The Real Devil

People today believing in devils, demons, and satan are in fact believing in myths and legends that are just that, myths and legends. If you want the truth of what or who the devil is  and is not you should visit The Real Devil and study the information given. It is time people see the truth and show that God is in total control.

The Perfect Economic Solution

The Birk Economic Recovery Plan

Hi Pals,

I’m against the $85,000,000,000.00 bailout of AIG.

Instead, I’m in favor of giving $85,000,000,000 to America in a ‘We Deserve It Dividend’.

To make the math simple, let’s assume there are 200,000,000 bon-a-fide U.S. Citizens 18+.

Our population is about 301,000,000 +/- counting every man, woman and child. So 200,000,000 might be a fair stab at adults 18 and up..

So divide 200 million adults 18+ into $85 billon that equals $425,000.00.

My plan is to give $425,000 to every person 18+ as a ‘We Deserve It Dividend’.

Of course, it would NOT be tax free. So let’s assume a tax rate of 30%.

Every individual 18+ has to pay $127,500.00 in taxes. That sends $25,500,000,000 right back to Uncle Sam.

But it means that every adult 18+ has $297,500.00 in their pocket. A husband and wife has $595,000.00.

What would you do with $297,500.00 to $595,000.
00 in your family?
Pay off your mortgage – housing crisis solved.

Repay college loans – what a great boost to new grads
Put away money for college – it’ll be there
Save in a bank – create money to loan to entrepreneurs.

Buy a new car – create jobs
Invest in the market – capital drives growth
Pay for your parent’s medical insurance – health care improves
Enable Deadbeat Dads to come clean – or else

Remember this is for every adult U S Citizen 18+ including the folks who lost their jobs at Lehman Brothers and every other company that is cutting back. And of course, for those serving in our Armed Forces.

If we’re going to re-distribute wealth let’s really do it…instead of trickling out a puny $1000.00 ( “vote buy” ) economic incentive that is being proposed by one of our candidates for President.

If we’re going to do an $85 billion bailout, let’s bail out every adult U S Citizen 18+!

As for AIG – liquidate it.

Sell off its parts.

Let American General go back to being American General.

Sell off the real estate.

Let the private sector bargain hunters cut it up and clean it up.

Here’s my rationale. We deserve it and AIG doesn’t. Sure it’s a crazy idea that can “never work.
” But can you imagine the Coast-To-Coast Block Party! How do you spell Economic Boom?

I trust my fellow adult Americans to know how to use the $85 Billion ‘We Deserve It Dividend’ more than I do the geniuses at AIG or in Washington DC .

And remember, The Birk plan only really costs $59.5 Billion because $25.5 Billion is returned instantly in taxes to Uncle Sam.

Ahhh… I feel so much better getting that off my chest.

Kindest personal regards,
Birk
(T. J.
Birkenmeier, A Creative Guy & Citizen of the Republic)

PS: Feel free to pass this along to your pals as it’s either good for a laugh or a tear or a very sobering thought on how to best use $85 Billion!!

Would God Bail Out Zionist Who Are His Enemies?

Today we are faced with the collapse of Corporate America. Should we be shocked? A country without God will fail.  Wall street has known about this bubble for a long time with the knowledge that the Federal Government will bail them out. Ironically the Federal Reserve is not the federal Government and all loans made by them must be paid back with interest (usury) which is a direct opposition to God’s way. The Federal Reserve does not even have a reserve. They generate money as they please and we taxpayers become their slaves. I do not recall being a part of this situation so why should I have to give the Zionist thieves anything? Funny how the politicians that everyone is so caught up in will do the deciding and we the people have no voice yet we are expected to dig into our already empty pockets and bail out criminals. Why isn’t the corporate whores bailing themselves out? This is the end result of a nation so far from God that they believe lies are the truth and the truth is forgotten for  selfish gain.  So who are you voting for? All of the  ones running are no different then the pigs that caused the problem to begin with.

When the people of God return and repent and seek God’s way and not man, then we will have power to defeat evil and Zionism. According to God’s laws, this debt would never have happened.  Usury is not allowed and debts are to be forgiven every seven years.

