December 7, 2023: Jude 11 - Woe Unto the Ungodly!

“Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.” - Jude 11

In continuing his description of the ungodly men who have crept in unawares, Jude discusses three men who all went astray: Cain, Balaam, and Core, also called Korah. Let us consider why Jude brought up the names of these three men and compared them to the ungodly men who had crept in unaware, both back then in Jude’s time and now in these end times. May we heed Jude’s words that he says of these men: Woe unto them! As it did not turn out well for Cain, Balaam, and Core/Korah, neither will it turn out well for anyone who follows in their footsteps.

Cain was the first son of Adam and Eve and brother to their second son, Abel. Cain tilled the ground, and Abel kept sheep. In bringing an offering to the Lord God, “Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD. And Abel brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof.” (Genesis 4:3-4) The Bible then tells us:

“And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering: but unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.” (Genesis 4:4-5)

The Bible does not tell us why God respected Abel’s offering but not Cain’s, but let’s look more in-depth as to what Cain and Abel sacrificed. Regarding Cain’s offering, it does not say that Cain brought the first of the fruits that the land bore and it doesn’t tell us that he brought the best fruit and offered them to God. Rather, it only says he “brought of the fruit of the ground.” If we contrast that to Abel’s offering, we see that Abel brought the fat, or the best portions, of the firstborns of the flock. Abel offered to God the best that he had to offer, putting God first, while Cain did not. There is also a difference of the blood sacrifice offered by Abel but not offered by Cain. Even though Cain tilled the ground and did not shepherd the sheep, there is nothing written that prohibited Cain from offering a blood sacrifice as his brother did.

God noticed that Cain was very upset because God had not respected Cain’s offering:

“And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.” (Genesis 4:6-7)

God told Cain that if he did well, he would be accepted. However, if he did not, then sin was at the door, waiting for Cain to let sin rule over his life. God warned Cain not to let sin rule over him but that Cain should rule over sin. God knew there was a heart issue in Cain, and God was trying to get Cain not to harden his heart by letting sin come in. However, Cain did not listen to God. Cain was jealous of Abel because God had respected Abel’s offering and not his own. Cain let the sins of jealousy, envy, and anger into his heart, where it caused him to commit the first murder in human history when he killed his own brother, his own flesh and blood. After Cain killed Abel, when God asked Cain if he knew where was his brother was, Cain answered sarcastically to God, “I know not: Am I my brother’s keeper?” (Genesis 4:9). The Bible then tells us God’s reply to Cain:

“And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground. And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother’s blood from thy hand; when thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.” (Genesis 4:10-12)

The murder of an innocent human being is known to God, with even the blood of that person crying out from the ground to God. In the example of Cain, we see the fulfillment of sin, which began as jealousy and envy, filling Cain with wrath against his brother and also against God. Not heeding the warnings of God, Cain let sin rule over him, resulting in Cain murdering his own brother. If anyone believes that God does not see and know all who have killed an innocent person, including the slaughter of human beings in the wombs of their mothers, they are being deceived by the lies of the devil, and sin is ruling over them, just as sin ruled over Cain.

Next, let’s consider the example of Balaam that Jude provided. However, before discussing who Balaam was, let us go back to the time when God made His unconditional, unilateral, everlasting covenant with Abram, whose name God had not yet changed it to “Abraham.” God first spoke this covenant to Abram:

“Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” (Genesis 12:1-3)

God had promised to make of Abram a great nation, but Abram and his wife Sarai were old at that time and yet had no children. Abram suggested to God that because he had not heir yet, the steward of his house named Eliezer of Damascus should be his heir. However, God made it clear to Abram that his heir would come from the seed of Abram:

“And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir. And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him righteousness. And he said unto him, I am the LORD that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it. And he said, LORD GOD, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?” (Genesis 15:4-7)

God Himself then enacted the covenant (unilaterally). God told Abram to bring him a 3-year old heifer, a 3-year old female goat, a 3-year old ram, a turtledove, and a pigeon and to divide (cut) all but the birds and lay each piece against one another. After the sun went down, Abram fell into a deep sleep “and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon Abram.” (Genesis 15:12) God then made the unilateral covenant with Abram while he slept:

“And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; and also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance. And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age. But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full. And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces. In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates: The Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites, and the Hittites, and the Periizzites, and the Rephaims, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites and the Jebusites.” (Genesis 15:13-21)

Years passed and still Abram had no heir. Growing impatient with God, Sarai decided to take matters in her own hands and to help produce an heir for Abram. She asked Abram to let her Egyptian handmaid named Hagar have sexual intercourse with him to produce an heir for him. Abram agreed, and a male child was born whom they named Ishmael. Abram was 86 when Ishmael was born. Four years later and still without an heir produced from Abram and Sarai, God reaffirmed His promise to Abram and made another covenant with him:

“And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly. And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying, As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee. And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God. And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations. This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised.” (Genesis 17:2-10)

Next, God told Abram:

“And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be. And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her. Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear? And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee!” (Genesis 17:15-18)

Here we have Abraham disbelieving the words that God told him, for Abraham was only hearing the words as a man would speak them and not the words that Almighty God would speak. Abraham believed there was no way that he and Sarah could conceive and bear a child because they were long past childbearing age. Instead, Abraham proposed to God that Ishmael would be Abraham’s heir to the unconditional, everlasting covenant that God had made with him. However, there is nothing impossible for God, even causing a child to be born from a one hundred-year old man and a ninety-year old woman. Is there anything impossible for God, who created the heavens, earth, and sea and all that is within them? When we put out faith and trust in the One true God, we must trust in Him to do what He says He will do. God then confirmed that His covenant would be between Him and the seed of Abraham and his wife Sarah:

“And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him. And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation. But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year.” (Genesis 17:19-21)

And as God promised Abraham, a son was born unto him and Sarah:

“And the LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did unto Sarah as he had spoken. For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him. And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac. And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac being eight days old, as God had commanded him. And Abraham was an hundred years old, when his son Isaac was born unto him.” (Genesis 21:1-5)

Now, let us return to Balaam, whom Jude mentioned in Jude 11. Who was Balaam? He was a prophet of God, but he was a wicked prophet whose heart was motivated by money and not God. When the children of Israel were being led by Moses in the wilderness after God delivered them out of Egypt, they came near to the land of the Moabites, which at that time was in the possession of the Amorites. The king of Moab, King Balak, had seen that the Israelites had taken the Amorite cities and had smote the king, his sons, and all his people. “And Moab was sore afraid of the people, because they were many: and Moab was distressed because of the children of Israel.” (Numbers 22:3)

Before discussing what Balak did next, let’s read about why God was brining the children of Israel into the land of Canaan. God had given the people in the land of Canaan over 400 years to change their ways and to stop worshipping false gods and sacrificing their children to them. During this 400-year time period, the children of Israel were in bondage in Egypt, a land that was not theirs, just as God had prophesied to Abraham (Genesis 15:13). However, the Canaanites did not change their ways but continued in their wickedness. Before God would lead the children of Israel into His land that He was giving to them, He spoke to Moses to warn the children of Israel not to do the things the people of Egypt had done when the children of Israel lived there and not to do the things the Canaanites were doing in the land of Canaan, as written in Leviticus 18 and in Deuteronomy 18:9-14, including those sins listed below:

“And thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass through the fire to Molech, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD. Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is an abomination. Neither shalt thou lie with any beast to defile thyself therewith: neither shall any woman stand before a beast to lie down thereto: it is confusion. Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things: for in all these the nations are defiled which I cast out before you: and the land is defiled: therefore I do visit the iniquity thereof upon it, and the land itself vomiteth out her inhabitants. Ye shall therefore keep my statutes and my judgments, and shall not commit any of these abominations; neither any of your own nation, nor any stranger that sojourner among you: For all these abominations have the men of the land done, which were before you, and the land is defiled;) that the land spue not you out also, when ye defile it, as it spued out the nations that were before you. For whosoever shall commit any of these abominations, even the souls that commit them shall be cut off from among their people. Therefore shall ye keep mine ordinance, that ye commit not any one of these abominable customs, which were committed before you, and that ye defile not yourselves therein: I am the LORD your God.” (Leviticus 18:21-30)

“When thou art come into the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations. There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee. Thou shalt be perfect with the LORD thy God. For these nations, which thou shalt possess, hearkened unto observers of times, and unto diviners: but as for thee, the LORD thy God hath not suffered thee so to do.” (Deuteronomy 18:9-14)

In His words to Moses, God made it clear as to why He was going to allow the children of Israel to come and take the land of the Canaanites: they had committed abominations against Him and He was visiting their own iniquity upon those who had committed the abominations.

Having seen the children of Israel coming near, Balak, the king of Moab, allied himself with the Midianites. Balak decided to send the Moabite and Midianite elders to the prophet Balaam to have him curse the children of Israel so that he could smite them and drive them out of the land. Balak also sent “rewards of divination in their hand” (Numbers 22:7), and the elders came to Balaam and told him what Balak had said. If Balaam truly loved God, he would have known that God would not want him to even consider the proposition they had just made to him and would have rejected it outright. However, Balaam told them to stay the night at his house and he would call upon the Lord God and see what He said to do. God then asked Balaam who the men were, and Balaam told God what they had said to him. God then responded with a clear message to Balaam:

“Thou shalt not go with them; thou shalt not curse the people: for they are blessed.” (Numbers 22:12)

The next morning, Balaam told them, “Get you into your land: for the LORD refuseth to give me leave to go with you.” (Numbers 22:13). Did you notice that it seems that Balaam wanted to go with them and put the blame on God as to why he wouldn’t go with them? Why didn’t he just say that he would not go and curse the people whom the Lord God has blessed? He seems to be saying in a not-so-subtle message that though he did want to with them and curse the children of Israel, God had forbid him to do it. His heart was not right with God, and he left the door open for sin to rule over him, just as Cain had done. Balak’s elders did leave and went and told Balak what happened. Balak then sent even more men of higher status with more promises of rewards to Balaam. Once again, Balaam’s actions spoke louder than his words. While his words again to Balak’s men said he must not go with them and curse the children of Israel, once again, he left the door open to sin. God then told Balaam, “If the men come to call thee, rise up, and go with them; but the word which I shall say unto thee, that shalt thou do.” (Numbers 22:2) Next, we read that Balaam saddled his ass (“donkey” in our modern terms) and went with them. However, we do not read that the men called upon him but we do read that he went with them. God was not happy with Balaam:

“And God’s anger was kindled because he went: and the angel of the LORD stood in the away for an adversary against him. Now he was riding upon his ass, and his two servants were with him. And the ass saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and the ass turned aside out of the way, and went into the field: and Balaam smote the ass, to turn her into the way.,” (Numbers 22:22-23)

Three times God sent an angel to block the way of the donkey, and three times the donkey turned away from the angel. God was sending a roadblock to Balaam to prevent him from doing what God had forbade him to do. How many times has God sent roadblocks in our lives to prevent us from doing something He does not want us to do? God even gave Balaam’s donkey the ability to speak to try and speak some sense into him!

“And the LORD opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times? And Balaam said unto the ass, Because thou hast mocked me: I would there were a sword in mine hand, for now would I kill thee. And the ass said unto Balaam, Am not I thine ass, upon which thou hast ridden ever since I was thine unto this day? was I ever wont to do so unto thee? And he said, Nay.” (Numbers 22:28-30)

Next, God opened the eyes of Balaam so he could see the angel, with his sword drawn in his hand, that God had put in the way of the donkey. When Balaam saw the angel, he bowed down and fell flat on his face. The angel asked Balaam why he persisted to go when the ass had tried to stop him three times. Balaam then admitted that he had sinned. The angel told Balaam to go ahead and go with the men but to give Balak only the word that he (the angel) would speak to him (Balaam). Balaam proceeded to go and met with Balak. Three times Balak took Balaam to the high places of Baal, which was where they worshipped the false gods. Three times Balaam told Balak to build altars and prepare burnt offerings, and he did. However, instead of cursing the children of Israel, each time Balaam spoke blessings upon them. Let’s read the first two of Balaam’s blessings of the children of Israel:

“How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed? or how shall I defy, whom the LORD hath not defied? For from thee top of the rocks I see him, and from the hills I behold him: lo, the people shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations.” (Numbers 23:8-9)

“God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good? Behold, I have received commandment to bless: and he hath blessed; and I cannot reverse it. He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel: the LORD his God is with him, and the shout of a king is among them. God brought them out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn. Surely there is no enchantment against Jacob, neither is there any divination agains Israel: according to this time it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel, What hath God wrought! Behold, the people shall rise up as a great lion, and lift up himself as a young lion: he shall not lie down until he eat of the prey, and drink the blood of the slain.” (Numbers 23:19-24)

The third time that Balak asked Balaam to curse the children of Israel, there was something different about Balaam:

“And when Balaam saw that it pleased the LORD to bless Israel, he went not, as at other times, to seek for enchantments, but he set his face toward the wilderness. And Balaam lifted up his eyes, and he saw Israel abiding in his tents according to their tribes; and the spirit of God came upon him. And he took up his parable, and said, Balaam the son of Beor hath said, and the man whose eyes are open hath said: He hath said, which heard the words of God, which saw the vision of the Almighty, falling into a trance, but having his eyes open:

“How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob, and thy tabernacles, O Israel! As the valleys are they spread forth, as gardens by the river’s side, as the trees of lign aloes which the LORD hath planted, and as cedar trees beside the waters. He shall pour the water out of his buckets, and his seed shall be in many waters, and his king shall be higher than Agag [king of the Amelekites], and his kingdom shall be exalted. God brought him forth out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn: he shall eat up the nations his enemies, and shall break their bones, and pierce them through with his arrows. He couched, he lay down as a lion, and as a great lion: who shall stir him up? Blessed is he that blesseth thee, and cursed is he that curseth thee.” (Numbers 24:1-9)

This was obviously not what Balak wanted to hear! Balak was furious with Balam and said to him:

“I called thee to curse mine enemies, and, behold, thou hast altogether blessed them these three times. Therefore now flee thou to thy place: I thought to promote thee unto great honour; but, lo, the LORD hath kept thee back from honour.” (Numbers 24:10-11)

Balaam did remind Balak that he had told Balak’s messengers that he could only speak what the Lord had told him to say. Next, Balaam gave an amazing prophecy of what would happen in the latter days:

“And now, behold, I go unto my people: come therefore, and I will advertise thee what this people shall do to thy people in the latter days. And he took up his parable, and said, Balaam the son of Beor hath said, and the man whose eyes are open hath said: He hath said, which heard the words of God, and knew the knowledge of the most High, which saw the vision of the Almighty, falling into a trance, but having his eyes open: I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth [tumult]. And Edom shall be a possession, Seir also shall be a possession for his enemies; and Israel shall do valiantly. Out of Jacob shall come he that shall have dominion, and shall destroy him that remaineth of the city. And when he looked on Amalek, he took up his parable, and said, Amalek was the first of the nations; but his latter end shall be that he perish for ever. And he looked on the Kenites, and took up his parable, and said, Strong is thy dwelling place, and thou puttest thy nest in a rock. Nevertheless the Kenite shall be wasted, until Asshur shall carry thee away captive. And he took up his parable, and said, Alas, who shall live when God doeth this! And ships shall come from the coast of Chittim, and shall afflict Asshur, and shall afflict Eber, and he also shall perish forever. And Balaam rose up, and went and returned to his place: and Balak also went his way.” (Numbers 24:14-25)

This prophecy and its exact meaning has been debated for a long time, and you can do your own research on it. My personal opinion, based on my understanding of the Bible through the guiding of the Holy Spirit, is that it is a two-fold prophecy, where the first part is referring to King David when he smote Moab and the Moabites became his servants (2 Samuel 8:2) and subjected the Edomites and they became his servants (2 Samuel 8:14). However, because Balaam stated his prophecy is in the context of the “latter days,” I believe this is also referring to the Messiah, Jesus Christ, who did come from the line of Jacob out of Israel. I agree with what gotquestions.org writes about this passage of Scripture and how it refers to Jesus Christ: (See: https://www.gotquestions.org/scepter-of-God.html)

“The word scepter is also used to symbolize God’s rule, as in Psalm 45:6: “Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever; a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom” (cf. Hebrews 1:8). In this verse the scepter represents the absolute and eternal supremacy of the Lord’s justice. When the Bible uses the word scepter as it pertains to God, it is talking about His absolute rule over His creation. The scepter of God also shows up in prophetic passages describing the coming Messiah who will rule the nations and restore righteousness. Numbers 24:17 says, “A star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel”—clearly a prophecy about Jesus Christ, the King of kings. Jesus, from the tribe of Judah, will possess the scepter of God and be given charge over all the nations, in fulfillment of Genesis 49:10. At His second coming, Jesus will take His rightful place over the kingdoms of this world, and “He will rule them with an iron scepter” (Revelation 19:15).”

Similarly, another prophet, Daniel, also prophesied of the Messiah in his night vision. In the vision, Daniel saw Jesus, whom he described as one like the Son of man, and wrote of His everlasting dominion over all the nations:

“I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.” (Daniel 7:13-14)

After Balaam gave this prophecy to Balak, it seemed like that was end of it as they each went their own ways. However, Balaam apparently found a way to get the rewards promised to him by Balak. Though Balaam could not curse the children of Israel directly, he had found a way to curse them indirectly. Balaam advised Balak to have the Moabite women seduce the men of the children of Israel, who then would be influenced to worship and sacrifice to false gods:

“And Israel abode in Shittim, and the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab. And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods: and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods. And Israel joined himself unto Baal-Peor: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel." (Numbers 25:1-3)

“Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against the LORD in the matter of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the LORD.” (Numbers 31:16)

Consequently, God instructed Moses to kill all the men of Israel who had not only committed fornication with the daughters of Moab and Midian but also worshipped and sacrificed to their false gods, and 24,000 men were killed. (Numbers 25:1-9)

The book of Deuteronomy also describes how the Ammonites and Moabites did not help Israel after God led them out of Egypt through Moses and as they journeyed to the Promised Land but instead had hired Balaam to curse Israel but instead, he ended up blessing Israel:

“An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD; even to their tenth generation shall they not enter into the congregation of the LORD for ever: because they met you not with bread and with water in the way, when ye came forth out of Egypt; and because they hired against thee Balaam the son of Beor of Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse thee. Nevertheless the LORD thy God would not hearken unto Balaam; but the LORD thy God turned the curse into a blessing unto thee, because the LORD thy God loved thee. Thou shalt not seek their peace nor their prosperity all thy days for ever.” (Deuteronomy 23:3-6)

In the end, Balaam was killed by the children of Israel when God told Moses to war against the Midianites, “Balaam also the son of Beor they slew with the sword.” (Numbers 31:8) The account of Balaam is not to be taken lightly. He pretended to serve the one true God, but his heart was true to a false god, the god of money and sought in his heart to help those who desired to curse Israel. Jesus Himself spoke of Balaam when he warned the church of Pergamos in the book of Revelation. Jesus also warned that we cannot serve two gods; we will serve one or the other:

“But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac [Balak] to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.” (Jesus Christ; Revelation 2:14)

“No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon [money].” (Jesus Christ; Matthew 6:24)

Peter the apostle also spoke of Balaam when he warned against false prophets and false teachers who will “bring upon themselves swift destruction”: (2 Peter 2:1)

“Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children: which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; but was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man’s voice forbad the madness of the prophet.” (2 Peter 2:14-16)

The last man Jude named in this verse is Core, also referred to as Korah. In my October 30, 2023 devotional, I wrote about Korah and his rebellion with 250 men against Moses and Aaron. Korah and his men felt that they should be in charge of leading the people instead of Moses and Aaron and that Moses and Aaron had placed themselves above the people. Korah and his rebellious men were all swallowed up by the earth by the mighty power of God because they were not called by God to lead the children of Israel. Again, they had a heart issue, letting sin rule their lives, and were filled with envy and disobedience to God.

Jude used these three men, Cain, Balaam, and Core/Korah, as comparisons to the ungodly men who have crept in unawares in the churches, and the same thing is happening now in churches today, including in American churches. As Jude wrote earlier in verse 4, they are“turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.” Instead of reading and heeding the words of Jude about Cain, Balaam, and Core/Korah and not being like them, the opposite is true and they are lifting them up as role models. The Bible is clear: we are not to let sin rule us but we are to rule over sin:

“Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law but under grace.” (Romans 6:11-14)

When a pastor is not called by God to preach and teach the word of God, or once was called but has abandoned his faith and is instead motivated by something other than God’s calling, such as money, status, or acceptance, the result is what we see here in America: false pastors in false churches preaching to false converts seeking feel-good messages, where the churches have caved to the demands of governments and a sin-filled society to promote what God calls evil and reject and mock what God calls good. Long gone are the days when most American churches taught about sin, hell, judgment, and that Jesus Christ is the only way that one can be saved and that we should strive to live righteously and to desire to be like Christ and not like the world. Long gone are the days when pastors feared Almighty God more than they feared their governments and the ever-changing cultures and unashamedly preached the whole counsel of God, including Bible prophecy. Oh yes, just as Jude warned us, these wolves dressed in sheep’s clothing have crept in unawares and defiled the churches, and as Jude said, I say, “Woe unto them!” for their end will be as it was for Cain, Balaam, and Core! They have decided to let sin rule over their lives, and their due reward will be an eternity in hell, where they will have no peace, no joy, and will be forever separated from God and all that is good.

