Reasons Pastors Are To Be Men

REASONS PASTORS ARE TO BE MEN

In this day and age, one may go by a church, and see on their reader board that their pastor is a woman; or one may go by another church, and even see that they have a woman priest leading their church. While this may be a fact for that church, and who knows the number of churches this is a fact for, it is not biblically correct that a church pastor, or even deacon, was meant by God to be a woman. No, I’m not a sexist, no, I’m not making this up, no, this is not a rule I live by, but as a matter of fact, it is biblical precept set forth by God.

1. Gen. 3:16

has it that God’s judgment on Eve as a result of her part in the original sin of eating of the fruit of the garden was that her husband should rule over her. If a woman is preaching to a man, this conflicts with the precept.

2. There is no woman prophet’s book in the bible. Ruth was a Gentile and not a prophet, nor was Esther a prophet, but a queen, so neither woman preached, although they did live godly lives. Prophets were God’s preachers and messengers, and no woman is mentioned in the bible in this status.

3. All Jesus’ apostles were men. The women who followed Him were disciples, and in those days, Jesus raised their status simply allowing them to sit in positions of discipleship at His feet, but none were in positions to preach as His apostles; they were all men.

4. While Paul gave recognition to women who worked for the promotion of Christianity and who believed in Him, he, like Christ, did not give a woman the position of authority to preach, or be a pastor of any church.

5. 1 Cor. 11:10

has it also that a woman’s head is to be covered as a sign she recognizes her husband’s authority over her. If a woman pastor or priest have a husband, and her husband be present in the church she is pastoring, how is it possible that she submit to his authority when in fact she is preaching to whatever number of men are there, and her husband is one of these men? The passage further cites her insubordination to the husband would be an offence to the angels who watch over church assemblies and the doings therein.

6. No priests since the first, such as Aaron and his sons, and even Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, the priest of Midian (Exod. 18:1), were women. I defy you to find a woman priest or pastor in either the Old or New Testament anointed or called to priesthood or preach by God. Heb. 5:1 - 10 outlines using Aaron as the model the qualifications for serving as a high priest, and being female is excluded from these qualifications.

7. Exod. 18:14-26 tells of Moses being observed by his father-in-law Jethro judging every matter that the people had amongst them, and Jethro advising him to choose men, and only men, to judge over the small matters, and to let him handle only the great matters of the people. Here again, the theme of Gen. 3:16 is followed as a pattern for selection of whom shall preside over whom in reference to gender, as ordained by God in His judgment of Eve for her part in the sin committed in the Garden of Eden.

So when you find a church, and the church has a board out front with

the name that it’s called by, and it has all the other pertinent

information on it, maybe a selection of Scripture, and you see the

pastor or priest’s name on that reader board, and it has a woman’s

name on it for the pastor or priest, the likelihood is that that church is

not running properly, because it is already outwardly not biblically

correct, because it does not follow the precept God laid out in Gen.

3:16 and all throughout the bible to 1 Cor. 11:10. I would

recommend that if you are looking for a church, and you see this title

in front of a woman’s name, look further on down the road, and if you

find another church that has a man’s name after the title of pastor,

then you will increase the likelihood that you have found a church

that is being operated in a biblically correct manner, where you can

enjoy the Word, the church membership, and the leadership of a

pastor who is at least biblically correct by his gender.

Complaining

COMPLAINING
 

You know, I thought I would take this study on a slant some will not expect. There is an adage that the squeaky wheel gets the grease, but it should also have a caveat that too much squeaking, even after greasing, may result in unwanted or unexpected consequences. Consider all the complaining that went on when the Israelites left Egypt, and how Moses and God responded; you may find this a good read!
The first complaint of Israel, and understandable, was Pharaoh's army in Exod. 14:1 - 31. I say understandable because the people were weaponless, they had just gotten released from slavery in Egypt, and now the army of the same captors was coming for them. How did Moses respond? He encouraged Israel to trust God! "And Moses said unto the people, 'Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.'" (Exod. 14:13 - 14) God used the Red Sea by dividing it for the Israelites, and to annihilate the Egyptian Pharaoh and army by restoring it to its former composure, so quickly, the captors drowned! It was an understanding God that rescued His people. They had not seen any of His miracles in 400 years of bondage, and they needed to experience that wondrous sight of the Red Sea doing something so unnatural as dividing and then reconstituting in a manner that it could only be because of the power of God!

