There have been long periods of time where the majority of those claiming to be Christians were wrong about a certain doctrine. For a long time the majority did not believe in salvation through faith instead of works. Anyone living in those dark days who read the scriptures could have found the truth. They should have found the truth. Why didn't they? Maybe they weren't really looking to the scriptures for doctrine. Maybe they were just getting their doctrine from men.

If the scripture clearly says something contrary to the popular
beliefs of your day, what will you believe? Men or scripture?

The Bible says in many places that we are saved by believing, or by faith. In James it seems to say that we are saved by works. Do we throw out all those passages that imply salvation by faith because we find a couple that seem to imply something else?

If the majority of scripture pertaining to a particular doctrine seems to imply one thing, and a verse or two seems to imply something else, what will you base your doctrine on?

Almost every time baptism is mentioned in the scriptures it is baptism of the living. There is only one exception, where Paul says something about baptising the dead. The majority of verses dealing with baptism are easy to understand. The one verse about baptising the dead is a bit confusing.

If the verses that are easy to understand seem to say one thing, and the verses that are hard to understand seem to say something else, which verses will you base your doctrine on?

Proverbs 1: 5 A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels:
Proverbs 8: 8 Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee. 9 Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.

DO YOU REALLY BELIEVE...

Do you really believe that every time indicator in the Bible is worthless?

Soon means not soon. At hand means not at hand. Quickly means slowly. This generation means that generation. Some standing here won't taste of death means all standing here will taste of death.

Do you really believe that Revelation is all future?

Imagine that you're living in the first century, and there are some serious problems in the church and some serious persecution going on. You get a letter from John with a prophecy that talks about your specific situation, your specific church, and the situations of other churches you're familiar with.

The prophecy talks about a Beast who's number is 666. Hmmmm. You're being persecuted by some guy called Nero Caesar, and when you look at his name in Hebrew (the language that the scriptures are written in) the numerical value is 666.

Well guess what? That letter isn't for you after all! It's written for people 2,000 years in the future! You fell for it!! HA HA!! SUCKER!!

Imagine that. John wouldn't be welcome in any of those churches again!

Do you really believe that God allows Satan to control the world?

When the Bible says that Satan is the God of this world,
the greek word for "world" really means "age."

Do you really believe that God would just give up on His plan for man to have dominion? Is He a quitter?

The Bible says that the increase of Christ's Kingdom will have no end. How can that be if it doesn't start until after the end? How can it grow in heaven? There won't be any more people created there. Will He just keep adding rooms to our mansions? Maybe He'll put on a new deck every thousand years.

Does the increase only apply to the thousand year reign? That would mean it does have an end. That also means that Satan's kingdom had a bigger and longer increase than Christ's will. (If you believe Satan rules the world.)

Genesis 1:26 ¶ And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.