The Antichrist Granted

Dr. Couch, Revelation 6:4 seems to say that the antichrist "is given, granted" to take peace from the earth. Is that "granting" coming from God or someone else?

ANSWER: Those of us who are able to read the Bible (and especially from the Greek text) note carefully the fact that the Lord is absolutely sovereign in all things. The word "given" is a Passive Voice from the verb "to give" (didomi). The force of the giving comes from an outside source, and that source is God!

I have always known that because I've translated almost the entire book of Revelation. But I checked out the best commentary on the subject of Revelation written by Dr. Robert L. Thomas. And he says the same thing. He writes:

"The best opinion is that [was given] carries the connotation 'granted by God' as it does throughout the book of Revelation (cf. 6:4, 8; 7:2; 9:5). God allows the beast to blaspheme for a limited time, but will still hold him accountable. One of the great lessons in Daniel from which John draws so heavily is the sovereignty of God over the world's governments (cf. Dan. 4:17, 25, 32). The future will be no different.

"There is a durative force in the passage. 'a mouth that continues speaking great things.'"

"The beast's God-permitted authority was given' over every lineage, nation, language group, and racial group is explicitly worldwide in its extent ("the whole earth")."

The beast and Satan have authority for a period but in the end God sends them to the lake of fire forever. "And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are also, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever" (Rev. 20:10).

Thanks for asking.
—Dr. Mal Couch (4/11)

A Letter to Dr. Couch

Dear Dr. Couch,

I believe you said it correctly about Japan. I was actually making my own observations in mind because I spent about 4 years in Japan on and off when I was working for a Japanese company in Manila. When I was there I visited 2 Christian churches and spoke to one Japanese missionary who mentioned that there is less than 1% Christians of the total population. And yes they worship nature wherever and whenever they travel around Japan. At times in traveling and visiting great gardens in Japan I can always see someone stopping and praying in front of trees, big rocks and of course their temples.

There is another thing I believe why this catastrophe hit Japan. In many occasions of traveling around Japan there were not many missionary activities and there is a basic failure of Christians there to evangelize the Japanese people. I believe this earthquake and tsunami is God's action to shake their foundation so that they may once again turn to God.

Here is Australia I noticed the same judgment of God in the areas hit by severe flooding. Australia is becoming more atheistic. Our Prime Minister is a self-confessed atheist. Also there is a basic failure of Christians in Australia to evangelize Australia because of the growing apostasy and ecumenism of many Christian churches. I think from observing these events God is doing His thing to make Himself known. God has to break the pattern of rejection of Christ!

The increase in pattern of catastrophic events around the world is very telling of the times & season in which we live these days.

Yours in Christ,
AB (3/11)

Filling of the Spirit

Dr. Couch, what is the filling of the Spirit in Ephesians 5:18?

Good question. The Greek word is "plaroo" and it means to "fill," or to have control. This is the only place where this word is used in regard to believers after Acts, and after the church had matured. It is a Present Passive Imperative (command) and could be translated: "You be daily (continually) controlled by the Spirit." We are to allow His control to come upon us continually! With the command we know that we are to have some awareness of what the Spirit is doing with us. We are to be conscious of His activity with our heart and soul.

I did not know it but Dr. Harold Hoehner, a good friend of mine who died a few years ago, wrote in his classic Ephesian commentary this:

"The Spirit of God directs and empowers a believer to live a life pleasing to God and His will. Those who live under the control of their flesh will not please God and God does not control their lives. … This is the Spirit's activities realized in and through us. Believers are commanded to be filled by the Spirit so that they will understand the will of the Lord and allow God's control of their lives rather than succumbing to the desires of the flesh. If believers were only filled with wisdom, the influence would be impersonal; however, the filling by the Spirit adds God's personal presence, influence, and enablement to walk wisely, all of which are beneficial to believers and pleasing to God. … To be filled by the Spirit enables the Spirit to have all of the believer: The wise walk, therefore, is one that is characterized by the Holy Spirit's control."

What is the difference of the filling of the Spirit in the book of Acts?

First of all the Greek word for filling in Acts is different but still the same, if that makes sense! It is the word "pimplemi" that is distinctly related to "plaroo." "pimplemi" is used only by Dr. Luke in the Gospel of Luke and Acts. It is like a classical Greek word but all scholars realize that it is virtually just like "plaroo".

