http://www.missionofhopeministries.com/
“Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.”
Matthew 6:10 KJV
Are you ready for a real change? I promise you it won’t be anything like what the politicians are offering us today. Have you ever wondered just what it will be like when the LORD JESUS arrives here on earth to establish His Kingdom? We can rest assured of one thing, our environment and way of living will be much different from there on out. I often tell people to be careful of what they pray for because the LORD just might answer your prayer. I say this when I hear someone ask for something out of a frivolous heart. I feel that is what most people’s prayers are, frivolous. I do not think they put their prayers to too much thought because of their off handed requests are not really expected to be heard much less answered. I say all this because of the repetitive prayer we are taught to say from time to time. The Lord’s Prayer is one of the most repeated prayers known in all of Christendom. Be very careful, the LORD hears everything we say and repetitive prayers are an absolute bore to Him. The LORD encourages us to avoid those type prayers at all possible times.
“And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.” Matthew 6:5-7 KJV
I feel if we would just stop and for once realize that the Lord’s Prayer will someday become a reality, we would most definitely consider what we are praying for. Thy Kingdom come? Really? Do we realize our way of life will be changed forever? Our president has many times offered change to us at our request but when the LORD JESUS returns to set on King David’s throne, change will most assuredly come about, and I mean drastic changes from what we are used too. Just when are these changes going to take place? Well, the Bible gives us a clue as when this will happen.
“And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, the kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.” Revelation 11:15 KJV
The seventh trumpet is the key as to when things will begin to change for the born-again believer in the LORD JESUS Christ.
“Behold, I shew you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” I Corinthians 15:51-52 KJV
As I said before, the seventh trumpet is the last trumpet and the key to these immediate changes for the child of God. Are you ready for change now? But we that know Jesus as our personal Saviour will know change, drastic change and change for the good, peaceful, and precious life that we all will experience for the very first time. “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” This what we pray for isn’t it? Then why aren’t we ready for it?
I spend a lot of time in my studies of the Bible attempting to speculate on just how it will be when the LORD returns to establish His kingdom. Of course I refer back and forth to the Old Testament and New Testament of the Bible to ask and seek the little tidbits of clues of the Kingdom. Things like, just what kind of change are we talking about here and where is the kickoff point? First of all, I feel that all mechanization will cease because of the exhaustive war of the Beast which is defeated at the Battle of Armageddon.
“For the nation and kingdom that will not serve thee (the LORD Jesus Christ) shall perish; yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted.” Isaiah 60:12 KJV
Trust me when I tell you, he (the Beast of Revelation) will throw everything in the world that is at his disposal at the Coming Christ in all His Glory. I hope any of you are not in the military at this point because you will be numbered with the dammed. I also suspect that all industrialization will come to a grinding halt due to the exhaustion of resources such as oil and the oil refineries that have also been destroyed by the LORD’S coming in all His brightness. No more oil? How will we live? Trust me when I tell you, you won’t have a need for it anymore when the LORD is here. The bankers and the money changers won’t be around anymore to take advantage of us with their dirty little ponzey schemes that have robbed every one of us in the past of all our labours. In fact, I doubt there will be any tall building left standing to remind us of the fact of a lost civilization of the Western culture.
“For brass I will bring gold, and for iron I will bring silver, and for wood brass, and for stones iron: I will also make thy officers peace, and thine exactor’s righteousness. Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, wasting nor destruction within thy borders; but thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise. The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but the LORD shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory. Thy sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself: for the LORD shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended. Thy people also shall be all righteous: they shall inherit the land for ever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified. A little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation: I the LORD will hasten it in his time.” Isaiah 60:17-22 KJV
What is it going to be like? I suspect from just reading the Scripture and what it says about the coming Kingdom that we will revert back to the agrarian society with the priest (you and I who are born-again) will perform the LORD’s bidding as He sets on the throne of David in Jerusalem. There won’t be any more competitiveness in the production of products or food. Manufacturing of all kinds of materials will not be needed therefore will not exist. Equality will be the norm amongst all nations. I imagine I will be assigned to a city of the LORD’s choosing to be a spiritual guide (priest) and adviser to perform those duties the LORD requires of me. I do envision the family farm will once again appear across all lands and the livestock will need handlers. The cattlemen will roam the ranges of the vast openness once again. The wild horses will once again rove free for us to choose from for our transportation needs. I doubt seriously the steam locomotive will even exist. I feel the clock will be set back to the time before the locomotive was invented. There will not be any need to wander very far from the assigned places the LORD JESUS puts us to live out our eternal lives at least for the first thousand years for the glory of God. There will be no need for long journeys except for the occasional pilgrimage to Jerusalem to worship the LORD to make our presence known.
“And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.” Daniel 7:27 KJV
“And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.” Revelation 1:6 KJV
“And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.” Revelation 5:10 KJV
The LORD desires us to enjoy our life but how can you enjoy something you can never have in this life? In this life people cannot get enough of anything. They cannot get enough money, property or real-estate, perfect health, satisfaction of the fruit of their labor, or anything else the human heart desires or lusts after. Why do you think people are greedy, jealous, hoarders, and the list of human undesirable traits continues? Let’s face the facts; we can never be satisfied as long as we are in this human body just because of the truth that only the soul was ‘saved by grace’ but not this body. This is the reason the body has to go back to the dust from whence it came. This also the very reason we struggle from day today with human emotions that tear us down into temptation. Trust me when I tell you, Satan knows our weaknesses, and he uses them against us every day we live. It is Christ in us that gives us the victory each day over this flesh. In the Kingdom you will discover that there won’t be any such cravings or lusting after the former things of this world.
“Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.” I Corinthians 15:50 KJV
The fact is we all have an appointment with the death angel.
“And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.” Hebrews 9:27-28 KJV
But that is a good thing for the child of God. It is imperative that we make the exchange of bodies so we can be physically promoted into the Kingdom of God. We are just waiting for the transformation to take place just like in God’s nature on earth, we are taught by example of the caterpillar who awaits his glorious transformation into the beautiful butterfly. As born-again Christian’s we are card carrying members of the House of God, the Kingdom of Christ, but the transition has yet to be made. The Holy Spirit that resides in your heart right now is that Seal that God has placed upon all of us that know Him. Once again, the physical transition will take place at the Second Coming of Christ Jesus (I Corinthians 15:51-52). Even So, Come LORD JESUS.
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Singularity
www.missionofhopeministries.com
“Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:...” Ephesians 1:9 KJV
There is a word that is floating around with increasing interest that I have discovered. The word is singularity. I looked up this word because the idea of it is used in the biochemistry industry, also Nano-technology industry, and manufacturers of prosthesis or artificial limbs. Interesting isn’t it? It simply means something that is unique, unusual, exceptional, distinctive, or remarkable. All technology today is most astounding to say the least and fits all these descriptions. In my investigation of this word I found that it has been around for quite some time but funneled through science-fiction movies and books written based upon theory and some fiction. Non-the-less, in the last ten years it has gained popularity and momentum. I feel that the rapid increase of the technology electronics and robotics manufacturing world has been gaining steadily to the point of humanizing machines. As I stated before, this isn’t anything new to the Sci-fi buffs but it is amazing and most remarkable to realize this is going to be the near future. I fully understood the 21st century was really here when I saw the Honda Robot on display and demonstrated on a stage for the world to witness. It is quite amazing to say the least. In the world of robotics, it is their underlying fantasy to bring about a merger of the two, robotics, and human tissue, thus in a word, singularity. You think this is fantasy? Have you ever wondered what stem cell technology is really all about? When I saw the ear and skin that was grown in a laboratory at a college as a biological experiment, I knew that the Third Reich of Adolf Hitler and his team of doctors and scientists dream of a master race was still on the minds of chemists, doctors, biologists, and politicians. So, it seems the age old desire of man becoming a god hasn’t faded away at all. Do you have any idea what a government could do with an army of these super-human robotic, Robocop, type people? I feel it would be the ultimate nightmare of WWII played out. Believe me, men in high places are longing for this to happen and are not wasting any time in the advancement of Robocop, I-Robot, and Bicentennial Man, in which the family robot finally achieves his goal by being declared human by a Court of Law. Along with others watching this growth of technology, I feel this will be a reality by 2020 because of the rapid advancement of technology in all fields of science. This is exactly what it is, the insatiable quest for knowledge without knowing full well what the consequences will be. I have always thought that knowledge to scientist, biologist, and all other academics is somewhat like giving a loaded gun to a child just to see what he can do with it regardless the consequences. Just because they are adults and have a value system of the dangers involved does not mean that they will avoid risks. No, even when the risk of disaster looms they will go forward anyway and give their theories a trial run without knowing the outcome. This was before my time but does anyone remember the trial tests of the Atom Bomb? Does anyone know of the maimed servicemen and women of who lives were destroyed bringing that apparatus of destruction into being? It would be in the thousands of citizens of the U.S., and nobody wants to know because of the shame and disgrace it would conjure up among citizens. And so it goes with any and all technology that mankind has a hand in because wherever mankind goes destruction and heartache follow. Mankind always justifies his evil deeds using the good he can perform after the fact of destructive acts he has already committed against humanity. Somewhat like the Vietnam tragedy. It is just our nature to be this way and nothing outside of Almighty God can change this human calamity.
“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” Jeremiah 17:9 KJV
“O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.” Jeremiah 10:23 KJV
As I see things, the strategy of Satan from the outset of being cast out of Heaven has always been to throw the proverbial wrench into God’s master plan everywhere it would be possible. Satan has doggedly and relentlessly conjured up counterfeit people to install them in strategic places of his choosing. All these attempts of course, are allowed by Jehovah God but somehow still works along with the master plan of the ages. It is most amazing to see how God still makes things to work in His favour despite the evil setbacks Satan awards us with.
With these thoughts in mind, let us look at the plan God has for His children. The LORD God Jehovah has a plan in place for each of His children and it will culminate when the LORD Jesus Christ returns to set up His Millennial Kingdom on earth. It will all begin when the “catching up” or rapture, that the Apostle Paul describes takes place. The reason for this rapture is to consummate the Marriage of the Lamb (Jesus) with the Bride (the Church of born-again believers). This is the spiritual sense of the term, singularity. The Bride of Christ and the LORD Jesus will be together forever into eternity from this point on never to separate again. We now are spiritually one with Christ as we live out our lives on earth but not physically. Our lives will change in the moment of a twinkling of an eye as we are metamorphasized with a new and glorious body the Apostle Paul describes in I Corinthians chapter 15.
“But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first-fruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the first-fruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming. Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him.” I Corinthians 15:20-27 KJV
“Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:...” Ephesians 2:5-6 KJV
As it stands right now we as born-again Christian’s are waiting in the wings for these things to happen. Thus we wait with hope and anxiously look forward to the return of Christ Jesus. At this juncture the Bride of Christ will be physically in the presence of the Prince of the Kingdom of God.
“And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I shew you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.” I Corinthians 15:49-54 KJV
“Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:...” Ephesians 1:9 KJV
There is a word that is floating around with increasing interest that I have discovered. The word is singularity. I looked up this word because the idea of it is used in the biochemistry industry, also Nano-technology industry, and manufacturers of prosthesis or artificial limbs. Interesting isn’t it? It simply means something that is unique, unusual, exceptional, distinctive, or remarkable. All technology today is most astounding to say the least and fits all these descriptions. In my investigation of this word I found that it has been around for quite some time but funneled through science-fiction movies and books written based upon theory and some fiction. Non-the-less, in the last ten years it has gained popularity and momentum. I feel that the rapid increase of the technology electronics and robotics manufacturing world has been gaining steadily to the point of humanizing machines. As I stated before, this isn’t anything new to the Sci-fi buffs but it is amazing and most remarkable to realize this is going to be the near future. I fully understood the 21st century was really here when I saw the Honda Robot on display and demonstrated on a stage for the world to witness. It is quite amazing to say the least. In the world of robotics, it is their underlying fantasy to bring about a merger of the two, robotics, and human tissue, thus in a word, singularity. You think this is fantasy? Have you ever wondered what stem cell technology is really all about? When I saw the ear and skin that was grown in a laboratory at a college as a biological experiment, I knew that the Third Reich of Adolf Hitler and his team of doctors and scientists dream of a master race was still on the minds of chemists, doctors, biologists, and politicians. So, it seems the age old desire of man becoming a god hasn’t faded away at all. Do you have any idea what a government could do with an army of these super-human robotic, Robocop, type people? I feel it would be the ultimate nightmare of WWII played out. Believe me, men in high places are longing for this to happen and are not wasting any time in the advancement of Robocop, I-Robot, and Bicentennial Man, in which the family robot finally achieves his goal by being declared human by a Court of Law. Along with others watching this growth of technology, I feel this will be a reality by 2020 because of the rapid advancement of technology in all fields of science. This is exactly what it is, the insatiable quest for knowledge without knowing full well what the consequences will be. I have always thought that knowledge to scientist, biologist, and all other academics is somewhat like giving a loaded gun to a child just to see what he can do with it regardless the consequences. Just because they are adults and have a value system of the dangers involved does not mean that they will avoid risks. No, even when the risk of disaster looms they will go forward anyway and give their theories a trial run without knowing the outcome. This was before my time but does anyone remember the trial tests of the Atom Bomb? Does anyone know of the maimed servicemen and women of who lives were destroyed bringing that apparatus of destruction into being? It would be in the thousands of citizens of the U.S., and nobody wants to know because of the shame and disgrace it would conjure up among citizens. And so it goes with any and all technology that mankind has a hand in because wherever mankind goes destruction and heartache follow. Mankind always justifies his evil deeds using the good he can perform after the fact of destructive acts he has already committed against humanity. Somewhat like the Vietnam tragedy. It is just our nature to be this way and nothing outside of Almighty God can change this human calamity.
“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” Jeremiah 17:9 KJV
“O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.” Jeremiah 10:23 KJV
As I see things, the strategy of Satan from the outset of being cast out of Heaven has always been to throw the proverbial wrench into God’s master plan everywhere it would be possible. Satan has doggedly and relentlessly conjured up counterfeit people to install them in strategic places of his choosing. All these attempts of course, are allowed by Jehovah God but somehow still works along with the master plan of the ages. It is most amazing to see how God still makes things to work in His favour despite the evil setbacks Satan awards us with.
With these thoughts in mind, let us look at the plan God has for His children. The LORD God Jehovah has a plan in place for each of His children and it will culminate when the LORD Jesus Christ returns to set up His Millennial Kingdom on earth. It will all begin when the “catching up” or rapture, that the Apostle Paul describes takes place. The reason for this rapture is to consummate the Marriage of the Lamb (Jesus) with the Bride (the Church of born-again believers). This is the spiritual sense of the term, singularity. The Bride of Christ and the LORD Jesus will be together forever into eternity from this point on never to separate again. We now are spiritually one with Christ as we live out our lives on earth but not physically. Our lives will change in the moment of a twinkling of an eye as we are metamorphasized with a new and glorious body the Apostle Paul describes in I Corinthians chapter 15.
“But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first-fruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the first-fruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming. Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him.” I Corinthians 15:20-27 KJV
“Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:...” Ephesians 2:5-6 KJV
As it stands right now we as born-again Christian’s are waiting in the wings for these things to happen. Thus we wait with hope and anxiously look forward to the return of Christ Jesus. At this juncture the Bride of Christ will be physically in the presence of the Prince of the Kingdom of God.