Okay, so now they're on the other side of the Red Sea, and even the remant of Egypt cannot possibly reach them, they have seen the power of God, and now they complain about bitter water. "So Moses brought Israel from the Red sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water. And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore the name of it was called Marah. And the people murmured against Moses, saying, 'What shall we drink?'" (Exod. 15:22 - 24) Now Moses prayed in a cry to the Lord, and the water was made drinkable, if you continue to read the selection to verse 27. The Israelites at this time were encouraged to be obedient to the Lord, that they might not receive plagues like those in Egypt.

So what happens next? Complaint #3! Gee, if we keep squeaking, we get satisfied! Spoil me! But you know, when the Israelites were murmuring using the names of Moses and Aaron, they did not realize they were murmuring against the Lord. So Moses rebuked the people in these words: "'At even, then ye shall know that the LORD hath brought you out from the land of Egypt: And in the morning, then ye shall see the glory of the LORD; for that He heareth your murmurings against the LORD: and what are we, that ye murmur against us?' And Moses said, 'This shall be, when the LORD shall give you in the evening flesh to eat, and in the morning bread to the full; for that the LORD heareth your murmurings which ye murmur against Him: and what are we? Your murmurings are not against us, but against the LORD.'" (Exod. 16:6 - 8) Now although the people did indeed murmur, and not realizing against the Lord, until Moses explained to them, yet the Lord gave them manna from heaven! There are perhaps some who might not understand this train of thought that when the people complained against Moses, in doing so they were complaining against God, so let us look upon another part of Scripture to understand better. "Thou shalt not revile the gods, nor curse the ruler of thy people." (Exod. 22:28) The way to interpret this is in this way; God puts an individual into power over a nation; they are His representative to that people! If God wants to punish a nation, He gives them an individual who will indeed punish them according to their transgressions! Yoohoo; America? Are you listening? Egypt, are you enjoying your new ruler? How about Syria? Likewise, a righteous ruler is a blessing from God, and how would you come to receive such a wonderful ruler? "If My people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." (2 Chron. 7:14) Part of the healing is in the ruler's decisions, don't you think? I think I've covered complaining about leadership well enough here...

Okay, we've gotten back to the complaining about water again; a basic human need, and Exod. 17:1 - 7 covers this episode in the desert. Moses responded as usual, with a cry to the Lord, and He responded with water out of a rock at a smite from Moses' staff, but Moses also noted this complaint in this manner; "And he called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the LORD, saying, 'Is the LORD among us, or not?'" (Exod. 17:7) Pretty strong words in a complaint, to the almighty God! Let alone they gave Moses fear of being stoned! "And Moses cried unto the LORD, saying, 'What shall I do unto this people? They be almost ready to stone me." (Exod. 17:4) An awful lot of grumpy people, don't you think? But even more to the point, this people continued not to trust in the Lord to meet their needs, didn't they? Else, why would they complain with vileness in their talk and their treatment of Moses, God's representative to them?

Now a fifth time the people of Israel complained, and this time about the desert life and its hardships, and God wasn't happy about this complaining! What did He do? "And when the people complained, it displeased the LORD: and the LORD heard it; and His anger was kindled; and the fire of the LORD burnt among them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp. And the people cried unto Moses; and when Moses prayed unto the LORD, the fire was quenched. And he called the name of the place Taberah: because the fire of the LORD burnt among them." (Num. 11:1 - 3) Now why do you suppose God reacted this way? Put yourself in His place! Moses afflicted Egypt with all these miraculous plagues to prove God was with him, then God demonstrates 4 miracles outside of Egypt to this people He made His own, and what do they do? Demonstrate a lack of trust, and rebellion! If you had children that rebelled against you, how would you handle that? The Lord handled it on a level that God could handle it on! As usual, Moses again handles it with prayer to God for the burning to cease. Notice how Moses prayed on the people's behalf? Now we will see this command in the New Testament, also!  "Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." (James 5:16)

The Israelites seemed never to learn. Into comlaining again they go in Num. 11:4 - 35, and this time they are complaining of being tired of manna, a continuous daily miracle that they observe 6 days a week; they divulge that they now have a lust for meat; and meat they receive! At this point Moses is frustrated with these people who behave as spoiled children, and asks God to kill him in his overwhelmed state of being. God gives him the assistance of 70 elders from among the Israelites, and God also gives the people what they ask for; IN GREAT QUANTITY! He gave them a full month's worth of quail to eat! And from the Lord to Moses to the people it was said how the Lord had heard the people's complaint in their despising of their God, that they should have fond memories of their captivity in Egypt, merely because they ate out of the variety of consummables there, but not remember also the bitternes of their bondage! So God took His vengeance on this people that lusted the meat of the quail in their despisement of the manna (and thereby God also!), and struck them with a plague for their insolence!