Writing this devotional on Jude 11 has definitely been an eye-opening study for me. It has caused me to go deeper into God’s word, into the Old Testament to learn more about Cain, Balaam, and Core. It was during this time of studying that I see the parallels between the Canaanite nations that were in the land that God was giving to the children of Israel, the Promised Land, and how the same types of sinful abominations the Canaanites were committing are the same ones that Americans are committing and, because of our status in the world, have been exporting to other nations, corrupting them as well. God was patient with these Canaanite nations, giving them 400+ years to change their ways, but they did not, and God brought judgment upon them. Let us remember that God brought judgment upon them because the land was defiled, saying, “And the land is defiled: therefore I do visit the iniquity thereof upon it, and the land itself vomiteth out her inhabitants.” (Leviticus 18:25) What makes us, Americans and peoples of all nations, think that God will not bring judgment upon us? I think, perhaps, the last straw for America in particular is when we decide not to bless Israel but to curse it, and I believe we are on the leading edge for that to happen. When it does, then as the nations before us who have cursed Israel were cursed and saw the wrath of God come upon them, so will America be cursed and see the wrath of God come upon us, and it won’t end well for us. Our only hope is Jesus Christ. I pray we turn to Him, before it’s too late. 🙏🏻

November 26, 2023: Jude 8-10 - Ungodly Men Speak Evil of What they Know Not

“Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities. Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee. But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves.” - Jude 8-10

There is so much information packed here in these three verses and we must be careful not to gloss over it quickly. Let’s consider these verses one at a time.

In verse 8, Jude, continuing in his description of “certain men crept in unawares” who were “turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ” (Jude 4), calls these men dreamers who “defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities.” There are at least two viewpoints on what Jude means when he referred to these men as “dreamers,” with the word “filthy” added in the King James Version of the Bible to add emphasis to the meaning. One viewpoint of “dreamers” is that it relates to the sin issue, that is, sin starts in the heart and if we let it sit there and fester and think about in our minds of a sin we would like to commit, then we are preparing ourselves to act upon that sin. The second viewpoint is that these men have dreams of which they delude themselves into thinking they are men of God and are being led by His Holy Spirit but in reality do not have the Holy Spirit within them and instead are being led by Satan in their delusion. In their delusion, these men may also believe that they are prophets of God and have received dreams from Him. Jude further speaks of these men in verse 19, “These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit.” (Jude 19). Many people in our world today claim to have received prophetic dreams from God. The way that we can know if they truly were from God or not is to see what was supposedly prophesied to happen did in fact come to pass or not. If it did not, it was not of God. The fact that Jude next wrote of these dreamers and that they defile the flesh perhaps could indicate that Jude was speaking of the dreams as relating to acting upon the sin that was first in their heart instead of running away from that sin, putting it out of their minds. These men do not heed the warning in the Bible from the apostle Paul:

“But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit. Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and 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.” (1 Corinthians 6:17-20)

These apostate men in the church are not driven by the power of God but by the power of their sinful flesh. Do we see that today in so-called churches today? The answer is an astounding, yes, and it is increasing at a rapid rate, and it’s not just sexual sin between a man and a woman but unnatural sin, of which God calls an abomination, including sexual sin with children, just as was done in the days of Sodom and Gomorrha.

Continuing in verse 8, Jude says these men “despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities.” The word “dominion” is translated as “authority.” Merriam-Webster.com defines “dominion” in several ways, including, “domain; supreme authority,” and the plural as “an order of angels.” Perhaps Jude is speaking of these men who not only reject authority in the churches of the men who truly have been called by God and are filled with the Holy Spirit to lead the churches but also reject the authority in the heavenly realm, including the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Some of these false pastors and teachers are even so bold as to say “I rebuke you, Satan!” and telling their congregations to do the same. This seems to explain the account Jude wrote of in verse 9, which I will discuss in a moment. Not only do these ungodly men reject authority, but Jude wrote that they speak evil of dignities. “To speak evil of” comes from the Greek word “blasphēmousin,” from where we get “blaspheme.” The Greek word for “dignities” is “doxas” and is translated as “glorious ones.” I personally think this is not referring to any human being but of the angelic beings in the heavenly realm, whom God gave higher authority than mankind. The Bible tells us that when Jesus came to earth as a man, God made Him a little lower than the angels because Jesus would have to die:

“But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.” (Hebrews 2:9)

Thus, we can see from this Scripture that there is a level of authority that exists in heaven. The apostle Paul’s writing in Ephesians 6:12 also speaks of this:

“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” (Ephesians 6:12)

Jude writes that it is these ungodly men who have crept into churches that defile the flesh, reject authority, and speak evil of dignities or the glorious ones, believing they have more authority than they do. Jude then discusses how the archangel Michael had to contend with the devil over the body of Moses. Jude does not tell us why this was, but we do know that the Bible tells us it was God Himself who buried the body of Moses and that no man knows where his grave is:

“So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD. And he buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, over against Beth-peor: but no man knoweth of his sepulcher unto this day.” (Deuteronomy 34:5-6)

We do know that when Jesus was transfigured on the mount, it was Moses and Elijah (referred to as “Elias” in the Greek and in the KJV) who appeared to Jesus. Perhaps the contending that Michael the archangel had to do with the devil had something to do with the devil trying to prevent this appearing of Moses with Elijah at Jesus’ transfiguration. We don’t know for sure because the Bible does not tell us. However, it is clear that God’s plans will not be thwarted by the devil.

Notice in the Deuteronomy passage above, it says, “but no man knoweth of his sepulcher unto this day.” Jude 9 seems to imply that the devil and Michael the archangel did know where the body of Moses was and that Michael was contending with him about the body. If that is true, it is because we know that angels are made higher than human beings. In this dispute, Jude tells us that even Michael, who is the archangel did not rebuke the devil, also called Satan, but Michael told him, “The Lord rebuke thee.” However, these ungodly men whom Jude was writing about thought they could rebuke the devil, just as many pastors and many professing Christians believe today. They do not understand the power of the heavenly realm, including good and fallen angels. They do not recognize the power and authority of God; instead, believing they can rebuke the devil. Jude makes it clear that there is only One who can rebuke the devil and that is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and we have Scripture verses that confirms this.

“And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him. And the LORD said unto Satan, The LORD rebuke thee, O Satan; even the LORD that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?” (Zechariah 3:1-2)

When the devil tempted Jesus after Jesus fasted in the wilderness for forty days, Jesus rebuked him because He is the Lord God. Each of the three times that the devil tempted Jesus, Jesus returned to him the words of God that are written in the Bible.

“And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will give it. If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.” (Luke 4:5-8)

When a man came to Jesus and asked Him to have mercy on his son who was vexed, Jesus rebuked the devil:

“And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour.” (Matthew 17:18)

After Jesus had told Peter and the other disciples that He must suffer many things and be killed but would rise again the third day, and Peter rebuked Jesus, saying, “Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee,” (Matthew 16:22) Jesus said to Peter:

“…Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offense unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.” (Matthew 16:23)

When Jesus said that to Peter, He knew that Peter wasn’t acting on his faith in Jesus but on his sinful flesh and that it was the devil who was truly behind the words that Peter had spoken, for the devil wanted to thwart the plan of God: Jesus must die, spilling His sinless, precious blood as a sacrifice to atone for our sins, and rise again so that salvation from sins could be offered to all who believe in Him:

“The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29)

“Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.” (1 Peter 1:18-21)

In Jude verse 10, Jude writes that these men who have “crept in unawares” do not have an understanding that comes only from the Holy Spirit within them, for they do not have the Holy Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit within us who guides us into all truth, the Bible will not make any sense. Before Jesus was crucified, He told His disciples that He must leave them and that afterwards, He would send His Holy Spirit to be another Comforter to them and to guide them in all truth:

“And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.” (Jesus Christ; John 14:16-17)

“Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. All things the the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you.” (Jesus Christ; John 16:13-15)

Because the men that Jude spoke of did not, and people who are like them today and do not have the Spirt of truth in them, they do not understand the things and the word of God. They are like brute beasts, carnally minded, without understanding, corrupting themselves. Knowing God and His word only comes by believing in the Lord Jesus Christ and being filled with the Holy Spirit:

“For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.” (Romans 8:5-9)

We can fool ourselves but we cannot fool God. We are either with Him or against Him. No decision is a decision against Him. Do we choose to remain in our natural, unknowing state, speaking evil of the things we do not know, which leads to death? Or, do we choose to believe in Jesus, letting the Holy Spirit guide us into all truth, respecting God’s authority? This decision is the absolute most critical decision we will ever make. I pray you choose Jesus, before it’s too late. ✝️

November 17, 2023: Jude 7 - The Consequences of Not Remembering Sodom and Gomorrha's Destruction

“Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.” - Jude 7

The words from Jude are stern warnings, warnings, warnings to us - can I say it enough? They are warnings to us - to be on guard and to be careful to whom we listen and for us to contend earnestly for our faith. Just as Jude warned us, there are deceivers all around us. While we expect this to happen in the unbelieving world that has not put their faith and trust in Jesus to save them, it is also happening in churches, even churches that once were solid in their preaching and teaching.

Jude gave us the warning of the children of Israel whom God delivered out of Egypt but whom were so quick to murmur and complain against Him when they missed the foods they used to have and when they struggled on their way to the Promised Land. They even created and worshipped a false god, a golden calf they had made with their own hands, and said it was that calf that had delivered them out of Egypt instead of the mighty hand of God. Their hearts grew hard against God and they turned away from believing and trusting in Him. As a consequence, except for Joshua and Caleb, none of the generation that was twenty years old and above made it into the Promised Land but died in the wilderness. Instead, God used a generation of young people that as children and young people, they had to rely on and trust in Him for their every need, to believe on Him.

Jude also warned us of the fallen angels and how God has not spared even them because of their sins against Him when they decided that their first estate, the place He had put them in the heavenly realm, was not good enough for them. The apostle Peter describes angels as “greater in power and might” (2 Peter 2:11) when compared to mankind. However, these fallen angels were not content with what they had and where they were, and they wanted more and because of that, God has bound them in chains in darkness, where they will remain until they will be judged on the great day. Do we think that we are better than these fallen angels that God would not spare them but would spare us from our sin and our unbelief in Him?

In this third warning, Jude tells us to remember Sodom and Gomorrha and the cities about them and their sins which caused God to destroy them and cause them to suffer “the vengeance of eternal fire.” Likely, you have heard about their sins, which Jude describes as “giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh.” Prior to discussing that, let’s read about the type of environment that existed in Sodom, Gomorrha and the surrounding cities of Admah and Zeboim (Deuteronomy 29:23 mentions both Admah and Zeboim in addition to Sodom and Gomorrha). Ezekiel wrote about how Sodom lived. As you read these words, read them carefully and see if they describe a society that sounds eerily similar not only to the United States but also modern day Israel, the latter of which is whom the prophet Ezekiel was writing to in Ezekiel 16, warning Israel to “…cause Jerusalem to know her abominations…”:

“As I live, saith the Lord GOD, Sodom thy sister hath not done, she nor her daughters, as thou hast done, thou and thy daughters. 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. And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me: therefore I took them away as I saw good.” (Ezekiel 16:48-50)

The attitude that existed in Sodom and the surrounding cities at that time was one where the people were puffed up with pride, had an abundance of food and idleness, and ignored the plight of the poor and needy. For quite some time, the USA has been the most powerful nation in the world, a superpower. However, instead of giving God all the glory and obeying His commandments, we as a nation became puffed up in our pride, giving ourselves all the glory for all that has been accomplished, thinking we are invincible and that no harm could ever come to us. We no longer honor and obey God and have thrown Him out of everything and have replaced Him with our false idols and false gods, including the false god of self. This false god feeds on that which is not of God, and like Sodom and Gomorrha, we have committed fornication and gone after strange flesh and rejected God’s perfect plan for mankind.

We have become fat and lazy as we feed ourselves to excess. Per a January 25, 2023 article from forbes.com, the USA ranks 12th overall in the world’s highest obesity rates and the highest overall in high-income countries. (See: https://www.forbes.com/sites/omerawan/2023/01/25/has-the-obesity-epidemic-gotten-out-of-hand-in-america/?sh=57564fb366e6) Per an article from the Harvard School of Public Health, “Roughly two out of three U.S. adults are overweight or obese (69 percent) and one out of three are obese (36 percent)” (See: https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/obesity-prevention-source/obesity-trends-original/obesity-rates-worldwide/). It’s not just a food problem, it’s a drug problem. The further we move away from God, the bigger the hole within our heart becomes, and we try to fill it with things that satisfy us, including sexual fornication and drug abuse, both with prescribed and illegal drugs. In a September 28, 2022 article from military.com, it states: (See: https://www.military.com/daily-news/2022/09/28/new-pentagon-study-shows-77-of-young-americans-are-ineligible-military-service.html)

“A new study from the Pentagon shows that 77% of young Americans would not qualify for military service without a waiver due to being overweight, using drugs or having mental and physical health problems.”

When a clear majority of a nation’s people are unfit for military service, it leaves that nation vulnerable and you can certainly bet that the enemies of that nation know this and will take advantage of that vulnerability and attack and destroy that nation. With our nation’s borders being all but erased and left undefended, our enemies have certainly crept in unawares, just as they have infiltrated churches unawares, and I do believe we will be attacked on several fronts. It’s just a matter of time.

In our pride of self and in our idleness when many of the jobs that require physical work have been replaced by sedentary work, we have become gluttons and have forgotten God and how He once blessed our great nation. Instead of working to improve the lives of those most at need, we fed ourselves more and more, and we abandoned the commandments of God and indulged ourselves in the most disgraceful of sexual sins. We have become so immersed in ourselves and all the while, Satan is there on the sidelines, leading us into the pit of hell through our deception, confusion, and chaos to the point where we cannot even define what a woman is, we think there are an unlimited number of genders, that women can become men and men can become women and even now that we can become an animal by putting on a costume and imitating an animal’s behavior. Just as Sodom and Gomorrha caused even young children to commit sexual fornication and to go after strange flesh (Genesis 19:4), so have we. We even now believe that children have the right to decide for themselves to try and become the opposite sex and have their body parts mutilated by wicked “doctors” who are deceived by Satan. We believe that an unborn baby in a woman’s womb is not human and can be aborted/slaughtered even up to the moment of birth in the name of women’s “reproductive rights,” where the living human being inside of her has no right to exist at all. We believe that sexual relations with anyone and anything other than a man and a woman who are married is not only acceptable but is promoted over that what God commanded, even in the so-called churches!

We have become like Sodom and Gomorrrha, and like them, we believe that we will not be judged by God, that we will not be destroyed for our sins against Him. All that God calls good we now call evil, and all that God calls evil we now call good. It’s in our government, education, media, entertainment industries, sports, and even in our churches, just as Jude said there would happen. However, just as Sodom and Gomorrha were wrong about God, so are we and many other countries, and sadly, so is Israel. We are not hearing and heeding the warnings of Jude when he wrote of Sodom and Gomorrha that they are “set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.” Our nation is in a free fall from morality because it has abandoned its faith in the one true God, Jesus Christ, and we will see the ultimate collapse of our nation. I am convinced of it.

God’s judgment and wrath are coming upon us, and not only in America but across the entire world. It truly does feel like we are living in the days right before the time of Jacob’s trouble begins, meaning the time of Israel’s trouble, during which Israel primarily but also everyone on earth will undergo a 7-year period of hell on earth when God executes His wrath on an unbelieving and wicked world. I believe prior to this, all who have put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ to save us from our sins will be caught up to Him in the clouds, the dead first and then those believers in Christ who are still alive, as the apostle Paul wrote about in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 and in 1 Thessalonians 5:9": “For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ.”

God is a just God, and that means He must judge the wicked for what they have done, just as He judged Sodom and Gomorrha. However, everyone who believes in Jesus Christ will be saved from God’s wrath. The time of Jacob’s trouble, which is described in detail in the book of Revelation is not Satan’s wrath but God’s wrath. What kind of God would He be if he forever let wickedness and evil run rampant and never be judged? However, along with His judgment, He also provides the way to be pardoned of all of our sins, and that is by putting our faith and trust in His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to save us from all our sins. Jesus is not a way but the only way to be saved. And for anyone who believes that God is finished with the Jewish people, you are wrong, for the Bible tells us that at the end of the time of Jacob’s trouble, a remnant of Israel, one-third, will finally come to faith in Jesus Christ and will be saved. (Zechariah 13:8-9). God sent Jesus first to save His people, the Jews, and because of their overall rejection of Him, God then sent Jesus to the non-Jews, the Gentiles. The Bible also tells us that we should not be conceited in our faith by what has happened and it was because of the Jews’ unbelief in Jesus that salvation was offered to us as well. After all, we ALL were once unbelievers in Jesus, lost in our sins:

“For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happening to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: for this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins. As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers’ sakes. For the gifts of and calling of God are without repentance. For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief: even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy. For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.” (Romans 11:25-32)

Paul refers to the Jews as the natural branches of a tree and the Gentiles as branches that have been grafted in and that if we think the natural branches were replaced by the grafted-in branches, which many churches today believe, Paul warns us:

“Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be grafted in. Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not high-minded, but fear: For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee.” (Romans 11:19-21)

Paul went on to write that we cannot know the mind of the Lord, whose wisdom and knowledge we cannot fathom, for in His wisdom, He provides the way of salvation for all who would believe in Jesus:

“O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments and his ways past finding out! For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor? Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things to whom be glory for ever. Amen.” (Romans 11:33-36)

“But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; 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. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek [Gentile; non-Jew]: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:8-13)

It’s not too late to put your faith and trust in Jesus to save you from you sins and to save you from what is coming, which I believe is sooner than we might expect. I pray you turn to Him and be saved, before it’s too late, as it was for the world before God sent the flood and spared only Noah and his family and in the days of Sodom and Gomorrha, when God spared only Lot and his family, just as Jesus warned us:

“And as it was in the days of Noe [Noah], so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man [Jesus]. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; but the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.” (Jesus Christ; Luke 17:26-30) ✝️

November 10, 2023: Jude 6 - Let Us Not Fall Away from our Faith in Jesus

“And the angels which 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.” - Jude 6

As Jude wrote previously in verse 5, he wants us to remember certain things, certain times in the Bible when God has judged not only people for their unbelief but here in this verse, He also has bound the angels in darkness and will judge them because they “kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation.” The apostle Peter also wrote of this:

“For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; and spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly…” (2 Peter 2:4-5)

Before we examine what caused God to reserve them in everlasting chains, let us read the words of Paul that he wrote in Ephesians 6, where he describes what we as believers in Jesus Christ wrestle with:

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places, Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” (Ephesians 6:10-13)

Have you noticed how dark the world is getting? Years ago, I noticed how dark the movies were getting, even in children’s movies, and now I would say especially in children’s movies because Satan wants to steal their souls. Have you noticed the predominant themes of darkness and the colors of red and black at globalists’ events, Hollywood awards shows, and NFL half-time shows and other sporting events? Have you sensed a change in people recently, where it is not a change for good but for evil? It is not your imagination, it is real. There is a darkness at work in our world, and it has been since the beginning of time. It is empowered by Satan and all of his fallen angels who chose to follow him and to leave God. These are the ones the apostle Paul wrote about in Ephesians 6. These are the ones who cause people to doubt God’s word, who lead people into temptation, and who wage spiritual war against us. When people do not know nor believe in God’s word, rather than fleeing from whatever they are being tempted with, they are drawn to it, just as Eve was drawn to the fruit in the Garden, and they give in to it.

In the Ephesians Scripture above, it speaks of an authority of this darkness, with principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this world, and spiritual wickedness in high places. Just as any military has its ranks of authority, so does the devil has his own ranks of authority, all of whom take orders from him. I believe this includes the fallen angels and also human beings who have rejected God and have chosen to follow the devil, Satan. Satan uses them too in order to try and accomplish his evil plan for this world, but he and they will not succeed: God wins.

The whole point of the book of Jude is that he was warning his brothers and sisters in Christ that this same darkness had infiltrated the church by men who pretended to be of God but who were followers of Satan. Later in the book, Jude tells his readers, that in the last time, that is the days of the world before the return of Jesus Christ, these same types of ungodly men will creep into the churches and preach whatever their ungodly congregations want to hear because the pastors care more about money than peoples’ souls. The congregations will keep going and listening to these false pastors and teachers because they want to be made comfortable in their sin rather than being told they need to turn away from it to prevent their fall. Jude also tells us there will be people who do not walk in the Holy Spirit but who walk according to their own ungodly lusts and will mock those who are true followers of Christ. (Jude 17-19). Oh, how we are seeing this happen to do in many churches all around the world!

