We are looking into the delusions of the Arch Deceiver and his workings in the sons of disobedience or those outside the new Covenant of GODS Grace. Where these people are the subjects of the prince of the powers of the air that angle of light and accusers of the saints in Christ. He accuses us not in the heavens but rather through those of his disobedience and rebellion known as progressives and liberals. The small book of this battle is that of the Revelation of Christ which reveals this in picture language, which simply means that it requires GOD by His Spirit within us to open the meaning to us, "if we have eyes to see and ears to hear what the Spirit is saying," is the expression used.
The Delusion of the Arch Deceiver:
Exposure of Sin,
Numbers 32:23 of 20-24 "So Moses said to them, "If you will do this, if you will take up arms to go before the LORD for the war, and every armed man of you will pass over the Jordan before the LORD, until HE has driven out His enemies from before Him and the land is subdued before the LORD; then after that you shall return and be free of obligation to the LORD and to Israel, and this land shall be your possession before the LORD. But if you will not do so, behold, you have sinned against the LORD, and be sure your sin will find you out. Build cities for your little ones and folds for your sheep, and do what you have promised."
Job 20:27 of 20-29 (Zophar's saying) "Because he knew no contentment in his belly, he will not let anything in which he delights escape him. There was nothing left after he had eaten; therefore his prosperity will not endure. In the fullness of his sufficiency he will be in distress; the hand of everyone in misery will come against him. To fill his belly to the full, God will send his burning anger against him and rain it upon him into his body. He will flee from an iron weapon; a bronze arrow will strike him through. It is drawn forth and comes out of his body; the glittering point comes out of his gallbladder; terrors come upon him. Utter darkness is laid up for his treasures; a fire not fanned will devour him; what is left in his tent will be consumed. The heavens will reveal his iniquity, and the earth will rise up against him. The possessions of his house will be carried away, dragged off in the day of GOD's wrath. This is the wicked man's portion from GOD, the heritage decreed for him by GOD."
Proverbs 26:26 of 17-27 "Whoever meddles in a quarrel not his own is like one who takes a passing dog by the ears. Like a madman who throws firebrands, arrows, and death is the man who deceives his neighbor and says, "I am only joking!" For lack of wood the fire goes out, and where there is no whisperer, quarreling ceases. As charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire, so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife. The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels; they go down into the inner parts of the body. Like the glaze covering an earthen vessel are fervent lips with an evil heart. Whoever hates disguises himself with his lips and harbors deceit in his heart; when he speaks graciously, believe him not, for there are seven abominations in his heart; though his hatred be covered with deception, his wickedness will be exposed in the assembly. Whoever digs a pit will fall into it, and a stone will come back on him who starts it rolling. A lying tongue hates its victims, and a flattering mouth works ruin."
Ecclesiastes 12:14 of 13-14 "The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For GOD will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil."
Luke 12:2 of 1-3 "In the meantime, when so many thousands of the people had gathered together that they were trampling one another, Jesus began to say to His disciples first, 'Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. Therefore whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed on the housetops.'"
1Corinthians 4:5 of 1-5 "This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of GOD. Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful. But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the LORD [as the Lord] Who judges me. Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the LORD comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from GOD."
Monday, April 30, 2018
Sunday, April 29, 2018
The Secret and Mysteries of GOD revisited, part 19.05a Lawlessnesses mystery, Delusions of the Arch Deceiver
We are looking into the diminished effects of the Delusional Arch Deceiver and his weak and beggarly effects on humanity. I often wander what they could have been had he not suffered grave injuries inflicted when the heels of Jesus' feet were nailed there, while Jesus was on the cross, as if to hold Him there. One of the Bibles many secrets is in the use of the word "heel" as it is found in Genesis 3:15 today this same word is used for religion as in to hold fast or to retard from moving forward. As I am sure that I have shared earlier in this blog.
Delusions of the Arch Deceiver:
In Secret Sins, Warnings against,
2Kings 17:9 of 7-18 "This occurred because the people of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, Who had brought them up out of the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods and walked in the customs of the nations whom the LORD drove out before the people of Israel, and in the customs that the kings of Israel had practiced. And the people of Israel did secretly against the LORD their God things that were not right. They built for themselves high places in all their towns, from watchtower to fortified city. They set up for themselves pillars and Asherim (such are the phallic symbols of steeples on the roof line of most churches and in the center of the park in Washington DC) on every high hill and under every green tree, and there they made offerings on all the high places, as the nations did whom the LORD carried away before them. And they did wicked things, provoking the LORD to anger, and they served idols, of which the LORD had said to them, 'You shall not do this!' Yet the LORD warned Israel and Judah by every prophet and every seer, saying, "'Turn from your evil ways and keep My commandments and My statutes, in accordance with all the Law that I commanded your fathers, and that I sent to you by My servants the prophets.'" But they would not listen, but were stubborn, as their fathers had been, who did not believe the LORD their God. They despised His statutes and His covenant that HE made with their fathers and the warnings that HE gave them. They went after false idols and became false, and they followed the nations that were around them, concerning whom the LORD had commanded them that they should not do like them. And they abandoned all the commandments of the LORD their God, and made for themselves metal images of two calves; and they made an Asherah and worshiped all the host of heaven and served Baal. And they burned their sons and their daughters as offerings and used divination and omens and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking Him to anger. Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel and removed them out of His sight. None was left but the tribe of Judah only."
Job 24:16-17 of 13-17 "There are those who rebel against the light, who are not acquainted with its ways, and do not stay in its paths. The murderer rises before it is light, that he may kill the poor and needy, and in the night he is like a thief. The eye of the adulterer also waits for the twilight, saying, "No eye will see me;" and he veils his face. In the dark they dig through houses; by day they shut themselves up; they do not know the light. For deep darkness is morning to all of them; for they are friends with the terrors of deep darkness."
Psalm 19:12 of 7-14 "The law (this is not that of Moses' teaching) of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward. Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults. Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer."
Psalm 90:8 of 7-12 with Isaiah 29:15 "For we are brought to an end by Your anger; by Your wrath we are dismayed. You have set our iniquities before You, our secret sins in the light of Your presence. For all our days pass away under Your wrath; we bring our years to an end like a sigh. The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away. Who considers the power of Your anger, and Your wrath according to the fear (deep heart felt dread) of You? So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom."
Isaiah 29:15 of 15-16 "Ah! (woe to those of), you who hide deep from the LORD your counsel, whose deeds are in the dark, and who say, "Who sees us? Who knows us?" You turn things upside down! Shall the potter be regarded as the clay, that the thing made should say of its maker, "He did not make me"; or the thing formed say of him who formed it, "He has no understanding?"
Ezekiel 8:12 of 7-13 "And HE brought me to the entrance of the court, and when I looked, behold, there was a hole in the wall. Then HE said to me, "'Son of man, dig in the wall.'" So I dug in the wall, and behold, there was an entrance. And HE said to me, "'Go in, and see the vile abominations that they are committing here.'" So I went in and saw. And there, engraved on the wall all around, was every form of creeping things and loathsome beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel. And before them stood seventy men of the elders of the house of Israel, with Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan standing among them. Each had his censer in his hand, and the smoke of the cloud of incense went up. Then HE said to me, "'Son of man, have you seen what the elders of the house of Israel are doing in the dark, each in his room of pictures? For they say, 'The LORD does not see us, the LORD has forsaken the land.'" HE said also to me, "'You will see still greater abominations that they commit.'"
Ephesians 5:12 of 6-14 "Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of GOD comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not become partners with them; for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the LORD. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the LORD. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says (by Isaiah in 26:19, 51:17, 52:1 and 60:1), "Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine in you."
Called Works of Darkness,
Job 24:14 and 17 of 13-17 "There are those who rebel against the light, who are not acquainted with its ways, and do not stay in its paths. The murderer rises before it is light, that he may kill the poor and needy, and in the night he is like a thief. The eye of the adulterer also waits for the twilight, saying, 'No eye will see me'; and he veils his face. In the dark they dig through houses; by day they shut themselves up; they do not know the light. For deep darkness is morning to all of them; for they are friends with the terrors of deep darkness."
Proverbs 7:8-9 of 6-23 "For at the window of my house I have looked out through my lattice, and I have seen among the simple, I have perceived among the youths, a young man lacking sense, passing along the street near her corner, taking the road to her house in the twilight, in the evening, at the time of night and darkness. And behold, the woman (the religious, political, financial church) meets him, dressed as a prostitute, wily of heart. She is loud and wayward; her feet do not stay at home; now in the street, now in the market, and at every corner she lies in wait. She seizes him and kisses him, and with bold face she says to him, "I had to offer sacrifices, and today I have paid my vows; so now I have come out to meet you, to seek you eagerly, and I have found you. I have spread my couch with coverings, colored linens from Egyptian linen; I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. Come, let us take our fill of love till morning; let us delight ourselves with love. For my husband is not at home; he has gone on a long journey; he took a bag of money with him; at full moon he will come home." With much seductive speech she persuades him; with her smooth talk she compels him. All at once he follows her, as an ox goes to the slaughter, or as a stag is caught fast till an arrow pierces its liver; as a bird rushes into a snare; he does not know that it will cost him his life."
John 3:19-20 of 16-21 (Jesus is speaking) "'For GOD so loved the world, that HE gave His only Son, that whoever believes (Deuteronomy 18:15-20 of 15-22) in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For GOD did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in GOD."
Romans 13:12 of 11-14 "Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the LORD Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires."
Ephesians 5:11 of 6-14 "Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not become partners with them; for at one time you were darkness, but now you are the light of the LORD. Therefore walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and discern what is pleasing to the LORD. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, "Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you."
1Thessalonians 5:7 of 1-11 "Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the LORD will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, "There is peace and security," then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For GOD has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our LORD Jesus Christ, Who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live within Him. Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing."
Delusions of the Arch Deceiver:
In Secret Sins, Warnings against,
2Kings 17:9 of 7-18 "This occurred because the people of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, Who had brought them up out of the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods and walked in the customs of the nations whom the LORD drove out before the people of Israel, and in the customs that the kings of Israel had practiced. And the people of Israel did secretly against the LORD their God things that were not right. They built for themselves high places in all their towns, from watchtower to fortified city. They set up for themselves pillars and Asherim (such are the phallic symbols of steeples on the roof line of most churches and in the center of the park in Washington DC) on every high hill and under every green tree, and there they made offerings on all the high places, as the nations did whom the LORD carried away before them. And they did wicked things, provoking the LORD to anger, and they served idols, of which the LORD had said to them, 'You shall not do this!' Yet the LORD warned Israel and Judah by every prophet and every seer, saying, "'Turn from your evil ways and keep My commandments and My statutes, in accordance with all the Law that I commanded your fathers, and that I sent to you by My servants the prophets.'" But they would not listen, but were stubborn, as their fathers had been, who did not believe the LORD their God. They despised His statutes and His covenant that HE made with their fathers and the warnings that HE gave them. They went after false idols and became false, and they followed the nations that were around them, concerning whom the LORD had commanded them that they should not do like them. And they abandoned all the commandments of the LORD their God, and made for themselves metal images of two calves; and they made an Asherah and worshiped all the host of heaven and served Baal. And they burned their sons and their daughters as offerings and used divination and omens and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking Him to anger. Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel and removed them out of His sight. None was left but the tribe of Judah only."
Job 24:16-17 of 13-17 "There are those who rebel against the light, who are not acquainted with its ways, and do not stay in its paths. The murderer rises before it is light, that he may kill the poor and needy, and in the night he is like a thief. The eye of the adulterer also waits for the twilight, saying, "No eye will see me;" and he veils his face. In the dark they dig through houses; by day they shut themselves up; they do not know the light. For deep darkness is morning to all of them; for they are friends with the terrors of deep darkness."
Psalm 19:12 of 7-14 "The law (this is not that of Moses' teaching) of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward. Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults. Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer."
Psalm 90:8 of 7-12 with Isaiah 29:15 "For we are brought to an end by Your anger; by Your wrath we are dismayed. You have set our iniquities before You, our secret sins in the light of Your presence. For all our days pass away under Your wrath; we bring our years to an end like a sigh. The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away. Who considers the power of Your anger, and Your wrath according to the fear (deep heart felt dread) of You? So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom."
Isaiah 29:15 of 15-16 "Ah! (woe to those of), you who hide deep from the LORD your counsel, whose deeds are in the dark, and who say, "Who sees us? Who knows us?" You turn things upside down! Shall the potter be regarded as the clay, that the thing made should say of its maker, "He did not make me"; or the thing formed say of him who formed it, "He has no understanding?"
Ezekiel 8:12 of 7-13 "And HE brought me to the entrance of the court, and when I looked, behold, there was a hole in the wall. Then HE said to me, "'Son of man, dig in the wall.'" So I dug in the wall, and behold, there was an entrance. And HE said to me, "'Go in, and see the vile abominations that they are committing here.'" So I went in and saw. And there, engraved on the wall all around, was every form of creeping things and loathsome beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel. And before them stood seventy men of the elders of the house of Israel, with Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan standing among them. Each had his censer in his hand, and the smoke of the cloud of incense went up. Then HE said to me, "'Son of man, have you seen what the elders of the house of Israel are doing in the dark, each in his room of pictures? For they say, 'The LORD does not see us, the LORD has forsaken the land.'" HE said also to me, "'You will see still greater abominations that they commit.'"
Ephesians 5:12 of 6-14 "Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of GOD comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not become partners with them; for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the LORD. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the LORD. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says (by Isaiah in 26:19, 51:17, 52:1 and 60:1), "Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine in you."
Called Works of Darkness,
Job 24:14 and 17 of 13-17 "There are those who rebel against the light, who are not acquainted with its ways, and do not stay in its paths. The murderer rises before it is light, that he may kill the poor and needy, and in the night he is like a thief. The eye of the adulterer also waits for the twilight, saying, 'No eye will see me'; and he veils his face. In the dark they dig through houses; by day they shut themselves up; they do not know the light. For deep darkness is morning to all of them; for they are friends with the terrors of deep darkness."
