assurance

1 John 5:13 - These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

John 5:24 - Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

John 3:16 - 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.

Romans 10:13 - For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

1 Peter 3:18-22 - For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit

1 John 5:11-13 - And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

1 John 3:14 - We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not [his] brother abideth in death.

1 John 2:3-4 - And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.

Ephesians 2:8-9 - For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God:

1 Corinthians 11:1-2 - Be ye followers of me, even as I also [am] of Christ.

John 20:31 - But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.

John 10:28 - And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any [man] pluck them out of my hand.

1 John 5:16-17 - If any man see his brother sin a sin [which is] not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.

Hebrews 9:27 - And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

Titus 3:5 - Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

2 Thessalonians 3:6 - Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us.

2 Thessalonians 2:14-15 - Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 2:10 - For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

2 Corinthians 13:5 - Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?

Romans 11:19-22 - Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be grafted in.

Romans 8:16 - The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:

Romans 8:1 - [There is] therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

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.

John 20:19-23 - Then the same day at evening, being the first [day] of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace [be] unto you.

John 3:3 - Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

John 3:1-5 - There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: the same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

1 John 5:5-8 - Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?  This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.  For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.  And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.

1 John 3:20 - For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.

2 Timothy 1:12 - For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.

Philippians 2:12-13 - Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

1 Corinthians 11:27-30 - Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink [this] cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.

1 Corinthians 7:10-11 - And unto the married I command, [yet] not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from [her] husband:

Romans 2:6-8 - Who will render to every man according to his deeds:

Acts 16:31 - And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

Acts 2:38-39 - Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Acts 2:21 - And it shall come to pass, [that] whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

John 6:39 - And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.

John 3:22-26 - After these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of Judaea; and there he tarried with them, and baptized.

Luke 1:47-48 - And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.

Matthew 9:6-8 - But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house.

Matthew 6:9-13 - After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

1 John 5:1 - Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.

1 John 3:10 - In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.

1 John 3:9 - Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

1 John 2:3 - And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.

1 John 1:9 - If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

1 John 1:8 - If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

2 Peter 1:10 - Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:

2 Timothy 3:15 - And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 2:8 - For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God:

Ephesians 1:4 - According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:

Romans 8:38-39 - For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,

Romans 8:32 - He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?

Romans 5:1 - Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

Romans 3:23 - For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

John 14:6 - Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

John 10:27-30 - My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

John 6:37 - All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.

John 3:36 - He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

John 1:12 - But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, [even] to them that believe on his name:

Matthew 7:21-23 - Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

Matthew 7:21 - Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

1 John 5:18 - We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not.

1 John 5:4 - For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, [even] our faith.

1 John 4:6 - We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

1 John 3:24 - And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.

1 John 2:27 - But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.

1 John 2:15 - Love not the world, neither the things [that are] in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

2 Peter 3:9 - The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

1 Peter 1:5 - Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

James 2:19 - Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.

Hebrews 6:18 - That by two immutable things, in which [it was] impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:

Colossians 2:2 - That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ;

Philippians 1:6 - Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform [it] until the day of Jesus Christ:

Ephesians 2:5 - Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

2 Corinthians 5:17 - Therefore if any man [be] in Christ, [he is] a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Romans 10:9 - That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

Romans 8:35 - Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? [shall] tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

Romans 8:15-16 - For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

Romans 8:1-39 - [There is] therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

Romans 6:23 - For the wages of sin [is] death; but the gift of God [is] eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Romans 5:8 - But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 4:25 - Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.

Romans 3:10 - As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

Luke 8:13 - They on the rock [are they], which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.

Mark 16:16 - He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

Matthew 7:23 - And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

which one do you feed the most?

a fellow had a very disturbing dream...

he dreamed that he had two dogs that were violently and constantly fighting and biting each other...

he was asked which one won the most...

he answered it was the one he fed the most...

understanding scripture

Midrash

Peshet - literal interpretation
Pesher - spiritual interpretation (depends on the peshet or literal interpretation)

Mashal - description of something from everyday life, from nature

Nimshal - spiritual meaning in back of the mashal

All four can be simultaneously applied and true, not exclusive to each other.

Prophecy

The hellenistic view of prophecy is prediction/fulfillment.  