“And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I shew you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.” I Corinthians 15:49-54 KJV
Sunday, October 2, 2011
"A funny thing happened on the way to Nineveh"
Reference Scripture: Jonah Chapter 1 – 4
www.missionofhopeministries.com
In this Bible Study of the Prophet Jonah today I wanted to bring into light a few pointers on what not to do when God sends you to the mission field. By using the example of Jonah, we will see he was God's disgruntle missionary.
Jonah was experienced with God and no new comer to God's works. We can attest to this according to II Kings 14: 23, 24, and 25, which reads:
“In the fifteenth year of Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel began to reign in Samaria, and reigned forty and one years. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD: he departed not from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin. He restored the coast (borders) of Israel from the entering of Hamath unto the sea of the plain, according to the word of the LORD God of Israel, which he spake by the hand of his servant Jonah, the son of Amittai, the prophet, which was of Gathhepher.” II Kings 14:23-25 KJV
Jonah was a sign from God to the nation of Israel. Jonah was the man God had chosen for this particular time to preach in the accepted hour. As Mathew Henry has said and I quote;
“Thus God, in the darkest and most degenerate ages of the church, raised up some to be burning and shining lights in it; to their own age, by their preaching and living, and a few by their writings, to reflect light upon us in the last times.” {Unquote.}
This prophesy came to pass by the word of God through Jonah but for Jonah other assignments came from God who decided to move Jonah out of his comfort zone. God arranged it for Jonah to deliver a message to the Assyrian city of Nineveh. This is where Jonah ran into serious trouble with himself and God. Jonah was discovered to have no compassion for the people and was discovered to be a bigot. He considered that God's grace and mercy was not fit for these people and was a big waste of time and effort. Jonah eventually showed signs of being ashamed of his calling and was rebellious to God's desires of mercy for this people.
"But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry." Jonah 4:1 KJV
Cause and effect: How did Jonah end up in the belly of a great fish?
"They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy." Jonah 2:8
I have listed some reasons for his disdain. It seems Jonah changed his mind somewhere along the way to run from God according to verse 1:3:
“But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.” Jonah 1:3 KJV
The question is why? Maybe Jonah was afraid for his life or maybe hated these Gentile beasts, but never-the-less, returned to God's command with obedience and repentance. We can read chapter 2 verses 1-10 and see in the prayer when Jonah prayed he received sound wisdom when apprehended by God. The LORD is serious when He employs one of His children into service. Whether we like it or not is irrelevant, the job that we are assigned to has deep spiritual meaning from God and to us it is our job to gain wisdom and knowledge of the task at hand. Most certainly, when we are given an assignment from God it becomes a test of obedience and trust in the LORD to perform His will for both the sent and the receiver. In my experiences with the LORD, God’s volition most always seems to serve a dual purpose for the experience at hand in which everyone benefits.
Evidently, in Jonah's mind, he shamefully began listening and agreeing with Satan. Jonah was so hardheaded he had to be told twice as we can read in chapter 3 verses 1- 10. Jonah was found disagreeing and arguing with an authority figure, Almighty God. How many times have we been caught disagreeing with the LORD in our plight of misunderstanding of His will for our lives? What are you going to tell God, He doesn’t know what He is doing? Or maybe He doesn’t understand the circumstances? It was also evident Jonah was rebellious to sound wisdom by turn a deaf ear to the LORD. Maybe Jonah was saying to himself; these people are so pagan there is no hope for them. These people are not worth the trouble. These people are going to get what they deserve. But, with a little more time to pass he began to think; there must be a better way, pausing and searching his heart. This way of life isn't for me. Jonah no doubt was dissatisfied and contemptible with current condition.
Jonah, disgruntle and under protest;
"And Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown." Jonah 3:4 KJV
At this point Jonah was proud to deliver this message of coming destruction because he wanted the prophesy to come to pass on this wicked people.
"And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not." Jonah 3:10 KJV
God is no respecter of persons, this is a biblical fact. It would do us well if we would consider that the Grace that was offered to us is offered to all when God deems so. God's unmerited favour is a free gift and God gives it where and when He wills it. God deemed it was time to offer it to Nineveh. What we sometimes fail to see with our spiritual eyesight is that God has a purpose for all people of the earth. That purpose is to come to the saving knowledge of His Son, Jesus Christ. In Jonah’s day, the promise of the coming Messiah wasn’t known but by very few and most of the time only Jehovah God was in the forefront of being known as Almighty God. It wasn’t evident to Jonah that God had paved the way for him to enter into Nineveh. We can see this by the way the people received the Word of God from the prophet’s mouth. After Jonah was through delivering the message God gave him to deliver how did the people receive it? They didn’t throw tomatoes and cabbages at him did they? They didn’t run him out of town on a rail did they? No, it was quite the opposite. The people of Nineveh were immediately struck with the fear of God in their hearts and decided the best thing they could do to avoid this looming destruction was to too adhere to every word of the Prophet.
Let’s face the truth. Only God could do that and that was the preparation of the people for the sake of God’s GRACE towards them. Sometimes, people have to be put in the position to listen to sound reason from God. This is why it takes time and distance so God can do His works behind the scenes and away from the naked eye. Little do we understand that God is always working on our behalf and to our benefit? This is the wonderful love and grace God bestows to His children every single day we live. Then when we least expect it, we are surprised to learn just what it was that the LORD was doing for us. Just like a loving parent doing something special for their child, God sends us His personal blessings for us to see that God really does care for us and He loves us with an unconditional love, an agape love. God did the very same thing to the City of Nineveh. By sending Jonah, His handpicked prophet to them so they too could have the experience of God’s grace and love. As the story of Jonah goes on in chapter four we can see that when the people of the city turned and repented, God revealed His Grace by sparing the people and by establishing the fact that there is a God that everyone will have to face one day. The true and living God, Jehovah. False god’s can never conjure up the fear in a man’s heart the way Jehovah God can and does. And it is for a very good reason this happens this way. Jehovah God wants everyone in the world to know Him and get a reasonable understanding of Him so they can have a relationship with the living God and experience what millions of others have experienced, love and grace from the Creator, one and only God of the universe, Jehovah.
www.missionofhopeministries.com
In this Bible Study of the Prophet Jonah today I wanted to bring into light a few pointers on what not to do when God sends you to the mission field. By using the example of Jonah, we will see he was God's disgruntle missionary.
Jonah was experienced with God and no new comer to God's works. We can attest to this according to II Kings 14: 23, 24, and 25, which reads:
“In the fifteenth year of Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel began to reign in Samaria, and reigned forty and one years. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD: he departed not from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin. He restored the coast (borders) of Israel from the entering of Hamath unto the sea of the plain, according to the word of the LORD God of Israel, which he spake by the hand of his servant Jonah, the son of Amittai, the prophet, which was of Gathhepher.” II Kings 14:23-25 KJV
Jonah was a sign from God to the nation of Israel. Jonah was the man God had chosen for this particular time to preach in the accepted hour. As Mathew Henry has said and I quote;
“Thus God, in the darkest and most degenerate ages of the church, raised up some to be burning and shining lights in it; to their own age, by their preaching and living, and a few by their writings, to reflect light upon us in the last times.” {Unquote.}
This prophesy came to pass by the word of God through Jonah but for Jonah other assignments came from God who decided to move Jonah out of his comfort zone. God arranged it for Jonah to deliver a message to the Assyrian city of Nineveh. This is where Jonah ran into serious trouble with himself and God. Jonah was discovered to have no compassion for the people and was discovered to be a bigot. He considered that God's grace and mercy was not fit for these people and was a big waste of time and effort. Jonah eventually showed signs of being ashamed of his calling and was rebellious to God's desires of mercy for this people.
"But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry." Jonah 4:1 KJV
Cause and effect: How did Jonah end up in the belly of a great fish?
"They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy." Jonah 2:8
I have listed some reasons for his disdain. It seems Jonah changed his mind somewhere along the way to run from God according to verse 1:3:
“But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.” Jonah 1:3 KJV
The question is why? Maybe Jonah was afraid for his life or maybe hated these Gentile beasts, but never-the-less, returned to God's command with obedience and repentance. We can read chapter 2 verses 1-10 and see in the prayer when Jonah prayed he received sound wisdom when apprehended by God. The LORD is serious when He employs one of His children into service. Whether we like it or not is irrelevant, the job that we are assigned to has deep spiritual meaning from God and to us it is our job to gain wisdom and knowledge of the task at hand. Most certainly, when we are given an assignment from God it becomes a test of obedience and trust in the LORD to perform His will for both the sent and the receiver. In my experiences with the LORD, God’s volition most always seems to serve a dual purpose for the experience at hand in which everyone benefits.
Evidently, in Jonah's mind, he shamefully began listening and agreeing with Satan. Jonah was so hardheaded he had to be told twice as we can read in chapter 3 verses 1- 10. Jonah was found disagreeing and arguing with an authority figure, Almighty God. How many times have we been caught disagreeing with the LORD in our plight of misunderstanding of His will for our lives? What are you going to tell God, He doesn’t know what He is doing? Or maybe He doesn’t understand the circumstances? It was also evident Jonah was rebellious to sound wisdom by turn a deaf ear to the LORD. Maybe Jonah was saying to himself; these people are so pagan there is no hope for them. These people are not worth the trouble. These people are going to get what they deserve. But, with a little more time to pass he began to think; there must be a better way, pausing and searching his heart. This way of life isn't for me. Jonah no doubt was dissatisfied and contemptible with current condition.
Jonah, disgruntle and under protest;
"And Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown." Jonah 3:4 KJV
At this point Jonah was proud to deliver this message of coming destruction because he wanted the prophesy to come to pass on this wicked people.
"And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not." Jonah 3:10 KJV
God is no respecter of persons, this is a biblical fact. It would do us well if we would consider that the Grace that was offered to us is offered to all when God deems so. God's unmerited favour is a free gift and God gives it where and when He wills it. God deemed it was time to offer it to Nineveh. What we sometimes fail to see with our spiritual eyesight is that God has a purpose for all people of the earth. That purpose is to come to the saving knowledge of His Son, Jesus Christ. In Jonah’s day, the promise of the coming Messiah wasn’t known but by very few and most of the time only Jehovah God was in the forefront of being known as Almighty God. It wasn’t evident to Jonah that God had paved the way for him to enter into Nineveh. We can see this by the way the people received the Word of God from the prophet’s mouth. After Jonah was through delivering the message God gave him to deliver how did the people receive it? They didn’t throw tomatoes and cabbages at him did they? They didn’t run him out of town on a rail did they? No, it was quite the opposite. The people of Nineveh were immediately struck with the fear of God in their hearts and decided the best thing they could do to avoid this looming destruction was to too adhere to every word of the Prophet.
Let’s face the truth. Only God could do that and that was the preparation of the people for the sake of God’s GRACE towards them. Sometimes, people have to be put in the position to listen to sound reason from God. This is why it takes time and distance so God can do His works behind the scenes and away from the naked eye. Little do we understand that God is always working on our behalf and to our benefit? This is the wonderful love and grace God bestows to His children every single day we live. Then when we least expect it, we are surprised to learn just what it was that the LORD was doing for us. Just like a loving parent doing something special for their child, God sends us His personal blessings for us to see that God really does care for us and He loves us with an unconditional love, an agape love. God did the very same thing to the City of Nineveh. By sending Jonah, His handpicked prophet to them so they too could have the experience of God’s grace and love. As the story of Jonah goes on in chapter four we can see that when the people of the city turned and repented, God revealed His Grace by sparing the people and by establishing the fact that there is a God that everyone will have to face one day. The true and living God, Jehovah. False god’s can never conjure up the fear in a man’s heart the way Jehovah God can and does. And it is for a very good reason this happens this way. Jehovah God wants everyone in the world to know Him and get a reasonable understanding of Him so they can have a relationship with the living God and experience what millions of others have experienced, love and grace from the Creator, one and only God of the universe, Jehovah.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
"A funny thing happened on the way to the hog lot"
Scripture Reference: Luke 15: 11- 24
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In the Book of St. Luke chapter 15 we find Christ Jesus explaining to His Disciples in the form of stories of people that had lost things to the world. In this one particular story we find that one son did what was right and one son did that which was wrong and paid the price thereof. The question I would like to ask is how did one of the young men find his way into the hog lot and eating what the hogs ate? There are a lot of possible reasons for the young man’s demise and it would pay us to look closely at some of these reasons.
“And he said; a certain man had two sons: And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living. And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him. And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father; I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry. Luke 15:11-24 KJV
I believe one possible reason of separation from the boy’s family could have been youthful exuberance. Without any experiences of this world, he possibly believed he has a better idea of how things should be done- a different way of approaching things than that of his Father. This is atypical of most all young men; I am speaking from my own experiences. His arrogance and pride has proved him to be sort of bullet proof saying often around others – “hey ya'll watch this!” There was the possibility of some insubordination due to the fact that he insisted on leaving and asked to have what was coming to him handed to him as soon as possible. He was impertinent in demanding these request be filled as to get as far away from home as soon as he could. I feel he was somewhat arrogant due to social status while all along riding on his father's coat-tail. One important point was for sure the boy was his father’s son and desired to show the world what he could do. There was also the possibility of some father/ son competition being played out on the farm.
Even though the young man left with his father's blessing and consent, he was acting upon the permissive will of God instead of the perfect will of God. On one hand and as I see things, there is also a spiritual war going on in the spirit world simultaneously for this young man and us alike for his eternal soul. No doubt Satan has been working long and hard on this young man to the point of breaking someone’s heart in the process. Satan does not care in the slightest that heart he breaks as long as he gets that eternal soul he is pursuing. The dissention of God’s will for this young man’s life began with the rebellious attitude towards God’s will for his life. With God’s permissive will he left home and started the decent out of God’s will by appeasing his flesh with riotous living. In verses 13, 14, and 15, we see the quagmire the young man found himself in to the point of stopping and having to address the situation. In short, he had come to the end of the road of choices, or had he?
“And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.” Luke 15:13-15 KJV
One point I would like to make here is that God knows how to stop us in our tracks. No doubt this is a very bad situation the young man found himself in but, it could get a lot worse if he is persistent in moving on with his own demise. Hypothetically speaking, God could start breaking bones to slow him down even further. Or, some dreaded disease would land him in the bed of sickness just so he would be forced to stare at the ceiling looking up to God. The LORD will employ all sorts of ways and means in which to get our attention and face him with questions in which he is gracious enough to answer. This is the example of the exhibit of grace that God uses to bring us into a position in which we are forced to deal with it. The situation cannot be pushed aside any longer at this point. On the other hand, the LORD God knew of the youthful stubbornness of the young man and allowed him to have the experience in his life that would bring about change of mind through worldly experiences. I found out personally that some experiences are too costly to venture into after the fact. In all of our trials and troubles in life I feel the real purpose for God's permissive will is to teach us all just what unmerited favour really means. I believe, in the end of it all, we will have experienced the wonderful Grace of God and have a good understanding of what it entails. Many of us bear the scars of sin and rebellion of years gone by but God is gracious enough to wait out our wild oats sowing days. Trust me when I say that time is on God’s side but very little time is on our side. There is a price to pay for rebellion but God desires that all that travel that path gets tired of the spiritual resistance against their wicked ways to the point of giving up out of exhaustion. In verses 17 – 24 the young man no doubt experienced what grace was all about when he found his very own father hugging him like a lost sheep that was found. There were many tears of joy and gladness shed that day because the boy, through untold hardship, had found his way back home through the providential care of God. A fact is it isn’t God’s will that any of us should perish but come to repentance. I remember that old and beautiful church hymnal song, “The Ninety and Nine”, coming into play in my mind right now. Praise the LORD for the unspeakable gift of grace!
http://www.missionofhopeministries.com/
In the Book of St. Luke chapter 15 we find Christ Jesus explaining to His Disciples in the form of stories of people that had lost things to the world. In this one particular story we find that one son did what was right and one son did that which was wrong and paid the price thereof. The question I would like to ask is how did one of the young men find his way into the hog lot and eating what the hogs ate? There are a lot of possible reasons for the young man’s demise and it would pay us to look closely at some of these reasons.
