Man's Place in the World

     Citizens of the world think of the spherical ball floating in loneliness in space surrounded by clouds to protect us from the sun, distribute the water of life, and provide the air for the breath of life. The world for most is what is seen, has utility, and can be sensed. The world is what sustains its inhabitants. The heaven is whatever exists between the surface of the world and beyond. Like Bed, Bath, and Beyond; the world is the bed and bath, but little is known of what is beyond!
     The heaven exists too, and for mankind. The gravity pushing down on the world holds it in place, and likewise keeps mankind in place. Gravity is meant to keep mankind from the heavens and knowing all that is beyond. That was made clear when the Tower of Babel was destroyed. There are some things mankind need not know because it raises doubt.
     The thought that life might exist in the heavens causes doubt of God. Why so? The world was made for mankind, but ironically the world is mankind's enemy. The world is for mankind to have tribulation (John 16:33). That is accentuated by mankind (Adam and Eve) being cast out into the world from Paradise (Gen 3:23-24). They were safe in Paradise from tribulation and even death. Outside of safety they were unsafe, and even non-accommodated. Whereas Paradise was easy (dress and keep God; Gen 2:15), the world outside was harsh (Gen 3:15-19). Paradise was for mankind and the world against him!
     Although the world is mankind's enemy just as God so loved the people of the world (John 3:16), the people love the world:

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.(1 John 2:15-17 ESV).

     Life condenses to which people love the most: God or the world. Adam soon found that he loved God more than the world because God offered eternal life and the world offered only death (Gen 3:7) soon after he realized what he had done! If you do not understand, Adam was emancipated from God by doing what he wanted to do. He usurped God's authority.
     Love of the world displaces love for God. Endeavoring to love the world and God is counterproductive, and cannot be done (Mat 6:24). In effect, those who sin anoint the Devil as ruler of their life (John 8:44). Loving the world anoints Lucifer as prince of  it, a contender for the throne. (Ephes 2:2).
     God, by loving the world, loves its people; people by loving the world love Satan - the prince's new title. Therefore Christianity is letting loose of the world by looking up to God! The Word - Jesus - in Paradise covered our forebears' sins because covering their own was not effectual. That was merciful of God and an innocent life died that their sins were covered. That's what the Word later suffered Himself for all mankind once and for all (Heb 7:27; 9:26).
     The land in the world was Eden. The Garden of Eden in the East, was safety from the world. Once mankind was out of the safety of God and on his own, there was one gate back into the Garden Paradise, and it was guarded by cherubim with flaming swords (Gen 3:24). There was only one way back in and no backdoor. The path out of Paradise was man's pathway back in. It is the Way of the Word:

Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. (Mat 7:13-14; KJV).

     The gate to Hell is wide and the way into Hell is broad. On the other hand, the gate, the one guarded by cherubim is straight (the Doctrine of Christ), and the Way is narrow (by the propitiated blood of Christ - the Word). The Garden, just as the Word was later to do, ascended into Heaven. The Kingdom of God was there for Christ's ascension. It's foundation remains on earth, physically, I believe, in Jerusalem. Why so? When Jesus descends again forever, New Jerusalem will return to its foundation after the world is cleansed in preparation:

And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. (Rev 21:1-3; KJV)

     The world outside the Garden was unclean and troublesome. It once was washed by water to no avail since sin soon returned. In the end, the world will be washed by fire just as the sins of man were burnt as a sin offering in patriarchal times! 

Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. (2 Pet 3:6-7; KJV). 

     People put too much emphasis on the world: "the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions." The world, as scripture says, is temporal, at least in its present iniquitous state. We so love the world, but the world which we know will soon be gone. Jesus said, "surely I come quickly" (Rev 20:22).
     The world is the kingdom of Satan who uses the world to tempt mankind, ultimately to diminish God. People belong to God but followed their own hearts which they gave to Satan. Thinking they were true to themselves they were being put in chains by Satan! "The flesh" is not only the person's material but also the wills, desires, behaviors, and emotions of people. The joy of pleasure is the peak experience of sinful men. Born-again is the same for spiritual men!
     To overcome the world (John 16:33) is to put aside the lusts of the eyes, the lusts of the flesh, and the pride of life. Christians are to willingly crucify themselves of those things. Scripture calls that circumcision of the heart (Rom 2:29) which is the willingness to overcome the world with its lusts!
     Christians are at liberty to sin or not (Gal 5:100). Obligation and intimidation to not sin is bondage! However, our willingness not to sin is the sweet aroma which God savors! God doesn't want to force mankind to be righteous. Christians are to appreciate God's sacrifice so intensely that they worship by doing His will! That is how Christians demonstrate their love for God (John 14:21).  What God wants is His creatures' wills. We are to submit our will to God as a living sacrifice (Rom 12:1). That is harmonizing what we desire with what God wants. Christians, if they truly are, should want not to sin (Mat 26:41). Liberty is a choice of whether to sin or not. The Pharisees missed out on that doctrine. They tried to force people to live rightly, and increased wrongness! God isn't that way.
     I want my family and friends to be righteous. I even want my enemies to be likewise so that they won't go to Hell. Christians are inclined to be good Pharisees by forcing right-living on those who prefer the world. Christians mandate love, and anyone should know that love cannot be forced on people. By being too forceful that others meet my personal standards, even which I fail to meet, I alienate those who I love. I want that none should perish but they must want that too. They must want eternal life enough that they choose God over the world.
     I want that others overcome the world so much that I tend to enforce God's standards. I can teach them but others must have a desire to do God's will. They are free to choose the world over God if they don't mind going to Hell. The problem is that sinners don't believe in the reality of Hell enough to be right with God. The world is real. We know that. Christians have been spiritually informed of the reality of Hell. We know Hell is so real, that we desire never to perish; so much that we put aside lusts and pride and overcome the temptations of the world... at least we are willing to! Of course we often fail.

   

Transformation

     Examine Saul: He had an attitude. It was his way or death. Saul was religious; so much so that he was a zealot. What does scripture say about those who are "religious":

If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain. Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. (Jas 1:26-27)

