A Fundamentalist of Fundamentalists

By Ross Holmes

About this book, many valuable lessons are taught and may be learned if the reader has a very high appreciation of the scriptures, especially of someone who attended Bob Jones University to study the Hebrew and Greek in depth immediately after he was saved. Essentially, the reader must be receptive to tearing down the walls of traditional teaching and lifting up the openness of what the Bible actually says. If so, Ross Holmes, missionary, teacher, pastors up-to-date articles he has penned for everyone, but particularly students and lovers of the Bible will prove rewarding riches indeed

His writings get down to the Scriptural nitty-gritty, NOT what does Brother So-and-So teach? There are twenty-seven chapters of Bible principles the Lord intends for us to inquire into. It is our privilege to put on our thinking caps and ride along on this exciting journey with many stop-overs to search the Scriptures ourselves, to add our knowledge to the different curves and stops.

The lessons begin about The enemies of God, Armageddon, Flesh Opposed to God, Three Disobedient Prophets, Satans Methods, Riches, the Heavens, Hell, Gehenna, the third Heaven, and much more.

We who have known Brother Holmes personally have observed his the Lord comes first humble life. He was saved at twenty-one, was never religious by his own words, attended church occasionally, but never prayed, never thought of God. With the result that he came to the Lord without any baggage of traditional teaching. He devoured the Scriptures unimpaired. He came to them with no preconceived set ways. He was open to What saith the Lord.

It goes without saying, he wasnt perfect, but his overpowering determination that others should study their Bibles and join him in his quest for knowing his destination because of Gods Great Love for everyone was fully illuminated. The well known verse, John 3:16, was the first verse he believed: For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Praise the Lord.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Aug 31, 2016
• ISBN: 9781514478141

Ross Holmes

Imagine, almost eighty-six (born October 1928, Pauline Elizabeth Wilson) and happily experiencing peace and joy about my decease, whether it is by the rapture or whatever the Lord has for me. At seventy-five, a fall off my bicycle nearly finished me up. Since that didn’t work, this last year should have a cancer operation and broken hip surgery. Thank the Lord I don’t worry about where I’m going. That was settled fifty-nine years ago when I realized I was a sinner and that the Lord Jesus Christ was made sin for me that I might be made the righteousness of God in Him. O happy day. My sport days, tennis, swimming, golf, were over in my late sixties. During my teen years, my father, older brother, and I played lots of tennis, usually on our lighted tennis court behind the house, playing often after midnight with neighbors and friends. Having graduated at Morehead High School in 1945, my days at Elon College (now a university) in Burlington, North Carolina, were cut short after my freshman year by getting married to Joe W. Chandler Jr. at eighteen in 1947. Then, my husband was accepted at the new school of pharmacy in Laramie, Wyoming. Two months after our marriage, we took off. We had a ball for three years although near poverty (Joe had three jobs; I was secretary to Dr. David O’ Day, head of the pharmacy school) and loving it all. Joe graduated in 1950, and we were elated to be back home with our several-month-old son, Joe W. Chandler III, even then a real cowboy. We happily settled in our hometown (now Eden, North Carolina). My most important happening in my entire life was when I was saved on July 3, 1955. I was a new creation in Christ Jesus; old things passed away, all things became new, and I dearly love the Lord Jesus that He so loved the world (John 3:16). The Lord miraculously added two girls, Beth and Lisa, to our family tree when our son was fifteen. Joey graduated at the University of South Carolina on a football scholarship, a certified public accountant. His sisters, Beth and Lisa, one married after two years at Jerry Falwell’s Christian College, and the other graduated in nursing at Bob Jones University. Being without my husband these last four years has been very sad and hard, at the same time, rejoicing. The Lord is certainly a wonderful help in time of need; however, Joe and I were married sixty-three years. The Lord has helped me tremendously, directing my writings and keeping me busy. We now have grand, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. The ones of us who are saved serve a wonderful risen Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Because He lives, we live also. See you in heaven.