“And he said; a certain man had two sons: And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living. And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him. And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father; I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry. Luke 15:11-24 KJV
I believe one possible reason of separation from the boy’s family could have been youthful exuberance. Without any experiences of this world, he possibly believed he has a better idea of how things should be done- a different way of approaching things than that of his Father. This is atypical of most all young men; I am speaking from my own experiences. His arrogance and pride has proved him to be sort of bullet proof saying often around others – “hey ya'll watch this!” There was the possibility of some insubordination due to the fact that he insisted on leaving and asked to have what was coming to him handed to him as soon as possible. He was impertinent in demanding these request be filled as to get as far away from home as soon as he could. I feel he was somewhat arrogant due to social status while all along riding on his father's coat-tail. One important point was for sure the boy was his father’s son and desired to show the world what he could do. There was also the possibility of some father/ son competition being played out on the farm.
Even though the young man left with his father's blessing and consent, he was acting upon the permissive will of God instead of the perfect will of God. On one hand and as I see things, there is also a spiritual war going on in the spirit world simultaneously for this young man and us alike for his eternal soul. No doubt Satan has been working long and hard on this young man to the point of breaking someone’s heart in the process. Satan does not care in the slightest that heart he breaks as long as he gets that eternal soul he is pursuing. The dissention of God’s will for this young man’s life began with the rebellious attitude towards God’s will for his life. With God’s permissive will he left home and started the decent out of God’s will by appeasing his flesh with riotous living. In verses 13, 14, and 15, we see the quagmire the young man found himself in to the point of stopping and having to address the situation. In short, he had come to the end of the road of choices, or had he?
“And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.” Luke 15:13-15 KJV
One point I would like to make here is that God knows how to stop us in our tracks. No doubt this is a very bad situation the young man found himself in but, it could get a lot worse if he is persistent in moving on with his own demise. Hypothetically speaking, God could start breaking bones to slow him down even further. Or, some dreaded disease would land him in the bed of sickness just so he would be forced to stare at the ceiling looking up to God. The LORD will employ all sorts of ways and means in which to get our attention and face him with questions in which he is gracious enough to answer. This is the example of the exhibit of grace that God uses to bring us into a position in which we are forced to deal with it. The situation cannot be pushed aside any longer at this point. On the other hand, the LORD God knew of the youthful stubbornness of the young man and allowed him to have the experience in his life that would bring about change of mind through worldly experiences. I found out personally that some experiences are too costly to venture into after the fact. In all of our trials and troubles in life I feel the real purpose for God's permissive will is to teach us all just what unmerited favour really means. I believe, in the end of it all, we will have experienced the wonderful Grace of God and have a good understanding of what it entails. Many of us bear the scars of sin and rebellion of years gone by but God is gracious enough to wait out our wild oats sowing days. Trust me when I say that time is on God’s side but very little time is on our side. There is a price to pay for rebellion but God desires that all that travel that path gets tired of the spiritual resistance against their wicked ways to the point of giving up out of exhaustion. In verses 17 – 24 the young man no doubt experienced what grace was all about when he found his very own father hugging him like a lost sheep that was found. There were many tears of joy and gladness shed that day because the boy, through untold hardship, had found his way back home through the providential care of God. A fact is it isn’t God’s will that any of us should perish but come to repentance. I remember that old and beautiful church hymnal song, “The Ninety and Nine”, coming into play in my mind right now. Praise the LORD for the unspeakable gift of grace!
Sunday, September 18, 2011
"Enough is never enough"
http://www.missionofhopeministries.com/
Today’s Bible study will entail the teachings of King Solomon taken from the Book of Ecclesiastes chapter five starting with verse 12.
"The sleep of a labouring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much: but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep.” King Solomon Ecclesiastes 5:12 KJV
I believe if there was ever a person who could tell the absolute truth about what problems that could potentially arise from too much acuminated wealth, I feel it has to be Solomon. The better question I might ask is, how much is enough? In Solomon's day when King Solomon prospered everyone in the city and surrounding area prospered with him. God most definitely blessed the King of Israel with 40 years of prosperity and peace with their neighbors. A good question I feel is, are we as born-again Christian's blessed by God as were the Israelites? With much study and prayer for guidance of the Holy Spirit I have arrived at the answer, YES! Wonderful! You might be thinking right now, but I want you to understand there is a hitch to this health, wealth, and prosperity. It has to do with the Holy Father's will for your personal life. So many Christian's in the church today are seeking after wealth to the point that lustful feelings of greed have taken up camp in their heart. Do we think God is going to bless us continually without any accountability? For example, would you hand over the keys to your $180,000 Mercedes Benz, provided you have something of that value, to your teenage son or daughter without knowing first they could be trusted with the responsibility? Some have and that is why their lust for wealth, fame, and power seem to be insatiable and in many circumstances, to the point of destruction. This is a thought to ponder. Just where is all of Solomon's wealth today? Where did it all go? Scattered to the four winds I am afraid. Was all his efforts in vain?
Have you ever pondered the thought of just how much it would take in this world to bring about satisfaction and happiness to you as an individual? Therein lays a vicious trap that so few are even aware of.
"There is a sore evil which I have seen under the sun, namely, riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt.” King Solomon Ecclesiastes 5:13 KJV
I am afraid that so many of us haven’t realized that the human body is always craving or longing for something it feels it has a need for. It could be food or just a craving for some particular type of food like cake, cake is good! But how much does one really need? I know this might sound silly but there are some people who cannot get enough cake in this life and are paying the drastic consequences! It isn’t only cake; it could be anything and everything sometimes to the point of being out of control. I feel that is the magic word, CONTROL! There has to be some sort or some kind of restraining in our lives or else everything would be an insatiable desire to us with no control! As we read about the life of Solomon we have discovered his weakness, and we have to admit everyone has one! Solomon's weakness was for the opposite sex, yes, women. At the end of his days he had amassed some 1000 women from different countries and with many different religious beliefs. This was his demise to say the least; he caved in to all his fleshly desires. I believe this is a case in point where God allows things to happen to certain people just the point out that God's intensions was to make that individual an example to us all. I for one do not want to be used as an example before the entire world. Would you like this to happen to you? I feel that God so richly blessed Solomon that somewhere the blessing crossed a line and became a curse to make a point in Solomon's life. The irony of it all is that he lived to write about all his experiences, good and bad. The Book of Ecclesiastes is a personal ledger of sorts that Solomon left his thoughts to ponder to his legacy. You will notice right away that Solomon was a most miserable man that had accomplished everything he ever thought about. Wealth most certainly did not make him happy. Fame and posterity most certainly did not make him happy. Just what did make Solomon Happy? I feel it was the time spent alone with God contemplating on the words of wisdom God laid on his heart to contemplate and comment on. The Word of God was his only inner peace and solitude. You can read and see it in his writings.
"But those riches perish by evil travail: and he begetteth a son, and there is nothing in his hand. As he came forth of his mother's womb, naked shall he return to go as he came, and shall take nothing of his labour, which he may carry away in his hand. And this also is a sore evil, that in all points as he came, so shall he go: and what profit hath he that hath laboured for the wind? All his days also he eateth in darkness, and he hath much sorrow and wrath with his sickness." King Solomon Ecclesiastes 5:14-17 KJV
Solomon was writing about his father David and himself. King David was the warrior and bad guy in the story who subdues all the surrounding territories. To all those who are not spiritual all they saw was what Solomon was left to do was to pick up where his father left off and live the life of Riley with no worries of being poor or destitute. But there was a price to pay for all that wealth and prosperity. In the verse before, he was that son he spoke of and wrote about. I believe that there is a cutoff point when it comes to wealth and riches to the Christian child of God. I for one cannot believe that my Heavenly Father would bless me to the point that it would become a curse. Or, at least I hope He wouldn't. I feel that He would cut off the thing that may become a hindrance to me to preserve me in mine integrity. At least I hope and pray that He would. I do pray for my protection and the protection of my children every day I live. I cannot imagine me giving one of my children something that could potentially do them any harm. Can you? No, with wisdom and understanding, I would give those things that would be beneficial and helpful and withhold anything that could become a hindrance to them in their life. But, that is me. Some parents don't seem to care what they give their children and ends up being their death sentence. Thankfully, the LORD doesn’t work that way and it isn’t His intensions to bring about harm and disaster in His Childs life. The rebellious child is another situation and calls for drastic measures in order to bring about stability in that person’s life. In that scenario, God in all His wisdom isn’t out to destroy the person but bring them to repentance and their very Salvation.
The LORD does want us to be able to enjoy what we have without greed and anxiety taking over our lives. If you are struggling with what you have accumulated in life, you are probably out of the LORD’s will for your life. The LORD intends that we live out our lives in contentment and with a thankful heart praise Him for what we have or don't have. The LORD intends that we live without struggle and discontentment in our lives. We don't realize what we seem to lust for and crave for could lead us to our own destruction. For our own protection God will not allow very much to enter our lives that would do us in, and if He does, you can bet it is for a very good lesson to be learned in the process of misery. I believe He would want us to live out our lives content and thankful for all that we are allowed to accumulate in this life.
A very wise man once wrote out his request to God to add to his protection in life.
"Two things have I required of thee; deny me them not before I die: Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me: Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, who is the LORD? Or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.” Agur, Proverbs 30:7-9 KJV
I believe like the Apostle Paul when he said, "all things in moderation", of course that excludes those things that are evil or might have the appearance of evil. The Apostle James had quite a lot to say about rich men and the dangers of Christian's getting caught in their evil schemes. James expressed this concern in the Book of James beginning with chapter two and finishing chapter five. I encourage you to read these chapters for better understanding of the evil of riches on this earth. I believe the Apostle James summed up the whole affair of the trap that Christian's fall into in this one verse.
"Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?"
Apostle James 2:5 KJV
We as Christian's would do well to remember we are sojourners in this world and just passing through to the Kingdom of God where there will be no need for the things of this world. We will be completely outfitted for the Kingdom when we get insight of the lights of the City of God. Let's don't get sidetracked on the way to see King Jesus. Lets us stay the course with a light load to carry and head for a home of peace and life everlasting.
Note: Agur: was probably a public teacher, and Ithiel and Ucal, his pupils; and this was the Massa, or oracle, which he delivered, not by his own wisdom, but by the Holy Spirit, for the benefit of man; and which, it is probable, was added by "the men of Hezekiah."
Today’s Bible study will entail the teachings of King Solomon taken from the Book of Ecclesiastes chapter five starting with verse 12.
"The sleep of a labouring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much: but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep.” King Solomon Ecclesiastes 5:12 KJV
I believe if there was ever a person who could tell the absolute truth about what problems that could potentially arise from too much acuminated wealth, I feel it has to be Solomon. The better question I might ask is, how much is enough? In Solomon's day when King Solomon prospered everyone in the city and surrounding area prospered with him. God most definitely blessed the King of Israel with 40 years of prosperity and peace with their neighbors. A good question I feel is, are we as born-again Christian's blessed by God as were the Israelites? With much study and prayer for guidance of the Holy Spirit I have arrived at the answer, YES! Wonderful! You might be thinking right now, but I want you to understand there is a hitch to this health, wealth, and prosperity. It has to do with the Holy Father's will for your personal life. So many Christian's in the church today are seeking after wealth to the point that lustful feelings of greed have taken up camp in their heart. Do we think God is going to bless us continually without any accountability? For example, would you hand over the keys to your $180,000 Mercedes Benz, provided you have something of that value, to your teenage son or daughter without knowing first they could be trusted with the responsibility? Some have and that is why their lust for wealth, fame, and power seem to be insatiable and in many circumstances, to the point of destruction. This is a thought to ponder. Just where is all of Solomon's wealth today? Where did it all go? Scattered to the four winds I am afraid. Was all his efforts in vain?
Have you ever pondered the thought of just how much it would take in this world to bring about satisfaction and happiness to you as an individual? Therein lays a vicious trap that so few are even aware of.
"There is a sore evil which I have seen under the sun, namely, riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt.” King Solomon Ecclesiastes 5:13 KJV
I am afraid that so many of us haven’t realized that the human body is always craving or longing for something it feels it has a need for. It could be food or just a craving for some particular type of food like cake, cake is good! But how much does one really need? I know this might sound silly but there are some people who cannot get enough cake in this life and are paying the drastic consequences! It isn’t only cake; it could be anything and everything sometimes to the point of being out of control. I feel that is the magic word, CONTROL! There has to be some sort or some kind of restraining in our lives or else everything would be an insatiable desire to us with no control! As we read about the life of Solomon we have discovered his weakness, and we have to admit everyone has one! Solomon's weakness was for the opposite sex, yes, women. At the end of his days he had amassed some 1000 women from different countries and with many different religious beliefs. This was his demise to say the least; he caved in to all his fleshly desires. I believe this is a case in point where God allows things to happen to certain people just the point out that God's intensions was to make that individual an example to us all. I for one do not want to be used as an example before the entire world. Would you like this to happen to you? I feel that God so richly blessed Solomon that somewhere the blessing crossed a line and became a curse to make a point in Solomon's life. The irony of it all is that he lived to write about all his experiences, good and bad. The Book of Ecclesiastes is a personal ledger of sorts that Solomon left his thoughts to ponder to his legacy. You will notice right away that Solomon was a most miserable man that had accomplished everything he ever thought about. Wealth most certainly did not make him happy. Fame and posterity most certainly did not make him happy. Just what did make Solomon Happy? I feel it was the time spent alone with God contemplating on the words of wisdom God laid on his heart to contemplate and comment on. The Word of God was his only inner peace and solitude. You can read and see it in his writings.
"But those riches perish by evil travail: and he begetteth a son, and there is nothing in his hand. As he came forth of his mother's womb, naked shall he return to go as he came, and shall take nothing of his labour, which he may carry away in his hand. And this also is a sore evil, that in all points as he came, so shall he go: and what profit hath he that hath laboured for the wind? All his days also he eateth in darkness, and he hath much sorrow and wrath with his sickness." King Solomon Ecclesiastes 5:14-17 KJV
Solomon was writing about his father David and himself. King David was the warrior and bad guy in the story who subdues all the surrounding territories. To all those who are not spiritual all they saw was what Solomon was left to do was to pick up where his father left off and live the life of Riley with no worries of being poor or destitute. But there was a price to pay for all that wealth and prosperity. In the verse before, he was that son he spoke of and wrote about. I believe that there is a cutoff point when it comes to wealth and riches to the Christian child of God. I for one cannot believe that my Heavenly Father would bless me to the point that it would become a curse. Or, at least I hope He wouldn't. I feel that He would cut off the thing that may become a hindrance to me to preserve me in mine integrity. At least I hope and pray that He would. I do pray for my protection and the protection of my children every day I live. I cannot imagine me giving one of my children something that could potentially do them any harm. Can you? No, with wisdom and understanding, I would give those things that would be beneficial and helpful and withhold anything that could become a hindrance to them in their life. But, that is me. Some parents don't seem to care what they give their children and ends up being their death sentence. Thankfully, the LORD doesn’t work that way and it isn’t His intensions to bring about harm and disaster in His Childs life. The rebellious child is another situation and calls for drastic measures in order to bring about stability in that person’s life. In that scenario, God in all His wisdom isn’t out to destroy the person but bring them to repentance and their very Salvation.