     Religion is not Judaism nor Christianity. Religion is so trusting that one's belief system is the truth so much so that it is their life, behaviors, and attitude.  Beliefs and behaviors mold the attitude. Saul was religious but he was wrongly religious! Why? Because his fervor was not in truth. Saul was zealous for wrong reasons. He was a zealot for the religion of Satan.
     Judaism is not of Satan. It is of God. The misunderstanding or misappropriation of Judaism is of the Devil. Jews always believed in the Christ who is the Messiah they always expected. The problem with Judaism is that only the patriarchs seemed to know that Jesus would be God. Only a few Jews understood God at that level. Pure Judaism is indeed Christianity! Abraham knew that and so did Moses. Even Nebuchadnezzar discovered that when he alone saw Jesus in the fiery furnace. He saw what others did not see. Nebuchadnezzar, before that was questioning, but after he saw Jesus, he was humbled (Dan 3)! Before Nebuchanezzar questioned God and made himself a god. He was King, why not be a god? After seeing Jesus, Nebuchadnezzar was a changed man. He ceased being king and became a beast, eating grass like the oxen do (Dan 4).
     Nebuchadnezzar's (for brevity - Nebu) beliefs and behaviors changed! He came to understand that he was not really a god but Jesus is! Nebu lifted up God as he diminished himself. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were in the fire with Jesus, but were saved from perishing. However, Nebu was destroyed. He was the one burned up in the fiery furnace. It was not his flesh that was consumed by fire but his conscience seared! Nebu, I believe, was born-again! He changed because he saw Jesus. He went from questioning who had the power, to humbling himself to God because of Jesus.
     Nebu was a type of Saul, and very much like those in modern times who are very religious. James wrote to demonstrate love and be undefiled (Jas 1:27), and to do otherwise is for the religious to deceive themselves. I often feel quite Christian-like but God's Spirit checks me. I'm am being very much like the "god" ME! I have the attitude of a zealot but it's often has little to do with Christ. I work hard to focus on Jesus. Like the others around Nebu, they did not see Jesus. God allowed Nebu to have a peek at Jesus. When I esteem myself too highly, I judge myself, and finally see Jesus in the fire in my place. That "fire" was on the cross!
     Now move forward a thousand or so years in time. Saul had overseen the killing of Christians. Jesus had just been crucified and resurrected. Saul failed to know Jesus but as a zealot for Judaism, he was very religious. He was prototypical Jew. Sinfulness had dimmed the spiritual eyesight of most of them. Saul perceived that he did good, but it was evil in the sight of the Lord. Rather than helping the fatherless and widows, he was killing in God's Name. That was taking Jesus's death frivolously (violation of the Third Commandment - taking the Lord's Name - Jesus - in vain).
     In the Book of Acts chapter 9 can be found the parallel between Nebu and Saul. Saul chose who would die and who would not (Acts 7).  Saul "played" God thinking He was doing God's will. He was questioning God by assuming for himself only the authority that God has!
     Nebu had been spiritually blind, God allowed him to see "his face". I like the best translation of the First Commandment, not to have other gods besides me, but in my face! Nebu had a god made with his own face. God showed Nebu His own face. He didn't die but lived-on spiritually thereafter. On the other hand his flesh died when he became a beast! His attitude changed.
     Like Nebu, Saul was also spiritually blind. God gave Nebu the ability to see into the supra-natural.  God did that for Saul as well. God opened Nebu's eyes so that he could see, but he blinded Saul that he might. Saul saw the face of God as well, with his physical eyes blinded but spiritual eyes opened. Sacred scripture calls those "bright eyes" and are for those with "bright natures". Saul's nature changed as he saw with new eyes what those around him could not see. The others heard Jesus but only Saul saw him!  Like Nebu, Saul saw God's face and lived!
     After Saul's nature changed (his attitude - his heart), he became a new creature. Like Nebu, he diminished himself and elevated God because he too saw God's face! Because Saul was born-again and had a new nature, God gave him a new name: Saul became Paul in identity and attitude. The name Saul means questioning, and the name Paul means humbled! Just as Nebuchadnezzar, Saul was humbled.
     Nebuchadnezzar means Nebo protect the crown,  but God afterward called him servant (Jeremiah 25:9, 27:6). Nebo was the moon god of the Babylonians and the son of the sun god. Nebu went from questioning who God is and who he was to a servant. He was questioning just as Saul was and humbled in the same manner! 
     What is important is that when both saw Jesus, their attitudes changed. Scripture refers to that change in attitude of nature as "circumcision of the heart". Paul explained that with the following:

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. (Rom 2:29)

     Saul quit being religious but became a real Jew! With circumcision of the flesh already presumably accomplished when young, Saul had his heart circumcised right there on the road to Damascus. He became true "Jew" because a new Spirit replaced the old!  He changed!
     If you claim to be religious or even a Christian, and there is little change in your nature, perhaps you didn't really see Jesus. When anyone sees Jesus and recognizes his face, that person will change. They will quit being the questioning one and be humbled. That requires serving God as both Nebu and Saul did after they saw Jesus. Serving is loving, and it indeed is a hard task. Those two killers did, and so can you!

The Importance of Free Will Doctrine

                 Baptists are not truly protestant; they are dissidents. Protestants are those generally associated with the reformed movement. Those within the Roman Catholic Church were protesting Catholic Doctrine, initially with the Ninety-Five Theses written by Martin Luther, and nailed to the church door at Wittenburg in 1517 (Wikipedia; “Reformation”). Luther’s doctrine was very much grace oriented, thus theologians who agreed on Luther’s concept of grace joined in the Reformation. Among them were several, but the most noted ones were Ulrich Zwingli and John Calvin, who both sought to return authority to God and remove it from mankind. Zwingli, although as important as Calvin in reformed theology, is almost forgotten but Calvin is still well-known.

                With God in authority, according to Calvinism, God’s Law was revealed as bondage and grace as freedom. (General Baptists believe that as well but operationalize it differently.) For Calvinists, grace is effectual at the expense of the Law. Hence, mankind’s assistance in salvation was not even required. Each person was elected at the beginning of time; they were predestined to die or be saved. Thus, grace is receiving salvation without earning it! (And all Baptists believe that last part!)

                Grace is a viable doctrine because God’s justice is His!  Although Landmarkists falsely claim a direct line from John the Baptist, that is very Catholic of them, in that lineage is inessential and foolishness from the standpoint of scripture. The Church founded on John is of little importance as the Catholics Churches spiritual lineage from Peter! Nor is Church heritage of any scriptural significance. Where Baptists originated is of little importance other than to understand Baptist doctrine.

                Baptists, appreciate it or not, are dissident from the Church of England (Anglican).  The Anglican Church is more Catholic than Protestant. At its separation from Catholicism under Henry XVIII, the doctrines of most difference were on the issues of divorce and remarriage. Therefore, Anglicans were not reformers but heretical on that one issues. Holy Matrimony was a sacrament in the Catholic Church and indeed is the Doctrine of Christ. Divorce, although recognized as legitimate given proper grounds (adultery), remarriage is not spiritually legitimate. The difference with Anglicans is that its origin is not reformist but it too reformed in many aspects. They mostly dissented from the Pope whose power Henry refused to adhere.

                The Baptist faith originated because of one issue: the proper mode and time of baptism. Baptists’ dissented from the Anglican Church on pedobaptism and its mode. Pedobaptism is infant baptism, a time before they can decide for themselves. Believers’ baptism (credobaptism) is at the time people are enlightened of their need for a Savior. That aspect is the timing half of Baptist doctrine. The other half is immersion verses aspersion. Baptists believe that the proper method of baptism is immersion, which is reinforced by scripture whereas aspersions (pouring or sprinkling) is dubious at best.

                Thus, Baptists are not truly Protestants; they are Dissidents. They were not reformers from the Catholic faith, but dissidents from the Anglican. Baptists separated themselves from the Anglican Church because their doctrines were disallowed in the English Church. The General Baptists separated first when then formed their own denomination in Amsterdam in 1609. Although they separated, they are not what is called Separate Baptists who dissented from the Old Lights on the issue of revivalism. They were those who responded to the emotional and spiritual revival of the Great Awakening in Britain and America in the following century.

