The Minority Report
Deut 7:6-8
6 For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth.
7 The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people:
8 But because the LORD loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the LORD brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. (KJV)
In 2002, Tom Cruise starred in a movie called, “The Minority Report” in which the police in 2054 use three psychics who see the crime before it happens thus enabling the police to apprehend the criminal before he actually becomes a murderer, bank robber or whatever. That creates a real issue with the innocent until proven guilty concept if you have not yet committed the crime but are arrested. Of course, the majority considers it a wonderful and flawless program and the few who oppose it are scoffed. In the end, it is not flawless because the developer of the program is able to fool two of the three psychics and hide his murder. The third psychic’s nonconcurring report is ignored since the other two agree hence the title of the movie. In the end, the rejected report is the true one and the murderer is captured and the program scrapped. All is well that ends well.
While this is a fictional story adapted from one back in 1958, the concept of the majority being right has always been near and dear to most American’s hearts. We even use the Chinese sometimes to express it by saying a billion Chinese can’t be wrong. Yet, politically and spiritually the Chinese are very wrong so why we use that cliché I have no clue. Of course, the concept is always wonderful when you are a member of the majority but really is not so great when you are not in the majority.
As much as we may like the concept, the majority is not always right. Just by looking at history, we can see that. The majority called Robert Fulton’s steamboat “Fulton’s Folly” saying it would never replace wind power and yet now we have nuclear powered ships that can sail for years without coming back to port. People possibly taunted the Wright Brothers by calling them the “Wrong Brothers” for thinking that they could invent a flying machine. Once they did very few expected a transatlantic flight by Lindberg to succeed and an around the world flight was ludicrous. How many of you heard people say before 1969 that they would do things or believe things when they put a man on the moon? Space travel was for Jules Verne and other sci-fi writers but it would never come to pass.
The majority never thought that Stock Market would crash in 1929. The majority didn’t believe that Pearl Harbor would ever be attacked and the majority wanted to stay out of war, yet if we had we would all be part of the Third Reich. The majority thought Social Security would be a great thing when FDR came up with it and now it is a national albatross with sacred cow status. It was doomed to fail from the start because it was designed opposite of biblical teaching. The parent should lay up an inheritance for the child and Social Security is in reality the child laying up for the parent. No one expected the Baby Boom or people to live as long as they now do. With the actuary facts they had, it seemed the right thing to do but it was wrong. The majority never thought a 9/11 would happen. The majority never thought the dotcoms would fail. The list could go on and would be huge if we started from the earliest recorded history and came forward in every culture. I have only tapped some historical highlights.
Fortunately, the majority is not always wrong or we would be in worse trouble then we have been in the past or are in even now. Sometimes the majority votes correctly. However, there are times when like the Wright Brothers and others the minority report is accurate and they have to press on in spite of the criticism, sneers, and jeers of the majority.
It has often been like that in the history of God’s people. We have seen in our opening verses that God did not look at numbers when He chose Abraham to be the forbearer of what would become the Jewish people or, as we know them the Israelis. There were powerful nations and nations with multitudes of people. God did not choose them. He would build His people with His power not the power of numbers or even men’s wisdom. We have the problem we have today in the Mid-East because of Abraham accepting from Sarah what was the worldly consensus on how to have an heir if your wife was infertile. Oops!
1 Cor 1:26-29
26 For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:
27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;
28 And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:
29 That no flesh should glory in his presence. (KJV)
We see that even in His Church, Jesus has not gone with the general consensus of that culture or ours. The majority of the people who respond to His message are those whom the majority of the world would not look to for wisdom or power. He chose mostly fisherman, one tax collector, and a son of perdition then replacing the son of perdition with one theologian.
Unlike Christ, the present Church seeks to have tons of learned theologians in order to appeal to the world’s addiction to worldly education and nobility. Paul and Luke would be able to find pastorates today but the rest of the Apostles and Timothy would have been encouraged to attend seminary or be satisfied with a lay ministry. Actually, most churches and seminaries would be impressed with Paul’s credentials but would have been turned off by his rigid thinking and authoritative demeanor. Therefore only Luke may have had a chance into today’s structure. Old Testament prophets would be written off as fringe lunatics at worst or comic novelties at best.
Independent, fundamental Baptists that hold to the KJV are becoming a smaller and smaller group. Finding a fundamental anything anymore is tough especially since the media and some fruitcakes have sullied the term. Yet, there are those who once preferred the term Conservative who are considering coming back to Fundamentalist since Conservative has been severely watered down. After all, “Reading Is Fundamental” so if you can read you must be a radical fringe zealot, if the term is so bad. Just because someone uses a word doesn’t make them what they say they are and just because someone misuses a term doesn’t make the term bad or wrong.
Just because we are in the minority, doesn’t make us wrong. In my ministry, there have been many, many times when I gave the minority report. There were some times that I was wrong but my track record has been pretty good. In some things, I have been batting a thousand. There are some issues in my life right now where I hold the minority view but in similar issues I have been 100% correct so I have no reason to believe that I am wrong now even if it means that I have to stand alone.