When we turned away from God and His laws, we allowed this to happen to us. Now when we go to the polls and vote, we endorse every morbid and immoral thing they stand for even if we claim not to. By voting you voice you support them 100%. Would God be at the polls? Would God bail out His enemy? God forbid!

Being Anointed Today Part Four

Being Anointed Today
by Lynette Woods
All Scripture references are from The Amplified Bible

Part Four – Counterfeit Anointing

The coming of the (antichrist) is through the activity and working (energeia) of Satan and will be attended by great power (dunamis) and with all sorts of miracles and signs and delusive marvels – all of them lying wonders – and unlimited seduction to evil and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing BECAUSE THEY DID NOT WELCOME THE TRUTH but refused to love it that they might be saved. Therefore God sends upon them a misleading influence, a working (energeia) of error and a strong delusion to make them believe what is false, in order that all may be judged and condemned who did not believe in and who refused to adhere to, trust in and rely on the Truth, but took pleasure in unrighteousness. 2 Thessalonians 2:8-12.

We would be naive and gullible not to recognise the fact that there is the false or counterfeit of the true. Energeia and dunamis are words that are used of both God AND Satan and we are warned very clearly in the Word to beware. So what would a false anointing or anointed one look like? Like the true anointed ones.

The Israelites were not the only ones who anointed people and things in the days of the Old Testament. It was also a practice in pagan religions, it too was made of oil (of the spirit world & supernatural) and perfumed (smelt nice, appealed to the senses). Why are we warned so much to beware of deception in the New Testament? Because the false is very LIKE the true, it is in place of and INSTEAD OF the true Anointed One (anti-christ)! A counterfeit has to be almost exactly like the genuine in order to fool people, it is not something that is obviously wrong at first glance, it is a very clever copy in order to deceive.

This is why we are warned to be very careful because Satan wants to deceive even the chosen ones of God. False christs (anointed ones) and false prophets will arise and show signs and work miracles to deceive and lead astray, if possible, even the elect, those God has chosen out for Himself. But look to yourselves and be on guard; I have told you everything beforehand. Mark 13:22,23. Satan is cunning, it would be no deception at all if these false anointed ones were obviously evil and of Satan! We must always keep our eyes fixed on THE Anointed. Jesus said, Be careful that no one misleads you, deceiving you and leading you into error. For many will come IN MY NAME saying I am the Christ and they will lead many astray. And many false prophets will rise up and deceive and lead many into error. Matthew 24:4,11. This warns us of people who come in the Name of Jesus, agreeing that He IS the Anointed One (or will say “I am the anointed” themselves) and yet they will lead people astray! We must be those who know and are obedient to the voice of our Good Shepherd and trust in and rely on the Truth which is Jesus Christ so that we will not be deluded or deceived.

It is when we deny or refuse to accept Truth that we are already on the road to deception. For the time is coming when people will not tolerate sound and wholesome instruction but having ears itching for something pleasing and gratifying, they will gather to themselves one teacher after another to a considerable number, chosen to satisfy their own liking and to foster the errors they hold, and will turn aside from hearing the truth and wander off into myths and man-made fictions. 2 Timothy 4:3,4.

The Anointing of Elisha

Sometimes people say that someone has the anointing of Elijah, or Esther, or David, or Gideon or whoever. There is no precedent for this practice in the Bible. In the Bible this may be referred to as ‘in the spirit and power’ of whoever, and is only mentioned twice: And he (John the Baptist) will go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah… Luke 1:17 When the sons of the prophets who were watching at Jericho saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha… 2 Kings 2:15. The word Ruach which means spirit, also means mind, disposition, desire, and prophetic spirit. This is possibly what people are referring to when they say someone has the ‘anointing’ of a Bible character, but we must be very careful what we say. Saying that someone had the spirit and power of Elijah was not said frequently or lightly in the Bible.

We should also note that the phrase about the spirit and power of a person is not made again after Jesus left His Holy Spirit with us, enabling us to go out in the Spirit and power of Jesus Christ! John says in 1 John 2:27 As for you, the anointing which you RECEIVED from Him ABIDES in you; so then you have no need that anyone should instruct you. But just as His anointing teaches you concerning everything and is true and is no falsehood, so you must abide, live in and never depart from Him, being rooted in Him and knit to Him just as His anointing has taught you to do. John refers to our receiving the anointing from Jesus and says we must abide (remain, stay) in Him.