                General Baptists placed much emphasis in believers’ baptism. Hence, individual choice and free will was of great importance. Since mankind has a part in regeneration (second birth), other Baptist-minded theologians rejected their faith in a general atonement wherein believers must answer God’s calling. To those with a doctrine of sola gratia (by grace alone) people could not participate in their salvation or it wasn’t grace. Their doctrine was that God elected specific people at the beginning of creation for regeneration. Thus, those Baptists were called Particular Baptists. Their church formed in the 1630’s. John Smyth was the progenitor of the General Baptist and Thomas Helwys the Particular Baptist. However, their doctrine was argued between 1610 (Dutch Remonstrance) and 1610 (Council of Dort). Since then, Baptist’s denominations’ congruence may be nothing more than when and how to properly baptize!

                Particular Baptists are five-point Calvinists (Calvin’s response to the Arminian Remonstrance). Particular Baptists accept those five points (TULIP acronym): (T) total depravity of man, (U) unconditional election – God choose without salvation being meritorious, (L) limited atonement (only specific people will be saved), (I) irresistible grace, and (P) preservation of the saints (eternal security of the elected).  General Baptists, then, would believe that people, although depraved, (1) can accept or reject God, but that goodness comes from God. They believe (2) that God offers salvation, but people must accept. They believe that (3) all are elected, hence a general atonement. With free will (General are Free Will Baptists in doctrine), (4) grace is resistible. Lastly, in contrast to the P in TULIP, General Baptists believe (5) that salvation is conditional on maintaining faith.

                Particular Baptists accuse Generals of heresy by contributing to their own salvation. They accuse General Baptists of using their own works to achieve salvation, and not depending on God’s grace. As usual, accusations are merely that! General Baptists accuse Particulars of abusing God’s grace by believing but not serving. False accusations are: Particular Baptists believe you can relinquish faith and still be saved (from Generals), and Particular Baptists accuse Generals in believing that they can lose their salvation! Neither are true and are mere accusations!

                Most Baptists reject one or more points of Calvinism. Those who accept all are “five-point Calvinists” and those who are dogmatic in that extreme are hyper-Calvinists. The latter believe General Baptists are heretics. I may be a hyper-Arminian because I have strong opinions on what is the Doctrine of Christ, and for me, conditional security is crystal clear!

                Regular, United, American, and Southern Baptists fall somewhere in between Particular and General. In the mid-1700’s General Baptists gradually drifted toward the doctrine of the Particulars, and after the 1800s, Particulars drifted toward the doctrine of the Generals. Southern Baptists seem to be single-point Baptists (eternal security) and Independents two-point (Adding total depravity). Doctrinally the whole TULIP consists of five pedals (points) with each successive “pedal” building on the former. Notably, unconditional election can not be unless people are totally depraved, and limited atonement cannot be without total depravity ad infinitum. Therefore, to be single-point Calvinistic is irrational. Thus, they must truly believe more!

                Indeed, most Baptists, aside from free-willers, reject the Law in its entirety even if it is to please God. The Law is doing right things. If they are done to earn salvation, they are futile. If they are done to magnify themselves, they are irreverent, but if they are done to please God, then works are honorable. Most Baptists refer to those who keep the Law as self-righteous. On the other hand, General Baptists, if they truly are Christians, do good works to honor God.  The total outlook of Baptists is different than General Baptists, yet most Generals see the differences as minimal while the Particulars deem the differences as significant to the point of dogmatism. For that reason, although the first Baptists, General and Free Will Baptist Doctrine is withering.

                In the mid-1700s, North Carolina was predominantly General Baptists. Particular Baptist preachers convinced the Generals of their “error” by persuasion. They were deceived. Most of the widely attended General Baptist Churches were kidnapped by Particulars with their false doctrine. Before long, the attendance in those once growing churches declined nearly ninety-percent! Calvinism withered the Church. Hyper-Calvinism nearly killed it!

                Why all this history and doctrine? General Baptist doctrine continues to wither. Members of the General Baptist Church listen(ed) to those like Vernon McGee, Charles Stanley, and David Jeremiah whose views on grace and the law are at odds with what Generals accept as the Doctrine of Christ. Mark my words: the original and most pure Baptist denomination is in danger of dying at this very moment because of insidious Calvinism hiding under the banner of unconditional grace: what seems to be an outcome of Calvinism. Dietrich Bonnhoeffer called that “cheap grace”.

                Christians should care little about doctrines except the Doctrine of Christ. It is a Christian’s responsibility to compare doctrines, quit listening to theologians and learn what Scripture says! General Baptist and Freewill doctrines are certainly not perfect but are good doctrines in most respects. I hate to see it die! My hope is that you will too.

A Long Visit

     "I've been good," exclaimed the lady. "I am going to Heaven with the rest of God's children!" This, if not the close words of many people, are their thoughts. There may be just a little error in doctrine, though: firstly, all people are not God's children!
     "I thought we all are," the bewildered woman responded drolly. "Didn't God create us all equally?" "No," I replied, "God created everyone with equal opportunity."
    "How so?" She was beginning to show interest! She listened as I explained:

     Opportunity is the possibilities in life. There are two possibilities from which to choose: (1) Live your way or (2) live God's Way. The former is iniquity which leads to death, and the latter righteousness was leads to eternal life. When everyone is born, they are conceived in iniquity. That means they will sin because everyone excepting Jesus has sinned. 

     God wants you to admit that you have sinned. You started this conversation with "I've been good." God thinks not! Our goodness is as filthy rags to Him because we are not gods; we cannot obtain Heaven because we don't have the power.

     Let's reveal the lady: Her name is Many. Many  asked, "By doing good, then I cannot go to Heaven?"
     "No you can't because no one deserves Heaven. You can only obtain eternal life by meekness, coming to see that you are powerless to work for the reward of Heaven."
     "And I suppose I must trust God for that?" she asked.
     "Yes," I replied, "Jesus is the Way and only Way to Heaven. Just believing in God doesn't cut the mustard!"
     Many confessed, "I believe in God and Heaven, for God is good. I believe Jesus said that. On the other hand, I don't believe in Hell because God is good and would never have made a hell."

     I began to explain:

When you're born, your name is written in the Lambs Book of Life. You are elected to be rewarded. Everyone is! As you get older, you sin. Everyone does. That is because it's in your genes because of Adam. When you intentionally sin that first time, your name is removed from that Book. You were a child of God, but because you prefer sin, God emancipates you. Satan isn't particular who his family is. You are made a slave to Satan, and he becomes your father. Your destiny is the same as your father, the Devil's!

     "So you think I'm going to Hell?" Many asked.
     "That's your choice," I admitted.
     "I don't believe in Hell," Many retorted. "Hell aint real. Preachers created Hell to keep us in line!"

     I patently continued:

 Because you don't believe in Hell doesn't make it less real? Remember, you are not a god. Can we agree on that? (Many nods her head.) Why do you believe in Heaven?

     "Heaven is for real!" exclaimed Many with excitement. "Everyone wants to live forever."

You are half right. Heaven is for real because that is our hope. On the other hand, Hell is disparaging. No one truly wants to go to Hell, so people delete Hell as an option. If you are born again - quit depending on yourself and trust in Jesus's death for payment for your own sins - then you have the hope of salvation. Salvation means that you are saved from something! Many, what is it that your saved from?

