will be flipping through What It Means to Be a Grace Believer
the Bible a lot!” (I loved my first visit on Youtube. It was that video series
to Pastor Mark Dilley’s church, West that opened my understanding to the
Valley Grace Fellowship! –Ed.). Bible itself…also started his Mystery
series.…It is awesome to know my
From Ontario: place in the Bible, and how to rightly
“Wow. You have clearly answered divide the Bible, has made more
my questions!” sense to me now than all the 20+
years I have been reading the Bible.”
From our Inbox:
“Thank you very much for an- From our Inbox:
swering my question Pastor Ricky. “Super [Two Minutes] message
I contacted five other grace pastors here! [“Our Manifest Destiny”].”
and asked them the same question,
and you are the only one who has From the Netherlands:
responded.” (Grace pastors are busier “I am a grace believer since 2007,
than the proverbial one-armed paper and learn a lot from BBS and others.
hanger! –Ed.). I live in the north of the Netherlands.
We do not have grace churches
From Illinois: here.…I try to make contact with
“I began to reread [Rightly Di- other believers concerning the Grace
vided Answers to Frequently Asked doctrine. People do not want to study
Questions]….You drop some excellent according to 2 Timothy 2:15. Un-
knowledge. An example…Man, that known makes unloved!”
makes so much sense! Your book is
short, but not a quick read. Like the From British Columbia:
Bereans you force me to search the “I was so blessed receiving all
Scriptures….The book is solid…I your Searchlights for this year. I
have garnered much wisdom from want to repay you for postage, be-
you…You are a big influence on my cause it’s the best reading material
faith, and I thank you for that.” I receive.”

“These [Bereans] were more noble than

those in Thessalonica, in that they received
the Word with all readiness of mind, and
searched the Scriptures daily, whether those
June 2019 27
things were so.” —Acts 17:11
Any More Questions?
Pastor Kurth’s book addressing common questions was so well
received, he is writing another. His article in this month’s issue is
just one of the answers that this new volume will feature. Although
the second book won’t be ready until early next year, the first is
available now at a special price. Save even more when you buy five
or more copies to give to others.

Rightly Divided Answers

to Frequently Asked Questions
by Ricky Kurth
Paperback 248 pages

Special Price: $8.00 each plus s&h* (Reg. $10.00)

Buy 5 or more copies: $7.50 each plus s&h*

*Orders up to $30, add $4 for shipping and handling to your payment;

orders over $30, add 15%. Please inquire for international rates.
Wisconsin residents, please add 5.6% sales tax to books and postage.

(262) 255-4750 or www.bereanbiblesociety.org

 Israel’s Fleeting Opportunity
This month’s Berean Bible Fellowship conference focuses on Acts 1-7. Although
God offered Christ and His kingdom to Israel, their opportunity to accept Him was
fleeing! As the offer was put on hold through unbelief, God revealed the mystery
to the Apostle Paul. To help you grasp this pivotal phase, we’re offering Pastor
Stam’s complete set of Acts commentaries. Get your set before this offer ends,
and we’ll include his booklet The Early Ministry of Paul for free!

Get this booklet free

when you buy the Acts set!
While supplies last.

Acts, Dispensationally Considered

Volumes I and II
by C.R. Stam
Hardcover Vol. I: 560 pages Vol. II: 472 pages

Set Price: $38.00 plus s&h*

Also sold separately
Acts Vol. I or Vol. II: $21.50 each*
The Early Ministry of Paul: $2.00 each*

Special Offers End

June 30, 2019
 News and
Announcements
If you are blessed by our Transformed By Grace television program,
it would help us know how to focus our resources if you let us know
how you watch. Transformed By Grace can be seen on DirecTV and
Dish, as well as on Roku and Apple TV. Others study with us over ION
antenna TV, while Chicagoland viewers catch us on WJYS broadcast
TV. Don’t wait to tune in to find we’re not there to let us know which
venue is transforming you by God’s grace!
Western Wisconsin Grace Conference: Who says all the grace
believers are in eastern Wisconsin? Certainly not our good friends Jack
Trumm and Mel Flogel! They challenged BBS president Pastor Kevin
Sadler to “go west, young man!” and he was up for the challenge! So if
you’ve been watching Transformed By Grace and want to hear Pastor
Kevin teach God’s rightly divided Word up close and personal, call Jack
(608) 794-2410, or Mel (608) 348-7574. They’ll tell you that come Sep-
tember 6-7, the Grant County Farm Bureau in Lancaster is the place to be!
Postal Woes: Lately we’ve heard from quite a few people asking about
the status of their literature order. While we are usually able to process
orders here at BBS within three business days, it seems the post office is
taking longer than ever to deliver them. So when placing an order online,
please allow up to two weeks for delivery. If you’d like to expedite your
order, please call us at (262) 255-4750 to ask that we send it via USPS
Priority Mail for an additional charge.
Celebrate Grace Camp: Summer is upon us, and that means it’s time
to celebrate grace—and I’m talking about with a whole camp full of others!
CGC will once again be held at the Mountain Top Retreat in Montrose,
Colorado, and this year’s speaker is Tracy Lesan, a contributing writer
to the Searchlight. Camp founders Jerry and Judy Worthly will be there,
even though they’ve handed the reigns over to our good friends David
and Danette Bradford. So be sure to set July 19-21 aside, and make your
celebration reservation at dx2pluspm@zoho.com, or at (719) 530-7201.

