Knee-Mail: “Matthias’ Choice”
From: Kent Hovind
Posted: December 7, 2009
To: Matthias
Subject: Decision Making
First Read: Acts 1: 23-26 – “And they appointed two, Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias. And they prayed and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, show whether of these two thou hast chosen, That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place. And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.”
KH: Well, Lord, I’ve got a decision to make. Which one should I choose?
GOD: Oh Son! You’ve got it all wrong! Let’s go for a walk. Matthias can help you see the problem. There he is Son. Talk with him and listen carefully to his answers (1 Corinthians 10: 6, 11).
KH: OK, Lord…Excuse me sir. May I talk with you for a moment?
MA: Sure. Now how can I help you?
KH: Well, I’ve got a decision to make and God told me to talk with you. Can you tell me a little bit about yourself?
MA: Sure. I’m Matthias. I was a follower of John the Baptist years ago until he pointed out the Messiah at the River Jordan. Then I followed Jesus for the next three and a half years (Acts 1:21-22).
KH: I didn’t see your name in the list of disciples in any gospel.
MA: I wasn’t one of the twelve disciples but great multitudes always followed Jesus (Matthew 5:1; 8:1, 18; 9:8, 33, 36; 11:7; 12:15; 13:2; 14:22; 15:30; 19:2; 21:9). I was with him and saw it all. After His resurrection, I went with that group of 120 to Jerusalem to wait and pray for the Holy Spirit like He told us to do. It was during that ten day wait that we made the big mistake.
KH: What mistake was that?
MA: It was simple really. Looking back, I can see it clearly, but at the time, it seemed like the right thing to do.
KH: Lots of mistakes are like that! What was yours?
MA: It wasn’t just mine. The whole group of us failed to see the proper way to make a decision.
KH: What happened?
MA: Well, Peter got the bright idea that we needed to replace Judas because he had killed himself (Acts 1:13-22).
KH: How did he die? One place says he hung himself (Matthew 27:5) and another says that he fell down and split open (Acts 1:18). Is there a contradiction?
MA: No. He did hang himself but the rope broke and he fell down and broke open. Both are true. Anyway, once Peter told us about needing to pick a new disciple, which Psalm 69:25 and Psalm 109:8 seemed to confirm, we all thought it was a great idea. So, we set some reasonable qualifications (Acts 1:21-22) and selected two (v. 23) who met the qualifications. Then we prayed, cast lots, and I was chosen (v. 24-26).
KH: Sounds like a good way to know God’s will in the matter.
MA: No! No! No! Don’t you see the problem?
KH: What problem?
MA: The whole thing was backwards. Look at this carefully. Peter made the decision before any of us had the Holy Spirit to guide us. He came a few days later (Acts 2). Secondly, we set the qualifications without the Holy Spirit’s leadership or guidance. Thirdly, we selected two men that met our pre-determined qualifications and then, fourthly, prayed for God to guide the casting of the lot! Duh! How is God supposed to get into that mess?
KH: I see what you mean! You did have it all backwards.
MA: Yes! First we should have waited for the Holy Spirit like Jesus told us to do. It’s dangerous to go off making big decisions without His leadership.
KH: That’s for sure! King Saul did that several times (1 Samual 15; 18:10; 19:1; 22:7-19) and King Amaziah, though he was a good man in many ways, did not ask God to guide him (2 Kings 14:8) and it cost lots of people their lives! Even Joshua forgot to ask God a few times (Joshua 7; 9). Nearly every person listed in God’s Word has done that a time or two. Yes, even King David did it too.
MA: I know and we sure did that day! God didn’t want any of us to be the twelfth apostle. He wanted Paul, who got saved later (Romans 1:1). There was no way we could have known that in those days. We should have waited like Jesus told us to do. Peter’s bright idea sounded so good but it was all wrong. I can see it now. God hadn’t chosen me. I’m never mentioned again in scripture.