     "I don't know. People just say they're saved. I never thought about saved from what. I just figured that I would drift peacefully off into darkness, where I came from."

 You will be either saved from something or condemned someplace. That place from which you will be saved is Hell. You must be saved from something, and if Hell doesn't exist from what are you saved?

     "I guess you may be right. I just don't like to think about Hell. I really don't even like to think about nothingness either to be truthful. I want to go to Heaven because I want to live forever! Everyone does!"

 That's still an option. Until you draw your last breath, you can still choose. It's not set-up, though, for you to choose when. God decides the time and place when you realize the truth. If you wait to long, pleasure is so powerful that you'll choose Hell by default! Trusting Jesus is fire insurance for eternity. Making it certain requires serving God. You must love Him and everyone else to boot. Those awful people you hate right now... well you must love them to show God that you take His death seriously. 

God died on the cross, and His death didn't come cheaply. He wants you to be sincere about dying in your place. We do that by living as God would have us live.

     "Maybe I should play it safe, then and assume there is a Hell."

     "That's wisdom, Many... a good start. Hell is indeed serious business."

      "Hell is probably just like the world then, I assume, because Satan is the ruler here."

     "Read the story of Lazarus and the rich man, Many. That can be found in the Book of Luke chapter 16:

22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; 23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. 25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.27 Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house:28 For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.29 Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.30 And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. 

     After death, choosing Heaven is too late. The default is Hell!  Those who have God and Hell out of mind condemn themselves to Hell! The rich man was in torments. He was miserable spiritually, emotionally and physically. His flesh, once for pleasure, was used by Satan to punish. Think of Henrich Himmler's cruelty, then multiply that a thousand times, only never ending! 

On earth we are to thirst for living water. That is God's Holy Spirit and it springs from Jesus! In Hell, the foolish will think that mere water will satisfy their thirst. That thirst can and will never be quenched. The rich man said that "I am tormented in this flame!" Well, the story of Shadrack, Meshack, and Abednego who were thrown in an oven "seven times hotter than fire" is an adequate description of the fires of Hell.  

Those three young men in the fiery furnace were saved by Jesus who was in the fire with them. Jesus had imperishable flesh because he had yet to be born. He transformed the three's flesh into imperishable for the occasion. In Heaven, Jesus will do that for all Christians.

Unfortunately, sinners will have perishable flesh... sort of. Their flesh will feel pain but never burn up.  It will be forever perishing but always existing. Hell is eternally dying, whereas the world provides only the sting of death. We all will feel the sting but only the unsaved will feel the burn! In Heaven, because it is Paradise, righteous Lazarus couldn't see the agony of the rich man. There is no pain in Heaven but Hell has an atmosphere of pain! 

 There is a great gulf between Heaven and Hell. Sinners will see the joy in Heaven and desire it but it can never be had. Hell is isolation and longing for something, anything, better!  

Hell is the "lake that burns with fire and sulfur" (Rev 21:8) without ceasing (Mat 25:46). "They will be tormented day and night forever and ever" (Rev 20:10), and "they have no rest, day or night" (Rev 14:11). Sinners will go (and stay) "into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth," (Mat 13:5), just like the fiery furnace of the three young men! Sinners will "to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire," (Mark 9:43). The place "where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched," (Mark 9:48). It gets worse! Sinners will call on God but he won't be there to help (2 Thes 1:9). I could go on and on, but you should be getting the idea. Hell is, well, hellish!

     "I don't deserve that!" cried Many. "That is cruel."
     "God is just, Many. That is exactly what everyone deserves if they can't seriously take a knee to Jesus. It's that simple but people make it so hard! Hell is for real, and it will be a long visit... quite a long one. It will be sinners' home forever!"

 

 

 

 

 

     

Benign Sins

     Sin can be likened unto cancer because both insidiously destroy the flesh. People think of the flesh as mankind's skin. Indeed, that is partially true. However, flesh is much more than skin deep. "The flesh" is doing things which displease God. Of course it is not the doing which is so disconcerting, but the willingness to disobey God. A partial list is even given:

Gal 5:19-21  "Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,  Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God."

     Paul named the works of the flesh, but referred to how they are "manifested". In other words, iniquity is not outward but inward. Rather than the focus being on doing, it is the attitude within. The attitude is iniquitous, which is essentially people doing what they will rather than God's will. That inner defiance is obedience to the "law of sin":

Rom 7:25 "I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin."

     "The flesh" is that attitude of which I wrote, It is the conflict in opposition to what people know is right in their mind. Paul also says that "the law of sin "is in his "members" (Romans 7:23) - "the parts of the body" specifically (Strong's Dict.). Scripture refers to "the heart" often. Spiritual "hearts" are "the thoughts and feelings" of mankind. Those who are reprobate are without tender hearts; they are like beasts! (Titus 1:12).  Beasts live for self-satisfaction. Those with beastly flesh do as well.
     "The heart" is similar in symbolism to "the flesh."  It is not the pump for blood as "the flesh" is not merely epidermal layers. The heart is the emotive traits which only mankind has. They are the intense feelings of which only men are capable (and women too).
     Thus, "the flesh" is the intense desires which people have to do their own will even though they know inside that they are wrong. The moral compass is the conscience; what God calls "the soul" which only mankind has! The soul is important because it was what God breathed life into (Gen 2:7) after creating the body of Adam. Animals do not have souls! (I'm sorry dog-lovers.) God's "breath" was His Holy Spirit. It made the soul alive. Sin is what kills the soul, but Adam and Eve were only thinking of their actual flesh!
     The soul, or conscience, has extreme importance! Iniquity displaced the Holy Spirit of God with the first sin. Genetically, mankind is born with iniquity because of Adam's original sin. However, the soul belongs to God; it is His Temple (1 Cor 6:19). It is how Jesus can live within us Christians! He has no desire to cohabitate with sin, so God desires righteousness. The conscience, with each sin, must decide: Is this desire that I have what God wills for me? When people's will is superior to God's, the decision is sinful. Before the behavior even comes about, the decision process has already elevated one's own desires over God's will. Scripture indicates that the thought is the sin (Mat 5:28) because flirting with desire is adultery against God. Sin is that spiritual flirtation with evil, and is called "lust".
     Cancerous sin (my term) is when the flesh destroys itself. God does not abort eternal life; mankind miscarries all by himself! The willingness to sin is elevating oneself and trivializing God. That willingness leads to death of the soul.  It is the manifestation of our inner esteem: we are "as gods" because we can make our own decisions! Esteem of self (self-esteem) is overly evaluating ourselves - doing what we want and following our own hearts! Our spiritual system which we have, but the beast don't, is guilt. When our lusts run amuck, unless one is psychopathic (reprobate), guilt ensues. Guilt is the gravity of God to which our moral compass responds. The graver the sin, the more gravity which tugs at our moral compass. Murder is grievous for most people as is hatred. The lust of the eyes is somewhat less grievous because we do it so often, that it is not even a conscious decision. Mankind lusts sub-consciously because it is our nature inherited from Adam.
     Cancerous sin is knowing that something is grievously wrong, but doing it anyway, even knowing it is detestable to God. Those are abominations. The list from Galatians are mostly abominations. On the other hand, there are sins which are still against God but seem trivial. Because they are in vogue, I will pick on those with tattoos and piercings:

Lev 19:28 "Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the Lord."