Hebraic prophecy is pattern, multiple partial fulfillments of different aspects of a prophesied event pointing to the ultimate fulfillment where all details come together, even those that seem to be in conflict with each other. (For example, Rabbis argued over whether Messiah would come from Bethlehem or Egypt because there was scripture indicating both.  In fulfillment, both were true)

for the lawless, insubordinate, ungodly and sinners

     "Knowing this:

       that the Law is not made for a righteous person,

       but for the lawless and insubordinate,

       for the ungodly and for sinners,

       for the unholy and profane,

       for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers,

       for manslayers,  

       for sexually immoral (fornicators),

       for homosexuals (sodomites),

       for kidnappers,

       for liars,

       for perjurers,

       and if there is any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine"

       (1 Timothy 1:8-10)

     "But the cowardly, unbelieving,

       abominable, murderers,

       sexually immoral,

       sorcerers, (drugs ... "pharmakeus")

       idolaters,

       AND ALL LIARS

       shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone,

       which is the SECOND death ."   (The darkness, aloneness, and torments of Hell)

       (Revelation 21:8)

Then he opened their minds so that they might understand the Scriptures

Luke 24:45

the heart is deceitful

Jeremiah 17:9
The heart is deceitful above all things, and it is exceedingly corrupt: who can know it?

waxing worse and worse

2 Timothy 3:13
But evil men and impostors shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.

The Hand that Destroys the Establishment of the Eye

Each Hebrew letter has an ideographic meaning.

Each word not only has the meaning of the word itself but also the combined meaning of the letters that comprise the word.

The name "Yeshua" is made up of the letters

"Yud" which means "Hand"
"Shin," which means "destroy"
"Vav," which means "secure or establish"
"Ayin," which means "Eye."

So, the name Yeshua can be translated to mean, "The Hand that Destroys the Establishment of the Eye"

value

your value does not come from how "good" a person you are...

your value comes from God's love for you being such that He, Himself paid for your sins so that you could have a relationship with Him.


Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. - John 15:13

13 and 33

The antichrist is referred to by 33 different names in the old testament, and 13 names in the new testament...


The 33 References to Antichrist in Hebrew Scriptures

Below are listed the 33 titles that the Antichrist is known by. The most commonly known of these are: The Assyrian, The Prince that Shall Come, The King of Babylon, The Seed of the Serpent, The Little Horn, The Rod of God’s [Yahweh’s] Anger, The King of the North, The Prince of Tyre and The Willful King.

The 33 References to Antichrist in Hebrew Scriptures

Below are listed the various titles that the Antichrist is known by. The most commonly known of these are: The Assyrian, The Prince that Shall Come, The King of Babylon, The Seed of the Serpent, The Little Horn, The Rod of God’s [Yahweh’s] Anger, The King of the North, The Prince of Tyre and The Willful King.

The Adversary: Psa. 74:8-10; Isa. 59:19; Lam. 4:11,12; Amos 3:11

The Assyrian: Isaiah 10:5,12; Micah 5:5-6

Belial: Nahum 1:15

The Bloody and Deceitful Man: Psalms 5:5-6

BRANCH OF THE TERRIBLE ONES: Isa 25:5

The Chief Prince:

The Crooked Serpent: Isaiah 27:1

The Cruel One: Jeremiah 30:14, 23

The Destroyer of the Gentiles: Jeremiah 4:7

The Enemy: Psalms 55:3

The Evil Man: Psalms 140:1

The Head over Many Countries: Psalms 110:6

The Head of the Northern Army: Joel 2:20

The Idol Shepherd: Zechariah 11:15, 17

The King of Princes: Hosea 8:10

The King of Babylon: Isa. 14:4; Isaiah 14:11-20

The Little Horn: Daniel 7:8, 8:9

The Man of the Earth: Psa. 10:18

The Merchant with Scales of Deceit: Hosea 12:7

The Mighty Man: Psalms 52:1

The Nail: Isa 22:25

The Prince that Shall Come: Daniel 9:26

The Prince of Tyre: Ezekiel 28

The Profane and Wicked Prince of Israel: Ezekiel 21:25-27

The Proud Man: Habakkuk 2:5

The Rod of God’s [Yahweh’s] Anger: Isaiah 10:5

The Seed of the Serpent: Genesis 3:15

The Son of the Morning: Isaiah 14:12

The Spoiler and the Destroyer: Isa. 16:4-5; Isaiah 15:4-5

The Vile Person: Daniel 11:21

The Violent Man: Ps. 140:1; Psalms 140:10-11

The Wicked One: Psalms 9:17, 10:2, 4, Isaiah 11:4, Jeremiah 30:14, 23

The Willful King: Daniel 11:36




ANTICHRIST: 1 John 2:22
MAN OF SIN: 2 Thess 2:3
SON OF PERDITION: 2 Thess 2:3
LAWLESS ONE: 2 Thess 2:8
BEAST: Rev 11:7
ANGEL OF THE BOTTOMLESS PIT: Rev 9:11
Vine of the Earth: Rev 14:18
Star: Rev 8:10; Rev 9:1

train up a child

Train up a child in the way they should go; and, when he is old, he will not depart from it. - Proverbs 22:6

People often mistake "training" with "education", but they are very different things...