A danger of ‘prophesying’ to people that they have the anointing of David or whoever, is that this may bring glory and honour to the person instead of to God. Surely it is far better to be going out in the Spirit and Power of Jesus the Christ than of any other man anyway! But it is from Him that you have your life in Christ Jesus, Whom God made our Wisdom from God, our Righteousness, and our Consecration, and our Redemption. So then, as it is written, Let him who boasts and proudly rejoices and glories, boast and proudly rejoice and glory in the Lord. 1 Corinthians 1:30,31.

Instead of being told to be regularly anointed, we are told to be continually filled with the Holy Spirit. Is the baptism of the Spirit an impartation of the anointing? It is not referred to as such in the Bible, however being baptised with the Spirit AND with fire is all about consecration which is also about being anointed because the anointing is for consecration.

Yet another practice which has become acceptable in churchianity today, is that of giving or receiving a ‘double portion anointing’. But what IS a double portion anointing? There is no such phrase in the Bible! It presumably comes from Elijah and Elisha once again. Elijah said to Elisha, Ask what I shall do for you before I am taken from you. And Elisha said, I pray you, let a double portion of your spirit be upon me. He said, You have asked a hard thing. However, if you see me when I am taken from you, it shall be so for you – but if not, it shall not be so. 2 Kings 2:9,10. The phrase used is again about the spirit of a person, not anointing; and Elijah didn’t even give it to him, he said it was a HARD thing that he’d asked for! He left the whole giving of a double portion of his spirit, up to God. Aren’t we being rather presumptuous in claiming to give double portions of anointing or the Spirit of God to people? Even Elijah didn’t do this! This doesn’t mean that God can’t or won’t do this (it is up to Him after all) but I don’t think it would be a common thing or made a big display of or given to lots of people.

Unction for a Function

The anointing in the Bible was always for a purpose. When someone was anointed in the Bible it was either for commissioning or for a purpose; to DO something eg The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because He has anointed me TO preach the gospel to the poor, TO heal the broken hearted etc. How God anointed and consecrated Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with strength, ability and power; how He went about doing good and, in particular, curing all who were harassed and oppressed by the devil for God was with Him. Acts 10:38. This anointing enables and pushes us out where no man has gone before!

Yes, individuals are still anointed today in whatever ministry or calling God desires for them. But who is it that appoints, ordains and anoints them to be these things? I found no instance of the apostles in the New Testament anointing or appointing ANY of the five-fold ministries, they only ordained, commissioned or appointed elders and those who would distribute food. This is because if they did anoint and appoint any of the ministries or appoint people to heal etc, they would have been presuming to take the place of God because the Word says; So GOD HAS APPOINTED some in the Ekklesia: first apostles; second prophets; third teachers; then wonder-workers; then those with ability to heal the sick; helpers; administrators; speakers in different tongues. 1 Corinthians 12:28 And His gifts were varied; He Himself appointed and gave men to us, some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers. Ephesians 4:11. It was not their job to appoint or anoint but simply to discern and recognise the function or outworking in a person’s life. I did not find record of anyone being anointed by another person in the New Testament for a function. No record of Paul being anointed by a person as an apostle and teacher, or Agabus being anointed as a prophet, or Philip being anointed as an evangelist etc. These ministries were recognised as gifts from God and appointed by Him, not man. The apostles DID lay hands on people and pray for them to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit and healing, though.

There is one case of a person being commissioned as an apostle, this was when Matthias was selected in Acts 1; but this was BEFORE the gift of the Holy Spirit had been given! The only instance that looks as though men were appointed and anointed (in the sense of being set apart and dedicated for a purpose) by men is, Now in the assembly at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Symeon, Lucius, Manaen, and Saul. While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, Separate now for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them. Then after fasting and praying, they put their hands on them and sent them away. So then being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia… Acts 13:1-4. We have to note that they had already been anointed as prophets and teachers, what they were setting them apart for was being sent away from themselves for a purpose. They were simply following the instructions of the Holy Spirit, and the men knew very well that they had been sent out by Him because the instruction to do this had originated from the Holy Spirit and not from man.