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Copyright © 2016 by Ross Holmes.

All rights reserved by Betsy Chandler.

Co-edited with Robert Hurd.

Library of Congress Control Number:   2016904720

ISBN:   Hardcover   978-1-5144-7816-5

   Softcover   978-1-5144-7815-8

   eBook   978-1-5144-7814-1

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted

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without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the Holy Bible, King James Version (Authorized Version). First published in 1611. Quoted from the KJV Classic Reference Bible, Copyright © 1983 by The Zondervan Corporation.

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Rev. date: 08/27/2016

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CONTENTS

Introduction

Chapter One

Pharisee Or Fundamentalist

Chapter Two

Armageddon

Chapter Three

K.J.V. or A.V.

Chapter Four

Born Of God

Chapter Five

The Flesh

Chapter Six

The Baptism Of The Spirit

Chapter Seven

Relationship Of Israel To The Church

Chapter Eight

Israel, Building Material Of The Church

Chapter Nine

Abraham And The Promise Of The Land

Chapter Ten

Abram’s Lesson On Riches

Chapter Eleven

God’s Great Promise To Abram

Chapter Twelve

The Promise Of The Spirit

Chapter Thirteen

The Plurality Of Spirits From God

Chapter Fourteen

Every Word – From The Mouth Of The Lord – Deut.8:3

Chapter Fifteen

Parables Of The Kingdom Of Heaven

Chapter Sixteen

Kingdom Of Heaven In The O.t.

Chapter Seventeen

The Disobedient Prophet

Chapter Eighteen

Jonah – Another Disobedient Prophet

Chapter Nineteen

A Saint, Separated From His Flesh

Chapter Twenty

Light And Darkness

Chapter Twenty-One

Darkness - Gen.1:4, 5

Chapter Twenty-Two

Darkness, The Substitute For Light

Chapter Twenty-Three

Satan’S Methods

Chapter Twenty-Four

About Hell

Chapter Twenty-Five

Hades – Luke 16:19-31

Chapter Twenty-Six

Gehenna

Chapter Twenty-Seven

The Alternative To Gehenna, Or Heaven

Summarizing Bible Truths

INTRODUCTION

As an introduction, I wish to give reasons for writing this book. When I was a young believer, I often was confronted in my study of the Bible, with matters that were puzzling to me. Unable to discover an explanation, I sought to find help in the writings of such famous Bible teachers as Drs. Ironside, Chafer, and Rice. But I found that these did not solve my problems for me. Either their writings did not deal with my difficulties, or their dissertations did not satisfy my questions. Very early in my new life I had found the assurance in I Jn. 2:27, But the anointing which ye have received of Him abideth in you, AND YE NEED NOT THAT ANY MAN TEACH YOU… So I reasoned that if God would teach others, He would teach me as well, since there is no respect of persons with God.

The result has been that the Lord has taught me many things which I have neither heard nor read – yet they are very clear to me now. But that brought up the question in my mind, Why me? I’m nobody – who ever heard of me? Almost no one has even heard of me, so who would even read this, much less buy it? However, I have more recently come to the decision that I would put these things on record, and leave the rest to the Lord to do with it what He pleases.

CHAPTER ONE

PHARISEE OR FUNDAMENTALIST

One thing I have learned by experience, however. If anyone discovers something different from what is generally taught, there will be opposition or even enmity aroused. That is only to be expected, for if one has been taught something, and has made it a part of what he has incorporated into his fabric of knowledge, he will resist change. That is true in any field of knowledge, as one can readily see by considering that field of medicine. For example, in the past, medical men would examine the corpses of women who had died of childbed fever, and, without washing their hands, would go directly to examine women who were about to bear children. A great deal of time passed before it was accepted as proper for them to wash their hands because of germs they couldn’t see. This was due to the resistance of medical men to the claim that the disease was due to living creatures they had never before seen. So it is with the interpretations of Scripture passages or doctrines.