Education is basically throwing information at a someone and seeing what sticks...

Those who believe that the basic nature of man is good think that all a child needs is enough education and the right environment for them to be functional, well-behaved, and successful people.

This sounds nice, but is not in line with reality.

It is not consistent with what God has revealed about the way we function in our "Owner's Manual", the Bible.

Reality is, we are all born with a fallen nature.

No one has to teach a child to lie, steal, or behave selfishly.  We all come out of the womb that way, and a child has to be trained differently.

Training involves consistency and repetition -- doing it over again and again until it is done right.

It takes years of consistency and repetition to instill the "way they should go" into a child.  The younger and earlier this training is started, the better.

For they cannot sleep unless they are doing evil, and they are robbed of their sleep unless they cause someone to stumble.

Proverbs 4:16

deliberately keep on sinning...

If we deliberately keep on sinning 
   after we have received the knowledge of the Truth,
NO sacrifice for sin is left,
but only fearful expectation of judgement and of raging fire
that will consume the enemies of God.  

Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died
without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.  
How much more severely 
   do you think a man deserves to be punished
who has trampled to Son of God under foot,
who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant
that sanctified him, and
who has insulted the Spirit of Grace?

Hebrews 10:26-29

There is nothing hidden that won’t be revealed, and there is nothing secret that won’t become known and come to light.  Luke 8:17

judgement of abandonment

Just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.   -  Romans 1:28-32

responsibility

For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.
2 Thess 3:10


If anyone does not take care of his own relatives, especially his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
1 Tim 5:8


A good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children ...
Prov 13:22a

sin no more

John 8:11
11 She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.

John 15:14
Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.

heresy

All heresy is either the Bible plus, or the Bible minus.

--Lewis S. Chafer (1871-1952, first president of Dallas Theological Seminary)

Be not deceived

Know you not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God?

Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortionists, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

1 Cor 6:9


“A woman shall not wear a man's garment, nor shall a man put on a woman's cloak, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord your God."

Deuteronomy 22:5

the whole field

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.  Matt 13:44


Notice the purchase of the whole field for the purpose of gaining the treasure.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16

Jesus died for the whole world so that he could gain those who believe on Him.

two kinds of seed

Deut 22:9
Thou shalt not sow thy vineyard with divers seeds: lest the fruit of thy seed which thou hast sown, and the fruit of thy vineyard, be defiled


Lev 19:19
Ye shall keep my statutes. Thou shalt not let thy cattle gender with a diverse kind: thou shalt not sow thy field with mingled seed: neither shall a garment mingled of linen and woollen come upon thee.


Some say "eat the meat and throw out the bones".  However, the thing is truth is more akin to mixing tea and milk.  You can't drink the tea and spit out the milk.

Matthew 13:24-30
Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. So the servants of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’  He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them up?’  But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them.  Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”


Notice that the enemy sows false seed in among the good seed.  It is not until harvest that the tares and wheat are separated -- by then it is too late for the tares to become wheat...

Neuro-linguistic programming

Timed sounds and images intended to bring about hypnotic suggestive state

viewers clone-off what they see on MTV...

DENIAL - Don't Even kNow I Am Lying

the "secret" to success

You used to be in Eden— God's paradise! You wore precious stones for clothing:

1. ruby,
2. topaz,
3. diamond,
4. beryl,
5. onyx,
6. jasper,
7. sapphire,
8. turquoise,
9. and carbuncle.

Your settings were crafted in gold, along with your engravings. On the day of your creation they had been prepared!

Ezekiel 28:13


The kaballah numerological secret to worldly success...  Sell your soul to Satan (9) and get the wealth of the world (gold)....

it is a little man who lets little things annoy him

darkened in their understanding

Therefore, I tell you and insist on in the Lord not to live any longer like the gentiles live, thinking worthless thoughts.

They [gentiles that think worthless thoughts] are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of their ignorance and hardness of heart.

Since they have lost all sense of shame [desensitized], they have abandoned themselves to sensuality and practice every kind of sexual perversion without restraint.

However, that is not the way you came to know the Messiah.