Proverbs 7:8-9 of 6-23 "For at the window of my house I have looked out through my lattice, and I have seen among the simple, I have perceived among the youths, a young man lacking sense, passing along the street near her corner, taking the road to her house in the twilight, in the evening, at the time of night and darkness. And behold, the woman (the religious, political, financial church) meets him, dressed as a prostitute, wily of heart. She is loud and wayward; her feet do not stay at home; now in the street, now in the market, and at every corner she lies in wait. She seizes him and kisses him, and with bold face she says to him, "I had to offer sacrifices, and today I have paid my vows; so now I have come out to meet you, to seek you eagerly, and I have found you. I have spread my couch with coverings, colored linens from Egyptian linen; I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. Come, let us take our fill of love till morning; let us delight ourselves with love. For my husband is not at home; he has gone on a long journey; he took a bag of money with him; at full moon he will come home." With much seductive speech she persuades him; with her smooth talk she compels him. All at once he follows her, as an ox goes to the slaughter, or as a stag is caught fast till an arrow pierces its liver; as a bird rushes into a snare; he does not know that it will cost him his life."
John 3:19-20 of 16-21 (Jesus is speaking) "'For GOD so loved the world, that HE gave His only Son, that whoever believes (Deuteronomy 18:15-20 of 15-22) in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For GOD did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in GOD."
Romans 13:12 of 11-14 "Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the LORD Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires."
Ephesians 5:11 of 6-14 "Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not become partners with them; for at one time you were darkness, but now you are the light of the LORD. Therefore walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and discern what is pleasing to the LORD. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, "Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you."
1Thessalonians 5:7 of 1-11 "Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the LORD will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, "There is peace and security," then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For GOD has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our LORD Jesus Christ, Who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live within Him. Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing."
Saturday, April 28, 2018
The Secret and Mysteries of GOD revisited, part 19.05 Lawlessnesses mystery, Delusions of the Arch Deceiver
We are still looking into 2Thessalonians 2:1-12 but moving down the page just a bit, to where we have this statement in our context of verses 7-12; "For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he (now I have stated that this is the only time that I know of where the body of Christ is spoken as a he, usually the church is a she.) who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the LORD Jesus will kill with the breath of His mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of His coming (presence). The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore GOD sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness." Now I might say that we are living in these times today as a general statement based on what we both see and hear in the open news agencies. I say "open," because as I have seen for myself not all news resources are that open, many in fact most news medias today are run as anything but. they sound more like commentaries with a skewed slant of socialism leading to hypocrisy. Where those of the closed society of liberalism and social Democrats proclaim a progressism as disclosed in our text. Because they can not stand what i am about to share.
In General, Godly Sincerity is who we are,
"We conducted ourselves in the world in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God, and more abundantly toward you." (2Corinthians 1:12)
God not only wants our lives characterized with godly sincerity toward His word, He desires to mark our lives with godly sincerity as well. "We conducted ourselves in the world in simplicity and godly sincerity . . . and more abundantly toward you." As the Apostle Paul and his missionary team evangelized throughout the known world, and as they ministered among the churches, they functioned in both arenas with simple, Christ-like genuineness. And by doing so met with stiff opposition by the politically religious communities of the Jews.
The world is filled with pretense and attention to outward appearances. Many within the LORD's church have yielded to this temptation in these directions. The flesh of each of us is enticed to develop an exterior image (a veneer of sorts) that does not match what should be going on inside. Jesus rebuked the religious leaders of His day for such an attitude. "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation" (Matthew 23:14). These men were actually taking advantage of the helpless widows. Yet, they stood in public and made long prayers, hoping to be considered as godly in the eyes of the people.
Their hypocrisy, as with today, was not only a matter of observable, contradictory behaviors, but the very core of their being was drastically different from what they appeared to be outwardly. "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness" (Matthew 23:26-27).
Our LORD loves sincerity and hates hypocrisy. However, it takes a working of GOD by His grace to effect the sincerity that GOD desires. "We conducted ourselves in the world in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God." Human ingenuity cannot produce the genuineness that GOD wants to see in our lives. GOD's grace is the only sufficient resource to bring about this godly characteristic of life. GOD by His grace works within our hearts, where true sincerity must be formed. "First cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also" (Matthew 23:26).
Delusions of the Arch Deceiver,
Concealment of Sin,
Genesis 3:8 of 8-19 "They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. But the LORD God called to the man and said to him, 'Where are you?' And he said, "I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself." He said, 'Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?' The man said, "The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate." Then the LORD God said to the woman, 'What is this that you have done?' The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate." The LORD God said to the serpent, 'Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.' To the woman He said, 'I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.' And to Adam He said, 'Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, You shall not eat of it, cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.'"
Joshua 7:21 of 16-21 with 2Kings 17:9 "So Joshua rose early in the morning and brought Israel near tribe by tribe, and the tribe of Judah was taken. And he brought near the clans of Judah, and the clan of the Zerahites was taken. And he brought near the clan of the Zerahites man by man, and Zabdi was taken. And he brought near his household man by man, and Achan the son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was taken. Then Joshua said to Achan, "My son, give glory to the LORD God of Israel and give praise to Him. And tell me now what you have done; do not hide it from me." And Achan answered Joshua, "Truly I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and this is what I did: when I saw among the spoil a beautiful cloak from Shinar, and 200 shekels of silver, and a bar of gold weighing 50 shekels, then I coveted them and took them. And see, they are hidden in the earth inside my tent, with the silver underneath."
2Kings 17:9 of 7-18 "And this occurred because the people of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, who had brought them up out of the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods and walked in the customs of the nations whom the LORD drove out before the people of Israel, and in the customs that the kings of Israel had practiced. And the people of Israel did secretly against the LORD their God things that were not right. They built for themselves high places in all their towns, from watchtower to fortified city. They set up for themselves pillars and Asherim on every high hill and under every green tree, and there they made offerings on all the high places, as the nations did whom the LORD carried away before them. And they did wicked things, provoking the LORD to anger, and they served idols, of which the LORD had said to them, 'You shall not do this.' Yet the LORD warned Israel and Judah by every prophet and every seer, saying, "'Turn from your evil ways and keep My commandments and My statutes, in accordance with all the Law that I commanded your fathers, and that I sent to you by My servants the prophets.'" But they would not listen, but were stubborn, as their fathers had been, who did not believe in the LORD their God. They despised His statutes and His covenant that He made with their fathers and the warnings that He gave them. They went after false idols and became false, and they followed the nations that were around them, concerning whom the LORD had commanded them that they should not do like them. And they abandoned all the commandments of the LORD their God, and made for themselves metal images of two calves; and they made an Asherah and worshiped all the host of heaven and served Baal. And they burned their sons and their daughters as offerings and used divination and omens and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking Him to anger. Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel and removed them out of His sight. None was left but the tribe of Judah only."
Proverbs 28:13 of 9-14 "If one turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination. Whoever misleads the upright into an evil way will fall into his own pit, but the blameless will have a goodly inheritance. A rich man is wise in his own eyes, but a poor man who has understanding will find him out. When the righteous triumph, there is great glory, but when the wicked rise, people hide themselves. Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy. Blessed is the one who fears the LORD always, but whoever hardens his heart will fall into calamity."
Isaiah 29:15 of 15-16 "Ah, you who hide deep from the LORD your counsel, whose deeds are in the dark, and who say, "Who sees us? Who knows us?" You turn things upside down! Shall the potter be regarded as the clay, that the thing made should say of its maker, "He did not make me"; or the thing formed say of him who formed it, "He has no understanding?"
Isaiah 30:1 of 1-5 with Ezekiel 8:12 "'Ah, stubborn children,' declares the LORD, 'who carry out a plan, but not Mine, and who make an alliance, but not of My Spirit, that they may add sin to sin; who set out to go down to Egypt, without asking for My direction, to take refuge in the protection of Pharaoh and to seek shelter in the shadow of Egypt! Therefore shall the protection of Pharaoh turn to your shame, and the shelter in the shadow of Egypt to your humiliation. For though his officials are at Zoan and his envoys reach Hanes, everyone comes to shame through a people that cannot profit them, that brings neither help nor profit, but shame and disgrace."
Ezekiel 8:12 of 7-13 "And HE brought me to the entrance of the court, and when I looked, behold, there was a hole in the wall. Then HE said to me, 'Son of man, dig in the wall.' So I dug in the wall, and behold, there was an entrance. And HE said to me, 'Go in, and see the vile abominations that they are committing here.' So I went in and saw. And there, engraved on the wall all around, was every form of creeping things and loathsome beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel. And before them stood seventy men of the elders of the house of Israel, with Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan standing among them. Each had his censer in his hand, and the smoke of the cloud of incense went up. Then HE said to me, 'Son of man, have you seen what the elders of the house of Israel are doing in the dark, each in his room of pictures? For they say, "The LORD does not see us, the LORD has forsaken the land.'" He said also to me, 'You will see still greater abominations that they commit.'"
In General, Godly Sincerity is who we are,
"We conducted ourselves in the world in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God, and more abundantly toward you." (2Corinthians 1:12)
God not only wants our lives characterized with godly sincerity toward His word, He desires to mark our lives with godly sincerity as well. "We conducted ourselves in the world in simplicity and godly sincerity . . . and more abundantly toward you." As the Apostle Paul and his missionary team evangelized throughout the known world, and as they ministered among the churches, they functioned in both arenas with simple, Christ-like genuineness. And by doing so met with stiff opposition by the politically religious communities of the Jews.
The world is filled with pretense and attention to outward appearances. Many within the LORD's church have yielded to this temptation in these directions. The flesh of each of us is enticed to develop an exterior image (a veneer of sorts) that does not match what should be going on inside. Jesus rebuked the religious leaders of His day for such an attitude. "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation" (Matthew 23:14). These men were actually taking advantage of the helpless widows. Yet, they stood in public and made long prayers, hoping to be considered as godly in the eyes of the people.
Their hypocrisy, as with today, was not only a matter of observable, contradictory behaviors, but the very core of their being was drastically different from what they appeared to be outwardly. "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness" (Matthew 23:26-27).
Our LORD loves sincerity and hates hypocrisy. However, it takes a working of GOD by His grace to effect the sincerity that GOD desires. "We conducted ourselves in the world in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God." Human ingenuity cannot produce the genuineness that GOD wants to see in our lives. GOD's grace is the only sufficient resource to bring about this godly characteristic of life. GOD by His grace works within our hearts, where true sincerity must be formed. "First cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also" (Matthew 23:26).
Delusions of the Arch Deceiver,
Concealment of Sin,
Genesis 3:8 of 8-19 "They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. But the LORD God called to the man and said to him, 'Where are you?' And he said, "I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself." He said, 'Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?' The man said, "The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate." Then the LORD God said to the woman, 'What is this that you have done?' The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate." The LORD God said to the serpent, 'Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.' To the woman He said, 'I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.' And to Adam He said, 'Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, You shall not eat of it, cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.'"
Joshua 7:21 of 16-21 with 2Kings 17:9 "So Joshua rose early in the morning and brought Israel near tribe by tribe, and the tribe of Judah was taken. And he brought near the clans of Judah, and the clan of the Zerahites was taken. And he brought near the clan of the Zerahites man by man, and Zabdi was taken. And he brought near his household man by man, and Achan the son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was taken. Then Joshua said to Achan, "My son, give glory to the LORD God of Israel and give praise to Him. And tell me now what you have done; do not hide it from me." And Achan answered Joshua, "Truly I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and this is what I did: when I saw among the spoil a beautiful cloak from Shinar, and 200 shekels of silver, and a bar of gold weighing 50 shekels, then I coveted them and took them. And see, they are hidden in the earth inside my tent, with the silver underneath."
2Kings 17:9 of 7-18 "And this occurred because the people of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, who had brought them up out of the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods and walked in the customs of the nations whom the LORD drove out before the people of Israel, and in the customs that the kings of Israel had practiced. And the people of Israel did secretly against the LORD their God things that were not right. They built for themselves high places in all their towns, from watchtower to fortified city. They set up for themselves pillars and Asherim on every high hill and under every green tree, and there they made offerings on all the high places, as the nations did whom the LORD carried away before them. And they did wicked things, provoking the LORD to anger, and they served idols, of which the LORD had said to them, 'You shall not do this.' Yet the LORD warned Israel and Judah by every prophet and every seer, saying, "'Turn from your evil ways and keep My commandments and My statutes, in accordance with all the Law that I commanded your fathers, and that I sent to you by My servants the prophets.'" But they would not listen, but were stubborn, as their fathers had been, who did not believe in the LORD their God. They despised His statutes and His covenant that He made with their fathers and the warnings that He gave them. They went after false idols and became false, and they followed the nations that were around them, concerning whom the LORD had commanded them that they should not do like them. And they abandoned all the commandments of the LORD their God, and made for themselves metal images of two calves; and they made an Asherah and worshiped all the host of heaven and served Baal. And they burned their sons and their daughters as offerings and used divination and omens and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking Him to anger. Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel and removed them out of His sight. None was left but the tribe of Judah only."
Proverbs 28:13 of 9-14 "If one turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination. Whoever misleads the upright into an evil way will fall into his own pit, but the blameless will have a goodly inheritance. A rich man is wise in his own eyes, but a poor man who has understanding will find him out. When the righteous triumph, there is great glory, but when the wicked rise, people hide themselves. Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy. Blessed is the one who fears the LORD always, but whoever hardens his heart will fall into calamity."
Isaiah 29:15 of 15-16 "Ah, you who hide deep from the LORD your counsel, whose deeds are in the dark, and who say, "Who sees us? Who knows us?" You turn things upside down! Shall the potter be regarded as the clay, that the thing made should say of its maker, "He did not make me"; or the thing formed say of him who formed it, "He has no understanding?"