Standing alone is not an easy thing. I am a joiner and I love things being in harmony. The folks who believe in astrology would say that is because my birth sign is Libra, the scales. Actually, it is more likely because there was a lot of turmoil, pain and other unpleasant things in my childhood that I would really rather had avoided in my life and certainly now as I am aging peace and tranquility is appealing. The world says, “Go along to get along” and a part of me would love to jump on that bandwagon. Unfortunately, that bandwagon is playing the wrong tune and indeed now that I am saved I do march to the beat of a different drummer. The Lord’s beat is not even close to the world’s rhythm and that is why there is conflict and cacophony rather than harmony between the World and Christ’s true Church or at least there should be discord.
Luke 6:26 Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets. (KJV)
I have never figured out why we have worked so hard in the thirty years that I have been saved to seek approval of the world and even their accolades. The world and false religion has hated the people of God from the beginning and now you want to buddy up? A lot of people look at the big churches and their numbers and automatically assume that they are a success especially if their preachers are seen on secular TV regularly and the media speaks well of them. Someone hasn’t read this passage it would seem.
James 4:4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. (KJV)
Brother James, that is so harsh! Where is the grace in that? We have to be friends with them to win them do we not? James would say not.
2 Cor 6:14-18
14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?
16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. (KJV)
Separation is a dirty word nowadays. Yet God commands it. We want to appeal to the unbelievers by dressing like them, looking like them, singing like them, etc. etc.
Jude 1:21-23
21 Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
22 And of some have compassion, making a difference:
23 And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh. (KJV)
Using the current consensus of ministry, we would change this passage to jump in the fire with them, admire their garment, and ask where we could get one. If two people are standing in front of me in full Goth regalia or whatever façade you can think of and you can’t tell the born again Christian from the unbeliever then we have replaced fear with a mistaken concept of compassion and grace.
Yes, if someone is in a lifestyle that they either do not know is sin or got forced into it then by all means use a different tone in your message than what you might use with a rebel that should know better but entering the lifestyle is not the way to do it. To really understand it you will have to go far deeper than you should want to go and if you just stay on the outer fringe or only stick a toe in the water they won’t respect you or your message. Oil and water do not mix and neither should the Church and the world.
When you study the ministries of Noah, Jeremiah, Amos, John the Baptist, Jesus, and the Apostles you won’t see such a catering to the culture or lifestyles of people. They usually had to stand against the majority and even people who should have helped either fled or betrayed them. Jesus ate with sinners, which got up the nose of the religious elite but He did not do what they did else He would be a sinner as well nor did He glamorize or gloss over their sins.
The woman at the well tried to ignore the real issues and change the subject but Jesus let her know that He knew her sin and He didn’t sugar coat it. He said it in a way that was convicting and yet with compassion but He dealt with it right away. The rich young ruler and others were handled in the same way. He didn’t go to his house and enjoy some of the goodies or have him come to the teachings for a while until he got to know Jesus better before Jesus told him his real need. He spoke the truth in love but He didn’t cater to him either.
I can’t even begin to imagine what a seeker church might look like in Jesus’ day. In a way, I can but it came a few hundred years later when someone got the idea of trying to redeem pagan symbols, traditions, and such in order to win the pagans. That didn’t work very well and ultimately there had to be a Reformation to correct at least a part of the problems that caused. Sadly, the Reformation didn’t go far enough and neither have some folks since that time. Indeed, Evangelicals are retrogressing into the same error. Solomon was right there is nothing new under the sun. Only the names change to protect the guilty and mesmerize the innocent and ignorant.
While it is clear and a great many Christians understand that we are to be a peculiar and separate or holy people unto God not mingling with the world a great many have not understood that principle also applies to those who call themselves Christians.
II Th 2:1-4
1 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,
2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. (KJV)
As we see in verse three, there has to be a falling away or an apostasy before the Anti-Christ will be revealed. The environment has to be right for satan to have his day in the sun before he has his eternity in the flames. If the true Church were strong in the last days he would have great difficulty rising to power. If Germany had not been defeated in 1918 and the unemployment, out of control inflation and all the other issues that went along with that defeat had not existed no one like Hitler could have arose. The ruler of Germany might still be a Kaiser instead of a Prime Minister. The environment had to be ripe for his rise to power and his reign of madness.
If you compare the doctrines, practices and the types of leaders that the mainline denominations had prior to 1881 and what they have today you will find a deep chasm. The gulf between now and then is so great that even the founders of those denominations would not want to be members and indeed they would never be allowed to become leaders in those denominations. Should this be a shock to us? I don’t know why.
1 Tim 4:1-3
1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;
3 Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. (KJV)
In case, you didn’t understand apostasy, Paul clears it up for us here. It is a departure from the faith that is cause by the departure from sound doctrine and paying attention to doctrines of devils spoken by seducing spirits. This sounds like the pages of many “Christian” periodicals and web sites. He gives us a few examples of those doctrines and actually these two have been around for some time. Ever think of telling people to stay away from certain foods or meats as a doctrine of devils? Hey, Paul called it not me. Enforced celibacy ring any bells to you? That is a devil doctrine. There are plenty more in Scripture. You just have to read the Word to find them.