     Non-Christian don't care about God's will. Those benign sins are excusable because "they know not what they do." (Luke 23:34). Christians have an obligation to know the Word so that they know God's will. They are without excuse because the truth has been revealed to them. Seemingly trivial sins are ignored because they are not damning. Christians have liberty to sin, but if they are righteous, they should desire to do God's will.
     For some reason, it is not God's will that His people get tattooed nor pierced. Why would God even care about writing on the flesh and punching holes in it? Because it is His!

1 Cor 6:19-20 "...ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's."

     Christians mutilate their body by piercings and tattoos even though their flesh allegedly belongs to God. It seems that they have yet to sacrfice their hearts entirely to God because their desire exceeds God's will!  Christians are not to do things pagans do (Deut 18:9). Markings and piercings are what pagans do. God requires pure unblemished sacrifices (Lev 3:1). Since we are to be "a living sacrifice, we too, like the Lamb, best be unblemished! (Romans 12:1). Tattoos and piercings are decorating peoples' own "trees" and neglecting the Tree of Life who they are to "dress and keep".
     The command not to tattoo and pierce are "benign sins" (my terminology) because Christians don't think deeply enough to know what they do. It is not the destruction of the flesh (Jesus's redemption of it) so much, but that Christians bodies' belong to Christ because He paid for them! Honestly, Christians fail to consider that! We are not to sin, even benignly, because they are, regardless of our vanity, still objectionable to God!
     Mankind's problem is ourselves. We each are inclined to do our will. The Serpent  taunted Adam and Eve with the accusation, you will be "as gods" (Gen 3:5). Gods want appeasement. Peoples' flesh are their idols which appease themselves. Doing what one wills is rebellion against God if He has made His will plain. How much plainer can God be than with Leviticus 19:28? Christians do what they desire to do with no thoughts of God. Their moral compasses do not respond to God because the gravity of this type of sin doesn't deflect the needles of moral compasses. At one time, it did not for me either, but now it has. (My self-inflicted tattoo failed to take, I believe because God willed it not to!).
     Now for other "benign sins". There are many. One obtuse one is: "Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother's milk." (Exod 23:19). Most people don't do that, but apparently the Hebrews did! Why is that action so distasteful to God that he made it a command? Doing that is disrespectful to the relationships between mother and offspring, and mankind and animals. It could just as easily been commanded, "Have respect to animals because they are for your use, not misuse!" In fact, their purpose was presented in the beginning!
     If a person is mean to animals, there may be no conscious thought that it is an affront to God, but it is regardless. Because people are not always kind to animals, their sin is benign. I have been mean to garden snakes because snakes are frightening to me. That is sinful but not damning just as piercings  and tattoos. However,  that does not excuse my heartlessness  nor your thoughtlessness.  Whether sins are grievous or not, it is still not God's decision, not ours!. Sanctification is the alignment of our will with God's. It is not to be done by force but because God desires honor. Because of grace, benign sins are not damning but are still reprehensible; it ignores God's will.

The End of the World; Give A Damn

     The clamor in this age is that climate change will destroy the earth. However it is destroyed, God will do the destruction! What He Created, He can destroy. That would not be very "nice" of God, but it will be justice. Humankind deserves what we get. God has been patient with His creatures, but it has nearly run out. God is a vengeful God (Rom 12:19). Because God is graceful with his salvation, and patient for the world to seek it, when they ignore God and live as if they are gods, the end is near.

     I'll be honest: I fear my own end! I should not because things are better on the other side of death than they are here! Imagine paradise in the Garden of Eden: no sickness, not distress, no hunger, no hatred, perfect weather, and even no discomfort. Imagine communicating with God face-to-face, and the humility of that! Imagine never having to fear death. Depression does not exist in heaven. I worry about things here. I worry about eternal life because I know that I don't deserve it. In the Paradise of God in Heaven, that worry will be over; I will have achieved the prize! (Phil 3:14).

     Judgment will come for everyone. "My hope" is that the Lord will say, "well done good and faithful servant" (Mat 25:21) because I ran the race toward Him (1 Cor 9:24). I run hard but I am weak! God does not judge the strength of my run, but running in the right direction (John 14:16)! 

     "Fake news" is big these days. "Fake Christians" have always been. To them God will say, "I never knew you." (Mat 7:23). Pagans - those who are not Christians - shall be judged as well. Only by the Name Jesus can anyone be saved (Acts 4:12). 

     Those who don't give a damn to use their expression are reprobate. Their future is torment. There they indeed will give a damn and anything else to be saved. The story of Lazarus and the rich man is about those types of sinners. 

     Then there are those who give a damn but be damned since they can't. Sin has so engulfed them that they don't think clearly! The pleasure principle is so much stronger that revering God that a moment of sin is worth an eternity of damnation! 

     You see, we all will be judged based on our merits. However, only those who trust in God are meritorious. It's not what we do, but what we believe God can do. That is save us in the end! God died on a pole in our place. We need only to look up at Him on the pole and realize that He was there in our place. Jesus is down from there, but we still look up to the cross as if he is still there. Not accepting his death on the cross denies Jesus's crucifixion. Accepting it but failing to be thankful by obedience is just as crucifying God all over again (Heb 6:6).

     My hope, again, is to be judged worthy because my sins are forgiven. Of course, we all are unworthy of salvation but God paid the price by dying in our place; that makes believers worthy. That is grace. 

    Some don't have the hope of salvation. They have the fear of punishment. Most ignore justice, thinking that they can escape it. Barabbas thought that since he was released from paying the penalty on the cross. Judging has two outcomes: Justice cannot be escaped whether it is judged innocent or guilty. Those who know they trust the Lord and are grateful: loving Him with all their hearts, minds, souls, and strength; are assured of their salvation (Mark 12:20)! To be honest, I fear that I do not! Why? The law of sin tries to convince me that love is an emotion. Since Christians are commanded to love God, it is a work, and hard work at that! How can we love God? Love of God is operationalized by loving others! (That is the Greatest Commandment and its corollary.)

     John of Patmos had a vision. He saw the time God's patience finally runs out; he saw the apocalypse! Right now your assignment is to read Revelation chapter 18. It's about the destruction of the world. John envisioned it because he was inspired by God. However, John was not the first to see the earth destroyed. Tell me, from Isaiah's own words, that Isaiah did not see the same vision. He did!

Isa 24:1 Behold, the Lord maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof. 3 The land shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled: for the Lord hath spoken this word.4 The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away, the haughty people of the earth do languish. 5 The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. 14 They shall lift up their voice, they shall sing for the majesty of the Lord, they shall cry aloud from the sea. 19 The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly.20 The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again.21 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth.22 And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be visited.23 Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the Lord of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously.