This one Scripture has often been emphasised without balancing it with the fact that it is the only record of anyone being ‘set apart’ by man in the New Testament, and that the rest of the time the Holy Spirit did this work sovereignly Himself! Even in this one case it was very clearly the Holy Spirit Who sent them. Ministries which appoint men in this manner, often use this one verse as their justification for doing it while neglecting the many examples in the New Testament where the Holy Spirit sovereignly anointed and appointed. In teaching and practicing this, they put the focus on themselves instead of Christ as being the one who approves, appoints and anoints and sends people out, thus giving themselves a position of great control and power over people. For instance, Paul was sent away by God to be taught by Him alone for several years, rather than being approved or even taught by the apostles.

An interesting thing to note is that the New Testament speaks of the anointing as something which had already been given or done for a person. But YOU HAVE BEEN ANOINTED by the Holy One, and you all know the truth. I write to you not because you are ignorant and do not perceive and know the Truth but because you do perceive and know it and know that nothing false, no deception, no lie is of the Truth. 1 John 2:20. We suggest that when we have truly been baptised with the Holy Spirit AND with fire, that we are then consecrated, anointed, and commissioned by Him also. The anointing of the priests, prophets and kings, gave them the authority to do and to be that which they had been anointed for, and it is the same for us today! As His priests, we represent Him and we do what He requires and sometimes this will mean we minister to others as He leads us because WE are His Body here on earth.

Conclusion

From what I personally have witnessed, it seems almost as though some people rely on receiving an anointing from some anointed one instead of relying on their own personal walk with THE Anointed One. We’re not encouraged or told to seek the anointing, but THE Anointed One. We are told to also seek love and to desire the gifts, (1 Corinthians 14:1) but there does not appear to be any Scriptural precedent in the New Testament for a person praying for someone to be anointed, or ‘imparting’ the anointing.

It is certainly true that we are anointed, but WE are not the source of the anointing, Jesus the Christ is, and we must make people aware of this when He touches them through us. He can and does minister to people through us because WE are His hands and feet here on earth, WE are His Body and we are anointed as His priests to do what He tells us to as our Head. But, and it is an important but, we must be sure to do what He says, no less and no more. Even Jesus Himself said, I am able to do nothing from Myself, independently and of my own accord, but as I am taught by God and as I get His orders. I decide as I am bidden to decide. Even as I hear, I judge and My judgment is right and just because I do not seek or consult My own will, I have no desire to do what is pleasing to Myself, My own aim, My own purpose, but only the will and pleasure of the Father Who sent Me. John 5:30

Through studying anointing in the Bible I found that:

• no where are we told or encouraged to seek the anointing
• no where are we encouraged to impart or give the anointing to others
• the anointing is not referred to as some thing we need to receive from man, but is Christ the Anointing within us
• the Holy Spirit Himself will anoint and consecrate us for that which He would have us do and say.

I’m aware that I need to be very careful as I don’t want to encourage anyone to be against the anointing of God or the Holy Spirit in any way. However, I strongly suspect that in some cases seeking the anointing has become like a ritual or a man-made doctrine and there is no purpose or outworking of it (which is the Biblical meaning of an anointing; anointed to do…) It appears as though the anointing itself is sought, (or some sort of spiritual experience) instead of seeking the Anointed One Himself. We’re not to seek the anointing but the Anointed! True anointing would normally be done (since it is an act and NOT a mystical power) by Him sovereignly as opposed to when we want it or by our own self-will, so actively seeking an impartation of anointing would be an exercise in futility! There are only a few references to anointing in the New Testament, there are FAR more on Jesus the Anointed, HE is the One we must seek!