The first reference to "pimplemi" is found in Acts 2:4, 4:8, 4:31, 9:17, 13:9. In Acts 2:4 we read that the disciples "were filled, controlled with the Holy Spirit." They were "filled, filled up, controlled" (Aorist Passive Indicative). The action of the Spirit came sovereignly upon them. They were not commanded to be controlled like believers are today, as found in Ephesians 5:18.

Peter then was "controlled" by the Spirit (Acts 4:8) and began to speak. It is an Aorist Passive Participle. This is another sovereign work of the Spirit. Peter does not ask for it, it just happened to him. "The action of the Holy Spirit came suddenly upon him" and he began to speak. The Participle ties the action of the Spirit closely together with Peter speaking. "Peter was characterized as having begun to speak ..."

In Acts 4:31 we read the disciples were "filled, controlled by the Holy Spirit, and began to speak the word of God with boldness." This to is an Aorist Passive Indicative. "They were suddenly controlled by the (sovereign work of the) Spirit" and by this control they began to speak! Nicoll notes that they were controlled that they might speak with boldness. Their prayer was immediately answered. They proceeded to speak (the Past Tense) also implying that they continued to speak. They were filled, controlled with the Holy Spirit who was actually working in the apostles!

In Acts 9:17 Ananias laid his hands on Paul and said he was doing so in order that Paul would "regain his sight, and then be filled (controlled) with the Holy Spirit." The Spirit took over in a sovereign way and "Immediately the scales fell from Paul's eyes … and he began to immediately proclaim Jesus" (vv. 18, 20). This is an Aorist Passive Subjunctive. "That you should be immediately controlled by the Spirit ..."

In 13:9-10 we read that "Paul was controlled by the Spirit and said ..." Again, a sovereign work. This is another Aorist Passive Participle. The force of the Participle: "Paul was characterized as one who was suddenly controlled by the Spirit ..."

I hope this helps. Thanks for asking.
—Dr. Mal Couch (2/11)

The Lord's Approval or People's Approval?

Dr. Couch, what did Paul mean when he wrote in 1 Corinthians 11:19, "They which are approved may be made manifest among you." Does "approve" refer to our Lord's approval or to people's approval? ANSWER:  Good question. It has to do with the fact that they are approved of by the Lord. The first of the verse says "For there must be heresies among you." When we face heretical teaching, we are strengthened by God. The church then is put on trial, tested. In his commentary, Charles Hodge says:      "It is that they which are approved, the tried, those who have stood the test, and are worthy of approbation. By the prevalence of disorders and other evils in the church, God puts His people to the test. They are tried as gold in the furnace, and their genuineness is made to appear. It is a great consolation to know that dissensions ... are ordered by the providence of God, and are designed, as storms, for the purpose of purification" of the believer.    God knows what He is doing with us!    Thanks for asking.    Dr. Mal Couch (8/10)

God's Sovereignty and Satan

Dr. Couch, how can God be sovereign and Satan be "the god of this world" as mentioned in 2 Corinthians 4:4? ANSWER:  Both are truths that cannot be reconciled. They form a paradox. The English word paradox comes from two words: para=alongside, and dox= or doxology, or teaching. That Satan is the god of this world and God is still sovereign are two parallel truths that do not "meet," they are truths that run alongside of each other. One does not cancel out the other. For example, God can send a deluding spirit to those who are evil that they may be judged (2 Thess. 2:11-12) and look carefully at Revelation 17:17: "God has put (rebellion) in their hearts to execute His purpose by having a common purpose and by giving their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God should be fulfilled."    My question: "Who is in charge?" And, "Who do we think we are?" Sin and evil is real and powerful but God is still sovereign and in full control over all creatures and over all of His universe!    Thanks for asking.    Dr. Mal Couch (8/10)