Now the people of Israel came upon a land filled with a giant people, according to Num. 14:1 - 35, and the scouts sent to look over the land came back with a faithless report, save Joshua and Caleb, and they instigated rebellion, and insubordination, and even wanted to make someone a captain for returning to Egypt! Now Moses, of course, set himself to standard operating procedure, that is, he prayed. But God in His wrath disallowed all the people of that generation 20 years old and up and they died in the desert before reaching His promised land, because they provoked Him so to wrath. But still this stiffnecked people did not learn from these experiences...

There was a man amongst the Israelites named Korah, apparently jealous of the position of Moses and Aaron, and he roused 250 renowned men of Israel, princes all; (Num. 16:1- 35) and they spoke against Moses and Aaron to their faces! Moses responded as always with prayer to God, but also toward the men with rebuke and anger! As simultaneously Moses closed his lips in pronunciation of how God would respond to their rebellion, God immediately opened up the earth below the rebels, and they were consumed in a giant sinkhole! But the foolishness of this people seemed to know no bounds, and the people would complain further!

Num. 16:41 - 50 tells of this next complaint by the Israelites, and actually it was more of an accusation than just a complaint. They accused Moses and Aaron of killing the Lord's people! Who can charge God with sin, or who can convict Him of it? "Which of you convinceth Me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe Me?" (John 8:46) This time God pronounces He will consume the people with a plague, and Moses responds by sending Aaron to atone for the people's sin, but alas, 14,700 people lost their lives in this new rebellion on an old issue that should've been allowed to die completely in the bowels of the earth the first time!

So what should we say of a people who complained of lack of water twice, and were satisfied by God twice, and yet a third time they complain on the same issue? In Num. 20:1 - 13, for the third time Israel sings the same old bitter song, complaining of lack of water. Moses received instruction from God, but in his frustration with this people who have repeatedly shown so much stiffnecked rebellion and distrust, as he rebuked Israel, so also he struck the rock twice with the staff, instead of obeying God's instructions to merely speak to the rock, and God found sin in Moses' actions in that he disbelieved God, and so he, too, was denied entrance into the promised land.

There is one last complaint to cover regarding Israel. "And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way. And the people spake against God, and against Moses, 'Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread. And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died. Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, 'We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD, and against thee; pray unto the LORD, that He take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people. And the LORD said unto Moses, 'Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.' And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived." (Num. 21:4 - 9) This last response from the Lord is a form of prophecy, because those who believe on the Christ hung on the cross shall have eternal life, free from the bite of sin, just as those bitten by the fiery serpents who believed God and looked on the brass serpent hung on a pole by Moses survived being bitten!

And what can we learn from all this complaining that the Israelites did, and the responses from Moses and God, and the results thereof? Consider what Jesus said concerning worrying about the worldly needs of the body: "Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." (Matt. 6:25 - 34) Are we Gentiles (heathens), or are we God's children? Do we pray with care and reverence to God for our needs and wants, or do we speak to Him as though He were at fault for our condition, and as in rebellion against Him? Let us seek His kingdom, even though we go through trials and tribulations, and cry out to Him for mercy when things are tough, and not grumble against Him or those He appoints over us. Let us have faith that He is the great Jehovah jireh, the providing God, and that we will persevere whatever befalls us because He loves us so!

Isaiah's Unfulfilled Prophecies

Isaiah's Unfulfilled Prophecies
 

Isaiah began his prophetic ministry only 2 years after Micah, but much greater than Micah was he in his doings for the Lord. He prophesied speaking of the "Day of the Lord" some 45 times, and of the blessing upon the restored Israel, the restoration of Israel in Palestine, and of Palestine to Israel, of the establishment of Jerusalem as capital of the earth, of the blessing upon the remnant of His people, and upon the nations, and finally upon all creation. Let's now open up the holy book, the Bible, and look up Isaiah's unfulfilled prophecies...
The Day of the Lord - That day yet to come, a time of God's judgment, is found in Isa. 2:10 - 22, 4:1, 13:9 - 13, 24:1 - 23, 32:1 - 20, 63:1 - 6. Isaiah prophesies of the humbling of the proud among all mankind, and how people will behave in desperation in those days. In one example of desperation, it is written; "And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, 'We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach.'" (Isa. 4:1) Imagine so much war, that as many as seven women should want to be married to one man, that they not be childless? He speaks of the heavens unlit in that day, no celestial body gives light, and punishment of the world population for all the evil and iniquity the world enjoys with pride in it! No class of people will go untouched! Is it not written that God is not a respecter of persons, for He alone it is that commands respect, for He alone is Elohim, El Shaddai, and no entity that exists can withstand Him! Isaiah predicts in that day the entire globe shall become joyless, and believers in the Tribulation time shall rejoice in God's punishment upon evil, for they also know they are His own, and in which book their names are written. Finally, the glory of the Lord shall cause the sun and moon's brightness to pale in comparison! The entire 32nd chapter is dedicated to Isaiah's prophecy of the perfect mix of politics and religion, for He will be the ideal king, Governor of the nations, and permanent Ruler of a theocratic, permanent government! He also speaks of evil, vile liberals and churls (hmm, sounds like a lot of people of a political party, doesn't it?) Isaiah also addresses the well-dressed women, that they should dress themselves in the humility of sackcloth, of clothes representing repentence! Isaiah finishes the chapter with speech of millenial blessings. The 63rd chapter prophecy verses are of a wrathful Christ, who will trample the wicked as grapes crushed in a winepress! This verse of Isaiah's is likened to the one in Rev. 14:20, wherein it is written of the bloodshed of Armageddon, blood from a slaughter so deep, it runs about 180 miles long and about 4.5 feet deep!

