John R. Rice Quotes of the Week ... Last Week, that is... (Oops)

Oh, then everybody ought each morning to say, "Bless God! Jesus may come today."
As we wake in the morning, our thoughts should be, "Before that sun goes down, I may see Jesus and my loved ones again!" When you go to bed at night and put your head upon your pillow, our thoughts should be, "It may be before morning there would be the glad sound of a trumpet and the dead in Christ shall rise and I will go up in the air to meet Jesus!" - John R. Rice

The Scofield Reference Bible is a good reference Bible, the best in the world, but on this matter it teaches that those seven churches in Asia to whom the letters are address in chapter 2 and 3 [of Revelation] picture the ages from Pentecost down to the coming of the Saviour. It doesn't. Second, the Bible does not say, so no one has a right to make a doctrine which is not clearly stated in the Bible. Third, that violates a very clearly expressed teaching of the Bible, that nobody knows when. You are not supposed to know. Those churches do not represent ages or church history. They were seven literal churches, and the messages given to them fitted them just then. The spiritual impact and lesson is for us, too, but not any date-setting. - John R. Rice

 

Are you looking forward to this blessed hope of Jesus' coming? It is going to be a glorious thing. Blessed for us who are saved. Not blessed for the ungodly, but for those who are saved.
Well, he [Paul] said, "Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of... Jesus Christ." Won't it be wonderful to see Him, the dear Saviour! I have talked about Him, preached about Him, written poems ...about Him, talked to Him in prayer all these years; but, my, it will be wonderful to see Him! I can imagine a smile on His face when He looks on us. He loves us. In my poor, frail knowledge I can imagine a little bit about Him, but it won't be anything like what He really is! Ah, far beyond what any of us can say- the glorious appearing of the Saviour! We ought to look for that, be glad about it. He is coming! It will be a glorious time. - John R. Rice

 

Christian, Jesus is coming. So you need to put the brakes on. You need to watch what you look at, watch what you read, watch what kind of people you run with. We need to take heed how our thoughts run, for Jesus is coming. The thought part is just as obvious to the Lord Jesus as the outward part. Since Jesus is coming, let us turn away from fleshly lusts and live soberly and righteously and godly in this present world. - John R. Rice

 

We Can Have Help Every Day to Live for God. "But Brother Rice, my situation is hard." It is hard for everybody. The god of this world is Satan. Sure, there are unsaved people around you, but you can live soberly, righteously, godly in this present world. The Lord says, "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." Christians can live right. - John R. Rice

 

We take the Bible to be the very inspired, inerrant Word of God as it expressly claims to be in terms that cannot be misunderstood. We believe it is the wholly reliable truth, without any mixture of error, in both the Old and New Testaments as given in the original Scriptures. - John R. Rice

 

The very words are from God in the original manuscripts. When God called a prophet, He promised, "I have put my words in thy mouth" (cf. 2 Sam. 23:2; Is. 51:16; Jer. 1:9; Ezek. 2:7). Then we must believe that God gave the very words, i.e., word for word or verbal inspiration. To sneer at that as "mechanical dictation" is the argument of the infidel. It is not mechanical, though it be dictation. - John R. Rice