     You may suppose that John read Isaiah's description, and merely repeated the vision as his own! That would be disingenuous!  The Lord gave John the same picture that he gave Isaiah. How do I know that? John is not a liar. He was boiled in oil for his faith. Liars don't validate God; they diminish Him! One reason that I am such a strong believer is continuity of scripture. If Isaiah had seen the destruction one way and John another, I would question what both saw. That is fair because Satan has visions in his bag of tricks as well, but he uses them to diminish God. Early writings say that people saw Simon the sorcerer fly. I believe they did. Satan can do miracles (magic) as well. We saw that with Moses and the Pharaoh. But if you remember, their miracles were to defy God and make Him weak!
     Both Isaiah and John revealed their vision to magnify God. He is Judge and Executioner. We are not only to love Him, but to fear God because He is just (Deut 10:12)! Fear brought me to my knees! How so? I saw "snakes" killing me but Jesus on the cross saved me just as the Israelites with Moses (John 3:7; "you must be born again"). Isaiah's description of the end of the world are the "snakes" I fear. I don't want justice; I want mercy! Only God has saving mercy (Exod 34:6) and I'll take it!

Light

     Darkness conceals things. Sight is useless in darkness. All the other senses: touch, taste, hear, and smell remain unchanged by the time of day. Under normal circumstances, all those senses perform as they should.  Only sight has its limitations given normal circumstances. Thus, sight is the most useful of the senses. Feeling (touch) is imperative to life as well but it doesn't come and go with time. When the sense of sight is reduced, touch is the sense which becomes paramount. Without sight, all the other senses are magnified.
     Light is imperative for existence. Light is required to live. On the other hand excessive light ages and destroys. The four things which are known to be required for life are water, energy, nutrients, and right conditions; things must be in the proper proportions at the right time. For human life to exist there must also be something else - a soul. God breathes life into it so we know it is there (Gen 2:7)! The latter is hard to define but humans know that it exists because it is experienced. The weak psychological definition of the soul parallels the "conscience"; that which evaluates knowledge using  moral values. Theists believe that moral values are instilled by a god. Christians believe that God breaths the Holy Spirit into man at conception.
     The human soul is the epicenter of existence for each person. When the material is long gone, the soul still exists. The human soul is eternal for everyone, even those who wish it wasn't! Light is required to illuminate the soul. Life is light shining on the soul. Death is the soul filled with darkness.
     Light provides the energy required for life. Without light, mankind and all other life would die. Sure, life would adapt for a time, but soon death would ensue. In the beginning, God divided the light from the darkness (Gen 1:4). He provided the light required to create. The light was "good" because it was required for life! The first thing known to us about light is that it is "good".
     But only God is "good" (Mat 19:17). God said that while he lived on earth. Then, whatever God does is good! Light was good because it was required for life to exist. Light was divided before the suns were created, in fact before anything was! In the beginning was only God. He was never created. Everything else was. The earth was created first. It was "void". No light was upon the earth. Thus, God also created darkness. Before creation, there was no void or dark space in which to create. God created the "room" which contained everything. Darkness is not bad since everything God created was "very good" (Gen 1:31). If darkness is "good" why then is it not desirable? Because Satan uses darkness so that mankind cannot see!
     When God divided the light from darkness the world was revealed. It is reality. Reality is truth. Darkness conceals truth. Even unseen things are truth. If a body is put in utter darkness, it can't be seen, but it is still reality. What the eye can detect is not a reliable measurement of truth, yet sight is the most useful of the senses! Do things not exist if they can't be felt, smelled, heard, or tasted? We know that some cannot taste. Does that make sour and sweet less real? Some have lost their sensation of touch and are paraplegic. Does that inability to feel make the hard seat less real? Obviously not. Because there is darkness, does not make existence less real. Things unseen are there; it only takes special vision to see them! The God of Truth reveals things in the darkness.

2 Sam 22:9 For thou art my lamp, O Lord: and the Lord will lighten my darkness.

     God lights darkness. He shines light on what otherwise cannot be seen. We think of "light" as photons, which it is. Light is electromagnetic radiation. It has wavelengths of different magnitudes. The human eye can only see light which is within the visible spectrum. Light is in other spectrums; it just can't be seen with the naked eye. In modern times, instrumentation was created to "see" light in other spectrums. Light was still there even though it could not be seen. Spectrum analysis revealed truth. There are things "unseen". Perhaps there is a spiritual world as well! The spectrometer has yet to be invented to see that realm. I content that the "Spectrometer" always existed, and people just failed to depend on it. The Lord lights up my darkness, as the scripture says. When did that happen? When I was born-again:

John 3:19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

     The "condemnation" was that Adam-kind was cast out into darkness. Inside the Garden both Adam and Eve had "bright natures" with "bright eyes" (see my blog entry http://kentuckyherrin.blogspot.com/2018/01/bright-eyes.html).  Adam loved darkness rather than light. He had experienced both but preferred darkness. Hence, Adam was sentenced to live in a cave. He loved darkness and God took away his bright eyes because his bright nature was gone. The spiritual event of being "born-again" restores some of that sight! The more truth that is sought the more sight that is gained. Those who prefer truth, come into the light so they can see things others can't see! The light reveals truth. The body in utter darkness can be seen with just a little light shining forth. Light reveals reality. Light reveals truth!
     Light is electron flow. It can't be seen except directly. If one stands directly in front of a light source, it is bright. In a vacuum without any foreign objects and utter darkness, a person standing to the side of the light beam can't see it at all! It is invisible to the naked eye. "But," you say, "I can see the light from that viewpoint!" No you can't. You see the reflection of the light rays off impurities in the air.
     Within the world, light can be seen when looking at its source but when not, it can't be seen if it wasn't for matter itself. The gases and other things reveal light to us. They are impurities within the void where before was only God. Hence, we see the world but we can't see God unless given special "vision". The truth is that sight God gives those who seek it! I am born-again because I see God in the world:

Rom 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse.

     Where is God and how can He be seen? He's on His throne in Heaven shedding Light (Truth) on the world. Truth is revealed in what we see. During the day, I see existence in the world. At night, I see the stars in the Heavens. My view is limited by my flesh: I can only see so much. I can't see remote constellations and I can't see black holes. They are still there. I can't see God in Heaven but because my flesh limits me does not make Him less real! Rebirth regains sight. I can "see" God, not by my flesh (my eyesight) but in Spirit. I can see into a world most can't see because Truth has set me free!
     When I look at the creation, I see God. Those who prefer darkness cannot! To see clearly, mankind must seek truth. God is Truth! The freedom to see beyond our limitations is when our bright natures are restored. You may think, I'm born-again but don't believe in the creation! Science has proven that life evolved. If anyone thinks that way, they are not truly born-again. Satan aborted the spiritual baby just as its head crowned. As life in the world was about to come, Satan blinded the spiritual baby, not with light but with darkness. Light reveals truth. Darkness conceals it. To be born-again, everyone must "see" the Creator. If God can't create, neither has He the power to save! "Create" is what gods do by definition; if your God can't create, He doesn't Exist. God's Light reveals that Truth!
     Mostly blind people walk the earth, bumping into one another and God. Can't others see that you are important? Can't others see that you are like god? Those who walk in the light don't see the Way most do: you are important to God but you are not God, nor even "a god". Why then would the world do it your way when God's Way is Truth?
     Those who are truly born-again, have a reasonable service to God: submit oneself to God. Hang our own selves on a cross. Be humbled. Be freed by the truth! Light can shine forth, but everyone must stand directly in its path. Light doesn't bend to seek you; you must move to where the Light shines. Big bodies will bend light. You are no "big body". Without God, you are nobody's except to Satan who is a nobody!
     Light is independent of the world. Even if the world was not here, light would still shine forth. God removed Saul from the light so that he could see what others could not see; he saw Jesus. Saul became a new person. In darkness, God divided the light, and revealed truth to Saul. God removed the contamination from Saul's eyes so that he could see God directly. He didn't need to depend on light reflecting off the impurities of the world. He saw pure, direct Light straight from God. In darkness, Saul could see! With his new nature, Paul had bright eyes! His new name meant "humbled"! Saul means "to question". His nature changed from questioning to humbled. He was born again when he looked up, saw God, and trusted in Him! God's Name was Jesus. Saul received God's spectrometer. He saw Light that others could not see. He saw the Light in darkness. He saw the truth that others fail to see.