Isaiah 30:1 of 1-5 with Ezekiel 8:12 "'Ah, stubborn children,' declares the LORD, 'who carry out a plan, but not Mine, and who make an alliance, but not of My Spirit, that they may add sin to sin; who set out to go down to Egypt, without asking for My direction, to take refuge in the protection of Pharaoh and to seek shelter in the shadow of Egypt! Therefore shall the protection of Pharaoh turn to your shame, and the shelter in the shadow of Egypt to your humiliation. For though his officials are at Zoan and his envoys reach Hanes, everyone comes to shame through a people that cannot profit them, that brings neither help nor profit, but shame and disgrace."
Ezekiel 8:12 of 7-13 "And HE brought me to the entrance of the court, and when I looked, behold, there was a hole in the wall. Then HE said to me, 'Son of man, dig in the wall.' So I dug in the wall, and behold, there was an entrance. And HE said to me, 'Go in, and see the vile abominations that they are committing here.' So I went in and saw. And there, engraved on the wall all around, was every form of creeping things and loathsome beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel. And before them stood seventy men of the elders of the house of Israel, with Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan standing among them. Each had his censer in his hand, and the smoke of the cloud of incense went up. Then HE said to me, 'Son of man, have you seen what the elders of the house of Israel are doing in the dark, each in his room of pictures? For they say, "The LORD does not see us, the LORD has forsaken the land.'" He said also to me, 'You will see still greater abominations that they commit.'"
Friday, April 27, 2018
The Secret and Mysteries of GOD revisited, part 19.04g Lawlessnesses mystery, Satanic Wiles, forsaking Christ
I have one more subject in this series to look at and it is this the forsaking of Christ, or the forsaking of GOD's Anointing, if you will. For anointing as we have seen over and over in this blog deals with the Messiah in the old and Christ in the new language of our Bibles. After this short look into forsaking of the Christ I will step into another's shoes for a short time.
Forsaking of Christ,
Matthew 19:22 of 16-22 "Behold, a man came up to Jesus, saying, "Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?" To this He said to him, 'Why do you ask Me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.' He said to Jesus, "Which ones?" And Jesus said, 'You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' The young man said to Him, "All these I have kept. What do I still lack?" Jesus said to him, 'If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow (walk with) Me.' When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions."
Matthew 26:56 of 55-56 "At that hour Jesus said to the crowds, 'Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me? Day after day I sat in the temple teaching, and you did not seize Me. But all this has taken place that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.' Then all the disciples left Him and fled."
John 6:66 of 66-71 "After this many of His disciples turned back and no longer walked with Him. So Jesus said to the Twelve, 'Do you want to go away as well?' Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that You are the Holy One of GOD (Deuteronomy 18:15-20 of 15-22)." Jesus answered them, 'Did I not choose you, the Twelve? And yet one of you is a devil.' He spoke of Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the Twelve, was going to betray Him."
1John 2:19 of 18-25 "Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, for they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us. For you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge. I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and because no lie is of the truth. Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also. Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father. (John 17's prayer) And this is the promise that HE made to us—eternal life."
Godly Sincerity Concerning GOD's Word
"For we are not, as so many, peddling the word of God; but as of sincerity, but as from God, we speak in the sight of God in Christ." (2Corinthians 2:17)
Godly sincerity concerning GOD's word is another characteristic that the LORD God's desires to mark us with by His grace. "For we are not, as so many, peddling the word of God; but as of sincerity . . . we speak." The manner in which we relate to the word of GOD is to be our highest priority to our LORD. In the early church, some were already relating wrongly to God's word. "For we are not, as so many, peddling the word of God." They were using the word of God even back then for self-gain.
The scriptures warn us about the temptation that people would face concerning inappropriate uses of the word. "There are many insubordinate, both idle talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole households, teaching things which they ought not, for the sake of dishonest gain" (Titus 1:10-11). Titus was warned of many in the church world who were rebelling against the message of GOD's word and His Gospel. They were into the meaningless chatter and religious deception that came from the legalists, who loved to lay the Law of Moses on people. It was necessary that these men be silenced with the truth, because they were undermining the spiritual well-being of entire families. They were teaching things that were biblically unacceptable. Their motivation was the financial advantage they could acquire by peddling untruths. So many today are tempted to go after the material gain that often comes from those who will easily buy into religious schemes.
Paul also warned about others who would be motivated by the power and influence that a cleverly distorted message might produce. "For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves" (Acts 20:29-30). True disciples follow the LORD Who was Jesus. Furthermore, a true disciple wants to assist others in their quest to walk in agreement with Jesus. These deceivers wanted others to follow them. This threat would be two-fold. Ruthless unbelievers would "come in" from outside and from within the church. Also, "from among yourselves," men with an adulterated message would arise inside the church.
Godly sincerity is to characterize our treatment of the scriptures. We are to proclaim the truth. "But as of sincerity, but as from GOD, we speak in the sight of GOD in Christ." We are to proclaim the message that is from GOD (the Bible has suffered corruption over the years by it's translators), and do it in genuineness, knowing our GOD is watching.
Forsaking of Christ,
Matthew 19:22 of 16-22 "Behold, a man came up to Jesus, saying, "Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?" To this He said to him, 'Why do you ask Me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.' He said to Jesus, "Which ones?" And Jesus said, 'You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' The young man said to Him, "All these I have kept. What do I still lack?" Jesus said to him, 'If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow (walk with) Me.' When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions."
Matthew 26:56 of 55-56 "At that hour Jesus said to the crowds, 'Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me? Day after day I sat in the temple teaching, and you did not seize Me. But all this has taken place that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.' Then all the disciples left Him and fled."
John 6:66 of 66-71 "After this many of His disciples turned back and no longer walked with Him. So Jesus said to the Twelve, 'Do you want to go away as well?' Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that You are the Holy One of GOD (Deuteronomy 18:15-20 of 15-22)." Jesus answered them, 'Did I not choose you, the Twelve? And yet one of you is a devil.' He spoke of Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the Twelve, was going to betray Him."
1John 2:19 of 18-25 "Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, for they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us. For you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge. I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and because no lie is of the truth. Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also. Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father. (John 17's prayer) And this is the promise that HE made to us—eternal life."
Godly Sincerity Concerning GOD's Word
"For we are not, as so many, peddling the word of God; but as of sincerity, but as from God, we speak in the sight of God in Christ." (2Corinthians 2:17)
Godly sincerity concerning GOD's word is another characteristic that the LORD God's desires to mark us with by His grace. "For we are not, as so many, peddling the word of God; but as of sincerity . . . we speak." The manner in which we relate to the word of GOD is to be our highest priority to our LORD. In the early church, some were already relating wrongly to God's word. "For we are not, as so many, peddling the word of God." They were using the word of God even back then for self-gain.
The scriptures warn us about the temptation that people would face concerning inappropriate uses of the word. "There are many insubordinate, both idle talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole households, teaching things which they ought not, for the sake of dishonest gain" (Titus 1:10-11). Titus was warned of many in the church world who were rebelling against the message of GOD's word and His Gospel. They were into the meaningless chatter and religious deception that came from the legalists, who loved to lay the Law of Moses on people. It was necessary that these men be silenced with the truth, because they were undermining the spiritual well-being of entire families. They were teaching things that were biblically unacceptable. Their motivation was the financial advantage they could acquire by peddling untruths. So many today are tempted to go after the material gain that often comes from those who will easily buy into religious schemes.
Paul also warned about others who would be motivated by the power and influence that a cleverly distorted message might produce. "For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves" (Acts 20:29-30). True disciples follow the LORD Who was Jesus. Furthermore, a true disciple wants to assist others in their quest to walk in agreement with Jesus. These deceivers wanted others to follow them. This threat would be two-fold. Ruthless unbelievers would "come in" from outside and from within the church. Also, "from among yourselves," men with an adulterated message would arise inside the church.
Godly sincerity is to characterize our treatment of the scriptures. We are to proclaim the truth. "But as of sincerity, but as from GOD, we speak in the sight of GOD in Christ." We are to proclaim the message that is from GOD (the Bible has suffered corruption over the years by it's translators), and do it in genuineness, knowing our GOD is watching.
Thursday, April 26, 2018
The Secret and Mysteries of GOD revisited, part 19.04f Lawlessnesses mystery, Satanic Wiles, forsaking GOD
This is part two of our forsaking of GOD, in this post I will look at examples of this and then our estrangement as our topics of interest. We must remember that Israel is the chief target of most of these outlooks as it's history is littered by the bodies of dead people who stood as people of the rebellion and resistances to the voice of GOD. Also keep in mind that may of these are overlapping in time, in these statements, though authored by others who were tools of the LORD God, as they spoke His words.
Examples of Forsaking GOD,
Deuteronomy 28:20 of 20-24 "The LORD will send on you curses, confusion, and frustration in all that you undertake to do, until you are destroyed and perish quickly on account of the evil of your deeds, because you have forsaken Me. The LORD will make the pestilence stick to you until HE has consumed you off the land that you are entering to take possession of it. The LORD will strike you with wasting disease and with fever, inflammation and fiery heat, and with drought and with blight and with mildew. They shall pursue you until you perish. And the heavens over your head shall be bronze, and the earth under you shall be iron. The LORD will make the rain of your land powder. From heaven dust shall come down on you until you are destroyed."
Judges 10:13 of 10-16 "The people of Israel cried out to the LORD, saying, "We have sinned against You, because we have forsaken our God and have served the Baals." And the LORD said to the people of Israel, 'Did I not save you from the Egyptians and from the Amorites, from the Ammonites and from the Philistines? The Sidonians also, and the Amalekites and the Maonites oppressed you, and you cried out to Me, and I saved you out of their hand. Yet you have forsaken Me and served other gods; therefore I will save you no more. Go and cry out to the gods whom you have chosen; let them save you in the time of your distress.' And the people of Israel said to the LORD, "We have sinned; do to us whatever seems good to You. Only please deliver us this day." So they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the LORD, and HE became impatient over the misery of Israel."
1Samuel 8:7b-8 of 4-9 "Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah and said to him, "Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations." But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, "Give us a king to judge us." And Samuel prayed to the LORD. And the LORD said to Samuel, 'Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, for they have rejected Me from being king over them. According to all the deeds that they have done, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, forsaking Me and serving other gods, so they are also doing to you. Now then, obey their voice; only you shall solemnly warn them and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them.'"
1Kings 11:33 of 26-40 "Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephraimite of Zeredah, a servant of Solomon, whose mother's name was Zeruah, a widow, also lifted up his hand against the king. And this was the reason why he lifted up his hand against the king. Solomon built the Millo, and closed up the breach of the city of David his father. The man Jeroboam was very able, and when Solomon saw that the young man was industrious he gave him charge over all the forced labor of the house of Joseph. And at that time, when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him on the road. Now Ahijah had dressed himself in a new garment, and the two of them were alone in the open country. Then Ahijah laid hold of the new garment that was on him, and tore it into twelve pieces. And he said to Jeroboam, "Take for yourself ten pieces, for thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, 'Behold, I am about to tear the kingdom from the hand of Solomon and will give you ten tribes (but he shall have one tribe, for the sake of my servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city that I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel), because they have forsaken Me and worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of Moab, and Milcom the god of the Ammonites, and they have not walked in My ways, doing what is right in My sight and keeping My statutes and My rules, as David his father did. Nevertheless, I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand, but I will make him ruler all the days of his life, for the sake of David My servant whom I chose, who kept My commandments and My statutes. But I will take the kingdom out of his son's hand and will give it to you, ten tribes. Yet to his son I will give one tribe, that David My servant may always have a lamp before Me in Jerusalem, the city where I have chosen to put My name. And I will take you, and you shall reign over all that your soul desires, and you shall be king over Israel. And if you will listen to all that I command you, and will walk in My ways, and do what is right in My eyes by keeping My statutes and My commandments, as David My servant did, I will be with you and will build you a sure house, as I built for David, and I will give Israel to you. And I will afflict the offspring of David because of this, but not forever.'" Solomon sought therefore to kill Jeroboam. But Jeroboam arose and fled into Egypt, to Shishak king of Egypt, and was in Egypt until the death of Solomon."
2Chronicles 12:1 of 1-6 "When the rule of Rehoboam was established and he was strong, he abandoned the law of the LORD, and all Israel with him. In the fifth year of King Rehoboam, because they had been unfaithful to the LORD, Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem with 1,200 chariots and 60,000 horsemen. And the people were without number who came with him from Egypt—Libyans, Sukkiim, and Ethiopians. And he took the fortified cities of Judah and came as far as Jerusalem. Then Shemaiah the prophet came to Rehoboam and to the princes of Judah, who had gathered at Jerusalem because of Shishak, and said to them, "Thus says the LORD, 'You abandoned Me, so I have abandoned you to the hand of Shishak.'" Then the princes of Israel and the king humbled themselves and said, "The LORD is righteous."
2Chronicles 21:10 of 8-11 "In his days Edom revolted from the rule of Judah and set up a king of their own. Then Jehoram passed over with his commanders and all his chariots, and he rose by night and struck the Edomites who had surrounded him and his chariot commanders. So Edom revolted from the rule of Judah to this day. At that time Libnah also revolted from his rule, because he had forsaken the LORD, the God of his fathers. Moreover, he made high places in the hill country of Judah and led the inhabitants of Jerusalem into whoredom and made Judah go astray."
Ezra 9:10 of 9-15 "For we are slaves. Yet our God has not forsaken us in our slavery, but has extended to us his steadfast love before the kings of Persia, to grant us some reviving to set up the house of our God, to repair its ruins, and to give us protection in Judea and Jerusalem. "And now, O our GOD, what shall we say after this? For we have forsaken Your commandments, which You commanded by Your servants the prophets, saying, 'The land that you are entering, to take possession of it, is a land impure with the impurity of the peoples of the lands, with their abominations that have filled it from end to end with their uncleanness. Therefore do not give your daughters to their sons, neither take their daughters for your sons, and never seek their peace or prosperity, that you may be strong and eat the good of the land and leave it for an inheritance to your children forever.' And after all that has come upon us for our evil deeds and for our great guilt, seeing that You, our God, have punished us less than our iniquities deserved and have given us such a remnant as this, shall we break Your commandments again and intermarry with the peoples who practice these abominations? Would You not be angry with us until you consumed us, so that there should be no remnant, nor any to escape? O LORD, the God of Israel, You are just, for we are left a remnant that has escaped, as it is today. Behold, we are before You in our guilt, for none can stand before You because of this."