KH: Thanks, Matthias. I see it too. First you should decide if you need to decide. Then pray for God to guide before you narrow it down to only two that you think would be good. I’ve seen people here make that same type of mistake. First they decide they need a new car. Then they set the qualifications like four-door, automatic, AC and V-8. Then they narrow it down to a Cadillac or a Lincoln and then flip a coin. Duh! It’s going to be heads or tails! It’s crazy when you think about it.
MA: What’s a car?
KH: It’s really an advanced version of a chariot. However, I think I got the answer to my question. Thanks.
MA: You are most welcome.
GOD: Well Son, let’s go home. Did you get it?
KH: Yes, Lord. Please guide me to know if I even need to decide at this time or just wait.
GOD: Now that’s a prayer I enjoy hearing! Go walk a few laps, Son. I’ve got everything under control. I’ve got your back.
*For more on decision making see Don’t Swing At the First Pitch.
Thanks for another insightful post!
Dear Dr.Hovand,
I just wanted you to know I am praying for you and your wife. I believe the Lord has a special plan for you and a bunch of crowns layed up for you. My heart goes out to you and your wife. I don’t understand the Christians that are not backing you. Just watching your vidios and the debates between you and the evolutionists should prove to any child of God that you are about the Fathers business! You were and are still stepping on the old devils toes and causing him problems. Keep up the good work and don’t give up.
God Bless,
Your Sister In Christ
John 20:21-22 (KJV)
21] Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.
[22] And when he had said this, HE BREATHED ON THEM, and saith unto them, RECEIVE YE THE HOLY GHOST:
[23] Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.
The Apostle Peter and the Apostles never made a mistake when they decided to find a replacement for Judas, all the Apostles had already received the Holy Ghost before the day of Pentecost was come, and I can prove this through this scripture in John 20:21-22. The Holy Ghost was already with the Apostles before the day of Pentecost. The Gift, power, promise, baptism, and seal of the Holy Ghost happened to the rest of the 120 on the day of Pentecost, but the Apostles had already receieved it in John 20:21-22. I’m surprised Kent forgot about this passage, this passage proves that the Holy Ghost was with Peter and the rest of the Apostles when they choose Matthias to become a Apostle, this was not a mistake Kent. Jesus bless you. Much Love and respect Abraham your brother in Christ.
Hi Kent,
A very interesting post, one with which I cannot agree with as it appears to me to go against scripture.
My first thought is on your contention that (what appears to be) the whole church of the New Testament (at that time) collectively made a mistake in counting Matthias as one of the twelve.
Acts 1:14 These ALL continued WITH ONE ACCORD in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.
Where in scripture is this mistake actually referred to as a mistake?
I have heard this point of view before but I have yet to find a reference for it.
Surely the writer of the book of Acts, who wrote the book quite some time after the event, would have said something…
Yet HE simply states (or God through his hand) “and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.” Acts 1:26b. This statement is never contradicted or retracted.
On the contrary to finding references to the point of view that Mathias’s appointment was a mistake, I keep finding references which state otherwise.
For instance:
After Jesus died and was resurrected, scripture quite clearly makes note that Judas was no longer numbered as one of the twelve; the Apostles were now referred to as the “Eleven”
(Mathew 28:16 – Mark 16:14 – Luke 24:9&33).
But Paul himself referencing back to this time (writing after the event of Mathias being “Numbered with the Eleven”) writes thus:
1 Corinthians 15:3-9 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; (4) And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the Scriptures:
(In chronological order)
Firstly….
(5) And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve:
Then….
(6) After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.
Then….
(7) After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles.
Then lastly…
(8) And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. (9) For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
Notice verse 5, “Then of the TWELVE”, why does Paul (or God through Pauls Hand) not reference them as the “Eleven”?
Because as referenced before (Acts 1:26b) Mathias “Was numbered with the Eleven” thus making “TWELVE”.
I am informed that to be a Baptist one must believe that there were only ever 12 Apostles
(and no more than 12)…
12 in the Beginning… Mathew 10:2
& 12 in the End……… Revelation 21:14
This begs the question, how can Mathias and Paul both be Apostles?
