INSPIRED READING

INSPIRED READING

Christians amaze me sometimes. I am connected with one in some Christian groups on Facebook, and twice now, two "Christian" women have attacked him with accusations concerning his beliefs, and I never knew him to state he believed what they were attacking him for. The most recent one, if she thought about it, was an attack on me as well, because she accused him of being the author of the website I post my bible studies on, along with accusing him of not believing that the gospels are Holy Ghost-inspired works! Well, I thought that would make a nice topic for another bible study, and I can put to rest what both may be believing between the three of us!

"But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding." (Job 32:8) Wise men receive their understanding from God. The bible is full of not only history, but prophecy and wisdom, and here Elihu is citing a fact: wisdom comes from God, and the wisdom in the bible is inspired by Him. Now one might say that's Old Testament; is it only? Really? I have more from the New Testament, this time...

"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works." (2 Tim. 3:16 - 17) So here's my proof; all scripture, the entire bible, cover to cover, is inspired by God. I know a gal from back home, slightly older than me, and she said, "Ricky, I can't believe in a book!" My prayer for her is that she stop being foolish in time to believe in THIS book, because the bible is the only book anyone can fully believe in!

"We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." (2 Pet. 1:19 - 21) I was correcting someone recently using Scripture that we are not entitled to our own opinion. The bible says what it says, and you can't add or subtract to the interpretation thereof. They were trying to say that the brothers and sisters of Jesus were Joseph's children to another woman, so as to keep Mary "ever-virgin". If it "ain't" in the bible, then it just "ain't" so! Note in this text from the bible that again, it is inspired by the Holy Ghost!

Now as for the question about the gospels being inspired by the Holy Ghost, let us find that Gospel passage where the Holy Ghost was given to the apostles; "Then said Jesus to them again, "Peace be with you: as My Father hath sent Me, even so send I you.'  And 

 when He had said this, He breathed on them, and saith unto them, 'Receive ye the Holy Ghost: Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.'" (John 20:21 - 23) So we see here that our glorified Jesus breathed upon them the Holy Ghost, and this is how we believe that the four apostles who wrote the gospels were inspired by the Holy Ghost. As they received Him from Jesus before He went up into heaven, so we understand that the apostles were inspired by Him to write the gospels as they are written.

Now for the real skeptics, even Moses was inspired by God to write the pentateuch that we have today as the first five books of the bible; for example, God spoke to Moses here - "And the LORD said unto Moses, 'Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.'" (Exod. 17:14) See how God Himself told Moses to write! "And the LORD said unto Moses, 'Write thou these words: for after the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with thee and with Israel.'" (Exod. 34:27) "And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the priests the Levites: And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them:" (Deut. 17:18 - 19)

Isaiah was also instructed by God to write: "Moreover the LORD said unto me, 'Take thee a great roll, and write in it with a man's pen concerning Mahershalalhashbaz.'" (Isa. 8:1) "Now go, write it before them in a table, and note it in a book, that it may be for the time to come for ever and ever:" (Isa. 30:8)

Jeremiah was instructed by God to write: "Thus saith the LORD, 'Write ye this man childless, a man that shall not prosper in his days: for no man of his seed shall prosper, sitting upon the throne of David, and ruling any more in Judah.'" (Jer. 22:30) "Thus speaketh the LORD God of Israel, saying, 'Write thee all the words that I have spoken unto thee in a book. For, lo, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will bring again the captivity of my people Israel and Judah, saith the LORD: and I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it.'" (Jer. 30:2 - 3) "And it came to pass in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, that this word came unto Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, 'Take thee a roll of a book, and write therein all the words that I have spoken unto thee against Israel, and against Judah, and against all the nations, from the day I spake unto thee, from the days of Josiah, even unto this day.'" (Jer. 36:1 - 2) "Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, after that the king had burned the roll, and the words which Baruch wrote at the mouth of Jeremiah, saying, 'Take thee again another roll, and write in it all the former words that were in the first roll, which Jehoiakim the king of Judah hath burned.'" (Jer. 36:27 - 28) And Jeremiah was not the only prophet told to write by the Lord...

"Again in the ninth year, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 'Son of man, write thee the name of the day, even of this same day: the king of Babylon set himself against Jerusalem this same day.'" (Ezek. 24:1 - 2) "Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions:" (Ezek. 37:16) "And if they be ashamed of all that they have done, shew them the form of the house, and the fashion thereof, and the goings out thereof, and the comings in thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the laws thereof: and write it in their sight, that they may keep the whole form thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and do them." (Ezek. 43:11) And not only these men, but even the minor prophets were instructed by God to write...

"And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it." (Hab. 2:2) Now these are many examples from the Old Testament; I can give you of Paul in the New Testament, too...

"If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord." (1 Cor. 14:37) "I told you before, and foretell you, as if I were present, the second time; and being absent now I write to them which heretofore have sinned, and to all other, that, if I come again, I will not spare: Since ye seek a proof of Christ speaking in me, which to you-ward is not weak, but is mighty in you." (2 Cor. 13:2 - 3) And finally, even the last book of the bible, God instructed to write in it...

"Saying, 'I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a 

 book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.'" (Rev. 1:11)

So let there be no mistake; God inspired all the men who wrote the bible to write it, it is the divinely inspired word of God, from cover to cover. And woe to them who have altered it, and there are versions where His word has been abbreviated and added to! "For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book." (Rev. 22:18 - 19)

7 Tough Questions From Unbelievers

7 TOUGH QUESTIONS FROM UNBELIEVERS

I have been explaining Christianity and the Bible to a muslim for quite some time now, and you know, it's so sad that someone so knowledgeable about the Bible should yet be so willing not to accept it. I have to tell you, though, he asked me a lot of questions that will make a Christian dig deep into their Bible and their kowledge of it to give him answers! I have listed here some of his questions, and what answers there are to his questions.
1. "How is Jesus begotten of the Father? Your Bible says "No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him." (John 1:18)" When you look up the denotation of the word "begotten", you will find it says "to cause to exist, to procreate", which would mean that Christ had a beginning, which Christians never profess. "Only begotten Son", of course, is also in John 3:16, 18, and 1 John 4:9. It is not by the denotation in the dictionary, it is by spiritual connotation. You see, the dictionary uses man's thinking, not God's. It means Jesus is the only Son of God who is equal to the Father. You see, I am a son of God by my faith in Jesus, but I am not equal to God, nor am I on His level. I'm just a human. But Jesus is the only one on God the Father's level, so in this spiritual sense, Jesus is Fathered by God the Father. He picked a difficult Christian concept to explain, but that's okay! Tough questions elicit deeper knowledge about our Bible and our faith! Another facet of this concept is that Jesus is the only Savior begotten into the flesh of mankind who is 100% man and 100% God to remit all our sins by nailing them to the cross in the human body.  No other person in all creation was sent in this manner for this purpose. This is why Christians, Jew or Gentile, identify Christ Jesus as the Son of God and their Savior, too!