Return to Part 1

Being Anointed Today Part Three

Being Anointed Today
by Lynette Woods
All Scripture references are from The Amplified Bible

Part Three – Anointing Ourselves

Woe to those who are at ease in Zion and to those on the mountain of Samaria who are careless and feel secure, the notable men of the chief of the nations to whom the house of Israel comes! Woe to those who lie upon beds of ivory and stretch themselves upon their couches, and eat the lambs out of the flock and the calves out of the midst of the stall, who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp and invent for themselves instruments of music like David’s, who drink wine in bowls and anoint themselves with the finest oils, but are not grieved and sick at heart over the affliction and ruin of Israel! Therefore, now shall they go captive with the first who go into exile and the revelry and banqueting of those who stretch themselves shall be ended. The Lord God has sworn by Himself, the Lord, the God of Hosts, says: I ABHOR, REJECT AND DESPISE the pride and false, futile glory of Jacob (Israel), and I hate his palaces and strongholds; and I will deliver up the city with all that is in it. Amos 6:1,4-8

God is not impressed when we manufacture the anointing and anoint ourselves or pretend that we are anointed when we are not. This was strictly forbidden under the Old Covenant. The anointing oil was to be HOLY, set apart. And you shall make of these a holy anointing oil, a perfume compounded after the art of the perfumer; it shall be a sacred anointing oil. And say to the Israelites, This is a holy anointing oil sacred to Me alone throughout your generations. It SHALL NOT BE POURED UPON A MAN’S BODY (flesh) NOR SHALL YOU MAKE ANY OTHER LIKE IT IN COMPOSITION; it is holy, and you shall hold it sacred. Whoever compounds any like it OR puts any of it upon an outsider shall be cut off from his people. Exodus 30:25,31-33 It wasn’t ever to touch the flesh (draw attention to the flesh or person) it was poured or smeared on the Head only.

The Israelites did anoint themselves daily as a part of their cleansing and dressing, they would wash themselves, anoint themselves with perfumed oil and dress themselves. But this was a DIFFERENT oil to the holy anointing oil; remember that God had told them that they were to manufacture no other oil like it, it was to be sacred. The holy anointing oil was for dedication and consecration. We cannot anoint ourselves with it, that is the role of our High Priest – Christ.

This is a “dangerous” subject. We must not play games with the Holy Spirit and His Holy Anointing; pretending we ‘own’ it or can give it away whenever someone wants it. That is equivalent to “making” and manufacturing it. We cannot just “impart” the anointing to anyone whenever we choose; if you did those things under the Old Covenant as a priest, you were cut off from the people. To claim that we have the anointing of God to give to all and sundry when we feel like it or when someone wants it, is not supported by the Bible.

We do not have God’s power to use at will, to do so, would be akin to practising witchcraft. In witchcraft there has to be someone through whom to ‘transmit’, a channel to pass something on and they can often use this power at their will; they claim or believe that it is available whenever THEY want to use it. With God He WILL use people for His purposes because we are the Body of Christ, but He will only give us power when HE wants to; not always when WE want Him to. We are priests in submission to God through our High Priest; we do only what He tells us to.

Another way of looking at being anointed in more modern day terms is that being anointed with the holy anointing oil was like a qualification; they weren’t qualified or appointed as a priest, king or prophet until they had been anointed/qualified. For us, when we graduate from something we receive a ‘qualification’ which then qualifies us to do that which we’re qualified for. It is the same with the anointing oil – it is a dedication and setting apart of a person for a purpose. If you’re qualified as a Doctor and try to be an electrician; you get into trouble! The Holy Spirit can anoint us for any particular thing; He qualifies and enables us to do what He requires of us. So if He’s anointed/qualified me to draw a picture of something and I decide I’d rather paint instead of drawing and have not been anointed/qualified by the Holy Spirit for painting; it would be a waste of time and effort on my part! When something is anointed/qualified by God, it will perform what it is meant to. The Spirit of the Lord has anointed and qualified me to preach the Gospel of good tidings to the meek, the poor, and afflicted; He has sent me to bind up and heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and the opening of the prision and of the eyes to those who are bound. Isaiah 61:1.