Jude also reminds us that it’s not just men - humanity - whom God destroyed for their unbelief and their wickedness, but God also has bound in darkness the fallen angels and will judge them in the great day. What was it about these fallen angels? Many people believe this is speaking about what is written in the book of Genesis chapter 6:

“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 them wives of all which they chose. And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years. There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown. And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at 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 it repenteth me 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 begat 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 is 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)

Many people believe that the “sons of God” mentioned in the Scripture above are the ones Jude was referencing when he wrote, “And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation,” and that God has reserved them in everlasting chains in darkness until they will be judged by God. However, we cannot know for sure because in Genesis 6, God doesn’t refer to them as “angels” but as “sons of God.” Whomever they were, the Bible makes the distinction between them and “the daughters of men”; notice it doesn’t say “sons of men.” Whatever they were, when they had sexual intercourse with the daughters of men, it produced a race of giants who were mighty men, and afterward, wickedness and violence filled the earth so much so that God destroyed all flesh upon the earth except for Noah and his family, a total of eight persons. Others have noted that the Bible says of Noah, “Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.” We know that no mere human being could ever be perfect because we are all sinners. The only One who walked the earth who was perfect was Jesus Christ. Some have speculated that when it says Noah was “perfect in his generations,” it means that his and his family’s DNA had not been corrupted by the sons of God when they had sexual intercourse with daughters of men. We cannot know for sure, but this is very interesting, especially now in the days in which we live when scientists are playing God and manipulating the human genome and also manipulating the DNA of animals. They are also experimenting with mixing human and animal cells to produce a chimera, such as was reported in a May 15, 2021 article from The Guardian when biologists mixed human and money cells. (See: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/may/15/mixed-messages-is-research-into-human-animal-hybrids-ethical-chimera)

On May 9, 2023, BBC news announced that a baby had been born by using the DNA from three people. (See: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-65538866) We also have the quickly-produced mRNA injections and all of the various side effects and sudden deaths that have happened since they were injected in billions of people. We will see what the long-term effects of them are in the months and years to come.

We have gene editing with CRISPR-Cas9: (See: https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/understanding/genomicresearch/genomeediting/)

“Genome editing (also called gene editing) is a group of technologies that give scientists the ability to change an organism's DNA. These technologies allow genetic material to be added, removed, or altered at particular locations in the genome. Several approaches to genome editing have been developed. A well-known one is called CRISPR-Cas9, which is short for clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats and CRISPR-associated protein 9.”

Add to that there are very rich and powerful people who are pushing for transhumanism, defined as: (See: https://www.britannica.com/topic/transhumanism)

“Transhumanism, philosophical and scientific movement that advocates the use of current and emerging technologies—such as genetic engineering, cryonics, artificial intelligence (AI), and nanotechnology—to augment human capabilities and improve the human condition. Transhumanists envision a future in which the responsible application of such technologies enables humans to slow, reverse, or eliminate the aging process, to achieve corresponding increases in human life spans, and to enhance human cognitive and sensory capacities. The movement proposes that humans with augmented capabilities will evolve into an enhanced species that transcends humanity—the “posthuman.””

The article referenced above further states:

“Transhumanism found further support from Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, including Google cofounder Larry Page, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, and Tesla’s Elon Musk. In 2013 Page launched Calico Life Sciences LLC (Calico Labs), a research and development company dedicated to extending the human life span through advanced technologies. In early 2022 Bezos and other backers invested $3 billion in Altos Labs, a biotechnology company seeking to reverse aging and disease. Musk founded SpaceX in 2002 in hopes of establishing human colonies on the Moon and Mars and launched Neuralink in 2016 to develop implantable brain chips.”

How far will these technologies advance? Have we not already crossed boundaries that should never have been crossed, as was done in Noah’s day? Aren’t those who are doing this trying to replace God? Aren’t they even trying to be gods, false gods? Read the words below from an article written by Yuval Noah Harari and posted on Britannica.com on October 19, 2023 titled “Our Nonconscious Future”:

“Within the next century or two, we humans are likely to upgrade ourselves into gods and change the most basic principles of the evolution of life. Traditional mythologies depicted gods as powerful beings that could design and create life according to their wishes. In the coming two centuries we will probably learn how to engineer and manufacture various life forms according to our wishes. We will use bioengineering in order to create new kinds of organic beings; we will use direct brain-computer interfaces in order to create cyborgs (beings that combine organic and inorganic parts); and advances in machine learning and AI might even allow us to set in motion the creation of completely inorganic beings. The main products of the future economy will not be food, textiles, and vehicles but rather bodies, brains, and minds.”

Let’s revisit what the Bible tells us. In the days of Noah when the sons of God had sexual intercourse with human women, they corrupted the DNA of mankind and created a race of giants that existed upon the earth at that time. The Genesis 6 account tells us:

“And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” (Genesis 6:5)

“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 is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.” (Genesis 6:12-13)

God then sent a flood that destroyed all humans, birds, and animals that lived on the ground. I do not consider it coincidence that the Hebrew word for “violence” is “Hamas.” (See: https://biblehub.com/hebrew/chamas_2555.htm)

Genesis 6 also tells us that not only were there giants in the days before the flood but also after:

“There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.” (Genesis 6:4)

This agrees with the Biblical accounts of giants being mentioned after the flood, including when God, before He would deliver Israel into the Promised Land of Canaan, told Moses to send 12 men, one from each of the 12 tribes of Israel, to spy out the land. Ten of the spies were afraid of the people, the giants, whom they had seen and provided an evil report. It also agrees with David killing Goliath, who was also a giant. Using an average measurement of 18 inches per cubit and six inches per span, Goliath would have been approximately 9’6” tall.

“…The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people we saw in it are men of a great stature. And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.” (Numbers 13:32-33)

“And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span.” (1 Samuel 17:4)

I have discussed all of this so that we have some background on the times of Noah when the sons of God had sexual intercourse with women and produced a race of giants, which perhaps may be the angels that did not keep their first estate that Jude wrote about in Jude 6. I included this information so that we could consider the attitudes of people on the earth at the time of Noah, how they were going about with their lives - eating, drinking, and marrying - but that the earth was filled with violence. Do we not have that same type of atmosphere in our world today? People are distracted by their phones, sports, entertainment, drugs, sex, feel-good messages that preach God wants you to be rich in treasures of this world in supposed churches, etc., all the while our societies are filled with violence. Why is that? Because as a majority, our societies - people, individuals - have rejected the One true God and have rejected the truth. All who have done this will be judged by God, just as He will judge the fallen angels. We would not have false preachers and teachers in churches today if we rejected them, if we called them out for not preaching and teaching on the true word of God. However, I would say that the majority of churches in the world have false preachers and teachers, and instead of people fleeing from them, people run to them. Why? Because they don’t want salvation from their sins by believing in Jesus Christ but they want a genie in a bottle who will grant them their every lustful desire and who will approve of them in their sins.

Before Jesus was crucified, died, resurrected, and ascended to heaven, where He now sits at the right hand of God the Father, Jesus told His disciples:

“And as it was in the days of Noe [Noah], so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.” (Luke 17:26-30)

Judgment day is coming; it cannot be stopped. Just as God held His people Israel accountable for their sins against Him after He brought them out of Egypt and just as He held accountable the angels who left their proper domain, so too will He hold each and every one of us accountable. Are we murmuring and complaining against Him even when He has provided for us? Are we walking according to our own lusts instead of obeying His commandments? Are we supporting that which is evil and ungodly in our world which is filled with violence, even in our own churches? The only cure for sin is Jesus, but like any cure, we must decide to take it, we must decide for ourselves whether or not we will put our faith and trust in Him to forgive us of all our sins. If we know the cure exists and ignore it, we will die in our sins and spend our eternity in a place called hell, forever separated from God and all that is good.

I pray that if you are not saved by Jesus, that you would turn to Him today, before it’s too late. For those of us who are saved by Jesus, may we hold onto Him like never before, never letting go, for as it was in the days of Noah and Lot, so shall it be when Jesus returns, and we know that our redemption draws oh so near.

“And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.” (Jesus Christ; Luke 21:28) ✝️

October 30, 2023: Jude 5 - Let Us Remember that God is Judge

“I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not.” - Jude 5

I must admit that when I first sat down to write this devotional, after having read the book of Jude again and specifically this verse, I really did not know about many of the things that occurred after God had delivered, through Moses, the children of Israel out of Egypt and as He led them through the wilderness to the Promised Land. I felt that the Holy Spirit impressed upon me that I should not be in a hurry to write this devotional. Instead, I should take the time to go back and read the Old Testament Scriptures for myself and not worry about how many days had elapsed since I first started this writing. I was to focus on the message of God that is written in the Scriptures: no matter what, I must not harden my heart in sin and rebellion and I must continue in my belief in the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, let us read and discuss some of the Scriptures Jude lovingly reminded us to remember, for the days that the prophets and the apostles prophesied about, when many would turn away from their faith and turn to fables spoken of by great deceivers, are here; we are living in those days.

Moses was a Hebrew man of the tribe of Levi and was born in Egypt. When Moses was born, he survived the king of Egypt, Pharaoh’s commandment to put all male children born unto the Hebrews into the river so that they would die. Pharaoh was threatened by the increasing number of Hebrews that lived in Egypt, for their numbers had increased since another Hebrew, Joseph, his father Jacob, and his family lived there. After hiding him for three months, Moses’ mother could hide him no more. She put him in an ark of bulrushes and laid it by the river bank, where it was found by Pharaoh’s daughter, who took the child and raised him as her own. Moses lived as an Egyptian until one day, he saw how his people, the Hebrews, who had been enslaved for hundreds of years in Egypt were mistreated by the Egyptian. Moses saw an Egyptian smite a Hebrew slave. Moses then went and slew that Egyptian and hid him in the sand. Pharaoh heard what had happened and sought to kill Moses, causing Moses to flee to the land of Midian. There, Moses met a man named Reueul, also named Jethro, who was the priest of Midian. Moses married one of his daughters named Zipporah and they had two sons. Time passed and Pharaoh died and the children of Israel were still in bondage. They cried to God, and God heard their cry:

“And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them.” (Exodus 2:24-25)

Meanwhile, Moses kept his father-in-law’s sheep, and one day when he came to the mountain of God, an angel of the LORD appeared to him in a burning bush, and God called to Moses:

“And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God. And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows; and I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites. Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me: and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them. Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt. And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt? And he said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain. And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto generations.” (Exodus 3:5-15)

Moses did go to Egypt with his brother Aaron and they went to Pharaoh, saying to him, “Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness.” (Exodus 5:1), but Pharaoh refused to let God’s people go. God sent the first plague, and Pharaoh refused. God then sent ten plagues upon Egypt, with the last plague being the death of the firstborn of both man and beast, but God protected the Israelites when He established the Passover with His people, and their firstborns were saved. Finally, after the final deadly plague, Pharaoh agreed to let God’s people go. Moses, through the mighty hand of God, led the children of Israel through the Red Sea, and God parted the waters so that Israel could cross on dry ground. When Pharaoh regretted his decision to let Israel go and pursued them with his armies through the Red Sea that God had parted, God caused the waters to swallow up Pharaoh and his men, finally freeing the Israelites from the grip of Egypt.

The children of Israel then went into the wilderness of Shur and after three days, they found no drinkable water, for the water was bitter. Then God provided for them:

“And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink? And he cried unto the LORD; and thee LORD shewed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet: there he made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he proved them, and said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee.” (Exodus 15:24-26)

By the 45th day of their journey, they again murmured against Moses and also Aaron and questioned why God had brought them out of Egypt. I don’t think it’s any coincidence that the wilderness area God brought them to was called “Sin.”

And they took their journey from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came into the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departing out of the land of Egypt. And the whole congregation of children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. And the children of Israel said unto them, Would to God we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, and when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger.” (Exodus 16:1-3)

The LORD then told Moses:

“I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no. And it shall come to pass, that on the sixth day they shall prepare that which they bring in; and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily.” (Exodus 16:4-5)

Moses told them their murmurings weren’t against him and Aaron but against God Himself. He told them God would provide flesh to eat (quail) in the evening, “then ye shall know that thee LORD hath brought you out from the land of Egypt” (Exodus 16:6) and bread from heaven, called Manna, in the morning, “then ye shall see the glory of the LORD; for that he hearth your murmurings against the LORD: and what are we, that ye murmur against us?” (Exodus 16:7). It seems that God only gave them quail for that one evening, but He gave them manna for forty years (Exodus 16:35). God gave them through Moses specific instructions on how much manna to collect and to collect it for six days but not on the seventh day, for it was the Sabbath day. Some people did not heed the instructions and collected more than they were told to collect, and when they did, the manna turned to worms.

As they journeyed, they left the wilderness of sin and entered Rephidim. Once again, they were without water and they murmured against Moses and Aaron. Moses appealed to God and said the people were ready to stone him. God told Moses to smite the rock in Horeb and water would come out of it, and it did. (Exodus 17:1-7)

In the third month after they had left Egypt, Moses led the children of Israel to the desert of Sinai:

“And Moses went up unto God, and the LORD called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel; Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself. Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine. And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.” (Exodus 19:3-6)

Moses did as commanded him, and all the people said they would do as the Lord had spoken.

At Mount Sinai, Moses met God at the mountain, and God gave Moses His Ten Commandments. (Exodus 20:1-17). The people saw and were filled with fear:

“And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off. And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die. And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not. And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was. And the LORD said unto Moses, Thus thou shalt say unto the children of Israel, Ye have seen that I have talked with you from heaven. Ye shall not make with me gods of silver, neither shall ye make unto you gods of gold. An altar of earth thou shalt make unto me, and shalt sacrifice thereon thy burnt offerings, and thy peace offerings, thy sheep, and thine oxen: in all places where I record my name I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee. And if thou wilt make me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stone: for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it. Neither shall thou go up by steps unto mine altar, that thy nakedness be not discovered thereon.” (Exodus 20:18-26)

Later, God again called Moses up to Mount Sinai. Moses was there for forty days and forty nights, and the children of Israel corrupted themselves:

“And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him. And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me. And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron. And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, To morrow is a feast to the LORD. And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.” (Exodus 32:1-6)

They had disobeyed the commandments of God and lied and said it was the man Moses that had brought them out of the land of Egypt. They denied the mighty power of God and that it was He who had delivered them from the bondage of Pharaoh; Moses had no power of his own absent of God. Then, because Moses was now out of the picture, or so they thought, they made a false god with their own hands and said it was this false god-calf that had brought them out of Egypt, and they worshipped and sacrificed to their false god. This is a perfect example of how quickly we ourselves can forget all that God has done for us. It is a picture of when times get tough and things aren’t going as we expected, that we decide to abandon our faith in Him and in what He can and will do for us in the future, and instead put our faith and trust in a false god or false gods, whether those false gods be a golden calf or something different, such as ourselves, money, government, medicine, or any other thing besides the one true God.

God saw and heard what they were doing and said to Moses:

“Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves: they have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them: they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. And the LORD said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people: now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation.” (Exodus 32:7-11)

Moses appealed to God not to destroy all the children of Israel and to remember His promises to them:

“And Moses besought the LORD his God, and said, LORD, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand? Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou sparest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever. And the LORD repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.” (Exodus 32:11-14)

Previously, God had given Moses the Ten Commandments that God Himself had engraved on both sides of two tablets of testimony. Obeying God’s word to him, Moses took the tablets and went down the mountain. As he came down it, he heard the voice of the people and that they were singing and dancing and his anger was aroused. He took the tablets and broke them beneath the mountain. Then Moses took the calf they had made and burnt it in the fire, ground it to powder, put it in the water, and made the people drink of it. When Moses asked Aaron what the people did to him that he would cause such a great sin to happen, Aaron said they had told him they didn’t know what happened to Moses and that he should make them gods that would go before them. Aaron said he told them to gather their gold and when he put the gold into the fire, “and there came out this calf.” (Exodus 32:24) Aaron clearly lied about what had happened, perhaps in an attempt to make an excuse for his own sin.

“And when Moses saw that the people were naked; (for Aaron had made them naked unto their shame among their enemies:) Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the LORD’s side? let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him. And he said unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Put every man his sword by his side, and go in and out from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbour. And the children of Levi did according to the word of Moses: and there fell of the people that day about three thousand men. For Moses had said, Consecrate yourselves to day to the LORD, even every man upon his son, and upon his brother; that he may bestow upon you a blessing this day. And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses said unto the people, Ye have sinned a great sin: and now I will go up unto the LORD; peradventure I shall make an atonement for your sin. And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold. Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin -; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written. And the LORD said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book.” (Exodus 32:25-33)

Moses had said to God that if He would not forgive them, then to blot Moses’ name out of his book, but God would not do that. God said he would hold each person accountable for their own sin and would blot their names out of His book. Just as Moses was accountable for his own sin and the children of Israel were accountable too, so are we, each one of us, accountable for our own sin.

God continued speaking with Moses, for God had a purpose for Moses and God would see that purpose fulfilled in Moses’ life, and that was for Moses to lead the children of Israel to the land God had given them:

“Therefore now go, lead the people unto the place of which I have spoken unto thee: behold, mine Angel shall go before thee: nevertheless in the day when I visit I will visit their sin upon them. And the LORD plagued the people, because they made the calf, which Aaron made.” (Exodus 32:34-35)

Even though the children of Israel had seen all that God had done for them, all the plagues He had sent upon Pharaoh and Egypt so that Pharaoh would let them go, not long after God delivered them out of Egypt, the people again complained against God. They weren’t happy with the manna that He had given them to eat, and longed for the foods they ate while in bondage. “And the mixt multitude that was among them fell a lusting: and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, ‘Who shall give us flesh to eat? We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlic: but now our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes.” (Numbers 11:4-6) To them, it was more important that there bellies were full of the foods they used to eat even though they lived in bondage to a Gentile who worshipped false gods. Because of their lust for the flesh, God sent them in a single day enough quail for every person to eat for a whole month. As they chewed the flesh of the quail, God’s wrath came upon them, and He sent a great plague upon all who had lusted and they died and were buried in a place God called Kibroth-hattaavah, which means “graves of the longing or of lust.” (Numbers 11:34).

As they continued in their wandering in the wilderness, the children of Israel murmured again and were envious of Moses and Aaron, whom God had chosen to lead them out of Egypt and into the Promised Land. At one point even Aaron and Miriam, who was Moses’ and Aaron’s sister, were envious of Moses until God sent leprosy upon Miriam. Moses appealed to God that He would heal her, and He did.

Before entering the Promised Land, God commanded Moses to send twelve men into the land, one man from every tribe of Israel, to search out the land. The twelve men went, and after searching it for forty days, they came back and reported to Moses, Aaron, and all the people of Israel. They said the land was indeed a land that flowed with milk and honey and they had brought back fruit from it. However, they reported that there were a strong people, children of Anak. They told of all the people who lived there: the Amalekites, Hittites, Jebusites, Amorites, and the Canaanites. Caleb, who was one of the twelve men who went into the land, was not afraid of what he had seen, for he trusted in the Lord and His promises to His people, saying, “Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.” (Numbers 13:30)

“But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we. And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature. And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.” (Numbers 13:31-33)

Forgetting how God had led them out of Egypt from the hand of Pharaoh, the people of Israel were filled with fear and lamented that God had brought them to die in the wilderness. How many of us, including myself, do not see the power of God and are blinded by the “giants” we have in our own lives? How many of us forget that nothing is too difficult for God, Creator of the heavens, the earth, and the seas and all that is in them? The children of Israel choose fear over faith and decided to take matters in their own hands instead of letting God lead them:

“And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night. And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron: and the whole congregation said unto them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in this wilderness! And wherefore hath the LORD brought us unto this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey? were it not better for us to return into Egypt? And they said one to another, Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt.” (Numbers 14:1-4)

Joshua, who also was one of the twelve men, and Caleb, tore their clothes, and Joshua said to all of the children of Israel:

“The land, which we passed through to search it, is an exceeding good land. If the LORD delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it us; a land which floweth with milk and honey. Only rebel not yet against the LORD, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defense is departed from them, and the LORD is with us: fear them not.” (Numbers 14:7-9)

However, the people ignored Joshua’s words to them and instead wanted to stone him and Caleb to death:

“But all the congregation bade stone them with stones. And the glory of the LORD appeared in the tabernacle of the congregation before all the children of Israel. And the LORD said unto Moses, How long will this people provoke me? and how long will it be ere they believe in me, for all the signs which I have shewed among them? I will smite them with the pestilence, and disinherit them, and will make of thee a greater nation and mightier than they.” (Numbers 14:10-12)

Let us read God’s words to Moses and let them be heard in our own hearts. After all that God had done for them, the majority of the children of Israel were ungrateful, rebellious, and desired to return to their bondage because they had become comfortable in their bondage. How many of us, myself included, are like this, so quick to forget all that God has done for us in our lives, especially when we are put in a situation where we must either trust in the Lord with all our heart and lean not on our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5) or be filled with fear of what could happen to us because we are in an uncomfortable, an unknown situation and choose not to trust in Him and act on our fear and emotion instead of acting on our faith in Him? God put the children of Israel in the wilderness so that they must learn to depend on Him and on Him alone for their every need. How many of us are willing to do that? How many of us when we are tempted to stray, will remember the signs that He has shown us in our own lives that He loves us, He wants to save us, and He wants us to abide in Him and in His promises to us?

Moses then appealed to God and said that He should not smite the children of Israel so that the other nations, the Gentile/non-Jew nations, would not be able to say that God wasn’t able to bring them into the land that He had sworn to them and instead had slain them. Moses asked God to pardon their iniquity according to God’s great mercy.