2. "How is God the Father of Jesus when the Holy Spirit came over Mary? Your Bible says, "Then said Mary unto the angel, 'How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?' And the angel answered and said unto her, 'The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.'" (Luke 1:34 - 35)" The Father's will is in all creation. This is how it was from the very beginning. God speaks, and it is created. for example, "And God said, 'Let there be light': and there was light." (Gen. 1:3) Jesus said, "I am come in My Father's name, and ye receive Me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive." (John 5:43)   "No man can come to Me, except the Father which hath sent Me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day." (John 6:44)  As we see it, does not God know His own, and His own comings and goings? If Jesus acknowledges the Father as His Father, His omniscience reigns as sufficient answer. And look at what the verse says; "...the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee..." The highest is the father, isn't it?  Interpretation is important!

3. "Why doesn't the Holy Spirit know when is Jesus' second coming? Your Bible says, "But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but My Father only." (Matt. 24:36)" The will of the Father reigns supreme in the triune Godhead. Jesus gave us proof of it when He said, "And He went a little further, and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, 'O My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me: nevertheless not as I will, but as Thou wilt.'" (Matt. 26:39) So when Jesus said it is reserved to be known only of the Father, then His will is that it be like this on this particular issue.
4. "Is Jesus God because He forgave sins? Your Bible says, "And when He saw their faith, He said unto him, 'Man, thy sins are forgiven thee.' And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, 'Who is this which speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?'" (Luke 5:20 - 21) We need to reword the question's answer, and say, because Jesus is God, He is able to forgive sins. This brings out more intriguing theology, because Jesus is also quoted in the Gospel saying, "Jesus answered them, 'Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?'" (John 10:34) Christians who are representative of God, by Jesus' words here, are able to forgive one another. Are we not ambassadors of Christ? And when Jesus taught us how to pray, did He not say we should ask the Father to forgive us, as we forgive our debtors? "And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors." (Matt. 6:12) And did not Jesus tell Peter to forgive our family in Christ, as we want to be forgiven by the Father? "Then came Peter to him, and said, 'Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Till seven times?' Jesus saith unto him, 'I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.'" (Matt. 18:21 - 22) So because of all this, I would say Jesus has said we can forgive each other sins against us, but to forgive unto salvation, that is reserved to God. Jesus is God for every Christian by this reason: "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved. He that believeth on Him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that Light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than Light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the Light, neither cometh to the Light, lest his deeds should be reproved." (John 3:16 - 20) Not believing that Jesus is the Son of God gets one condemned, and the place of condemnation is hell and the lake of fire. Whoever does not pick up their cross and follow Christ is not Christian, and demonstrates they do not believe on Jesus, and so, one can choose to become eternal charcoal, or eternally alive with Christ. For Christians, it's a no-brainer. For stiffnecked unbelievers, their density knows no bounds.

5. "How is there a Father, Son, and Holy Ghost all in one God?" There is one place that I always go to like a heat-seeking missile when the question is asked about the Trinity, because it is the only place in the entire bible where their separate entity is clearly defined; "And Jesus, when He was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto Him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon Him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, 'This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.'" (Matt. 3:16 - 17) In this passage of the book of Matthew, the Father is heard, and separate of Him being heard, the Holy Spirit and Jesus are seen separate of each other. Now to qualify them as one, let us go to Genesis: "And God said, 'Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.'" (Gen. 1:26) "And God..." is quantified in the singular, is it not?   But just a little further in the same sentence, it is written: "...let us make man in our image..."  Well, what have we here?  Within the same sentence, God has quantified from a singular noun to a plural pronoun!  One God has become "us" and "our"! And so we have created the understanding of a triune Godhead from our holy Bible, three entities that are God, and unbelievers are confounded by this!

6. "How can God be cursed, as is written in your Bible's Gal. 3:13?" The concept of being cursed for hanging on a tree goes back into the Old Testament; "His body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day; (for he that is hanged is accursed of God;) that thy land be not defiled, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance." (Deut. 21:23) Hanging was a sequel to death, and this was viewed as exposure of the corpse to ultimate disgrace. This should strike awe in the Christian who understands this concept, because we now understand the views of the people of the time concerning death by crucifixion. "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith." (Gal. 3:13 - 14) When we put this together, the Christian understands that while the law brings a curse, we who believe are relieved of the curse by Christ becoming a curse for us. You see, by His death on the cross, Christ took on the curse of the law, and being the Son of God, He took on the guilt of all our sins under the law, and nailed them to the cross all in that human flesh that He took on during His life on earth. This is why believing in Him, and that He came in the flesh, and that He died with the sins of the world accursed upon His human frame, and that on the third day He arose again, believing in this Jesus, is how one gets salvation and adopted into the family of God! Sadly, this is the most important thing unbelievers can't wrap their head around, that they might receive salvation!

7. "Prove Jesus is God from the Old Testament; His name is not anywhere in the Old Testament." That's true, Jesus is never named in the Old Testament. He is given other names in the Old Testament, and there are references to Him there, but He is never given the name specifically in it. The only ironclad reference that could only be Jesus in the Old Testament is found in the book of Daniel. "Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonied, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, 'Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?' They answered and said unto the king, 'True, O king.' He answered and said, 'Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.'" (Dan. 3:24 - 25) I find this a fascinating passage, because the heathen king actually says "Son of God", which in the singular, is a reference only to Jesus, because in the New Testament He is called "the only Son of God". If He is the "only Son of God", then I would doubt the stance that the fourth figure in the fiery furnace was just an angel. His existence is referred to by Job as "my Redeemer" (Job 19:25), He is thought to have been one of the three men who met Abraham on the plains of Mamre (Gen. 18:2), and the angel of God in the cloud and pillar of fire (Exod. 13:21, 14:19), although theophanies are usually considered up for debate as to which person of God is being represented. While I consider personally that Nebuchadnezzar's statement is the most convincing of Jesus' cameo appearance in the Old Testament, John 1:1 - 14 is the most specific about Jesus existing before the Old Testament began, but the unbeliever asked to prove Him from the Old Testament, and for that I can only offer all the Messianic prophecies of the Old Testament and the "us" and "our" of the beginning of Genesis. After that, it's all a matter of faith, which believers have, and unbelievers do not!