Blessing Upon Restored Israel - This unfulfilled condition of Israel is predicted by Isaiah in Isa. 2:1 - 5, 4:2 - 6, 9:7, 11:4 - 16, 12:1 - 6, 14:1 - 3, 25:1 - 12, 32:15 - 20, 35:1 - 10, 52:1 - 12, 59:20 - 21, 60:1 - 12, 61:3 - 62:12, 65:17 - 66:24. Isaiah 2's verses depict a peaceful theocratic governing of the nations who believed on Jesus, living in His justice in the millenial kingdom. They shall learn His ways, and war no more. In His physical absence, we know war, but in His physical presence, we shall know it no more. The verses from chapter 4 speak of the beauty and glory of the Lord as He reigns, and of the holiness of the people of His millenial kingdom. Those unfit for the kingdom have been purged from His presence! "Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this." (Isa. 9:7) Jesus' rule will be everlasting when He comes again! The 11th chapter verses listed describe yet to come the nature of His rule, how He will be righteous with the poor and meek, and how even the animals of creation who are normally prey and predator will be at peace with one another. Even the dread once assigned in Gen. 9:2 will be removed in His kingdom! Chapter 12 is Isaiah's song to God of his faith that His promises will yet be kept in the Lord's day, while the verses of chapter 14 listed assert that Israel will be served by their captors, and will rule over their oppressors. Chapter 25 prophesies of God's defeat of all opposition in all of mankind, and of God's triumph over death and sorrow, while the selected verses of chapter 32 depict the millenial blessings of the Spirit, prosperity righteousness, and peace. In chapter 35 describes the blessings of the kingdom of the millenial age, from the prospering of the desert into fertility to the glorious embodiment in the new tabernacles of His holy people to the plentifulness of waters in a once dry land. Verses selected from chapter 52 picture Zion made clean from unholiness, and how God will deliver His people, and of His redemption of Jerusalem. Isa. 59:20 - 21 speaks of the Redeemer and His covenant of salvation kept, while the listed verses from chapter 60 describes the glory of Jerusalem and Israel, and how there will be a great sea of Gentiles that come, but the opposition will be annihilated. Isa. 61:3 - 62:12 tells of the regeneration of the land and of the restoration of joy to the people in Zion, and describes Israel's restoration there. Lastly, Isa. 65:17 - 66:24 gives us a scene of the millenial kingdom's characteristics, a preliminary view to the New Jerusalem even further to come still! It speaks of the longevity of a child, yet also the punishent of sin. It is repeated how prey and predator shall cease in nature, and ritualistic offerings will be as sin and abomination. The consumption of the wicked is also described, such it will be of the nature of the wrath of the Lord. The saved will remain with the Lord, while the condemned will know the fire that is never quenched.

Restoration of Israel From The Nations - As we know of the present, much of Israel is dispersed among all the nations of the world, but Isaiah has prophesied that this will not remain a condition of God's people. Isa. 11:10 - 12, 14:1 - 2, 27:12 - 13, 35:10, 43:5 - 6, 49:10 - 12, and 66:20 contain prophecies from Isaiah of God's people reclaimed from all the corners of the earth to the promised land. The listing from chapter 11 and 43's verses speak on this with specificity of some places His people will be gathered, but also generalizes that none will be left anywhere in the four corners of the earth, that they will all be gathered in one place. Chapter 14's verses listed tell of the believers cleaving to Israel, and Israel's oppressors will find themselves ruled over by Israel! Meanwhile, chapter 27's selection listed tells of a river flow in Egypt altering its flow, and God's people there will come to Jerusalem. "And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away." (Isa. 35:10) The gathering to Jerusalem will be a joyful one! Chapter 49's verses also tell of the gathering, but also brings to light that in the gathering, there will be no hunger nor thirst along the way, the trek to Jerusalem will be in comfort! "And they shall bring all your brethren for an offering unto the LORD out of all nations upon horses, and in chariots, and in litters, and upon mules, and upon swift beasts, to My holy mountain Jerusalem, saith the LORD, as the children of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel into the house of the LORD." (Isa. 66:20)