“And the LORD said, I have pardoned according to thy word: but as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD. Because all those men which have seen my glory, and my miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice; surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that provoked me see it: But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it.” (Numbers 14:20-24)

Notice in the Scripture verse above that God said of the children of Israel, “and have tempted me now these ten times.” Ten was the number of plagues that God had sent upon Pharaoh and Egypt. Ten was the number of commandments that God gave Moses on the two tablets. Ten was also the same number of spies that went out to search the land that gave an evil report and who did not want to go into the Promised Land because of their fear and lack of faith in God. Gotquestions.org has a good article that describes the ten times the children of Israel tempted God. (See: https://www.gotquestions.org/ten-times-Israel-tested-God.html)

God continued, speaking to Moses and Aaron:

“To morrow turn you, and get you into the wilderness by the way of the Red sea. And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, How long shall I bear with this evil congregation, which murmur against me? I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against me. Say unto them, As truly as I live, saith the LORD, as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you: your carcasses shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, which have murmured against me, doubtless ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I sware to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun. But your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which ye have despised. But as for you, your carcases, they shall fall in the wilderness. And your children shall wander in the wilderness forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcases be wasted in the wilderness. After the number of days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know my breach of promise. I the LORD have said, I will surely do it unto all this evil congregation, that are gathered together against me: in this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die. And the men which Moses sent to search the land, who returned, and made all the congregation to murmur against him, by bringing up a slander upon the land, even those men that did bring up the evil report upon the land, died by the plague before the LORD. But Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were of the men that went to search the land, lived still.” (Numbers 14:25-38)

God had said they would wander in the land for forty years, and all people twenty years of age and above at that time He spoke this would not enter the Promised Land, the land they despised and only their “little ones” would enter into it. It would be these little ones who would have to trust in God to bring them through the wilderness and into His land. He would be their provider and not they themselves. They would not fall prey to those against them and against God; rather, their enemies would fall prey to Almighty God.

Moses told all the children of Israel what God had said and they mourned greatly. However, they rose up early the next morning and in rebellion, they decided they would go up to the top of the mountain to go into the land that God had promised them. Moses warned them that they would not prosper and would be smitten before their enemies, for they were going against God’s commandment and that He would not be with them. However, they didn’t listen and they left Moses and the ark of the covenant of the LORD and left for the hill top. As Moses warned them:

“Then the Amalekites came down, and the Canaanites which dwelt in that hill, and smote them, and discomfited them, even unto Hormah.” (Numbers 14:45)

Next, God gave Moses specific instructions on the various offerings they should make before the Lord when He would bring them to the land that He would give them. Then God spoke to Moses, saying:

“Speak unto the children of Israel, and bid them that they make them fringes in the borders of their garments throughout their generations, and that they put upon the fringe of the borders a ribband of blue: And it shall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of the LORD, and do them; and that ye seek not after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye use to go a whoring: That ye may remember, and do all my commandments, and be holy unto your God. I am the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I am the LORD your God.” (Numbers 15:38-41)

But instead of heeding God’s voice, a group of men rose up in rebellion. Pride set into the hearts of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. They gathered together with them 250 other men, whom Numbers 16:2 tells us were “princes of the assembly, famous in the congregation, men of renown,” and they confronted Moses and Aaron, saying to them:

“Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them: wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the LORD?” (Numbers 16:3)

Moses fell on his face when he heard what they said. Moses said to them:

“Even to morrow the LORD will shew who are his, and who is holy; and will cause him to come near unto him: even him whom he hath chosen will he cause to come near unto him. This do; Take you censers, Korah, and all his company; and put fire therein, and put incense in them before the LORD to morrow: and it shall be that the man whom the LORD doth choose, he shall be holy: ye take too much upon you, ye sons of Levi. And Moses said unto Korah, Hear, I pray you, ye sons of Levi: Seemeth it but a small thing unto you, that the God of Israel hath separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to himself to do the service of the tabernacle of the LORD, and to stand before the congregation to minister unto them? And he hath brought thee near to him, and all thy brethren the sons of Levi with thee: and seek ye the priesthood also? For which cause both thou and all thy company are gathered together against the LORD: and what is Aaron, that ye murmur against him? And Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab: which said, We will not come up: Is it a small thing that thou has brought us up out of a land that floweth with milk and honey, to kill us in the wilderness, except thou make thyself altogether a prince over us? Moreover thou hast not brought us into a land that floweth with milk and honey, or given us inheritance of fields and vineyards: wilt thou put out the eyes of these men? we will not come up.” (Numbers 16:5-14)

Moses told Korah and all the men with him, 250 in number, to take their censers, put incense in them, and bring them before the LORD. The 250 men did as Moses said and put fire in their censers and “stood in the door of the tabernacle of the congregation with Moses and Aaron” (Numbers 16:18). Korah gathered all the congregation against Moses and Aaron, “and the glory of the LORD appeared unto all the congregation.” (Numbers 16:19) God was ready to consume all the men and the congregation who came against Him, but Moses again interceded for the people. God told Moses to tell the people to leave the tabernacle where Korah, Dathan, and Abiram and their men had come, and they did as Moses told them. Dathan and Abram came out of their tents with their wives and family:

“And Moses said, Hereby ye shall know that the LORD hath sent me to do all these works; for I have not done them of mine own mind. If these men die the common death of all men, or if they be visited after the visitation of all men; then the LORD hath not sent me. But if the LORD make a new thing, and the earth open her mouth, and swallow them up, with all that appertain unto them, and they go down quick into the pit; then ye shall understand that these men have provoked the LORD. And it came to pass, as he had made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground clave asunder that was under them: and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their houses, and all the men that appertained unto Korah, and all their goods. They, and all that appertained to them, went down alive into the pit, and the earth closed upon them: and they perished from among the congregation. And all Israel that were round about them fled at the cry of them: for they said, Lest the earth swallow us up also. And there came out a fire from the LORD, and consumed the two hundred and fifty men that offered incense. And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, that he take up the censers out of the burning, and scatter thou the fire yonder; for they are hallowed. The censers of these sinners against their own souls, let them make them broad plates for a covering of the altar: for they offered them before the LORD, therefore they are hallowed: and they shall be a sign unto the children of Israel. And Eleazar the priest took the brasen censers, wherewith they that were burnt had offered; and they were made broad plates for a covering of the altar: to be a memorial unto the children of Israel, that no stranger, which is not of the seed of Aaron, come near to offer incense before the LORD; that he be not as Korah, and as his company: as the LORD said to him by the hand of Moses.” (Numbers 16:28-40)

Instead of considering and realizing the deep sin that Korah and his men had committed against God that day and seeing that God will - and does - judge us for our sins, the next day, the children of Israel once again murmured against Moses and Aaron, saying, “Ye have killed the people of the LORD.” (Numbers 16:41) Many times Moses had interceded on behalf of the children of Israel, asking God to save them, and here they were now, blaming Moses for the death of rebellious Korah and his followers, calling them “people of the LORD,” when it was Korah and his followers who went against what the Lord had said. The congregation gathered against Moses and Aaron. Moses and Aaron looked toward the tabernacle and saw a cloud covering it and the glory of the Lord appeared once more. The Lord told Moses to get up, for He was going to consume the people. Moses told Aaron to take a censer, put fire from the altar in it, put on incense and go to the congregation and make atonement for them because God had sent a plague on them that had already it.

After wandering in the wilderness for forty years, as God promised, out of the original children of Israel whom God delivered out of Egypt, it was only Joshua and Caleb who were the adult Israelites in that first generation who eventually entered the Promised Land. This was because everyone else had not wholly followed God. Neither Aaron nor Moses were allowed to enter it because of their own disobedience to God. Moses had let his anger get the best of him when once again the people complained about the lack of water. God had told Moses what to do:

“And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, taking the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink. And Moses took the rod from before the LORD, as he commanded him. And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock? And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also.” (Numbers 20:7- 11)

Moses did not obey God’s command to him. God had told Moses only to speak to the rock and that water would come forth from it; He did not tell Moses to strike the rock. Not only did Moses strike it, he struck it twice. And, Moses said “Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock?” (Numbers 20:10). Moses seemed to be attributing the power to obtain water from a rock by his and Aaron’s power and not the power of God. Aaron, as high priest, should have advised Moses when Moses said what he said to the people but he did not. Further, Aaron had previously sinned against God by making the golden calf and when he and his sister Miriam had spoken against their brother Moses. Thus, God said He would hold both Moses and Aaron accountable for what they had done:

“And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them. This is the water of Meribah; because the children of Israel strove with the LORD, and he was sanctified in them.” (Numbers 20:12-13)

I have provided just a few examples of how the children of Israel, whom God delivered out of Egypt by His mighty hand after He sent ten plagues upon it, who saw with their own eyes the awesome power of God as He split the Red Sea and made a way for Israel to pass on dry land, and they saw as the water swallowed up Pharaoh and his armies after Israel had made it safely to the other side. The children of Israel had seen how God miraculously provided food and water for them in the wilderness, and yet, many continued in disbelief and were quick to going back to their old ways and even worshipped a false god, a golden calf made of human hands, even saying it was the golden calf that had delivered them out of Egypt instead of Almighty God.

Before we are quick to judge the children of Israel, let us examine our own lives and consider how God has saved us, perhaps from imminent danger, or by redeeming us of all our sins when we put our faith and trust in His only begotten Son Jesus Christ as our Savior, and how we acted after we were saved. Did we murmur and complain against God soon after He did something miraculous in our own life? Did we harden our heart against Him? Did we take for granted all that God has provided for us because it wasn’t what we wanted but it was what we needed at that time in our life?

While God did use both Moses and Aaron in a mighty way to fulfill His purposes for the children of Israel, God’s word was fulfilled, and neither Moses nor Aaron would enter the Promised Land. God had to do this as an example to the children of Israel that God’s commandments are to be heeded, no matter what. Instead, God chose Joshua to lead the younger generation of the children of Israel into His land. We are warned in the Bible in both the Old and New Testaments not to harden our hearts as the people did in their rebellion as they wandered in the wilderness on their way to the Promised Land:

“O come, let us worship and down down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker. For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness: when your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my work. Forty years long was I grieved with this generation and said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways: unto whom I sware in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest.” (Psalm 95:6-11)

As Jude warns us, may we remember what the Scriptures tell us, may we learn from the lessons of the generations who lived before us, and may we not harden our hearts, which leads to turning against God. May we who have admitted we are sinners, believe that Jesus Christ has redeemed us of all our sins, and have called upon Him to save us, continue steadfastly in our faith. May we not murmur and complain against Him when things don’t go as we expected, even when we think it was something He would have wanted for us. We are not God, and we do not know the end from the beginning, as He does. Let us realize that sometimes, He will allow us to go through some very difficult things in our lives so that we can let go of trusting in the things and the people of this world and learn to trust in Him alone in all situations. Our hope is not in this world, in a politician, a government, our job, our doctors, our friends, or even in our family; every single one of them will disappoint and fail us. Rather, our hope is in Jesus Christ alone, and only He can fix this mess that the entire world is in, and the cause of it all is sin. We are walking in a wilderness of sin, just as the children of Israel walked in; we are no different than they are. We must remember that Jude wasn’t writing to unbelievers - he was writing to professing believers in Christ. As believers in Christ, as pressures mount in the world and on us, we are not immune to falling or turning away from our faith. If our faith is not thoroughly grounded by having deep roots that can only come by weathering the storms in our lives by trusting in the Lord, it will quickly be toppled as the winds of persecution blow against us, and not only against us but also against the children of Israel.

We truly are living in the times that Jude wrote about, the last time, the end times, when mockers scoff at us, for they“walk after their own ungodly lusts.” (Jude 18) The time is now to deepen our faith by reading God’s word, praying to Him, and asking Him to give us the ability to discern lies from truth, for deception is at an all time high, deceiving many and causing them to turn away from their faith in Jesus Christ.

Moses loved God, and he did his best to lead the children of Israel. However, Moses was yet a sinner, and we see how his sinful action prohibited him from entering the Promised Land. This is why God had to send His only begotten Son Jesus Christ. While Moses was a high priest, Jesus is THE high priest who never sinned. Only Jesus can save us from our sins because we could never keep God’s commandments to us. That is the purpose of the Old Testament: to show us that we cannot be saved by anything we could do, for we are all sinners in need of the Savior. God sent Jesus to us, “to the Jew first, and also to the Greek [non-Jew]” (Romans 1:16) to offer the way - the only way - of salvation from all our sins, for all who chose to believe in Him and remain in our faith in Him.

As the persecution of Jews is on the rise in our wicked world, let us not be quick to believe the lie of Satan that God is finished with the Jews. Sadly, there are many people in so-called Christian churches that believe this lie. Have they not read God’s word for themselves? Let us read what the apostle Paul wrote of this:

“I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. Wot ye knot what the scripture saith of Elias? how he maketh intercession to God against Israel, saying, Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life. But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal. Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace.” (Romans 11:1-5)

“I say then, Have they [Israel, the Jews] stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them [the Jews] to jealousy.” (Romans 11:11)

“For if God spared not the natural branches [Israel, the Jews], take heed lest he also spare not thee.” (Romans 11:21)

“For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.” (Romans 11:25-27)

As God has always done, He will save a remnant of the Jews as they go through the time of Jacob’s trouble, the coming 7-year tribulation period. It is that remnant, one-third of the Jews, who will mourn the One whom they have pierced, Jesus Christ, and will come to faith in Him:

“And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn. In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon. And the land shall mourn, every family apart; the family of the house of David apart, and their wives apart; the family of the house of Nathan apart, and their wives apart; the family of the house of Levi apart, and their wives apart; the family of Shimei apart, and their wives apart; all the families that remain, every family apart, and their wives apart.” (Zechariah 12:10-14)

“And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, the LORD is my God.” (Zechariah 13:8-9)

In closing, let us remember the consequences of our sin and what happens when we murmur against God and harden our hearts against Him, in our own rebellion in the wilderness. Let us read the words of the admonition to us in Hebrews, not letting our hearts be hardened as we wait on the Lord to bring us into His rest, where we will live with Him forever, free from the burden of sin:

“Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus; who was was faithful to him that appointed him, as also Moses was faithful in all his house. For this man was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as he who hath builded the house hath more honour than the house. For every house is builded by some man; but he that built all things is God. And Moses verily was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after; but Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end. Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness; when your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years. Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do always err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.) Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end; while it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation. For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses. But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness? And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not? So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.

“Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest on the seventh day from all his works. And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest. Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief: Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts. For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day. There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief. For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 3-4)

“Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness. But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.” (2 Peter 3:17-18)

“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” (John 3:14-18) ✝️

October 13, 2023: Jude 4 - Ungodly Men have Crept in Unawares

“For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.” - Jude 4

When I was young, I was gullible and I believed that what people told me was true, whether it was my friends or family, the government, and the media. It was only through my experiences of living my life that I realized that people lie, and they will lie to your face without a hint that they are lying. They lie to promote their agenda, and most of the times, it’s for their good and not ours.

Later in my life when I was seeking to know God but not yet saved, not yet born again, I was working from home and my doorbell rang. It was two Jehovah’s Witnesses women who wanted to tell me about the Bible. Being gullible and having a desire in my heart to learn about God, I started talking to them. I was defenseless, for I had not read the word of God, and Satan was all too ready to deceive me and steal my soul. That one mistake led to me studying with them for about four years, and not only me but also our children who were young at the time. I praise God to this day that He used my unbelieving husband to end my studies with them. At first I was confused and sad because I had grown to know them, but after some time had passed, I realized I and our children had been deceived by the devil for four years of our life. I thank God that He used whoever and whatever was necessary to remove me from a “church” that doesn’t believe that Jesus is God and who believes that they are the only ones who are saved. Like the snake that he is, Satan had crept in unawares, and he is still doing that today in churches all around the world.

Jude tells us that certain ungodly “men have crept in unawares” and have turned “the grace of our God into lasciviousness.” Let us consider what it means to have “crept in unawares” and also what the word “lasciviousness” means. The Greek word “pareisedysan” means to come in stealthily, which also means to come in secretly. It is just like Satan to come in pretending he is one thing - good - when in fact he is the opposite - evil. That is exactly what happened to me when I was at my home and he sent two people - whom he had already deceived - to knock at my door and to deceive me with his lies. He has been doing this from the very beginning when he deceived Eve in the garden:

“Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:1-5)

Satan, represented as a serpent, put seeds of doubt into Eve’s mind as to what God had commanded Adam, asking her, “Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” Likewise, Satan doesn’t want us to believe God’s word as it is written but to question it, with our sinful desires and lusts. Further, he doesn’t want us to believe that God means what He says.

Eve was not only deceived by Satan, she had deceived herself because she had added to the words of God. God did not tell Adam that they could not touch the fruit of the tree in the midst of the garden; rather, He only told them they could not eat of it. This is a perfect example of what happens when we add to or take away from the word of God. God’s word is clear that we should not add to or take away from what He tells us. It is stated clearly early on in the Bible and also at the end of it:

“Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.” (Deuteronomy 4:2)

“What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it.” (Deuteronomy 12:32)

“Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.” (Proverbs 30:6)

“For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.” (Revelation 22:18-19)

We don’t know why Eve felt compelled to add to the command that God had given her and Adam, but the end result, at least to me, made God’s commands to them seem more restrictive than they actually were. Eve ended up lying about what God had commanded Adam, and she disobeyed God’s command not to eat the fruit of that particular tree. As God had told Adam would happen, she and Adam did die because of their sin against Him, which is exactly what Satan wanted for them and it is exactly what he wants for every single person ever born. He hates God because he wants to be like God, and he hates humans because we are the only creation made in God’s image. Satan, being an angel, was not created in God’s image. As Satan deceived people from the beginning, so he continues to deceive people today, and that includes stealthily planting deceivers in churches all around the world, including America.

Next, let’s discuss the word “lasciviousness.” It is translated from the Greek word “aselgeia.” Per Strong’s Concordance it is used to describe “outrageous conduct, conduct shocking to public decency, a wanton violence), wantonness, lewdness.” (See: https://biblehub.com/greek/766.htm). The Bible is clear: any sexual intercourse outside of a marriage between a man and a woman is considered sin. Have we not seen lasciviousness in our world today, especially in America? While sin has existed since the fall of Adam and Eve, I don’t think there has ever been a time where sin, especially sexual sin, that is so lewd, so in-your-face, that exists in our world today, except perhaps in the days of Lot in the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha, which Jude later mentions in his epistle. It is one thing for sin to run rampant in societies in which most people are not believers in Christ but it is another thing when so-called “churches” not only do not speak out against the sin but embrace it, bring it in the church, and put it on full display for all to see. This is happening now, and as Jude wrote later in verse 18, the apostles of Jesus told us this would happen in the last time, or the end times of the church age.

Never before have we sin any sinful lifestyle being approved and brought into and exalted in the church like we do today. Yes, the church should be open to all people, those who are saved and those who are not saved, who come to hear the word of God - the truth - that there is one way to salvation from sins and that is by believing in Jesus Christ, who paid the price to redeem us with His precious blood. However, it is not the church’s role to affirm anyone in their sin. Jesus died so that we would be born again through Him by believing in Him, and that means letting go of our former sinful lifestyles, not having them affirmed by the church and remaining in them. I have said this before and I will say it again, while Jesus did not condemn the woman who had been caught in the act of adultery and who was brought to Him by the Jews, Jesus did tell her to “go, and sin no more.” (John 8:11) If we go by the thought process of so-called “churches” today, the woman would have a flag created for her sin, she would have a day or a month dedicated to her sin, corporations around the world would celebrate her sin, and she would be brought into the church to speak to the congregation, who “lovingly” would affirm her sin, and on and on it goes. I don’t care what type of sin anyone who is saved commits, and that includes my own sin, sin is sin and it should not be approved by any church and exalted as it is being today. If churches truly loved those caught in sin, they would read the words of Jesus to them from John 8:11. But instead, we have false pastors in false churches who are falsely claiming to love people when in fact they are deceiving people and leading them straight to the pit of hell, which is exactly what Satan wants. These are the people whom Jesus, the prophets, and the apostles Jude, Peter, and John and many others in the Bible warned us about and how they would rise in the end times and “shall deceive many.” (Matthew 24:11) This is exactly why Jesus warned us, “Take heed that no man deceive you.” (Jesus Christ; Matthew 24:4)

As Jude wrote about, these type of people are ungodly and are ordained to this condemnation, and in the next several devotionals, we will read about the condemnation he is referring to through the Biblical examples he provided. As Jude said, these ungodly men who have “crept in unawares” have turned “the grace of our God into lasciviousness, denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.” These ungodly men have taken the grace of God, which is given to anyone who chooses to put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ for their salvation, and used it as an excuse not only to remain in their sin but to exalt it, thereby denying God and His Son Jesus Christ. They have made a mockery of the price Jesus paid to redeem us of our sins, and they have reserved for themselves an eternity separated from Him and bound themselves in chains forevermore to the owner of their souls - Satan. They chose not to accept the grace given by the one true God but instead willingly chose the lies of Satan, the false god of this world.