Isaiah 43:22 of 22-24 "'Yet you did not call upon Me, O Jacob; but you have been weary of Me, O Israel! You have not brought Me your sheep for burnt offerings, or honored Me with your sacrifices. I have not burdened you with offerings, or wearied you with frankincense. You have not bought Me sweet cane with money, or satisfied Me with the fat of your sacrifices. But you have burdened Me with your sins; you have wearied Me with your iniquities."
Jeremiah 17:13 of 12-17 "A glorious throne set on high from the beginning is the place of our sanctuary. O LORD, the hope of Israel, all who forsake You shall be put to shame; those who turn away from You shall be written in the earth, for they have forsaken the LORD, the fountain of living water. Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved, for You are my praise. Behold, they say to me, "Where is the word of the LORD? Let it come!" I have not run away from being your shepherd, nor have I desired the day of sickness. You know what came out of my lips; it was before Your face. Be not a terror to me; You are my refuge in the day of disaster."
Estrangement from GOD, some general references to,
Psalm 58:3 of 1-5 "Do you indeed decree what is right, you gods? Do you judge the children of man uprightly? No, in your hearts you devise wrongs; your hands deal out violence on earth. The wicked are estranged from the womb; they go astray from birth, speaking lies. They have venom like the venom of a serpent, like the deaf adder that stops its ear, so that it does not hear the voice of charmers or of the cunning enchanter."
Jeremiah 2:5 of 4-8 "Hear the word of the LORD, O house of Jacob, and all the clans of the house of Israel. Thus says the LORD: 'What wrong did your fathers find in Me that they went far from Me, and went after worthlessness, and became worthless? They did not say, "Where is the LORD Who brought us up from the land of Egypt, Who led us in the wilderness, in a land of deserts and pits, in a land of drought and deep darkness, in a land that none passes through, where no man dwells?" And I brought you into a plentiful land to enjoy its fruits and its good things. But when you came in, you defiled My land and made My heritage an abomination. Your priests did not say, "Where is the LORD?" Those who handle the law did not know Me; the shepherds transgressed against Me; the prophets prophesied by Baal and went after things that do not profit.'"
Ezekiel 14:5 of 1-5; 44:10 "Then certain of the elders of Israel came to me and sat before me. And the word of the LORD came to me: 'Son of man, these men have taken their idols into their hearts, and set the stumbling block of their iniquity before their faces. Should I indeed let Myself be consulted by them? Therefore speak to them and say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: Any one of the house of Israel who takes his idols into his heart and sets the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face, and yet comes to the prophet, I the LORD will answer him as he comes with the multitude of his idols, that I may lay hold of the hearts of the house of Israel, who are all estranged from Me through their idols.'"
Ezekiel 44:10 of 9-14 "Thus says the Lord GOD: 'No foreigner, uncircumcised in heart and flesh, of all the foreigners who are among the people of Israel, shall enter My sanctuary. For the Levites who went far from Me, going astray from Me after their idols when Israel went astray, shall bear their punishment. They shall be ministers in My sanctuary, having oversight at the gates of the temple and ministering in the temple. They shall slaughter the burnt offering and the sacrifice for the people, and they shall stand before the people, to minister to them. Because they ministered to them before their idols and became a stumbling block of iniquity to the house of Israel, therefore I have sworn concerning them, declares the Lord GOD, and they shall bear their punishment. They shall not come near to Me, to serve Me as priest, nor come near any of My holy things and the things that are most holy, but they shall bear their shame and the abominations that they have committed. Yet I will appoint them to keep charge of the temple, to do all its service and all that is to be done in it."
Matthew 15:8 of 1-9 "Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, "Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat." Jesus answered them, 'And why do you break the commandment of GOD for the sake of your traditions? For GOD commanded, 'Honor your father and your mother,' and, 'Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.' But you say, "If anyone tells his father or his mother, What you would have gained from me is given to God, he need not honor his father." So for the sake of your traditions you have made void the word of GOD. You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said (in Isaiah 29:13): "'This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me; in vain do they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'" (How much more is this Truth active in our time by the use under a different name are these abominations being practiced by wicked humanity?)
Ephesians 2:12 of 11-22; "Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called "the uncircumcision" by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without GOD in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For HE Himself is our peace, Who has made us both one and has broken down in His flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that HE might create in Himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to GOD (Who resided in His flesh as we are now) in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility [enmity]. And HE came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. For through Him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of GOD, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone, in Whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the LORD's [indwelling]. For In Him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for GOD by the Spirit."
Ephesians 4:18-19 of 17-24 "Now this I say and testify in [by] the LORD, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of GOD because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. But that is not the way you learned Christ!--- assuming that you have heard about Him and are taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your [hearts] mind, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness [Who's image we all are] of GOD in true righteousness and holiness."
Examples of Forsaking GOD,
Deuteronomy 28:20 of 20-24 "The LORD will send on you curses, confusion, and frustration in all that you undertake to do, until you are destroyed and perish quickly on account of the evil of your deeds, because you have forsaken Me. The LORD will make the pestilence stick to you until HE has consumed you off the land that you are entering to take possession of it. The LORD will strike you with wasting disease and with fever, inflammation and fiery heat, and with drought and with blight and with mildew. They shall pursue you until you perish. And the heavens over your head shall be bronze, and the earth under you shall be iron. The LORD will make the rain of your land powder. From heaven dust shall come down on you until you are destroyed."
Judges 10:13 of 10-16 "The people of Israel cried out to the LORD, saying, "We have sinned against You, because we have forsaken our God and have served the Baals." And the LORD said to the people of Israel, 'Did I not save you from the Egyptians and from the Amorites, from the Ammonites and from the Philistines? The Sidonians also, and the Amalekites and the Maonites oppressed you, and you cried out to Me, and I saved you out of their hand. Yet you have forsaken Me and served other gods; therefore I will save you no more. Go and cry out to the gods whom you have chosen; let them save you in the time of your distress.' And the people of Israel said to the LORD, "We have sinned; do to us whatever seems good to You. Only please deliver us this day." So they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the LORD, and HE became impatient over the misery of Israel."
1Samuel 8:7b-8 of 4-9 "Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah and said to him, "Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations." But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, "Give us a king to judge us." And Samuel prayed to the LORD. And the LORD said to Samuel, 'Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, for they have rejected Me from being king over them. According to all the deeds that they have done, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, forsaking Me and serving other gods, so they are also doing to you. Now then, obey their voice; only you shall solemnly warn them and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them.'"
1Kings 11:33 of 26-40 "Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephraimite of Zeredah, a servant of Solomon, whose mother's name was Zeruah, a widow, also lifted up his hand against the king. And this was the reason why he lifted up his hand against the king. Solomon built the Millo, and closed up the breach of the city of David his father. The man Jeroboam was very able, and when Solomon saw that the young man was industrious he gave him charge over all the forced labor of the house of Joseph. And at that time, when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him on the road. Now Ahijah had dressed himself in a new garment, and the two of them were alone in the open country. Then Ahijah laid hold of the new garment that was on him, and tore it into twelve pieces. And he said to Jeroboam, "Take for yourself ten pieces, for thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, 'Behold, I am about to tear the kingdom from the hand of Solomon and will give you ten tribes (but he shall have one tribe, for the sake of my servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city that I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel), because they have forsaken Me and worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of Moab, and Milcom the god of the Ammonites, and they have not walked in My ways, doing what is right in My sight and keeping My statutes and My rules, as David his father did. Nevertheless, I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand, but I will make him ruler all the days of his life, for the sake of David My servant whom I chose, who kept My commandments and My statutes. But I will take the kingdom out of his son's hand and will give it to you, ten tribes. Yet to his son I will give one tribe, that David My servant may always have a lamp before Me in Jerusalem, the city where I have chosen to put My name. And I will take you, and you shall reign over all that your soul desires, and you shall be king over Israel. And if you will listen to all that I command you, and will walk in My ways, and do what is right in My eyes by keeping My statutes and My commandments, as David My servant did, I will be with you and will build you a sure house, as I built for David, and I will give Israel to you. And I will afflict the offspring of David because of this, but not forever.'" Solomon sought therefore to kill Jeroboam. But Jeroboam arose and fled into Egypt, to Shishak king of Egypt, and was in Egypt until the death of Solomon."
2Chronicles 12:1 of 1-6 "When the rule of Rehoboam was established and he was strong, he abandoned the law of the LORD, and all Israel with him. In the fifth year of King Rehoboam, because they had been unfaithful to the LORD, Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem with 1,200 chariots and 60,000 horsemen. And the people were without number who came with him from Egypt—Libyans, Sukkiim, and Ethiopians. And he took the fortified cities of Judah and came as far as Jerusalem. Then Shemaiah the prophet came to Rehoboam and to the princes of Judah, who had gathered at Jerusalem because of Shishak, and said to them, "Thus says the LORD, 'You abandoned Me, so I have abandoned you to the hand of Shishak.'" Then the princes of Israel and the king humbled themselves and said, "The LORD is righteous."
2Chronicles 21:10 of 8-11 "In his days Edom revolted from the rule of Judah and set up a king of their own. Then Jehoram passed over with his commanders and all his chariots, and he rose by night and struck the Edomites who had surrounded him and his chariot commanders. So Edom revolted from the rule of Judah to this day. At that time Libnah also revolted from his rule, because he had forsaken the LORD, the God of his fathers. Moreover, he made high places in the hill country of Judah and led the inhabitants of Jerusalem into whoredom and made Judah go astray."
Ezra 9:10 of 9-15 "For we are slaves. Yet our God has not forsaken us in our slavery, but has extended to us his steadfast love before the kings of Persia, to grant us some reviving to set up the house of our God, to repair its ruins, and to give us protection in Judea and Jerusalem. "And now, O our GOD, what shall we say after this? For we have forsaken Your commandments, which You commanded by Your servants the prophets, saying, 'The land that you are entering, to take possession of it, is a land impure with the impurity of the peoples of the lands, with their abominations that have filled it from end to end with their uncleanness. Therefore do not give your daughters to their sons, neither take their daughters for your sons, and never seek their peace or prosperity, that you may be strong and eat the good of the land and leave it for an inheritance to your children forever.' And after all that has come upon us for our evil deeds and for our great guilt, seeing that You, our God, have punished us less than our iniquities deserved and have given us such a remnant as this, shall we break Your commandments again and intermarry with the peoples who practice these abominations? Would You not be angry with us until you consumed us, so that there should be no remnant, nor any to escape? O LORD, the God of Israel, You are just, for we are left a remnant that has escaped, as it is today. Behold, we are before You in our guilt, for none can stand before You because of this."
Isaiah 43:22 of 22-24 "'Yet you did not call upon Me, O Jacob; but you have been weary of Me, O Israel! You have not brought Me your sheep for burnt offerings, or honored Me with your sacrifices. I have not burdened you with offerings, or wearied you with frankincense. You have not bought Me sweet cane with money, or satisfied Me with the fat of your sacrifices. But you have burdened Me with your sins; you have wearied Me with your iniquities."
Jeremiah 17:13 of 12-17 "A glorious throne set on high from the beginning is the place of our sanctuary. O LORD, the hope of Israel, all who forsake You shall be put to shame; those who turn away from You shall be written in the earth, for they have forsaken the LORD, the fountain of living water. Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved, for You are my praise. Behold, they say to me, "Where is the word of the LORD? Let it come!" I have not run away from being your shepherd, nor have I desired the day of sickness. You know what came out of my lips; it was before Your face. Be not a terror to me; You are my refuge in the day of disaster."
Estrangement from GOD, some general references to,
Psalm 58:3 of 1-5 "Do you indeed decree what is right, you gods? Do you judge the children of man uprightly? No, in your hearts you devise wrongs; your hands deal out violence on earth. The wicked are estranged from the womb; they go astray from birth, speaking lies. They have venom like the venom of a serpent, like the deaf adder that stops its ear, so that it does not hear the voice of charmers or of the cunning enchanter."
Jeremiah 2:5 of 4-8 "Hear the word of the LORD, O house of Jacob, and all the clans of the house of Israel. Thus says the LORD: 'What wrong did your fathers find in Me that they went far from Me, and went after worthlessness, and became worthless? They did not say, "Where is the LORD Who brought us up from the land of Egypt, Who led us in the wilderness, in a land of deserts and pits, in a land of drought and deep darkness, in a land that none passes through, where no man dwells?" And I brought you into a plentiful land to enjoy its fruits and its good things. But when you came in, you defiled My land and made My heritage an abomination. Your priests did not say, "Where is the LORD?" Those who handle the law did not know Me; the shepherds transgressed against Me; the prophets prophesied by Baal and went after things that do not profit.'"
Ezekiel 14:5 of 1-5; 44:10 "Then certain of the elders of Israel came to me and sat before me. And the word of the LORD came to me: 'Son of man, these men have taken their idols into their hearts, and set the stumbling block of their iniquity before their faces. Should I indeed let Myself be consulted by them? Therefore speak to them and say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: Any one of the house of Israel who takes his idols into his heart and sets the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face, and yet comes to the prophet, I the LORD will answer him as he comes with the multitude of his idols, that I may lay hold of the hearts of the house of Israel, who are all estranged from Me through their idols.'"