Restoration of Prosperity to Israel - Some of this prophecy is beginning already, but the entirety of the prophecy has as yet to be fulfilled. The land of the Jews is becoming prosperous even now, but strangers have yet to serve the Jews. The prosperity verses are found in Isa. 30:23- 26, 60:10 - 14, 61:4 - 5, 62:4 - 5, 65:21 - 25. The verse listed of chapter 30 speak of rains in otherwise desolate areas, and of healthy livestock. Hills will give streams of water in the day of Armageddon, and the sun and moon will be brighter in those days. Chapter 60's verses listed tell of the enemies and oppressors of Israel, and how they will work for them, and how those who hated the Jews will bow at their feet. This must happen in order that there be peace in the millenial kingdom. "And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations. And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and the sons of the alien shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers. But ye shall be named the Priests of the LORD: men shall call you the Ministers of our God: ye shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves." (Isa. 61:4 - 6) The verses of chapter 62 say that the land will even experience name changes for the remarkable transformation from desolate to fertile! Chapter 65's listed verses denote Jerusalem being a place in which to live joyfully, in contrast to the present burden.

Jerusalem as Capital of the Earth - "And I will restore thy judges as at the first, and thy counsellors as at the beginning: afterward thou shalt be called, The city of righteousness, the faithful city." (Isa. 1:26) This is the first of a selection of Isaiah's verses of his book wherein he speaks of the restoration of Jerusalem (Zion) as the capital of the earth in the millenial kingdom. He refers further to this in Isa. 2:3, 12:6, 24:23, 26:1, 40:2, 60:14 - 22, 62:1 - 7. Isa. 2:3 tells of His obedient people coming to Him in His holy mountain, and learning His ways, while 12:6 designates Jesus' residence in its midst! Isa. 24:23 describes Christ's great light in Jerusalem paling the sun and moon, but to the point, where Christ is in the millenial reign, so also is the capital of His kingdom! Chapter 26:1 starts a song about the capital, while 40:2 speaks of Jerusalem's receipt of grace at the end of sufficient punishment for her transgressions. Chapter 60's listed verses describe a transformed Jerusalem, an etenal excellency of earth's capital and Jesus' kingdom seat, while the selected verses of chapter 62 give addition description of Jerusalem's rebirth from its desolation.

Blessing Upon the Remnant - The redeemed will experience millenial blessings in accordance with the descriptions found in verses Isa. 26:1 - 19, 33:24, 43:25, 44:22, 46:13, 54:6 - 10. The 26th chapter selection describes a perfect peace of unshakable well being, of everlasting strength, and ends speaking of the bodily resurrection. "And the inhabitant shall not say, 'I am sick': the people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity." (Isa. 33:24) The millenial inhabitants will not experience the affliction of sickness nor illness. "I, even I, am He that blotteth out thy transgressions for Mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins." (Isa. 43:25) A blessing indeed upon the saved is to have their sins covered! "I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: return unto Me; for I have redeemed thee." (Isa. 44:22) "I bring near My righteousness; it shall not be far off, and My salvation shall not tarry: and I will place salvation in Zion for Israel My glory." (Isa. 46:13) These 3 selected places Isaiah writes of forgiveness and salvation; and no wonder; these two things are vital to escaping condmenation, and therefore are a blessing, indeed! The 54th chapter verses listed describe how sweet and beautiful is the forgiveness of the Lord, as compared to a wife forced to separation from her husband for a time, and forgiven and rejoined after a time of forsakenness.

Blessing to Entire Creation - We know nature to be full of predator versus prey, but nature shall know a new way of existence in peace yet to come when Christ comes again to rule the world, and these blessings are described in Isa. 11:6 - 9, 65:17, 25, 66:22. Wolves will dwell with lambs, cows shall feed alongside bears, and lions shall give up their normal diet and eat straw along with the ox. Even cobras and vipers won't bite children, but let them play among them, and all serpents will feed on dust! "For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind." (Isa. 65:17) "'For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before Me', saith the LORD, 'so shall your seed and your name remain.'" (Isa. 66:22) What a blessing it is, to have eternal life with God!

