Cults: Part 1

We think of cults as those unorthodox religious bodies with a charismatic leader who use mind-boggling techniques to mislead the members, usually to control and wield power. We think of Jim Jones of Guyana, and David Koresh of Waco. A cult normally has dedicated followers obedient to the directions of the leader. Those in cults follow the will of the leader even when the leader is at odds with scripture. Usually, the spiritual battle with Christians is between our own will and God's. With cults, the battle is between our own will and the cult leaders. The leaders have the capacity to win the battle of spirituality, because their gods are led by the powers of darkness.

Acts 8:9 "But there was a certain man called Simon, who previously practiced sorcery in the city and astonished the people of Samaria, claiming that he was someone great, 10  to whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, “This man is the great power of God.”  11 And they heeded him because he had astonished them with his sorceries for a long time. 12 But when they believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized. 13 Then Simon himself also believed; and when he was baptized he continued with Philip, and was amazed, seeing the miracles and signs which were done. 18  when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money,19  saying, 'Give me this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit.' 20  But Peter said to him, 'Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money! 21 You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God. 22 Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. 23 For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity.'”

This is the story of Simon the Sorcerer. We need to be clear what a sorcerer is. Sorcerer and magician is not the same, although this sorcerer was called Simon Magus by the Romans. A magician uses illusions, slight of hand and trickery to deceive. Sorcerers use  the power of evil spirits to actually do supernatural things. We can be deceived or entertained by magic, but Simon was powerful and deceitful for his own purposes.

Simon practiced sorcery, not magic, although with superstitious people, they appear to be the same. Of course, I'm sure much of what Simon did was trickery, but some of it was the real thing. Where have we heard this before? In Pharoah's court where the magicians were matching Moses, feat for feat, with the help of what must have been evil spirits. Why is that demons rather than trickery? Because Moses would have pointed out the slight of hand because God was with him.

Christians, and everyone else for that matter, must understand that there are indeed spiritual powers working in the world. Just as angels can be revealed, disguised, or be invisible; evil spirits can as well. Angels appeared often to mankind to guide and comfort God's people. Likewise, dark angels appear to misguide and antagonize God's people.

Job 1:6  ^"Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. 7 And the Lord said to Satan, 'From where do you come?' So Satan answered the Lord and said, 'From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it.'”

Angels can only do what God allows them to do. Righteous angels do God's will, which is good. God allows Satan to test righteous people. Satan can only be in one place at a time because he is not God. Hence, "sons of God" - dark angels, but God's sons because He created them, do Satan's work for him.

Revelation 12:3 "And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads. 4 His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth."

The fiery red dragon is symbolic of the angel Lucifer who we know as Satan. The "stars of heaven" are the rebellious angels who were thrown "down to earth". Earth is the kingdom of Satan, and his legions are the rebellious angels which we call evil spirits. Of all the angels which were in heavenly places, fully one-third were cast down to frustrate and test mankind. They are limited to doing only what God wills in the case of Christians but can harm others at their discretion. Christians have a hedge of protection around them. They are safe until they die! Only the righteous person can relinquish their safety if Satan's tests are failed. The rules are: you can do anything but touch (Job 1:12).

As a Christian, I know that I'm protected, and as such, I have safety.  Satan is not allowed to touch me, so he must use different means. We all should know that the M.O. of Satan is deception because he was a liar from the beginning.(John 8:44). Satan, then, can use either deception, magic, or sorcery. I believe that because of the limited number of dark angels compared to righteous angels, two to one, that sorcery is the last resort. Most of the time, we're deceived by words already sown in the world from olden times. Satan's job is easy because mankind is already his children! However, the Book of Job makes it clear - Satan and his legions have supernatural power to cause chaos, despair, and even the death of loved ones.

Simon believed and was baptized. As such, he became a Christian, albeit for only a short time. Immediately, the cunning serpent went on the attack. He wasn't on the job because Satan's legions usually prevent anyone from believing, but who would have thought that Simon would be convinced?

With each second, Simon was nearer salvation than when he first believed. (Romans 13:11). Satan failed to stop Simon from first believing. Now he must immediately go on the defensive!

Note here that people aren't attacked by Satan until God calls them to repentance. They already belong to Satan.

John 8:44 "You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. "

Sinners who are not born-again and adopted by God are sons and daughters of Satan. Their uncles and aunts are demons, and it is the will of their father which they do. Simon did those things with his sorcery. When he first believed, his faith was in Jesus. He saw the miracle of the Holy Spirit entering Christians, and he wanted that power. Satan stopped just for a minute, or maybe one of his evil spirits, and tested him with profit. The love of money, being the root of all evil (1 Tim 6:10), it didn't take long for Simon to become unsafe. He traded his faith - his very soul, for the love of money. Ironically, he never got the money even though he offered to buy that power.

God is not for sale. Philip rejected profit for God's miracles. Simon was tempted to learn the power of God, obviously for power, prestige, and profit. His temptations were the same as Adam's and Jesus's but whereas Jesus didn't fall to temptation, Simon was more of an Adam! He failed. Satan smiled!

Simon was for a short time washed clean. With the smell of gain in the air, whose prince is Satan, Simon's heart became not right with God, and God's hedge was removed. Simon went from safe to unsafe because of his wickedness. Note that Simon had not actively sinned, but his heart lusted after gain! Satan uses temptation to cause lust, and lust is sin.

We must realize that we're no different than Simon. God can call us to belief just as he did Simon. Satan can deceive Christians just as he did Simon. He told Simon something such as this: "If you change, you will have to give up your sorcery." That was Simon's way and his living. He believed that be could be safe and do Satan's will at the same time!" We are much like him! Being born-again means change, and like Simon, many Christians fail to make that transformation! We become vulnerable to sin, just as Simon was.

It may not yet be obvious, but we have taken the first step toward understanding cults. Simon learned something about God's power by experiencing faith for a short time. He realized that faith can be used for gain, and thus, right then and there, a new religion was born. In part 2 we will learn more about that religion which almost smothered Christianity if it had not been for God's plan.

Who God Is; Who God Is Not

God is not a genie. Genies are spirits mentioned often in the Islamic Quran as Jenns. They are not only spiritual beings but material as well. Some are good and some are evil, having free will just as humans do. Genies can possess humans, and even have sexual intercourse with them. We are all familiar with genies in bottles, which when rubbed three times, give the person three wishes. That is what fantasy has made them out to be, just as the devil has been made into a red-horned creature with hooves.

Of course, the West does not look at God as an evil person, but Gnostics did. The Creator God, for them, was a demiurge which means "craftsman", but because in Gnosticism material is evil, the demiurge was an evil side of God. Let's return for a moment to genies, though.

Many use God as a genie. He is kept in a symbolic bottle until someone needs something. Then people endeavor to rub Him just the right way, and poof, their wish is His command.  The only faith they have in God is that since every luxury desired before, will be provided again, He is a god who always turns water into wine, so to speak.

Many use their created genie God in times of trouble. As people sin, they get themselves in a jam. They pray to God to fix things for them. If things don't change, then their genie god is not God. If they get their wish, they thank the genie then put him back into the bottle. A genie God is for human's use and misuse. He does good things for "his children" because he is a benevolent genie! God is not a genie, not even a good one!

Now back to God as a demiurge. George Costanza in the sitcom Seinfeld blamed God when things went wrong. Jerry said, "I thought you didn't believe in God," to which George replied, "I do when bad things happen!" For George, and people like him, God is a demiurge who can only do bad things. He causes famine, natural catastrophes, social ills, sickness, death, and hate. Their God is responsible for even Trump being elected! We saw this yesterday when a Tampa professor said that hurricane Harvey was bad karma on Texas for voting for Trump. This professor pulled his demiurge god out of his bottle, and relegated evil to him.  God is not a demiurge, although he is Creator! What he created is good.

At the end of each day of the creation scripture says that "it is good". At the end of the sixth day He said this:

Genesis 1:31 "Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day."

All that God created was very good!  All is not good now. What happened to the Creation? Man came along, sinned, and recreated what was good, into a sinful world. Of course, we were only doing what Satan tempted us to do, but we still did it. Mankind made the world evil, at Satan's behest, then turned this evil world over to him as prince of this world. God is not an evil God. Man is the evil god. We became as gods, and polluted what was good. George should never blame Jehovah, but can accept part of the blame himself!

On the other end of the spectrum is the gnostic spiritual god. He is "good" just as He is described in scripture but from him no type of negativism originates. This God is a Monad - the One, and the light which comes from Him is Pleroma - the spiritual side of God. Gnosticism was a competitor to Christianity early on, in that for them Jesus did not die on the cross, but only a phantasm - spirit. Isa, Islam's version of Jesus, is much like that.