Ezekiel 44:10 of 9-14 "Thus says the Lord GOD: 'No foreigner, uncircumcised in heart and flesh, of all the foreigners who are among the people of Israel, shall enter My sanctuary. For the Levites who went far from Me, going astray from Me after their idols when Israel went astray, shall bear their punishment. They shall be ministers in My sanctuary, having oversight at the gates of the temple and ministering in the temple. They shall slaughter the burnt offering and the sacrifice for the people, and they shall stand before the people, to minister to them. Because they ministered to them before their idols and became a stumbling block of iniquity to the house of Israel, therefore I have sworn concerning them, declares the Lord GOD, and they shall bear their punishment. They shall not come near to Me, to serve Me as priest, nor come near any of My holy things and the things that are most holy, but they shall bear their shame and the abominations that they have committed. Yet I will appoint them to keep charge of the temple, to do all its service and all that is to be done in it."
Matthew 15:8 of 1-9 "Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, "Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat." Jesus answered them, 'And why do you break the commandment of GOD for the sake of your traditions? For GOD commanded, 'Honor your father and your mother,' and, 'Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.' But you say, "If anyone tells his father or his mother, What you would have gained from me is given to God, he need not honor his father." So for the sake of your traditions you have made void the word of GOD. You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said (in Isaiah 29:13): "'This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me; in vain do they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'" (How much more is this Truth active in our time by the use under a different name are these abominations being practiced by wicked humanity?)
Ephesians 2:12 of 11-22; "Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called "the uncircumcision" by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without GOD in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For HE Himself is our peace, Who has made us both one and has broken down in His flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that HE might create in Himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to GOD (Who resided in His flesh as we are now) in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility [enmity]. And HE came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. For through Him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of GOD, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone, in Whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the LORD's [indwelling]. For In Him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for GOD by the Spirit."
Ephesians 4:18-19 of 17-24 "Now this I say and testify in [by] the LORD, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of GOD because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. But that is not the way you learned Christ!--- assuming that you have heard about Him and are taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your [hearts] mind, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness [Who's image we all are] of GOD in true righteousness and holiness."
Wednesday, April 25, 2018
The Secret and Mysteries of GOD revisited, part 19.04e Lawlessnesses mystery, Satanic Wiles, forsaking GOD
We are continuing our look into unfaithfulness and this time it is by way of some general references to it and then the rejecting of GOD. Before we get into examples of and then comes the forsaking of Christ, I will look at the rejection of GOD.
Forsaking GOD, some general references to,
2Chronicles 15:2 of 1-7 "The Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded, and he went out to meet Asa and said to him, "Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: The LORD is with you while you are with Him. If you seek Him, HE will be found by you, but if you forsake Him, HE will forsake you. For a long time Israel was without the true God, and without a teaching priest and without law, but when in their distress they turned to the LORD, the God of Israel, and sought Him, HE was found by them. In those times there was no peace to him who went out or to him who came in, for great disturbances afflicted all the inhabitants of the lands. They were broken in pieces. Nation was crushed by nation and city by city, for God troubled them with every sort of distress. But you, take courage! Do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded."
Ezra 8:22 of 21-23 "Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from Him a safe journey for ourselves, our children, and all our goods. For I was ashamed to ask the king for a band of soldiers and horsemen to protect us against the enemy on our way, since we had told the king, "The hand of our GOD is for good on all who seek Him, and the power of His wrath is against all who forsake Him." So we fasted and implored our God for this, and HE listened to our entreaty."
Jeremiah 1:16 of 13-19 "The word of the LORD came to me a second time, saying, 'What do you see?' And I said, "I see a boiling pot, facing away from the north." Then the LORD said to me, 'Out of the north disaster shall be let loose upon all the inhabitants of the land. For behold, I am calling all the tribes of the kingdoms of the north, declares the LORD, and they shall come, and every one shall set his throne at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem, against all its walls all around and against all the cities of Judah. And I will declare My judgments against them, for all their evil in forsaking Me. They have made offerings to other gods and worshiped the works of their own hands. But you, dress yourself for work; arise, and say to them everything that I command you. Do not be dismayed by them, lest I dismay you before them. And I, behold, I make you this day a fortified city, an iron pillar, and bronze walls, against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests, and the people of the land. They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you, declares the LORD, to deliver you.'"
Jeremiah 2:11 and 13 of 9-13 "'Therefore I still contend with you, declares the LORD, and with your children's children I will contend. For cross to the coasts of Cyprus and see, or send to Kedar and examine with care; see if there has been such a thing. Has a nation changed its gods, even though they are no gods? But My people have changed their glory for that which does not profit. Be appalled, O heavens, at this; be shocked, be utterly desolate, declares the LORD, for My people have committed two evils: they have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water."
Jeremiah 5:19 of 18-19 "'But even in those days, declares the LORD, I will not make a full end of you. And when your people say, 'Why has the LORD our God done all these things to us?' you shall say to them, "As you have forsaken Me and served foreign gods in your land, so you shall serve foreigners in a land that is not yours.'"
Jeremiah 15:6 of 5-9 "'Who will have pity on you, O Jerusalem, or who will grieve for you? Who will turn aside to ask about your welfare? You have rejected Me, declares the LORD; you keep going backward, so I have stretched out My hand against you and destroyed you— I am weary of relenting. I have winnowed them with a winnowing fork in the gates of the land; I have bereaved them; I have destroyed My people; they did not turn from their ways. I have made their widows more in number than the sand of the seas; I have brought against the mothers of young men a destroyer at noonday; I have made anguish and terror fall upon them suddenly. She who bore seven has grown feeble; she has fainted away; her sun went down while it was yet day; she has been shamed and disgraced. And the rest of them I will give to the sword before their enemies, declares the LORD.'"
Ezekiel 6:9 of 8-10 "'Yet I will leave some of you alive. When you have among the nations some who escape the sword, and when you are scattered through the countries, then those of you who escape will remember Me among the nations where they are carried captive, how I have been broken over their whoring heart that has departed from Me and over their eyes that go whoring after their idols. And they will be loathsome in their own sight for the evils that they have committed, for all their abominations. And they shall know that I am the LORD. I have not said in vain that I would do this evil to them.'"
2Peter 2:15 of 4-16 "For if GOD did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment; if HE did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when HE brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes HE condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; and if HE rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked (for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard); then the LORD knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment, and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority. Bold and willful, they do not tremble as they blaspheme the glorious ones, whereas angels, though greater in might and power, do not pronounce a blasphemous judgment against them before the LORD. But these, like irrational animals, creatures of instinct, born to be caught and destroyed, blaspheming about matters of which they are ignorant, will also be destroyed in their destruction, suffering wrong as the wage for their wrongdoing. They count it pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, while they feast with you. They have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls. They have hearts trained in greed. Accursed children! Forsaking the right way, they have gone astray. They have followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved gain from wrongdoing, but was rebuked for his own transgression; a speechless donkey spoke with human voice and restrained the prophet's madness."
GOD Rejected,
1Samuel 8:7 of 4-9 "Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah and said to him, "Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations." But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, "Give us a king to judge us." And Samuel prayed to the LORD. And the LORD said to Samuel, 'Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from being king over them. According to all the deeds that they have done, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, forsaking Me and serving other gods, so they are also doing to you. Now then, obey their voice; only you shall solemnly warn them and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them.'"
Psalm 81:11 of 11-16 "'But My people did not listen to My voice; Israel would not submit to Me. So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts, to follow their own counsels. Oh, that My people would listen to Me, that Israel would walk in My ways! I would soon subdue their enemies and turn My hand against their foes. Those who hate the LORD would cringe toward Him, and their fate would last forever. But I would feed you with the finest of the wheat, and with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.'"
Proverbs 1:24 of 20-33 "'Wisdom cries aloud in the street, in the markets she raises her voice; at the head of the noisy streets she cries out; at the entrance of the city gates she speaks: "How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple? How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing and fools hate knowledge? If you turn at My reproof, behold, I will pour out My spirit to you; I will make My words known to you. Because I have called and you refused to listen, have stretched out My hand and no one has heeded, because you have ignored all My counsel and would have none of My reproof, I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when terror strikes you, when terror strikes you like a storm and your calamity comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you. Then they will call upon Me, but I will not answer; they will seek Me diligently but will not find Me. Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the LORD, would have none of My counsel and despised all My reproof, therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way, and have their fill of their own devices. For the simple are killed by their turning away, and the complacency of fools destroys them; but whoever listens to Me will dwell secure and will be at ease, without dread of disaster.'"
Luke 7:30 of 24-30 "When John's messengers had gone, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: 'What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who are dressed in splendid clothing and live in luxury are in kings' courts. What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is he of whom it is written (by Malachi in 3:1), "'Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, who will prepare Your way before You. I tell you, among those born of women none is greater than John. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.' (When all the people heard this, and the tax collectors too, they declared GOD just, having been baptized with the baptism of John, but the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected the purpose of GOD for themselves, not having been baptized by him.)"
1Thessalonians 4:8 of 1-8 "Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please GOD, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more. For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of GOD, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the LORD is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. For GOD has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but GOD, Who gives His Holy Spirit to you."
Forsaking GOD, some general references to,
2Chronicles 15:2 of 1-7 "The Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded, and he went out to meet Asa and said to him, "Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: The LORD is with you while you are with Him. If you seek Him, HE will be found by you, but if you forsake Him, HE will forsake you. For a long time Israel was without the true God, and without a teaching priest and without law, but when in their distress they turned to the LORD, the God of Israel, and sought Him, HE was found by them. In those times there was no peace to him who went out or to him who came in, for great disturbances afflicted all the inhabitants of the lands. They were broken in pieces. Nation was crushed by nation and city by city, for God troubled them with every sort of distress. But you, take courage! Do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded."
Ezra 8:22 of 21-23 "Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from Him a safe journey for ourselves, our children, and all our goods. For I was ashamed to ask the king for a band of soldiers and horsemen to protect us against the enemy on our way, since we had told the king, "The hand of our GOD is for good on all who seek Him, and the power of His wrath is against all who forsake Him." So we fasted and implored our God for this, and HE listened to our entreaty."
Jeremiah 1:16 of 13-19 "The word of the LORD came to me a second time, saying, 'What do you see?' And I said, "I see a boiling pot, facing away from the north." Then the LORD said to me, 'Out of the north disaster shall be let loose upon all the inhabitants of the land. For behold, I am calling all the tribes of the kingdoms of the north, declares the LORD, and they shall come, and every one shall set his throne at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem, against all its walls all around and against all the cities of Judah. And I will declare My judgments against them, for all their evil in forsaking Me. They have made offerings to other gods and worshiped the works of their own hands. But you, dress yourself for work; arise, and say to them everything that I command you. Do not be dismayed by them, lest I dismay you before them. And I, behold, I make you this day a fortified city, an iron pillar, and bronze walls, against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests, and the people of the land. They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you, declares the LORD, to deliver you.'"
Jeremiah 2:11 and 13 of 9-13 "'Therefore I still contend with you, declares the LORD, and with your children's children I will contend. For cross to the coasts of Cyprus and see, or send to Kedar and examine with care; see if there has been such a thing. Has a nation changed its gods, even though they are no gods? But My people have changed their glory for that which does not profit. Be appalled, O heavens, at this; be shocked, be utterly desolate, declares the LORD, for My people have committed two evils: they have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water."
Jeremiah 5:19 of 18-19 "'But even in those days, declares the LORD, I will not make a full end of you. And when your people say, 'Why has the LORD our God done all these things to us?' you shall say to them, "As you have forsaken Me and served foreign gods in your land, so you shall serve foreigners in a land that is not yours.'"
Jeremiah 15:6 of 5-9 "'Who will have pity on you, O Jerusalem, or who will grieve for you? Who will turn aside to ask about your welfare? You have rejected Me, declares the LORD; you keep going backward, so I have stretched out My hand against you and destroyed you— I am weary of relenting. I have winnowed them with a winnowing fork in the gates of the land; I have bereaved them; I have destroyed My people; they did not turn from their ways. I have made their widows more in number than the sand of the seas; I have brought against the mothers of young men a destroyer at noonday; I have made anguish and terror fall upon them suddenly. She who bore seven has grown feeble; she has fainted away; her sun went down while it was yet day; she has been shamed and disgraced. And the rest of them I will give to the sword before their enemies, declares the LORD.'"
Ezekiel 6:9 of 8-10 "'Yet I will leave some of you alive. When you have among the nations some who escape the sword, and when you are scattered through the countries, then those of you who escape will remember Me among the nations where they are carried captive, how I have been broken over their whoring heart that has departed from Me and over their eyes that go whoring after their idols. And they will be loathsome in their own sight for the evils that they have committed, for all their abominations. And they shall know that I am the LORD. I have not said in vain that I would do this evil to them.'"
2Peter 2:15 of 4-16 "For if GOD did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment; if HE did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when HE brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes HE condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; and if HE rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked (for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard); then the LORD knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment, and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority. Bold and willful, they do not tremble as they blaspheme the glorious ones, whereas angels, though greater in might and power, do not pronounce a blasphemous judgment against them before the LORD. But these, like irrational animals, creatures of instinct, born to be caught and destroyed, blaspheming about matters of which they are ignorant, will also be destroyed in their destruction, suffering wrong as the wage for their wrongdoing. They count it pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, while they feast with you. They have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls. They have hearts trained in greed. Accursed children! Forsaking the right way, they have gone astray. They have followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved gain from wrongdoing, but was rebuked for his own transgression; a speechless donkey spoke with human voice and restrained the prophet's madness."
GOD Rejected,
1Samuel 8:7 of 4-9 "Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah and said to him, "Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations." But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, "Give us a king to judge us." And Samuel prayed to the LORD. And the LORD said to Samuel, 'Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from being king over them. According to all the deeds that they have done, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, forsaking Me and serving other gods, so they are also doing to you. Now then, obey their voice; only you shall solemnly warn them and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them.'"
Psalm 81:11 of 11-16 "'But My people did not listen to My voice; Israel would not submit to Me. So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts, to follow their own counsels. Oh, that My people would listen to Me, that Israel would walk in My ways! I would soon subdue their enemies and turn My hand against their foes. Those who hate the LORD would cringe toward Him, and their fate would last forever. But I would feed you with the finest of the wheat, and with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.'"