God's Sovereignty and the Curse

Dr. Couch, if God is sovereign why does He allow imperfections, deformities, and retardations to take place? Why does He allow the world to go on, and does not correct our bodies in this life? ANSWER:  The apostle Paul writes: "Creation has been subjected to futility; not of its own will, but because of Him (God) who subjects it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of children until now. ... We groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body" (Rom. 8:20-23).    This is a sinful, cursed universe. It is cursed because of sin and the fall of the human race. God is letting the world run its course, going all the way to destruction so that He can re-create a new and perfect order. When the new heaven and the new earth comes about God "shall wipe away every tear from [men's] eyes; and there shall no longer by any death; there shall no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things will have passed away" (Rev. 21:4). We are getting closer and hope that God will soon change all things to conform to His new and perfect universe!    Thanks for asking.    Dr. Mal Couch (6/10)

Calvinism

Dr. Couch, it seems to me that the five points of Calvinism, particularly the belief in limited atonement, cannot be proven scripturally. What do you say? ANSWER:  You are absolutely correct. In the presentation of the five points by those who hold that view, the advocates have the least to say about limited atonement because they cannot prove this as scriptural. It is a long story as to why they even came up with that view, which I won't take the time here to go into.    The other four points are certainly defensible by the Word of God, but limited atonement just won't fly!    The Bible clearly teaches absolute salvation by predestination, and it teaches total depravity, and eternal security, but not the limited atonement view. Salvation is offered to all, but because of depravity, none will by themselves come to Christ. Thus, sovereign election kicks in and those to be saved are brought to Him. There are so many verses that make this clear I don't have space here to present all of them. Just one: "As many as had been appointed to eternal life believed" (Acts 13:48b). "Appointed" is the Greek word "tasso" as a Perfect Passive Participle. "The ones who have been brought to this point of an appointment, a position," they believed.    Here are some verses that I think go against "limited atonement":   Christ "is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but for the whole world" (1 John 2:2).    "Who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth" (1 Tim. 2:4).    "Who gave Himself a ransom for all" (1 Tim. 2:6).    "But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared" (Titus 3:4).    "Not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance" (2 Pet. 3:9).    Even the false prophets "denying the Master who bought them" (2 Pet. 2:1).    "The grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men" (Titus 2:11).    Remember, no one can come to Christ without His drawing him. "There is none who seeks after God" within himself (Rom. 3:11)! Salvation is a sovereign work of God. Though the door is open for all, none will come by themselves! Thus no one can say, "You kept me from coming to You!"    Thanks for asking.    Dr. Mal Couch (Mar., 10)

Why Pray when God is Sovereign?

Dr. Couch, why pray if God is sovereign? ANSWER: Don't you imagine that this same question was asked a thousand times by the prophets and apostles of old! We forget that God "ordains both the ends and the means" to accomplish His purposes. And He uses human agents, though He is actually working within us, as His agents, to fulfill His plans. Paul writes "For it is God who is working in you, both to the willing and the doing for His good pleasure" (Phil. 2:13). "Working" is a Present Participle with the idea: "He is continually and progressively working (producing energy) in us" for His purposes. "To be willing" and "To be working" are both Present Infinitives. "God" is emphatic in the verse. "IT IS GOD who is doing these things ..." We can never reconcile God's sovereignty and man's responsibility, but the Bible speaks of both. God is 100% sovereign and we are 100% responsible. I can't understand this! Yet, one does not cancel out the other. Both are true and are operative in life. We must take the Word of God at face value. It is consistent in what it teaches even though we may not be able to reconcile it all. Thanks for asking. Dr. Mal Couch (Jan., 10)

God's Sovereignty

Dr. Couch, thank you for your strong stance on God's sovereignty. It seems as if there are hundreds, if not thousands, of verses on the fact that He is in control. ANSWER:  Yes, you are right! In Ecclesiastes 1:13-15 we find that all that is done under the heavens, is "a grievous task which God has given to the sons of men to be afflicted with." Thus, "What is crooked cannot be straightened, and what is lacking cannot be counted" (v. 15). Solomon adds: "Consider the work of God, for who is able to straighten what He has bent? In the day of prosperity be happy, but in the day of adversity consider—God has made the one as well as the other so that man may not discover anything that will be after him" (7:13-14).    While God is not the author of evil, as we might conceive, He still can use evil for His divine purposes. We are not to speak of human conspiracies because it is God who turns the hearts and minds of men to do His biding. We are "not to fear what [men] fear or be in dread of it. ... [God] shall be your dread" (Isa. 8:12-13).    In our present administration in Washington, men do not understand righteousness. "Evil men do not understand justice, but those who seek the Lord understand all things" (Prov. 28:8). Foolish men now lead us, and without God's direct sovereignty in America, we will not see Godly change in this country.    Thanks for asking.    Dr. Mal Couch