WIVES

WIVES

Ah, wives; where in the world did that idea come from?   Why should we marry women, and why shouldn't we treat them like property, as they do in other countries?   And why do Christian countries like the U.S. uphold their rights when their husbands treat them in less than wonderful ways?   Think the bible has anything to do with it? Let's see what the bible says about...WIVES!

"And the LORD God said, 'It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.'...And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; and the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made He a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, 'This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.' Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh." (Gen. 2:18, 21 - 24) So here we see that God, in His great omniscience, saw it prudent for us to have a help meet, someone to cleave to and enjoy companionship with all of our days. Someone to fulfill us, make us complete in a way not sinful.

Ah, but now there are two kinds of wives, and Solomon wrote something about the two in one of his contributions to the Old Testament: "A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband: but she that maketh ashamed is as rottenness in his bones." (Prov. 12:4) So a husband's ability to choose a wife is reflected in what reward he gets in making his wise or foolish choice! And there's more..."Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands." (Prov. 14:1) Again, Solomon contrasts a wise wife and a foolish one. What is the wise wife doing? She makes her husband happy and builds her house up, while the foolish one brings her husband joylessness and destroys her house. How does a wise woman make her husband happy? "A gracious woman retaineth honour: and strong men retain riches." (Prov. 11:16) Ah, she retains her honor. She is not acting like a strumpet who has forgotten her position. And the foolish woman? How does she pluck down her house? "A foolish woman is clamorous: she is simple, and knoweth nothing. For she sitteth at the door of her house, on a seat in the high places of the city, to call passengers who go right on their ways: Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither: and as for him that wanteth understanding, she saith to him, 'Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.' But he knoweth not that the dead are there; and that her guests are in the depths of hell." (Prov. 9:13 - 18) Well, this is rather a plain observation of how a woman might be foolish so much asto pluck down her house in this manner, and indeed, her husband will be joyless if he hears of this misbehaving!

Wives may be chosen for wrong reasons; it is no different today as it was then, and Solomon spoke well of chosing a wife just on looks! "As a jewel of gold in a swine's snout, so is a fair woman which is without discretion." (Prov. 11:22) The wife depicted here obviously falls in the "foolish" category. And another depiction from Solomon is of another unwise choice on the man's part for a wife; " It is better to dwell in a corner of the housetop, than with a brawling woman in a wide house." (Prov. 21:9, 25:24) You might imagine this type of wife making a workaholic out of the husband, and leading him to an early grave! But also, truly Solomon has shown us another example of a wife who makes a man's life joyless. Here is another depiction from Solomon of a similar wife: " It is better to dwell in the wilderness, than with a contentious and an angry woman." (Prov. 21:19) How artful he was at depicting espoused life with different choices of wives!

"A continual dropping in a very rainy day and a contentious woman are alike. Whosoever hideth her hideth the wind, and the ointment of his right hand, which bewrayeth itself." (Prov. 27:15 - 16) Do you get the idea Solomon made some bad choices for wives, and is speaking from experience? What colorful ways he chose to speak of poor wife choices! If you make a bad choice for a wife, she will either betray your decision with her words or her actions, but oh, how she cannot be hidden what manner of wife one has chosen!

"For three things the earth is disquieted, and for four which it cannot bear: For a servant when he reigneth; and a fool when he is filled with meat; For an odious woman when she is married; and an handmaid that is heir to her mistress." (Prov. 30:21 - 23) Let us look at the last of the four depictions here first; only the last two apply, anyway. If a handmaid dispossesses her mistress, and her mistress is the wife, this speaks loads about the wife's attention to what is going on in her house! A wise wife would surely get a different handmaid in a short period of time! Now we have to illustrate what an odious woman is. This is a woman who has such a disposition that few, if any, care to associate with her. Few people call her "friend", nor do they visit her often, if at all. Odious women are typically considered ill-tempered and unpleasant. These are not wise choices for wives who have characters like these.

For the sake of brevity, I will just print the first three verses of Solomon's description of a capable, wise choice for a wife. I would invite you to open a bible to Prov. 31:10 - 31 and read the whole illustration from Solomon of what a good choice for a wife is like, but here are the first three verses of Solomon's depiction: "Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies. The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil. She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life." (Prov. 31:10 - 12) Sounds like a great choice already, doesn't it?

"And let these also first be proved; then let them use the office of a deacon, being found blameless. Even so must their wives be grave, not slanderers, sober, faithful in all things." (1 Tim. 3:10 - 11) When speaking to Timothy concerning bishops and deacons, Paul mentioned also that the choice of wife cast into the lot of whether a man should be in either office. If a man chose rather poorly who his wife was, and she reflected the depictions of some of the poor choices Solomon mentioned, then these wives would be a great distraction from the offices they wanted to hold, so godly men seeking godly offices must also have godly wives!

Paul also wrote a letter to Titus about good wives, even the older ones of the church. Wives were exhorted to have the following qualities, so that they should be counted as godly women in the church. If they are godly in the church, it is likely they behave in a godly manner at home, too! "The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; that they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed." (Tit. 2:3 - 5)

"Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives; while they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear. Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; but let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands: Even as Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose daughters ye are, as long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any amazement." (1 Pet. 3:1 - 6) Here Peter is explaining what a godly wife behaves like, and he uses Abraham's wife for an example of the model wife! A choice wife is not just beautiful on the outside, but on the inside! A choice wife has all the qualities explained herein of a wise wife, a godly wife, meek and obedient toward her husband.