Surely you have listened to him and have been taught by him, since truth is in Jesus. Regarding your former way of life, you were taught to strip off your old nature, which is being ruined by its deceptive desires, to be renewed in your mental attitude, and to clothe yourselves with the new nature, which was created according to God's image in righteousness and true holiness.

Ephesians 4:17-24

Yeah! Get 'im, he's a terrorist!

Yeah! Get 'im, he's a terrorist!

um... wait, Homeland Security considers Christians, Veterans, pro-Civil Rights, pro-Second Amendment, and pro-Life to be terrorists too...

We have the Fifth Amendment for a reason...

Historically, the legal protection against self-incrimination was directly related to the question of torture for extracting information and confessions

a prison for every unclean spirit

Fallen! Babylon the Great has fallen! She has become a home for demons. She is a prison for every unclean spirit, a prison for every unclean bird, and a prison for every unclean and hated beast. Rev 18:2

sincerely wrong

When a sincere person who is honestly misled is confronted with the truth, they will either cease to be misled or they will cease to be honest.

ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth

2 Tim 3:1-9
But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come.

For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power;

Avoid such men as these.

For among them are those who enter into households and captivate weak women weighed down with sins, led on by various impulses, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men of depraved mind, rejected in regard to the faith. But they will not make further progress; for their folly will be obvious to all, just as Jannes’s and Jambres’s folly was also.

They will refuse to stop worshiping demons and idols, and they will not repent of their murders, acts of sorcery, immorality, and thievery

As the torment of the demonic hordes begins (9:13-19), the lost will have opportunity to fall on their knees and to beg God for relief and salvation.  But even with a third of mankind slain before their eyes (v. 15), they will harden their hearts, refusing to repent of their sins.  They will refuse to stop worshiping demons and idols (v. 20), and they will not repent of their murders, acts of sorcery, immorality, and thievery (v. 21).  (All references from Revelation)

Truly the Lord GOD will do nothing he has mentioned without revealing his purposes to his servants the prophets. Amos 3:7

seven abominations

Proverbs 6:16-19
These six [things] doth the LORD hate: yea, seven [are] an abomination unto him:

A proud look,
a lying tongue,
and hands that shed innocent blood,
An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations,
feet that be swift in running to mischief,
A false witness [that] speaketh lies,
and he that soweth discord among brethren.

waste

wastefulness demonstrates a lack of appreciation for what God has given us...



1 Timothy 5:8 - But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.

1 Peter 4:3 - For the time past of [our] life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries

Proverbs 18:9 - He also that is slothful in his work is brother to him that is a great waster.

Ezekiel 16:49 - Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.

Romans 1:21 - Because that, when they knew God, they glorified [him] not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

John 6:12
When they were filled, He said to His disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments so that nothing will be lost.”

Luke 15:13
And not many days later, the younger son gathered everything together and went on a journey into a distant country, and there he squandered his estate with loose living.

boasting

We should never boast of ourselves, and it is not wise to compare ourselves amongst ourselves.

God has given each of us a measure of gifts, abilities, talents, and opportunities.

Success is measured not how we show off our talents, but by whether or not we make use of what God has given us in His service.

Proverbs 25:14; 27:1
Acts 5:36
Romans 1:30
2 Corinthians 10:12

when life guards are rescuing someone, they are trained to spend no more than 5 seconds talking to them to calm them down.  if they don't respond to that, they knock them out.  why?

you can't save somebody who is trying to save themselves...

strange fire

Most people believe if something is  "positive", then it is of God.

However, God has revealed in scripture that He does not work that way.

But God has revealed those things to us by His Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the deep things of God. 1Cor 2:10

So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Romans 10:17

Whatever is not of faith is sin Romans 14:23

Without faith, it is impossible to please God Heb 11:6

And Nadab and Abihu died, when they offered strange fire before the Lord. Numbers 26:61

We can't just willy nilly do whatever feels good to us and call it "from God" or "God honoring".  God has revealed His nature to us as well as the pattern of how He goes about things, so that we can recognized His "fingerprint" and know if something is from Him.

We also know what is definitely NOT from God based on how God defines sin and what God says that He hates.  God is not wishy washy, nor is He an emotional wreck.  He is consistent and does not contradict Himself in any way.

He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Heb 13:8

For I am the Lord, I change not Malachi 3:6

If He says He is pleased by something then we can trust that, if He says He is displeased by something, then we can trust that as well.