God's Sovereignty at Work in the Believer

Dr. Couch, what is going on in Philippians 2:13? It sounds like the absolute sovereignty of God working in the believer! Is this right? ANSWER:  You're right! That is what is going on! The believer is not a robot and yet, God is absolutely sovereign. Nothing happens with us without His working and causing us to be willing and then to be working in regard to His good pleasure! The Greek text reads:    "Be continually working intently your salvation with fear and trembling; for God is the One continually working in you the to be willing and the to be working concerning the good pleasure [of Him]" (Phil. 2:12b-13).    Notice the Present Tenses in the verse. Nicoll points out that there is no conflict with Divine sovereignty and human responsibility. But guess which one dominates? God's sovereignty. His work causes all things to be!    A.T. Robertson is stronger on the passage. "God is the Energy and the Energizer of the universe. ... God is back of all activity in nature." "Both the willing and the working (the energizing). God does it all, then. The will of God is behind gravitation and all the laws of nature."     As I used to ask my students: "Who is in charge?" And, "Who do we think we are?"    Ellicott goes further: "The word 'works in you' is constantly applied to the divine operation in the soul, ... to do the action of men. It must necessarily extend to the will as well as the action; otherwise God would not be sovereign in the inner realm of mind. Hence, while we cannot even conceive the existence of freedom under an unbending impersonal law or force, the harmony of our will with a Supreme Personal Will (God's) is mysterious, indeed."    Thanks for asking.    Dr. Mal Couch

Jesus' Knowledge Regarding End Times Events

Dr. Couch, I have heard some say that from Mark 13:32 Jesus did not know the time of the beginning of the tribulation events and of the time of His return to earth in order to reign and rule in His kingdom. Is this true? ANSWER:  The words of Christ in that passage reads: "But of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone."    Many "good" theologians miss the point on this passage. Being very God, there is nothing that Christ could not have known. God the Son cannot "unknow" the facts of history. Philippians 2:6-7, and the doctrine of the kenoses ("to empty"), may help us understand what is happening here in Mark. The Philippians passage reads "He emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, ..." When Christ was born into the realm of mankind, He did not become less than God but He set aside His divine glory and took the form of a slave. A slave is not serving Himself but the One higher than He is. The Father in rank is above the Son, but the Son is not less than the Father in His deity!    Thus, the prerogative of Christ in His work on earth was that of a slave. Therefore, the Father is sovereign in decisions, and the Son obeys the Father and does His biding. "The knowledge of the final plans of history" is the prerogative of the Father not of the Son! Part of the key also is the word "know" in the Mark passage. It is the Greek word "oida." Oida is an intuitive knowledge over against a body of knowledge expressed by "ginosko." It is intuitive with the Father to have the knowledge of the plan of history. It is His plan! This does not mean that the Son did not know what the plan was; but it was with the Father specifically to know when He would execute the working out of the tribulation and the kingdom at a specific point in time. This was not the prerogative of the Son!    In my commentary series, McGowan quotes Lenski who says: "In their essential oneness the three persons [of the Trinity] know all things, but in his humiliation the second person did not use his divine attributes save as he needed them in his mediatorial work." I would soften this statement somewhat and say that Christ did not, as a servant, speak what He knew because He left such knowledge with the Father, and the Father determined not to reveal the specific day or hour when the end time events would begin! Thus, the Son acquiesced to His Father and did not reveal this information, but He left the issue in the hands of His Father.    Thanks for asking.    Dr. Mal Couch (Nov., 09)