In Gnosticism, God's traits are called Aeons. They are all part of the Monad but they are male and female, good and evil.  Positive Christianity has adapted the Aeon of Pleroma as their God. What is positive Christianity? Much of it is what is practiced by Joel Osteen. He preaches only on what the world considers the positive aspects of Christianity - salvation, hope, eternal life, and so forth. Osteen never preaches on Hell nor punishment. That god is not the God of the Bible. He is an invention, and he is derived from Gnosticism. 

Christ is not the Christ of positive Christianity. God is not the Monadic Pleroma of Gnosticism either! We've looked at Gnosticism, now let us examine positive Christianity.

That type of "Christianity" is heresy. It comes from evil itself - Nazism! It was not dependent on Christ nor even the Apostle's Creed. Christ was created according to the ideals of National Socialism. Since Jews were hated, the entire Old Testament was discarded!  We must remember that Hitler several times said that he was a Christian. However, his "Christ" was not the Jesus of Holy Scripture, but a demiurge from Nazism! His Jesus taught that Jews were to be hated, and that the white race is supreme.  Hitler always sought "secret knowledge" from those like Madam Helena Blatvasky, a theosophist wo helped usher in the New Age Movement. In other words, positive Christianity comes from evil forces, and anything not good comes from Satan.

Of course Osteen's positive Christianity is not like Hitler's since it is wrapped in love. His is more neglect of one side of God's teachings - the hell and brimstone part, and is as such, is half a gospel. It has much truth within but lacks fully revealing truth.  God is not half-truth; God Is Truth! All the gospel message must be presented because part of the truth is that God is a just God.

Isaiah 45:21 "... there is no other God besides Me, A just God and a Savior; There is none besides Me."

We may not like God's justice because we are unrighteous, but that doesn't mean that God is not just! We should never take out the parts we don't like just because we disagree with them or believe them to be untrue! The Jefferson Bible took out the miracles of Jesus, essentially because he failed to believe that Jesus Is God! All those miracles were in fact positive, but Jefferson's Deist Creator God wasn't able to do even good things!

God's word is truth. We cannot fabricate our own God in our own image. Remembering that God created us in His image, if we turn that around, it is heresy. God is not like us; we are to be as He Is. The focus here is on God, not on "self". We will never be Gods, but try to be "as gods". Designing God in our manner is the ultimate pride. God is Who He Is. He just Is, and we can't change Him! Thank God for that because Hitler created a mean-spirited God!

In actually, positive Christianity is negative since it is hateful. On the other hand, Osteen's version of Christianity is positive and loving, but it is still only half the gospel. He indicated that those from India worship the same God. No they don't! To believe that is univeralist thought, practiced by Unitarian-Universalists. Indeed, their brand of Christianity is positive, but it is also heresy! The other gods worshiped are not the One True God. For instance, Allah, meaning God in Arabic, is not doctrinally the same God as the Judeo-Christian God JHVH. He is more the demiurge of Gnosticism.

Equating other gods with God is evil. God is a jealous God (Exod 20:5), and by worshiping other gods, those who do are fornicators against God. They call themselves a "church" but we must ask, "Whose church?" Other gods are not Gods!

God is not a "multiple choice" God. We cannot pick and choose what we wish to believe. That would make us as gods, which we are not, although by our actions, we think that we are! God's Word is Truth whether we like it or not:

Psalm 31:5 "Into Your hand I commit my spirit; You have redeemed me, O Lord God of truth."

People don't care much for the Lord God of Truth! They desire God designed with their limited knowledge. Those who deny the Word of God as Truth, deny Jesus for He Is - the Word (John 1). As such, Holy Scripture is the very Word of Jesus who is God With Us. That Is God; anything less is not! He didn't come to save the world from despair, but from sin. It's not that he doesn't care about poverty, illness, and hatred; but His mission is to keep us from dying an eternal death. Of course, if we have faith in Him, he will answer our prayers, but again, He is not a genie God!

In fact, God doesn't answer the prayers of those who are Satan's, save one: the sinners prayer of repentance:

John 9:31 "Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him."

If selfish prayers are answered, it is not God who answers them! What is prayed for must be the will of God. Of course, His will is that you repent. Each time we pray we must ask for forgiveness in the pattern of the Lord's Prayer -  it is His will that be done, and we must ask for forgiveness of our sins. God is not a god who honors those serving another master!

God is not a female and has no feminine side. Indeed, God is physically not a male either. He just Is!  As Creator, He is our Father, as He is in dominion. Out of respect we call Him our Father. He is Father because he sired the Son. To remold him as female or feminine is the ultimate disrespect because he has dominion over the universe. Some may not like it, but God created the male to have dominion over His Creation. As such, relegating Him as a Her is heresy! God does not have a male side and a feminine side. He just Is. Those who claim to be Christians need to get out of the "God Designing" business. It will fail because God the Father Was before we ever were!

God is not really three "persons". God is One. Persons are mankind's feeble attempt to describe God's homeostasis - or substance. God is One with the three aspects - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It is not "God and Jesus" or even "Jesus and the Holy Ghost"! It is God when speaking of the Father, Son, or Holy Ghost. Christians do that in carelessness, but it is actually irreverent to seemingly create multiple Gods. For instance, it was God who died for us, and God who came back to Comfort us. He just appears to us in different likenesses. To create new Gods is what the First Commandment tells us not to do!

Matthew 28:19 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit..."

Essentially this says, "Baptize in the name of the One True God" because God was called Jesus and called Emmanuel, but he remained I AM THAT I AM.  Being baptized in "Jesus Name" is equivalent, lest we forget that Jesus Is God!

There is importance in Jesus name. The Jews worship the One True God  but fail to recognize His entire identity. He is more than Creator. He is Savior! They recognize Him as a coming Messiah but fail to accept Him as having already come and saved! Recognizing that God has already died for mankind is essential doctrine. God is not one who has yet to die for the sins of mankind. JHVH is missing part of His assets, in he views of Judaism.

John 14:6 "Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."

People don't like that because they see it as narrow and intolerant of other beliefs, but Jesus Is God (John 14:9), and salvation is only by Jesus!  God is not the Father who had no Son. This may confuse some, but by being born of a virgin was God's vehicle for becoming flesh. He is no less God because of his flesh than he was before. Because of His omnipotence, God created us, and manifested himself in the same manner. With Jesus birth, another God was not created, but God came to us in the flesh. As such, Jesus was God's Spirit and Mary's flesh. He was the Son of God and the Son of Man, but he Is God, and not just a man! Therefore, God is not three "persons" but three aspects.

God is supernatural. His manifestation in Jesus is the supernatural revealed in the natural. However, God is not of nature, but of Himself. What that means is that God wasn't created as all nature was, but always existed! The One True God was not created, but Created. As such, Jesus is not created but was the Creator because He Is God! (John 1). If you think of the Father as the Creator only, it was God who created, but he used different aspects to create. Think on it this way: God planned it, the Word (Jesus) spoke it, and the Holy Spirit with Power made it come about! A lesser God is not God! Those who believe in "God" but that he didn't create, believe neither in the Father, Jesus, nor the Holy Spirit; who are all the Creator!

God is not the God who can't create, because if He can't create a place to live for a time, He certainly could not create a place to life for eternity! It is essential that Christians believe that God created it all, and that Jesus - who is the Way, created us, as well as died for us! God is not the one who did not die for us!

God is not a lot more than what I have listed. Those are examples. People have invented all types of gods. Indeed, there are a pantheon of gods people created, but none of them are God. God has many characteristics but all of them are love. Even if He allows us to choose wrongly, he cries, but one thing God does not do - He doesn't send people to hell. Satan does that. God only gives the liberty for those to choose their own destiny. With free will, people are masters of their own fate. Choose wisely - choose the real God!

Receiving Others

One stands at the door and knocks. What shall we do?

Romans 15:7 "...receive one another, just as Christ also received us, to the glory of God."

I stand at the door and knock. What will you do? What would Jesus do?

I do some things for which I am ashamed. You do too! If you have put those things out of mind, you are in denial. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23). I know what you're thinking: your sins are greater than mine. Actually, my sins may be greater! The forces of evil use my sins as a way to rationalize your own. I do that too. No one is immune! I even use the apostle Paul's struggle with his flesh to rationalize my own struggle.

Some hold things which I have done against me. God has forgotten what I have done:

Isaiah 43:25 “I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; And I will not remember your sins."

God has the capacity to forget sins because He is God and is all powerful. Even though he is all-knowing, He can elect not to know!  We are neither omnipotent nor omniscient, but we too can choose to forget. We do that by not dwelling on the sins of others, focusing instead on our relationship with God. We put the past out of mind. If we truly forgive, just as God does, we also choose to forget. There is never ever an excuse for not loving those we are commanded to love! Some didn't forget, and never will forget what you have done; that is unloving. You are in effect saying: my god, myself, is too great to serve you. By not serving me, unfortunately, you are not serving God either.

I knock at your door. What shall you do? Some hide as if they're not home. Others stand by the window and sneer. Others hide in fear. Others delight in their hatred. How do you respond to my knock? How do you respond when others of my kind knock?