Proverbs 1:24 of 20-33 "'Wisdom cries aloud in the street, in the markets she raises her voice; at the head of the noisy streets she cries out; at the entrance of the city gates she speaks: "How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple? How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing and fools hate knowledge? If you turn at My reproof, behold, I will pour out My spirit to you; I will make My words known to you. Because I have called and you refused to listen, have stretched out My hand and no one has heeded, because you have ignored all My counsel and would have none of My reproof, I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when terror strikes you, when terror strikes you like a storm and your calamity comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you. Then they will call upon Me, but I will not answer; they will seek Me diligently but will not find Me. Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the LORD, would have none of My counsel and despised all My reproof, therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way, and have their fill of their own devices. For the simple are killed by their turning away, and the complacency of fools destroys them; but whoever listens to Me will dwell secure and will be at ease, without dread of disaster.'"
Luke 7:30 of 24-30 "When John's messengers had gone, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: 'What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who are dressed in splendid clothing and live in luxury are in kings' courts. What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is he of whom it is written (by Malachi in 3:1), "'Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, who will prepare Your way before You. I tell you, among those born of women none is greater than John. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.' (When all the people heard this, and the tax collectors too, they declared GOD just, having been baptized with the baptism of John, but the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected the purpose of GOD for themselves, not having been baptized by him.)"
1Thessalonians 4:8 of 1-8 "Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please GOD, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more. For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of GOD, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the LORD is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. For GOD has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but GOD, Who gives His Holy Spirit to you."
Monday, April 23, 2018
The Secret and Mysteries of GOD revisited, part 19.04b Lawlessnesses mystery, Satanic Wiles, apostasy,
I want to take a moment or two to look into apostasy as the subject of interest. This one carries with it warnings and spiritual adultery to name but two of interest. Then pace permitting I will look at some examples of apostasy. In one of these is my own calling found, this I learned sometime later when the Holy Spirit showed it to me, even after having read it for many years as a ritual of practice, in reading through the Bible in one year.
Warnings Concerning, Apostasy,
1Timothy 1:19 of 18-20 "This charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, holMding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith, among whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme."
1Timothy 4:1 of 1-5 "Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared, who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer."
2Timothy 4:3-4 of 1-5 "I charge you in the presence of GOD and of Christ Jesus, Who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry."
Hebrews 3:12 of 7-19 "Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says (recorded in Psalm 95:7-11), 'Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness, where your fathers put Me to the test and saw My works for forty years. Therefore I was provoked with that generation, and said, 'They always go astray in their heart; they have not known My ways.' As I swore in My wrath, 'They shall not enter My rest.' Therefore take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living GOD. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called "today," that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. As it is said, "Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion." For who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses? And with whom was HE provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? And to whom did HE swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who were disobedient? So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief."
2Peter 3:16b-17 of 8-10, 11-13, 14-18 "But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the LORD one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The LORD is not slow to fulfill His promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. For the day of the LORD (Isaiah 34:4) will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.
Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought we to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of GOD, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! For according to His promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by Him without spot or blemish, and at peace. And count the patience of our LORD as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our LORD and His Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen."
Now some examples of Apostasy,
Exodus 32:1 of 1-6 "When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered themselves together to Aaron and said to him, "Up, make us gods who shall go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him." So Aaron said to them, "Take off the rings of gold that are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me." So all the people took off the rings of gold that were in their ears and brought them to Aaron. And he received the gold from their hand and fashioned it with a graving tool and made a golden calf. And they said, "These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!" When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made a proclamation and said, "Tomorrow shall be a feast to the LORD." And they rose up early the next day and offered burnt offerings and brought peace offerings. And the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play."
Deuteronomy 13:13 of 12-18 "If you hear in one of your cities, which the LORD your God is giving you to dwell there, that certain worthless fellows have gone out among you and have drawn away the inhabitants of their city, saying, 'Let us go and serve other gods,' which you have not known, then you shall inquire and make search and ask diligently. And behold, if it be true and certain that such an abomination has been done among you, you shall surely put the inhabitants of that city to the sword, devoting it to destruction, all who are in it and its cattle, with the edge of the sword. You shall gather all its spoil into the midst of its open square and burn the city and all its spoil with fire, as a whole burnt offering to the LORD your God. It shall be a heap forever. It shall not be built again. None of the devoted things shall stick to your hand, that the LORD may turn from the fierceness of His anger and show you mercy and have compassion on you and multiply you, as HE swore to your fathers, if you obey the voice of the LORD your God, keeping all His commandments that I am commanding you today, and doing what is right in the sight of the LORD your God."
Judges 2:17 and 19 of 15, 16-23 "Whenever they marched out, the hand of the LORD was against them for harm, as the LORD had warned, and as the LORD had sworn to them. And they were in terrible distress.
Then the LORD raised up judges, who saved them out of the hand of those who plundered them. Yet they did not listen to their judges, for they whoring after other gods and bowed down to them. They soon turned aside from the way in which their fathers had walked, who had obeyed the commandments of the LORD, and they did not do so. Whenever the LORD raised up judges for them, the LORD was with their judge, and HE saved them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge. For the LORD was moved to pity by their groaning because of those who afflicted and oppressed them. But whenever the judge died, they turned back and were more corrupt than their fathers, going after other gods, serving them and bowing down to them. They did not drop any of their practices or their stubborn ways. So the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and HE said, 'Because this people have transgressed My covenant that I commanded their fathers and have not obeyed My voice, I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations that Joshua left when he died, in order to test Israel by them, whether they will take care to walk in the way of the LORD as their fathers did, or not.' So the LORD left those nations, not driving them out quickly, and HE did not give them into the hand of Joshua."
Nehemiah 9:26 of 25, 26-31 "And they captured fortified cities and a rich land, and took possession of houses full of all good things, cisterns already hewn, vineyards, olive orchards and fruit trees in abundance. So they ate and were filled and became fat and delighted themselves in your great goodness.
Nevertheless, they were disobedient and rebelled against You and cast Your law behind their back and killed Your prophets, who had warned them in order to turn them back to You, and they committed great blasphemies. Therefore You gave them into the hand of their enemies, who made them suffer. And in the time of their suffering they cried out to You and You heard them from heaven, and according to Your great mercies You gave them saviors who saved them from the hand of their enemies. But after they had rest they did evil again before You, and You abandoned them to the hand of their enemies, so that they had dominion over them. Yet when they turned and cried to You, You heard from heaven, and many times You delivered them according to Your mercies. And You warned them in order to turn them back to Your law. Yet they acted presumptuously and did not obey Your commandments, but sinned against Your rules, which if a person does them, he shall live by them, and they turned a stubborn shoulder and stiffened their neck and would not obey. Many years You bore with them and warned them by Your Spirit through Your prophets. Yet they would not give ear. Therefore You gave them into the hand of the peoples of the lands. Nevertheless, in Your great mercies You did not make an end of them or forsake them, for You are a gracious and merciful GOD."
Ezekiel 36:20 of 16-21 "The word of the LORD came to me: 'Son of man, when the house of Israel lived in their own land, they defiled it by their ways and their deeds. Their ways before Me were like the uncleanness of a woman in her menstrual impurity. So I poured out My wrath upon them for the blood that they had shed in the land, for the idols with which they had defiled it. I scattered them among the nations, and they were dispersed through the countries. In accordance with their ways and their deeds I judged them. But when they came to the nations, wherever they came, they profaned My Holy name, in that people said of them, 'These are the people of the LORD, and yet they had to go out of His land.' But I had concern for My Holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations to which they came."
Acts 7:39 of 35-43 "This Moses, whom they rejected, saying, 'Who made you a ruler and a judge?"—this man GOD sent as both ruler and redeemer by the hand of the angel who appeared to him in the bush. This man led them out, performing wonders and signs in Egypt and at the Red Sea and in the wilderness for forty years. This is the Moses who said to the Israelites, 'God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers.' (in Deuteronomy 18:15 of 15-22) This is the one who was in the congregation in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him at Mount Sinai, and with our fathers. He received living oracles to give to us. Our fathers refused to obey him, but thrust him aside, and in their hearts they turned to Egypt, saying to Aaron (recorded in Exodus 32:1 and 23), 'Make for us gods who will go before us. As for this Moses who led us out from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.' And they made a calf in those days, and offered a sacrifice to the idol and were rejoicing in the works of their hands. But GOD turned away and gave them over to worship the host of heaven, as it is written in the book of the prophets (in Joshua 24:20; Isaiah 63:10; Jeremiah 19:13; Ezekiel 20:39 and by Amos in 5:25-27) "'Did you bring to Me slain beasts and sacrifices, during the forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel? You took up the tent of Moloch and the star of your god Rephan, the images that you made to worship; and I will send you into exile beyond Babylon.'"
2Timothy 4:10 of 9-15 "Do your best to come to me soon. For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia. Luke alone is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry. Tychicus I have sent to Ephesus. When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, also the books, and above all the parchments. Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds. Beware of him yourself, for he strongly opposed our message."
Hebrews 6:6 and 8 of 1-8 "Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward GOD, and of instruction about washings, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And this we will do if GOD permits. For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of GOD and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of GOD to their own harm and holding Him up to contempt. For land that has drunk the rain (grace) that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from GOD. But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned."
1John 2:18-19 of 15, 16-25 "Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. For the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of GOD abides forever. Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us. But you have been anointed (made as Christ) by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge. I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and because no lie is of the truth. Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also. Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father. And this is the promise that HE made to us—eternal life."
Warnings Concerning, Apostasy,
1Timothy 1:19 of 18-20 "This charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, holMding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith, among whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme."
1Timothy 4:1 of 1-5 "Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared, who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer."
2Timothy 4:3-4 of 1-5 "I charge you in the presence of GOD and of Christ Jesus, Who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry."
Hebrews 3:12 of 7-19 "Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says (recorded in Psalm 95:7-11), 'Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness, where your fathers put Me to the test and saw My works for forty years. Therefore I was provoked with that generation, and said, 'They always go astray in their heart; they have not known My ways.' As I swore in My wrath, 'They shall not enter My rest.' Therefore take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living GOD. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called "today," that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. As it is said, "Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion." For who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses? And with whom was HE provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? And to whom did HE swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who were disobedient? So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief."
2Peter 3:16b-17 of 8-10, 11-13, 14-18 "But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the LORD one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The LORD is not slow to fulfill His promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. For the day of the LORD (Isaiah 34:4) will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.
Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought we to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of GOD, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! For according to His promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by Him without spot or blemish, and at peace. And count the patience of our LORD as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our LORD and His Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen."
Now some examples of Apostasy,
Exodus 32:1 of 1-6 "When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered themselves together to Aaron and said to him, "Up, make us gods who shall go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him." So Aaron said to them, "Take off the rings of gold that are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me." So all the people took off the rings of gold that were in their ears and brought them to Aaron. And he received the gold from their hand and fashioned it with a graving tool and made a golden calf. And they said, "These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!" When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made a proclamation and said, "Tomorrow shall be a feast to the LORD." And they rose up early the next day and offered burnt offerings and brought peace offerings. And the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play."
Deuteronomy 13:13 of 12-18 "If you hear in one of your cities, which the LORD your God is giving you to dwell there, that certain worthless fellows have gone out among you and have drawn away the inhabitants of their city, saying, 'Let us go and serve other gods,' which you have not known, then you shall inquire and make search and ask diligently. And behold, if it be true and certain that such an abomination has been done among you, you shall surely put the inhabitants of that city to the sword, devoting it to destruction, all who are in it and its cattle, with the edge of the sword. You shall gather all its spoil into the midst of its open square and burn the city and all its spoil with fire, as a whole burnt offering to the LORD your God. It shall be a heap forever. It shall not be built again. None of the devoted things shall stick to your hand, that the LORD may turn from the fierceness of His anger and show you mercy and have compassion on you and multiply you, as HE swore to your fathers, if you obey the voice of the LORD your God, keeping all His commandments that I am commanding you today, and doing what is right in the sight of the LORD your God."
Judges 2:17 and 19 of 15, 16-23 "Whenever they marched out, the hand of the LORD was against them for harm, as the LORD had warned, and as the LORD had sworn to them. And they were in terrible distress.
Then the LORD raised up judges, who saved them out of the hand of those who plundered them. Yet they did not listen to their judges, for they whoring after other gods and bowed down to them. They soon turned aside from the way in which their fathers had walked, who had obeyed the commandments of the LORD, and they did not do so. Whenever the LORD raised up judges for them, the LORD was with their judge, and HE saved them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge. For the LORD was moved to pity by their groaning because of those who afflicted and oppressed them. But whenever the judge died, they turned back and were more corrupt than their fathers, going after other gods, serving them and bowing down to them. They did not drop any of their practices or their stubborn ways. So the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and HE said, 'Because this people have transgressed My covenant that I commanded their fathers and have not obeyed My voice, I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations that Joshua left when he died, in order to test Israel by them, whether they will take care to walk in the way of the LORD as their fathers did, or not.' So the LORD left those nations, not driving them out quickly, and HE did not give them into the hand of Joshua."
Nehemiah 9:26 of 25, 26-31 "And they captured fortified cities and a rich land, and took possession of houses full of all good things, cisterns already hewn, vineyards, olive orchards and fruit trees in abundance. So they ate and were filled and became fat and delighted themselves in your great goodness.
