Reasons for the Puritan Migration‏

Hello Friends!

Happy Thanksgiving!

No group has played a more pivotal role in shaping America's foundational values than the New England Puritans. The seventeenth-century Puritans contributed to our country's original sense of mission, its work ethic, its moral sensibility. Most importantly, the exultation God's Word and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Puritans also discerned and despised the Jesuit Order, which to this day, seeks to subvert the kingdoms of this world under the rule and authority of Rome and her false religious system - particularly the worship of the false Christ sought through the "Mass." 

 

The following article is an excerpt from Robert Charles Winthrop’s work titled “Life and Letters of John Winthrop” and is an excellent “starting point” for understanding this very important "pre-American" migration in its true historical context. Enjoy!

Reasons for the Puritan Migration

 
Today, eight million Americans can trace their ancestry to the fifteen to twenty thousand Puritans who migrated to New England between 1629 and 1640.
 
Few people, however, have been as frequently subjected to caricature and ridicule. The journalist H.L. Mencken defined Puritanism as "the haunting fear that someone, somewhere, might be happy." And particularly during the 1920s, the Puritans came to symbolize every cultural characteristic that "modern" Americans despised. The Puritans were often dismissed as drably-clothed religious zealots who were hostile to the arts and were eager to impose their rigid "Puritanical" morality on the world around them.

This stereotypical view is almost wholly incorrect. Contrary to much popular thinking, the Puritans were not sexual prudes. Although they strongly condemned sexual relations outside of marriage--levying fines or even whipping those who fornicated, committed adultery or sodomy, or bore children outside of wedlock--they attached a high value to the marital tie. Nor did Puritans abstain from alcohol; even though they objected to drunkenness, they did not believe alcohol as sinful in itself. They were not opposed to artistic beauty; although they were suspicious of the theater and the visual arts, the Puritans valued poetry. Indeed, John Milton (1603-1674), one of England's greatest poets, was a Puritan. Even the association of the Puritans with drab colors is wrong. They especially liked the colors red and blue.

Although the Puritans wanted to reform the world to conform to God's law, they did not set up a church-run state. Even though they believed that the primary purpose of government was to punish breaches of God's laws, few people were as committed as the Puritans to the separation of church and state. Not only did they reject the idea of establishing a system of church courts, they also forbade ministers from holding public office.

Perhaps most strikingly, the Puritans in Massachusetts held annual elections and extended the right to vote and hold office to all "freemen." Although this term was originally restricted to church members, it meant that a much larger proportion of the adult male population could vote in Massachusetts than in England itself (roughly 55 percent, compared to about 33 percent in England).

John Winthrop (1606-1676) was a well-off landowner who served as governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony for much of its early history. Unlike the Pilgrims, Winthrop and the other Puritans who traveled to Massachusetts were not separatists. Rather than trying to flee the corruptions of a wicked world, they hoped to establish in New England a pure church that would offer a model for the churches in England. In this selection, Winthrop offers religious and economic arguments in support of moving to New England.

Reasons for the Puritan migration

1. It will be a service to the Church of great consequence to carry the Gospel into those parts of the world...& to raise a Bulwark against the kingdom of AnteChrist w[hi]ch the Jesuits labour to reare up in those parts. (emphasis mine)

2. All other churches of Europe are brought to desolation, & o[u]r sins, for w[hi]ch the Lord begins already to frown upon us & to cut us short, do threaten evil times to be coming upon us, & who knows, but that God hath provided this place to be a refuge for many whom he means to save out of the general calamity, & seeing the Church hath no place left to fly into but the wilderness, what better work can there be, then to go & provide tabernacles & food for her against she comes thither:

3. This Land grows weary of her Inhabitants, so as man, who is the most precious of all creatures, is here more vile & base then the earth we tread upon, & of less price among us then an horse or a sheep: masters are forced by authority to entertain servants, parents to maintain there own children, all towns complain of the burthen of their poore, though we have taken up many unnecessary yea unlawful trades to maintain them, & we use the authority of the Law to hinder the increase of o[u]r people....

4. The whole earth is the Lords garden & he hath given it to the Sons of men w[i]th a gen[era]l Commission: Gen: 1:28: increase & multiply, & replenish the earth & subdue it,...why then should we stand striving here for places of habitation...& in the meane time suffer a whole Continent as fruitful & convenient for the use of man to lie waste w[i]thout any improvement?