We are to receive one another. Paul reminded the Romans that they must do that. Why so? Because that is what Jesus does. Jesus receives me - sinner Larry but some of you may not. Jesus receives sinner you, and I will too. Scripture is all about loving the sinner but not the sin. That is a fair summary of what Holy Scripture is all about! Without regard to what the sin is, we must receive the sinner. Jesus does that!

When I was young, I wanted to be saved. However, I was too much of a sinner for God to have mercy upon, or so I thought. I believed that since I was so wicked that Jesus would not accept me. To be acceptable to him, I made a new command for me: I must be good for a month or so for Jesus to receive me. I always failed. Being good to become worthy is not the way for Jesus to receive us. "He so loved the world" means he receives me "just as I am". He doesn't wait for people to change to receive them; he changes them after they are received!

Of course, our many little gods are more critical of others than is Jesus. Those who claim to be good Christians refuse to receive one another. I am a Christian, yet some other Christians even fail to receive me. It may be my attitude, my sins, my looks, my education or lack thereof, my wealth or poverty, or just because I am me. Some are overt in rejecting me while others do it covertly. Those who do it either way fail to do what Jesus does - receive us just as we are!

Have you ever been to a church where other Christians despise you? I have. To be in the presence of the Holy Spirit, is when God's people are of one accord. We must love and receive one another. I had one church where a Christian overtly made it clear that he despised me. He received me not - even shunned me. How Christian is that?  It does happen, and yet we wonder why sinners don't want to come to church.

We can't always change churches to avoid hard-hearted Christians. I've tried that. Jesus wants us to reconcile regardless to whom the fault lies. (Matthew 5:24). I had two people who hated me. One told me so, and the other one made it clear by shunning me. I was miserable. One told me I was hated because I'm me. I suppose that is rational -  maybe not!

I went to each one, and accepted their hatred. I apologized, basically, for being me. Much to my surprise these sinners received me just as Jesus would. We became friends, and one became my ally. I was blessed much more than I deserved! Those two sinners who did not follow Jesus, did what Jesus would do. Yet those who follow Jesus, well, won't follow Jesus. They do what they want to do.

What is it that people want to do? What is it evil forces draw Christians to do? They reject one another much to Jesus's chagrin, and to their own travail. Why do I say that? Because when Christians reject one another, it is done with much effort because they are going against God! Sinning, for a Christian, is hard work or else they must not be Christians. Going against God is the path of most resistance. Christians make much effort to do what sinners do easily.

My point is that true Christians put in much effort to reject others. If they are Christians, they must feel guilty about who they are - un-Christlike, or different than the one they claim to follow and worship.

Receiving one another is being a friend. Friendship is mutual affection. We must love one another, and if we don't receive one another, there is no love nor friendship. What is the absence of love? Hatred! Scripture tells us that hatred is murder (1 John 3:15). If you do not receive a person, then you murder them, not them physically, but their spirit!

I have been killed many times over. You have as well. When we are not received by another person, then our spirit has been knouted. We are still alive but to those who don't receive us, we are dead.

What is it, that we must do to be as Christ? We are to love one another. We are to receive them as friends. That's how we show Jesus our love - by receiving others.

Don't Care What People Think

I must be a glutton for hate because I keep writing commentary on scripture which is at odds with the way people want to live their lives. I'm guilty but please don't hate me for it because I am speaking to myself as well. Well, here goes:

A defense of alternate appearance is "I don't care what people think!" I've heard that so often. However, when some of those same people failed to get a job they wanted, they add, "It's because of how I look/act/behave or whatever." There are standards that are set by society. Those standards are adjusted more liberally with time, but as they move forward, so do those of alternate appearance.

As a former manager who sometimes hired people, regardless of what we said, we did look at the appearance of people. How people present themselves is an expression of what is important to them. For me, even an earring hole made me wonder, "What is important to this guy?" It seems silly now but at one time it was the very different people who wore what was considered female jewelry. Nowadays, that seems so unfair but it was an announcement: "I don't care what people think!"

The extreme this instant was radical in years past. A swim at the waterpark reveals what is important to people. Piercings of all types, and huge and numerous tattoos are in vogue. Even beautiful women have intentionally ruined their beautiful God-given skin by discoloring it.  Others look like pigs released from the ringing crate with what appears to be boogers beneath their noses. People show off their body art, not caring what others think.

For others, it's silly hairstyles. Man-buns are ugly even on women. Pony-tails extending from the crowns of men are feminine. If you don't like my thoughts, you've said many times, "I don't care what people think!" I am one of those people, and there are many others of the same notion.

Some women dress extremely immodestly. I have heard them say, "I don't care what people think!" They display their wares for all to lust after, not caring that they are doing so, and even encouraging it.

People smoke dope openly. Many of us hate dope, but potheads don't care what people think! Even those who despise cigarette smoke see nothing wrong with the devil's weed. People think irrationally, but they don't care what people think!

Then, we move into the area of what God wills. People do what is right in their own mind, and they don't care what God thinks. When they finally "apply" for heaven on bended knee, their viewpoint will change. Their in-your-face lifestyle will be shown vividly to them. They indeed will suddenly care what God thinks!

My own viewpoint on what people look like seems petty. I do think it's silly with all the new fads, but truthfully, it is not what I think that matters. I may have, with my prejudices, prevented you from getting a good job, but that's not what really matters. It is what God thinks because we are told to do God's will. Does God care what his people look like? He is impressed by the humility of sack cloth, camelhair, and ashes. Why so? All these represent meekness. They are placing little importance on the body. God covered the immodesty of Adam and Eve. He cared that they be modest.

Leviticus 19:27 "You shall not shave around the sides of your head, nor shall you disfigure the edges of your beard. 28 You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor tattoo any marks on you: I am the Lord."

God said this. He cares about your hair and skin. Why? In discussing the things the pagans do (Deuteronomy 12), God said:

Deuteronomy 12:8 “You shall not at all do as we are doing here today (pagan practices) —every man doing whatever is right in his own eyes."

Cuttings, piercings, and tattoos are what pagans do. Their tribalism is announced by their mutations of the body. It is them and their tribe which is important. They appease their god by marking themselves as his! (Not intentionally but without considering it).

Actually, God doesn't care what's on the outside:

1 Samuel 16:7 "But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

Many people think that Christian liberty is the freedom to do what is right in their own eyes. Scripture here indicates that what is on the outside doesn't matter. They seem to be right!

However.... and there is usually a however:  What is on the outside is a reflection of what is on the inside. Of course, there are no piercings or cuttings on the inside, but perhaps there should be! (More on that shortly.) For those who have cuttings, piercings, tattoos, weird hair styles, near-gone bikinis, etc., it is important to them. It appears that they do care what others think, because they dress/behave/decorate to make an impression on others. Those who don't care what other people think, are "alternate" to influence what others think! It may be to impress, repulse, anger, model, make a statement, attract, or whatever, but they indeed do care what others think! They deceive even themselves.

I believe that all these fashion statements are mostly because people do care what others think, and to the extreme. I am speaking in general but of course most of those would say, "That's not why I do those things!" Again, they delude themselves!

God gave standards for appearance. Some of them are in the passage above. There are more in the New Testament because God still cares! He cares how you appear to the world, and to Him. He cares that you might make-out Christianity to be pagan in nature, but mostly He cares what is on the inside. In fact, he tells you what to do - you need to cut yourself on the inside, not the outside!

Romans 2:28 "For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: 29 But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God."

Christians are to circumcise their hearts. The priest doesn't do this; they do. How is it accomplished? By presenting oneself a living sacrifice!

Romans 12:1 "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service."

God thinks it reasonable that you sacrifice yourself - your desires, your behavior, your lifestyle, and what's important to you. That is your living sacrifice, and circumcision of the heart. It's okay to cut off that old flesh inside and become a new creation. The old creature is marked on the outside with things the pagans do. Christians are no longer pagans, so our desire is to change, if we care what God thinks!

Why does God have such "silly" rules? He knows that we are our other gods besides Him, and he is jealous (Exodus 20:5). He is jealous of us! Rather than bring Him our gold, frankincense, and myrrh; representing His kingship, life, and death; we decorate our more important god by tattooing, cutting, piercing, dressing up or down, wearing silly hair, and behaving wrongly in defiance of God. It's not that he cares about our appearance but what drives us to appear that way! It's the pagan god Baal who appears to be the one people choose to please.

Early on, when I became a Christian, I quit doing the things pagans do. I quit filthy talk, cursing, and the outward things. Ceasing to do those things were not sacramental, but to please God. I cared what God thought, and he wanted me to change! It was easy to change the outward things but they were a refection of what was on the inside. I cared what God thought, and I did not want to be a stumbling block to others.

It is for certain, it's so much easier to change what is on the outside than on the inside, and if one isn't willing to change the former, are they truly changing the latter? Of course, we can't change what is already done, but we can change what is on the inside. That is our reasonable service to God. We cease to desire what we desired before.  That's why we should care what people think, and Jesus is a person too! We should care to do God's will, decorate Him royally, and cease presenting ourselves to the world something we are not - as gods!