“From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy? But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up. (James 4:1-10)

“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. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doth the will of God abideth for ever.” (1 John 2:15-17)

As one who has put my faith and trust in Jesus alone for redemption of all my sins, I know that while I am still alive on this earth in my fleshly body, I will still sin. However, I do not expect anyone, including myself, to lift up my sin and to praise it. I am a work in progress that one day will be completed when I am with Jesus. Until He calls me Home, I will continue to fight this battle against sin in His power and might, to walk not after the flesh - to walk not after what the world calls “good” but which God calls evil - but after the Spirit. The apostle Paul, who once was a persecutor of Christians but was saved and whose life was completely changed by Jesus, wrote about this in the books of Romans and Philippians:

“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” (Romans 8:1)

“For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.” (Romans 8:5-10)

“For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. Do all things without murmuring and disputing: that ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.” (Philippians 2:13-16) ✝️

October 8, 2023: Jude 3 - Beloved, Let Us Earnestly Contend for the Faith

“Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.” - Jude 3

Jude addresses his brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ as “beloved” and it is clear that he loves them. So ought we to love our brothers and sisters in Christ, and Jude loves them enough to warn them and to tell them the truth, and so should we. While Jude first intended to write about their common salvation, instead the Holy Spirit impressed upon him to warn them to “earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.”

Each and every person who has been saved has received it one way and one way only: through faith in Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son, who died and was raised again to life, to redeem us of all our sins. There is no other way to salvation; it is through Jesus alone:

“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.” (Jesus Christ; John 3:14-15)

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

“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. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:9-13)

The Bible clearly tells us that all other proclaimed ways of salvation are false and lead to destruction:

“Enter ye in 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.” (Jesus Christ; Matthew 7:13-14)

As He was crucified on the cross, before Jesus gave up His life, “…he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.” (John 19:30) Jesus accomplished all that was needed for salvation; Jesus did it all. There is nothing left for us to do but to believe in Him as our risen Savior to redeem us of all our sins. It doesn’t matter if we are Jewish or not Jewish, rich or poor, male or female, free or slave, or anything else; what matters is do we believe in Him with our heart as our Savior and that He has paid the price for our salvation.

In verse 3, today’s Scripture verse, Jude gives us a hint of what his book is about: to warn us to earnestly contend for the faith, and he will tell us why in the next verse, which I will discuss in my next devotional post. But what does it mean to “contend”? Dictionary.com defines “contend” as: “to struggle in opposition,” “to strive in rivalry,” and “to assert or maintain earnestly.” Strong’s Greek defines “epagónizomai” as "struggle upon, appropriately.” Do you see what is in the Greek word for contend? It is where we get our word “agonize,” which dictionary.com defines as “to suffer extreme pain or anguish; be in agony” and “to put forth great effort of any kind.”

This leads us perfectly into the next verse, in which Jude warns his brothers and sisters that imposters and deceivers have invaded the churches, deceiving many and denying Jesus Christ. I will discuss this in detail in my next devotional. However, let me ask you this: how many professing “pastors” today will tell you that you should contend earnestly for the faith, where that means to suffer and to agonize and to put forth great effort? I venture to say that the answer is few. On the contrary, many professing “pastors” are telling you that you can have your best life now, that if you donate this amount of money to the church, if you tithe, that God will bless you beyond your wildest imaginations, that you will be healthy, wealthy, and wise, and that after you are saved by believing in Jesus, you don’t have to change the way you are because God loves you exactly as you are, sin and all. These are wolves in sheep’s clothing, telling smooth lies to those who seek not salvation of sins but seek a false gospel. They don’t want to hear the truth, for the truth is offensive because it convicts us of our sins and shows us that we need the Savior - Jesus Christ - to save us from our sins. They don’t want to hear that once we are saved, we should not remain in our sin but strive earnestly to be more like Him, to put away our old selves and put on the new man or woman created by Christ when we were born again. When one doesn’t seek the truth of God, they will be deceived by Satan, and we are seeing this in many so-called “churches” across America and around the world. Those of us who are believers in Christ must not have blinders on our eyes and pretend that this is not happening, for we could be deceived ourselves. We must do as Jude exhorted us: to earnestly contend for the faith which Jesus delivered once for all who believe on Him. We must stay in His word, stay in communication with Him through prayer, and heed the guiding of the Holy Spirit within us.

Lord willing, until next time … ✝️

October 5, 2023: Jude 1-2 - Mercy, Peace, and Love Unto You be Multiplied

“Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called: Mercy unto you, and peace, and love, be multiplied.” - Jude 1-2

Jude is the author of this brief but powerful book, the last book before the final book of the Bible, the book of Revelation. He speaks to his brothers and sisters in Christ, and, as we will later read, he warns them of trouble in the church, which had been secretly infiltrated by deceiving imposters. His warning rings true today, for many churches today have become apostate, and we do best to heed his words.

Jude states that he is brother to James, and it is widely thought that both James and Jude are Jesus’ half-brothers, born to Joseph and Mary sometime after Mary gave birth to Jesus, as He was conceived by the Holy Spirit. However, Jude only identifies himself as a servant of Jesus Christ and brother to James. As one Bible commentary noted, when it comes to our salvation, who our relatives are doesn’t matter, for salvation is a choice we all must make for ourselves. Even though Jude likely was Jesus’ half-brother, he wasn’t automatically saved from his sins. In fact, the Bible even tells us that Jesus’ siblings did not at first believe that Jesus is who He said He is:

“After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for He would not walk in Jewry, because the Jews sought to kill him. Now the Jews’ feast of tabernacles was at hand. His brethren therefore said unto him, Depart hence, and go into Judaea, that thy disciples also may see the works that thou doest. For there is no man that doeth any thing in secret, and he himself seeketh to be known openly. If thou do these things, shew thyself to the world. For neither did his brethren believe in him.” (John 7:1-5)

Jude obviously thought it more important to identify himself as “the servant of Jesus Christ” rather than as brother of the Messiah. That is so very applicable in our world today when so many people believe that because they come from a family that went to church, then they too are saved. However, what only matters is whether we ourselves are saved by the blood of Jesus Christ. Salvation is not inherited from our family but our inheritance is found in Jesus Christ alone, by putting our faith and trust in Him for redemption of all our sins:

“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. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.” (John 3:3-7)

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you who are kept by the power of God through faith until salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” (1 Peter 1:3-5)

At some point in Jude’s life, perhaps after Jesus’ death and resurrection, he came to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, and Jude wrote this book that is critical and so very relevant to the times in which we live.

Having identified himself, Jude makes it clear as to whom he is writing this book: all who have been saved by Jesus Christ. Believers in Christ have been sanctified by God the Father, meaning we have been set apart from this world and are not to be like the world but to be holy. However, we don’t come to Jesus only after we are “cleaned up”; rather, we come to Him as we are, and it is through His Holy Spirit who then dwells within us from that point on, we begin the process of sanctification, of sinning less and less and becoming more like Jesus. For some people, including myself, this may take a long time, as we struggle with still wanting to do things ourselves and our way instead of relying on God to guide us and to listen to and obey His direction and instruction.

Believers in Christ are preserved in Him until the fulfillment of our salvation occurs. There are many verses in the Bible about being preserved in Jesus, in God. I have included several below:

“Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it.” (Jesus Christ; Luke 17:33)

“The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil; he shall preserve thy soul. The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.” (Psalm 121:7-8)

“For the LORD loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.” (Psalm 37:28)

Before Jesus would be crucified on the cross, He prayed to God:

“These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee: As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” (John 17:1-3)

In his prayer, Jesus spoke of how He had kept, in God’s name, the apostles and disciples that God had given Him while He was in the world. Jesus also prayed that God would:

“Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; that they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou has sent me.” (Jesus Christ; John 17:17-21)

The apostle Paul wrote of Jesus and how he intercedes for us:

“Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:34-39)

Whether we live or die, we who believe in Jesus for our redemption of all our sins will never be separated from Jesus’ love for us. The unbeliever cannot say this, for if they die in their sins, they will be eternally separated from Him and from His love, in a place of eternal torment. It will be a place with no mercy, no peace, and no love. Sadly, it will be the place that the unbeliever chose because they rejected Jesus’ free gift of salvation, of His mercy, His peace, and His love.

As the apostles John and Peter wrote, God doesn’t want any of us to perish but that we would all believe in His Son Jesus Christ and be saved:

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth in him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” (John 3:17-18)

“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.” (2 Peter 3:9)

We all have a choice whether or not be called sons (or children) of God, which only comes by believing in Jesus Christ for salvation of our sins. God gives each and every one of us that opportunity, and it is what he wants for us, but the choice to accept that calling or not is up to us. Most people, though, will reject it.

“He [Jesus] was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. 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: which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:10-13)

After we die, if we spend our eternity in hell, it is not God’s fault but our own, for rejecting God’s gift of salvation of sins through His Son Jesus Christ. A gift can be given, but it is up to us whether or not to accept it.

Jude closes his opening statement to his readers by saying, “Mercy unto you, and peace, and love, be multiplied.” Let us read the words of David who wrote this beautiful psalm, Psalm 34:

“O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. O fear the LORD, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him.” (Psalm 34:8-9)

“The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry. The face of the LORD is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth. The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles. The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all. He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken. Evil shall slay the wicked: and they that hate the righteous shall be desolate. The LORD redeemeth the soul of his servants: and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate.” (Psalm 34:15-22)

We who have tasted and seen that the Lord is good have experienced His mercy, His peace, and His love for us and not only for us, but for the entire world. I am so very thankful for His mercy upon me, that He saved a sinner like me. The One who never sinned came to pay the price of all my sins. Once I believed upon Him - Jesus - to redeem me of my all my sins, I had a sense of peace in my life that I never had before, and it was a peace that only comes by knowing and trusting in Him. It is a peace that truly does surpass all understanding, a peace that the unbelieving world does not know and cannot ever know absent of Him. Through the years of knowing Him and trusting in Him, the bitterness and fear that dominated my life for so long have been replaced with His love, a love for those who hurt me, rejected me, and mocked me, and a love for those who are my dear brothers and sisters in Christ. That is what knowing and believing in Jesus has done for me, and I want to multiply it by telling and sharing with people about how Jesus changed my life so much for the better and how He can change theirs too. If there is anyone reading this, I pray that if you get anything out of these devotional posts I write through God’s Holy Spirit who dwells within me, it is that Jesus loves you, so very, very much, and He wants you to turn to Him, and for you to let Him show you mercy, give you peace, and love you like no one else ever could. Will you taste and see that the Lord is good?

“O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever.” (1 Chronicles 16:34)

“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (Jesus Christ; John 14:27)

“But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: that in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Ephesians 2:4-9) ✝️

September 30, 2023: Psalm 130:6 - My Soul Waits for the Lord

“My soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning - yes, more than those who watch for the morning.” - Psalm 130:6

Like many others, I have gone through many a night when I was in deep despair and the darkness of the night was all around me, and not only darkness of the night, but the darkness of my sin. The darkness had enveloped me and not only me but also my family, and I longed for the morning light to shine once again. Praying to God, calling out to Him, I longed for the light of day, when the morning sun would finally rise, splitting the darkness and causing it to fade, giving me hope, and giving me strength to face another day in Him. It was through many nights like this that I finally learned to trust in the Lord in all things and that He is my hope. He is the light of the world, and He is our only hope, for He is our salvation.

Let us read in full this psalm that acknowledges the depth of our sin but also the fullness of the mercy and grace of God:

“Out of the depths I have cried to You, O LORD: Lord, hear my voice! Let Your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications. If You, LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with You, that You may be feared. I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in His word I do hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning - yes, more than those who watch for the morning. O Israel, hope in the LORD; for with the LORD there is mercy, and with Him is abundant redemption. And He shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.” (Psalm 130)

The Bible speaks of watchmen who sat on an exterior wall or in the tower of a town, watching and guarding it, ready to warn the people by blowing a trumpet in the event of an invading army:

“I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; they shall never hold their peace day or night…” (Isaiah 62:6)

In the book of Ezekiel, God told the prophet Ezekiel that if the watchman did not do his job to warn the people and they died, then He would hold the watchman responsible for their death:

“Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying, ‘Son of man, speak to the children of your people, and say to them: “When I bring the sword upon a land, and the people of the land take a man from their territory and make him their watchman, when he sees the sword coming upon the land, if he blows the trumpet and warns the people, then whoever hears the sound of the trumpet and does not take warning, if the sword comes and takes him away, his blood shall be on his own head. He heard the sound of the trumpet, but did not take warning; his blood shall be upon himself. But he who takes warning will save his life. But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, and the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at the watchman’s hand.” So you, son of man: I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore you shall hear a word from My mouth and warn them for Me. When I say to the wicked, “O wicked man, you shall surely die!” and you do not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand. Nevertheless if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul. Therefore you, O son of man, say to the house of Israel: “Thus you say, ‘If our transgressions and our sins lie upon us, and we pine away in them, how can we then live?’ Say to them: ‘As I live,’ says the Lord God, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?’”’” (Ezekiel 33:1-11)

As this passage of Scripture tells us, it is the watchman’s job to warn the people of approaching danger, and specifically for Ezekiel, he was to warn the people to turn from their wicked ways and live. If a watchman warns them and they do not heed his words, then their blood is on themselves and not the watchman. If they do heed the warning, they will be saved. However, if the watchman does not warn them and they die, then they die in their sin and God will put their blood on the watchman, God will hold him accountable for their death.

Similarly, we, who have been saved by the blood of Jesus Christ and believe on Him for our salvation from our sins, are watchmen and women and are to warn unbelievers of approaching danger. That danger is if they don’t heed the warnings of the Bible to turn from their wicked ways and if they reject Jesus’ free gift of salvation, then they will surely die in their iniquity, in their sins, and will be cast into the lake of fire forever. While I know of no Scripture that speaks of Christians being held to account for people who reject the gospel, salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, we should have a desire in us to tell people about Jesus, to warn them and to tell them how He can save them and they won't die in their iniquity.

The Bible and Jesus Himself tells us to watch and be ready:

“Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” (Matthew 24:42-44)

“Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. Let all that you do be done with love.” (1 Corinthians 16:13-14)

“Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober.” (1 Thessalonians 5:6)

Rather than being distracted and deceived by all that the world offers, with all of its sin that is concealed and dressed up as good but what the word of God, the Bible, reveals as evil, we as believers in Christ are to keep our focus on Jesus. As the psalmist wrote in this psalm, we are to wait on the Lord. God’s word is true, and has been proven to be true based on the many prophecies that were foretold hundreds and even thousands of years beforehand that were fulfilled with stunning accuracy.

As the passages of Ezekiel 33:1-11 told about, there truly is a sword coming upon the land that will take away all who refuse to heed the warnings of the trumpet sound. In this case, the trumpet sound is the warning of the word of God that salvation from sins is found alone in His Son Jesus Christ. This truth will bring division in the world, even in our homes, as each of us must decide if we are with Jesus Christ or against Him:

“Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’ He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.” (Jesus Christ; Matthew 10:34-39)

“For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.” (Hebrews 4:12-13)

“His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire; His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters; He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength. And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, ‘Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.’” (Revelation 1:14-18)

“Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written:

KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.” (Revelation 19:11-16)

“And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh.” (Revelation 19:21)

As the watchmen on the wall who looked out for and warned the people of incoming danger may have grown weary and tired at the end of their watch, in the darkest of night as they waited for the sun to rise, so too may be many of us, who are believers in Christ, may be growing weary in these last days and hours before Jesus returns and executes His righteous judgment upon a wicked and evil world. We are sickened by all the wickedness that surrounds us and sorrowful at the same time, because we know those who ignore the watchmen’s call and who choose evil will live in it for all eternity. But let us remember, again and again, that as believers in Christ who are called children of God and whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, our hope is not in this world but in Him, the true Light:

“Woe is me! For I am like those who gather summer fruits, like those who glean vintage grapes; there is no cluster to eat of the first-ripe fruit which my soul desires, The faithful man has perished from the earth, and there is no one upright among men. They all lie in wait for blood; every man hunts his brother with a net. That they may successfully do evil with both hands - the prince asks for gifts, the judge seeks a bribe, and the great man utters his evil desire; so they scheme together. The best of them is like a brier; the most upright is sharper than a thorn hedge; the day of your watchman and your punishment comes; now shall be their perplexity. Do not trust in a friend; do not put your confidence in a companion; guard the doors of your mouth from her who lies in your bosom. For son dishonors father, daughter rises against her mother, daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; a man’s enemies are the men of his own household. Therefore I will look to the LORD: I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me.” (Micah 7:1-7)

“Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and our shield. For our heart shall rejoice in Him, because we have trusted in His holy name. Let Your mercy, O Lord, be upon us, just as we hope in You.” (Psalm 33:20-22)

“Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.’” (John 8:12)

“But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it. Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there). And they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it. But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.” (Revelation 21:22-23)

“Therefore the LORD will wait, that He may be gracious to you; and therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you. For the LORD is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for Him.” (Isaiah 30:18) ✝️

September 27, 2023: Psalm 136:3 - The Lord's Mercy Endures Forever

“Oh, give thanks to the Lord of lords! For His mercy endures forever!” - Psalm 136:3

This is just one verse from a beautiful psalm that praises the Lord our God for all that He has done for the children of Israel and acknowledges that His mercy endures forever. The author of the psalm acknowledges that it is Almighty God who created the heavens and the earth, who lights the day with the sun and the night with the moon and the stars. The psalmist remembers and gives thanks to the God of gods who with His “strong hand and with an outstretched arm” delivered His people Israel out of the hand of Pharaoh.

The children of Israel were brought out of their 430 years of slavery in Egypt through a mighty miracle performed by God Himself when He divided the Red Sea, allowing Israel to pass through it on dry land as they were led by Moses to safety, watching from the other side as the Red Sea swallowed up Pharaoh and his army as they pursued Israel. God’s people subsequently wandered in the wilderness for 40 years, often complaining of their difficulties and the lack of the food they used to eat while in captivity, before their next generation was allowed to enter the Promised Land that God gave them.

So too, does His mercy endure forever to those of us who have believed in His Son Jesus Christ for redemption of all our sins. As Israel was brought out of its slavery in Egypt, so have I been brought out of slavery, but my slavery was my bondage to my sin. We don’t realize that when we decide to sin, we become enslaved to it, no matter the sin. Whatever the sin is, it separates us from God; it is like the Red Sea, where bondage was on one side and freedom on the other. When we are in sin, we can’t get to the other side where freedom awaits us unless we put our faith and trust in God to get us to the other side, to be free. Jesus Christ is that way, the narrow way, the only way, that takes us to the side of freedom from sin. Jesus is our Red Sea moment. It is He who parts the deep waters and makes the way for us to be freed from our bondage. One day, when my sin had made me so miserable and I constantly lived my life in fear, for deep down inside I believe I worried about what would happen if I died in my sin, I turned to Jesus Christ to save me, saying, “Help me, Jesus, I can’t do this on my own!” He did, and my life has never been the same. He brought me through the narrow way that is my salvation, my freedom from bondage.

Like Israel, once I reached the other side, the side of freedom from sin but still struggling to trust in the Lord fully, I still tried sometimes to do things my way. It was like Tug of War, where I had finally given God all the rope and then that old stubborn side of me decided to pull or to tug it back, only to find myself stumbling and falling to the ground. Many times I would get mad at God and blame Him for my problems instead of putting the blame on the one who caused my problems in the first place: me. Like Israel who wandered in the wilderness for forty years complaining and grumbling even though God had provided for their every need, I too wandered, sometimes wanting to return to that former place, where though I was in bondage, it had felt comfortable to me, and sometimes even tasted good to me. Sometimes God lets us go through difficult times so that we will see that we need to trust fully in Him, even when we don’t understand what is happening to us at any given moment of our lives.

There really is a war that is raging, and it’s a spiritual war for my soul, for your soul, and for souls of all mankind. When we are not saved by God through believing in His only begotten Son Jesus Christ to redeem us of our sins, our soul is owned by Satan. When we turn to Jesus Christ, then He owns our soul, but Satan will do everything he can to steal it back, tempting us, and so we begin to tug against God, just as the Israelites did in the wilderness before they entered the Promised Land. The Holy Spirit, who comes inside of us the moment we turn to Jesus, will allow us to go through difficulties in our lives until we decide for ourselves not to keep committing the same old sins, and eventually, we will tug against God less and less, allowing Him to have more and more control over our lives. It is at that moment when we realize that God really is for us and not against us. It is at that moment when we become so very thankful for His mercy and love for us, and not only for us but also for our family members and friends as well. It is at that moment when we can see that through Him and the work that He is doing in us, we see changes in their lives as well. While they may not be saved yet by believing in Jesus Christ, we can see that He is working in them, and oh, what a wonderful thing that is to see!

Like the psalmist who wrote this psalm, I am so very thankful to the God of mercy, the God who saw me for who I am: a broken and sinful person in need of the Savior, and that He provided the way out of my brokenness and sin and His name is Jesus. I owe God everything, for it is through His love and mercy for me and for all of us, that He sent His only begotten Son Jesus to make the way of salvation. I thank Jesus for leading me out of the wilderness, where I was wandering and complaining in my sin, and leading me to the light, to freedom. I thank Jesus for being willing to suffer all that He suffered and to die a horrible death and be resurrected to life so that one day, we would be able to enter His eternal kingdom, and I believe that day is coming soon.

“And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me [the apostle Paul], because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry, although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.” (1 Timothy 1:12-17)

“Oh, give thanks to the God of heaven! For His mercy endures forever.” (Psalm 133:26) ✝️

September 26, 2023: Psalm 133:1 - Behold, How Good and How Pleasant!