The LORD does want us to be able to enjoy what we have without greed and anxiety taking over our lives. If you are struggling with what you have accumulated in life, you are probably out of the LORD’s will for your life. The LORD intends that we live out our lives in contentment and with a thankful heart praise Him for what we have or don't have. The LORD intends that we live without struggle and discontentment in our lives. We don't realize what we seem to lust for and crave for could lead us to our own destruction. For our own protection God will not allow very much to enter our lives that would do us in, and if He does, you can bet it is for a very good lesson to be learned in the process of misery. I believe He would want us to live out our lives content and thankful for all that we are allowed to accumulate in this life.
A very wise man once wrote out his request to God to add to his protection in life.
"Two things have I required of thee; deny me them not before I die: Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me: Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, who is the LORD? Or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.” Agur, Proverbs 30:7-9 KJV
I believe like the Apostle Paul when he said, "all things in moderation", of course that excludes those things that are evil or might have the appearance of evil. The Apostle James had quite a lot to say about rich men and the dangers of Christian's getting caught in their evil schemes. James expressed this concern in the Book of James beginning with chapter two and finishing chapter five. I encourage you to read these chapters for better understanding of the evil of riches on this earth. I believe the Apostle James summed up the whole affair of the trap that Christian's fall into in this one verse.
"Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?"
Apostle James 2:5 KJV
We as Christian's would do well to remember we are sojourners in this world and just passing through to the Kingdom of God where there will be no need for the things of this world. We will be completely outfitted for the Kingdom when we get insight of the lights of the City of God. Let's don't get sidetracked on the way to see King Jesus. Lets us stay the course with a light load to carry and head for a home of peace and life everlasting.
Note: Agur: was probably a public teacher, and Ithiel and Ucal, his pupils; and this was the Massa, or oracle, which he delivered, not by his own wisdom, but by the Holy Spirit, for the benefit of man; and which, it is probable, was added by "the men of Hezekiah."
Sunday, June 5, 2011
What Do You Fear Most?
Let’s face it; we are all afraid of something in this life whether or not we will be brave enough to admit it is another matter. But, I feel that the thing we all need to fear the most is the very thing that has power over our eternal soul. I will admit I am afraid of what a tornado can do and I have seen firsthand just what a hurricane can do to my home town. There are some that are most fearful of small enclosures and there are some that are afraid of bugs and snakes, something I would stay away from myself.
I heard just yesterday that a church in our town had one day of Vacation Bible School on a Saturday afternoon and the events following had been posted on Facebook by one of the participants of that church. I can remember the days that Vacation Bible School lasted for two maybe sometimes up to three weeks out of the school summer vacation. What is with that? It isn’t because there is a lack of children for that particular church has a plethora of children of all ages. I feel the lack of this group of people exhibits the loss of zeal and loss of compassion for the youth of the area. I also feel this particular church exemplifies that general consensus of the entire church community of America. Believe me when I say this, if the church as a whole cannot take the necessary time and effort to accommodate our children, then the world at large will most assuredly step in and take our children from us. To me, Vacation Bible School was the zenith of the entire year of evangelism of the community.
My number one fear is that I have taken notice of the callousness, coldness, and the cavalier attitude the church has allowed assimilating everyone including the pastor and assistant pastor of that particular church. Let it be known, God is going to ask for an account of this blatant disregard of the nation’s youth and pastors of the local assemblies with be the first to suffer at the hand of God. I look at it like this, if God is gracious enough to send a lot of children to be ministered to, it would be well with the pastor and church to put forth every effort to accommodate the youth. We have to remember one important thing when dealing with Almighty God; our works will be judged. If that alone isn’t enough to put the fear of God in our lives, then we as a church are callous and cavalier to the estate of men’s eternal souls.
“And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.” Revelation 14:13
“And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.” Revelation 20:12
Whether or not we like it is irrelevant because it is Almighty God alone that will be the judge of our works here on earth. I fear we will have the time and leisure to look back at our opportunities and efforts and will discover they will come up wanting. God is gracious and full of mercy for right now, but take heed the day will come that all efforts and opportunities will be gone and never to return. What we have right now is a window of opportunity staring us right in the face and we are just standing there looking out that window and day dreaming about ourselves. Yes, the church as a whole has become ineffective in every community across America today. This evidence shows up everywhere one might look. For instance, are the Blue Laws still in effect that once governed the community’s activities on Sunday? Are stores and shopping centers closed on Sunday to observe that sacred day that the Church sanctioned as a HOLY DAY? Is the LORD of the SABBOTH, JESUS CHRIST going to be pleased that the entire church doesn’t even observe the Sabbath Day of Genesis 2:2? Yes, I fear we as a church will have a lot to answer for in our lifetime and we will come up wanting. Just how much of our works on earth will withstand God’s refining fire at the Judgment Seat of Christ?
Let us be honest with ourselves, we are most miserable in our sins yet refuse to repent for all of our short comings before a Holy God. Therefore, the church as a whole is rendered ineffective, cold, and indifferent to society. I am afraid I have lived to see that this is the day of the Laodicean church of Revelation.
“And unto the angel of the church of the Laodicean’s write; these things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:…” Revelation 3:14-17
Again, let us face the truth of matters. The home is in shambles as a whole. There is no fear of Almighty God as a whole. So goes the church as a whole. So goes the nation as whole. As I see it, there is only one remedy to be had as a whole. It is most imperative that all born-again Christian’s fall on their face before a Holy and Righteous God and repent and ask for forgiveness of sin that is standing in the way of the church as a whole. Yes, Christian’s today are callous, unforgiving, jaded, arrogant, and prideful in their sin before our Holy God Jehovah. It seems no one is willing to give up anything of this world and come clean before God Almighty. I have to account for one person and one person only, me. But, as an evangelist and man of God, the LORD God Almighty has charged me and expects me to be a watchman on the wall for the Church. So, I am watching and I for sure am ashamed of what I see. We will answer to our LORD for this and much more if we don’t see the need to stop where we are and turn around to face our GOD. Let’s face it, we are all in this thing together and when the entire church goes down it will take every single one of us with it. We have an opportunity right in front of us to do something about it. God has given us another chance to redeem ourselves from sin and spiritual suicide. We must see the hand writing on the wall. The extravagant storms and tornadoes wiping out entire communities cropping up all over the nation should be a wakeup call. But I fear God’s handiworks with nature is falling on blind eyes and deft ears. Be warned Church, our time is running out and God will recon with His own. We have within our grasp to turn the tide and save ourselves from an angry God Jehovah. The sins of this nation have filled the Cup of Wrath to the brim and God will in turn pour out His fury on America. Just like God did with the nation of Israel. When Israel went into captivity, everyone went including the pastors, preachers, evangelists, and prophets of their time. We are no different in our time. Remember one thing about God, he is no respecter of persons and when it comes down from Heaven in the form of hail stones the size of cars, we all will be faced with it.
I fear this warning will go unheeded and many will turn a blind eye and a deft ear to this message, but none the less, it was delivered and God will judge accordingly. My prayer is that God have mercy on us all if we do not heed His gracious and righteous opportunity that once again we have been warned of. One day God’s mercy will come to a halt and we will be wondering why we are going through these terrible times. It will pay us to remember we brought it all upon ourselves and refused to do anything about it. Be sure of one thing, it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of a Righteous God without warning. Just recently the people of Joplin, Missouri found this out to be a sure thing. It can happen anytime and anywhere without warning. Remember, God is no respecter of persons and when judgment comes and it will come, it comes on us all together.
“Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.” I Peter 2:12
http://www.missionofhopeministries.com/
I heard just yesterday that a church in our town had one day of Vacation Bible School on a Saturday afternoon and the events following had been posted on Facebook by one of the participants of that church. I can remember the days that Vacation Bible School lasted for two maybe sometimes up to three weeks out of the school summer vacation. What is with that? It isn’t because there is a lack of children for that particular church has a plethora of children of all ages. I feel the lack of this group of people exhibits the loss of zeal and loss of compassion for the youth of the area. I also feel this particular church exemplifies that general consensus of the entire church community of America. Believe me when I say this, if the church as a whole cannot take the necessary time and effort to accommodate our children, then the world at large will most assuredly step in and take our children from us. To me, Vacation Bible School was the zenith of the entire year of evangelism of the community.
My number one fear is that I have taken notice of the callousness, coldness, and the cavalier attitude the church has allowed assimilating everyone including the pastor and assistant pastor of that particular church. Let it be known, God is going to ask for an account of this blatant disregard of the nation’s youth and pastors of the local assemblies with be the first to suffer at the hand of God. I look at it like this, if God is gracious enough to send a lot of children to be ministered to, it would be well with the pastor and church to put forth every effort to accommodate the youth. We have to remember one important thing when dealing with Almighty God; our works will be judged. If that alone isn’t enough to put the fear of God in our lives, then we as a church are callous and cavalier to the estate of men’s eternal souls.
“And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.” Revelation 14:13
“And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.” Revelation 20:12
Whether or not we like it is irrelevant because it is Almighty God alone that will be the judge of our works here on earth. I fear we will have the time and leisure to look back at our opportunities and efforts and will discover they will come up wanting. God is gracious and full of mercy for right now, but take heed the day will come that all efforts and opportunities will be gone and never to return. What we have right now is a window of opportunity staring us right in the face and we are just standing there looking out that window and day dreaming about ourselves. Yes, the church as a whole has become ineffective in every community across America today. This evidence shows up everywhere one might look. For instance, are the Blue Laws still in effect that once governed the community’s activities on Sunday? Are stores and shopping centers closed on Sunday to observe that sacred day that the Church sanctioned as a HOLY DAY? Is the LORD of the SABBOTH, JESUS CHRIST going to be pleased that the entire church doesn’t even observe the Sabbath Day of Genesis 2:2? Yes, I fear we as a church will have a lot to answer for in our lifetime and we will come up wanting. Just how much of our works on earth will withstand God’s refining fire at the Judgment Seat of Christ?
Let us be honest with ourselves, we are most miserable in our sins yet refuse to repent for all of our short comings before a Holy God. Therefore, the church as a whole is rendered ineffective, cold, and indifferent to society. I am afraid I have lived to see that this is the day of the Laodicean church of Revelation.
“And unto the angel of the church of the Laodicean’s write; these things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:…” Revelation 3:14-17
Again, let us face the truth of matters. The home is in shambles as a whole. There is no fear of Almighty God as a whole. So goes the church as a whole. So goes the nation as whole. As I see it, there is only one remedy to be had as a whole. It is most imperative that all born-again Christian’s fall on their face before a Holy and Righteous God and repent and ask for forgiveness of sin that is standing in the way of the church as a whole. Yes, Christian’s today are callous, unforgiving, jaded, arrogant, and prideful in their sin before our Holy God Jehovah. It seems no one is willing to give up anything of this world and come clean before God Almighty. I have to account for one person and one person only, me. But, as an evangelist and man of God, the LORD God Almighty has charged me and expects me to be a watchman on the wall for the Church. So, I am watching and I for sure am ashamed of what I see. We will answer to our LORD for this and much more if we don’t see the need to stop where we are and turn around to face our GOD. Let’s face it, we are all in this thing together and when the entire church goes down it will take every single one of us with it. We have an opportunity right in front of us to do something about it. God has given us another chance to redeem ourselves from sin and spiritual suicide. We must see the hand writing on the wall. The extravagant storms and tornadoes wiping out entire communities cropping up all over the nation should be a wakeup call. But I fear God’s handiworks with nature is falling on blind eyes and deft ears. Be warned Church, our time is running out and God will recon with His own. We have within our grasp to turn the tide and save ourselves from an angry God Jehovah. The sins of this nation have filled the Cup of Wrath to the brim and God will in turn pour out His fury on America. Just like God did with the nation of Israel. When Israel went into captivity, everyone went including the pastors, preachers, evangelists, and prophets of their time. We are no different in our time. Remember one thing about God, he is no respecter of persons and when it comes down from Heaven in the form of hail stones the size of cars, we all will be faced with it.
I fear this warning will go unheeded and many will turn a blind eye and a deft ear to this message, but none the less, it was delivered and God will judge accordingly. My prayer is that God have mercy on us all if we do not heed His gracious and righteous opportunity that once again we have been warned of. One day God’s mercy will come to a halt and we will be wondering why we are going through these terrible times. It will pay us to remember we brought it all upon ourselves and refused to do anything about it. Be sure of one thing, it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of a Righteous God without warning. Just recently the people of Joplin, Missouri found this out to be a sure thing. It can happen anytime and anywhere without warning. Remember, God is no respecter of persons and when judgment comes and it will come, it comes on us all together.
“Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.” I Peter 2:12
http://www.missionofhopeministries.com/
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Are we right or wrong in our beliefs?
Upon the reading and contemplating of the commentary of II Thessalonians 2:3, it has come to my attention that no one denomination or religion will accept the notion that someone has to be wrong. It is absurdities that all are right in their beliefs and doctrine. Someone has to be wrong in their assessments of the Scripture and conclusion with pronounced doctrine. The Holy Bible says; "Let no man deceive you by any means...”
I fear all have been deceived with their own notions of pride and arrogance stemming from the facts presented by their perspective denominations. All have different interpretations and have come to conclusions that separate and divide the body of believers. The Church as a whole now suffers more from disbelief than belief in a common cause that instigated the Church in the beginning, Jesus Christ, the head of the Church. On the other hand, if we made an attempt to unite all religions and denominations someone will have to concede, recant, or more importantly, compromise their belief system. We will have to conclude upon this great compromise of beliefs that all are wrong to some extent or by some measurable degree. I cannot foresee anyone in the belief system of Islam admitting they might be wrong about their beliefs and even so, I cannot foresee anyone in the Protestant camp admitting they might be off base in their beliefs either.
I have come to the conclusion we are all wrong to some extent on the grounds of the fact that sin abounds in our personal lives. The proof is there in our faces by the daily presentation of our life before others. Let us face the truth of the matter. If our religion revolves and is generated and venerated by money, it cannot be right and in accordance to the Holy Bible. If our religion is dominated by worship of anyone person that has walked on the face of this earth besides Jesus Christ, we cannot be right in our beliefs either. By just my stand that Jesus Christ is the only person that is worthy to be worshipped will set me apart with many religions in this world. I cannot and will not compromise this stand for Christ Jesus just for the sake of a common cause and unity of all mankind. Many in this world will deem me an evil man because I am not willing to compromise my belief in the only Son of God, Jesus Christ. They will conclude I am wrong in my beliefs and cast me out of many places.