Christian Principles

Principles are fundamental truths which are the foundation of our belief system. It seems that the world has more principles than Christians because they take a more solid stand for what they believe in. For instance, people demonstrate in great numbers in favor of abortion, for same-sex marriage, and for social justice. They strongly believe that they are on the side of truth, and take a firm stand in favor of their ideals. They are, in fact zealots. Christians are not! At least most seldom demonstrate it.

As Christians we have the idea that all we need to do is believe, and God will take care of evil. We never even consider that God allows evil as a test of our principles.

In 589 B.C. Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon laid siege to Jerusalem and within a year or two, Jerusalem and God's temple (Solomon's) were destroyed. King Zedekiah  attempted to escape, but he was captured, blinded and taken to Babylon as a prisoner, along with the elite of Judah. Only a few remained to tend to Judah, and most of them fled to Egypt. In other words, although Jeremiah constantly warned the people of the impending destruction, the people never accepted his prophecies. Their attitude was: God will take care of us, and we can never be destroyed!

The Jews had become a worldly people. They claimed God but God was not theirs. If you remember, with the Abrahamic Covenant, the Hebrew people were promised all the land from the sea to the Euphrates, and from Egypt northward to what is now Turkey. God fulfilled his promise starting with Joshua, and ending with Solomon. King David ruled all that land promised to them by God, with one provision - that they be his people.

The Hebrews emancipated themselves as children of God. They became the offspring of Baal, never quite forgetting God but more often accepting other gods on high places. Jeremiah warned the people, but they failed to listen: we are God's people, and it couldn't happen here!

On a much smaller scale, even I have been of that mindset: I watched the big ship General Motors Corporation sink, thinking that it was too big to sink. There were many prophets of doom but I still stood on his damp decks watching the waves overwhelm it, but I kept my common shares and even bought more. At the end of the storm, General Motors ceased to be, and my portfolio was depleted.  I refused to accept the inevitable, and went down with the big ship GMC!

Just as Israel and Judah were the promised land, and the Hebrews God's chosen people, America was founded upon the precepts of God, and us Gentiles were its chosen people. Being an everlasting covenant, we inherited the Abrahamic Covenant after the Hebrew people squandered it. 

Some theologians believe that Revelation Chapter 13 is America, the beast which arises from the land. It does describe us quite well! If so, then we are mentioned in the Bible. At any rate, since we are a nation that arose, we are included in biblical prophecy, and as a Gentile nation, we were elected by God to be his chosen people after the Hebrews rejected Him.

I am no Jeremiah, but my warnings are the same as Jeremiah's: we must be  God's people or we'll cease to exist. We all know that the West, and even the United States, is in decay, and that God has little place in the average American's life. Outside of a few attending church, many of which are  apostate, Americans are not faithful to God! Our lack of faithfulness is revealed with the lack of Christian principles. While others are zealots for the destruction of America, we merely sing a little louder, and complain, sit idly by, and let it fall. God is testing us: we are Jerusalem in the sense of divine planning, and our faith is Solomon's Temple.

Christ is daily undermined, and Christians are under persecution. However, we sit by, even us more strong in the faith, and think: God will take care of us. That is true to some extent. Just as a few Jews fled safely to Egypt, some Christians will be spared as well. In the long term, we shall be saved when the world as we know it falls after we're raptured to heaven. God's promise is to take care of our souls, but the destiny of our humanity lies on our shoulders as well. We must be faithful to God, and stand up for His name sake. We must be principled enough to speak loudly for Jesus even when we face persecution!

1 Samuel 12:22 "For the Lord will not forsake His people, for His great name’s sake, because it has pleased the Lord to make you His people."

God will never leave us, but He allows us to leave Him. This passage refers to the Jews. God never left them, but they left Him. Now, this promise belongs to the Gentiles because Christians are now His people. We must be principled enough as well - for his name's sake!

The beginning of many sorrows are:

Matthew 24:9 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. "

Few have to worry about persecution because few have Christian principles - to stand up for Jesus's name. Tribulation is having to endure persecution. Those who do will fight for Jesus's name until the end. The apostles were all persecuted for Jesus's name. When to the days of Noah the world returns, then persecution begins to be the rule. Christians, we have arrived; we are as in the days of Noah! How is that? We are beginning to be persecuted; God's elect, for His name's sake. Our belief system is under attack. That's our faith!

Strangely enough, the church is on the side of the world. Maybe even your church! As we enter into the like times of Noah, churches will be neither hot nor cold but lukewarm. God will vomit them out of His mouth, (paraphrased from Rev. 3:16). Churches which support same-sex marriage, feminism, and abortion - the rotten food which God will puke.

Right now, the destruction of statues is in vogue. The vehemence is not really about the confederacy; we are just in the initial steps of destroying the true Church,  not that those statues are part of what is right, but they are part of our history and tradition. Already, because the Church has tolerated slavery, they too will fall victim to persecution. I'm not worried about Christian icons but the Church itself, and ironically, the church is one of the main persecutors of the Church!

Major denominations preach against hatred, but limit it to certain groups, even as more hatred comes from others. They show a bias toward the ideas of the world. Sin is sin without regard to the political leanings. The sins of the left and the sins of the right are all sins. God allows this to happen to test principles. Mob rule, where everyone does what is right in their own eyes, is anarchy, and the result is chaos! (Judges 17:6). When civil rule is destroyed, so are its institutions. Marx very plainly says that property, families, gender roles, incentive, our institutions, and even our faith must go in favor of the state, and here we go: handing to Marx our land on a platter. I'm speaking of socialism, social justice, and liberation theology. They are all of the Devil.

Finally, finally, the truth has come out! Elizabeth Warren recently accepted what we Christians have been saying for quite some time: that the Democrat Party belongs to the progressives. They are admittedly the Marxists, and that was demonstrated when socialist Bernie Sanders was allowed to run openly as one. Now Warren is the standard-barrier for Marx.

As did Jeremiah, I am warning you from scripture. Because we Christians lack principles to fight back, we will fall, just as Jerusalem and the Temple fell. The foundations are being undermined as I write. The statues are the first to fall, but as a divided nation and divided Church, we will fall with it. To where will you run? It is a world-wide attack on Christian faith?

Marx wrote of revolution. The violence you see on the streets are of his making. He was Satan's representative on earth, but his banner is now held high by most. Republicans can't save us. Democrats are destroying us, but God can protect us if we turn to Him. That doesn't seem to be happening. In fact, unprincipled Christians are drifting further away! Just watch as statues of Moses and Noah are defaced or removed, just as those of the Ten Commandments are now.  We are already seeing statues of Mary and Jesus hidden, as if they are shameful! Jeremiah was the weeping prophet - weeping for Judah and the Hebrew people. I'm not a prophet but I weep for America and Christianity.

We are headed into charted waters. God's people have been there before. We forget easily, even as it was written for future generations. Surely God must be wrong! I bet that He is not.

Monster America

Micah 6:12  For her rich men are full of violence, her inhabitants have spoken lies, and their tongue is deceitful in their mouth. 13 '“Therefore I will also make you sick by striking you, by making you desolate because of your sins.'"

We are in the age of dis-enlightenment!  Rather than truth, people seek darkness. They would rather believe the lie:

2 Thessalonians 2:10 "...and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, 12 that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness."

The problem with people today, as in previous times, is that people prefer deception rather than truth. People will perish, even for eternity, because they just refuse to believe God's word. Their mantra is: tell me what I want to hear! That is destructive but people still silently cry it out. In fact, if they don't get deception, they get violent until they do. Just try telling even those who are friends the truth about their spiritual condition, and what will you get? Don't judge me!

Even that expression is not the truth because it's not the whole truth!

Matthew 7:5 "First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye."

Scripture can also be used to foster deception. Judgment is reserved for those who live according to God's will. Then scripture tells them to admonish, reprove, and correct those who live in sin (2 Tim 3:10). That can't be done without first forming an opinion - judging. It takes courage to tell another person that they are in the wrong! They usually will strike back because that is the nature of man. Mankind must protect their own self-gods at all costs! This instinct to preserve oneself leads to violence. The more they are acclimated to self-indulgence, the angrier they get when others quit indulging them!

Dr. Frankenstein created a man as he envisioned him. He meant well when he took body parts form various others, and created a man in the image he thought would do good. Frankenstein's creation became a monster, and turned on him. When society endeavors to create mankind in the image they would have him, inevitably society's creation turns monstrous. Society today is what came after the elite created him. Sure, it appeared to be for good that our people have been remolded, but they have turned it into evil.

Each member of society does what is right in their own eyes. That's what monsters do! That's what the people did with their were weak laws in the land. (Judges 17:6). That is what anarchy is - people doing what is right in their own eyes. Unfortunately for them and society, what mankind wants to do is evil in the sight of the Lord. Then, when Order attempts to ride Chaos bareback, violence ensues. Chaos bucks, neighs, and attempts to rid Order from his back.