Who Owns the Holy Land

Dr. Couch, who owns the Holy Land? ANSWER:  This is simple—it belongs to the Lord, who in turn, gave it to His people, Israel. In His sovereignty, He can do with it as He pleases. He answers to no one! "Who do we think we are?" And, "Who is in charge?" God is in charge! He can do with the lost world as He wishes.    We are told who owns the Land in Judges 11. The nations surrounding Israel complained, the people of Moab and Ammon. They said: "Israel took away my land when they came up from Egypt, ... now return it peaceably" (v. 13). But through Jephthah God answered: "The Lord, the God of Israel, gave Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel, and they defeated them; so Israel possessed all the land of the Amorites. ... Since now the Lord, the God of Israel, drove out the Amorites from before His people Israel, are you then to possess it?" (vv. 21-23). "So whatever the Lord our God has driven out before us, we will possess it" (v. 24).    God is in heaven but is He not the ruler "over all the kingdoms of the nations? Power and might are in Your hand so that no one can stand before You!" (2 Chron. 20:6). "Did you not, O our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel, and give it to the descendants of Abraham You friend FOREVER?" (v. 7). Note the word FOREVER!    The land belongs to Israel and not to the Arabs or the Palestinians.    Thanks for asking.    Dr. Mal Couch (Oct., 09)

Contradiction between Paul and Peter Regarding God's Sovereignty

Dr. Couch, is there a contradiction between what Paul says in Acts 17:31 and what Peter says in 2 Peter 3:12, about God's sovereign plan in history, and our hastening the "coming day of God"? ANSWER:  Good question. And this is where only a student of the Greek text can give a definitive answer. The apostle Paul says God has a plan, "He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, ... raising Him from the dead" (Acts 17:31). God is in charge of when the day of judgment will come. It is an exact moment in His eternal decree of all things! But then the English in 2 Peter 3:12 reads: "... looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God on account of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, ..." This sounds as if we can hasten the coming of the day of final judgment. Is this right?    No, it is not! Both "looking for" and "hastening" are Present Active Participles in the Greek text, but more, the word "hastening" is not a good translation in this context of the word speudo. The "looking for" is better translated "expecting" and the word "hastening" is better translated "earnestly desiring." As translated "hastening" it sounds as if we are causing the day of God to come quickly. Instead, the point is that we are "earnestly desiring" that it will arrive soon.    A problem like this is why I spent some 35 college and graduate hours in Greek, with some of the best Greek teachers in America, so that I could know exactly what the biblical text was saying! After I came to my conclusion I checked out the great old Greek scholar A. T. Robertson, and, he translates the verse the same way. We are not causing the coming of the day of God, we are anticipating its arrival!    Thanks for asking.    Dr. Mal Couch (Oct., 09)

Christians Need More Wisdom

Dr. Couch, should not Christians have more wisdom and not be so duped and gullible in their thinking? Or is this part of His sovereignty, to allow evil to run its course, and too, in life He hands out divine retribution, even on believers? ANSWER:  While God is sovereign and taking His world where He wishes it to go, there are still natural processes at work. We cannot fathom how all of this works. It is a "both and ..." when we try to reconcile His sovereignty and human responsibility!    As the Lord builds His church we find Paul writing: "That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, and that you being rooted and grounded in love ..." Peter also writes: that we should "grow in the grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (2 Pet. 3:18). We have to grow because we're not there yet! I have the same argument when discussing the physical and mental growth of a child. It takes at least 20 years for one to become mature! So in the Christian life—it is a growth process—we do not mature instantly!    Paul adds: That we should no longer be children, tossed here and there by waves, and carried about by every wind of doctrine by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming, etc. ..." (Eph. 4:14). This is why most of the epistles were written—to strengthen, to support, to mature out believers by the process of learning. Natural processes are at work! But so is the Holy Spirit! God is working with what He has in believers. We are changed by His steady working on us!    Thanks for asking.    Dr. Mal Couch

God Controls the Weather

Dr. Couch, are you sure the tornado that went through Minneapolis during the Lutheran Convention was from God? ANSWER:  Absolutely! Where did you get that what happens in His world is simply an accident? You didn't get that from Scripture! I gave a bunch of verses from Job that tells us the tornado (the whirlwind) comes from Him. If it was not from the Lord, then it simply happened as an accident, a freak of nature, and God was helpless to stop it. He is simply impotent! This is not from my Bible.    Job further tells us: "He sets the course for the thunderbolt" (Job 28:26), and, evil men rebelled against Him and "He gave their crops to the grasshopper, ... He destroyed their vines with hailstones, He gave over their cattle also to the hailstones, and their herds to bolts of lightning, ..." (Psa. 78:41-48). "He commands the lightning to strike its mark" (Job 36:33). God speaks in the whirlwind (the tornado) and says "who instructs Me?" (38:1-3).     Can men judge uprightly? God can "sweep them away with a tornado. ... The righteous will rejoice when he sees [God's] vengeance" (Psa. 58:9-10). "What the wicked fears will come upon him, ... When the tornado passes, the wicked is no more" (Prov. 24-25). When Israel sinned "they sowed the wind, they reaped the tornado. [Then] the standing grain has no heads" [Prosperity and blessing disappear] (Hosea 8:7).    Thanks for asking.    Dr. Mal Couch