This is a problem for the Baptist, but the problem occurs only when you believe that scripture says that there can only ever be and ever were “Twelve Apostles”.
But scripture doesn’t say that there can only ever be or ever were “Twelve Apostles”.
When scripture refers to “The Twelve”, it is referring to “The Twelve” who walked with Jesus WITNESSING his life “Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us” (Acts 1:21-22)
Mathias fitted the Job description for the post & was numbered as one of the twelve, Paul did not & thus was not numbered with them, yet both (according to scripture) were Apostles.
Matthew 18:16 But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.
Two or three witnesses….
Well, we have the writer of the book of Acts witnessing to Mathias as being appointed to the post of Apostle (Acts 1:26b).
And Paul also witnesses to the fact that Jesus was seen of “The Twelve” (not “Eleven”) Apostles. Yet still refers to himself as an Apostle.
Is there any other witness to say that there were more Apostles besides the “Twelve” referenced to in Mat 10:12 & Rev 21:14?
Well…. How about this verse, notice the plural Apostle(S) meaning more than one Apostle.
Acts 14:14 Which when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of, they rent their clothes, and ran in among the people, crying out,
It seems that the scripture here refers to Barnabas as being an Apostle too… Thus three witnesses.
Incidental to these three witnesses, there is also a belief that that the Bible defines words in the context where they first appear. If this is true it then an Apostle & a Bishop may be one in the same thing as the first mention of the word “Bishop” is found in Acts 1:20…
“For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein: and his BISHOPRIC let another take”.
Few would argue that the context of this verse is referring to Judas’s position as one of the Twelve Apostles.
Kent please understand I have no desire to argue with you or any other Baptist…
I am a “Word for word KJV Bible believing Christian” standing shoulder to shoulder with the Baptist on the message of the Gospel of Salvation.
And more than that, I love YOU… & your work as you have strengthened me & my family through the science of creation, I AM TRUELY IN YOUR DEBT.
Never the less I cannot agree with your post as I have Beams of Scripture (Mathew 7:3) in my eyes which contend with this view.
Sorry to be such a bother,
Lots of Love
Jason x
Greetings to you my friend. Thanks for keeping us posted as you do. if we are to take a lesson from your column it would be simple. “Don’t take any important steps without God”. When it comes to selecting a minister in our day. we do it exactly as the Apostle selected Mathew. In a way it may seem we are limiting the options we expect God to pick from. but it is believed that the casting of the lot is only because we as humans have failed to all vote on one person unanimously. so we have to ask God to help us to narrow it down to one person. Which we believe he does in casting the lot.
I want to give my heartfelt thanks for you standing up in those last days for a cause that Satan is trying to make mankind not only doubt, but also forget entirely. Recently I read article; “Hells best kept secret” in the (Answering Critics) section on CSE. That was a well versed sermon to say the least. I have seen many of your videos and often get the chance to share with friends your insight on creation. They listen with big eyes in wonder where I get my information. Of course I tell them and we are so thankful to have such a voice as yours among us.
With Love and Heartfelt Thanks….. May God continue to be with You.
Brother Kent, It was your simple observations about the oxygen content of amber bubbles and the possibilities of a hyperbaric atmosphere that inspired me in a many way. below is a brief email I sent to a local politician, some friends, and also posted on Alex Jones’ blog page. You have had a personal battle with a legal/ legislative insanity. The whole world was being threatened with another insanity in the form of “greenhouse gases” – ie. the stuff that every living thing depends on.
I attended the Melbourne -Lord Monckton evening and am glad I did.
At question time a man involved with Chaos theory pointed out the limitations of computers in modeling the future of complex, apparently chaotic systems. Facts are no-one knows how something as “simple” as the weather really works. And like long term economic forecasts you might as well consult your goat’s entrails.
But we do have a fossil record and ice cores representing real earth history, and we do have common sense teleological type arguments.