P.S.

     The dirt, debris, and gases off which light is reflected are things of the world. The world interferes with seeing light directly! The material things in the world's environment interferevwith the light rays and diffuses the light. After the light passes through clouds, pollution, and so forth, when one looks directly at the light, it is not bright.
    That applies to spiritual light as well. As God's Shekinah Light passes through the world's environment, even when looked directly toward, it appears dim. The world gets in the way of truth. Dimness is the result. God can only be seen in a dim light.
     In darkness, the light doesn't shine directly. The world gets in the way and darkness comes about. Some light can be seen but the glow we see at night are reflections off things in the world. To see the unadulterated light, anyone must move so its direct rays shine on them. They must get out of the way of the world, and not let it influence what they see. In spiritual terms that is "sanctification" - a setting apart from the world.

Why People Kill

     Killing another person is the second greatest sin that one can do. It seems like it would be the worst, but there is a greater sin! What could be worse than killing? What could be worse than killing God? Taking His death as without purpose. Jesus was born to die, and to reject his reason for dying is the utmost sin!
     I looked for scripture which revealed Jesus's purpose in life. There are many things which he purposed. However, the best verse for Jesus's purpose doesn't have the word "purpose" in it! John 3:16 which everyone should be able to at least misquote:

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

    Jesus's purpose was to be sacrificed, not in vain, but for a reason: that the world (anyone and everyone) not perish. Why would God do that to his only Son? Because he so loves everyone! Jesus's purpose was dying so that mankind could, if he chooses, live forever. Thus, God gifted His only Son to die in each of our places. Because mankind deserves to die because of sin, and Jesus was without sin, his purpose was to be the vicarious sacrifice because men are wicked. John 3:16 is the epitome of grace: getting a gift undeservedly!
     Jesus could have suspended the plot to kill him at any time. In his agony, Jesus asked that God take his "cup" from him, and obviously pass it along to someone else (Mark 14:36). We know what that "cup" was because the psalmist defined it thousands of years before:

Psalm 116:13 I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord.

     The "cup" is salvation.  Jesus's purpose was to be the cup of salvation:

Acts 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

     Jesus was born to die so that mankind could be saved. That is the purpose of Jesus. Joseph knew that since ever since the angel appeared to him:

Mat 1:21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins.

     It was revealed to Joseph the purpose of Jesus. Jesus was to be the "cup" or the Way to salvation. The worst sin of all is rejecting Jesus's purpose - his death for each of us. If Jesus's purpose for living is rejected, his purpose for dying is as well. When Jesus died his last breath released his spirit from his dead flesh:

Mark 15:37 And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost.

     Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit when he was baptized by John. When he died, Jesus gave up the "ghost". By experiencing death, the King James translators rightfully transformed the Spirit of God into the Ghost of Jesus - the Holy Ghost -  which is the disembodied Spirit of Jesus. There is not a Holy Spirit and Holy Ghost but God's Spirit who experienced death on the cross as Jesus. Jesus gave up his soul for mankind, taking away all sins of everyone on the journey to Sheol to dump them on Satan to whom they belonged! (Ephes 4:8-10 & 1 Pet 3:18-20). Some believe that Jesus suffered in Hell, but it makes more sense that he suffered in the world when he cried out to his Father for seemingly forsaking him (Mat 27:46). Of course, God never leaves nor forsakes anyone (Heb 13:5).
     Jesus didn't go to Hell to suffer but to deliver our sins in person! From the time Jesus agonized about his purpose until he gave up the  Ghost, was his life's purpose. Therefore, the greatest sin is rejecting Jesus's purpose - his transition from the Son of Man to Holy Ghost by dying. The unpardonable sin is rejection of Jesus's purpose which is called "blasphemy against the Holy Ghost" (Mat 12:31).
     That sin was not a new one. There was a command thousands of years before:

Exod 3:7 Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

     That is the Third Commandment, albeit one through four are all ways to love God which is The Greatest Commandment. They are how to revere God. The Third Commandment is not to be irreverent - taking His Name (Jesus) in vain. Remembering that Jesus's purpose was to die for mankind, that commandment is to not to belittle Jesus's purpose - that Jesus death was to no avail; that his death was not saving; that he gave up his Ghost for naught! That is blasphemy against the Holy Ghost which is the unpardonable sin. Examine the consequences of taking the Lord's Name in vain: those will be guilty! Guilty of blasphemy it seems.
     Not accepting Jesus's gift - his "cup" is the greatest sin! If the cup of salvation is received and is without utility (never drank from), it is just as crucifying (killing) Jesus all over again!

Heb 6:6 If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.

    What is worse than killing God once is killing God again - taking His cup and not drinking from it. That is being born-again but eventually becoming unwilling to obey. Obedience is how love is operationalized (John 14:15). Those who understand Jesus's purpose, but fail to show gratitude, kill the Lord a second time if they endeavor to be born-again, again! Of course that can't happen, and the iniquitous person becomes reprobate. It seems that those who are born-again but fail to obey kill their own souls forever! Why would they do that? Because temporal pleasure and pride is more important than God's will. It is easy to love oneself, but difficult to be meek and hard to love others. That's why people kill God by living such that the Lord agonizes over those who minimize Him.
     People kill for their god. That is the other god in God's face (The First Commandment). We were created in the image of God; we worship our own "faces" of selves. (The Hebrew word is transliterated better as "face" rather than "before.)
     People "kill" God because of themselves. People kill others because of themselves! David killed Uriah, Bathsheba's husband, because of lust of the eyes and lust of the flesh. The Jews killed Jesus out of pride. He claimed to be God, and with their limited knowledge, refused to believe it (they knew not what they do)! People kill other people because of those three things: (1) lust of the eyes, (2) lust of the flesh, and (3) the pride of life (1 John 2:16) - all sins of Adam.
     Adam killed God. His sin brought agony to God. Adam became "as god" in God's face. Of course the Lord didn't die right then, but Adam finally killed him through mankind. We all vicariously killed Jesus because  the time was not ready for Adam to do that himself. God died because of Adam!

Rom 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.