Inclusivism and Preaching Christ

Dr. Couch, I believe Romans 10:13-14 indicates pagans are lost, so then we should preach Christ to them, right? Otherwise, why not let them be saved by some other way. What do you think of inclusivism? ANSWER:  These verses are looking at the lost from the earthly perspective. And yes, they cannot be saved without accepting Christ, and they cannot hear of Him without a "preacher" ("proclaimer"). This does not negate the doctrine of absolute predestination and election. These verses in Romans are giving us the subjective or the human perspective. If you want to fully understand the doctrine of predestination you need to study Ephesians 1:3-14. Read it carefully and slowly. Notice that "belief" is not mentioned because Paul is taking us up to heaven to observe the Divine perspective on salvation.    Remember my little saying, God is absolutely 100% sovereign and man is 100% responsible. I really cannot understand this but this is what the Bible proclaims from Genesis to Revelation. Paul points out in Romans 1 that men are responsible for seeing God in nature, but even with that revelation, they still refuse to come to Him. Paul is not suggesting that they can be saved by seeing God in nature but his point is that they do not even go past that revelation. They still refuse to believe in Him no matter how great or small the knowledge they have of Him.    Paul's conclusion on the subject is important: He writes "There is none righteous, not even one; there is none who understands, there is none who seeks after God; all have turned aside, together they have become useless; there is none who does good, thee is not even one" (Rom. 3:10-12). This comes under the heading of  Total Depravity! In some ways 1 Corinthians 2:14 is even stronger. "The natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for these things are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually understandable." Thus mankind is really cut off from God and does not wish to seek Him!    I am not sure what you mean by inclusivism. Please explain.    Thanks for asking.    Dr. Mal Couch

Do All Floods and Storms Come Directly From God?

Dr. Couch, do all the floods and storms come directly from God? Most people do not think so.

ANSWER: Read your Bible, especially Job 36-37. Most Christians are not doing that. Their view of God comes from the culture and not from Scripture. Remember, people in America used to be a bit more spiritually intelligent. They called storms (rightly so) "the acts of God!"

God is in charge of His world, and He can do whatsoever He wishes with it. He does not ask us, nor counsel with us. He does not look for our opinion: "He is in charge; who do we think we are?"

In Job 36:27 we read that God "draws up the drops of water, the drops distill rain from the mist. … The clouds drip upon man abundantly." Can anyone figure out God's spreading out of the clouds? Do we understand how He spreads forth His lightning? By the rain and the storms He both "judges peoples; and gives food in abundance" (v. 31). He causes the "lightning to strike its mark," even taking a life if He so pleases (v. 32)! God's thunder causes Job's "heart to tremble, and [his heart] leaps from its place" (37:1). What God does, Job goes on and says, "we cannot comprehend" (v. 5). In what He does with His own creation He causes men to fold their hands with helplessness (v. 7). He does all of this to cause human beings to see His power and authority over His creation: "That all men may know His works" (v. 7b), and by His works, even the animals have to crouch in their dens (v. 8).

The storm "does whatever He commands it on the face of the inhabited earth" (v. 12). He uses the storms to wake up people so they will know who is in charge! He sends the rains "whether for (1) [judgmental] correction, or (2) for lovingkindness, He causes it to happen" (v. 13).

The storms that have hit our coasts lately did not happen by accident! They have a purpose, and part of that, could be as a judgment for a very arrogant and prideful people. Unfortunately, because of very sinful hearts, people will not call upon Him when calamity comes.

Thanks for asking.
Dr. Mal Couch

How Does the Sovereignty of God Work in Relationship to the Sin of the Believer?

Dr. Couch, how does the sovereignty of God work in relationship to the sin of the believer?