What obfuscationists promote as carbon pollution/ carbon footprint/ green house gas emissions, is largely just carbon dioxide, with that carbon coming from fossil fuels such as plain coal. That same carbon content came from living systems, came out of the atmosphere.
At a time when the Earth was teeming with life, including many of the now extinct megaflora and fauna, snow was falling where it now still falls and trapping dissolved CO^2, showing us that this planet was teeming with life in a much higher CO^2 atmosphere.
Again, CO^2 is a colourless, odourless, tasteless, clear gas [at ambient temperatures] absolutely essential to life on earth. What some are calling pollution is absolutely essential to the survival of all life.
An overall decrease in CO^2 might go a long way to explaining the demise of the big dinosaurs and megaflora/ fauna.
Please, please, please, place your order for more Australian coal and burn it asap. Coal is a solar power/ solar energy storage system. Check this simple physical fact
Thankyou Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, at Copenhagen you may have done more for human dignity and freedom than any world leader in a hundred years. We in the sane West are grateful for your commitment to provide human beings with cheap affordable energy on which to build their economic growth and well being – and by the which we may be helping to regreen this earth.
I am sure your intelligence services are big enough to monitor websites like this one and it should be easy for them to pass this email on to you. Feel free to drop in for a coal burning Bar-b-que. With a quick look at all those data bases you know more about me than I do. Such is the modern world and the spiritual chess board – a game I think Chinese invented and obviously still play quite well.
I dips me lid to ya……C.J.Dennis, Australian Poet
Brother Kent, Joshua, saints of the America land mass,
this is the only article I have ever read from Pravda!
http://english.pravda.ru/opinion/feedback/24-11-2009/110699-wake_up_america-0
It does seem that Russians, Chinese, Latin Americans are deeply concerned about the abuse of civil and political rights in America.
Is it possible you could write to Hugo Chavez or others and ask them to raise concerns about Diesel Therapy etc. in the united States.
Brother Kent I appreciate you letting me use this forum. It has been an opportunity to be a part of a community of believers – disparate, slightly awkward sorts, eccentrics and mavericks, but real Christians non the less.
It seems to me that God can, largely did, destroy/ bring down Egypt of its day for the sake of just two souls – Joshua and Caleb. Think about it. How many of that generation entered in, in their day.
Likewise it seems that the blessing has largely departed your shores. Maybe for your sake a nation would be pulled apart. It seems to me God honours His own words.
What God has joined together let no man put asunder – carries a testimony of defilement.
If I don’t get too many more chances, please be mindful that Russians to Venezuelans to the Chinese to South Africans are aware of what was done to you.
Thanks for bearing up the name of Jesus Christ thru it all. Maybe if God doesn’t act Pharaoh of his day would demand to be raised up and apologised to.
I don’t think it shall be long now. rumblings all over the place.
here’s something off topic, but a question…
Genesis 8:13
And it came to pass in the six hundredth and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from off the earth: and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and, behold, the face of the ground was dry.
does the above verse tell us that noah’s birthday was January 1st (a new years baby)???
that’s what i get out of this verse.
am i wrong?
assuming january was part of the calendar of that time.
in any case, a new years baby!
Dusty,
You’re thinking in the right direction. Now let’s begin with Adam: when was his birthday? A little before Eve, we know, but do you suppose he celebrated both of them at the same time by taking her out to eat? There’s a lot of evidence that everybody added another year to their age on New Years Day, not on their birthday (although for Adam and Eve they would have been right within a few days anyway). That being the case, the chronologies in Genesis are exact to the very year every time; nobody turned a year older during a calendar year.
BTW, it was also a custom for kings to add year to their reigns on New Years Day, not on the actual anniversary of their reign. Who knows, maybe married couples did the same with their years of marriage. That would certainly make anniversaries easier for the fellows to remember!
Mr. Buck
Hi there! I am 11 years old and love your videos. When I first saw your videos I was at my church. They were showing a movie, and it was you! When I heard you had a blog from jail, I basically said, “Satan can’t stop the LORD.” I’ve been praying for you. God bless you!