A wicked and adulterous generation seeks a sign

Matthew 16:4; Matthew 12:39

strange flesh

And the Lord God said unto the serpent, “Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field. Upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life. And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her Seed; It shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise His heel.”  Genesis 3:14-15


And the angels who kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, He hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great Day (Rev 9:1-21; Rev 20) — even as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them, in like manner giving themselves over to fornication and going after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. Likewise also, these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities.  Jude 1:6-8


Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them.  And the Lord said unto Satan, “From whence comest thou?” Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down upon it.”  Job 1:6-7


And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth and daughters were born unto them, that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were fair; and they took for themselves wives of all whom they chose.  And the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not always strive with man, for he also is flesh; yet his days shall be a hundred and twenty years.”

There were giants on the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men and they bore children to them, the same became mighty men who were of old, men of renown.

And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagining of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord repented that He had made man on the earth, and it grieved Him in His heart.  And the Lord said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, and the creeping thing and the fowls of the air, for I repent that I have made them.”

But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God. And Noah begot three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. And God looked upon the earth, and behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.

And God said unto Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth.  Genesis 6:1-13

as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be
Matthew 24:37 / Luke 17:26

prove all things

I've been drinking diet mountain dew and diet dr. pepper for so long, I don't notice the difference in taste of the artificial sweetener from real sugar any more.  Sometimes when I order at a restaurant, I wonder if they messed up and gave me the "real thing" instead of the diet version.  The only way I can tell the difference is to taste the sugary version and immediately taste the artificial version.  Only then do I notice the slight "off" taste.

Similarly, the contrary doctrines of demons and traditions of men often feel very good and can be very close to the "real thing".  If they were too different, it would alert people to that difference and they would abandon the false teachings.  The enemy often comes in the guise of an angel of light (2 Cor 11:14) tickling our ears with things we want to hear (2 Tim 4:3).

Even a little "off" should trigger alarms.  All it takes is a little leaven to leaven the whole lump (1 Cor 5:6).

We are advised to "prove all things, and hold fast to that which is true" (1 Thess 5:21). We cannot base our "sense" of the truth on feelings. The only way we can prove something is to have something to measure against as a basis for comparison.

Scripture is that basis, and is our measure for all truth (2 Tim 3:16).  The only way we can spot the falsehood is to be well grounded in that truth.  Test all doctrines (teachings) and beliefs against the standard God has given us in the Bible.

to the jew first

In Romans 1:16 and Romans 2:10 Paul uses the phrase "to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

This sets up a principle that interpretation of scripture should be through the lens of the Jews.

It is very popular nowadays to interpret scripture through the lens of greek language, culture, and influence.  This leads to gnosticism.

Scripture was written first to the Jews and also to the Greek (gentiles).  We can come to the intended conclusions if we interpret scripture through the lens of hebrew language, culture, and influence.

Keep in mind that the gentiles are the ones that are "grafted in" (Romans 11:17).  The gentiles are grafted into the Israelite inheritance, not a replacement for it.

boasting of tomorrow

Don't boast about tomorrow, for you don't know what a day might bring. Proverbs 27:1

Every knee shall bow

I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.
Isaiah 45:23

For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.
Romans 14:11

That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Phillipians 2:10-11

death of self

Matthew 10:39
He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.


Philippians 1:21
For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.


2 Corinthians 4:10-17
Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.

For we which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.

So then death worketh in us, but life in you.  We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak; Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you.

For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God.

For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.

For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;

old testament is new testament concealed...
new testament is the old testament revealed...

the TRUTH will set you free

The way some happiness preachers talk you'd think the Bible says "Positive Confession will set you free".

Thing is, the Bible doesn't say that...

"Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." (John 8:31-32)

You see, the Truth is neither positive nor negative.  It is the Truth we read about in God's Word that changes us and brings us closer to Him in both likeness and relationship.

Sometimes the truth is not always what we WANT to hear, but it is always what we NEED to hear.

why rome is wrong

Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.
1 Tim 4:1-3

It is a doctrine of demons to forbid to marry...  while it is fine for a person to choose to abstain from sex and marriage, it should not be a religious requirement (ie: priesthood, etc...)

For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time
1 Tim 2:5-6

There is only ONE mediator, Christ Jesus...  you don't need a priest, saint, queen of heaven, ascended master, dead ancestor, or a pope...

charismata

charismata is not the source of charismata...

Christ is the source of charismata...

What happens when charismata becomes the foundation you build on instead of Christ?  You have the same worldly-fleshly charismania that happended in Corinth.  Everyone is obsessed with experience instead of Messiah...

When you build on the wrong foundation, the structure crumbles...

holiness

Holiness does not come from holiness...

Holiness comes from a relationship with Christ

Two Messiahs?