UPCOMING CONFERENCES TO PUT ON YOUR CALENDAR!

Bitely Bible Conference, August 2-4, Bitely, MI
BBS Regional Conference, August 23-24, Solomons, MD
Western Wisconsin Grace Conference, September 6-7, Lancaster, WI
BBS Regional Conference, September 20-22, Kalispell, MT
Bible Study Booklets
Price List

C.R. STAM
Ambassadors for Christ....................$1.00 Why Was Christ Baptized?..................1.00
Answer to Catholicism........................2.00 Will There Be Tears in Heaven?..........1.00
Believer’s Walk...................................2.00 Writings of John.................................2.00
Continue Thou....................................1.00 Your Faith in God’s Word....................2.00
Early Ministry of Paul..........................2.00 PAUL M. SADLER
Faith of Christ.....................................1.00 According to the Scriptures..............$2.00
Fulfillment..........................................1.00 Are You Secure? .................................2.00
God’s Plan of Salvation.......................2.00 Dispensationalism..............................3.00
Hope for the Bereaved.......................2.00 Historical Beginning
Intelligent Christianity........................2.00 of the Church......................................3.00
Is Salvation Certain?...........................2.00 Supernatural Sign Gifts.......................4.00
Knowledge of the Mystery.................2.00 Trials and Temptations.......................2.00
Logic of the Plan of Salvation.............2.00 Uncertain Trumpet of
Lord’s Prayer.......................................1.00 Water Baptism....................................2.00
Lord’s Supper......................................2.00
KEVIN SADLER
Love of Christ......................................1.00
2 Great Commissions........................$3.00
Our Oneness in Christ.........................1.00
A Praying Life......................................4.00
Paul the Master Builder......................2.00
Everybody’s a Somebody
Pentecostal Signs................................2.00 in the Body of Christ...........................3.00
Power of God......................................2.00 Grieving With Hope............................3.00
Preaching of the Cross........................2.00 Saved From What?.............................3.00
Rapture of the Church........................1.00 The Rapture vs. the Second Coming....4.00
Saul the Sinner and Understanding Your Bible...................3.00
Paul the Boaster.................................2.00
What Must I Do To Be Saved?............3.00
Seven Times a Failure.........................2.00
Simple as Can Be RICKY KURTH
(English or Spanish)................................1.00 Discerning the Will of God...............$3.00
Sonship...............................................1.00 Now That I Believe
Temple of God....................................1.00 (English/Spanish/Dutch).........................3.00
That Blessed Hope..............................2.00 OTHER AUTHORS
This Is That (English or Spanish).............2.00 Bible Contrasts (Adams)...................$3.00
Unanswered Prayer (English/Spanish)....1.00 Confession of Sins (Lawson)...............2.00
Unpardonable Sin...............................1.00 Pentecost, Was it the
Water Baptism....................................2.00 Birthday of the Church? (Lawson)......2.00
We Know a Secret...............................2.00 Kingdom of Heaven and the
When the Lord Became Angry...........1.00 Body of Christ (O’Hair).......................1.00
Orders up to $30.00, please add $4.00 for Postage and Handling
Orders over $30.00, please add 15% for Postage and Handling
Foreign orders must be remitted in U. S. currency
THE BEREAN SEARCHLIGHT
PERIODICALS
N112 W17761 Mequon Road
Paid at Germantown, WI
PO Box 756
and additional mailing offices
Germantown, WI 53022-0756

“God’s Church is not made up of

‘good people’ who have never fall-
en into sin. It is rather made up of
sinners, SAVED BY GRACE, through
the infinite payment made for sin
by Christ on Calvary’s cross.”
—C. R. Stam