Is it any wonder Isaiah was such a major prophet of the Old Testament? We have all this wonder and joy to look forward to! All evil put away; desolation of land to disappear forevermore; man and all animals living side by side without harm to any; the full embodiment of the Lord shining in Jerusalem much brighter than the sun, and teaching and ruling with His righteous authority, unopposed by anyone, and all the old opposition in perfect servitude. What a life we have to look forward to, for it is written there will be a bodily resurrection and agelessness and total absence of affliction by sickness and disease! Amen! Look forward in faith that it is coming!

WHEN YOU NEED CONFIDENCE

WHEN YOU NEED CONFIDENCE

It is quite human to have doubts about your abilities, about situations in life, about even surviving things you have to go through, like surgeries, for example. As Christians, we should always draw on what we know of God, and how He is toward us. We need to remember how He loves us, as a model Father loves His children; after all, that's who we are, His children! Look at how Gideon needed confidence so much, he needed God to prove Himself - TWICE! "And Gideon said unto God, 'If thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said, behold, I will put a fleece of wool in the floor; and if the dew be on the fleece only, and it be dry upon all the earth beside, then shall I know that Thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as Thou hast said.' And it was so: for he rose up early on the morrow, and thrust the fleece together, and wringed the dew out of the fleece, a bowl full of water. And Gideon said unto God, 'Let not Thine anger be hot against me, and I will speak but this once: let me prove, I pray Thee, but this once with the fleece; let it now be dry only upon the fleece, and upon all the ground let there be dew.' And God did so that night: for it was dry upon the fleece only, and there was dew on all the ground." (Judges 6:36-40) So let's see where it is also written of that we should have confidence, because the Lord is our support...

David sustained his faith in the power of our God..."The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell. Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident. One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in His temple. For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion: in the secret of His tabernacle shall He hide me; He shall set me up upon a rock. And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in His tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the LORD." (Psa. 27:1 - 6) We should take in example how David expresses his confidence in the Lord that He will protect him and shelter him from adversaries. I have prayed to the Lord for protection from adversaries, myself, and some not the human kind, because situations are our adversaries, too! Being Christians, we must always remember our greatest adversary is the devil, and he and his demons will use the most unusual methods to attempt to undo us!

"Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh. For the LORD shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken." (Prov. 3:25 - 26) The Christian needs to recall that God has secured us in times of sudden situations that would strike fear in most. He knows we are human; after all, He made us. As Christians we need to remind ourselves that our trust is always supposed to be in God. Even if we undergo trials similar to those of Job, yet we must trust He has our good in His heart. "Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him: but I will maintain mine own ways before Him. He also shall be my salvation: for an hypocrite shall not come before Him." (Job 13:15 - 16) Yes, even if it should come that God allows it to pass that we are to be executed, still we need to trust it is for our good that we exit this world. Did not Stephen in Acts offer no resistance to his being slain? And Paul, he also resigned himself to the fate he knew was before him in Rome. Their confidence was in their eternal security! They knew they were going home to God!

Believers in the Lord demonstrate they believe by placing their confidence in Him no matter the circumstance; who worries except one who doubts? Believers fear the Lord, yea, they give Him reverence, while doubters and unbelievers misplace their confidence in other than Him, much to their error! "In the fear of the LORD is strong confidence: and His children shall have a place of refuge. The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death." (Prov. 14:26 - 27) And why is the fear of the Lord a fountain of life? "The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:" (2 Pet. 2:9) We as Christians set ourselves apart to Him and die to self and selfishness. God knows our hearts, and we can be confident He will protect us!

"For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not." (Gal. 6:8 - 9) The carnal and unbelieving are they who should be lacking in confidence, for if they believed the word of God, they would convert. But for those of us who do believe, let us not get tired of serving our family in Christ, nor even strangers, but rather let us recall to mind when we get tired that God is He who rewards, and be confident and have faith, and focus on our reward in Christ!

Paul wrote more of the confidence we should have in God, for our faith in Him shall reap its reward in diligently performing good works on the return of Jesus our Messiah! "Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:" (Phil. 1:6) Each day, from when we rise until we lay down for rest, let us focus on our faith and the confidence it lends us to go forth each day and not faint at every trial and tribulation that is set before us, and let us go to Him for strength when our humanity makes us weak.

As God's children, we can also count on God to be our strength and refuge and fight our otherwise most overwhelming battles! "For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew Himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward Him." (2 Chron. 16:9) Look at all the wars the Israelites had, and how they destroyed their enemies against otherwise impossible numbers, except that the Lord was on their side!
 "For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance. Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise." (Heb. 10:34 - 36) Here we have a sample of what I was saying in one of the previous paragraphs. We will have trials, such as someone confiscating our possessions, as Paul is noting having happened to the Hebrews, and he is encouraging them to focus on their promised reward rather than allowing their confidence to be dashed. We must separate our constraints from the things of the world, that we may better focus on our promised rewards. This requires patience, for we know nothing of what hour God will call us home from the cares of this existence, and our human nature therefore tempts us to be concerned for what possessions we have to give us comfort while we are here for some duration of unknown length.