Today, we are not living safely in the corral of Peace, but in the wilderness of Chaos. Everywhere people are doing what is right in their own eyes, and those in charge pay tribute to them as a means of keeping them corralled. Civil society lives in fear of Chaos breaking out of its corral and influencing the tame horses around - to eject any and all who attempt to ride in peace.

Tribute is a nice word for paying off the bully to restrain from bullying. Peace-seeking nations throughout history paid tribute (money, goods, and obedience) if only bully and violent nations not bully them. Of course, after the tribute ended, the bully nation would come in and destroy!

Right now in America, as is much of the world, America is paying tribute to those who seek to destroy us. We fear that these bullies will turn violent and destroy our country. As such, civil people are vassals to these bullies. If we don't pay homage to the bullies, we fear for our existence.

Who are those bullies? They are the elite who live in the shadows but steer America's ship toward the icebergs. They want big ship America to become damaged and water-logged but don't want it to sink. Their desire is to build this ship in the image they want it, but like Dr. Frankenstein, the monster they want will destroy. Those who want what is right in their own eyes desire beautiful Liberty, but their monster will be more like Bacchus - a drunken, brawling, licentious nation.

Miss America, right now, is being turned into an ugly old hag by those who are making her into a monster. They are trying to improve her image, but their mind's eyes, have a different images as to what is beautiful. Many like Miss America as she is, but others will still reshape Miss America, even if it takes violence to do so!

America was made in the image of God. It's founders did that on purpose. Even our government structure was taken from Hebrew civil law, based on what God told them. As a republic, Miss America has been beautiful, had fidelity, is faithful, and has prospered. Now, dark forces are making her out to be an infidel, faithless, and a liar. Our beautiful America is becoming an ugly old hag at the hands of lofty old Frankensteins! The body parts they are using are from Marx, Lenin, Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, Castro and Guevera. This new monstrous America has Clinton features because she is the statue who modeled for Monster America.

After all, it was her turn to be Miss America. We all knew that but didn't make her queen. Those who make monsters now turn to violence. Hillary was going to do it; now they must do the cutting, dissecting, and stitching to create their own hideous creature. The tools they use are us! Not me and those like me who think for themselves,  but those who allow themselves to salvage body parts from all over to make the monster. They are slaves to Frankenstein, and Dr. Soros smiles. They are programmed well, even turning to violence for their master.

We can see Monster America being created but can't stop the mad doctor! He has a plan and Satan helped him with it. It is to foment hate and division, even while condemning hatred! Satan uses "good" as an MO to elevate evil. This new America is being built on hatred, blindly accepted as loving. How foolish the herd has become!

What's ironic is that God allows all this! He is testing his people. (2 Thes 2:8 above). He allows this because we Christians allow evil into our midst. We are accepting the world's standards, and soon we will be servants to the Monster that we stood idly by, and allowed to be created. We shall reap what we sew!

What will stop the mad doctor and his slaves from turning our beloved America into a hideous Marxist mistress? It is prayer and action. If we have even a little faith to move mountains, with great faith, we can protect America from evil. We must do things. God made the walls of Jericho fall when his people obeyed. We can march on those who seek to destroy us, and their walls will fall. We just can't sit idly back, and believe God will do it without us, because it is happening because God allows it as a test of our faithfulness. Sadly, we are not faithful to God as we sit back and let monsters try to destroy him. Just sing a little louder. Monsters prefer our music to our actions.

Why Change History?

In these days, there is an attempt to change history. Who and what is to gain by modified history? Those now in charge can create a new myth: before us things were horrible, and with us things are good. This type of propaganda keeps those despots in charge, in charge. I'm not talking about who we have now but those after the revolution. When things get horrible in the present, do not fret; they are still better than they were under the previous despotic system. Even though the old system may have not been tyrannical, those in the past become tyrants as new truths are propagated!

I hate to use Russia so often as an example, but they are the prime example. They had some horrible Tzars. Most notably, Peter the Great, kept order with a vengeance, wiping out all those who crossed him. On the other hand, Russia flourished under his long reign. It finally caught up with Europe in majesty, and the people were better off. Thereafter, most of the Tzars, now emperors, were more considerate in their rule until barbarity virtually disappeared.  Times were better.

Under the last Tzar, Nicholas II, when he was away, his army dealt too harshly with those who came with their grievances. The Tzar was a fine fellow and nice guy, but this unnecessary harshness caused a breech between him and his subjects. Russia had always been the foremost target of Marxism because of their former serfdom. They were attacked harshly by Marxism, as the leftist used that crisis - they "never let a good crisis go to waste" in the words of Rahm Emmanuel under Obama.

The Tzar abdicated, and a republic was formed. America is blessed because republics are weak yet ours still stands. Of course, we are in more jeopardy now than since the Civil War, but as Franklin told Mrs. Powell, "We are a republic if we can keep it!" Russia could not.

Republics are democratic by nature. The people seek republicanism so that they can have a say. In Russia, it was the socialist Marxists who had the most say. There were two branches: those more civil - the Mesheviks, and the most dogmatic - the Bolsheviks. The people obtained freedom from the "king", as in America, but in Russia, the despots won out. Immediately, there was a civil war and the tyrants won. Hence, for decades, communist Russia was tyrannical and dangerous to the civilized world. As the Bolsheviks murdered all the royal family and many nobles, it showed its true colors. They were evil in the eyes of the world.

In fact, Russia returned again to the identity of Tzars. Peter II was a short-lived and weak Tzar.  As such, Alexander Danilovich Menshikov became Generalissimo - field marshal of the highest rank. Stalin killed off his adversaries - those who had formerly been his comrades, and took the title Generalissimo himself. The Tzardom had returned, and with even more cruelty than Peter the Great! Stalin even excelled Hitler in deaths as the Ukraine was starved into submission.

One thing the Marxists did and still do, is to wipe out history. Of course, not only were the royal house given to the firing squad - women, children, and even the elderly, but history was revised. Books were burned and records closed. Statues were torn down, and cities renamed. The former empire was obliterated. Even schoolchildren were re-indoctrinated: the Romanovs were an evil empire! It is communists who are good.

You see, that lie was easily believed because all vestiges of the previous civilization and their accomplishments were gone. There became a new history!

Civilized Russia became so because of the Romanovs. They built the cities and brought civilization to the east. Their armies became the best in the world, and the people gradually gained freedom after their country became the last of Europe to come out of the dark ages. Those not so good Tzars were responsible for a great Russia, the envy of the world. Then, with Marxism, goodness was destroyed, and only the evil remained. Their people believed the lie! The Communists merely stole what had been made and claimed it as theirs! St. Petersburg, renamed Petrograd under Nicholas II, became Leningrad under the communists. History was thus revized - it became the city of the communists and not Peter the Great!

If we look at tyranny the world over, it's the same. To make the new regime look better, the old rule must look worse. This is the tactic of Marxists everywhere. They are not builders but destroyers. The nature of Marxism is coveting what the people have built, and making it their own; then changing history to appear that it is they who made it great. Communist China did the same thing!

The revision of history is a strategy so that people accept change, and be happy with it. With revised history, they can only look at the past with hatred in their eyes. They believe the myth, and are happy to be living the lie. 

Why write this? America is undergoing this right now. The French fell for the lie when they guillotined any who was before. Even the term "leftist" came from the French Republic. They were Marxists before Marx even dreamed of his tainted Utopias - the one's whose foundations are built on deceit, and painted with lies! Since Marx, nearly all revolutions have been Marxist.

Marxism paints a pretty picture for the oppressed, but it is a one-sided portrait. The masses accept the lie because what is promised is better things. Of course, better things do come - for those in charge, but the people suffer worse yet delight in their breadcrumbs because of propaganda. They are continually told how better off they are with what they have than with what they had before.

The revolution started in Tzarist Russia years before rebels fired their first shots. It was a war fueled by propaganda. The media spread the lie. It's always how bad things have been and are, and all we need is to change. Unfortunately, those changes are always toward the worse. With more control, always comes a loss of freedom. Those who caused success are stifled and nations are turned over to those not motivated. Indeed, the prize of success drives people to work hard, but when hard work is turned over to the masses, motivation is lost.

Why all this? It's not religious commentary. Indeed it is, because those who change history are living the lie. They can't handle truth because they see no promise for themselves. Their prize is not eternal life in paradise, but paradise on earth - Utopia. That is the fruit they seek, and the Tree of Life offers little for them. Marxism is Godless for a reason - the masses must huddle around the government to receive better things. God is a barrier to their success.

Today, a revolution is in progress. It is a war between good and evil. Regardless of the nature of the rebels, hidden tyrants use them for their purpose. Crises are used to foment revolution. Rahm admitted that the Obama administration did that! A government agent told me that those crises are created. I already knew that because history repeats itself.