What if I conclude that Christian denominations are also wrong in their beliefs, will I be barred from their fellowship also? If they prescribe to the Old Testament Law of tithing I am already separated by the Law of Grace. I am not bound by the Old Testament Law because that was abolished By the Son of God at Calvary. Therefore, I am an outcast in my own Christian community. Where do others like me fit in society? In some way or to some extent, we all are outcasts because of our belief system. Someone has to be wrong, all cannot be right in their beliefs. Someone will have to concede and admit they are wrong but when will this take place? As I see it, many will go through their entire lives believing in a false hope and a false god. Including those in the Christian community of which I am a part of. The only way to set this thing right in our personal lives is to seek the truth. Many have died in their sins seeking the truth because they assumed the truth could be found anywhere in the world. From my point of view, I have found the truth to come from only one Divine source, the Holy Bible of the Christians. I consider the Holy Bible to be the living Word of Almighty God, Himself. These facts alone will separate me from many in my own community, state, and country. But I am willing to risk my life and my belief in Jesus Christ for my place in all eternity. Will any man, women, or children be willing to put at stake their beliefs in exchange for their eternal soul? Well, that is what it will come down too. Someone has to be wrong, we cannot all be right. My advice to you is to seek the truth for yourself. A good starting place is the Holy Bible. That very Bible tells the whole story of the Son of God. The Bible is our source for wisdom and knowledge of the only Saviour we will ever need in this life. I encourage you to come with me and join with me in believing in the truth of the Word of God. Believe in the LORD JESUS CHRIST and thou shalt be saved from the error and untruths of religion and denominational dogma. Almighty God commands those who follow Him to come out from among them and be separate. To follow the truth demands separation from error and untruth. Any other way leads to compromise of one’s belief, the very thing most hold dear to their heart. Jesus Christ said; “I am the way, the truth, and the light, and no man cometh unto the Father but by me.” The truth is, there is no other way but Jehovah’s way. I encourage you to seek of the Son of God and see for yourself if I am right or wrong.
I fear all have been deceived with their own notions of pride and arrogance stemming from the facts presented by their perspective denominations. All have different interpretations and have come to conclusions that separate and divide the body of believers. The Church as a whole now suffers more from disbelief than belief in a common cause that instigated the Church in the beginning, Jesus Christ, the head of the Church. On the other hand, if we made an attempt to unite all religions and denominations someone will have to concede, recant, or more importantly, compromise their belief system. We will have to conclude upon this great compromise of beliefs that all are wrong to some extent or by some measurable degree. I cannot foresee anyone in the belief system of Islam admitting they might be wrong about their beliefs and even so, I cannot foresee anyone in the Protestant camp admitting they might be off base in their beliefs either.
I have come to the conclusion we are all wrong to some extent on the grounds of the fact that sin abounds in our personal lives. The proof is there in our faces by the daily presentation of our life before others. Let us face the truth of the matter. If our religion revolves and is generated and venerated by money, it cannot be right and in accordance to the Holy Bible. If our religion is dominated by worship of anyone person that has walked on the face of this earth besides Jesus Christ, we cannot be right in our beliefs either. By just my stand that Jesus Christ is the only person that is worthy to be worshipped will set me apart with many religions in this world. I cannot and will not compromise this stand for Christ Jesus just for the sake of a common cause and unity of all mankind. Many in this world will deem me an evil man because I am not willing to compromise my belief in the only Son of God, Jesus Christ. They will conclude I am wrong in my beliefs and cast me out of many places.
What if I conclude that Christian denominations are also wrong in their beliefs, will I be barred from their fellowship also? If they prescribe to the Old Testament Law of tithing I am already separated by the Law of Grace. I am not bound by the Old Testament Law because that was abolished By the Son of God at Calvary. Therefore, I am an outcast in my own Christian community. Where do others like me fit in society? In some way or to some extent, we all are outcasts because of our belief system. Someone has to be wrong, all cannot be right in their beliefs. Someone will have to concede and admit they are wrong but when will this take place? As I see it, many will go through their entire lives believing in a false hope and a false god. Including those in the Christian community of which I am a part of. The only way to set this thing right in our personal lives is to seek the truth. Many have died in their sins seeking the truth because they assumed the truth could be found anywhere in the world. From my point of view, I have found the truth to come from only one Divine source, the Holy Bible of the Christians. I consider the Holy Bible to be the living Word of Almighty God, Himself. These facts alone will separate me from many in my own community, state, and country. But I am willing to risk my life and my belief in Jesus Christ for my place in all eternity. Will any man, women, or children be willing to put at stake their beliefs in exchange for their eternal soul? Well, that is what it will come down too. Someone has to be wrong, we cannot all be right. My advice to you is to seek the truth for yourself. A good starting place is the Holy Bible. That very Bible tells the whole story of the Son of God. The Bible is our source for wisdom and knowledge of the only Saviour we will ever need in this life. I encourage you to come with me and join with me in believing in the truth of the Word of God. Believe in the LORD JESUS CHRIST and thou shalt be saved from the error and untruths of religion and denominational dogma. Almighty God commands those who follow Him to come out from among them and be separate. To follow the truth demands separation from error and untruth. Any other way leads to compromise of one’s belief, the very thing most hold dear to their heart. Jesus Christ said; “I am the way, the truth, and the light, and no man cometh unto the Father but by me.” The truth is, there is no other way but Jehovah’s way. I encourage you to seek of the Son of God and see for yourself if I am right or wrong.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
If I tell you a lie, can we still be friends?
Part Eight
In this series of writings we have had the luxury of covering seven of the most outstanding of false teachings in our midst today. There are many more to expose but I have been led by the LORD to continue them in a new work called “Battling the Son’s of Perdition”. I covet your prayers for our ministry as Satan constantly attempts to stall and hinder everything we do for the LORD. Our God Jehovah is a mighty God and by His wonderful grace, we will proceed onward till upward.
It is common knowledge that the demise of any city or nation is when the populace turns to extreme wickedness. We have for example Noah and the world wide flood, and Sodom and Gomorrah with fire and brimstone from heaven that was mentioned in the Scripture. We now have a more modern city to add to the list the Grecian city of Pompey smothered with hot molten volcanic ash as historical facts. There is a long list of cities of immense historical value that were overthrown by God which used invading armies mentioned in the Scripture forth-coming to accomplish the very same thing. God used the Hebrew people delivered from under bondage of Pharaoh to go through many cities and completely destroy them and sack them as punishment from God along the way to the Promised Land. I am also reminded of the fall of cities of Jerusalem, Nineveh, and Jericho.
“For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly; And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample (example) unto those that after should live ungodly;” II Peter 2:4-6
“Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and will break his arms, the strong, and that which was broken; and I will cause the sword to fall out of his hand. And I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and will disperse them through the countries. And I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, and put my sword in his hand: but I will break Pharaoh's arms, and he shall groan before him with the groanings of a deadly wounded man. But I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, and the arms of Pharaoh shall fall down; and they shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall put my sword into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall stretch it out upon the land of Egypt.”
Ezekiel 30:22-25
When it gets to the stage that God is forced to move on a people, no doubt it is pretty bad. These people self-righteously install a system of honour amongst thieves, murderers, rapists, child molesters, homosexuals, and general debauchery of all satanic sorts. Full blown sin is revered above anything that is right. A distinctive phrase is used in Scripture; the sin of the people has filled the cup of the wrath of God.
“The LORD trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth. Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup.” Psalms 11:5-6
“For in the hand of the LORD there is a cup, and the wine is red; it is full of mixture; and he poureth out of the same: but the dregs thereof, all the wicked of the earth shall wring them out, and drink them.” Psalms 75:8
“Therefore wait ye upon me, saith the LORD, until the day that I rise up to the prey: for my determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation, even all my fierce anger: for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy.” Zephaniah 3:8
“The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:” Revelation 14:10
“And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.” Revelation 16:19
This scenario has played out for many centuries in the past and will be the norm of everyday living, even right here in America. This judgment is coming right at us all. I say that because it is our nature to be a wicked and sinful people at heart. On the other hand, we as born-again Christians do live amongst these depraved individuals every day. The only difference between them and us is the fact we are forgiven of all our sins and short-comings. The sinner, on the other hand, is still dead in sin and trespasses against the Most High God, Jehovah.
“Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate (feminine men), nor abusers of themselves with mankind (homosexuals), nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.”
I Corinthians 6:9-11
Hallelujah, Amen, Selah! I don’t know about you, but the Scripture we just read is good news to me. Someone or something has to be in place to account for checks and balances. As the highest form of all knowledge, God has positioned Himself in that strategy with authority on the grounds that it was He that created all living things for His divine purpose. Our Almighty God, holy and righteous, who reigns over all that is, stands in as the counter balance against evil. God’s extreme opposite is evil and its leader is the fallen angel Satan. All this is of God’s design and choosing for purposes mostly unknown to most of us. But there are answers for those who would venture into the realm of Godly wisdom and knowledge. No, this isn’t any form of Gnosticism but Godly wisdom that only comes from the LORD alone.
“To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding; To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity; To give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion. A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels: To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Proverbs 1:2-7
Despite popular opinion, America is no different from any other nation on earth aside of the fact she is considered to be the wealthiest of our time. The truth is America is one amongst many wealthy nations. It really depends on how one evaluates wealth. America’s wealth came about by the natural resources of the land that required a labor force that immigrated into her and used in a vehicle known as the age of industrialization. At one time in history, precisely in the beginning of WWII, as a nation we manufactured everything we needed along with the goods other nations needed to win that war. At that particular time, America was completely independent of other countries for anything, even oil. Since WWII, we have chosen to pick and choose our wars and unashamedly sacrifice our sons and daughters in the process. Nothing has changed very little in that respect except for those who see fit to get what we use as a nation from other nations, by force if necessary, and hoards our nation’s resources in reserve for a rainy day. I can hear the patriots asking; what is wrong with that? It seems to me that America wants it all at any cost and is willing to sacrifice their young to get at it. America is in a paradigm shift by phasing out the age of industrialization and sweeping up technology fields in biology, robotics, and electronics. We are witnessing the vehicle of industrializing being strategically moved around the world as to spread the wealth to those less fortunate, so to speak.
As with all civilizations, as they progress and prosperity becomes the norm, leisure time is more readily available. Mankind has accomplished tremendous strides of technological achievements and feels he has earned the right to extravagant vacations and time-off in abundance. We have the archives of ancient cities and nations which fell to their demise because of too much leisure time. It has been said “idol time is the devil’s time”; that is the truth in simple rhyme. As technology advances, moral standards decline simultaneously. It seems the more advanced the nation becomes the more society sinks into sin never to recover until the slate is wiped clean by cleansing the nation with some sort of divine judgment. Sometimes God uses war to cleanse a nation. Occasionally God will use natural disasters such as floods or tornados to cleanse a city or town. It is recorded in the Bible that God has used abortion of babies to judge a nation. I really don’t think we know God very well do we?
If we could visualize a chart we could see the high standards of a humble beginning by drawing a mark starting at the top right-hand corner of the page and proceeding at a downward slant. The low but escalating beginning of technology achievements beginning with a mark at the bottom of the page proceeding at an upward slant met and passed each other in the night. I feel this happened to America right in the middle of the Viet Nam war. I believe the moral state of America has surpassed the crossover point and is in steady decline as a nation of means, wealth, and moral degradation. It is just as history is repeating itself with the same old scenario of moral accolades in recession. I understand this is a pretty bleak outlook for the most powerful nation on earth but we have to consider that other civilizations boasted the same accolades and are no more.
Many in America think that America’s abortion machine of children is a new thing. But in fact, it is an ancient form of divine judgment. Abortion is one of many forms of judgment brought upon a nation because of idolatry or simply turning their back on God. We say we are a God fearing people but few repent of their sin in these days. God weighs the balance and He keeps His eye on the sin gauge, the cup of trembling. When the cup becomes full of sin, God has no choice but to pour out His wrath upon a nation. God is no respecter of persons, cities, or nations. I am convinced with all my heart America is under the curse of God and He has determined to take away the very gift that has made us as a nation great, our children.
“And I polluted them in their own gifts (children), in that they caused to pass through the fire (child sacrifice) all that openeth the womb that I might make them desolate, to the end that they might know that I am the LORD.” Ezekiel 20:26
I have studied this Scripture over and over in its context trying to understand why God would use an extreme judgment upon His very people. It seems that we as God’s people do not take Him seriously enough. We have been taught that God is love and He is love to those who obey Him. However, there are rebellious people amongst God’s elect. A rebellious people that have led the remnant away from the statutes of God; thus, we disobey God’s every word in ignorance. We do not take God at His word, the very mistake Eve made in the Garden.
It is a fact that we actually burn our children in the idols’ fire when we wage war against other countries. Let’s be serious for a moment and allow me to ask a question. Would any other country in the world be silly enough to invade the US? I feel our constant show of power at arms all over the world deters that but we have anxious people in high places that never get to use them until a war is manufactured. When a US aircraft carrier parks in some other country’s backyard, I feel they will think twice before making a foolish mistake. Some are so arrogant to do so despite the show of arms, but that is how others around the world perceive America today. We have become the world’s policeman on the beat and known by all to be just a big bully on the block. I sincerely believe all of our enemies are manufactured at one point. We are guilty of sacrificing our children to the witchcraft of government and the unwarranted wars we wage on all our nation neighbors. It would behoove us to be careful and try to see things as God would see it. We gain this wisdom and understanding from reading what has happened to the nation of Israel in the past and present. God uses torn down and overthrown nations as the example to us today. We could easily become the next torn down and overthrown nation on the trash heap of fallen empires. As we come closer to the end, we as a people of God‘s kingdom cannot afford to be evasive and ignorant to the purpose of the LORD. There will be no such thing as ignorance to the laws of God.
Many people perceive me as an alarmist or even a doom’s day prophet. I say, call it what you will, but I consider myself a watchman on the wall. I have believed all along that things as we know it to be cannot go on forever even with all our best efforts to do so. As I see it, America has had it too good to long because she is now cuddled in the arms of Mother Babylon. All is well and going according to plans for those who have sacrificed themselves to the gods of greed and aggression. I write these things because I feel the urgency to warn others of impending destruction. We as Americans have set ourselves up for the fall with our patriotism, pride, and prejudices. As a watchman on the wall I want to encourage us to remember Jehovah God sees all and knows all things. Christians today are encouraged to turn from the religion of denominations and false gods. We are to turn our eyes to the LORD JESUS and become more like him instead of the militants we are today.
As Christians we have the undeniable need to focus on the Kingdom of God and abandon the agenda of the empires of the world. Remember, we are sojourners simply passing through this land. Make no mistake, in their time, all empires will come to naught and just where will you stand then? Everything we as Christians do and say should be for the furthermost of the Kingdom of God and not necessarily for the empires of the world. The warning signs are everywhere. We as Christians are off course in our personal relationship with the LORD at this time in history. As a nation, we have forgotten the true and living God Jehovah. We are materialistic, idol-worshipers in some fashion or form. Christians heed the warning; we serve a very jealous God!
“Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial (idol worship)? Or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? For ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.” II Corinthians 6:14-18
In this series of writings we have had the luxury of covering seven of the most outstanding of false teachings in our midst today. There are many more to expose but I have been led by the LORD to continue them in a new work called “Battling the Son’s of Perdition”. I covet your prayers for our ministry as Satan constantly attempts to stall and hinder everything we do for the LORD. Our God Jehovah is a mighty God and by His wonderful grace, we will proceed onward till upward.
It is common knowledge that the demise of any city or nation is when the populace turns to extreme wickedness. We have for example Noah and the world wide flood, and Sodom and Gomorrah with fire and brimstone from heaven that was mentioned in the Scripture. We now have a more modern city to add to the list the Grecian city of Pompey smothered with hot molten volcanic ash as historical facts. There is a long list of cities of immense historical value that were overthrown by God which used invading armies mentioned in the Scripture forth-coming to accomplish the very same thing. God used the Hebrew people delivered from under bondage of Pharaoh to go through many cities and completely destroy them and sack them as punishment from God along the way to the Promised Land. I am also reminded of the fall of cities of Jerusalem, Nineveh, and Jericho.