Let us gather confidence then in our faith, whenever we feel melancholy or low, when we are weary of the every day load and burdens of life, let us recharge our confidence in Him who set us free from the burdens of our sins in this world, and let us remember this: "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvellous light:" (1 Pet. 2:9)

All Of What Is Right Is Under Fire; Using The Bible To Define Right From Wrong

All Of What Is Right Is Under Fire; Using The Bible To Define Right From Wrong
 

I have only heard about other countries, but even in our country here in America, what is right is under fire from the wicked. And the wicked come in many forms. Even religious leadership is being involved in the wicked repent of doing right and are in the front of advocating what is wrong. Let's talk about what I'm referring to.

Gay Marriage. If you're not in America, this may already be the norm, or it may not even be whispered because of the very thought of it being an abomination in the leadership of your country, but here, it has become a hot button. I have today seen mailings of voting whereon are pictures of pastors and a bishop and a priest saying to vote for it. In doing so, they prove themselves the blind leading the blind into a ditch. If I were in any of their churches, I wouldn't be able to find another church to go to fast enough! It's bad enough those who call themselves liberals are for it, they have behaved as expected. But Christian leadership knows the Bible too well, they have no excuse! "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, 'Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.'" (Gen. 1:27 - 28) God clearly stated to be fruitful and multiply, not fruity and fructify. We are not like the worms, who have both sexes and one can impregnate any other. There is no room to transgender, or be transexual, which is even worse, because to do so is to say God made a mistake making one's self! "Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God." (1 Cor. 6:9-10) "Effeminate" refers to gay men, and "abusers of themselves with mankind" refers to homosexuals in general. Anyone who calls themselves a Christian should be against gay marriage, or else they are not being a Christian in their choice. "Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh." (Gen. 2:24) It doesn't say a man to his husband, nor a woman to her wife. Herein we know God made no room gay marriage!

Abortion. Our current president has claimed to be a Christian, but what Christian would believe it, knowing that he put into law abortions for anyone who wants one on the taxpayer's dime? "Thou shalt not kill." (Exod. 20:13) The worst part of this sin, is that the baby cannot even cry out in the womb as he or she is being murdered, and even more horrendous is that the mother went to the murdering doctor to have it killed, and both are guilty! And there are wicked organizations that tell the mother it's just a blob of flesh, and lie to them and say there's nothing wrong, and lie even more and tell the mother that it's their right to murder their unborn child. How dare we undo what God has allowed to be created!  "For Thou hast possessed my reins: Thou hast covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise Thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are Thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well." (Psa. 139:13 - 14) David has delcared that when God allows us to be formed, we are fearfully and wonderfully made; and so it is! But the wicked will say abortion (baby murder) is a right and a choice! Yes, a choice of murder!

Mandated Sex Education In Schools. "But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in Me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea." (Matt. 18:6) I have heard that this is stale news in some countries, yet in America, this is a "hot button" issue deciding elections. The verse at the beginning of this paragraph is to be interpreted to mean that if one cause children to stumble into sin, better for that person that a millstone were attached to their neck, and then flung into the sea! Schools have no right, biblically speaking, to teach sex to children, and free "protection" in schools lead to fornication, even among preteens! My wife and I were visiting one of our church family, and their granddaughter came in unexpectedly while we were discussing this very subject, and she said of her grade school that the children who go there no longer call it by its official name, but by a derogatory, lewd similar one, because there are no virgin 7th graders there! Such experience in the mind of a 13 year old! Such wickedness going on in a school! And in this country, so many people intend to vote this wrong into law, as if to overrule what our Lord and Savior said concerning this!

God Put Out Of Schools. When I was in grade school and high school, we had prayer in school. None of us had the thought of bringing a gun or bomb or knife to school enter our minds. "And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates." (Deut. 6:5 - 9)  Now I'm told this is called the shema, and is prayed in Jewish households daily, and they don't have this kind of problem with their children!  According to the Bible, we're supposed to be teaching children about God, and teaching them His laws and statutes, not detesting His presence in schools, that the children know nothing of obedience of Him! Is it any wonder why some teachers are apprehensive of going to school, wondering if a child will bring a gun to school, or a bomb, and maybe kill or injure them? Oh, who will speak in the right ear, that God may re-enter the school curriculum, that weaponry would again vanish from school properties? But the wickedness and hardheartedness of ungodly parents keeps His mention out, and the good parents will not take the time to stand against the wicked few!