“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” - Psalm 133:1

King David wrote this beautiful psalm at a rare time when there was unity in Israel. While the psalm is brief in its length, it is rich and full in its spiritual meaning:

“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious oil upon the head, running down on the beard, the beard of Aaron, running down on the edge of his garments. It is like the dew of Hermon, descending upon the mountains of Zion; for there the LORD commanded the blessing - life forevermore.” (Psalm 133)

In our world today that is filled with chaos and confusion because it is under the control of the one who is the author of chaos and confusion - Satan - we long for peace and unity. However, peace and unity are only possible when we put our faith and trust in the only One who can provide it - Jesus Christ. Sadly, the majority of the world has rejected the truth of God and instead believed the lies of Satan, who deceptively offers a false peace, as the prophet Jeremiah stated:

“‘Because from the least of them even to the greatest of them, everyone is given to covetousness; and from the prophet even to the priest, everyone deals falsely. They have also healed the hurt of My people slightly [superficially], saying “Peace, peace!” when there is no peace. Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? No! They were not at all ashamed; nor did they know how to blush. Therefore they shall fall among those who fall; at the time I punish them, they shall be cast down,’ says the LORD.” (Jeremiah 6:13-15)

The United Nations even has on its website the words “Peace and Security” and states: (See: https://www.un.org/en/global-issues/peace-and-security#:~:text=%22To%20save%20succeeding%20generations%20from,two%20world%20wars%20by%201945.)

“ ‘To save succeeding generations from the scourge of war’ are among the first very words of the UN Charter (in its Preamble), and those words were the main motivation for creating the United Nations, whose founders had lived through the devastation of two world wars by 1945. Since the UN's creation on 24 October 1945 (the date its Charter came into force), the United Nations has often been called upon to prevent disputes from escalating into war, or to help restore peace following the outbreak of armed conflict, and to promote lasting peace in societies emerging from wars.”

I don’t think it’s any coincidence we keep hearing the words “peace and security” and “peace and safety.” The Bible even warns us of the times we are in when we hear this slogan:

“But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, ‘Peace and safety!’ then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him. Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:1-11)

The United Nations even posted a “Conference primer: Peace and Security: 2023” in advance of its recent Geneva Peace Talks held on September 21, 2023, which is also the same day that the UN has previously declared as the International Day of Peace. However, true peace can only come when we are united together in our faith in Jesus Christ, sent by God Himself as a sacrifice for our sins to all who believe in Him as the risen Savior, the King of kings and Lord of lords. The United Nations, however, rejects this truth and is seeking a false peace instead.

As Moses’s brother Aaron was anointed as the first high priest with the holy anointing oil as prescribed by God in the book of Exodus (Exodus 29:7, 30:22-25), Jesus was also anointed. However, Jesus was not only anointed once but three separate times with oil:

“And when Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, a woman came to Him having an alabaster flask of very costly fragrant oil, and she poured it on His head as He sat at the table…’For in pouring this fragrant oil on My body, she did it for My burial.’” (Matthew 26:6-7, 12)

“Then one of the Pharisees asked Him to eat with him. And He went to the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to eat. And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil, and stood at His feet behind Him weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil.” (Luke 7:36-38)

“Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was who had been dead, whom He had raised from the dead. There they made Him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him. Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil…But Jesus said, ’Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial.’” (John 12:1-3, 7)

Jesus is the Messiah, and “Messiah” means the “anointed one.” Jesus is the Messiah whom Daniel prophesied about long before Jesus came to earth the first time and was crucified, or “cut off,” as Daniel wrote about in the passage of prophecy below:

“Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, there shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublesome times. And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off [suffer the death penalty], but not for Himself…” (Daniel 9:25-26)

In Psalm 133, King David wrote about the blessing of the dew from Mount Hermon descending upon the mountains of Zion. If you have ever lived in a desert, like I have for many years, you know what a blessing from God that dew is. After having lived in New Mexico for over 30 years of my life and having moved to South Carolina, I experienced as an adult the morning dew. When I lived in the desert, everything was dry and I longed for the rain. What a blessing it is to live in a place now where even when our sprinklers have not run in the morning, there is a dew on the grass and the plants, and they soak it in, letting it nourish them.

God the Father, through the prophets, prophesied that the Messiah would come from Zion:

“Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: ‘Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; whoever believes will not act hastily.’” (Isaiah 28:16)

“O Zion, you who bring good tidings, get up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, you who bring good tidings, lift up your voice with strength, lift it up, be not afraid; say to the cities of Judah, ‘Behold your God!’ Behold, the Lord GOD shall come with a strong hand, and His arm shall rule for Him; behold, His reward is with Him, and His work before Him. He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those who are with young.” (Isaiah 40:9-11)

“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey; a colt, the foal of a donkey.” (Zechariah 9:9)

Jesus the Messiah did come, just as God prophesied that He would, and Jesus is our greatest blessing of all, offering salvation from all sins to all who choose to believe in Him as the resurrected Christ. Jesus is like the morning dew that flows from on high:

“…but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” (Jesus Christ; John 4:14)

“He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” (Jesus Christ; 7:38)

When Jesus ascended with three of His apostles to a high mountain, perhaps Mount Hermon, Jesus was transfigured before them:

“Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, ‘Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.’” (Matthew 17:1-4)

Moses and Elijah had died long ago before they appeared on the mount. Moses represents the Law, and Elijah represents the Prophets. Peter, doing his best to understand what was happening, put Jesus on the same level of authority as them. However, with the arrival of Messiah, salvation would only be found through faith in Jesus Christ, and His first coming fulfilled all the prophecies of His first coming and Jesus will eventually fulfill all prophecies of Him:

“While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!’” (Matthew 17:5)

God clearly told Peter, James, and John that He approves of Jesus and for them to hear the words of His Son Jesus. Peter, James, and John had all seen a glimpse into the future, when Jesus would be in His glorified state at a time when they did not fully comprehend what was soon going to happen to Jesus. Jesus would be scourged, mocked, spat upon, crucified, and would give up His life and be placed into a tomb, but would rise again three days later, and walk the earth for forty days before ascending to God the Father, where He is now, at the right hand of God. Their beholding of the glorified Son of God must have filled them with hope, a hope that remain in them until the day they died and were reunited with Him. Years later, Peter and John wrote about what they saw:

“For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.’ And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain. And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.” (2 Peter 2:16-21)

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)

“And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.” (John 20:30-31)

Oh, that the unbelieving world would hear and heed the words of Jesus “as a light that shines in a dark place,” that they would follow Him and not the world. This world cannot offer peace, for true peace is only found in Jesus:

“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (Jesus Christ; John 16:33)

“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (Jesus Christ; John 14:27)

“And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.” (Colossians 3:15)

“You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You. Trust in the LORD forever, for in YAH, the LORD, is everlasting strength.” (Isaiah 26:3-4)

Every single one of us who have put our faith and trust in Him for our salvation, both those who live today and those who have died, will one day dwell together in unity, in a new heaven and a new earth, where we will live without sin and will live in eternal peace and joy, with Him. Behold, how good and how pleasant that will be!

“Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.’ Then He who sat on the throne said, ‘Behold, I make all things new.’ And He said to me, ‘Write, for these words are true and faithful.’ And He said to me, ‘It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.’” (Revelation 21:1-8)

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (Jesus Christ; John 3:16) ✝️

September 21, 2023: Psalm 126:5 - Our Tears will be Replaced with Joy

“Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy.” - Psalm 126:5

The psalmist wrote these words after the Lord God brought them, likely the Jewish captives who had been taken from their land in Judah and brought into captivity in Babylon for seventy years, back into their land of Israel. The psalmist was overjoyed with gladness and thankfulness that God had forgiven them and had restored them to their homeland that God Himself had given them long ago.

Just as this psalmist rejoiced, so do I rejoice, that God, through Jesus Christ, has forgiven me and brought me out of the Babylon of my wicked heart. For most of my life, I lived without knowing Jesus Christ, and I struggled with my sin, with my stubbornness, wanting to do things my way instead of His way. Though I had not been taken to a foreign land and held captive for many years, I was held captive to Satan by my sin. I was in bondage to my sin and I didn’t even realize it. After years of trying to fix all my problems and my family’s problems, it became too much, and I finally surrendered all to God, down on my knees in repentance to Him. When I did and I stood up, it literally felt like a 2,000-pound weight had been lifted off of my back, and it had, for God had taken my heavy burden. However, He didn’t take it until I was ready to give it to Him. He was always there, patiently waiting for me to do so, but never forcing me.

Though I live in a country, America, that has become like Babylon with its rejection of the one true God in order to worship false gods and embrace wicked and evil practices even known to mankind and creating those which no mind and soul owned by God could ever conceive, I know that one day, I, along with all my brothers and sisters all around the world, who put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ for our salvation, will be brought into our true home land. I know that all the times when I have been mocked for my faith, for telling others of the saving power of Jesus Christ, for believing in the one true God and that His every word is true, when I have endured through painful relationships because I knew it was what God wanted me to do - to shine His light in the darkness even when it meant swallowing my pride - that one day, the tears that I have sown for my love of Jesus, will be replaced with an abundance of joy, a joy that the unbelieving world can never know. Oh, how His light shines in the dark, penetrating the shadows in the dark crevices that surround our lives as the unbelieving world grows darker and darker, gravitating to the one that promises them everything and delivers nothing, believing the lies of Satan. But God’s light will not be overcome by the darkness, ever. As the prophet Micah said:

“Do not rejoice over me, my enemy; when I fall, I will arise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD will be a light to me. I will bear the indignation of the LORD, because I have sinned against Him, until He pleads my case and executes justice for me. He will bing me forth to the light; I will see His righteousness.” (Micah 7:8-9)

As I continue on, pressing on, in this world, I have the promises of Jesus, including His promise of His redemption of all my sins and the promise of His light in my life:

“Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.’” (John 8:12)

If I remain in the light of Jesus, my Lord and Savior, He will lead me to my true Home, where sin and sorrow are no more and will finally be replaced with joy, everlasting joy:

“Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for a new heaven and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.” (2 Peter 3:13)

“And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” (Revelation 21:4)

“You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” (Psalm 16:11)

“I have set the LORD always before me; because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; my flesh also will rest in hope.'“ (Psalm 16:8-9) ✝️

September 19, 2023: Psalm 139:23-24- Search me, O God, and Know my Heart

“Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” - Psalm 139:23-24

King David, Israel’s most beloved king, closed his beautiful psalm the same way he opened it, but this time, he was asking God, inviting God, to search him and to know his heart. David also asked God to try or to test him and to reveal if there were any wicked way in him. It is one thing to acknowledge that God created us and knows everything about us, as David did earlier in this psalm, but it is another thing to ask Him to examine us, to test us, and identify any wickedness in our lives. The intent of asking God to do this was for God to lead David in the way everlasting. What a different state our world would be in if each one of us did this! Sadly, a large percentage of people in the world do not believe in the one true God, the God that sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to offer salvation from our sins to all who believe in Him and put their trust in Him and in Him alone for their salvation. How many of us are willing to let God into our innermost thoughts, including all the sinful ones? How many of us are willing to let God examine our heart and see if it is divided between Him and the things of this world? How many of us are willing to let God see what makes us anxious or fearful and the reasons why we feel this way? How many of us are willing to have Him reveal to us the wickedness in us? King David was willing, and God referred to him as “a man after My own heart”:

“And when He had removed him [Saul, the king prior to King David], He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will.’” (Acts 13:22)

God had chosen David to be a king when he was young, likely no older than a teenager and possibly younger than that. God had told the prophet Samuel that He had rejected Saul, the king of Israel at that time, because Saul had not obeyed God’s commandments and had turned from following Him:

“Now the word of the LORD came to Samuel, saying, ‘I greatly regret that I have set up Saul as king, for he has turned back from following Me, and has not performed My commandments.’” (1 Samuel 15:10-11).

God told Samuel to go to the house of a man named Jesse and for Samuel to take his horn and fill it with oil and anoint a new king that God had provided Himself from among Jesse’s sons (1 Samuel 16:1) Like most people, when Samuel went to Jesse and had Jesse present before him Eliab, the firstborn of his eight sons, Samuel presumed Eliab would be chosen as the king:

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

Jesse then proceeded to call six more of his sons, but God had not chosen any of them to be king. Finally, Samuel asked Jesse if there were anymore young men there. Jesse replied, “There remains yet the youngest, and there he is, keeping the sheep.” (1 Samuel 16:11) Samuel told Jesse to bring him to them, and Jesse brought his youngest son, David, to him:

“Now he was ruddy, with bright eyes, and good-looking. And the LORD said, ‘Arise, anoint him; for this is the one!’ Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel arose and went to Ramah.” (1 Samuel 16:12-13)

David loved the Lord and would go on to do many great things for Him and through Him. However, David was not exempt from sin. One year during springtime, David had sent his men out into battle with the people of Ammon and David remained in Jerusalem. One night, David got out of bed and went to the roof of his house and looked and saw a beautiful woman bathing. Instead of turning his eyes from her lest he be tempted to sin, he inquired about her and found out that her name was Bathsheba, that she was married to Uriah the Hittite and he sent messengers to her. She came to his house and they had sexual intercourse and she became pregnant with David’s child. In an attempt to make it look like she was pregnant with her husband Uriah’s child, David called Uriah back from the battle and told him to go to his house. David was hoping that Uriah would have sexual intercourse with his wife and that once Uriah found out she was pregnant, he would assume it was his own child. However, Uriah did not go to his house but “slept at the door of the king’s house with all the servants of his lord, and did not go down to his house.” (2 Samuel 11:9) When David heard of this, he asked Uriah why he hadn’t gone to his own house:

“And Uriah said to David, ‘The ark and Israel and Judah are dwelling in tents, and my lord Joab and the servants of my lord are encamped in the open fields. Shall I then go to my house to eat and drink, and to lie with my wife? As you live, and as your soul lives, I will not do this thing.’” (2 Samuel 11:11)

David’s plan to cover up his sin had failed. Instead of repenting of his sin and asking God to forgive him, he came up with another plan, which was to have Uriah return to the battlefield and have him placed in the frontlines and be killed, and that is exactly what happened. David later married Bathsheba and she bore him a son. The Bible tells us: “But the thing that David had done displeased [was evil in the eyes of] the LORD.” (2 Samuel 11:27) God then sent Nathan the prophet to confront David about his great sin against the Lord. Nathan told David there was a city where two men lived, one rich and one poor. The rich man had everything he could ever want, with many flocks and herds, but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb that was like a daughter to him. Nathan told of a traveler who came to the rich man but instead of the rich man taking one of his many lambs and preparing it for dinner for the traveler, the rich man took the poor man’s one and only lamb and prepared it for the dinner. When David heard this he was enraged and said, “As the LORD lives, the man who has done this shall surely die! And he shall restore fourfold for the lamb, because he did this thing and because he had no pity.” (2 Samuel 12:5-6)

“Then Nathan said to David, ‘You are the man!’ Thus says the LORD God of Israel: ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. I gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your keeping, and gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if that had been too little, I also would have give you much more! Why have you despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in His sight? You have killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword; you have taken his wife to be your wife, and you have killed him with the sword of the people of Ammon. Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’ Thus says the LORD, ‘Behold, I will raise up adversity against you from your own house; and I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, before the sun.’” (2 Samuel 12:7-12)

David could not see his hypocrisy in his own life, his own sin, until Nathan called him out on it. How many of us have been in similar situations with our own lives, our own lies, our own sins? Through Nathan, God told David that He would hold him accountable for what he had done. What did David do next? Did he dig in his heels and continue in his sin? No, he acknowledged he had sinned and his sin was against God:

“So David said to Nathan, ‘I have sinned against the LORD.’” (2 Samuel 12:13)

Nathan then told David:

“The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die. However, because by this deed you have given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also who is born to you shall surely die.” (2 Samuel 12:13-14)

That is what happened. As God had told him, David experienced a lot of adversity in his life and in his own family because of his sin. How many of us have experienced such a thing when we ourselves have made poor choices in our lives, things that God calls sin, and had it affect not only us but members of our family?

After Nathan had confronted David of his sin with Bathsheba, David wrote Psalm 51 in which he confessed his sin, which I have included below:

“Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; according to the multitude of Your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight - that You may be found just when You speak, and blameless when You judge. Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me. Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, and in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me hear joy and gladness, that the bones You have broken may rejoice. Hide Your face from my sin, and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me by Your generous Spirit. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners shall be converted to You. Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, the God of my salvation, and my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness. O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall show forth Your praise. For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart - these, O God, You will not despise. Do good in Your good pleasure to Zion; build the walls of Jerusalem. Then You shall be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering; then they shall offer bulls on Your altar.” (Psalm 51)

Notice what David said about what are the sacrifices of God. God didn’t want David to sacrifice with any sort of animal as a burnt offering to atone for his sin; rather, He wanted David, and He wants us too, to sacrifice with our broken, guilty, and remorseful heart. God wants us to turn away from our sin and to turn to Him, and that is what David acknowledged and that is what David did. God knew even before He formed David in his mother’s womb that David would commit this horrible sin, and yet God still created him and God loved David, just as He loves each and every one of us. But with God’s love also comes the consequences of our sins against Him, and each of us must decide if we will continue in our sin or if we will acknowledge our sins and turn to Him for forgiveness of sins.

God’s forgiveness of David’s sins was a foreshadow of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, who would come to offer salvation of all sins for all who put our faith and trust in Him, no matter what sins we have committed. God doesn’t expect us to be perfect; rather, He wants us to turn back to Him when we sin, just as King David did.

King David was from the tribe of Judah:

“Now David was the son of that Ephrathite of Bethlehem Judah, whose name was Jesse, and who had eight sons.” (1 Samuel 17:12)

It was through the lineage of David, the Israeli tribe of Judah, that Messiah, Jesus Christ, would come, and the Bible foretold of this long before Jesus’ first coming to earth. In the book of 2 Samuel, God made a covenant with David through Nathan the prophet:

“When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his Father, and he shall be My son. If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men. But My mercy shall not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from before you. And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever. According to all these words and according to all this vision, so Nathan spoke to David.” (2 Samuel 7:12-17)

This prophecy applies both to the son that David and Bathsheba would later have named Samuel and to the coming Messiah, Jesus the Christ. Samuel would go on to build the first Jewish temple, a house for the Lord. However, Samuel’s kingdom did not reign forever and he committed many iniquities (sins) against God and he was chastened by God. But as God promised, the Messiah would come through the line of David:

“There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots. The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD. His delight is in the fear of the LORD, and He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, nor decide by the hearing of His ears; but with righteousness He shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt of His loins, and faithfulness the belt of His waist.” (Isaiah 11:1-5)

“And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse, who shall stand as a banner to the people; for the Gentiles shall seek Him, and His resting place shall be glorious.” (Isaiah 11:10)

“‘Behold, the days are coming,’ says the LORD, ‘That I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; a King shall reign and prosper, and execute judgment and righteousness in the earth.” (Jeremiah 23:5)

There is coming a time when Jesus will return to earth, defeat all evil, reign with His saints for 1,000 years on earth, and then will create a new heavens and a new earth and will reign in righteousness for all eternity. Those who are saved by trusting in Him will be with Him in glory, forevermore, in a place where sin is no more and the world is as God created it to be, from the beginning. Jesus Himself - the lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of Jesse, and the Branch of righteousness - proclaimed in the book of Revelation, the last book of the Bible:

“I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.” (Jesus Christ; Revelation 22:16)

In closing, I ask you, have you asked God to search you and to know your heart, and have you given your heart to Him? Are you letting Him lead you in the way everlasting? If not, why? He is waiting for you to turn to Him, He wants you to turn to Him, for He loves you with a love that is so much deeper than any love we can know from anyone here on earth. Just as He saved and forgave David, a sinner, because David turned back to Him, so can He save you. I pray you do turn to Him, before it’s too late, and that one day, I will meet you in the way everlasting. ✝️

September 10, 2023: Psalm 139:21-22 - May We Loathe that which Comes Against God

“Do I not hate them, O LORD, who hate You? And do I not loathe those who rise up against You? I hate them with perfect hatred; I count them my enemies.” - Psalm 139:21-22

King David did not mince words. As the Bible tells us, “But let your “Yes” be “Yes,” and your “No,” “No,” lest you fall into judgment,” (James 5:12), David was clear on where he stood as to the people who hate God and who came against Him: they were his enemies. He did not accept their beliefs in the name of tolerance, and he did as the Bible tells us we are to do. Yes, as believers in Jesus Christ, we are to pray for their salvation, that they would turn away from their sins and turn to Jesus and be saved from all their sins. However, we are not to approve of their sinful acts and we definitely must not accept those acts and bring them into the church. Sadly, many “pastors” are doing exactly that today. Instead of calling sin for what it is - sin against God - they are approving of their sins and encouraging them to remain in it. Let’s read what the Bible says about this:

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of our mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” (Romans 12:1-3)

“Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. He who does good is of God, but he who does evil has not seen God.” (3 John 11)

“Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them. But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth.” (Colossians 3:5-8)

“Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.” (Romans 12:9)

“Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” (Isaiah 5:20)

Satan, who is the author of confusion, has infiltrated the churches, Bible colleges, and seminaries. He has his puppets he is controlling and who pretend to be pastors and teachers but preach a different gospel than what Christ taught. Jesus told the woman who was caught in adultery to “go, and sin no more” (John 8:11) but these false pastors and teachers are telling their congregants that God loves them just the way they are and they don’t need to change, they don’t need to stop their sin, whether it be sexual sin or any other type of sin. Some are even bringing those who practice that which God calls sin into the church to put on shows, with many in the congregation applauding in full approval. Satan knows exactly how to rise up against God and that is through the same people who claim to be preaching the word of God but who in reality hate God and are rising up against Him.