“For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly; And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample (example) unto those that after should live ungodly;” II Peter 2:4-6
“Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and will break his arms, the strong, and that which was broken; and I will cause the sword to fall out of his hand. And I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and will disperse them through the countries. And I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, and put my sword in his hand: but I will break Pharaoh's arms, and he shall groan before him with the groanings of a deadly wounded man. But I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, and the arms of Pharaoh shall fall down; and they shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall put my sword into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall stretch it out upon the land of Egypt.”
Ezekiel 30:22-25
When it gets to the stage that God is forced to move on a people, no doubt it is pretty bad. These people self-righteously install a system of honour amongst thieves, murderers, rapists, child molesters, homosexuals, and general debauchery of all satanic sorts. Full blown sin is revered above anything that is right. A distinctive phrase is used in Scripture; the sin of the people has filled the cup of the wrath of God.
“The LORD trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth. Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup.” Psalms 11:5-6
“For in the hand of the LORD there is a cup, and the wine is red; it is full of mixture; and he poureth out of the same: but the dregs thereof, all the wicked of the earth shall wring them out, and drink them.” Psalms 75:8
“Therefore wait ye upon me, saith the LORD, until the day that I rise up to the prey: for my determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation, even all my fierce anger: for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy.” Zephaniah 3:8
“The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:” Revelation 14:10
“And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.” Revelation 16:19
This scenario has played out for many centuries in the past and will be the norm of everyday living, even right here in America. This judgment is coming right at us all. I say that because it is our nature to be a wicked and sinful people at heart. On the other hand, we as born-again Christians do live amongst these depraved individuals every day. The only difference between them and us is the fact we are forgiven of all our sins and short-comings. The sinner, on the other hand, is still dead in sin and trespasses against the Most High God, Jehovah.
“Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate (feminine men), nor abusers of themselves with mankind (homosexuals), nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.”
I Corinthians 6:9-11
Hallelujah, Amen, Selah! I don’t know about you, but the Scripture we just read is good news to me. Someone or something has to be in place to account for checks and balances. As the highest form of all knowledge, God has positioned Himself in that strategy with authority on the grounds that it was He that created all living things for His divine purpose. Our Almighty God, holy and righteous, who reigns over all that is, stands in as the counter balance against evil. God’s extreme opposite is evil and its leader is the fallen angel Satan. All this is of God’s design and choosing for purposes mostly unknown to most of us. But there are answers for those who would venture into the realm of Godly wisdom and knowledge. No, this isn’t any form of Gnosticism but Godly wisdom that only comes from the LORD alone.
“To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding; To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity; To give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion. A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels: To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Proverbs 1:2-7
Despite popular opinion, America is no different from any other nation on earth aside of the fact she is considered to be the wealthiest of our time. The truth is America is one amongst many wealthy nations. It really depends on how one evaluates wealth. America’s wealth came about by the natural resources of the land that required a labor force that immigrated into her and used in a vehicle known as the age of industrialization. At one time in history, precisely in the beginning of WWII, as a nation we manufactured everything we needed along with the goods other nations needed to win that war. At that particular time, America was completely independent of other countries for anything, even oil. Since WWII, we have chosen to pick and choose our wars and unashamedly sacrifice our sons and daughters in the process. Nothing has changed very little in that respect except for those who see fit to get what we use as a nation from other nations, by force if necessary, and hoards our nation’s resources in reserve for a rainy day. I can hear the patriots asking; what is wrong with that? It seems to me that America wants it all at any cost and is willing to sacrifice their young to get at it. America is in a paradigm shift by phasing out the age of industrialization and sweeping up technology fields in biology, robotics, and electronics. We are witnessing the vehicle of industrializing being strategically moved around the world as to spread the wealth to those less fortunate, so to speak.
As with all civilizations, as they progress and prosperity becomes the norm, leisure time is more readily available. Mankind has accomplished tremendous strides of technological achievements and feels he has earned the right to extravagant vacations and time-off in abundance. We have the archives of ancient cities and nations which fell to their demise because of too much leisure time. It has been said “idol time is the devil’s time”; that is the truth in simple rhyme. As technology advances, moral standards decline simultaneously. It seems the more advanced the nation becomes the more society sinks into sin never to recover until the slate is wiped clean by cleansing the nation with some sort of divine judgment. Sometimes God uses war to cleanse a nation. Occasionally God will use natural disasters such as floods or tornados to cleanse a city or town. It is recorded in the Bible that God has used abortion of babies to judge a nation. I really don’t think we know God very well do we?
If we could visualize a chart we could see the high standards of a humble beginning by drawing a mark starting at the top right-hand corner of the page and proceeding at a downward slant. The low but escalating beginning of technology achievements beginning with a mark at the bottom of the page proceeding at an upward slant met and passed each other in the night. I feel this happened to America right in the middle of the Viet Nam war. I believe the moral state of America has surpassed the crossover point and is in steady decline as a nation of means, wealth, and moral degradation. It is just as history is repeating itself with the same old scenario of moral accolades in recession. I understand this is a pretty bleak outlook for the most powerful nation on earth but we have to consider that other civilizations boasted the same accolades and are no more.
Many in America think that America’s abortion machine of children is a new thing. But in fact, it is an ancient form of divine judgment. Abortion is one of many forms of judgment brought upon a nation because of idolatry or simply turning their back on God. We say we are a God fearing people but few repent of their sin in these days. God weighs the balance and He keeps His eye on the sin gauge, the cup of trembling. When the cup becomes full of sin, God has no choice but to pour out His wrath upon a nation. God is no respecter of persons, cities, or nations. I am convinced with all my heart America is under the curse of God and He has determined to take away the very gift that has made us as a nation great, our children.
“And I polluted them in their own gifts (children), in that they caused to pass through the fire (child sacrifice) all that openeth the womb that I might make them desolate, to the end that they might know that I am the LORD.” Ezekiel 20:26
I have studied this Scripture over and over in its context trying to understand why God would use an extreme judgment upon His very people. It seems that we as God’s people do not take Him seriously enough. We have been taught that God is love and He is love to those who obey Him. However, there are rebellious people amongst God’s elect. A rebellious people that have led the remnant away from the statutes of God; thus, we disobey God’s every word in ignorance. We do not take God at His word, the very mistake Eve made in the Garden.
It is a fact that we actually burn our children in the idols’ fire when we wage war against other countries. Let’s be serious for a moment and allow me to ask a question. Would any other country in the world be silly enough to invade the US? I feel our constant show of power at arms all over the world deters that but we have anxious people in high places that never get to use them until a war is manufactured. When a US aircraft carrier parks in some other country’s backyard, I feel they will think twice before making a foolish mistake. Some are so arrogant to do so despite the show of arms, but that is how others around the world perceive America today. We have become the world’s policeman on the beat and known by all to be just a big bully on the block. I sincerely believe all of our enemies are manufactured at one point. We are guilty of sacrificing our children to the witchcraft of government and the unwarranted wars we wage on all our nation neighbors. It would behoove us to be careful and try to see things as God would see it. We gain this wisdom and understanding from reading what has happened to the nation of Israel in the past and present. God uses torn down and overthrown nations as the example to us today. We could easily become the next torn down and overthrown nation on the trash heap of fallen empires. As we come closer to the end, we as a people of God‘s kingdom cannot afford to be evasive and ignorant to the purpose of the LORD. There will be no such thing as ignorance to the laws of God.
Many people perceive me as an alarmist or even a doom’s day prophet. I say, call it what you will, but I consider myself a watchman on the wall. I have believed all along that things as we know it to be cannot go on forever even with all our best efforts to do so. As I see it, America has had it too good to long because she is now cuddled in the arms of Mother Babylon. All is well and going according to plans for those who have sacrificed themselves to the gods of greed and aggression. I write these things because I feel the urgency to warn others of impending destruction. We as Americans have set ourselves up for the fall with our patriotism, pride, and prejudices. As a watchman on the wall I want to encourage us to remember Jehovah God sees all and knows all things. Christians today are encouraged to turn from the religion of denominations and false gods. We are to turn our eyes to the LORD JESUS and become more like him instead of the militants we are today.
As Christians we have the undeniable need to focus on the Kingdom of God and abandon the agenda of the empires of the world. Remember, we are sojourners simply passing through this land. Make no mistake, in their time, all empires will come to naught and just where will you stand then? Everything we as Christians do and say should be for the furthermost of the Kingdom of God and not necessarily for the empires of the world. The warning signs are everywhere. We as Christians are off course in our personal relationship with the LORD at this time in history. As a nation, we have forgotten the true and living God Jehovah. We are materialistic, idol-worshipers in some fashion or form. Christians heed the warning; we serve a very jealous God!
“Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial (idol worship)? Or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? For ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.” II Corinthians 6:14-18
Saturday, March 19, 2011
If I tell you a lie, can we still be friends?
Part Seven
In the writing of part six, I briefly mentioned the Lady in Red. Actually she is the Lady in purple and red and for good reason. It is at this juncture I feel we need to pursue this item and discover for ourselves just who is this Lady. Of course she is no lady but a whorish woman who has conquered the nations through her deceitfulness, lying tongue, empty promises of the highest grandeur, the world’s leader in false religion. Everything is at stake at this point, what we have here is Satan gambling against Almighty God. The ruse is increased on the entire world. Satan’s ultimate goal is to take his ruse to its highest level and set the infamous trap in order to arrest your very soul. The question of the Lady arises from the Scripture of the Bible.
“And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters: With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication. So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:…”
Revelation 17:1-4
We have to keep in mind that Bible typology is used here in this particular Scripture. It is something of a code for believers who alone have the needed spiritual insight to decipher the code. We also have to consider that the Bible is the spoken Word of God to the Prophets so as to add divine ancient wisdom beyond our earthly comprehension. God explains in greater detail what He wants us to understand. So He spells it out for us, so to speak. I feel God does this on the behalf His Chosen. The Lord wants us as believers to know and possess the truth of matters. The unsaved-unbelievers will shirk this prophecy off as they have done for centuries, calling and accusing us the fools and witches teaching heresy. We are all intertwined in the eternal struggle of good versus evil. We all were set from the foundation of the earth to pick up the torch of the Kingdom of God where God injects us in His time table. Or we can reject it all and leave it to chance in which I do not believe. It is up to every individual in the end to have made all the right choices in their lives. We will be judged by God accordingly. In the past, it was unbelievers that killed the prophets and they will more than most likely get at us who hold the Word of Truth in the end. I feel it is necessary to the point of compulsory to continually warn believers everywhere of the dangers of the powers of darkness lurking in this world. The LORD is warning us through this writing and many others alike, evermore of the growing power and momentum in which the powers of darkness are culminating. Now more than ever, I am convinced the Beast of Revelation is at the door, just awaiting his introduction to the world. I am equally convinced that playtime is about to come to a halt for all those who believe in the LORD JESUS Christ.
Falsehood Number Seven
We as born-again believers have been duped by false prophets all our lives, I know for sure I have. We have been led by the proverbial nose ring through the Scripture drawing bits and pieces together to make their case seem to be the truth. These false prophets can be found in the seminaries of denominations, as well as in our so-called Christian schools. They can also be found in the public school system and in local government. They most assuredly can be found in all facets of Federal Government, being in position to insure their agenda is propagated through law making. One of the most important keys to staying in line with the truth is keeping the Scripture in context. It is a known fact that one can make the Scripture say most anything you like. Satan performed that little trick in the Garden with Eve listening to Satan. Satan performed a little surgery on the spoken Word of God and changed the truth into a lie. A little word missing here and a little word added there and the next thing you have is an untruth. All we have heard throughout our lives is partial truth. To listen and adhere to real unadulterated truth would bring about unidirectional change in each of us following the old path, the path less trodden. We have access to the unadulterated truth right in our very hands, the Bible. The falsehoods I bring to the front are propagated from church denominations along with Freemasonry; their many different interpretations of the Bible are infamous for this procedure of half-truth. Freemasonry attempts to mix and mingle Gnostic Doctrine, pagan practices, and Christianity thus blending a concoction of lethal proportions of half-truth. It would really unnerve us to find out just how many professing Christian’s are actually Freemasons. The truth is you cannot be both and withstand the brilliant, penetrating, light of the judgment of God. A born-again child of God that dabbles in Freemasonry stands to lose his or her rewards at the Judgment Bema Seat of Christ. If they are adamant to pursue this adultery with God, they stand to lose every good work they have performed in this life. This is the warning from God.
“Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.” I Corinthians 3:13-19
No doubt the Gnostics would go to great lengths to argue that point. This is one of the reasons I have always steered clear of Freemasonry and held on to the old KJV, but only by the grace of God. While I study the KJV again I emphasize one must adhere to keeping the Scripture in its context. The Authorized King James Version is one bloody book. Saints of God have given their lives for this Bible. Having been tried and tested by God himself through famines, floods, and fire. The KJV is the Bible for me if one desires and seeks the truth. No other version of the Bible since the writings of the 1611 King James Version reprinted in 1814 in America can make that claim. I encourage you to stay with what God has tried in His purging fire.
The next Scripture is what the Bible says concerning the beginning of events of the rapture. You might be wandering at this point why it is that I inject the Second Coming of Christ. Another falsehood is addressed with the answer quite simply; there is no escaping the Beast of Revelation until Christ returns for us. There is no escape pod, there is no emergency button to press, and there will be no secret rapture of the church despite all the false prophets’ predictions and prognostications. You will notice the procedure in which events transpire beginning with the Ascension of Christ.
“But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first-fruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive? But every man in his own order: Christ the first-fruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming. Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet {the battle of Gog and Magog}. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.” I Corinthians 15:20-26
This Scripture is a time capsule containing a long series of events beginning with the death, burial, Resurrection and Ascension of our LORD. The Scripture continues with the combined rapture of the church and the Second Coming, which is in all reality, the same event. Immediately after the Second Coming with the Saints of God, the Kingdom of God on earth is established with Christ on the Throne of David for 1000 years, better known as the beginning of the Millennial Reign.
After all these events one would tend to believe there can’t be any more to this, but it doesn’t end there as many are led to believe. There is one item we all tend to overlook and it is the fact that there will be an uprising, a rebellion amongst the nation of Israel after the 1000 year reign of Christ that will have to be put down by Christ himself. This confrontation is known as the war of Gog and Magog. We have overlooked the fact that the nation of Israel was made up of unbelievers that was not in the only original rapture of the Church. They were spared death and rescued from the hands of the Beast when Christ broke through the clouds with us as the Bride of Christ and destroyed the Beast of Revelation at the Battle of Armageddon. The truth is the remnant that was rescued but never left the earth, discovered for the first time Christ was truly the Messiah they have been expecting for generations. They never went to heaven, but stayed on earth, procreating more generations that does not believe the truth but sadly enough, only to rise up again against the LORD of Hosts. After the war with Gog and Magog is put down, the Kingdom of God culminates with the introduction of the New Jerusalem, the city and home of the Bride of Christ. At this point, there will never again be another war and there will be no more need for death because the Death Angel will be destroyed. That alone will be a blessing to us all because that means very simply, there will be no more physical separation from our loved ones or our Saviour. All these events, some past, some present, some future, was penned down by God’s righteous men, moved and motivated by the Holy Spirit of God. We have with us in our very possession the most precious truth the world has ever known. I just wish they would believe it as I do.