When a person is qualified, say as a surgeon, they have the necessary skills and qualifications to do surgery; the person who was operated on would KNOW the person had been qualified as a surgeon, they would have experienced first hand that person’s qualification for their own benefit. They wouldn’t then jump up and down and say “I’ve been qualified; I experienced that qualification!” yet this is what we sometimes do with the anointing! “I’ve been anointed, I experienced the anointing!” when what has happened is we’ve simply been ministered to by someone who is anointed/qualified! So when a person is anointed/qualified by God to heal for example, they have the necessary skills/qualifications to do that work and the person who has been healed through that person, has experienced that the person was indeed anointed/qualified by God for that work. They wouldn’t then jump up and down and say “I’ve experienced the anointing”, they’d say “I’ve been HEALED” because the person was anointed TO heal! The anointing oil was a means; NOT an end in itself!

In a broader sense than just a professional qualification, God can and does anoint and qualify us for many small, every day things also. It is a bit like a boss asking his secretary to go and deliver a letter from him, the secretary is qualified and authorised to hand that message on. In the same way He may ask us to send someone a note, and will inspire us with what to write, and because we are qualified or anointed by Him for this little job, it will DO that which it is anointed for in the person receiving it. I think we need to be very careful in what we define as having the anointing and authority of God, because if that little anointed message were read by someone other than who it was intended for; they may sense no anointing upon it at all because it had not been anointed for any purpose for them, but rather for someone else.

Oil for Healing

In James we are told to anoint with oil for HEALING, and the disciples anointed with oil for healing; not for some powerful anointing to be imparted, but to be anointed with oil for healing! The oil used was not the same as the holy anointing oil of consecration in the temple, but was medicinal. It was the prayer of faith that would heal, with or without the use of the oil! Jews used oil to cleanse wounds like in Luke 10:34 when the good Samaritan “Went to him and dressed his wounds, pouring on oil and wine”. We seem to have combined a symbolic medicinal use of oil with the spiritual use of holy oil.

“James 5:15 Anointing him with oil— That St. James neither means any kind of incantation, any kind of miracle, or such extreme unction as the Romish Church prescribes, will be sufficiently evident from these considerations:

1. He was a holy man, and could prescribe nothing but what was holy.
2. If a miracle was intended, it could have been as well wrought without the oil, as with it.
3. It is not intimated that even this unction is to save the sick man, but the prayer of faith, James 5:15.
4. What is here recommended was to be done as a natural means of restoring health, which, while they used prayer and supplication to God, they were not to neglect.
5. Oil in Judea was celebrated for its sanative qualities; so that they scarcely ever took a journey without carrying oil with them, (see in the case of the Samaritan,) with which they anointed their bodies, healed their wounds, bruises, etc.
6. Oil was and is frequently used in the east as a means of cure in very dangerous diseases; and in Egypt it is often used in the cure of the plague. Even in Europe it has been tried with great success in the cure of dropsy. And pure olive oil is excellent for recent wounds and bruises; and I have seen it tried in this way with the best effects.
7. But that it was the custom of the Jews to apply it as a means of healing, and that St. James refers to this custom, is not only evident from the case of the wounded man ministered to by the good Samaritan, Luke 10:34, but from the practice of the Jewish rabbis. They had, therefore, recourse to this as a natural remedy; and we find that the disciples used it also in this way to heal the sick, not exerting the miraculous power but in cases where natural means were ineffectual. Mark 6:13. On this latter place I have supposed that it might have been done symbolically, in order to prepare the way for a miraculous cure: this is the opinion of many commentators; but I am led, on more mature consideration, to doubt its propriety, yet dare not decide. In short, anointing the sick with oil, in order to their recovery, was a constant practice among the Jews. Mark 6:13. And here I am satisfied that it has no other meaning than as a natural means of restoring health; and that St. James desires them to use natural means while looking to God for an especial blessing. And no wise man would direct otherwise.” (2)

Christ is the ONLY One who can impart His anointing because He IS the Anointing. The apostles didn’t pray specifically for the anointing to come upon someone! They obviously had a different understanding of the anointing than many do today. They knew the Old Testament far, far better than we, and had a much more practical understanding of all its symbols.