     Adam's purpose was to love and honor God (dress and keep Him). Because of sin, Jesus died. Sin killed God! People kill because they pleasure themselves. Hating others is murderous (1 John 3:15). People kill because they have hatred. Hatred for others is merely loving ourselves more! We are to love others as much as we do ourselves. We don't! That's just too hard to do. People kill because they are hateful and unloving of others. God's creatures get in the way of our self-god. God died because we love ourselves so much. Others die because we love ourselves so much! People kill because they have not love!
     People kill to be emancipated from God because rather than looking forward to the prize, they fear the punishment. Just as I said when a child, "I wish Daddy was dead so that I can do what I want to do," sinners think the same way. How childish!

Without Firing a Shot

    Nikita Khruschev, during the Cold War added to his earlier words, "I once said, 'We will bury you,' and I got into trouble with it. Of course we will not bury you with a shovel. Your own working class will bury you." Implied is that the Russian people will not fire a shot, as is often misquoted, but socialism will destroy America from within. Americans will be their own destruction! Where did Comrade Krushchev get that notion? From Karl Marx and the Communist Manifesto, which Marx admitted is the socialist manifesto!

     Right this moment, Americans are burying freedom from within. Krushchev was prophetic as well as more honest than American liberals! His ideal was socialism, and he ruled with the iron fist (actually a hard shoe which he hammered on a podium). He propagated socialism openly! 

     On the other hand, because they are ashamed of National and Bolshevik Socialism, American socialists are covert. Since the days of Teddy Roosevelt there has always been a "deep state" attempting to bury America. Krushchev was wrong on one point: He said it would be our own "working class" which would destroys America from within! That's not happening; it's mostly the non-working class - those people who desire free things! During the administration of our first outright socialist president, there was nearly the same percentage receiving as working. Let that be said in words easy to understand: "If you worked, you were supporting two families!" That is near slavery which is indeed the "road to serfdom". Socialism is the same corrupt institution it replaced!

     Recently, "progressives", heretofore known as liberals, have come out of their closet. Before, they depended on creeping socialism to create change. The liberals in government used the American process against ourselves! That tactic was easy: The liberals introduced extreme legislation then compromised on less. With that initiative in place, the next move was to introduce even more extreme legislation then settle on less. The United States is nearly as socialistic as China as naïve Americans bury ourselves. How does that come about? Americans like free things and settle for socialist crumbs while thinking they are getting a rich cake. Compromise is the strategy of socialism; force the tool of communism!

     Liberals depend on the stupidity of the American people! That was said by the Obamacare architect Jonathan Gruber. Conservatives, as Hillary accused, may be "a basket of deplorables", because, indeed, we are deplorable to liberals. However, Gruber called his own liberals stupid people! They are those who Krushchev foretold would bury America! Yes, stupid people are burying America and the rate is accelerating. Now communists are coming out of the closet as progressives openly admit that they are really socialists. 

     Socialism is when Marxists use rules of order to achieve their ideology. Communism is the same ideology, but after persuasion fails. The difference between the two is the violence which must be used to create change. Socialists use persuasion which is riddled with deception. Communists use violence, caring little whether people are deceived or not. At this moment, the Marxist curtain is being torn asunder. Although the iron curtain fell years ago and freedom came to eastern Europe, the iron curtain is just now falling as Marxists openly propagate European-type of serfdom. They are the true "basket of deplorables". Krushchev called them out!

     Why are Americans stupid? Because they don't know history! Socialism is and always has been deplorable. Socialism leads to one of two things: (1) repressive autocracies whose leaders are dictators, or when it fails, (2) to capitalism as Marxists learn the futility of socialistic ideas. Why so? People can only be fooled for a short time as nations sink (case 1), or the fact that socialism cannot create wealth becomes apparent to stupid people (case 2).

     Liberals are more crass than God. The former call their herd "stupid".  God calls stupid people fools! 

Prov 26:3 A whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass, and a rod for the fool's back. 4 Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him... 11 As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly.

     Those who will bury America are the fools of which God spoke. Socialism is living the lie. Living the lie is folly. Socialism uses fools to advance their ideology; communism use rods on fools' backs. Why would wise people desire a government which enslaves them? They know it has failed time after time, but fools still struggle for a Utopia built by men! It doesn't exist. However, God will provide a utopian Paradise:

John 14:2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

     The mansion of which Jesus spoke is the paradise of Heaven. It is the Utopia all wise people seek! The facilities there are rich; Jesus called our place a mansion in his Father's House. That is the place those who are born-again have hope! That is the place that Adam and Eve desired to turn from since what they had was not quite utopian enough! I believe the Kingdom of David is Eden, and the Garden Jerusalem. (Read many of my earlier blogs about that.)  During the Exodus from Egypt - the land of sin whose Pharaoh was symbolic of Satan - the Hebrews headed toward "paradise":

Exod 20 Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared. 21 Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgressions: for my name is in him.

     The Word was seldom forthcoming about who He IS! It seems that Jesus realized that those who know him would recognize him! Sure, God was telling Moses about the land of Canaan - the land of milk and honey, but he was at the same time revealing Paradise in Heaven! He was taking the Hebrews to a place He had prepared! The Israelites thought they were going to a paradise. They were sadly mistaken. Paradise would come in the end! We know from John 14:2 that their real destination was the Father's House with its many mansions! How so? The Way to Paradise is by God's Name - Jesus! He mentioned that to Moses.
     The Jews weren't headed to Canaan for their comfort, but so that Jesus could be born there to save mankind. That was the Abrahamic Covenant. Their final destination was by the Way of Jesus to a paradise in Heaven. Canaan was just a place of temporary provisional safety until Heaven comes down and New Jerusalem replaces old Jerusalem.
     Any physical place on earth is merely temporary whether it claims to be utopian or not. Marxism is a false promise. Their god is false, and their promises fool even Christians, just as scripture says (Mark 13:32). Marxism is a religion and Marx its false god. Those who propagate socialism such as Alexandria Orteso-Cortez, Bill de Blazio, and  Cynthia Nixon are false prophets! Hollywood is full of false prophets and the universities full of false teachers! They are the  "stupid Americans" of the elitists, and Satan's fools whose fantastical world is folly!
     Socialism is a religion. It was propagated as such by Marx whose ideal was that it would be anti-religion. Socialism is anti-Christianity and its adherents are antichrists! Just as Hitler claimed to be a Christian in his rise, it was not long before he showed his true religion: his god was himself. Socialism is a conglomeration of individual gods who want what appeases each of them. Socialism does appease to gain converts. Their way of proselytizing is no different than Joel Osteen's or even the Scientologists who promise a better world. Their promise is a paradise without God. Christians call that anti-Paradise "Hell". It is not utopia which they will have but torment. The foolish need to beware in what their hope lies!

Call it what you will, incentives are what get people to work harder.

Bombs do not choose. They will hit everything.

The more bombers, the less room for doves of peace.

If one cannot catch the bird of paradise, better take a wet hen.

Economics is a subject that does not greatly respect one's wishes.

If you live among dogs, keep a stick. After all, this is what a hound has teeth for-to bite when he feels like it!

Support by United States rulers is rather in the nature of the support that the rope gives to a hanged man.