Nevertheless, they were disobedient and rebelled against You and cast Your law behind their back and killed Your prophets, who had warned them in order to turn them back to You, and they committed great blasphemies. Therefore You gave them into the hand of their enemies, who made them suffer. And in the time of their suffering they cried out to You and You heard them from heaven, and according to Your great mercies You gave them saviors who saved them from the hand of their enemies. But after they had rest they did evil again before You, and You abandoned them to the hand of their enemies, so that they had dominion over them. Yet when they turned and cried to You, You heard from heaven, and many times You delivered them according to Your mercies. And You warned them in order to turn them back to Your law. Yet they acted presumptuously and did not obey Your commandments, but sinned against Your rules, which if a person does them, he shall live by them, and they turned a stubborn shoulder and stiffened their neck and would not obey. Many years You bore with them and warned them by Your Spirit through Your prophets. Yet they would not give ear. Therefore You gave them into the hand of the peoples of the lands. Nevertheless, in Your great mercies You did not make an end of them or forsake them, for You are a gracious and merciful GOD."
Ezekiel 36:20 of 16-21 "The word of the LORD came to me: 'Son of man, when the house of Israel lived in their own land, they defiled it by their ways and their deeds. Their ways before Me were like the uncleanness of a woman in her menstrual impurity. So I poured out My wrath upon them for the blood that they had shed in the land, for the idols with which they had defiled it. I scattered them among the nations, and they were dispersed through the countries. In accordance with their ways and their deeds I judged them. But when they came to the nations, wherever they came, they profaned My Holy name, in that people said of them, 'These are the people of the LORD, and yet they had to go out of His land.' But I had concern for My Holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations to which they came."
Acts 7:39 of 35-43 "This Moses, whom they rejected, saying, 'Who made you a ruler and a judge?"—this man GOD sent as both ruler and redeemer by the hand of the angel who appeared to him in the bush. This man led them out, performing wonders and signs in Egypt and at the Red Sea and in the wilderness for forty years. This is the Moses who said to the Israelites, 'God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers.' (in Deuteronomy 18:15 of 15-22) This is the one who was in the congregation in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him at Mount Sinai, and with our fathers. He received living oracles to give to us. Our fathers refused to obey him, but thrust him aside, and in their hearts they turned to Egypt, saying to Aaron (recorded in Exodus 32:1 and 23), 'Make for us gods who will go before us. As for this Moses who led us out from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.' And they made a calf in those days, and offered a sacrifice to the idol and were rejoicing in the works of their hands. But GOD turned away and gave them over to worship the host of heaven, as it is written in the book of the prophets (in Joshua 24:20; Isaiah 63:10; Jeremiah 19:13; Ezekiel 20:39 and by Amos in 5:25-27) "'Did you bring to Me slain beasts and sacrifices, during the forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel? You took up the tent of Moloch and the star of your god Rephan, the images that you made to worship; and I will send you into exile beyond Babylon.'"
2Timothy 4:10 of 9-15 "Do your best to come to me soon. For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia. Luke alone is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry. Tychicus I have sent to Ephesus. When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, also the books, and above all the parchments. Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds. Beware of him yourself, for he strongly opposed our message."
Hebrews 6:6 and 8 of 1-8 "Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward GOD, and of instruction about washings, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And this we will do if GOD permits. For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of GOD and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of GOD to their own harm and holding Him up to contempt. For land that has drunk the rain (grace) that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from GOD. But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned."
1John 2:18-19 of 15, 16-25 "Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. For the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of GOD abides forever. Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us. But you have been anointed (made as Christ) by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge. I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and because no lie is of the truth. Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also. Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father. And this is the promise that HE made to us—eternal life."
Sunday, April 22, 2018
The Secret and Mysteries of GOD revisited, part 19.04a Lawlessnesses mystery, Satanic Wiles, covenant breakers
Our next subject deals with our becoming "covenant breakers." Now like unbelief and unfaithfulness are an every day reality in the religious world of desperation of mankind, covenant breaking is also a possibility that requires a steadfast filling of the Spirit of GOD in us. For it is the living active church of GOD that holds the destroyer at bay especially in these days of his grouse darkness now at work in the sons of his deception.
Covenant-breakers,
(Leviticus 26:15 of 14-20 "'But if you will not listen to Me and will not do all these commandments, if you spurn My statutes, and if your soul abhors My rules, so that you will not do all My commandments, but break My covenant, then I will do this to you: I will visit you with panic, with wasting disease and fever that consume the eyes and make the heart ache. And you shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it. I will set My face against you, and you shall be struck down before your enemies. Those who hate you shall rule over you, and you shall flee when none pursues you. And if in spite of this you will not listen to Me, then I will discipline you again seven-fold for your sins, and I will break the pride of your power, and I will make your heavens like iron and your earth like bronze. And your strength shall be spent in vain, for your land shall not yield its increase, and the trees of the land shall not yield their fruit.'"
Psalm 55:20 of 16-21 "But I call to GOD, and the LORD will save me. Evening and morning and at noon I utter my complaint and moan, and HE hears my voice. HE redeems my soul in safety from the battle that I wage, for many are arrayed against me. GOD will give ear and humble them, HE who is enthroned from of old---- Selah. Because they do not change and do not fear GOD. My companion stretched out his hand against his friends; he violated (profaned) his covenant. His speech was smooth as butter, yet war was in his heart; his words were softer than oil, yet they were drawn swords.")
Isaiah 24:5 of 1-6; 33:8 "Behold, the LORD will empty the earth and make it desolate, and HE will twist its surface and scatter its inhabitants. And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest; as with the slave, so with his master; as with the maid, so with her mistress; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the lender, so with the borrower; as with the creditor, so with the debtor. The earth shall be utterly empty and utterly plundered; for the LORD has spoken this word. The earth mourns and withers; the world languishes and withers; the highest people of the earth languish. The earth lies defiled under its inhabitants; for they have transgressed the laws, violated the statutes, broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore a curse devours the earth, and its inhabitants suffer for their guilt; therefore the inhabitants of the earth are scorched, and few men are left."
Isaiah 33:8 of 1-12 "Ah, you destroyer, who yourself have not been destroyed, you traitor, whom none has betrayed! When you have ceased to destroy, you will be destroyed; and when you have finished betraying, they will betray you. O LORD, be gracious to us; we wait for You. Be our arm every morning, our salvation in the time of trouble. At the tumultuous noise peoples flee; when You lift Yourself up, nations are scattered, and Your spoil is gathered as the caterpillar gathers; as locusts leap, it is leapt upon. The LORD is exalted, for HE dwells on high; HE will fill Zion with justice and righteousness, and HE will be the stability (faithfulness) of your times, abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge; the fear of the LORD is Zion's treasure. Behold, their heroes cry in the streets; the envoys of peace weep bitterly. The highways lie waste; the traveler ceases. Covenants are broken; cities are despised; there is no regard for man. The land mourns and languishes; Lebanon is confounded and withers away; Sharon is like a desert, and Bashan and Carmel shake off their leaves. 'Now I will arise,' says the LORD, 'now I will lift Myself up; now I will be exalted. You conceive chaff; you give birth to stubble; your breath is a fire that will consume you. And the peoples will be as if burned to lime, like thorns cut down, that are burned in the fire.'"
Jeremiah 11:10 of 9-13 "Again the LORD said to me, 'A conspiracy exists among the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. They have turned back to the iniquities of their forefathers, who refused to hear My words. They have gone after other gods to serve them. The house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken My covenant that I made with their fathers.' Therefore, thus says the LORD, 'Behold, I am bringing disaster upon them that they cannot escape. Though they cry to Me, I will not listen to them. Then the cities of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem will go and cry to the gods to whom they make offerings, but they cannot save them in the time of their trouble. For your gods have become as many as your cities, O Judah, and as many as the streets of Jerusalem are the altars you have set up to shame, altars to make offerings to Baal.'"
Jeremiah 22:9 of 8-9; Ezekiel 17:19 (the LORD says) "'And many nations will pass by this city, and every man will say to his neighbor, "Why has the LORD dealt thus with this great city?" And they will answer, "Because they have forsaken the covenant of the LORD their God and worshiped other gods and served them."'"
Ezekiel 17:19 of 11-21 "Then the word of the LORD came to me: 'Say now to the rebellious house, Do you not know what these things mean? Tell them, behold, the king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, and took her king and her princes and brought them to him to Babylon. And he took one of the royal offspring and made a covenant with him, putting him under oath (the chief men of the land he had taken away), that the kingdom might be humble and not lift itself up, and keep his covenant that it might stand. But he rebelled against him by sending his ambassadors to Egypt, that they might give him horses and a large army. Will he thrive? Can one escape who does such things? Can he break the covenant and yet escape? 'As I live,' declares the LORD GOD, surely in the place where the king dwells who made him king, whose oath he despised, and whose covenant with him he broke, in Babylon he shall die. Pharaoh with his mighty army and great company will not help him in war, when mounds are cast up and siege walls built to cut off many lives. He despised the oath in breaking the covenant, and behold, he gave his hand and did all these things; he shall not escape.' Therefore thus says the LORD GOD: 'As I live, surely it is My oath that he despised, and My covenant that he broke. I will return it upon his head. I will spread My net over him, and he shall be taken in My snare, and I will bring him to Babylon and enter into judgment with him there for the treachery he has committed against Me. And all the pick of his troops shall fall by the sword, and the survivors shall be scattered to every wind, and you shall know that I am the LORD; I have spoken.'"
Romans 1:31-32 of 26-27, 28-32; Hebrews 8:9 "For this reason GOD gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.
And since they did not see fit to acknowledge GOD, GOD gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of GOD, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they knowing God's righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them."
Hebrews 8:9 of 1-13 "Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, a minister in the holy places, in the true tent that the LORD set up, not man. For every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices; thus it is necessary for this priest also to have something to offer. Now if HE were on earth, HE would not be a priest at all, since there are priests who offer gifts according to the law. They serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things. For when Moses was about to erect the tent, he was instructed by GOD, saying, "'See that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown you on the mountain.'" But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant HE mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second. For HE finding fault with them when HE says (by Jeremiah in 31:31-32; Exodus 19:5, 24:6-8; Deuteronomy 5:2-3): "'Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt. For they did not continue in my covenant, and so I showed no concern for them, declares the Lord. (Jeremiah 31:33) For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. (Jeremiah 31:34; Isiah 54:13) And they shall not teach, each one his neighbor and each one his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. (Isaiah 43:25; Jeremiah 31:34) For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.'" In speaking of a new covenant, HE makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away."
Covenant-breakers,
(Leviticus 26:15 of 14-20 "'But if you will not listen to Me and will not do all these commandments, if you spurn My statutes, and if your soul abhors My rules, so that you will not do all My commandments, but break My covenant, then I will do this to you: I will visit you with panic, with wasting disease and fever that consume the eyes and make the heart ache. And you shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it. I will set My face against you, and you shall be struck down before your enemies. Those who hate you shall rule over you, and you shall flee when none pursues you. And if in spite of this you will not listen to Me, then I will discipline you again seven-fold for your sins, and I will break the pride of your power, and I will make your heavens like iron and your earth like bronze. And your strength shall be spent in vain, for your land shall not yield its increase, and the trees of the land shall not yield their fruit.'"
Psalm 55:20 of 16-21 "But I call to GOD, and the LORD will save me. Evening and morning and at noon I utter my complaint and moan, and HE hears my voice. HE redeems my soul in safety from the battle that I wage, for many are arrayed against me. GOD will give ear and humble them, HE who is enthroned from of old---- Selah. Because they do not change and do not fear GOD. My companion stretched out his hand against his friends; he violated (profaned) his covenant. His speech was smooth as butter, yet war was in his heart; his words were softer than oil, yet they were drawn swords.")
Isaiah 24:5 of 1-6; 33:8 "Behold, the LORD will empty the earth and make it desolate, and HE will twist its surface and scatter its inhabitants. And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest; as with the slave, so with his master; as with the maid, so with her mistress; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the lender, so with the borrower; as with the creditor, so with the debtor. The earth shall be utterly empty and utterly plundered; for the LORD has spoken this word. The earth mourns and withers; the world languishes and withers; the highest people of the earth languish. The earth lies defiled under its inhabitants; for they have transgressed the laws, violated the statutes, broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore a curse devours the earth, and its inhabitants suffer for their guilt; therefore the inhabitants of the earth are scorched, and few men are left."
Isaiah 33:8 of 1-12 "Ah, you destroyer, who yourself have not been destroyed, you traitor, whom none has betrayed! When you have ceased to destroy, you will be destroyed; and when you have finished betraying, they will betray you. O LORD, be gracious to us; we wait for You. Be our arm every morning, our salvation in the time of trouble. At the tumultuous noise peoples flee; when You lift Yourself up, nations are scattered, and Your spoil is gathered as the caterpillar gathers; as locusts leap, it is leapt upon. The LORD is exalted, for HE dwells on high; HE will fill Zion with justice and righteousness, and HE will be the stability (faithfulness) of your times, abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge; the fear of the LORD is Zion's treasure. Behold, their heroes cry in the streets; the envoys of peace weep bitterly. The highways lie waste; the traveler ceases. Covenants are broken; cities are despised; there is no regard for man. The land mourns and languishes; Lebanon is confounded and withers away; Sharon is like a desert, and Bashan and Carmel shake off their leaves. 'Now I will arise,' says the LORD, 'now I will lift Myself up; now I will be exalted. You conceive chaff; you give birth to stubble; your breath is a fire that will consume you. And the peoples will be as if burned to lime, like thorns cut down, that are burned in the fire.'"
Jeremiah 11:10 of 9-13 "Again the LORD said to me, 'A conspiracy exists among the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. They have turned back to the iniquities of their forefathers, who refused to hear My words. They have gone after other gods to serve them. The house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken My covenant that I made with their fathers.' Therefore, thus says the LORD, 'Behold, I am bringing disaster upon them that they cannot escape. Though they cry to Me, I will not listen to them. Then the cities of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem will go and cry to the gods to whom they make offerings, but they cannot save them in the time of their trouble. For your gods have become as many as your cities, O Judah, and as many as the streets of Jerusalem are the altars you have set up to shame, altars to make offerings to Baal.'"