Don't think I'll totally leave the husbands free of responsibilities, you who are wives! Peter explains that the husbands have a responsibility to treat their wives properly, that they should be able to tolerate to work out any marital problems, even be able to pray together as the one flesh they were meant to be! "Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered." (1 Pet. 3:7)

I want to cover one last thing about the interrelationship between the model husband and the model wife. Paul wrote to the Ephesians of such an ideal couple. Husbands have responsibilities to the wives as Christ has to the church, and wives have responsibilities to their husbands as the church does to the Lord, being submissive to him as to the Lord in all godly things he asks. "Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and He is the Saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself for it; That He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: For we are members of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh." (Eph. 5:22 - 31)

Wives have a choice; they can be able to fit the depictions of Solomon of a poor choice of wife, and thereby behave not as God would have them, or they can choose to behave as Paul, Peter, and Solomon depicted a good wife. If you have read this, and you realize you have been as the first illustrations, you can always repent and become as the latter depictions! We have a good and wonderful God to talk to about it!

FALSE gODS

FALSE gODS

There is one true God, and there are many kinds of false gods; traditional false gods, contemporary false gods, living false gods...but all the false gods have one thing in common; they are not the one true God!
Let's start with the first biblical example of false gods; the desire to be one! "'For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.' And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat." (Gen. 3:5 - 6) I want you to focus on what the devil is telling her; "...ye shall be as gods..." We have a lot more going on here besides rebellion and disobedience - we have the creation of self-worship; the desire to be like God. when we want to be like Him on the same level that He is, He just became competition in our mind, and now we have graduated to...idolatry. but you know, self-idolatry was practiced BEFORE Adam and Eve were even made! Wanna see what I'm talking about?

"How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, 'I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.' Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit." (Isa. 14:12 - 15) Lucifer's sinful five sentences that began with "I" made him the first to sin the sin of self-idolatry. He planned to usurp God, and found himself shot to the earth like lightning the moment his sin was created.

Then there are other gods; "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; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love Me, and keep My commandments." (Exod. 20:2 - 6)

So let us put this in more contemporary terms; when a wrestler on TV calls himself "a wrestling god", he makes himself out to be as god, and he is not. If someone says of another person that they are their idol, then they make the person of their admiration a false god. If a person says something of themselves is the most, such as they are the most beautiful woman a man could have, for example, they not only self-worship, but they make themselves out to be a false god or goddess which they are not. But we have not yet identified the root of the problem of making self as a replacement for God. That root is...pride. "Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall." (Prov. 16:18) "These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, an heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, a false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren." (Prov. 6:16 - 19) A proud look is abomination to God; they who are puffed up with pride goeth before destruction, and greater the fall for greater the pride. Pride is selfish and self-serving, and a false god to self. "And upon a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat upon his throne, and made an oration unto them. And the people gave a shout, saying, 'It is the voice of a god, and not of a man.' And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost." (Acts 12:21 - 23) Wow, how's that for immediate consequence to self-glorification?!

I don't know about you, but I can't imagine a more simple people than those who create an idol with human hands and then worship that which they created. We who are Christian do not worship a cross that is around our neck, nor do we worship a cross in the front of our church, that would be foolishness and temptation of God to wrath, but we have crosses in our lives to remind us of our Savior, and what He did for us, and how we are saved by His grace, His power, and His unsearchable love, so deep that He died in our place. But we do not worship the cross itself. Yet, people in biblical history did worship false idols. Like the Philistines, for example: "Then the lords of the Philistines gathered them together for to offer a great sacrifice unto Dagon their god, and to rejoice: for they said, 'Our god hath delivered Samson our enemy into our hand.'" (Judg. 16:23) Now here's a piece of Scripture to give you and idea how, as it is written in the first Commandment, our God is a jealous God; "When the Philistines took the ark of God, they brought it into the house of Dagon, and set it by Dagon. And when they of Ashdod arose early on the morrow, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the earth before the ark of the LORD. And they took Dagon, and set him in his place again. And when they arose early on the morrow morning, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of the LORD; and the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off upon the threshold; only the stump of Dagon was left to him. Therefore neither the priests of Dagon, nor any that come into Dagon's house, tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod unto this day." (1 Sam. 5:2 - 5)

Even the Israelites themselves committed this error and sin. "And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron. And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt." (Exod. 32:3 - 4) And they received consequence for their iniquity, don't you know? "Therefore now go, lead the people unto the place of which I have spoken unto thee: behold, Mine Angel shall go before thee: nevertheless in the day when I visit I will visit their sin upon them. And the LORD plagued the people, because they made the calf, which Aaron made." (Exod. 32:34 - 35)

How sad that the wisest of all men, even he put false gods before the true God in his latter days, because he made the mistake of failing to heed the commandment not to marry outside the tribes of Israel: "And Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD, and went not fully after the LORD, as did David his father. Then did Solomon build an high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon. And likewise did he for all his strange wives, which burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods." (1 Kings 11:6 - 8) And Solomon, he too paid a consequence! "Wherefore the LORD said unto Solomon, 'Forasmuch as this is done of thee, and thou hast not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded thee, I will surely rend the kingdom from thee, and will give it to thy servant. Notwithstanding in thy days I will not do it for David thy father's sake: but I will rend it out of the hand of thy son. Howbeit I will not rend away all the kingdom; but will give one tribe to thy son for David My servant's sake, and for Jerusalem's sake which I have chosen." (1 Kings 11:11 - 13) See how it would have gone even worse for Solomon, save that God remembered His servant David. And there was more consequence for Solomon; "And the LORD stirred up an adversary unto Solomon, Hadad the Edomite: he was of the king's seed in Edom." (1 Kings 11:14)

Paul also spoke against idolatry, even getting too close to idolaters, because then we get caught up in their beliefs and celebrations: "Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry. I speak as to wise men; judge ye what I say. The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread. Behold Israel after the flesh: are not they which eat of the sacrifices partakers of the altar? What say I then? That the idol is any thing, or that which is offered in sacrifice to idols is any thing? But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils. Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils. Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than He?" (1 Cor. 10:14 - 22) Paul is saying here that we become guilty of their idolatry by association. We get involved with them to the point that we deserve the consequences that they deserve. This is one of the great mistakes of any country, including America today, because they let idolaters infest the country and bring it down to the consequences that it deserves.