This evil schemes of the devil should not surprise us, for God Himself told us this would happen in the last days:

“These are grumblers, complainers, walking according to their own lusts; and they mouth great swelling words, flattering people to gain advantage. But you, beloved, remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ: how they told you that there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts. These are sensual [soulish or worldly] persons, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit.” (Jude 16-19)

“But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.” (2 Timothy 3:13)

“Now the Spirit expressly says that in the 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 Timothy 4:1-3)

Every single person who has ever lived has had a decision to make: are we for God or against Him? King David also had to make this decision, and he made the decision early in his life that he was for God. As believers in Jesus Christ, we are not to follow the world but to follow the word of God, Jesus, and that includes doing the right things in the eyes of God even when those things are not popular with society and culture, even when it may cost us our life. We are living increasingly more in a society in America that has turned against God and which has embraced evil, and it is out in the open, on full display for all to see, just as it was in the days of Sodom and Gomorrah. As with those two cities, God will tolerate this wickedness only for so long before He sends His righteous judgment, and I believe it is coming soon. This judgment will be upon the whole world, including on America, which has devised all sorts of evil, calling it “good,” and has exported its filth all around the world. God’s judgment is coming, and it will be swift. The time is now for you to choose: will you depart from evil and turn to Jesus Christ and be saved from what is coming, or will you stand against Him and see His wrath come upon you? Jesus wants you to turn to Him, but it must be of your own free will. The choice is yours alone to make.

“But the LORD shall endure forever; He has prepared His throne for judgment. He shall judge the world in righteousness, and He shall administer judgment for the peoples in uprightness. The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; for You, LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You.” (Psalm 9:7-10)

“…since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you, and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, when He comes in that Day, to be glorified in His saints and to be admired among all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed.” (2 Thessalonians 1:6-10)

“Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the saints! Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. For all nations shall come and worship before You, for Your judgments have been manifested.” (Revelation 15:3) ✝️

September 8, 2023: Psalm 139:19-20 - Have Nothing to Do with Evil

“Oh, that You would slay the wicked, O God! Depart from me, therefore, you bloodthirsty men. For they speak against You wickedly; Your enemies take Your name in vain.” - Psalm 139:19-20

Many people believe these two Scripture verses and also 139:21-22 don’t match the rest of David’s heart’s expressions and that they are a rapid turnaround from the rest of this beautiful psalm. However, as one commentator explained, it very well may be that as David recalled when he was under attack by his enemies, it caused him to consider God and what He meant to David. I must admit, I struggled with these verses as well, but it is true that when we are under attack by evil, when we are burdened by the wiles of the devil, it just may cause us to fall on our knees and cry out to God; it may just cause us to look up and reach out and up to the only one who can save us. It may also cause us to look at our own self and to see the evil things that we have done in our lives, that we are all sinners in need of the Savior. It also represents the fact that David despised the things that these men of bloodshed did against God: they spoke against Him wickedly and took His name in vain.

David took personal offense to these attacks on God, just as he did when he was a young man, a shepherd of the sheep, when he heard about a Philistine giant named Goliath who had come against the armies of Israel, the armies of the living God. After the armies of Israel had fled in fear, David spoke out against Goliath to the people and when King Saul heard about it, he sent for David:

“Then David spoke to the men who stood by him, saying, ‘What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?’” (1 Samuel 17:26)

“Then David said to Saul, ‘Let no man’s heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.’ And Saul said to David, ‘You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.’ But David said to Saul, ‘Your servant used to keep his father’s sheep, and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck and killed it. Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God.’ Moreover David said, ‘The LORD, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.’ And Saul said to David, ‘Go, and the LORD be with you!’” (1 Samuel 17:32-37)

When all the men of Israel had seen Goliath and fled in fear, it was only David who was bold enough to stand against him and to fight him, for David knew he had the power of God with him to fight against Goliath:

“Then David said to the Philistine, ‘You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. Then all this assembly shall know that the LORD does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the LORD’s, and He will give you into our hands.’” (1 Samuel 17:45-47)

And that is exactly what happened when the uncircumcised Philistine came to meet David. God saved David from the Philistine, and He saved not only David but Israel, and He did it with one smooth stone:

“Then David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone; and he slung it and struck the Philistine in his forehead, so that the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the earth. So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone and struck the Philistine and killed him. But there was no sword in the hand of David.” (1 Samuel 49-50)

During the times of King David, Jesus Christ had not yet come in the flesh. The Jewish nation was under the Mosaic Law to abide by God’s commandments and ordinances and to perform certain sacrifices and offerings to atone for their sins. When David wrote Psalm 139, David acknowledged the wicked and that their attacks are against God. David’s heart’s cry was not just for himself but for His God who had been with him and protected him from the very beginning of his life. His God was under attack by wicked and evil men who took the Lord’s name in vain and spoke against God in a wicked manner, and he appealed to God that He would slay the wicked. Similarly, in the book of Job, in his times of horrible persecution by Satan, Job also prayed that God would destroy the wicked:

“Why do the wicked live and become old, yes, become mighty in power?… They spend their days in wealth, and in a moment go down to the grave. Yet they say to God, ‘Depart from us, for we do not desire the knowledge of Your ways. Who is the Almighty that we should serve Him? And what profit do we have if we pray to Him?’…Let his eyes see his destruction, and let him drink of the wrath of the Almighty.” (Job 21:7, 13-15, 20)

I know that as our world today grows darker and more wicked, I too want God to bring justice in His righteousness to the wicked, to those who curse God and take His name in vain and hate what is good and love what is evil. Instead of turning to God, they have turned to Satan and his wicked ways in order to build themselves up in power. They don’t heed the words of God but listen to the lies of Satan.

Let’s look at what the Bible tell us about evil and that we are to have nothing to do with it:

“Seek good and not evil, that you may live; so the LORD God of hosts will be with you, as you have spoken.” (Amos 5:14)

“The fear of the LORD is to hate evil; pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverse mouth I hate.” (Proverbs 8:13)

“You who love the LORD, hate evil! He preserves the souls of His saints; He delivers them out of the hand of the wicked. Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart. Rejoice in the LORD, you righteous, and give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name.” (Psalm 97:10-12)

“These six things the LORD hates, yes, seven are an abomination to Him: A proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift in running to evil, a false witness who speaks lies, and one who sows discord among brethren.” (Proverbs 6:16-19)

“Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.” (Romans 12:9)

“He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.” (1 John 3:8)

“Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels…” (Jesus Christ; Matthew 25:41)

In Deuteronomy, God commanded Moses to tell His people that before they went to conquer the land that God gave them, they should not worship the false gods that the ungodly nations worshipped. God had given the Amorites 400 years to change their evil ways, but they did not stop doing their wicked and evil abominations against Him. Thus, God was ready to bring His people, the nation of Israel, into the land of Canaan, where the Amorites lived, and conquer them, but God warned Israel not to do what the Amorites had done:

“You shall not worship the LORD your God in that way; for every abomination to the LORD which He hates they have done to their gods; for they burn even their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods.” (Deuteronomy 12:31)

God hates evil, plain and simple. Evil is what Satan does to deceive people and lead them straight to the pit of hell, and that is the complete opposite of what God wants for us. Satan wraps his evil deeds in light and dresses them up with smooth-sounding words to entice people into sin. It is up to us to decide whether we will hate what is evil and flee from it or embrace it and be judged by God for it. It was that way from the very beginning in the garden with Adam and Eve, and it is that way now.

The Bible tells us:

“But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Now as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, disapproved concerning the faith; but they will progress no further, for their folly will be manifest to all, as theirs also was.” (2 Timothy 3:1-9)

“But evil men and imposters will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.” (2 Timothy 3:13)

As believers in Christ, we know that God wants all to be saved by turning to Jesus and that He wants no one to perish. Jesus Himself told His disciples:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” (Jesus Christ; Matthew 5:43-45)

We never know who will turn from their wicked ways and turn to God and be saved; who will turn from evil and turn to good. The apostle Paul is a perfect example of this. We also know that we are not to accept and promote what is evil. Jesus Himself told the adulterous woman whom the Jewish scribes and Pharisees had brought to Him:

“‘Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.’ Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.’” (John 8:11-12)

Jesus acknowledged her sin of adultery and told her to go and stop sinning. He didn’t tell her that it was okay for her to continue to commit sexual sin because it made her happy, or it was okay because it was of two consenting adults, or it was okay because it was love…name your excuse; no, He called it for what it was: sin, and told her she must not continue in it. He also acknowledged that those who are in sin are in darkness and that if we follow Him, we must not walk in the darkness but walk in the light, in Him, for He is light. If we love God, if we love Jesus, we are to hate what is evil and flee from it, not leaving any room in our lives to be tempted by it.

In our world today, I can only imagine what David would have to say about the wicked who are running our world; evil is running rampant and only growing worse, just as the Bible said it would. I want it to stop, I want to see justice done, true justice that is executed by Jesus, righteously, without bias or bribery. I also know that if the evil ones do not repent and turn to Jesus, they will spend their eternity in hell, a place so much more wicked than what we see in our world today. I pray for them to turn to Jesus and be saved.

For all unbelievers, those who choose to reject Christ, they will one day be resurrected to life and stand before Him to be judged in His court. They will all be found guilty, for the only thing that could have made them innocent in God’s court is redemption of sins by Jesus, but they will have rejected His pardon that He paid with His precious blood. All of them will be cast into the lake of fire, where Satan, the final antichrist, also called the “beast,” and the false prophet will also have been cast. Evil will be finished, forever and ever, and sin will be no more. No more will bloodthirsty men speak against God and take His name in vain, and God will declare victory:

“And He said to me, ‘It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” (Revelation 21:6-8)

All who choose to put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ, Almighty God, will live in His kingdom forevermore:

“Then the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey Him.” (Daniel 7:27)

As our world grows darker and more wicked by the hour, may we stand up for what is good in the sight of God, and may we be like David, not fearing what man can do to us, but fear God only:

“Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me; You will stretch out Your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and Your right hand will save me. The LORD will perfect that which concerns me; Your mercy, O LORD, endures forever; do not forsake the works of Your hands.” (Psalm 138:7-8) ✝️

September 1, 2023: Psalm 139:18 - How Precious is God's Mercy to Me

“If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand; when I awake, I am still with You.” - Psalm 139:18

Here David, the author of this psalm, continues with the previous verse which read, “How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them!” God loves us with a deep, deep love that we can know from no one else in our lives. He knows, He loves us, and He has a plan for each and every one of us. Let us consider what He said to the prophet Jeremiah:

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5)

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope, Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:11-13)

Just as God had a plan for Jeremiah, so He has a plan for us. But as with Jeremiah’s life, that doesn’t mean our lives will be trouble-free and will only be filled with roses and perfume. God called Jeremiah for a specific reason: to proclaim to the people of Judah what was going to come upon them because of their deep sin against God and that they must repent and return to Him. At the time of Jeremiah’s life, Judah and Israel were a divided kingdom, with Israel in the north and Judah in the southern part of the kingdom. Judah had already seen Israel undergo calamity because of their rebellion and sin against God. During the time of Jeremiah, Judah was also undergoing God’s judgment, primarily because of its idolatry and immorality. God had delivered Judah from destruction before, but His mercy was at its end because His people chose to continue in their idolatry. As any loving father does, God sends us warning after warning so that we will correct our ways and stop sinning against Him, but when we refuse to listen to Him, He will send judgment upon us and that judgment’s intent is to cause us to see the error of our ways and return to Him.

Of Judah, Jeremiah wrote:

“O LORD, are not Your eyes on the truth? You have stricken them, but they have not grieved; You have consumed them, but they have refused to receive correction, They have made their faces harder than rock; they have refused to return. Therefore I said, ‘Surely these are poor. They are foolish; for they do not know the way of the LORD, the judgment of their God.’” (Jeremiah 5:3-4)

Jeremiah continued, saying:

“They have lied about the LORD, and said, ‘It is not He. Neither will evil come upon us, nor shall we see sword or famine. And the prophets become wind, for the word is not in them. Thus shall it be done to them.’” (Jeremiah 5:12-13)

Jeremiah was called by God to prophesy of the coming judgment that would befall Judah, that Jerusalem would be captured, and their beloved temple would be destroyed. However, Jeremiah’s message was not well-received by Jewish leaders to put it mildly. Instead of taking it as God’s word fitly spoken to Jeremiah, they took it as a message of “gloom and doom.” Instead of heeding Jeremiah’s warnings to them, they chose to ignore them and had Jeremiah arrested, imprisoned, and plotted to kill him. Jeremiah was all alone without any close family, as God forbid him from getting married and having a family because of the horrors that would come upon the land and to them. But through it all, with God as his strength, Jeremiah continued on with his mission given to him by God, no matter the cost to himself.

In the temple, Jeremiah proclaimed to the Jewish religious leaders and the people of Judah:

“The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, ‘Stand in the gate of the LORD’s house [the Jewish temple in Jerusalem], and proclaim there this word, and say, “Hear the word of the LORD, all you of Judah who enter in at these gates to worship the LORD!”‘ Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place. Do not trust in these lying words, saying, “The temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD are these.” For if you thoroughly amend your ways and your doings, if you thoroughly execute judgment [justice] between a man and his neighbor, if you do not oppress the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place, or walk after other gods to your hurt, then I will cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers forever and ever. Behold, you trust in lying words that cannot profit. Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, burn incense to Baal, and walk after other gods whom you do not know, and then come and stand before Me in this house which is called by My name, and say, “We are delivered to do all these abominations”? Has this house, which is called by My name, become a den of thieves in your eyes? Behold, I, even I, have seen it,’ says the LORD.’” (Jeremiah 7:1-11)

Though Jeremiah spoke these words many years ago to the people of Judah, his own countrymen, does this not sound like the attitude of people in America and in most of our world today? We also have forgotten God and replaced Him with idols and worship them instead of the one true God. Are we not worshipping “Mother Earth” and other false gods? Do we not have false prophets in our “churches” today who do not speak truth, do not speak the word of God, and ignore what the true prophets of God foretold long ago? How many false pastors and teachers are in professing churches today who are speaking lying words, making acceptable that which God calls sin, and expecting God to approve because they are sitting in a “church” that really is a “den of thieves,” just as what happened in the Jewish temple in the days of Jeremiah? Just as the people of Judah chose to remain in their sin, their pride, their worship of false gods, and they ignored God’s repeated warnings to them, exactly so are we doing today. As judgment came upon them, exactly as God said it would, so will the prophesied judgment come upon us.

For forty years Jeremiah preached messages from God for them to repent and return to the Lord and that if they did, God would restore them. Jeremiah’s heart was broken for his people and for his land. He was known as the “weeping prophet.” It was very difficult for Jeremiah to speak to the people and repeatedly be shunned by them; he felt dejected, even crying out to God, saying:

“Woe is me, my mother, that you have borne me, a man of strife and a man of contention to the whole earth! I have neither lent for interest, nor have men lent to me for interest. Every one of them curses me.” (Jeremiah 15:10)

“O LORD, You know; remember me and visit me, and take vengeance for me on my persecutors. In Your enduring patience, do not take me away. Know that for Your sake I have suffered rebuke. Your words were found, and I ate them, and Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; for I am called by Your name, O LORD God of hosts. I did not sit in the assembly of the mockers, nor did I rejoice; I sat alone because of Your hand, for You have filled me with indignation. Why is my pain perpetual and my wound incurable, which refuses to be healed? Will You surely be to me like an unreliable stream, as waters that fail?” (Jeremiah 15:15-18)

The Lord heard Jeremiah’s appeal to Him; the Lord knew His heart and that it was right with him. The Lord then reassured Jeremiah:

“Therefore thus says the LORD: ‘If you return, then I will bring you back; You shall stand before Me; if you take out the precious from the vile, you shall be as My mouth. Let them return to you, but you must not return to them. And I will make you to this people a fortified bronze wall; and they will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you; for I am with you to save you and deliver you,’ says the LORD. ‘I will deliver you from the hand of the wicked, and I will redeem you from the grip of the terrible.’” (Jeremiah 15:19-21)

Let us read what more about what God told Jeremiah to proclaim to the people of Judah as to the reasons why His judgment was about to come upon them:

“‘Nevertheless in those days,’ says the LORD, ‘I will not make a complete end of you. And it will be when you say, “Why does the LORD our God do all these things to us?” then you shall answer them, “Just as you have forsaken Me and served foreign gods in your land, so you shall serve aliens in a land that is not yours.”’

“‘Declare this in the house of Jacob and proclaim it in Judah, saying, “Hear this now, O foolish people, without understanding, who have eyes and see not, and who have ears and hear not: Do you not fear Me?” says the LORD. “Will you not tremble at My presence, who have placed the sand as the bound of the sea, by a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass beyond it? And though its waves toss to and fro, yet they cannot prevail; though they roar, yet they cannot pass over it. But this people has a defiant and rebellious heart; they have revolted and departed. They do not say in their heart, ‘Let us now fear the LORD our God, who gives rain, both the former and the latter, in its season. He reserves for us the appointed weeks of the harvest.’ Your iniquities have turned these things away, and your sins have withheld good from you.”‘

“‘For among My people are found wicked men; they lie in wait as one who sets snares; they set a trap; they catch men. As a cage is full of birds, so their houses are full of deceit. Therefore they have become great and grown rich. They have grown fat, they are sleek; yes, they surpass the deeds of the wicked; they do not plead the cause, the cause of the fatherless; yet they prosper, and the right of the needy they do not defend. Shall I not punish them for these things?’ says the LORD. ‘Shall I not avenge Myself on such as nation as this?’

“An astonishing and horrible thing has been committed in the land: the prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule by their own power; and My people love to have it so. But what will you do in the end?” (Jeremiah 5:18-31)

Notice that God told Jeremiah to tell the people, “‘Nevertheless, in those days,’ says the LORD, ‘I will not make a complete end of you.’” (Jeremiah 5:18) This was a prophecy of God given to Jeremiah, that after Judah is judged, God would save a remnant of His people and bring them back from their captivity in Babylon back into the land that He gave them. God had Jeremiah expound on it:

“But I will gather the remnant of My flock out of all countries where I have driven them, and bring them back to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase.” (Jeremiah 23:3)

“For thus says the LORD: After seventy years are completed at Babylon, I will visit you and perform My good word toward you, and cause you to return to this place. For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:10-11)

The prophet Daniel, who had lived in Judah and was taken into captivity in Babylon in his teenage years, along with three of his friends, remembered God’s promises to Jeremiah:

“…I, Daniel, understood by the books the number of the years specified by the word of the LORD through Jeremiah the prophet, that He would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem. Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. And I prayed to the LORD my God, and made confession, and said, ‘O Lord, great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and mercy with those who keep His commandments, we have sinned and committed iniquity, we have done wickedly and rebelled, even by departing from Your precepts and Your judgments. Neither have we heeded Your servants the prophets who spoke in Your name to our kings and our princes, to our fathers and all the people of the land.” (Daniel 9:2-6)

Daniel appealed to the one true God, acknowledging his and his peoples’ sin against Him, and God heard his prayer. Just as God promised Jeremiah, after seventy years in captivity God released them and He brought a remnant of His people back into His land of Judah. God keeps His promises. He promised His people that He would preserve a remnant of them and bring them back into His land, and that is exactly what He did.

Just as God kept His promise to Judah, so does He keep His promises to all of us, both Jew and Gentile. Within the words of Jeremiah’s prophecy to bring a remnant of Judah from their captivity in Babylon back into God’s land, there is also prophecy of the first coming of Messiah, Jesus Christ:

“‘Behold, the days are coming,’ says the LORD, ‘That I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; a King shall reign and prosper, and execute judgment and righteousness in the earth. In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell safely; now this is His name by which He will be called: ‘

THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

“‘Therefore, behold, the days are coming,’ says the LORD, ‘that they shall no longer say, “As the LORD lives who brought up the children of Israel from the land of Egypt,” but, “As the LORD lives who brought up and led the descendants of the house of Israel from the north country and from all the countries where I had driven them.” And they shall dwell in their own land.’” (Jeremiah 23:5-8)

Once again, God’s promises were fulfilled when Jesus came the first time. However, the first time He came, it was to offer salvation from sins to all who choose to believe in Him as Messiah, as the only one who can save us from our sins. Jesus was crucified, died, rose again on the third day, and ascended to heaven at the right hand of God, where He is today. As stated in the Scriptures above, Jesus Christ, the King of kings and Lord of lords, will one day reign and prosper and will execute judgment and righteousness in the earth, and I believe, based on the word of God, that day is coming soon. He will reign for 1,000 years, and His people, a remnant of the Jews who chose to believe in their Messiah, will be back in their land that God gave them and they will finally dwell safely, as God promised them.

Before this millennial kingdom of Christ is set up, God will send judgment upon the earth. Just as God foretold the judgment that would come upon His people long ago in the days of Jeremiah, so did God foretell of a coming judgment that will come upon not only His people, the Jews, but also the whole world, and it is written about in many books in the Bible, including the books of Daniel and Revelation. All the signs that Jesus told His disciples to look for that would indicate this time of judgment, His second coming, and the end of the age are present.