Now these were enemies who strongly resisted the disseminating of new knowledge which had been discovered by scientists who were seeking explanation of diseases that were causing serious and even fatal illnesses. The enemies were also men who were seeking to bring cures to fellow human beings who were suffering from the said diseases. Healers became enemies to healers! Thus it is with men dealing with the Scriptures. So it is, and so it has been throughout history. This is most evident in the experience of the Lord Jesus Christ during His brief time in the flesh.

Did the one who was God in the flesh, have enemies in the world? Yes – and His enemies were such that they sought to kill Him! And the most vehement enemies were men who were diligent students of the Scriptures! They were called Pharisees. There are many accounts of their opposition to the Lord recorded in the Word of God, and although there is much that is not to their credit, nevertheless, not all of them were enemies of the Lord.

One of these Pharisees who became, not enemies, of the Lord is the apostle Paul. Lest there be some misunderstanding of his role, one can find that he himself so identifies himself – and that, long after he had trusted in the Lord. In Acts 23:6 we read, … he cried out in the council, ‘Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee….’ Some days later, in Acts 24:21, referring to this event he acknowledged his fault in reference to his effort to cause a division among those who were accusing him, but he did not include his identifying himself as a Pharisee as wrong. Later, he wrote to the church in Philippi that; that he had more that he might lean on to have confidence in the flesh than others, and included, … as touching the law, a Pharisee (Phil. 3:4,5).

As for myself, I am not writing this as an outsider, for I am a Fundamentalist. I would identify myself further: I am a Fundamentalist of Fundamentalists. That is, I am a modern day Pharisee. I recognized myself as such when I was a part of the board of the Baptist Bible School of the Windward Islands. I supported the rule that any student who smokes or attended the movies would be expelled from the school. Yet I had done both for a year and a half after I was saved. I would still support the rule, but I found that I doubted that a person was saved if he did either. Mentally I had approached the condition which the Lord applied to the Pharisees in Mt. 23:4,

For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.

But just what was a Pharisee? I discovered that the word itself is derived from the Hebrew word Pahrash, which is a transliteration. The Hebrew root is usually three letters, which are all consonants – in this case, prsh the sh being one letter, called shin, and pronounced, sheen. As there is no sh sound in Greek, but there is a ph sound, the Greek pronunciation is Pharisee. But what does Parash mean? Well, it has two definite meanings, according to the best authority, Gesenius. Basically it means to separate. From this came the character of fundamental teaching of separation in reference to conduct – an essential of Pharisaism. This is a characteristic of modern funda-mental teaching, as well. Also, from the root word comes the activity of the Pharisee - that of translation. So they were versed in the Targums – paraphrases of Old Testament books, or translations; hence their interpretations. This is also a characteristic of modern fundamentalism which involves much of the material of this book. An example of the degree of such interpretations is that there is a dissertation on whether it was lawful to eat an egg which was laid on the Sabbath: because the hen LABORED ON THE SABBATH!

Much of our knowledge of Pharisees is the record of Scripture. Matthew 23 reveals much about them – and that passage shows that the Lord Jesus found many faults with them. It seems odd that, in light of this castigation, He had said:

That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. Mt. 5:20.

Clearly His knowledge of them was such that they were examples of earthly righteousness – otherwise it was as if He were saying you must be better than the devil to enter that kingdom, which would not be His way at all. To understand this, it is necessary to note that no such harsh words were directed at the Sadducees as was the Pharisees, and they did not believe in spirits. For instance, from Matt.23:15,

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.

To the Sadducees there was no life after death, no angels or demons, and No god - since the Lord said, God is spirit… Jn. 4:24. All the harsh words were toward the scribes and Pharisees who outwardly believed God’s Word: This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me Matt. 15:8. Still, thanks to the wonderful mercy, grace, and love of the Lord Jesus Christ, there was hope for Pharisees, once they saw themselves as sinners, not righteous ones - as the apostle Paul learned. Not so in reference to Sadducees. They promulgated a lie, I John 4:1-4:

"Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:

And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of god: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.

Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you [all] than he that is in the world." (Note to whom he is speaking, not greater in an individual, but greater among and in the midst of His little children (born ones)) Mt.18:20.

CHAPTER TWO

ARMAGEDDON

It would be wrong to conclude that all Pharisees came from the same mold, for consider the testimony of the apostle Paul in Acts 23:1. Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day. At this time he had written the book of Romans, so that was quite a testimony. There was another, Nicodemus, not of such caliber as Paul, but a good example of the contrast, introduced in John 3:1. He came as a representative of the Pharisees, seeking to learn more of Jesus’ teaching. He appears, again, in Jn.7:50-51, seeking to turn other Pharisees from their intent, saying, Doth our law judge any man, before it hear him, and know what he doeth? From my own experience, I would say this is a good question to present to modern day Pharisees, as well. Finally, Nicodemus appears in Jn. 19:39, with spices for Jesus’ burial.

Paul writes of his brethren of the flesh, I bear them record that they have a ZEAL OF GOD, but not according to knowledge. This certainly applies to the Pharisees. An example of this zeal is Paul’s persecution of the church. If one reads the instruction of Moses, in Deuteronomy 13, one can see the basis of this zeal. There, reference is made to a prophet who gives a sign or wonder, which is fulfilled – seeking to draw them after other gods, which thou hast not known…, and the command is that the Israelite is not only to refuse to follow that prophet, but to kill him, even if he is a near family member, as a brother or son. This was no doubt the explanation of the opposition of the Jews to the Lord Jesus.

It is to be observed that Pharisees had an extreme aversion to the wonders that Jesus performed so often on the Sabbath. This seems strange, but one can understand their emphasis on observation of that day, when one reads Jer. 17:19-27. What an offer! If they would only hallow the Sabbath day, Jerusalem would remain forever! That certainly emphasized the importance of that observance. No wonder the Jews had such zeal – but their knowledge of that day certainly showed a lack – for they told people they could be healed six days of the week, and not to come for healing on the Sabbath. (Lk.13:14)

A similar ignorance of the Word of God accounts for the many errors of modern day Pharisees. One of these errors is the famous Battle of Armageddon. I suppose there are very few people in this country who have not heard of that event. Books have been written on that theme, and some have become best sellers. I remember that one day I decided to make a study of that subject, so I turned to my Strong’s Concordance to make a list of all the passages referring to it.

Since I was saved in 1943, by believing a PROMISE in the Word of God, trusting the Lord to be true to His Word, I knew He had done as He promised, which resulted in my assurance, just because His Word said so, that I will be with Him forever. And since then I have had an ever growing confidence in the TRUTH of His Word, the BIBLE. Therefore it was natural for me to want to collect all the references in the Bible to this FAMOUS BATTLE of ARMAGEDDON.

You might be able to imagine how surprised I was to find with the aid of STRONG’S COMPLETE CONCORDANCE - that the TOTAL of such references is ZERO. Not one time in ALL of the BIBLE is mention made of such a battle as the Battle of Armageddon. Once, in the days of Josiah, King of Judah, was a battle mentioned, having taken place in the valley of Megiddo. II Chronicles 35:22. However, Armageddon is the Greek transliteration of the Hebrew har Megiddo, which is Mountain of Megiddo, which is not the same location.

Now it is true that the word, Armageddon, is to be found ONE TIME – And ONE TIME ONLY – in the Bible – but no battle is mentioned there! It is also true that there are things taught in the Bible which are not NAMED there. Trinity and Rapture are two clear examples of this. The difference, here, is that Armageddon is not a DOCTRINE, as these are, but merely a place or location on the map of the Holy Land of Israel. In the one place in the Bible where this specific location is mentioned – Rev. 16:16 – a BATTLE is not spoken