Those leftist counter-protesters, as well as those on the right, are mere tools of the masters who pull the strings. All of them will be sorry when history is gone. They have been deceived and used to further those who have the power. They are pawns in this dangerous game of chess but yet think they are kings. 

Do you not find it strange when those who scream "hate" are the most prolific haters? They really care little about love. It's change they want. Their desire is to do away with the old, and bring in the new. They want change which they think is better but they've been fooled. Tyrants pull their strings and they dance for them. It's the same old strategy the serpent used - it's pleasant to look at, good for food and will make one wise. We have found out many times over that the promised fruit doesn't make people as gods, but slaves!

Christians must side with history in this present revolution. Things were not as bad as they say. That is propaganda from the media whose profit is made when society loses. They are the fourth estate of a wicked estates general! They would never lower the guillotine, but it is they who keep it sharpened and swift.  Christians must go with order. We must never listen to the lies which redefine words. Our past is good; not all of it, but most of it. We have no need to change our past because that's who we are, and how we came about. Fairy stories are for kids. These counter-revolutionaries are mere children who have been given tainted Halloween Candy. It is they who will bite into the razor blades hidden so well in the apple.

If you love freedom, love our history. We have made it over two-hundred years when most republics have failed! "Mrs. Powell, we are a republic but it is ripe to fall. God forbid what it will be because the book of Revelation describes it so well."

Just All Get Along?

With the hatred being spewed - on both sides by the way, we are a divided nation. Basically, each side is saying and doing what is right in their own eyes, but the rest of us are caught in the middle. Few of us would associate with the Ku Klux Klan or the neo-Nazis. Few of us would associate with Black Lives Matter or Antifa, both of which have demonstrated themselves to be left-wig hate groups.

The Klan has made us all look bad. Conservatives do share some of the same ideas. That doesn't make conservatives KKK'ers. Many of us are even nationalists - patriots. That doesn't make us Nazis. On the other end, most liberals don't wear black uniforms and masks in public. They are not Antifa members even though they share some common beliefs. Likewise, many liberals believe that all lives matter, in the face of Black Lives Matter, who hold that belief only for themselves. The rest of us are merely mainstream people with different ideas. We shouldn't hate each other for different beliefs!

Christians often remark, "Let's just all get along!" That's a noble ideal, but there is a chasm which prevents that. It is the dark cloud of evil which hangs over the world. Jesus came to lift that cloud, but its lifting is voluntary. One must choose to walk from under the cloud of chaos into the light of peace.

We think that Jesus came to bring peace to the world. After all, it is said by the angels:

Luke 2:13 "And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: 14 “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”

This is the angels rejoicing at Jesus's birth. They didn't sing that Jesus was coming to bring peace, but that he is God, and that Jesus Is peace. His goodwill is what God Is -  goodness!  Since, Jesus is peace, belief in him is the only route to peace, but that is only spiritual in nature, and is personal peace. Just as Jesus didn't come to end slavery in the world, poverty, nor hunger; he didn't come to bring peace to the world!  I know: your Christmas song is ruined, and your viewpoint is destroyed. Cheer up! It is spiritual peace that truly matters - knowing that life can be eternal.

Division has come with Jesus. Of course it was here before, but he brought more. "How dare you say that!" you are thinking. I didn't but Jesus did:

Luke 12:51 "Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth? I tell you, not at all, but rather division.

He spoke of a house divided. Not the house itself, but those within it.

Matthew 10:35 "For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’..."

Because of Jesus, even those within the same family are divided. Why so? Those before he came were united, but united in sin. In the kingdom of evil people get along in evilness. Just examine the world in the time of Noah. Everyone was united against Noah. Everyone was united against God. However, they still sinned against each other - they were not so united under Satan!

Why can't we all just get along? Because this is not the kingdom of God, but Satan's realm. Getting along is love.  In fact, it is not Jesus's intent for us to all just get along in sin, but forsake sin. His desire is that we all get along with him as Savior. Why can't we all just get along:

James 3:11 "Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? 12 Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh."

We can't get along because we are all different. Our natures are different! My nature was at one time the same as the world's, and I could have got along very nicely with those of the same nature. God changed my nature - it is now to propagate and advocate God's will. His will is that evil be defeated. As fresh water, I will not mix with salt water. I can love them at a distance, but I can't be one of them. Truly, with my new nature, sin is reprehensible to me, and it should be to you as well!

As a Christian, I despise the socialism of the Nazis. Yes, I know liberals deny that, but they and communists are just another arm of Marxism. They are enemies but with similar beliefs, just as the Bolsheviks and Mensheviks during the Russian Revolution. The former meant "ones of the majority" and the latter "ones of the minority". They had the same socialist ideas but their leaders were different people. You see, those of like mind cannot get along because the Bolsheviks defeated their brethren. How then, can people of different beliefs get along? Without Jesus bringing peace to the hearts of each group, there will always be division - even among family members!

As a Christian, I despise the KKK. They hate, and hate is not in my heart. I don't even hate them. It is pity that I feel. We are taught to love our enemies. Jesus said that! In fact, they steal the thunder of some good ideas with the hatred they spew! They have ruined the reputation of conservatives and Christians with their hatred. My prayer for them is not to die, but to change. They need to go from a creature of hatred to one of love. Only Jesus can do that, and as a Christian, I must love them.

Both of these groups are extreme. They are zealots for what is right in their own eyes. However, what is right in their own eyes, is not in God's. Hatred is always evil. Indeed, scripture equates hatred to murder (1 John 3:15). That same scripture labels them as spiritually dead. Between Nazis and KKK'ers is a common denominator - hatred for those of a different I race. However, what divides them is their religion - one is anti-religious and the other claims to be Christians. However, hate is not part of Christianity. They cannot be Christians and true Christians can never accept them as part of the Church!

As Trump said, there is hatred on both sides. That should not offend thinking people. It only offends those with an itinerary. That notion is to make the alt-right, as the left has defined them, a part of the conservative movement. They are far removed from what us true conservatives are! Black Lives Matters are the KKK of the left-wing. They spew hatred as if its soda pop. Sure, they portend to love, but their words and actions don't portray it. They are just like the mob outside Noah's ark spewing hatred for God's people until the very end. God once washed the earth free of KKK'ers, Nazis, and those of the ilk of Black Lives Matter, but now they're back in full force!

Most people don't know who the Antifa are. They seek to destroy any remnant of Fascism. However, even their methods themselves are fascist in nature, and full of Nazi hatred. They have labeled anyone who believe differently than they as fascists.  Being Nazis, they ought to know what fascists are! By the way, Fascism and Nazism are not the same. Fascists were not racists by doctrine. Nazis are. They made the mistake of allying themselves with Nazis, and now, liberals have blended them into one. Fascism is evil, but not the same sort of evil as were the Nazis. By calling Nazis fascists, we are being too kind to them!

So here, we have it - America divided. We all just can't get along because of two groups of zealots - both on the same side because all of them are haters! They can't get along because each wants power. They are the Bolsheviks and the Mensheviks in the ongoing revolution. They are just not going to get along. The White Army lies in the middle. We are those who are not extremists. We can't just all get along because of the propaganda machine. The media is the voice of evil. It seldom announces good, but thrives on evil. Class warfare means good ratings for them. It makes low life commentators famous. With the media, Satan speaks. Propaganda is his voice. Truth is God's! People are duped by the powerful media.

Because propaganda is so powerful, truth takes on new meaning. It becomes what the elite says it is. Who is to gain from class warfare and division? Those who want power. The KKK and neo-Nazis are tools of the Marxists whos seek to destroy America. You think that people all of a sudden so many want statues destroyed? Not so! That is organized for nefarious purposes by the left who wants to change America. They know that with protest, there will be protesters. They are not stupid people. I believe that Soros and company have planned this, just as the Communists used race riots in the sixties to foment class warfare. Their methods never change. Stalin and Hitler both used propaganda to divide.

The answer to, why can't we just all get along? is that evil people don't want us to get along. This revolution which we are in has being ongoing from times of old. Paul described it well:

Ephesians 6:12 "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places."

This revolution is not one between peoples. We are merely its pawns. It's a war between heavenly powers. Satan causes this war, and he wants darkness. Truth is disgusting to him, and on this earth, deception will prevail. We war with each other because of deception. Those who are not biblical, practicing, loving Christians are easily fooled because they do not have God there for discernment. Even some of the elect (Christians) are fooled:

Matthew 24:24 "For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect."

Even good Christians speak out against the KKK and Nazis but somehow fail to see the hatred on the other side. They condemn Trump for even speaking the truth! Satan smiles. Jesus knew that Christianity would divide us. It has! Those who hate, and those who love. Without Jesus, all those groups are haters. They are Bolsheviks and Mensheviks,  but hate by any name is still hatred.

We don't just all get along because people are blind to the spiritual warfare going on. We can all get along if we just turn to Jesus. I'm pragmatic. That's not going to happen. Satan will continue to use division as a tool until Jesus comes, and he is tossed into a fiery pit.