Prior to His second coming and millennial reign will be a 7-year time of tribulation never known to mankind. The good news is that all who put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ, who saved us from our sins once and for all, saying, “It is finished!” when He gave up His life and died (John 19:30), will be spared from this time of horror upon the world, the time when Jesus will send His wrath upon a wicked and evil world who chose to love and remain in their sin and reject His free gift of salvation, paid for with His precious blood.

God’s thoughts to me are truly precious, for He had a plan of salvation all along, from the beginning, and His name is Jesus. Oh my God, how thankful I am to You for Your mercy and love, that you would save a sinner like me! Thank You for loving us so much that You would send Jesus to save all who would believe in Him:

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned, but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” (John 3:16-18)

If there is something stirring in your heart that tells you that this world is desperately sick and evil, it is the Holy Spirit convicting you “of sin, righteousness, and of judgment” (John 16:8). The Holy Spirit is prompting you to consider your eternity and where you will spend it. We are quickly speeding to the time of judgment that will come upon the world, just as it came upon Judah, exactly as God said it would. Are you listening to God, or is His word falling on deaf ears, as it did to those who lived in Judah during the time of Jeremiah? May you heed the words of Jeremiah that he spoke when he pleaded with the people to turn from their sins and to turn to God:

“Now therefore, amend your ways and your doings, and obey the voice of the LORD your God; then the LORD will relent concerning the doom that He has pronounced against you.” (Jeremiah 26:13)

May you heed the words of Jesus and turn to Him and be saved, before it’s too late:

“From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand hand.’” (Matthew 4:17)

“Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” (Jesus Christ; Luke 12:40) ✝️

August 26, 2023: Psalm 139:17 - God's Thoughts to Me are Precious

“How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them!” - Psalm 139:17

The same God who knew me before He created me is the same God who had a plan of salvation for me when I was yet still a sinner, lost in the unbelieving world, searching for something, not knowing then that I was seeking the Savior. How precious are the thoughts of God to me!

Our world today is bombarding us with bad news, reporting on crisis after crisis, but their motive is not driven by their love and concern for us but to keep us in fear. Fearful people do things they normally wouldn’t do and that includes giving up many of our God-given freedoms. The Bible is clear that we must fear God and not man and gives us the reasons why:

“And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Jesus Christ; Matthew 10:28)

“The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD shall be safe.” (Proverbs 29:25)

“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.” (Psalm 23:4)

“The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1)

“Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6)

God put each and every one of us on this earth at this time for a purpose, and I believe this is a time like no other in history. We truly are living in the times that Jesus spoke of as birth pangs, also called the beginning of sorrows, that would occur before the rapture of the church of believers and the time of Jacob’s trouble begins, the time of the 7-year tribulation period. The first thing that Jesus warned His disciples about regarding the signs of the times was to “Take heed that no one deceives you.” (Matthew 24:4) I have never seen deception in our world like we see today; it is off the charts. Deception isn’t just in the unbelieving world but it is running rampant in many so-called “churches.”

For believers in Christ, it is absolutely critical that our focus be on Jesus Christ and His thoughts toward us. His thoughts are written in His word and spoken to us through His Holy Spirit who dwells within us. When we keep our focus on Him and His word, we will not be deceived and we will not be full of fear. Jesus told us what would happen before it happens, just as the prophets did thousands of years ago with prophecies of Jesus’ first coming, so that when it happens, we would not be full of fear but would be excited with the knowledge and truth that Jesus is coming again and that this time, it will be to judge a wicked and evil world that rejected His free gift of salvation and chose to instead to align with Satan.

The world is being set up for the rapture of the church, the 7-year tribulation period, and the second coming of Jesus Christ, when the remaining Jews will finally believe in Jesus as their Messiah and will glory in Zion, in the land that God gave them thousands of years ago and they will glory in all of it, not just part of it. Jesus will defeat evil and reign on earth for 1,000 years prior to his creating a new heaven and a new earth. The book of Isaiah tells us:

“The wilderness and the wasteland shall be glad for them, and the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose; it shall blossom abundantly and rejoice, even with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the excellence of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the LORD, the excellency of our God.

“Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who are fearful-hearted, ‘Be strong, do not fear! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God; He will come and save you.’

“Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the dumb shall sing. For waters shall burst forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert. The parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water; in the habitation of jackals, where each lay, there shall be grass with reeds and rushes.

“A highway shall be there, and a road, and it shall be called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean shall not passover it, but it shall be for others. Whoever walks the road, although a fool, shall not go astray. No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast go up on it; it shall not be found there. But the redeemed shall walk there, and the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with singing, with everlasting joy on their heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.” (Isaiah 35:1-10)

Jesus Himself quoted Isaiah when John the baptizer was imprisoned and he began to wonder if Jesus was “the Coming One, or do we look for another?” and sent two of his disciples to ask these questions to Jesus. (Matthew 11:1-3) ”Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Go and tell John the things which you hear and see:

”The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.” ’ ” (Matthew 11:4-6)

It is no coincidence that in our modern world where technological experts believe that they can be like God are even quoting this same Scripture in order to deceive many: (See: https://futurism.com/cyborg-world-how-biohacking-will-and-already-is-changing-everything)

“In a presentation titled “Biohacking and the Connected Body” at the Singularity University Global Summit, Hannes Sjoblad, co-founder of the Sweden-based biohacker network Bionyfiken, stated that we likely encounter 'cyborgs' on a daily basis without knowing it.

“The modern cyborgs we see today include pacemakers, smart insulin monitors, bionic eyes, and robotic arms and legs. These 'biohacks' are helping people with disabilities get more from life than ever before. Sjoblad notes this biohacking is utterly reshaping our world, and it will continue to do so. He explains, "we live in a time where, thanks to technology, we can make the deaf hear, the blind see, and the lame walk."“

Elon Musk has also expressed similar desires with his Neuralink brain implant, which was approved by the FDA for clinical trials in humans on May 25, 2023 (See: https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2023/05/25/elon-musk-neuralink-fda-approval/).

These are cheap imitations of God and are tools of Satan in order to deceive the masses. Instead of worshipping the one true God they have chosen instead to believe the lies of Satan that they can be “like God.”

Per a December 1, 2022 article on forbes.com: (See: https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2022/12/01/elon-musks-neuralink-could-be-trialed-in-humans-in-2023-heres-what-you-need-to-know/?sh=5319e262625c)

“Musk has stated several times that his ultimate goal with Neuralink is to create an embeddable device that allows human intelligence to directly interface and eventually merge with artificial intelligence.”

This merging of humans with artificial intelligence is known as “transhumanism,” and it is increasing at an astounding pace. Along with this concept is the ability to control people like never before by tyrannical global leaders who refer to themselves as the “elites” and are all too-willing to adopt these controls, which ultimately will be used by the final antichrist, also known as the beast, to limit who can buy and sell, as prophesied in the book of Revelation chapter 13.

Everything we see happening in the world today is pointing to this happening, and it is happening at a lightning-fast pace. The time is now for each and every person alive to decide in whom do we trust: God or man? Do we trust in the One who created us and knew us before we were even formed in our mother’s womb, or do we trust in sinful men and women who are influenced by prestige and power, who can be bought and paid for with a price, who are sellouts to Satan? Whose thoughts are precious to you - the globalists’ or God’s?

I leave you with the words of the apostles Paul and John:

“For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 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, for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle - I am speaking the truth in Christ and not lying - a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.” (2 Timothy 2:3-7)

“For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39)

“And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.’” (Revelation 21:3-4) ✝️

August 21, 2023: Psalm 139:16 - God Fashioned Our Days Before We Were Born

“Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them.” - Psalm 139:16

One of the biggest lies of Satan is that people are products of evolution through the process of natural selection. Contrast that with what the Bible, including Psalm 139 teaches: God’s created us and has perfect knowledge of us even before we were born. In Psalm 139:16, it tells us that God fashioned or ordered our days before we were even born. In the book of Jeremiah, it is written:

“Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying: ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.’” (Jeremiah 1:4-5)

Almighty God is the one true God, and He is a God of order. Everything He does has a design and a purpose, and that includes you and me. He designed us perfectly, with an extremely complex DNA code that we are still trying to understand today. Of our DNA, in his book titled “The Road Ahead,” Bill Gates, most likely an atheist or agnostic wrote, “DNA is like a computer program but far, far more advanced than any software ever created.” (See: https://www.azquotes.com/quote/431168) All computer programs require a programmer, and with the case of our DNA, Almighty God designed it.

If you look at the shape of DNA, it is a double helix. Per the National Human Genome Research Institute: (See: https://www.genome.gov/about-genomics/fact-sheets/Deoxyribonucleic-Acid-Fact-Sheet#:~:text=DNA%27s%20unique%20structure%20enables%20the,of%20the%20original%20DNA%20molecule.)

“Scientist use the term "double helix" to describe DNA's winding, two-stranded chemical structure. This shape - which looks much like a twisted ladder - gives DNA the power to pass along biological instructions with great precision.”

“DNA's unique structure enables the molecule to copy itself during cell division. When a cell prepares to divide, the DNA helix splits down the middle and becomes two single strands. These single strands serve as templates for building two new, double-stranded DNA molecules - each a replica of the original DNA molecule.”

What are the odds that through evolution and natural selection, this “great precision” came about? The odds are impossible. Yet, the lie is consumed and believed by many. To believe the lie is to believe that there is no God, that He will not hold us accountable one day for our actions and for our rejection of His Son Jesus Christ. Or, even worse, instead of believing in the one true God, we believe that we can become gods - false gods - such as Yuval Noah Hurari and Claus Schwab and many other transhumanists believe: (See: https://blog.coursera.org/history-began-when-humans-invented-gods-and-will/)

“Sapiens will soon disappear. With the help of novel technologies, within a few centuries or even decades, Sapiens will upgrade themselves into completely different beings, enjoying godlike qualities and abilities.

“History began when humans invented gods – and will end when humans become gods.” (Yuval Noah Harari blog entry)

Mr. Harari is willfully deceived by the lies of Satan because his heart is filled with pride and ego, which is the same stumbling block that has caused the fall of millions of people, if not billions, and it is what caused the fall of Satan, also called Lucifer, who wants to be God.

God has given each one of us, including Mr. Harari, free will, and that includes the free will to believe or not believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior. With that free will and the choice we make as to what to do with Jesus, and no choice is a choice not to believe in Him, we also will receive the consequences of our choice.

God knew us before He even created us in the womb. He did not create us as robots, and He did not create us as animals. He created us in His image and gave us a soul. He put a longing in us, a sense of knowing that our life on this earth this is not where we belong and that we will spend our eternity somewhere. He gave us a strong desire to search for something, as written in Ecclesiastes by King Solomon:

“He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.” (Ecclesiastes 3:11)

King Solomon had it all, riches beyond what had ever been known at the world at that time and possibly for all time, all the power and prestige of being a king, and all the sexual intercourse he could ever want with all his wives and concubines, which was sinful in the eyes of God, and yet, in the end, King Salmon lamented that it was all vanity. He was miserable because he had filled his life with everything and everyone except with God. Here, he refers to himself as the “Preacher”:

“‘Vanity of vanities,’ says the Preacher, ‘all is vanity.’” (Ecclesiastes 12:8)

The book of Ecclesiastes ends with the truth:

“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil.” (Ecclesiastes 3:13-14)

For everyone who has been saved by Jesus Christ, by believing in Him as our Savior, who is the only one who can redeem us of all our sins, we are judged at the judgment seat of Christ. However, we are not judged to determine if we are saved or not, because our salvation is assured by our belief in Jesus. At our judgment seat, Jesus will determine whether the things we did for Him were done for the right reasons or the wrong reasons and we will receive our rewards for the things we did for the right reasons. (2 Corinthians 5:10) However, unbelievers will appear before Jesus at the Great White Throne and will be judged by Him based on their works. Since no work that we can do, no good deed, can save us from our sins - only belief in Jesus Christ as our Savior can do that - all unbelievers will be found guilty and cast into the eternal lake of fire. (Revelation 20:11-15)

As Psalm 139:16 reads, God fashioned our days for us, and one day, our time will be up. Our time here on earth will be done, and we will exit our life here and enter the first day of our eternity. I ask you these questions: Do you believe you were created by God for a purpose? Do you have a hole or a void in your life that you are trying to fill with everything but God? When your last day is done, when you take your final breath and your heart beats its last beat, where are you going to spend your eternity - heaven or hell? As King Solomon wrote, death comes to all of us:

“Then I saw the wicked buried, who had come and gone from the place of holiness, and they were forgotten in the city where they had so done. This also is vanity. Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil. Though a sinner does evil a hundred times, and his days are prolonged, yet I surely know that it will be well with those who fear God, who fear before Him. But it will not be well with the wicked; nor will he prolong his days, which are as a shadow, because he does not fear before God.” (Ecclesiastes 8:10-13)

“Remember your Creator before the silver cord is loosed, or the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher shattered at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the well. Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it.” (Ecclesiastes 12:6-7) ✝️

August 18, 2023: Psalm 139:15 - God Saw Us in Our Mother's Womb

“My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.” - Psalm 139:15

Eternal God, Creator of the heavens and the earth and all that is in them, I thank You for creating me, for having a purpose for my life while I was yet in my mother’s womb, just as You created all human beings and have a purpose for every one of us. You counted my days before I even took my first breath. You breathed life into me, and I give You praise.

No other creation is there like the human body. You made us in Your image, male and female You created us. You formed us perfectly so that together we would unite as husband and wife, becoming one flesh so that we would populate the earth which You created for us.

You are quick to forgive us of our sins and slow to rise to anger. You knew that in the beginning, we would fall to temptation and yet, You still created us and You had a plan of redemption, and His name is Jesus Christ.

Oh Lord God, how we have sinned against You! We have murdered hundreds of millions of innocents while they were yet in their mothers’ wombs, quickly discarding all the beautiful precious souls created by You. Almighty God, my heart breaks for the mothers who chose this act of violence against Your children. I pray for the women and also the men who made that choice, who were deceived by the evil one, and who chose to ignore Your still small voice, the voice of reason and truth. How I pray that they would turn from their sins and turn to Jesus and be saved from their sins and freed from the guilt of shedding the blood of their own flesh.

Heavenly Father, I pray they will hear and heed the words of Jesus that He spoke to Paul and would turn from darkness to light:

“… to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.” (Jesus Christ; Acts 26:18)

I pray that someone reading this will see that each of us is a sinner and that forgiveness of sins is found only in You, just as the prophet Isaiah wrote, and that they will turn to You and be saved, before it’s too late:

“Seek the LORD while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.” (Isaiah 55:6-7)

Oh God, I know that Your judgment is coming upon the world and on our nation, the United States, because of our deep sins we have committed against You. I thank You for the mercy and the longsuffering You have shown to us when we do not deserve it. How I pray that all people who have supported abortion and now even worse, the murder of a child even after the child is born, will see the horror and atrocities that we have committed against You, and that we will realize that our nation and the world are on the path to destruction because we have chosen the wide gate that leads to destruction. I pray for the false teachers and false prophets who claim to be saved by Jesus and yet promote abortion, even their own “churches.” I believe that as Your word told us would come in the end times before Jesus’ return, these are apostates and are truly wolves in sheep’s clothing, leading many down the broad way that leads to destruction. I pray that people attending these synagogues of Satan would be awakened to the truth that these apostates are workers of iniquity and would flee them en masse. I pray that they would get off of the broad way and get on the narrow way:

“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” (Jesus Christ; Matthew 7:13-14)

Almighty God, as it is Your hand that formed each and every one of us in our mother’s womb, it is also Your hand that will bring swift judgment upon our nation and our world. The only thing that can save us is that we would turn from our sins and to turn to Jesus. I know that You will show grace to those who do, but for those who don’t, as their blood is on the innocent children they chose to murder, so will be their blood upon themselves if they continue remain in darkness rather than light.

Oh Lord God, hear my prayer! I pray all these things that You may be magnified, and I give You all praise, honor, and glory!

In Jesus’ loving and merciful name, I pray. Amen.

“For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.” (Jesus Christ; John 3:17-21) ✝️

August 16, 2023: Psalm 139:14 - I Will Praise You, God!

“I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well.” - Psalm 139:14

The Bible, the word of God, put down in writing over thousands of years ago through men chosen by God and who were inspired by the Holy Spirit. You either believe in what the Bible says or you don’t, and whether you believe it or not is your choice.

The Bible tells us that we are not a product of evolution but are fearfully and wonderfully made by God:

“You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created.” (Revelation 4:11)

“In the beginning was the Word [Jesus Christ], and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.” (John 1:1-3)

To make a decision not to believe that there is a Creator, Almighty God, and to believe instead the lies of evolution is to believe that the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa, located in the United Arab Emirates, coming in at 2,717 feet high and with 163 floors, and which took six years to build just created itself. To believe that after years of evolving, all the necessary parts just happened to be present and assembled themselves perfectly together, producing a structure that can withstand winds that are at the altitude, earthquakes, and other weather events. It just happened to assemble a structure that contains all the necessary systems to support such a complex structure.

To believe the lies of evolution is to believe that the greatest works of art just created themselves. For example, the painting on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel appeared over time when all the required parts of the evolution process were there - the brushes, the paint, the thought process to produce the image being represented on the ceiling, each stroke of the brush that was tediously painted on the ceiling. There was no creator; it just evolved over time.

Think about the most complex supercomputer. If you believe the lies of evolution, that supercomputer’s intricate parts just happened to evolve over time and precisely assembled all of those parts in way required form them to function. Per Analytics Insight, the most powerful supercomputer in the world is the Summit supercomputer: (See: https://www.analyticsinsight.net/top-10-most-powerful-supercomputers-in-the-world-you-should-know/#:~:text=Summit%20is%20currently%20the%20most,physics%2C%20energy%2C%20and%20healthcare.)

“Summit is currently the most powerful supercomputer in the world. It is located at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee, USA. The machine was developed by IBM and NVIDIA and has a processing power of 200 petaflops. It is used for research in various fields, including physics, energy, and healthcare.”

Per IBM, a supercomputer is defined as: (See: https://www.ibm.com/topics/supercomputing#:~:text=Unlike%20traditional%20computers%2C%20supercomputers%20use,tens%20of%20thousands%20of%20nodes.)

“Unlike traditional computers, supercomputers use more than one central processing unit (CPU). These CPUs are grouped into compute nodes, comprising a processor or a group of processors—symmetric multiprocessing (SMP)—and a memory block. At scale, a supercomputer can contain tens of thousands of nodes. With interconnect communication capabilities, these nodes can collaborate on solving a specific problem. Nodes also use interconnects to communicate with I/O systems, like data storage and networking.

A matter to note, because of modern supercomputers' power consumption, data centers require cooling systems and suitable facilities to house it all.”

Such thinking is insane if you really think about it. Further, none of the examples I mentioned above can compare to the complexity of the human body, with its eleven main body systems that are present and fit together perfectly in order for the human body to function:

1. Cardiovascular

2. Digestive

3. Endocrine

4. Integumentary

5. Lymphatic

6. Muscular

7. Nervous

8. Reproductive

9. Respiratory

10. Skeletal

11. Urinary

Per openmd.com: (See: https://openmd.com/guide/human-body-systems)

“Organs of the human body are commonly grouped into eleven systems. Each body system includes organs and structures that serve a common purpose. The systems are highly interdependent, working together to sustain life and enable interaction with the surrounding environment.”

Notice it says that the “systems are highly interdependent, working together to sustain life.” This is only possible by having a designer, a Creator that created those systems to work together perfectly. In order for a human being to have life and to sustain it, all of those systems must have been present at the very beginning; otherwise, life and the ability to sustain it would have not been possible. A human could not have had two of the systems present and then over millions of years had other systems added to it. The evidence is clear: If there is something created, it speaks to a Creator.

With the discovery of DNA and all the studying and analyzing of it that has occurred since that discovery, it is found to be amazingly complex and that it speaks to a Creator. Per your genome.org: (See: https://www.yourgenome.org/facts/what-does-dna-do/).

“The DNA code contains instructions needed to make the proteins and molecules essential for our growth, development and health.”

For these instructions, from where did they come? What are the odds they just randomly appeared over millions of years and they just happened to be coded in the manner required to create and sustain life? Just as the Bible’s book of Genesis tells us, the Creator of the heavens, the earth, and everything that is in them, including all human beings, is Almighty God. To disbelieve that is to be deceived by the lies of Satan. What gets in between believing that God is Creator of all things? Pride, and pride is exactly what caused the fall of Satan. Pride puts a massive wedge between us and God, causing us to believe anything that appeals to our prideful self, including the lie that we evolved over millions of years and that we are just another animal. Is it any wonder that our country, our world is in the sad and confused state that it is in? This does not speak to order as God created it to have but to disorder and confusion, which is exactly what Satan wants so that he can ensnare people in his web of lies.

For me, I reject the lies of Satan and I trust the word of God. Oh, yes, Lord God, I will praise You! Yes, I will trust in You, and I will praise You with all of my heart, soul, mind and strength. I know that You created me, and I am in total awe of You, Your power, Your presence, and that You know all things! Just as the evidence of You is present in all that I am, in my most inner workings, so is there evidence of You in all of Your word and in all of Your creation. Just as my body was designed like a tapestry that is woven together perfectly, so is Your word like a tapestry, woven together perfectly, with the Old Testament working together with the New Testament, revealing Yourself and Your perfect plan of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ for all mankind; that my soul knows very well. ✝️