Of course, the reality of it all is that the rapture of the church forward is yet to happen, but as far as God is concerned, it is as good as has happened. With God there is no such thing as a time barrier. Just as an architect can foresee his works completed, God sees His work completed as if it has happened. He can be anywhere he chooses to be, past, present, future. This is the reason the prophecy seems so clear and understandable. Most all the Old Testament prophets write of these future happenings but Daniel, Joel, Ezekiel, and the Apostle John spells all this out for us giving the time table in order of events to take place in their writings, just like the prophecies have already happened. No doubt, these men of God were the support team of architects God brought together in order to be able to give us a hard copy of the Word of God. The LORD did that for us so we could have a better understanding of himself and his purposes for us all.
At this juncture, again I want to emphasize the Biblical fact that there will be no secret rapture of the church. The LORD begins His coming in Glory, the Second Advent, and seen by all on earth; right after the Beast has proclaimed himself as god. This is the event prophesied as the abomination of desolation. The Beast will wage war on the Saints. There will not be two or three secret little raptures as some evangelists have claimed and would have you to believe. It is understandable this Second Coming of the LORD will begin in phases, first with the one and only rapture of all born-again believers of all ages and time periods, right after the war waged on the Saints. This will commence with the sounding of the Seventh Trumpet call of the Angel of God.
“And they that understand among the people shall instruct many: yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many days. Now when they shall fall, they shall be holpen with a little help: but many shall cleave to them with flatteries. And some of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to make them white, even to the time of the end: because it is yet for a time appointed.” Daniel 11:33-35
“Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” I Corinthians 15:51-52
“And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.”
Revelation 8:6
Immediately, the accession of the two prophets of God that were murdered and left in the streets for dead three days, beginning in Revelation 11:13 come back to life and the rapture or snatching away of the Body of Christ/ the Bride of Christ will occur.
“And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, the kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.” Revelation 11:15
“And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead (unbelievers) lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.” Revelation 20:4-6
Secondly, the Bema Seat of Judgment will take place suspended just outside of the earth’s atmosphere where we will lose or gain rewards for the LORD’s service on earth.
“And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.” Revelation 11:18
“And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.” Revelation 22:12
Thirdly, immediately following the Bema Seat Judgments, the Marriage Supper of The Lamb will take place. In accordance with the phases of His Second Coming, we remain still suspended just above the earth’s atmosphere using the earth as a backdrop. At this point we will not be focused on this world but on the LORD. He will have our undivided attention.
“Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, these are the true sayings of God.” Revelation 19:7-9
Meanwhile, events continue to taking place here on earth. The Beast of Revelation has waged war on the Saints of God. But at this point, all the horrors of the Beast are history and merely a bad dream for you and me. More than likely we have suffered at the hand of the Beast and the False Prophet and faced the executioner for taking a stand for the LORD. Now is when the Beast will wage war against the Tribes of Israel because they are the last remnant that still represents Almighty God on earth. It will be the sole purpose of the Beast to eradicate any evidence of the true and living God. This must be accomplished in order for him to be in a position to proclaim himself as god. Remember that as the raptured Bride of Christ, we are with the LORD at the Marriage Supper, basking in His glory, eating with Him breaking bread and drinking of the same cup from His table just like the Disciples did at the Last Supper. In my mind I can picture all these things as if I am already there.
While we are busy with the Marriage Supper with Christ, something of majestic but catastrophic proportions takes place on earth, the destruction of the Whore of Babylon. We began this writing with the opening of the Judgment of the Whore. Here it is culminating to the end.
“And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth. And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space. And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition. And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast. These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful. And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled. And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.” Revelation 17:9-18
The Beast and his minions will tire of the Whore which is actually false religions, continually attempting to upstage the Beast. This includes Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, and most importantly of all, pseudo Christianity including all its denominations. At this stage of events everything in the name of Christianity must be destroyed along with all false religions. Do you know how many wars have been started and waged in the name of Christ? It seems it is the eternal practice for America to invade every country it can and plunder it in the name of Christianity. It will all come to an end one day but it will take Christ himself to set things straight once and for all. With this said the ten kings, which are the ten nations, will turn on this religious whore, destroying her and the great city which she built for herself, Babylon the birth place of false religion under King Nimrod. This destruction of Babylon culminates the full cycle of events evolving all false religions.
Once the Holy Marriage Supper is finished, the Bride of Christ (you and me) will mount up on horses and follow our Holy LORD to the surface of the earth in all His Glory and majesty just in time to come to the rescue of His chosen nation of Israel. This is the scene of the Battle of Armageddon. The Old Testament prophesy has need to be fulfilled and it will be fulfilled.
“And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.” Revelation 19:11-16
“And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.” Revelation 16:16
Have you ever wondered why it is that Christ will have to rule with a rod of iron? Let us look at this for just a moment. When Christ has put down the beast, false religion along with all the false prophets, there will be some who were not killed but survived this fantastic holocaust by joining the LORD in belief of the truth. As the LORD gives us, the Bride of Christ, our duties to be carried out here on earth as priests placed in strategic places around the world; there will be some resistance encountered. We have to take into consideration that Satan has not been dealt with until after the millennial reign of Christ has come to its culmination. Satan, contemplating with one more assault on God, will once again stir up the masses and instill discontent and rebellion amongst the people.
Christ will be forced to rule with a rod of iron. People who are not abiding with His agenda will view Him as another despot, just another man that demands too much from the people, unfair. Little do they realize that King JESUS can see their hearts and minds; something no other man on earth possesses the ability to do. Have you ever wondered the kind of life we would carry on in the millennial reign? I could be wrong, but I feel Christ would have the entire earth to go back to the way it was in His time on earth. I feel sure He will have us to take up the Middle East way of life, an agrarian life style, a very simple way of life, and I have good reason to say that. God desires for us to enjoy life but how can we enjoy life with added worry of not being able to perform for tyrants who demand more taxes, strain of being over worked, pressure from demanding unreachable goals, and covet from things we lust after? I feel sure these things that so easily beset us will be taken away from us when God destroyed all the armies of the world at Armageddon. All air forces will have been destroyed, all tank divisions will have been destroyed, all battle fleets in the oceans will have been destroyed, and most importantly, all standing armies, millions of men and women will have been destroyed. Mechanization as we know it will come to a grinding halt at Armageddon. There will be no more aggression of countries looking for natural wealth such as oil, coal, plutonium or anything that will harm the earth and its people. Anything that will bring harm to the earth, including governments and their leaders, will be put down once and for all. There will be perfect order on earth, thus the need and use of the rod of iron. I feel sure at this juncture we have come to realize we do not know God very well do we?
At this time I want to inject the vehicle in which the Beast of Revelation used to bring all these things about to promote his agenda. In Bible typology, anytime a woman is mentioned, usually, but not necessarily, nameless, she represents a false religion. It is sometimes difficult to know where typology is being used or is it actuality. The secret to this is found in the guidance of the Holy Spirit. I want it understood that I am not a chauvinist, bigot, or a person that looks down on women. In fact I am quite the opposite, just ask my wife. Real, genuine, godly women are a jewel to any society, but as in all time periods they are a rarity. I can say without hesitation, my dear wife is one of those precious jewels. Throughout the Scriptures one can find references to women, some God fearing and some not so.
“And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.” Revelation 17:5
In this passage of Revelation the woman clothed in purple and red mentioned in metaphor is Mystery Babylon. Babylon the Great is an actual place; the very place all civilization began and represents the utopia of false religion. This is the vehicle that the Beast and the False Prophet have devised and incorporated to run a ruse of world-wide devastation. This is nothing new to Bible historians. You might ask, but why a false religion? Cannot the Beast just take over by force like every other dictator or despotic has done? This is where we will discover the cunning of Satan. I might have mentioned this on several occasions, but one more time won’t matter. I refer to the Garden of Eden again where Satan disguised himself as the most beautiful beast in the known world at that time of the Creation. The Bible gives us reference to his beauty as unsurpassed and brilliant with color. We are in need of picturing Satan as stunning, radiant, and amazingly pleasant to all the senses of our humanity. For me, that is a very tall task considering my experience with snakes. It is an amazing thing to blend such beauty with something so lethal. We must take into consideration that at this time in the Garden of Creation there was no sin, no knowledge of sin or wrong doing, and God decreed that everything was good in His sight. The storm clouds were just out of sight, over the horizon. We need to keep in mind; we will never see Satan at his worst until the ruse has run its course and the intended victim is incarcerated in his bondage. There is never but little warning when the snake makes his lunge at the intended victim. This is the reason the Bible uses the title of whore and most of us adults are aware of what that means, to steal one’s soul. So it is with this colorful metaphor of a woman riding a beast clothed in brilliant colors of purple and red. No doubt, this false religion is exceptionally pleasant to every sense we possess as humans. It is pleasant to the lust of the eyes, it is pleasant to the lust of the flesh, and most always, it conjures up the senses of euphoric patriotism, youthful pride, and prideful lust.
“For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.” I Samuel 15:23
The use of witchcraft, another guise of false religion, brought about the demise of King Saul. From the very outset of humanity witchcrafts, wizardry, seers, and magic spells, have always been a magnet to draw the curious and unwary into the web of a realm of fantastic realities. It is an automatic response of people to turn to the fortune teller when they cannot get any advice from the true and Living God. They will readily use demons to fill the void of silence. They go by many names such as soothsayer, clairvoyant, oracle, fortune-teller, psychic and Freemasonry, another guise of false religion. All of America possesses this lust for the fantastic and is on the way of losing its very soul to Satan.
Most all of these avenues are explored with some in great detail, and expense is accomplished through the motion picture industry with its magic wand. Most certainly it had its beginnings with the productions of Walt Disney which began in 1923, with soon after generations of my Mom and Dad, Aunts and Uncles which were born in the early 1930’s. Disney started its television productions in 1954, the year I was born. I remember seeing the Disney cartoons on TV as early as 1959 having no sound. The silent cartoons were pretty good even for an imaginative child like me. As we can attest, it was a gradual but calculated upscale of motion picture events to portray witchcraft as an important tool to assist in fighting crime and many other problems that warranted a seer’s point of view. Today Witchcraft has become an accepted and important tool in all facets of society and is widely accepted by all, including the government. Take for instance the Washington Monument; it represents the ancient worship of the Egyptian Sun god RA in all these United States of America and was established by Freemasonry. It has been said many times by arrogant Christians that America is a Christian nation. From my standpoint that statement is questionable and absurd.
The real truth is America is a pagan nation with all its satanic icons seen all over the nation. America was founded by Freemasonry from bloody England by those who wished to get out from under King George with no holds barred. The Washington Monument stands proudly for their accomplishments in America. It stands majestically and euphorically in the dead center of our government. Whether we like it or not is irrelevant, false worship of other gods, strange gods, is the very core of American belief systems from the very outset. America will be judged by Almighty God accordingly. In reality, Christianity was just a little pocket of resistance towards these idol worshipers and collected them in what is known as the Bible Belt of America. The rest of the nation practices full blown paganism.
Little by little, we as the people aid and abet the powers of darkness by allowing this cancer of witchcraft and Freemasonry to spread its root in our society. Today there are entire communities that give their all to the sorceries and spells of the demons of hell. There are countless children’s books devoted to the inoculation of wizardry and witchcraft. Casting spells on our children beginning from the time they can digest what is happening on the movie screen. We as adults take great pride in making sure our children get their fill of fantasy and wonder of the silver screen. Our generation is guilty of rearing up a generation that will be ostracized of the Living God Jehovah. They will scorn everything that is holy and pure. In time, they will reject the authority of the law of the land and will become the most lawless generation we have ever known. We are guilty of preparing the way of the Lawless One by allowing the seeds of witchcraft and Freemasonry to flourish in our society. This legacy of witchcraft will be the very demise of a God fearing people. It has already begun to dominate the landscape of America. Witchcraft and Freemasonry with its doctrine of higher knowledge will be the dominating religion of the Beast of Revelation, somewhat like the Doctrine of Nazism was the religion of the Third Reich. As Adolf Hitler had the fervor of the Nazis behind him, the Beast will have the fervor of witchcraft behind him. The church denominations and other false religions of Gnosticism such as Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and pseudo Christianity, will force all in the land to bow down before their new god, an ancient god, better known to us as Satan.
In the writing of part six, I briefly mentioned the Lady in Red. Actually she is the Lady in purple and red and for good reason. It is at this juncture I feel we need to pursue this item and discover for ourselves just who is this Lady. Of course she is no lady but a whorish woman who has conquered the nations through her deceitfulness, lying tongue, empty promises of the highest grandeur, the world’s leader in false religion. Everything is at stake at this point, what we have here is Satan gambling against Almighty God. The ruse is increased on the entire world. Satan’s ultimate goal is to take his ruse to its highest level and set the infamous trap in order to arrest your very soul. The question of the Lady arises from the Scripture of the Bible.
“And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters: With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication. So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:…”
Revelation 17:1-4
We have to keep in mind that Bible typology is used here in this particular Scripture. It is something of a code for believers who alone have the needed spiritual insight to decipher the code. We also have to consider that the Bible is the spoken Word of God to the Prophets so as to add divine ancient wisdom beyond our earthly comprehension. God explains in greater detail what He wants us to understand. So He spells it out for us, so to speak. I feel God does this on the behalf His Chosen. The Lord wants us as believers to know and possess the truth of matters. The unsaved-unbelievers will shirk this prophecy off as they have done for centuries, calling and accusing us the fools and witches teaching heresy. We are all intertwined in the eternal struggle of good versus evil. We all were set from the foundation of the earth to pick up the torch of the Kingdom of God where God injects us in His time table. Or we can reject it all and leave it to chance in which I do not believe. It is up to every individual in the end to have made all the right choices in their lives. We will be judged by God accordingly. In the past, it was unbelievers that killed the prophets and they will more than most likely get at us who hold the Word of Truth in the end. I feel it is necessary to the point of compulsory to continually warn believers everywhere of the dangers of the powers of darkness lurking in this world. The LORD is warning us through this writing and many others alike, evermore of the growing power and momentum in which the powers of darkness are culminating. Now more than ever, I am convinced the Beast of Revelation is at the door, just awaiting his introduction to the world. I am equally convinced that playtime is about to come to a halt for all those who believe in the LORD JESUS Christ.
Falsehood Number Seven
We as born-again believers have been duped by false prophets all our lives, I know for sure I have. We have been led by the proverbial nose ring through the Scripture drawing bits and pieces together to make their case seem to be the truth. These false prophets can be found in the seminaries of denominations, as well as in our so-called Christian schools. They can also be found in the public school system and in local government. They most assuredly can be found in all facets of Federal Government, being in position to insure their agenda is propagated through law making. One of the most important keys to staying in line with the truth is keeping the Scripture in context. It is a known fact that one can make the Scripture say most anything you like. Satan performed that little trick in the Garden with Eve listening to Satan. Satan performed a little surgery on the spoken Word of God and changed the truth into a lie. A little word missing here and a little word added there and the next thing you have is an untruth. All we have heard throughout our lives is partial truth. To listen and adhere to real unadulterated truth would bring about unidirectional change in each of us following the old path, the path less trodden. We have access to the unadulterated truth right in our very hands, the Bible. The falsehoods I bring to the front are propagated from church denominations along with Freemasonry; their many different interpretations of the Bible are infamous for this procedure of half-truth. Freemasonry attempts to mix and mingle Gnostic Doctrine, pagan practices, and Christianity thus blending a concoction of lethal proportions of half-truth. It would really unnerve us to find out just how many professing Christian’s are actually Freemasons. The truth is you cannot be both and withstand the brilliant, penetrating, light of the judgment of God. A born-again child of God that dabbles in Freemasonry stands to lose his or her rewards at the Judgment Bema Seat of Christ. If they are adamant to pursue this adultery with God, they stand to lose every good work they have performed in this life. This is the warning from God.
“Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.” I Corinthians 3:13-19
No doubt the Gnostics would go to great lengths to argue that point. This is one of the reasons I have always steered clear of Freemasonry and held on to the old KJV, but only by the grace of God. While I study the KJV again I emphasize one must adhere to keeping the Scripture in its context. The Authorized King James Version is one bloody book. Saints of God have given their lives for this Bible. Having been tried and tested by God himself through famines, floods, and fire. The KJV is the Bible for me if one desires and seeks the truth. No other version of the Bible since the writings of the 1611 King James Version reprinted in 1814 in America can make that claim. I encourage you to stay with what God has tried in His purging fire.
The next Scripture is what the Bible says concerning the beginning of events of the rapture. You might be wandering at this point why it is that I inject the Second Coming of Christ. Another falsehood is addressed with the answer quite simply; there is no escaping the Beast of Revelation until Christ returns for us. There is no escape pod, there is no emergency button to press, and there will be no secret rapture of the church despite all the false prophets’ predictions and prognostications. You will notice the procedure in which events transpire beginning with the Ascension of Christ.
“But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first-fruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive? But every man in his own order: Christ the first-fruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming. Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet {the battle of Gog and Magog}. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.” I Corinthians 15:20-26
This Scripture is a time capsule containing a long series of events beginning with the death, burial, Resurrection and Ascension of our LORD. The Scripture continues with the combined rapture of the church and the Second Coming, which is in all reality, the same event. Immediately after the Second Coming with the Saints of God, the Kingdom of God on earth is established with Christ on the Throne of David for 1000 years, better known as the beginning of the Millennial Reign.
After all these events one would tend to believe there can’t be any more to this, but it doesn’t end there as many are led to believe. There is one item we all tend to overlook and it is the fact that there will be an uprising, a rebellion amongst the nation of Israel after the 1000 year reign of Christ that will have to be put down by Christ himself. This confrontation is known as the war of Gog and Magog. We have overlooked the fact that the nation of Israel was made up of unbelievers that was not in the only original rapture of the Church. They were spared death and rescued from the hands of the Beast when Christ broke through the clouds with us as the Bride of Christ and destroyed the Beast of Revelation at the Battle of Armageddon. The truth is the remnant that was rescued but never left the earth, discovered for the first time Christ was truly the Messiah they have been expecting for generations. They never went to heaven, but stayed on earth, procreating more generations that does not believe the truth but sadly enough, only to rise up again against the LORD of Hosts. After the war with Gog and Magog is put down, the Kingdom of God culminates with the introduction of the New Jerusalem, the city and home of the Bride of Christ. At this point, there will never again be another war and there will be no more need for death because the Death Angel will be destroyed. That alone will be a blessing to us all because that means very simply, there will be no more physical separation from our loved ones or our Saviour. All these events, some past, some present, some future, was penned down by God’s righteous men, moved and motivated by the Holy Spirit of God. We have with us in our very possession the most precious truth the world has ever known. I just wish they would believe it as I do.
Of course, the reality of it all is that the rapture of the church forward is yet to happen, but as far as God is concerned, it is as good as has happened. With God there is no such thing as a time barrier. Just as an architect can foresee his works completed, God sees His work completed as if it has happened. He can be anywhere he chooses to be, past, present, future. This is the reason the prophecy seems so clear and understandable. Most all the Old Testament prophets write of these future happenings but Daniel, Joel, Ezekiel, and the Apostle John spells all this out for us giving the time table in order of events to take place in their writings, just like the prophecies have already happened. No doubt, these men of God were the support team of architects God brought together in order to be able to give us a hard copy of the Word of God. The LORD did that for us so we could have a better understanding of himself and his purposes for us all.
At this juncture, again I want to emphasize the Biblical fact that there will be no secret rapture of the church. The LORD begins His coming in Glory, the Second Advent, and seen by all on earth; right after the Beast has proclaimed himself as god. This is the event prophesied as the abomination of desolation. The Beast will wage war on the Saints. There will not be two or three secret little raptures as some evangelists have claimed and would have you to believe. It is understandable this Second Coming of the LORD will begin in phases, first with the one and only rapture of all born-again believers of all ages and time periods, right after the war waged on the Saints. This will commence with the sounding of the Seventh Trumpet call of the Angel of God.
“And they that understand among the people shall instruct many: yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many days. Now when they shall fall, they shall be holpen with a little help: but many shall cleave to them with flatteries. And some of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to make them white, even to the time of the end: because it is yet for a time appointed.” Daniel 11:33-35
“Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” I Corinthians 15:51-52
“And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.”
Revelation 8:6
Immediately, the accession of the two prophets of God that were murdered and left in the streets for dead three days, beginning in Revelation 11:13 come back to life and the rapture or snatching away of the Body of Christ/ the Bride of Christ will occur.
“And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, the kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.” Revelation 11:15
“And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead (unbelievers) lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.” Revelation 20:4-6
Secondly, the Bema Seat of Judgment will take place suspended just outside of the earth’s atmosphere where we will lose or gain rewards for the LORD’s service on earth.
“And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.” Revelation 11:18
“And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.” Revelation 22:12
Thirdly, immediately following the Bema Seat Judgments, the Marriage Supper of The Lamb will take place. In accordance with the phases of His Second Coming, we remain still suspended just above the earth’s atmosphere using the earth as a backdrop. At this point we will not be focused on this world but on the LORD. He will have our undivided attention.
“Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, these are the true sayings of God.” Revelation 19:7-9
Meanwhile, events continue to taking place here on earth. The Beast of Revelation has waged war on the Saints of God. But at this point, all the horrors of the Beast are history and merely a bad dream for you and me. More than likely we have suffered at the hand of the Beast and the False Prophet and faced the executioner for taking a stand for the LORD. Now is when the Beast will wage war against the Tribes of Israel because they are the last remnant that still represents Almighty God on earth. It will be the sole purpose of the Beast to eradicate any evidence of the true and living God. This must be accomplished in order for him to be in a position to proclaim himself as god. Remember that as the raptured Bride of Christ, we are with the LORD at the Marriage Supper, basking in His glory, eating with Him breaking bread and drinking of the same cup from His table just like the Disciples did at the Last Supper. In my mind I can picture all these things as if I am already there.
While we are busy with the Marriage Supper with Christ, something of majestic but catastrophic proportions takes place on earth, the destruction of the Whore of Babylon. We began this writing with the opening of the Judgment of the Whore. Here it is culminating to the end.
“And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth. And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space. And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition. And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast. These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful. And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled. And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.” Revelation 17:9-18
The Beast and his minions will tire of the Whore which is actually false religions, continually attempting to upstage the Beast. This includes Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, and most importantly of all, pseudo Christianity including all its denominations. At this stage of events everything in the name of Christianity must be destroyed along with all false religions. Do you know how many wars have been started and waged in the name of Christ? It seems it is the eternal practice for America to invade every country it can and plunder it in the name of Christianity. It will all come to an end one day but it will take Christ himself to set things straight once and for all. With this said the ten kings, which are the ten nations, will turn on this religious whore, destroying her and the great city which she built for herself, Babylon the birth place of false religion under King Nimrod. This destruction of Babylon culminates the full cycle of events evolving all false religions.
Once the Holy Marriage Supper is finished, the Bride of Christ (you and me) will mount up on horses and follow our Holy LORD to the surface of the earth in all His Glory and majesty just in time to come to the rescue of His chosen nation of Israel. This is the scene of the Battle of Armageddon. The Old Testament prophesy has need to be fulfilled and it will be fulfilled.
“And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.” Revelation 19:11-16
“And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.” Revelation 16:16
Have you ever wondered why it is that Christ will have to rule with a rod of iron? Let us look at this for just a moment. When Christ has put down the beast, false religion along with all the false prophets, there will be some who were not killed but survived this fantastic holocaust by joining the LORD in belief of the truth. As the LORD gives us, the Bride of Christ, our duties to be carried out here on earth as priests placed in strategic places around the world; there will be some resistance encountered. We have to take into consideration that Satan has not been dealt with until after the millennial reign of Christ has come to its culmination. Satan, contemplating with one more assault on God, will once again stir up the masses and instill discontent and rebellion amongst the people.
Christ will be forced to rule with a rod of iron. People who are not abiding with His agenda will view Him as another despot, just another man that demands too much from the people, unfair. Little do they realize that King JESUS can see their hearts and minds; something no other man on earth possesses the ability to do. Have you ever wondered the kind of life we would carry on in the millennial reign? I could be wrong, but I feel Christ would have the entire earth to go back to the way it was in His time on earth. I feel sure He will have us to take up the Middle East way of life, an agrarian life style, a very simple way of life, and I have good reason to say that. God desires for us to enjoy life but how can we enjoy life with added worry of not being able to perform for tyrants who demand more taxes, strain of being over worked, pressure from demanding unreachable goals, and covet from things we lust after? I feel sure these things that so easily beset us will be taken away from us when God destroyed all the armies of the world at Armageddon. All air forces will have been destroyed, all tank divisions will have been destroyed, all battle fleets in the oceans will have been destroyed, and most importantly, all standing armies, millions of men and women will have been destroyed. Mechanization as we know it will come to a grinding halt at Armageddon. There will be no more aggression of countries looking for natural wealth such as oil, coal, plutonium or anything that will harm the earth and its people. Anything that will bring harm to the earth, including governments and their leaders, will be put down once and for all. There will be perfect order on earth, thus the need and use of the rod of iron. I feel sure at this juncture we have come to realize we do not know God very well do we?
At this time I want to inject the vehicle in which the Beast of Revelation used to bring all these things about to promote his agenda. In Bible typology, anytime a woman is mentioned, usually, but not necessarily, nameless, she represents a false religion. It is sometimes difficult to know where typology is being used or is it actuality. The secret to this is found in the guidance of the Holy Spirit. I want it understood that I am not a chauvinist, bigot, or a person that looks down on women. In fact I am quite the opposite, just ask my wife. Real, genuine, godly women are a jewel to any society, but as in all time periods they are a rarity. I can say without hesitation, my dear wife is one of those precious jewels. Throughout the Scriptures one can find references to women, some God fearing and some not so.
“And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.” Revelation 17:5
In this passage of Revelation the woman clothed in purple and red mentioned in metaphor is Mystery Babylon. Babylon the Great is an actual place; the very place all civilization began and represents the utopia of false religion. This is the vehicle that the Beast and the False Prophet have devised and incorporated to run a ruse of world-wide devastation. This is nothing new to Bible historians. You might ask, but why a false religion? Cannot the Beast just take over by force like every other dictator or despotic has done? This is where we will discover the cunning of Satan. I might have mentioned this on several occasions, but one more time won’t matter. I refer to the Garden of Eden again where Satan disguised himself as the most beautiful beast in the known world at that time of the Creation. The Bible gives us reference to his beauty as unsurpassed and brilliant with color. We are in need of picturing Satan as stunning, radiant, and amazingly pleasant to all the senses of our humanity. For me, that is a very tall task considering my experience with snakes. It is an amazing thing to blend such beauty with something so lethal. We must take into consideration that at this time in the Garden of Creation there was no sin, no knowledge of sin or wrong doing, and God decreed that everything was good in His sight. The storm clouds were just out of sight, over the horizon. We need to keep in mind; we will never see Satan at his worst until the ruse has run its course and the intended victim is incarcerated in his bondage. There is never but little warning when the snake makes his lunge at the intended victim. This is the reason the Bible uses the title of whore and most of us adults are aware of what that means, to steal one’s soul. So it is with this colorful metaphor of a woman riding a beast clothed in brilliant colors of purple and red. No doubt, this false religion is exceptionally pleasant to every sense we possess as humans. It is pleasant to the lust of the eyes, it is pleasant to the lust of the flesh, and most always, it conjures up the senses of euphoric patriotism, youthful pride, and prideful lust.
“For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.” I Samuel 15:23
The use of witchcraft, another guise of false religion, brought about the demise of King Saul. From the very outset of humanity witchcrafts, wizardry, seers, and magic spells, have always been a magnet to draw the curious and unwary into the web of a realm of fantastic realities. It is an automatic response of people to turn to the fortune teller when they cannot get any advice from the true and Living God. They will readily use demons to fill the void of silence. They go by many names such as soothsayer, clairvoyant, oracle, fortune-teller, psychic and Freemasonry, another guise of false religion. All of America possesses this lust for the fantastic and is on the way of losing its very soul to Satan.
Most all of these avenues are explored with some in great detail, and expense is accomplished through the motion picture industry with its magic wand. Most certainly it had its beginnings with the productions of Walt Disney which began in 1923, with soon after generations of my Mom and Dad, Aunts and Uncles which were born in the early 1930’s. Disney started its television productions in 1954, the year I was born. I remember seeing the Disney cartoons on TV as early as 1959 having no sound. The silent cartoons were pretty good even for an imaginative child like me. As we can attest, it was a gradual but calculated upscale of motion picture events to portray witchcraft as an important tool to assist in fighting crime and many other problems that warranted a seer’s point of view. Today Witchcraft has become an accepted and important tool in all facets of society and is widely accepted by all, including the government. Take for instance the Washington Monument; it represents the ancient worship of the Egyptian Sun god RA in all these United States of America and was established by Freemasonry. It has been said many times by arrogant Christians that America is a Christian nation. From my standpoint that statement is questionable and absurd.
The real truth is America is a pagan nation with all its satanic icons seen all over the nation. America was founded by Freemasonry from bloody England by those who wished to get out from under King George with no holds barred. The Washington Monument stands proudly for their accomplishments in America. It stands majestically and euphorically in the dead center of our government. Whether we like it or not is irrelevant, false worship of other gods, strange gods, is the very core of American belief systems from the very outset. America will be judged by Almighty God accordingly. In reality, Christianity was just a little pocket of resistance towards these idol worshipers and collected them in what is known as the Bible Belt of America. The rest of the nation practices full blown paganism.
Little by little, we as the people aid and abet the powers of darkness by allowing this cancer of witchcraft and Freemasonry to spread its root in our society. Today there are entire communities that give their all to the sorceries and spells of the demons of hell. There are countless children’s books devoted to the inoculation of wizardry and witchcraft. Casting spells on our children beginning from the time they can digest what is happening on the movie screen. We as adults take great pride in making sure our children get their fill of fantasy and wonder of the silver screen. Our generation is guilty of rearing up a generation that will be ostracized of the Living God Jehovah. They will scorn everything that is holy and pure. In time, they will reject the authority of the law of the land and will become the most lawless generation we have ever known. We are guilty of preparing the way of the Lawless One by allowing the seeds of witchcraft and Freemasonry to flourish in our society. This legacy of witchcraft will be the very demise of a God fearing people. It has already begun to dominate the landscape of America. Witchcraft and Freemasonry with its doctrine of higher knowledge will be the dominating religion of the Beast of Revelation, somewhat like the Doctrine of Nazism was the religion of the Third Reich. As Adolf Hitler had the fervor of the Nazis behind him, the Beast will have the fervor of witchcraft behind him. The church denominations and other false religions of Gnosticism such as Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and pseudo Christianity, will force all in the land to bow down before their new god, an ancient god, better known to us as Satan.
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