My daughter asked, "Dad, who wins?" I told her that the world loses; at least until Jesus comes and cleanses it again. Blood will be spilled in that war. Jesus won't try to just all get along.  The Valley of Armageddon will be filled with blood - blood that Christ spills to cleanse the earth.

Truth and Likemindedness

Romans 15:5 "Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, 6 that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 19... I have fully preached the gospel of Christ. 20 And so I have made it my aim to preach the gospel..."

The gospel (v. 19-20) is "the message concerning Christ, the kingdom of God, and salvation" (Merriam-Webster Dictionary), and as such "the accepted and infallible word of God". It is often called the gospel truth, but that phrase is redundant!

Paul went all over the Asia Minor and Europe preaching the truth about Christ. He did it without any sort of payment, and then died for presenting the message. Why would he waste his time, his work, and even his life if what he spoke was not truth? What is truth? "Truth is the entirety of real things, facts, and events." (ibid). This means that the cross was real, Jesus died on it, and that he was resurrected. Since, Jesus died on the cross, he has the power to save. Indeed, only by the blood of Jesus can one be saved. (Romans 5:9).

We Christians must accept that as fact! Jesus demonstrated his power to the Jews whose skepticism always required miracles. As such, raising Lazarus from the dead, restoring the young girl to life, multiplying the bread and fishes, turning water into wine, and many others are indeed truth! Questioning truth is doubt:

Luke 24:38 "...Why do doubts arise in your hearts?"

Jesus asked that of the apostles. What is the answer to that troubling question? Satan's method is to raise doubts. He does that through deception.

2 Thessalonians 2:9 The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 and for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie..."

The lawless one is the Antichrist who will also be able to work miracles.  For instance, Simon the Magician -  Simon Magus, was even able to levitate according to history, just as the court magicians in Moses time could do certain things. Magic is from demons, and can be real. Magic (outside entertainment) is always to elevate the magician and to denigrate God. Miracles are for the opposite!

Miracles are events out of the ordinary which demonstrate God's intervention in the affairs of mankind. Magic is the use of supernatural powers to deceive. The former is to reveal divine truth, and the latter is to deceive people for a purpose.

Since the Gospels are full of miracles, for them to be the gospel truth, then they must be accepted as real. Magic, on the other hand, can be real or faked because deception is their motive. Miracles were done by Jesus as a demonstration of his -  God's power. For instance, if Jesus could not raise people from the dead, the power of God is not sufficient to resurrect. One must believe in miracles to believe in the resurrection.

Paul went all over the known world teaching Jesus and the resurrection. (Acts 17:10). What was it that Paul taught about Jesus? That he was resurrected. That was a miracle. If we don't believe in miracles, how can we believe that we will be raised from the dead? Disbelief in the miracles causes doubt in the resurrection.

Shall be saved means that we will be saved from something! From what are Christians saved? Eternal death by obtaining eternal life through the miracle of Jesus's saving blood. To be blunt, it is foolish to not believe in miracles, then expect the miracle of being raised from the dead, and then living forever!

This miracle-working Jesus is in whom we must believe. Any lesser Jesus is an antichrist. Simon Magus was, and he fooled many by his magic. Today, science is the deceiver because they do not accept miracles. Yesterday I wrote on the total eclipse. At Jesus's crucifixion, a total eclipse is described very clearly. However, since science doesn't include what is intangible, scientists fail to consider what they cannot prove. As such, according the them, there was no total eclipse at the time of the crucifixion in or about Jerusalem. Of course, unlike God who created science, scientists make mistakes. One mistake is to exclude miracles.

Thomas Jefferson wrote his own bible: the Jefferson Bible. He removed all references to miracles. I haven't read it, but I suppose that he must have left in the miracle of the resurrection or he wrote his bible for no reason. His mind was not in accord with God nor orthodoxy - accepted and authorized doctrine. In other words, Jefferson was a heretic since he failed to believe divine truth.

Paul said that Christians are to be likeminded toward one another, according to Jesus Christ.(Romans 15:5 above), and indicated we are to glorify God with one mind and one mouth. (Romans 15:6). Jefferson didn't. His doctrine was not according to Jesus. His invented Jesus was a liar. His was the doctrine of an antichrist!

Many Christians have a little Jefferson in them. Oftentimes, it's because we understand the same scriptures differently, and as such have different doctrines. There are some doctrines which are immutable. We cannot deny the miracles, and be believing Christians. We cannot deny the efficacious blood of Jesus and be Christians. We cannot deny that Holy Scripture is the divine Word of God and be Christians. We cannot deny heaven and hell and be Christians - or what is it we're saved from, and to where would we be saved?

We're all to have the same beliefs in essential doctrine - those which support divine promises: namely faith in Jesus Christ and the resurrection because Jesus must still live for us to live! That essential doctrine must be accepted as divine truth, and Christians are to be of one mind in believing that.

Those likeminded about Jesus Christ are the Church. Some mainline denominations, and all cults, reject the gospel truth. They are not part of the true Church. They are lukewarm, and are the apostate church described in Revelation, as was the church at Laodicia.

That's why denominations are not of one accord. We have different doctrines. Some fail to believe in miracles, some deny inspired scripture, and others deny the godhood of Jesus Christ. Others are social gospel churches, and the doctrines they teach are liberation theology. Although he denies it, Pope Francis's actions suggest that he is a proponent to some degree of liberation theology.
Other denominations teach the social gospel at the expense of the salvation gospel. Jesus made it pretty clear that he didn't come to save the world from poverty but from eternal death.

Remember, to be likeminded and in unity with Christ, we must believe and teach the gospel truth. Anything less contradicts Jesus. That will be scary for some someday!

Not Changing for Anybody

I have heard so many times, "I won't change for anybody!" Actually, I seek change each and every day, every moment in the day. I won't change for just anybody though; but I will change for somebody!

Christians sing that refrain so well! It's as if it is a status symbol or a statement of power. Women try to present themselves as strong by proclaiming that. Men pretend to be macho by refusal to change. However, the failure to change is a sign of insecurity and weakness, just as men refusing to wear pink because they are uncertain of their masculinity.

Barack Obama was elected because he promised change, yet the same people who sought change with him are the first to deny that they need changing! In effect, those un-changelings believe that it is others who need to change, and they are deceived into thinking that, I'm Okay-you're not Okay.

Out of the darkness yesterday, I saw the light as did many others. With the waxing and waning of the total eclipse, it was as if everything changed. We were somehow washed in it all. Hate disappeared for about three hours! That happened on specific time before:

Matthew 27:45 "Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. 46  And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”^[

For three hours there was darkness over all the land when Jesus died on the cross. For instance, in Bowling Green, Kentucky the eclipse lasted two-hours and fifty-five minutes yesterday from start to finish. With the absence of the total light available, there was some degree of darkness for nearly three hours! The time is location dependent, so three hours rounded may be the time of partial darkness.

That corresponds with the darkness when Jesus died. What about the "all the land" part? That would be Israel, which matches fairly well with the distance across the land (71 miles at its most narrow point).  The 2017 American eclipse had a path of totality of 70 miles wide. Assuming that Jerusalem's eclipse was north to south rather than east to west, "the entire land" would be partially or fully darkened at some point during the eclipse! Coincidence? I think not!

Just as things changed after the eclipse yesterday, things changed big-time when Jesus died. All those who were destined to die had the ultimate sacrifice. Jesus changed for you and me as he was glorified - leaving life and entering death. If Jesus can change for us, why can't we change for him? Because sinners are fixed in their status as the other gods before God.

In order to change, sinners must submit themselves as a living sacrifice. However, before their own sacrifice, they must see the light. Jesus saw the Light because he spoke to Him - Eli or My God. He changed right there on the cross as all the sin of all mankind ever came upon him. With that heavy load of sin, darkness came for a time (precisely three hours) while he paid the price with his own life.

The eclipse yesterday was in remembrance of Jesus. God served the elements so to speak, and we partook of them. I believe that this occasion in chaotic times is a reminder that Jesus died for us. Everyone should consider when darkness turned to light, and they themselves do the same.

When Jesus was explaining to Nicodemus how to be born again, he said this:

John 3:19 "And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.  21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”

"Light" came into the world with Jesus. That Light is divine truth. However, people who loved the darkness refused to change. They preferred evil to what is good. That evil - sin is darkness. Just as we were overjoyed with the darkness of the eclipse, sinners who refuse the Light are joyful in evil. In the darkness, evil is hidden, but when the light shines it's exposed. Jesus goes on to say, "He who does the truth comes to the light" for the purpose of showing their evil side.

Hence, being "born-again" is confessing to the sins within to God and to the world. With truth comes change. The new birth is when one quits hiding their evil and testifies to the darkness within, and repents. The truth is that no one can save themselves because we are pretend gods, but only Jesus can save since he is the Way, the Truth, and the Life! (John 14:6).