5...all arts & Trades are carried in that deceitful & unrighteous course, as it is almost impossible for a good & upright man to maintain his charge & live comfortably in any of them.

6. The fountaine of Learning & Religion are so corrupted as...most children (even the best wittes & of fairest hopes) are perverted, corrupted, & utterly overthrown by the multitude of evil examples...

Source:

R.C. Winthrop, Life and Letters of John Winthrop (Boston: Ticknor and Fick's, 1864), Vol. 1, pp. 309-311.

Keep looking up and sharing the Gospel while there is still time… Hallelujah and Maranatha – come quickly Lord Jesus!

Have a Blessed Thanksgiving!

We are not guaranteed tomorrow – tomorrow may be too late! If you haven't yet made that most important decision of your life, won't you make Jesus Christ your personal Lord and Savior today - before it's too late? Today is the day of Salvation!

If you have been blessed by this message or have a specific question, prayer request or testimony, please send me a note to: encouragingconcepts@live.com

I love hearing from you. Keep reading Encouraging Concepts!

Blessings!
Shane K. Morin <><

Encouraging Concepts

Truth for Today

"Living Life From a Biblical Worldview"

Lighthouse Publications <><
"Dedicated to the Never Ending Search for the Creator's calling within You" (TM)

Acts: Pentecost & The Holy Spirit (2 of 2)‏‏

Hello Friends!

Welcome back to our two-part study from the book of Acts in which records the historical events of the first century church – specifically the "Day of Pentecost" – when those who believed were "added to the church" and whose true belief led them to eternal salvation in Jesus Christ.

 

Let’s continue our search of the Scriptures to see what the Lord has to say about these very important and often controversial passages of Scripture…

Acts: Pentecost & The Holy Spirit

As we approach an often controversial passage of Scripture found in the book of Acts chapter 2, I would like to share several thoughts with you that may help each of us to better understand what actually happen on that awesome "Day of Pentecost" almost 2,000 years ago.
 
"Pentecost" is one of the seven Jewish feast days that God gave the Jewish people – the last of the four spring feasts. It was the day that the promise of Jesus Christ was fulfilled as He indeed said it would be, as the Holy Spirit – "the Helper" – would come to the new converts of Christ:

Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come – John 16:7-13

These believers of "The Way" would later become known as "Christians" at the city of Antioch:

Then Barnabas departed for Tarsus to seek Saul. And when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught a great many people. And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch – Acts 11:25-26

In view of these verses, I would like for you to consider several thoughts I have gleaned in my study of this portion of scripture. We see on this particular "Day of Pentecost" there were Jews from "every nation under heaven" gathered in Jerusalem:

And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven – Acts 2:5

Pentecost was a "pilgrim feast day" and the Jews were required to come to Jerusalem to observe this important "feast." By the way, this means that all twelve tribes were present in Jerusalem at this time. NOTE: There were no "ten lost tribes" as some skeptics have improperly taught!
 
Also, please notice that on the "Day of Pentecost" there was no such thing as people speaking in unknown "tongues" or "languages." The following passages give us a list of all the actual languages spoken that day:

Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans? And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born? Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia, Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God – Acts 2:6-11

We notice in verse 11 that they were hearing in the native languages of the peoples gathered there that day – they heard them “speak in our tongues." That phrase is interpreted later where Peter – the preacher on the "Day of Pentecost" – gave the Jews gathered in Jerusalem, the complete "gospel" message – the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ:

Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know — Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it – Acts 2:22-24

Please note: These "tongues" spoken on the "Day of Pentecost" were not the unintelligible, babbling utterances that are quite evident in many churches today. In fact, these efforts of "speaking in tongues"  – unintelligible utterances – are commonly practiced in pagan rituals and false religions such as Hinduism. This unbiblical practice is nothing new. 

On this wonderful day, we learn that "about three thousand souls", were saved during this true move of the Holy Spirit:

Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls – Acts 2:41

There is one more controversial item that I would like to address in which Peter references in this chapter pertaining to the Old Testament Prophet Joel and his prophecy:

And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days. And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: Blood and fire and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord. And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the Lord Shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, As the Lord has said, Among the remnant whom the Lord calls – Joel 2:29-32

In context, Peter was not saying that Joel's prophecy was being fulfilled on that "Day of Pentecost." This prophecy is speaking of the Jews during "those days" when the remaining believers from Israel who have survived the wrath of God during the Great Tribulation period will have come to the truth of Jesus Christ as their Messiah – yet future.