Jeremiah 22:9 of 8-9; Ezekiel 17:19 (the LORD says) "'And many nations will pass by this city, and every man will say to his neighbor, "Why has the LORD dealt thus with this great city?" And they will answer, "Because they have forsaken the covenant of the LORD their God and worshiped other gods and served them."'"
Ezekiel 17:19 of 11-21 "Then the word of the LORD came to me: 'Say now to the rebellious house, Do you not know what these things mean? Tell them, behold, the king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, and took her king and her princes and brought them to him to Babylon. And he took one of the royal offspring and made a covenant with him, putting him under oath (the chief men of the land he had taken away), that the kingdom might be humble and not lift itself up, and keep his covenant that it might stand. But he rebelled against him by sending his ambassadors to Egypt, that they might give him horses and a large army. Will he thrive? Can one escape who does such things? Can he break the covenant and yet escape? 'As I live,' declares the LORD GOD, surely in the place where the king dwells who made him king, whose oath he despised, and whose covenant with him he broke, in Babylon he shall die. Pharaoh with his mighty army and great company will not help him in war, when mounds are cast up and siege walls built to cut off many lives. He despised the oath in breaking the covenant, and behold, he gave his hand and did all these things; he shall not escape.' Therefore thus says the LORD GOD: 'As I live, surely it is My oath that he despised, and My covenant that he broke. I will return it upon his head. I will spread My net over him, and he shall be taken in My snare, and I will bring him to Babylon and enter into judgment with him there for the treachery he has committed against Me. And all the pick of his troops shall fall by the sword, and the survivors shall be scattered to every wind, and you shall know that I am the LORD; I have spoken.'"
Romans 1:31-32 of 26-27, 28-32; Hebrews 8:9 "For this reason GOD gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.
And since they did not see fit to acknowledge GOD, GOD gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of GOD, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they knowing God's righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them."
Hebrews 8:9 of 1-13 "Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, a minister in the holy places, in the true tent that the LORD set up, not man. For every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices; thus it is necessary for this priest also to have something to offer. Now if HE were on earth, HE would not be a priest at all, since there are priests who offer gifts according to the law. They serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things. For when Moses was about to erect the tent, he was instructed by GOD, saying, "'See that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown you on the mountain.'" But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant HE mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second. For HE finding fault with them when HE says (by Jeremiah in 31:31-32; Exodus 19:5, 24:6-8; Deuteronomy 5:2-3): "'Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt. For they did not continue in my covenant, and so I showed no concern for them, declares the Lord. (Jeremiah 31:33) For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. (Jeremiah 31:34; Isiah 54:13) And they shall not teach, each one his neighbor and each one his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. (Isaiah 43:25; Jeremiah 31:34) For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.'" In speaking of a new covenant, HE makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away."
Saturday, April 21, 2018
The Secret and Mysteries of GOD revisited, part 19.04 Lawlessnesses mystery, Satanic Wiles, unfaithfulness
By way of reminder we are looking at the deception of the fallen arch angle known as Satan as his means of twisting the words of GOD to suit his fancies as seen first in Genesis 3:4-5 which states this; "But the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die. For GOD knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." This has been his normal operation all the way through the Bible history of mans existence. As we have endeavored to show throughout this blog. My next subject is "unfaithfulness" as it relates to man and how it relates to mans relationship with his creator by his forsaking GOD. Then our next target is still a long this line as it deals with covenant breaking.
Unfaithfulness:
Warnings Concerning mans unfaithfulness,
Song of Solomon 1:6 of 5-7 "She (the bride): I am very dark, but lovely, O daughters of Jerusalem, like the tents of Kedar, like the curtains of Solomon. Do not gaze at me because I am dark, because the sun has looked upon me. My mother's sons were angry with me; they made me keeper of the vineyards, but my own vineyard I have not kept! Tell me, you whom my soul loves, where you pasture your flock, where you make it lie down at noon; for why should I be like one who veils herself beside the flocks of your companions?"
Isaiah 5:7 and Hosea 10:1 "For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are His pleasant planting; and He looked for justice, but behold, bloodshed; for righteousness, but behold, an outcry!"
Hosea 10:1 of 1-2 "Israel is a luxuriant vine that yields its fruit. The more his fruit increased, the more altars he built; as his country improved, he improved his pillars. Their heart is (faithless) false; now they must bear their guilt. The LORD will break down their altars and destroy their pillars."
Matthew 21:43 of 42-44 "Jesus said to them, 'Have you never read in the Scriptures (Psalm 118:22-23): "'The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes?'" 'Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits. And the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.'"
Matthew 25:24-25 (Jesus is speaking) "'He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, 'Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.'"
Luke 16:12 of 10-13 (Jesus is speaking) "'One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? And if you have not been faithful in that which is another's, who will give you that which is your own? No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve GOD and money.'"
Unfaithfulness:
Warnings Concerning mans unfaithfulness,
Song of Solomon 1:6 of 5-7 "She (the bride): I am very dark, but lovely, O daughters of Jerusalem, like the tents of Kedar, like the curtains of Solomon. Do not gaze at me because I am dark, because the sun has looked upon me. My mother's sons were angry with me; they made me keeper of the vineyards, but my own vineyard I have not kept! Tell me, you whom my soul loves, where you pasture your flock, where you make it lie down at noon; for why should I be like one who veils herself beside the flocks of your companions?"
Isaiah 5:7 and Hosea 10:1 "For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are His pleasant planting; and He looked for justice, but behold, bloodshed; for righteousness, but behold, an outcry!"
Hosea 10:1 of 1-2 "Israel is a luxuriant vine that yields its fruit. The more his fruit increased, the more altars he built; as his country improved, he improved his pillars. Their heart is (faithless) false; now they must bear their guilt. The LORD will break down their altars and destroy their pillars."
Matthew 21:43 of 42-44 "Jesus said to them, 'Have you never read in the Scriptures (Psalm 118:22-23): "'The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes?'" 'Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits. And the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.'"
Matthew 25:24-25 (Jesus is speaking) "'He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, 'Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.'"
Luke 16:12 of 10-13 (Jesus is speaking) "'One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? And if you have not been faithful in that which is another's, who will give you that which is your own? No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve GOD and money.'"
Friday, April 20, 2018
The Secret and Mysteries of GOD revisited, part 19.03e Lawlessnesses mystery, Satanic Wiles, doubts
In our every day walk of agreement with the LORD, we often come to a block or an obstacle that causes us to doubt or question our goal in this abundant life of light love and law of GOD's presence within us. Today's target are these doubts, as they are to be rebuked by us as they were by Jesus Himself and then Paul as revealed in Romans 7 and the letter to the Hebrews. Not to leave out the small book of the Revelation of Christ which describes these moments in figurative picture language as a on going battle of heart and soul/flesh within man. Then my next subject will be "unfaithfulness," the LORD willing this I will look at next.
Momentary Doubts, that cloud the skies of believers (doubters):
Abraham, as to the inheritance of Canaan,
Genesis 15:8 of 1-11 "After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: 'Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.' But Abram said, "O LORD GOD, what will You give me, for I continue childless, and the heir (steward) of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?" And Abram said, "Behold, You have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir." And behold, the word of the LORD came to him: 'This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.' And HE brought him outside and said, 'Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.' Then HE said to him, 'So shall your offspring be.' And he believed the LORD, and HE counted it to him as righteousness. And HE said to him, 'I am the LORD who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.' But he said, "O Lord GOD, how am I to know that I shall possess it?" HE said to him, 'Bring Me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.' And he brought Him all these, cut them in half, and laid each half over against the other. But he did not cut the birds in half. And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away."
Of Gideon, as to victory over the Midians,
Judges 6:17 of 11-18 "Now the angel of the LORD came and sat under the terebinth at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the winepress to hide it from the Midianites. And the angel (Spirit) of the LORD appeared to him and said to him, 'The LORD is with you, O mighty man of valor.' And Gideon said to Him, "Please, sir, if the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His wonderful deeds that our fathers recounted to us, saying, 'Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt?' But now the LORD has forsaken us and given us into the hand of Midian." And the LORD turned to him and said, 'Go in this might of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian; do not I send you?' And he said to him, "Please, LORD, how can I save Israel? Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house." And the LORD said to him, 'But I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man.' And he said to him, "If now I have found favor in your eyes, then show me a sign that it is You who speak with me. Please do not depart from here until I come to You and bring out my present and set it before You.' And he said, 'I will stay till you return.'"
Of John the Baptist, as to the Messiahship of Jesus,
Matthew 11:3 of 2-6; 28:17 "Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to Him, "Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?" And Jesus answered them, 'Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by Me.'"
Matthew 28:17 of 16-20 "Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw Him they worshiped Him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name (Christ) of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.'"
Of Martha, as to the Resurrection of Lazarus,
John 11:39 of 38-44 "Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. Jesus said, 'Take away the stone.' Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, "Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days." Jesus said to her, 'Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of GOD?' So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, 'Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. I knew that You always hear Me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that You sent Me.' When He had said these things, He cried out with a loud voice, 'Lazarus, come out.' The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, 'Unbind him, and let him go.'"
Of Thomas, as to the Resurrection of Christ,
John 20:25 of 24-25 "Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe."
Of the early Christians, as to the deliverance of Peter,
Acts 12:14-15 of 16-17 "Now when Herod was about to bring him out, on that very night, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries before the door were guarding the prison. And behold, an angel (Spirit) of the LORD stood next to him, and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him, saying, 'Get up quickly.' And the chains fell off his hands. And the angel (Spirit) said to him, 'Dress yourself and put on your sandals.' And he did so. And HE said to him, 'Wrap your cloak around you and follow Me.' And he went out and following Him. He did not know that what was being done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. When they had passed the first and the second guard, they came to the iron gate leading into the city. It opened for them of its own accord, and they went out and went along one street, and immediately the angel (LORD's Spirit) left him. When Peter came to himself, he said, "Now I am sure that the LORD has sent His (Spirit as an) angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting." When he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose other name was Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying. And when he knocked at the door of the gateway, a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer. Recognizing Peter's voice, in her joy she did not open the gate but ran in and reported that Peter was standing at the gate. They said to her, "You are out of your mind." But she kept insisting that it was so, and they kept saying, "It is his angel!" But Peter continued knocking, and when they opened, they saw him and were amazed. But motioning to them with his hand to be silent, he described to them how the LORD had brought him out of the prison. And he said, "Tell these things to James and to the brothers." Then he departed and went to another place."
Momentary Doubts, that cloud the skies of believers (doubters):
Abraham, as to the inheritance of Canaan,
Genesis 15:8 of 1-11 "After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: 'Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.' But Abram said, "O LORD GOD, what will You give me, for I continue childless, and the heir (steward) of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?" And Abram said, "Behold, You have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir." And behold, the word of the LORD came to him: 'This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.' And HE brought him outside and said, 'Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.' Then HE said to him, 'So shall your offspring be.' And he believed the LORD, and HE counted it to him as righteousness. And HE said to him, 'I am the LORD who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.' But he said, "O Lord GOD, how am I to know that I shall possess it?" HE said to him, 'Bring Me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.' And he brought Him all these, cut them in half, and laid each half over against the other. But he did not cut the birds in half. And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away."
Of Gideon, as to victory over the Midians,
Judges 6:17 of 11-18 "Now the angel of the LORD came and sat under the terebinth at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the winepress to hide it from the Midianites. And the angel (Spirit) of the LORD appeared to him and said to him, 'The LORD is with you, O mighty man of valor.' And Gideon said to Him, "Please, sir, if the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His wonderful deeds that our fathers recounted to us, saying, 'Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt?' But now the LORD has forsaken us and given us into the hand of Midian." And the LORD turned to him and said, 'Go in this might of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian; do not I send you?' And he said to him, "Please, LORD, how can I save Israel? Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house." And the LORD said to him, 'But I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man.' And he said to him, "If now I have found favor in your eyes, then show me a sign that it is You who speak with me. Please do not depart from here until I come to You and bring out my present and set it before You.' And he said, 'I will stay till you return.'"
Of John the Baptist, as to the Messiahship of Jesus,
Matthew 11:3 of 2-6; 28:17 "Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to Him, "Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?" And Jesus answered them, 'Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by Me.'"
Matthew 28:17 of 16-20 "Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw Him they worshiped Him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name (Christ) of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.'"
Of Martha, as to the Resurrection of Lazarus,
John 11:39 of 38-44 "Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. Jesus said, 'Take away the stone.' Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, "Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days." Jesus said to her, 'Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of GOD?' So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, 'Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. I knew that You always hear Me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that You sent Me.' When He had said these things, He cried out with a loud voice, 'Lazarus, come out.' The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, 'Unbind him, and let him go.'"
Of Thomas, as to the Resurrection of Christ,
John 20:25 of 24-25 "Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe."
Of the early Christians, as to the deliverance of Peter,
Acts 12:14-15 of 16-17 "Now when Herod was about to bring him out, on that very night, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries before the door were guarding the prison. And behold, an angel (Spirit) of the LORD stood next to him, and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him, saying, 'Get up quickly.' And the chains fell off his hands. And the angel (Spirit) said to him, 'Dress yourself and put on your sandals.' And he did so. And HE said to him, 'Wrap your cloak around you and follow Me.' And he went out and following Him. He did not know that what was being done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. When they had passed the first and the second guard, they came to the iron gate leading into the city. It opened for them of its own accord, and they went out and went along one street, and immediately the angel (LORD's Spirit) left him. When Peter came to himself, he said, "Now I am sure that the LORD has sent His (Spirit as an) angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting." When he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose other name was Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying. And when he knocked at the door of the gateway, a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer. Recognizing Peter's voice, in her joy she did not open the gate but ran in and reported that Peter was standing at the gate. They said to her, "You are out of your mind." But she kept insisting that it was so, and they kept saying, "It is his angel!" But Peter continued knocking, and when they opened, they saw him and were amazed. But motioning to them with his hand to be silent, he described to them how the LORD had brought him out of the prison. And he said, "Tell these things to James and to the brothers." Then he departed and went to another place."
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