Is a Christian country doomed for its iniquities involving idolatry?   Not necessarily, nor immediately.   God offered a remedy in Solomon's day, and so it is available to any country, but they must strongly repent and seek Him that gave them their land and lifestyle! "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)

Even for the individual idolater there is hope, as Paul told the Colossians; "Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:" (Col. 3:5 - 6) God's wrath is for those who practice idolatry, and look at the newly identified idols. Fornication is sex with anyone who is not married to the other involved, uncleanness covers a wide range of iniquitous behaviors, inordinate affection is homosexuality and bestiality, evil concupiscence is any ungodly strong desire, and covetousness is a strong desire to obtain that which does not belong to you, in essence, anything that belongs to your neighbor.

Now here I would like to focus on evil concupiscence, because that needs more clarification. You see, we all know when we are supposed to go to church. Each time we go to church, we put God first, because we are not so drastically ill or impeded by an unforeseen situation that suddenly arises to stop us from going. There was this one friend who told his friend that didn't go to church on Saturday like he did that he was right in God's eyes and his Sunday friend was not because he saw the bible different.  Then that Saturday church friend was betrayed by another Saturday church sister that he was failing to go to his Saturday church because he was going camping in a local park on that day to the Sunday church friend. This is an example of evil concupiscence, because he put the strong desire to go camping before his obligation to God to go to church. Thus, camping became an idol. It could easily be an important football game...anything you put in front of your obligation to worship God, that is idolatry. Besides that, Jesus had something to say about this interaction between the two friends: "For with what judgment ye judge, so ye shall be judged; and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, 'Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye'; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye." (Matt. 7:2 - 5) Don't you just love how Jesus didn't mince words when it came to dealing with hypocrites and hypocrisy?

So here we have it how false gods, which is idolatry, can not only be self worship, and worship of created idols, but a false god can even be anything found of a person that is made to be more important than the one true God. When God is put behind something else in the appointed place or time that He should be first, THIS is idolatry! Lord Jesus, please guide us all, including me, from making the mistake of even one idolatrous moment!

What The Wicked Have Coming

WHAT THE WICKED HAVE COMING

Doesn't it just make you grit your teeth at times to see people do wickedly, and get away with it? You might have knowledge of them getting away with extortion, but not have a way to prove it, and maybe feel it isn't your place to play cop, but you shake your head, just the same. Perhaps you see someone really do wrong to a widow, or something that would equate to taking candy from a baby. Well, we must be careful on our estimation who qualifies as the wicked and who doesn't, but long enough and careful observation will make their hearts known. "Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them." (Matt. 7:17 - 20) The wicked will be operating of an unsaved nature. They won't know God, won't have Him in them, won't know His bible, and won't believe it or obey it. If we know people like this, we are duty-bound to pray for them, because we know what all they have coming to them. "But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? Do not even the publicans the same?" (Matt. 5:44 - 46) So shall we explore what the bible has to say about the wicked? Much of it can be found in Job, but there is a lot said of the wicked throughout the bible.
"Knowest thou not this of old, since man was placed upon earth, That the triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the hypocrite but for a moment? Though his excellency mount up to the heavens, and his head reach unto the clouds; Yet he shall perish for ever like his own dung: they which have seen him shall say, 'Where is he?' He shall fly away as a dream, and shall not be found: yea, he shall be chased away as a vision of the night. The eye also which saw him shall see him no more; neither shall his place any more behold him. His children shall seek to please the poor, and his hands shall restore their goods. His bones are full of the sin of his youth, which shall lie down with him in the dust. Though wickedness be sweet in his mouth, though he hide it under his tongue; Though he spare it, and forsake it not; but keep it still within his mouth: Yet his meat in his bowels is turned, it is the gall of asps within him. He hath swallowed down riches, and he shall vomit them up again: God shall cast them out of his belly. He shall suck the poison of asps: the viper's tongue shall slay him. He shall not see the rivers, the floods, the brooks of honey and butter. That which he laboured for shall he restore, and shall not swallow it down: according to his substance shall the restitution be, and he shall not rejoice therein. Because he hath oppressed and hath forsaken the poor; because he hath violently taken away an house which he builded not; Surely he shall not feel quietness in his belly, he shall not save of that which he desired. There shall none of his meat be left; therefore shall no man look for his goods. In the fulness of his sufficiency he shall be in straits: every hand of the wicked shall come upon him. When he is about to fill his belly, God shall cast the fury of his wrath upon him, and shall rain it upon him while he is eating. He shall flee from the iron weapon, and the bow of steel shall strike him through. It is drawn, and cometh out of the body; yea, the glittering sword cometh out of his gall: terrors are upon him. All darkness shall be hid in his secret places: a fire not blown shall consume him; it shall go ill with him that is left in his tabernacle. The heaven shall reveal his iniquity; and the earth shall rise up against him. The increase of his house shall depart, and his goods shall flow away in the day of his wrath. This is the portion of a wicked man from God, and the heritage appointed unto him by God." (Job 20:4 - 29) Sorry about the long read, but it is all descriptive of what the wicked experience. As you can see, this is Job's friend, Zophar, apparently seething with anger at whom he feels is a sinful Job. Though proofless of Job's guilt, Zophar has been very accusatory; nice friend. There are other parts of Scripture that go along with what Zophar has to say about the wicked, though.

Job 20:5 is supported by "I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay tree. Yet he passed away, and, lo, he was not: yea, I sought him, but he could not be found." (Psa. 37:35 - 36) So David agrees that there are wicked people who will come in power and perhaps strength of wealth, but their corruption and perversity we often will note to be their downfall. If they do not fall by the laws of men, they surely fall by the consequences of what wicked things they do.

Job 20:6 is supported by Isaiah's speech of Lucifer, and we know the devil is desperately wicked! "For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High." (Isa. 14:13 - 14) One of the key elements of a wicked person is also their downfall; pride. Self-exaltation is paramount to a nosebleed descent to a fall! And what happens when that wicked one falls? Often the blame game, but they fail to notice those other fingers pointing back at them when they point at anyone but themselves!

Job 20:7 is likened to another psalm of David's: "Do unto them as unto the Midianites; as to Sisera, as to Jabin, at the brook of Kison: Which perished at Endor: they became as dung for the earth." (Psa. 83:9 - 10) Oh, how great is God's judgment, that the wicked oft times becomes as excrete, nothingness that they deserve for their behavior. And we should pray that it teach them to change their heart; pray that God use their condition to move them to a contrite heart and seek His face!

"Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions: according to Thy mercy remember Thou me for Thy goodness' sake, O LORD." (Psa. 25:7). David asked for forgiveness of the sins of his youth, but the unrighteous wicked are blind to their sinfulness. Their corruption and perversity are right in their eyes! "There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness. There is a generation, O how lofty are their eyes! And their eyelids are lifted up." (Prov. 30:12 - 13) The wicked see nothing wrong with their younger days, and confess no transgression of those days! Job 20:11 find similar concept here.

Support for Job 20:17 is here in another verse from Jeremiah: "Thus saith the LORD; 'Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD. For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited.'" (Jer. 17:5 - 6) The wicked seem never to believe in trusting in God, nor in His word, nor His omnipotence. Once again, the consequences of misplaced trust result in lost blessings; missed opportunity to taste the goodness of the Lord. Oh, pray for them, that they may repent and trust in Jesus instead of the world's idolatry, which is money and power that come with it perversion, corruption, disaster and downfall!

"There is a sore evil which I have seen under the sun, namely, riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt. But those riches perish by evil travail: and he begetteth a son, and there is nothing in his hand. As he came forth of his mother's womb, naked shall he return to go as he came, and shall take nothing of his labour, which he may carry away in his hand." (Eccl. 5:13 - 15) Job 20:20 is certainly supported by Solomon's book. Another key element of identifying a wicked person by their fruit is selfishness and greed. The wicked hoard material wealth beyond their need, as for some length of time beyond what years they know not whether they shall come. For those who hoard material wealth, and think on a long life, Jesus told this to them in parable: "But God said unto him, 'Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?' So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God." (Luke 12:20 - 21) So we shall have a contrast between the righteous and wicked; "The righteous considereth the cause of the poor: but the wicked regardeth not to know it." (Prov. 29:7) I know of a person who acted wickedly, extorted money, and then heard it was out of their hand as fast as it got there. What did it profit them to permanently lose their friend, only to lose their wrongly gained wealth so swiftly as well? Ill-gotten goods do not profit spiritually, but rather demonstrate a sinful nature that does not fear/believe what the Lord can do to them. "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do His commandments: His praise endureth for ever." (Psa. 111:10) Am I saying the wicked are not wise? Yes, I am! "For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Matt. 16:26) And why should the wicked fear God? "But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear Him, which after He hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear Him." (Luke 12:5) The saved and the wise fear God, lest they become eternal charcoal! But the wicked are not moved to repentance by this fact for unbelief.

It is not far from the Lord to apply His wrath to those in the midst of doing wickedly, as Job 20:23 says. It is supported in the Torah as well! "And the people stood up all that day, and all that night, and all the next day, and they gathered the quails: he that gathered least gathered ten homers: and they spread them all abroad for themselves round about the camp. And while the flesh was yet between their teeth, ere it was chewed, the wrath of the LORD was kindled against the people, and the LORD smote the people with a very great plague." (Num. 11:32 - 33) Because the people were counted as lusting wickedly for meat, God killed many while the meat ws still being chewed in their mouths! One occasionally hears of adultery wherein one of them is no more while in the very act. God knows how to deal with the godly and the ungodly!

Now Job has an answer to his "good buddy" Zophar concerning the wicked, and it, too is supported in various other places in the bible: "Wherefore do the wicked live, become old, yea, are mighty in power? Their seed is established in their sight with them, and their offspring before their eyes. Their houses are safe from fear, neither is the rod of God upon them. Their bull gendereth, and faileth not; their cow calveth, and casteth not her calf. They send forth their little ones like a flock, and their children dance. They take the timbrel and harp, and rejoice at the sound of the organ. They spend their days in wealth, and in a moment go down to the grave. Therefore they say unto God, Depart from us; for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways. What is the Almighty, that we should serve Him? And what profit should we have, if we pray unto Him? Lo, their good is not in their hand: the counsel of the wicked is far from me. How oft is the candle of the wicked put out! and how oft cometh their destruction upon them! God distributeth sorrows in His anger. They are as stubble before the wind, and as chaff that the storm carrieth away. God layeth up his iniquity for his children: He rewardeth him, and he shall know it. His eyes shall see his destruction, and he shall drink of the wrath of the Almighty. For what pleasure hath he in his house after him, when the number of his months is cut off in the midst? Shall any teach God knowledge? Seeing He judgeth those that are high. One dieth in his full strength, being wholly at ease and quiet. His breasts are full of milk, and his bones are moistened with marrow. And another dieth in the bitterness of his soul, and never eateth with pleasure. They shall lie down alike in the dust, and the worms shall cover them." (Job 21:7 - 26) Yes, another long read, my apologies again. But these are necessary for good enlightenment.

Job 21:7-16 has Job proclaiming that Zophar's thesis is flawed, because not all wicked people discover consequences to their wickedness in this life, and David supports this in one of his psalms; "From men which are Thy hand, O LORD, from men of the world, which have their portion in this life, and whose belly Thou fillest with Thy hid treasure: they are full of children, and leave the rest of their substance to their babes." (Psa. 17:14) The wicked receive their portion most assuredly after this life! "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) "For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. For there are no bands in their death: but their strength is firm. They are not in trouble as other men; neither are they plagued like other men. Therefore pride compasseth them about as a chain; violence covereth them as a garment. Their eyes stand out with fatness: they have more than heart could wish. They are corrupt, and speak wickedly concerning oppression: they speak loftily. They set their mouth against the heavens, and their tongue walketh through the earth... For, lo, they that are far from Thee shall perish: Thou hast destroyed all them that go a whoring from Thee." (Psa. 73:3 - 9, 27) Asaph's psalm and Paul's first letter to the Corinthians seem to agree with each other on the end portion of the wicked, even though they seem to prosper all their days on the earth. Let us visit Jesus' account of the wicked, shall we? "There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, and desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.'  But Abraham said, 'Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.  And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.'  Then he said, 'I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house:  For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.'  Abraham saith unto him, 'They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.'  And he said, 'Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.'  And he said unto him, 'If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.'" (Luke 16:19 - 31) The rich man had no mercy nor compassion for the poor man, and how could he miss him at his front gate? He had opportunity, that he might receive compassion and forgiveness for his sins; the sins of idolatry of his material wealth, and the sin of mercilessness for the poor and the hungry.