False gods First! "And God spake all these words, saying, 'I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before Me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate Me;'" (Exod. 20:1 - 5) It appears the antiChrist may have as his religion of choice Islam, as it certainly seems to be sweeping the globe! Many claiming to have been Christian have converted to Islam, and some muslims have converted to Christianity, but they who convert to Christianity must be careful in doing so, because the Islamic faith holds that anyone leaving Islam should be killed! I don't know about other countries, but in America, the indigenous population typically cowls to what muslims want, it's what they call "politically correct". The odd thing is that this is an unAmerican concept, because originally, immigrants were meant to convert to the American lifestyle, but somehow, that has been reversed! America was born from Europe into Judeo-Christian govenment, and many of our laws come from the bible, and Christian concepts stood long in reliefs and crosses and monuments across the country. There was a Kuli-kuli cross on Oahu when I lived there, but I wonder is it there now. AntiChrist organizations are getting their way removing Christian monuments like the Ten Commandments from in front of public buildings, and one atheist demanded God be removed from schools, and where was even one Christian in proximity to stand up and tell her to go live in North Korea if she didn't want her kids going to schools where God is upheld? Now we hear today the muslims who live in heaviest concentrations in America want to enforce their sharia law on American soil, and God help us, should a judge be fool enough to let them! So many people in so many countries are giving up on the one true God, backsliding into heathenism, oblivious to what happened when God's people went astray in the book of Judges. Many have made false gods even of themselves, putting themselves and what they want ahead of what He wants. But then, they would at least have to open His book in order to even know what He wants of us!

Eh? Who Cares About Mom and Dad? Just Put Them In A Nursing Home! If you don't raise your children right, beware, they will choose your final disposition! "Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee." (Exod. 20:12) God meant for us to be reverent of our parents, but nowadays I hear children refer to their parents by their first names, they put them in nursing homes so they don't have to go through the bother of caring for them, and some won't even take them in their house at all, to their shame, and even worse, some take them in and maltreat them! There are all kinds of reasons given for not taking responsibility, and worse, some offer to be responsible, and then when they get them in their house, they do things like turn down the heat while they're at work in winter, or turn off the water for flushing the toilet, and whatever else they can contrive against them to give them the idea to move out. Imagine a wife who puts her mother in a nursing home, and is a nurse her own self? Or a wife who won't let her husband keep his parents in their house, and both of them are retired? What irreverence for parents I've learned of! And the Bible also says in this commandment "that their days may be long"; I wonder if that means they'll be short-lived for their lack of honor to the parents? (ahem!)

"Liar, Liar, Pants On Fire!" I was always hearing this as a child growing up in Pennsylvania, and it usually made the receiver of the recital embarassed, and they should be. Nowadays kids lie for the convenience, and they seem to know no remorse! "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour." (Exod. 20:16) Seems to be a lot of lying about other people going around like a contagion! Politicians do it all the time until the election is over, and the public is so relieved to be done with hearing it all. They tell horrible half-truths or blatant lies about the opponent until one of them wins, but really, it seems people don't care what they are hearing, anyway, they only vote for whichever party they have affiliated themselves with, regardless. The candidate could say he was going to kill all his supporters after the election, and like lemming rats going off a cliff, they would vote for him anyway! Then there's the magazines, spreading gossip of all kinds, and the facts aren't always in print about popular people, just the slant of the writer of the article. Even advertising on TV has no credibility; have you ever heard of a product being new and improved? Well, think about it. It's either one or the other, but it can't be BOTH!

Come To The Casino! NOT! Another new plague upon America, and maybe in other countries, is casinos and gambling in general. "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's." (Exod. 20:17) Casinos grow so quickly, they only need advetise on television a few commercials, and people flock to them as if they were giving away money, and according to their ads, you would think they were, but the sad fact is, very few win big and are then suddenly wise enough to leave, and even if they do, they keep coming back until they lose whatever big win they once had. Coveting the casino's money, and they tempt you with commercials on TV. Oh, but let's not stop with money, there's the soap operas on TV that make it look so easy to go after a good looking man or woman. Soap operas make divorce look like it's a walk in the park, and if you ask someone who watches these garbage series every day, they can never tell you they ever heard the word adultery mentioned while Luke was having an affair on Laura, or Adam was having an affair on Erika, and now it's even worse, Bianca may soon have an affair on Monica with Diane!

Let's not let our guard down, we who are Christians; we must walk wisely in this wacky world! God give us courage to stand up where we need to, or we will have to put up with the consequences; if we can!