Scripture relates what has been at times interpreted as two Messiahs...

Messiah ben Yosef - suffering servant
Messiah ben David - triumphant king


Instead of two Messiahs, it is one Messiah and two "comings".  He first came as the suffering servant to pay for our sins.  He is returning as triumphant king to rule and reign.

value

God created everything with very little cost or effort on His part...

The value of His creation comes from the price He paid for its redemption...

Michael

Possibly one of the two covering Angels over the mercy seat?

One is Michael and the other is Lucifer (Satan) Ezekiel 28:13-15.

Michael is the only arch-angel that directly contends against Satan (Jude 1:9)

Daniel 10:13-21  Prince of the First Rank and Protector of Israel

Daniel 12:1 - At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise

Revelation 12:7-9 describes a war in heaven in which Michael, being stronger, defeats Satan and casts him down to earth

love ourselves?

Some folks like to talk a lot about "self-esteem" and how we need to learn to love ourselves...

Apparently they never read the Bible...

Eph 5:29

For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourishes and cherishes it

Phil 2:21

For all seek their own, not the things which are of Christ Jesus.

According to the Bible, we do not have to be taught to love ourselves and we don't need to love ourselves any more..

Just spend some time observing kids in a pre-school or kindergarten and you will see they do not have to be taught to be selfish or self-centered.  We are all born slaves to the flesh and sin, knowing how to be selfish and thinking the universe revolves around us.

The problem is that we already know how to love ourselves too much.  

It may not be popular or tickle any ears, but the Bible puts our position in a different light...

Isaiah 64:6  

But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our works of righteousness are like filthy rags;

We all fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

Instead, we need to be taught that we are NOT the center of the universe and we need to be taught how to love others.

The greek word for unconditional love, agapao, means to totally give ourselves over to something.

Unconditional love is self-LESS-ness.  The opposite of love is self-ISH-ness.

Prideful, selfish, self-absorbed people are easy to spot.  They are consumed with themselves and their primary focus of attention is on themselves.

Romans 12:3

...to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

Some may say, "what about people who have low self-esteem?"

The problem is no different.  A person down on themselves wallowing in self-pity is still being consumed with "self", and they have given over their focus of attention to themselves.  Also, a person can still be prideful about how "lowly" and "humble" they are...

Instead of spending our time thinking of ourselves, whether how great or pitiful we are, we need to think on these things...

Phil 4:8

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

The time we spend thinking of Him and preferring others in love, the less time we will have to spend thinking of ourselves...

Instead of esteeming ourselves, which we are born already knowing how to do, we need to highly esteem God and put Him before ourselves...

Mark 12:31

Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

love and hate

Psalm 97:10
Ye that love the Lord, hate evil: he preserveth the souls of his saints; he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked.

Why is it so many people say that hate is the opposite of love?

Apparently they have never read their Bible.

There are many verses that reflect both God's love and the truth that He also hates sin at the same time.  Matter of fact, God is Love.  How can hate be the opposite of love if God is capable of hate?

Deuteronomy 12:31; Deuteronomy 16:22
You must not worship the Lord your God in their way, because in worshiping their gods, they do all kinds of detestable things the Lord hates. 

Proverbs 6:16
There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him:

Psalm 11:5
The Lord examines the righteous, but the wicked, those who love violence, he hates with a passion.


Malachi 2:16
“For the Lord God of Israel says that He hates divorce, for it covers one’s garment with violence,” Says the Lord of hosts. “Therefore take heed to your spirit, that you do not deal treacherously.”


The truth is that love is really about self-LESS-ness.  So the opposite of selflessness would actually be self-ISH-ness.  Hate then, is actually a component of love. 

If you love someone selflessly, then your going to hate things that hurt that person. 

We are also instructed to both love and hate at the same time.

Notice how scripture tells us to hate things such as sin, wickedness, evil, and money; as well as sinful behaviors such as idolatry, immorality, etc...

Matthew 6:24; Luke 16:13
“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

Amos 5:15
Hate evil, love good;

Hate what is evil, cling to what is good.
Romans 12:9


Hate can be a component of self-ISH-ness as well.   Selfishness can lead to hating people, something we are admonished NOT to do...

1 John 4:20
Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.

Woe to them that are at ease

Woe to them that are at ease in Zion, and trust in the mountain of Samaria, which are named chief of the nations, to whom the house of Israel came!

Amos 6:1

"Woe" is a hearalding of judgement.  Those who are at ease and not watchful will be caught off guard when judgement comes.