It's also interesting to note that nowhere in Joel's prophecy does it call for "speaking in tongues" as is claimed through many teachings today. However, we do see that "wonders in heaven above And signs in the earth beneath" will happen during the time of the Great Tribulation:

I will show wonders in heaven above And signs in the earth beneath: Blood and fire and vapor of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord – Acts 2:19-20

None of those "signs" happened on the "Day of Pentecost." In fact, we find that these "signs" and "wonders" will actually take place on earth as detailed by the Apostle John in the book of Revelation! However, what did happen on that wonderful "Day of Pentecost" was that "whoever calls on the name of the Lord" did get saved:

And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved – Acts 2:21

One other thought about Joel's prophecy expounded upon by Peter in the book of Acts:

For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams. And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; And they shall prophesy. I will show wonders in heaven above And signs in the earth beneath: Blood and fire and vapor of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord. And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved – Acts 2:15-21

These passages could not have been fulfilled on that "Day of Pentecost" because the ancient Jewish prophet Joel said that this prophecy would be fulfilled during the "great and awesome day of the Lord". That period known as "the last days" does not begin until after the Rapture of the Church and takes place during the Seven Year Tribulation Period leading up to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. That's what Joel's prophecy is describing – clearly a prophecy yet to be fulfilled.

The "Day of Pentecost" in Acts 2 was a great day for me as a Gentile! It marked the beginning of the "Church Age" also known as the Dispensation of Grace:

…praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved – Acts 2:47

From that day when "the Lord added to the church" until the event of the Rapture, both Gentiles and Jews who come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior are made part of the "body of Christ"… The Church… His bride!

 

It is this "bride" – the Church – which Jesus Christ will shout for to join Him in the heavens at the Rapture. It is my belief that there are no Biblical prophecies that must be fulfilled before the Rapture of the Church takes place. All Bible prophecy yet to be fulfilled will be fulfilled after the Rapture. The Rapture is imminent – it could happen today…

Keep looking up and sharing the Gospel while there is still time… Hallelujah and Maranatha – come quickly Lord Jesus!

We are not guaranteed tomorrow – tomorrow may be too late! If you haven't yet made that most important decision of your life, won't you make Jesus Christ your personal Lord and Savior today - before it's too late? Today is the day of Salvation!

If you have been blessed by this message or have a specific question, prayer request or testimony, please send me a note to: encouragingconcepts@live.com

I love hearing from you. Keep reading Encouraging Concepts!

Blessings!
Shane K. Morin <><

Encouraging Concepts

Truth for Today

"Living Life From a Biblical Worldview"

Lighthouse Publications <><
"Dedicated to the Never Ending Search for the Creator's calling within You" (TM)

Acts: The Resurrection & Prophecy (1 of 2)‏

Hello Friends!

Dr. Luke, the author of the book of Acts, has given us the account of the "post resurrection" days of Jesus Christ, His departure for the heavens and the history of the early church with all of its problems and blessings as the followers of Christ move out to spread the message to all the world. The book of Acts is not a book of doctrine but instead a record of the events of the "first century church". Acts 2 records the beginning of the "church" when on the "Day of Pentecost" those who believed were "added to the church", those whose belief led them to salvation in Jesus Christ.

 

Let’s search the Scriptures together to see what the Lord has to say about these very important and often controversial passages of Scripture…
 
Acts: The Resurrection & Prophecy

As a prophecy student and lover of God’s Word, I especially like the first seven verses of Acts because they focus our attention on what Jesus Christ thought to be a priority for Himself as He spent "forty days" with His disciples "after" His resurrection from the grave. In fact, the Scriptures reveal that Jesus Christ was seen by over 500 of His followers at one time! We also see that Jesus showed Himself to be "alive" – in His physical, glorified body – leading up to His departure for Heaven to be seated at the right hand of the Father:

…to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God – Acts 1:3

This passage also reveals to us the subject of the teaching that Jesus gave His disciples for that almost 6-week period – focusing on "the things pertaining to the kingdom of God" to come. In fact, when asked by the disciples, Jesus said He could not tell them when He would set up the kingdom, for the "day and hour no one knows". The Lord told these inquisitive young men that "only" His "Father" knew when that day would be:

But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be – Matthew 24:36-39

It is very interesting to me that Jesus invested the last six months of His life here on earth teaching prophecy to His disciples. Then, within only 40 days after His resurrection, He again focused on prophecy! It is also interesting to note that the last book of the Bible – Revelation – includes the letters to the "seven churches" of Asia Minor and each of these letters contain prophetic truth that the believers in the Lord Jesus – the true Church – need to know. For further study and understanding of these letters of warning and comfort from Jesus Christ to these seven churches, please read chapter 1, verse 4 through chapter 3, verse 22 in the book of Revelation.
 
Remember, about 30% of the Bible is prophecy and that seems to indicate to me the emphasis that the Lord puts on prophecy and knowing the "truth of prophecy" for all those who follow Any individual Bible study should include a study of prophecy. The study of prophecy will help us to better understand the current events of our day. The study of prophecy also gives us as believers an assurance that the Lord is still in charge of all world affairs and has everything under His Sovereign control – He see everything and knows the end from the beginning!
 
Jesus understood this, of course, so He taught His followers what the future would hold and what would give evidence of the time of His return. With the understanding that the Lord could return at any time, we see that these disciples went forth to turn the world of their day "upside down" with the Gospel of Jesus Christ:

But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some brethren to the rulers of the city, crying out, “These who have turned the world upside down have come here too…” – Acts 17:6

The Lord's men, with only a promise that He would return went into action. Remember, they did not have a New Testament Bible from which to preach and teach. They were living and writing it for us – the Christian Church!
 
How much more evidence we have that His return is so much closer than two thousand years ago. In fact, we must be like the first century Christians and get in the action for the Lord – right now... 

Keep looking up and sharing the Gospel while there is still time… Hallelujah and Maranatha – come quickly Lord Jesus!

We are not guaranteed tomorrow – tomorrow may be too late! If you haven't yet made that most important decision of your life, won't you make Jesus Christ your personal Lord and Savior today - before it's too late? Today is the day of Salvation!

If you have been blessed by this message or have a specific question, prayer request or testimony, please send me a note to: encouragingconcepts@live.com

I love hearing from you. Keep reading Encouraging Concepts!

Blessings!
Shane K. Morin <><

Encouraging Concepts

Truth for Today

"Living Life From a Biblical Worldview"

Lighthouse Publications <><
"Dedicated to the Never Ending Search for the Creator's calling within You" (TM)

Jesus Christ and Antichrist (3 of 3)‏

Hello Friends!

Welcome back to the final segment of our three-part study of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ our Lord and the revealing of the end-times worldwide tyrannical dictator – Antichrist…

 

Jesus Christ and Antichrist

 
Over and over again, God told Daniel that "the saints of the Most High" – Jewish believers and their Gentile converts – would be crushed by the Antichrist, the "little horn" (see Daniel 7:8) and "the king [who] shall do according to his own will" (see Daniel 11:36).

Darkness Before the Dawn

This was very hard on Daniel – and should be on us as well!

As for me, Daniel, my thoughts greatly troubled me, and my countenance changed – Daniel 7:28

But, thanks be to God, the spiritual darkness of the Great Tribulation will soon be followed by the Light of the World – our Lord Jesus Christ – who will rescue His people and inaugurate the Kingdom! Someone has said that the darkness is deepest just before the dawn and so shall it be at His Second Coming.

The Great Tribulation

But how long will this time of incomparable global darkness continue? Daniel heard two angels ask the Lord:

How long shall the fulfillment of these wonders be? – Daniel 12:6

The answer?

It shall be for a time, times, and half a time; and when the power of the holy people has been completely shattered, all these things shall be finished – Daniel 12:7

That means three and one-half years, as explained in Dan. 9:24-27 and Revelation 11:2-3. It will be the last half of the Seven Year Transition period that follows the Rapture of the church and it will end with the glorious Second Coming of Christ.