2 Tim 4:3-5
3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
5 But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, m make full proof of thy ministry. (KJV)
We have a lot of that going on for sure! People are all about new things no matter how weird. So what do we do about it? Join them in an ecumenical sing-along? God forbid! By the way, the word ecumenical comes from Greek meaning the whole world. They want to unify everyone but you can’t do that in an age of apostasy and doctrines of devils. The only unified group that calls itself a church in the last days will be headed by the False Prophet, who will bring in the Anti-Christ, and you don’t want to be a part of that group.
Titus 1:9-11
9 Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.
10 For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision:
11 Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre’s sake. (KJV)
Can anyone see a myriad of TV Preachers in this passage? I am sure that there are plenty out there that aren’t that successful yet but they are working hard at it. Note these lads Paul was specifically talking about were Jewish rabbis. The early church left the temple by mutual desire of the Sanhedrin and the Apostles. Paul said that their mouths need to be shut and he meant by rebuke and rebuttal with sound doctrine since preachers are not supposed to be brawlers. He didn’t say hook up with them and try to influence them.
Amos 7:10-13
10 Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, Amos hath conspired against thee in the midst of the house of Israel: the land is not able to bear all his words.
11 For thus Amos saith, Jeroboam shall die by the sword, and Israel shall surely be led away captive out of their own land.
12 Also Amaziah said unto Amos, O thou seer, go, flee thee away into the land of Judah, and there eat bread, and prophesy there:
13 But prophesy not again any more at Bethel: for it is the king’s chapel, and it is the king’s court. (KJV)
Now you have to understand that if you stand against these people they won’t like you. Poor old Amos was just a nobody that God called to preach against the King and to even tell off the King’s priest. He did as he was told.
Amos 7:14-17
14 Then answered Amos, and said to Amaziah, I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet’s son; but I was an herdman, and a gatherer of sycomore fruit:
15 And the LORD took me as I followed the flock, and the LORD said unto me, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel.
16 Now therefore hear thou the word of the LORD: Thou sayest, Prophesy not against Israel, and drop not thy word against the house of Isaac.
17 Therefore thus saith the LORD; Thy wife shall be an harlot in the city, and thy sons and thy daughters shall fall by the sword, and thy land shall be divided by line; and thou shalt die in a polluted land: and Israel shall surely go into captivity forth of his land. (KJV)
Phew! No Dale Carnegie in that for sure!! Amos also was inspired to say.
Amos 3:3 Can two walk together, except they be agreed? (KJV)
The obvious answer is no or at least the answer should be obvious.
Rev 18:1-4
1 And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory.
2 And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.
3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.
4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. (KJV)
There are some well-meaning people who ask me, “Aren’t there some saved people in the apostate organizations?” It would appear that from this passage that sometimes people do get saved but don’t come out. This passage speaks very clearly to the fact that if they are saved they need to get out.
I have e-mail acquaintances that tell me all the time about weird and crazy stuff that is going on in their denomination. I have exhorted them for years to come out but they think that they can influence the group or bring some out or some other reason why they stay. This passage says that it didn’t work for mystery Babylon and it doesn’t work for any other group that goes into apostasy. The Reformers tried that and they were nearly killed or imprisoned for life. It was a sad joke to read one Lutheran writer who said that all Luther wanted was more love in the church. I can see Luther reaching for an inkwell now.
God tells us through Paul to come out and here He uses John to warn believers about ungodly associations. How many times does He have to tell us? Verse 4 is a very ominous verse. We must remember that this is taking place after the Rapture. I don’t believe that these people will lose their salvation but they will lose reward and in this case their lives when God nukes Babylon the harlot.
Prov 29:24 Whoso is partner with a thief hateth his own soul: he heareth cursing, and bewrayeth it not. (KJV)
We become a partaker or sharer in the sins of others when we condone what they do by our fellowship with them or just standing by when we should be doing something. By joining up with an apostate organization either by membership or by becoming one of their leaders even with the best motives in the world we are partaking in their sins. We aren’t committing them but we aren’t rebuking or coming out from among them either and that is the same as condoning what they do. I don’t know how it can be made any clearer.
Do not despair if we seem to be shrinking and others booming. Some of that may well be the parable of the unnatural growth of the mustard seed where the evil birds of the air nest in the branches. (Matt 13:31,32) God always has remnant even in this day of apostasy. Don’t be afraid to stand alone if you have too. Better to be in the minority and right with God than enjoying the brief notoriety of being with the majority that will be shown to be wrong.
If you are lost today you are with the majority but they will be eternally wrong. Why go to Hell with the majority when Jesus will save your soul? Saint, are you hanging out with the wrong crowd? You will become whom you hang around. Do you have friends or loved ones in apostate groups? Pray for them and plead with them to come out. Stand your ground though all is against you and stick with the KJV. It may be in the minority but it is as right as it has been for 300+ years and it will still be right when Christ returns. Will you be in clouds with Him or have your heart clouded by Him? It is up to you!