Today's Laodecean church measures its relationship with God by the level of prosperity they experience.  They are in need of nothing and are at ease.  They will be woefully unprepared and caught off guard when judgement comes.

enabling

In all the Biblical examples of service to others that we are to follow, can anyone give me an example where service to others enabled someone's bad behavior or made them more comfortable in their sin?

positive

correction is positive, it makes us better...

blindness

if you have never seen the light, you do not know you have been blind until you see the light...

they that hate you shall reign over you

But, if you will not listen to me and carry out all these commands, and if you reject my decrees and abhor my laws and fail to carry out all my commands and so violate my covenant, then I will do this to you:

1. I will bring on you sudden terror, (terrorism?)

2. wasting diseases and fever that will destroy your sight and sap your strength.  (AIDS? STDs? Bird/Asian/Swine Flu?)

3. You will plant seed in vain, because your enemies will eat it. (Taxes collected to pay interest on debt to foreign central banks?)

4. I will set my face against you so that you will be defeated by your enemies; (when was the last time we won a war?)

5. those who hate you will rule over you, (current administration...)

6. and you will flee even when no one is pursuing you.

Leviticus 26:14-17

The Kingdom of God

For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. Romans 14:17

new wine

New wine refers to fresh squeezed grape juice that is very sweet in the mouth due to sugar content.

Grape juice undergoes fermentation (corruption) of the sugar converting it to alcohol.  Consider the words of Jesus concerning leaven and how it is typically representative of sin or corruption.

The angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness to the judgment of the great day.

Jude 1:6

Does God "believe" in us?

I recently heard someone say "God believes in us".

Where is THAT in the Bible?

The only text they quoted to support this was "For God so loved the world that He gave...".

Basically they were saying that it was not just the motivation of love that Jesus endured the cross, but Jesus also believed in us, or had believed that we would receive the salvation He offered.

Now this is not a matter of difference of opinion or different interpretations.  Hello... John 3:16 is "milk", how can you get more basic than that?  By adding to that verse something that isn't there, no matter how cool it sounds,  it still sours the milk.  If the milk is sour, guarantee that the meat will be rancid.

Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. -  1 John 4:10

Why is it not sufficient that love was the motivation that Jesus went to the cross?  

Taking into consideration the whole counsel of God and His nature, my understanding is that since God is love and expresses love perfectly, that Jesus went to the cross solely because of His love for us and would have done so even if nobody would repent and receive His completed payment for our sins.

This contrary doctrine contradicts not only John 3:16 but also Ephesians 2:4-5 and other verses...

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),

Now why is "God believes in us" bad?   Basically, instead of God being the only one who gets the glory for our salvation, we can get a share in it by doing something that God believes we will do.  This is very appealing as it tickles our ears and appeals to our prideful flesh.

Unfortunately, some folks mistake having their flesh tickled for the "witness of the spirit".  Regardless of how we feel, we still need to test all things against scripture and prove all things, holding fast to that which is true.

Of course the responses then become "well this is God doing something new", or "this is new revelation", or "Jesus told me this".

God reveals His nature in the Bible as being of order and not confusion.  He does not contradict Himself, and neither should anything revealed to us by Him.

If I'm wrong on any point, I want someone to show me in scripture where I'm wrong.  By two to three witnesses is something established (Deut 19:15) and it should not contradict any other scripture in context.  If shown this, I quickly repent and conform to what the Word says.  I want to get it right and be sure of what I teach my kids.  

This verse reveals a very good reason to be sure of what you teach:


Matthew 18:6
But whoso shall offend [lead astray] one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.


Addendum:

This "God believes in us" line of thought is likely because of the contrary doctrine that God needs to use faith to do things...  This is a popular contrary doctrine because if God needed faith, and we can use faith, then that puts us in the place of being a god (Gen 3:5), appealing to the pride of life (1John 2:16)

Of course, being that God is All-powerful and All-knowing, and that He knows the end from the beginning (Isa 46:12), He accomplishes His will by His own power as Creator.

We have no power in and of ourselves, and that is where faith comes in.  The only way we can participate in things spiritually is through the power of the Holy Spirit, and we put our trust (faith) in God's Word that He will accomplish everything He has said.  The power is not in faith, or to say, we don't put our faith in faith.  Faith is only effective when we put our trust in something that is truly powerful.  The power is in God, and our trust needs to be in God and His Word.

gifts

^1Cor12:11 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as He will.

Folks have a bad misunderstanding about gifts.  The gift is for the person that needs it, not the person through whom the Holy Sprit may choose to work at that point in time.