"He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still."(Rev. 22:11) When Christ comes, the opportunity to repent will be lost. The sluggard, yea, the procrastinator, if they tarry too long, they will be lost forever in their wickedness!

So here we have the answer to what the wicked have coming. Jesus tells us that this life is not fair to all the good or all the evil. Everyone, just and unjust, receives both good times and bad times in this life: "But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust." (Matt. 5:44 - 45) However, as we previously read here from 1 Cor. 6:9 - 10, when we all pass from this life to the next, whether we were good, or whether we were evil; whether we chose to believe on Jesus or not, those who were wicked to the end, they have coming the same thing as the rich man who had no mercy or compassion on Lazarus - the flame that is not quenched! Pray for them, that they should repent!

Discouraged?

DISCOURAGED?

You know, often in life, we come upon times where we feel overwhelmed by life and what we have going on in it, and we can feel discouraged concerning a task or a multitude of them ahead of us. Sometimes I have that going on for a short time while trying to perform everything I'm expected to get done in church, but of course, I get them done, but some people let it get them discouraged. Shall we see what the bible has to say about being discouraged, and if it has encouragement to offer?
When taking over command of the entire Israelite nation from Moses, you might imagine this to be rather overwhelming for Joshua, and besides, he was not familiar nor comfortable with so great a task, let alone the fact God typically did all His talking with Moses and Aaron, not him. But our omniscient God knew the heart of Joshua, and so spoke to him this to uplift him from feeling discouraged at his daunting task at hand: "Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest." (Josh. 1:9) I don't know about you, but if God spoke to me this way, I'd be springing in my steps with confidence! It's one thing to read words of confidence, and another to actually hear them!

Sometimes overcoming discouragement is a matter of faith in God. If it is typical for you who are reading this to go to church every week, you surely have heard the phrase "Wait on the Lord" When you focus on His omnipotence, and the fact that He who created all things is in control of all those things He has created, then you know too that it is only a matter of waiting on Him that in due time, He will fix all the tribulations in life that might discourage you. See here what David wrote: "I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD." (Psa. 27:13 - 14)

"Why art thou cast down, O my soul? And why art thou disquieted within me? Hope in God: for I shall yet praise Him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God." (Psa. 43:5) See how David here used mental willpower to call upon his faith in God and willed himself to hope in God to bring him out of his discouragement? We likewise need to do the same thing when we are in a season in which a situation or number of enemies presses us into feeling discouraged. Consider that perhaps it is a test from God to mature our Christian faith.

Jesus Himself gave instruction concerning when a person allows things to depress them; "Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also... Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." (John 14:1 - 3, 27) Notice that within the same chapter, Jesus says, "Let not your heart be troubled" twice? From whence does depression come from; God or the devil, or from within man himself? While God certainly does not want you to be depressed, the devil definitely does, because that can lead to doubt, and doubt certainly makes it impossible to please God. "But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him." (Heb. 11:6) So Jesus said twice not to let your heart be troubled, because He knew that depression is a condition of the heart that leads to doubt, or possibly even giving up on life. And see too, how He gave peace; not of the worldly type, but rather of the spiritual type, which defeats depression. Peace and depression are very different emotions.

John recorded this other saying of Jesus concerning the difference between peace and tribulation: "These things I have spoken unto you, that in Me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." (John 16:33) Now here Jesus is talking to His apostles, but it certainly applies to us, as well. Tribulation, strife, depression, anxiety, doubt, fear - these things come from being in the world, including in your frame of mind! If our mind is on the things of this world, we will surely receive these mental attitudes in our head on the occasions on which tribulation slaps us in the face and we let go of our spiritual frame of mind for however long. But keeping our minds on the things of heaven and our spiritual rewards promised, and on Christ, and what He taught, and what He did for us at the cross - concentrating on these things are from where He is telling us to receive peace of mind from being depressed.

"Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints, for the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel;" (Col. 1:4 - 5) In Paul's letter to the Collosians, Paul notes they are blessed with three pillars of Christian graces: Faith, hope, and love. Nobody can be depressed if they have these three, the greatest being love. Why is love the greatest? "And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity." (1 Cor. 13:13) Charity is another word for love, and you see what Paul wrote of it here! "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love." (1 John 4:18) See how love in its perfection drives out fear? The fingertips of fear are in the emotion of depression, as are also the fingertips of doubt. If your mind is concentrated on the love of God, in all that He has done for you, and has promised you, depression cannot fit in with that same line of thought simultaneously!

Depression is a time of need. We need to realize His grace, and in His omniscience, God knows of our need of that grace, and that is when the believer receives His grace and mercy. "Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." (Heb. 4:16) We come to Him in our state of depression, and count on Him to lift us from it!

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see Him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls." (1 Pet. 1:3 - 9) You know, in one's depression, the Christian needs to remind themselves of God's blessings, which includes redemption! We are feeling what man can do to us oftentimes, and that's wrong way thinking! "In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me." (Psa. 56:11) "The LORD is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?" (Psa. 118:6)

Do they who are depressed know that God's will is always best for His children? Sometimes we are being chastened by God, but we should not let that depress us, for He is showing us His love! "Thou shalt also consider in thine heart, that, as a man chasteneth his son, so the LORD thy God chasteneth thee." (Deut. 8:5) "For whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the Father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons." (Heb. 12:6 - 8) "And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask any thing according to His will, He heareth us: And if we know that He hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him." (1 John 5:14 - 15) See how this verse says He knows what's best for us? If we ask something according to His will, believe, and He will give it! If you are depressed, it is not outside His will that you cannot ask Him to lift you out of your depression, now is it?

"And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and His servants shall serve Him: And they shall see His face; and His name shall be in their foreheads. And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever." (Rev. 22:1 - 5) No matter how long some trial or tribulation may last, let the depressed concentrate their focus on this fact of faith in the book of Revelation; we who believe look forward to a fullness of life that is non-stop blessed, in communion with God, reigning in heaven! Whatever aches, pains, torments or tortures that life here on earth has for us, we must not let that depress us, for we who believe have a God who will not let us suffer more than we can tolerate; "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." (1 Cor. 10:13) Depression is a temptation. A temptation to doubt. We must all fight doubt and depression at some points in our lives. Let us remember these good things in God's word to lift us out of depression!