Daniel's last question would surely be ours as well:

My lord, what shall be the end of these things? – Daniel 12:8

God's answer was:

Many (saints) shall be purified, made white, and refined, but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand – Daniel 12:10

The 1,290 Days and the 1,335 Days

Now comes a special revelation – taught nowhere else in the Bible! After the Antichrist establishes his "abomination of desolation" (see Daniel 12:11) in the middle of that seven-year period. A period of 1,290 days takes place (see Daniel 12:11). We know that the Lord will return after 1,260 days because Revelation 12:6 and Revelation 13:5 provide these details. Instead of 1,260 days, however, we are told that there will be 1,290 days. Could the answer be that the Lord will set aside those 30 days to purge and purify the Temple for His people to use during the Kingdom age?

Godly King Hezekiah postponed the Passover one month (see 2 Chronicles 30:2,15) in order "to cleanse the house of the LORD" (see 2 Chronicles 29:15) and "because a sufficient number of priests had not consecrated themselves" (see 2 Chronicles 30:3) following the abominations committed by his father Ahaz.

"Likewise, Judas Maccabaeus and his army went to great lengths to cleanse the Jerusalem Temple of the abominations of Antiochus Epiphanes in 164 B.C." – John C. Whitcomb, Daniel, Chicago: Moody Publishers, 1985, p.168

But now, the last detail.

Blessed is he who waits, and comes to the one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days – Daniel 12:12

Here is another 45 days. Before the Kingdom can officially begin, all unbelievers must be removed. How awesome!

When the 371 days of the Genesis flood finally ended, only believers were alive. Indeed, as our Lord explained, the unbelievers:

…did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be – Matthew 24:39

The very first to be removed from the world will be the Antichrist and his demonic team at Armageddon (see Revelation 19:17 & 20:3). Next, the unbelieving leaders of all Gentile nations - "the goats" of Matthew 25:32 and Joel 3:1-3 will follow.

Then, any Jews who are still "rebels" will be removed. And finally, by the 1,335th day, any man "in the field," and any woman "grinding at the mill," who still rejects the Savior "will be taken (to judgment)" (see Matthew 24:40-41 & Luke 17:34-35) – the exact opposite of what will have already taken place at the Rapture of the church seven years earlier.

Thus, what the Lord Jesus Christ said will finally be accomplished:

But he who endures to the end (1,335 days after Antichrist's great blasphemy) shall be saved – Matthew 24:13

Daniel had heard enough. "But the wicked shall do wickedly" – especially the Antichrist. However, praise God "...the wise shall understand" (see Daniel 12:10).
Darkness before the dawn! Antichrist is coming, yes… But then comes the True Christ! The Father will give Him:

"an everlasting dominion, Which shall not pass away" – Daniel 7:14

Closing thoughts:

Revival. What is true revival?

Brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ... True Biblical revival begins in our own hearts, then in our minds, followed by our deeds.

Here are a few questions to ponder as we live out our faith within our degrading, anti-God culture:

Are we discipling others – actively?  

Are we praying for our own brethren, our own pastors, our leaders – and nations?  

When was the last time we prayed to have opportunities to share our faith – faithfully?  

When was the last time we took the opportunity – when it was given to us?  

Who has visited the sick or helped the poor – within our own church assemblies?  

Who has engaged a brother or sister in Jesus Christ and helped them learn to read and understand the Word of God – regularly?  

Who has walked with another brother or sister in Jesus Christ – through to spiritual fruit and maturity?

These are questions we as Christians must seriously consider as we seek to grow in the Grace of God, serving Him and others – while there is still time...

Amen. Thank you Lord Jesus!

Keep looking up and sharing the Gospel while there is still time… Hallelujah and Maranatha – come quickly Lord Jesus!


We are not guaranteed tomorrow – tomorrow may be too late! If you haven't yet made that most important decision of your life, won't you make Jesus Christ your personal Lord and Savior today - before it's too late? Today is the day of Salvation!

If you have been blessed by this message or have a specific question, prayer request or testimony, please send me a note to: encouragingconcepts@live.com

I love hearing from you. Keep reading Encouraging Concepts!

Blessings!
Shane K. Morin <><

Encouraging Concepts

Truth for Today

"Living Life From a Biblical Worldview"

Lighthouse Publications <><
"Dedicated to the Never Ending Search for the Creator's calling within You" (TM)