Jesus's purpose in life was to provide eternal life to anyone who would accept truth over darkness. In other words, he was born to die for us. After serving his purpose, he was resurrected, ascended to heaven, and now his Holy Ghost is with us. Jesus changed for us, yet people still refuse to change for him!

There is a penalty for refusal to change - that is death.

Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

All men have sinned and miss the mark. (Romans 3:23). We all are sinners, and are destined to die. You are a sinner and have the same destiny - unless you change. You are to present yourselves a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1).  You change from master to servant; rather than serve yourselves, you serve God. Rather than do what is right in your own eyes, you become more like Jesus!

That, my few friends, is how you change. You become more like Jesus. He changed for you, and expects change from you! So, you won't change for anybody? You must change for Jesus!

Change is going from the old sinful creature whose master is Satan, to a new clean creature whose Master is Jesus.

2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."

How does one know that they are truly born-again, and have seen the Light? They have changed! "All things have become new." If you have not changed for Jesus, you still walk in darkness. The Light which shined after Jesus died was for you, and you mere reflected it off. It wasn't meant for you because it is darkness which you prefer. Indeed, the Light is for all, for "God so loved the world!" It was meant for you, and you need to change.

I Am Bathsheba: I Am Eve

2 Samuel 11:2 Then it happened one evening that David arose from his bed and walked on the roof of the king’s house. And from the roof he saw a woman bathing, and the woman was very beautiful to behold. 3 So David sent and inquired about the woman. And someone said, 'Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?' 4 Then David sent messengers, and took her; and she came to him, and he lay with her for she was cleansed from her impurity; and she returned to her house. 5 And the woman conceived; so she sent and told David, and said, “I am with child.”

My name is Bathsheba. Like Eve, my sin is great but not as great as my mate's. David repented of his sins in a mighty way (Psalm 51), but I felt no need to repent. Why should I repent? It was David who looked upon me!

I lived in a house nearby. We lived luxuriously, not in a palace, but in an elaborate home right next to it. We had everything we needed, and then more. God provided well for us. I am a Hittite. My husband, Uriah. was a mighty man of valor in King David's armies (1 Chronicles 11:41). We were fairly well off.

Although, we were Hittites, we lived there peaceably in David's Kingdom. We were so accepted that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob became my God as well. Uriah not only fought for David, but indeed for God. Peace is what we wanted in this land of milk and honey. Peace could only come about by war.  Uriah was willing to fight for David and for Jehovah.

My role in the royal family came about slowly. I was happy for a short time. I had great things. God provided well for Uriah and me. My house was my castle. As fine things became ordinary, I looked over at David's palace. I wanted it. In fact, I craved to be one of David's wives for that is the only way to have that grand residence!! Alas, it was not that way. I merely passed by it and longed for it as I took my daily walk. God reminded me often that my home wasn't a palace but it was mine. I began to plan because the temptation was so great.

The palace was guarded well. I could not go in but longed to see what was inside. God reproached my longing. I dared not touch that palace for fear of wanting it even more. God, I believe, even said, "Do not touch," because I wanted to so badly! He warned me, against my desire for what was not mine, and that there were consequences for coveting for that I should not have. However, the beauty of the palace was great. It was a sight to behold, a citadel of knowledge with its libraries, and therein were the most delightful foods. However, they were not mine to partake.

Of like beauty was the king himself. David was a sight to behold. He was taken with wives, many times over, but I could still be one of his. As much as I desired the palace, I desired the king even more. Neither was mine to have.

My servant  man offered a plan to me. As we sat in the shade we often discussed the luscious fruit which I lived beside. Not only were they the palace and David, but power, prestige, and wealth. If only I could partake of this delightful fruit, it would be mine. I would then live in splendor as does the king. Sure, we would still serve God but have whatever we desired. We would be as gods in this beautiful new garden in paradise - the land where David reigned.

I implemented the plan. I first considered the consequences of the harm it would do, and a spirit silently spoke to me. Take what you can; you deserve all this. You don't have to worry about God because you are his child. The penalty for sin is death, but because this is right, the spirit said, "You won't die." I didn't think so either. After all, I could always repent later.

Mankind's first sin was a lesson for me. I learned from the Word that man's weakness is his eyes. That is the burden that all men bear. Perhaps I could have him want me because I am beautiful. I am told by all those around me how appealing that I am. Perhaps I could convince David to want me!

David's home was a short distance away. The palace was many stories, overlooking the beautiful homes nearby. My servants and I often saw David, standing on the roof of his palace, staring at the stars as if praying. Perhaps he was getting closer to God because he was after God's own heart. I know that he could see our rooftop because we could see him so well. The plan was set into motion!

A religious ritual, part of Moses Law, was ceremonial cleansing. I remember where it was written:

Leviticus 15:19 "If a woman has a discharge, and the discharge from her body is blood, she shall be set apart seven days; and whoever touches her shall be unclean until evening."

Being a worshiper of Jehovah, I have always strived to remain clean. I want to please God, and that is how we do it. We clean the outside, and hopefully by doing so, the inside will be cleansed as well. Was I ever mistaken!

David was supposed to be at war. I knew that because the king always led the battle, and Uriah was to be gone. My first scheme was to make sure that David stayed behind. This would provide the opportunity to be alone to tempt David, and have opportunity to share his bed - that bed that would soon be mine!

I prayed that David would stay behind. I found out later, that it was Baal who answered my prayers, but I thought it was Jehovah. How strange, I even heard him speak as he called me to his lair. Baal caused David to stay behind because unknown to me, he had a plan as well. It was to undermine Jehovah, and return this land to his own.

Well, David stayed behind, and by chance my monthly period ended. I called my servants to prepare my bath, not inside where it was hot, but in the cool air of the evening upon the roof. There I knew that if David came along, as was his routine, then he would see me and want what he did not have. Now I was clean on the inside as well as out, and was ready to sacrifice myself to David. Unknowingly, it was Baal to which I presented my flesh, but I was deceived in that.

I believe that because I washed - outside and in, that I was purely clean. I never thought that inside my soul, there was filth the water never touched. Those dirty things guided me toward uncomely things forthcoming. I was not evil by myself, but unwittingly served my other master. When I thought about it later, it occurred to me, that Baal cares little who I serve as long as it isn't God. With chaotic thoughts, I came to realize that it was myself I served. I made God jealous by serving myself as God. I had done as I pleased in spite of the warnings of spiritual death.

My servant said, "David is in his place." He slowly looked my way. He could see God manifested in heaven, but he still glanced toward me. As he did so, I could see his face. As he looked upon my fruit, he entered into temptation. He could have turned away, but Baal steered his gaze my way. He was mesmerized by my beauty. Baal promised me to him. He saw what all men saw,  but was privy to see what God wanted covered. It was those gorgeous fruits above, and the tender delicacies below - they were the fruits he wanted, and badly so.

As I washed the dirt from my flesh, and the mount of Baal below, David's lust abounded. He wanted me badly even thought the Spirit fought him. The choice was his. Jehovah always allows his children freedom, and freedom means sometimes Baal can convince. David told me later, that it was I who made it right. Perhaps for him that is true, but Baal beguiled me afore. I blamed Baal, and David blamed me. That is mankind's way.

Then David had his servants deliver me. As I walked beneath the olive trees so grand, I had thoughts of the wiley serpent, and wondered if this was wrong. Baal assured me that his fruit was pleasant to the eyes, and that it can be mine. I walked blindly into the palace as Baal covered my eyes.

I walked unsteadily into his bedroom, feigning that I was forced. I told David that I belonged to another, but David wanted what wasn't his. His wives were in their room, and now the luscious fruit was here. He could now touch, not merely look with lust. At that moment thoughts were turned to sin, as David reached out his hand.

I said "No, no!" with my mouth but my body reached out. My Spirit flew away as Baal removed my clothes. What was clean before, was not now. I should have waited seven days to satisfy God, but now here I was; as dirty as before. I didn't please God! I ignored that guilt. Baal helped me to do that!

Sin was conceived that day. He was conceived in our hearts as he was consummated with our flesh. He died when David repented, so we never mentioned his name. As my son born in sin died, I died too. Perhaps I misunderstood God. Baal never told me the consequences, but denied there was even any.

David was a man after God's own heart. He repented and God gave him new clothing. God bathed him with grace, and gave him a new heart. It was circumcised of its flesh. David wore new spiritual clothing, but his bride had none.

I may repent someday as David did. It will be between God and me. It's a personal matter. With God's grace perhaps he'll give the queen new clothes, as he did for David. For now, I make my own. They will never cover me entirely, but my nakedness below is covered. I made a garment for me, and for David, but David said that God''s garment covered him better. He said that he was covered by the death of a lamb which was slain for him. I assume he meant that one of our sheep gave up its wool. David told me that it was much more than that.

My name is Bathsheba. This is my story. It is not pleasant to confess, but I am Bathsheba - I am Eve.