Gifts are dispensed according to the will of the Holy Sprit and are for His glory and not our convenience.

If I encounter someone who needs healing, my hope is that the Lord will give them a gift of healing according to His will, timing, and for His glory.  Should God will that I be an instrument in that process, my hope is that I'm sufficiently filled with and led by the Holy Spirit to play my part.  Through the whole process God gets the glory and someone is blessed.

gifting and titles

I've been asked, "What's your gifting?"

Seems the assumption is that everyone must know what their special gifting is and be operating in it and all that jazz...

Where is that in the Bible?

Some folks love to pridefully walk around with a title and authority to look over their nose at others.

That IS in the Bible, but is a description of what NOT to do.

Personally, the only title I hope to someday be called is "servant".

contrary doctrine

I've had folks tell me that I'm causing division when I question certain teachings.  They often quote that the Bible says "mark them that cause divisions", as if any challenge to the teaching is a form of division...

The thing is, they are quoting out of context and not even quoting the entire verse...

Romans 16:17

Now I beseech you, brothers, mark them which cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which you have learned; and avoid them.

Notice, it is the folks who are espousing the contrary doctrine that are causing division.

It is NOT the berean who is searching his scriptures daily to see that something is true that is causing division.

Nowhere in scripture are we told to tolerate false doctrines for the sake of "unity".

Instead, we are told to prove all things and hold fast to that which is true.  We should always expect that a teaching be established by at least two to three witnesses in scripture.  

Also, God's nature is order and not chaos.  There should not just be a few verses to support a teaching, but the teaching should also not contradict any other scripture.

If we unite around anything, let it be the truth as presented in the scripture.

If my question is answered from the authority of scripture, then I'm perfectly happy to conform to what God has revealed He wants and expects.

Doormat

Unfortunately, some folks think that humility and being humble means your supposed to be everyone's doormat.


Keep in mind Jesus washed the feet of others, not allowed others to wipe their feet on Him. At no point was He not in control in how He served others. At no point in His service to others was He enabling someone in their sin.

And changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four footed beasts, and creeping things. Romans 1:23

three that bear record in heaven

For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.

1 John 5:7

The wicked freely strut about when what is vile is honored among men.
Psalm 12:8

why do bad things happen to good people?

When confronted with this question, Jesus turned it around ...

Luke 13:1-5

There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.  

And Jesus answered and said to them, “Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? 

I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. 

Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? 

I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.”

... in essence, the question is not about why bad things happen to good people, instead it is why should good things happen to bad people?  The thing is, we have all sinned and we are all deserving of worse happenening to us.  Our only hope is to repent of our sin and turn to Jesus for salvation.

If two believers agree on every single thing and never disagree, then one of them is not thinking...

falling away

For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit,  and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they fall away,[b] to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame.  Heb 6:4-6

consequences

Maybe God is telling our nation something...  if only we would listen.

To those who may have doubted whether or not our nation is under judgement, consider the following...

When I read the Bible, I see a pattern in how God treats nations.  

When the both the northern kingdom of Israel and then the southern kingdom of Judah turned their back on God, the same pattern revealed itself each time:

1) first the people turn their back on God and seek after other "gods"

2) God then abandons the nation to sin, allowing them to engage in their wickedness to the fullest extent, so that it is obvious to all they deserve judgement 

3) then the people fall under the rule of wicked leaders

4) then they are attacked by a foreign invader

5) then they are overthrown and their wealth and property go to foreigners  

6) those that survive are forced to live in a pagan nation, under a pagan government

We are only now waking up to the realize just how far along we are in the process.

Our nation has been in the process of turning its back on God for the last 100 years.  The rejection of God was popularized and formalized back in the 1960s and has continued growing.  What we are seeing now are just "tip of the iceberg" symptoms of a larger problem of the heart.

The fact of the matter is that we are already well into steps 5 through 6 in the process.  Our wealth and property is being stolen by international opportunists.  Our children are being sold into debt slavery to foreign nations.  

Those who live in a pagan nation should only expect to have pagan leadership.

The Northern Kingdom of Israel never repented of their idolatry and they never were again a nation.  The remnant of the Kingdom of Judah repented and cried out to God in their captivity and were again returned to their nation.  Which will we be?

That is, unless we are truly on the brink of the rise of the antichrist and beast world religious and government system.  This global new world order system could not come to power with the United States as a superpower and center of Christian influence.  The agenda has always been to collapse our economy and reduce our influence in the world.

If that is the case, then it is time to look up, for our redemption is drawing nigh!