ANSWER:  Wow! That's a tough question, though we know that God is 100% sovereign and we humans are 100% responsible! Arthur Pink in his book on The Life of David, I believe has it right. He says:

But now the question arises, Why did God permit David to fall so low and sin so   terribly? The first answer must be, To display His high and awe-inspiring sovereignty. Here we approach ground which is indeed difficult for us to tread even with unshodden feet. Nevertheless it cannot be gainsaid that there is a marvelous and sovereign display of the Lord's grace toward His people in this particular respect, both before their calling and after. Some of the elect are permitted to sin most grievously in their uncovered state, while others of them, even in their unregenerate days, are wondrously preserved. Again, some of the elect after their conversion have been divinely allowed to awfully fall into the most horrible impieties, while others of them are so preserved as never to sin willfully against their consciences from the first conviction to the very close of their lives.

This also reminds us of Psalm 37:23-24. "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the Lord upholds him with His hand."

   Many reading this need encouraging today. I hope this helps.

   Thanks for asking.
   Dr. Mal Couch

God's Absolute Providence

Dr. Couch, I appreciate your many short teachings about the sovereignty of God. As I read I find more and more such statements about God's absolute providence in Scripture that I had never noticed before. I found a statement just yesterday in 2 Kings that was fascinating. Thanks for sharing this with us on the web.

ANSWER: Yes, 2 Kings 10 tells us just who is in charge in this world. I used to ask my students: "Who is in charge?" And, "Who do we think we are?" By the way, this is not popular today as our churches go into the apostasy. We think we are in charge, and, humanism is now replacing God as God

Hezekiah prayed before the Lord in regard to the evil of king Sennacherib of Assyria. He pleaded for God to hear his petition: "O Lord, … see; and listen to the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to reproach the living God" (v. 16). "O Lord our God, I pray, deliver us from his hand that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that Thou alone, O Lord, art God" (v. 19).

God responds to Hezekiah and says, "Because you have prayed to Me about Sennacherib king of Assyria, I have heard you" (v. 20). The Lord then reminds the pagan king that He put into place a plan that started to come about that He declared long ago. God said to Sennacherib: "Have you not heard? Long ago I did it; from ancient times I planned it. Now I have brought it to pass" (v. 25). The Lord then adds: "I know your sitting down, and your going out and your coming in, and your raging against Me. … I will put My hook in your nose, and My bridle in your lips, and I will turn you back by the way which you came" (vv. 27-28).

God knows before hand, and God plans before hand! He is in charge of history even though it seems as if mankind is sovereign! People are not really in charge. God is

Thanks for your comments
Dr. Mal Couch

What is the Balance Between God's Sovereignty and Human Responsibility?

Dr. Couch, what is the balance between God's sovereignty and human responsibility, especially in the story of Cain and Abel?

ANSWER: When you look at any of the stories of the human drama in Scripture you are looking at the realm of human responsibility. But God's sovereignty is not over-ridden in what is happening in the ongoing march of human history. He is going to have His way! He is in charge of His own Plan!

So, it is not necessary to answer specifically about Cain and Abel because Scripture tells us that God is at work in all events of the Bible. I always say that God is 100% sovereign and humanity is 100% responsible. It is not a 20% vs. 80% deal! Now I cannot understand that at all but the Bible makes this clear. You cannot read any section of verses in Scripture without seeing His sovereignty at work!

Here is just one passage:

Who is like Me? Let him proclaim and declare it; yes, let him recount it to Me in order, from the time that I established the ancient nation. And let them declare to them the things that are coming and the events that are going to take place. ... Have I not long since announced it to you and declared it?" (Isa. 44:6-8)

It is God who establishes the nations, that is, each individual man on the planet. He sets the boundaries and causes history to unfold. But again, we are responsible! I cannot reconcile that!

You need a good course in systematic theology. I suggest you get Lewis Sperry Chafer's Systematic Theology and read volumes I & III. The verses he gives will blow you away! This is how at the ripe age of nineteen I began to believe in the absolute sovereignty of God. (I believe you can get this Systematic Theology set still from Kregel for a discount!) I also suggest Arthur Pink's book, Sovereignty of God, though he definitely is wrong on his view of Limited Atonement, and cannot defend it scripturally! But what he writes otherwise is right on target.

Thanks for asking.
Dr. Mal Couch