THE TEN PLAGUES

THE TEN PLAGUES

Did you ever pause to wonder about the ten plagues of the book of Exodus? Maybe why was that Pharaoh so stiffnecked toward our God? Why did God allow His people to get into such a perdicament? What significance is wrapped into this story that actually starts in Genesis before it climaxes in Exodus. What shall we find?

Yes, the plague story starts in Genesis, Gen. 37, to be exact. Joseph's brothers are jealous of him for seeming more loved than they by their father, so they end up selling him into slavery. Hmmm. Do you realize here that because the brothers sold one of their own into slavery, their whole nation would end up in slavery to that same nation they sold their brother into? Does God know how to fabricate poetic justice, or what?

"And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt. And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph's hand, and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck; And he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried before him, 'Bow the knee': and he made him ruler over all the land of Egypt." (Gen. 41:41 - 43) Joseph arrived in Egypt at the tender age of 17, and by the age of 30, he was now 2nd in command in Egypt. God's favor can be astonishing, can't it? This Pharaoh has a heart for Joseph and his people, and during a 7 year famine, Joseph's family was invited to Egypt to stay, and they made Goshen of Egypt their home. At 110 years old, Joseph died, and his family was abundantly fruitful, and became a multitude in Egypt.

At the death of the Pharaoh, a new king of Egypt emerged, and this Pharaoh knew not Joseph, but that he had a generation of people that seemed more and mightier than they, so this Pharaoh fullfilled the prophecy made to Abram before his name was made Abraham; "And He said unto Abram, 'Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.'" (Gen. 15:13 - 14) Ah, now we see that these 10 plagues are all part of a prophecy! And even Moses' story is interesting...

The grandson of Levi married his aunt Jochebed, and Moses was born, the tool of the Lord to cut the strap of Pharaoh's bondage from His people. Despite Moses' initial objections, he went to Pharaoh, and twice Pharaoh's initial reaction to meeting with Moses was his hardening of his heart, but God had a purpose for this, to put in motion these 10 plagues, judgements against this Pharaoh and Egypt! "But Pharaoh shall not hearken unto you, that I may lay My hand upon Egypt, and bring forth Mine armies, and My people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I stretch forth Mine hand upon Egypt, and bring out the children of Israel from among them." (Exod. 7:4 - 5)

So now the Lord sends Moses in to heart-hardened Pharaoh, and Aaron, Moses' prophet (brother), is told to stretch his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the first plague is borne on Egypt, and even Israel was not exempt from this week long plague. The Nile and all its tributaries were as blood! "And the LORD spake unto Moses, 'Say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and stretch out thine hand upon the waters of Egypt, upon their streams, upon their rivers, and upon their ponds, and upon all their pools of water, that they may become blood; and that there may be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood, and in vessels of stone.'" (Exod. 7:19)

Two more plagues would afflict the entirety of Egypt, but the last 7 Israel was exempt from, the last, conditionally. The next two plagues were frogs, then lice. "And the frogs shall come up both on thee, and upon thy people, and upon all thy servants." (Exod. 8:4) "And they did so; for Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod, and smote the dust of the earth, and it became lice in man, and in beast; all the dust of the land became lice throughout all the land of Egypt." (Exod. 8:17) In this 3rd plague, Pharaoh's magicians acknowledged the finger of God, but Pharaoh disregarded this counsel.

The 4th plague, that of flies, is where God begins the distinction between His people and the Egyptians. Let me note here also that it is where all involved would be shown how blind Pharaoh was. Blind to the one true God's demand to let His people go! "And I will sever in that day the land of Goshen, in which My people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there; to the end thou mayest know that I am the LORD in the midst of the earth. And I will put a division between My people and thy people: to morrow shall this sign be." (Exod. 8:22 - 23) Even today, there is division between God's people and the wicked, isn't there? And the wicked receive their consequences, don't they?

The 5th plague is released on the beasts of the Egyptians, a very grievous murrain, but the Israelite animals were unafflicted. "And the LORD shall sever between the cattle of Israel and the cattle of Egypt: and there shall nothing die of all that is the children's of Israel." (Exod. 9:4) The 6th plague God wrought from Moses' hands, handsful of ashes from a furnace, released in eyeshot of Pharaoh, that he might know where the boils and blains on the skin of his people came from, and even at this, he did not yet soften his heart.

This 7th plague was significant in Egypt and in Pharaoh, because for the first time, he spoke of a crack in his armor, and he acknowledged Moses' God, the God of Israel; "And Pharaoh sent, and called for Moses and Aaron, and said unto them, I have sinned this time: the LORD is righteous, and I and my people are wicked." (Exod. 9:27) Inasmuch that Pharaoh admitted Egypt's sinfulness (Pharoah and Egypt are considered one and the same from those days), yet, with a hardened heart, he continued to hold Israel hostage in bondage!

At the 8th plague of locusts, Pharaoh's armor is cracking even more so, as now he not only asks forgiveness, but puts himself in a strait of words, asking for forgiveness only this once! Oh, but you're going to sin again, aren't you Pharaoh? "Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in haste; and he said, 'I have sinned against the LORD your God, and against you. Now therefore forgive, I pray thee, my sin only this once, and intreat the LORD your God, that he may take away from me this death only.'" (Exod. 10:16 - 17) There is a lesson here, in that we should never ask God to forgive any sin we make only once, for we know not at all that we may commit that sin again, and by our own words then, what shall we speak with God, if peradventure we sin that sin again? How wonderful it is that we have a very forgiving God! "Jesus saith unto him, 'I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven...So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.'" (Matt. 18:22, 35) "Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him." (Luke 17:3 - 4)

Now the 9th plague was the last time Pharaoh's heart was hardened, because the 10th was unbearable for all of Egypt. The 10th plague also gave rise to the institution of the passover, which involved an unblemished lamb, killed and eaten roasted, its blood smitten on the 2 side posts and upper doorpost of the house entrance, the meal also consisting of unleavened bread and bitter herbs. If anything of it remained, it was to be burned before morning. During this last plague of midnight, the Lord killed in entirety the first born of Egypt, even of their cattle! "And it came to pass, that at midnight the LORD smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle. And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt; for there was not a house where there was not one dead." (Exod. 12:29 - 30) What a blockhead! He had to experience an entire 10 plagues before letting God have His way! Makes a person think, though...how many times were we a blockhead when He wanted to have His way with us?