Did something change between the Old and the New Testaments that would have given them a new understanding of the anointing? Definitely! The Holy Spirit of whom the anointing oil had been a symbol of in the Old Testament, was now LIVING within them through Jesus the Christ, as He also does with us! So why did they not need to pray and ask for anointing to be given? Because THE Anointed One HAD already been given and was now dwelling within them through the Holy Spirit so they were already anointed and they knew that He was the High Priest who would anoint! Why would they pray for someone to receive an anointing when they understood it to be simply a symbolic act of the Holy Spirit who was now living as the Anointing within them and the other person? We seem to have developed a wrong understanding of what the anointing is. There is no reference in the Bible of praying for the anointing to be imparted to others.

Anointing Points to THE Anointed One

The TRUE anointing of God will never draw attention to itself but will always point to THE Anointed One, not just ANY anointed one! After all, many have been anointed and have stayed anointed even when the favour of God is no longer upon them and He has in fact rejected them. Our examples of this are King Saul, Balaam and many kings in the Old Testament who were anointed by a prophet or priest of God and yet were wicked kings. Many in organised religion today lift up any apparent “anointed one” that happens to come along as if THEY were the source of the anointing! This is idolatry and can lead us away from Jesus Christ especially if these ones were once anointed, yet are now rejected by God. Remember that Saul ended up involved in witchcraft.

Saul got tied up in who HE was. He still had the title of king and he didn’t want to let that go, so he felt threatened by David, God’s replacement for him. Not much has changed, many today are enamoured with titles and themselves. But what’s more important, the title or the function? We need to simply forget the titles, and just DO whatever job God has chosen and anointed us to do. We sometimes spend far too much energy and time trying to work out which nice little “label” or “5 fold ministry” we might fit into (maybe because of an insecurity in who we are in Christ?) instead of simply listening to the Holy Spirit and being obedient to what He says without concerning ourselves with what the ‘name’ or ‘title’ of what we’re doing might be… What’s important is knowing the Father and His will (what He’s told you to do or say) and getting on with the job and DOING it.

Some herald the arrival of this or that anointed prophet or apostle. But when someone truly is anointed as a prophet or apostle, it should be obvious by their function and authority, they shouldn’t need to shout it from the house tops or wear a badge with their title displayed for all to see or be introduced as such. When you have to TELL someone what your title or role is instead of simply BEING and SHOWING them, then you are more likely to be false. But what I do, I will also continue to do, that I may cut off the opportunity from those who desire an opportunity to be regarded just as we are in the things of which they boast. For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works. 2 Corinthians 11:12-15 (NKJV) Maybe if we as humans weren’t so quick to put people in boxes and give them titles, we wouldn’t be in the situation we are in today with people idolising the “titled” and many of the “titled” being blind and proud as a result. Titles appeal to people’s pride.

In fact, were a genuine prophet or apostle to really come along, they would often be rejected because people would not take kindly to what they were saying. They will not only reject the message, but also the messenger. Many actually use the messenger as a reason to reject the message. A true spokesperson of God will bring God’s Truth, and truth reveals and illuminates what was nicely hidden away. Jesus was like this, He exposed the hypocrisy of the religious people without apology (Matthew 23). People like to have their ears (and maybe egos?) tickled. It’s not always nice to see things how God sees them, but it is absolutely vital that we see in order to repent.

The anointing in churches today is often portrayed as a feeling, power, or something that we sense which makes us feel good and is to be sought after. The term ‘anointing’ when used in this way, is not Biblical. At best, it is wrongly termed; at worst, it is simply false. The empowering and supernatural ability of the Holy Spirit of God are most likely what many term the ‘anointing’. But even so, we are not encouraged to seek this power, but He from Whom the power comes from! It is dangerous to seek the power and the gifts and not the Giver.

2 From CLARKE’S COMMENTARY, THE NEW TESTAMENT, VOLUME 8 by Adam Clarke

Go to Part 4 Counterfeit Anointing

Being Anointed Today Part Two

Being Anointed Today
by Lynette Woods
All Scripture references are from The Amplified Bible

Part Two – Perfumed Oil

The odor of your ointments is fragrant; your name is like perfume poured out. Therefore do the maidens love you. Draw me! We will run after you! Song of Solomon 1:3.

The anointing oil as opposed to the oil for the lamps, was perfumed and fragrant. The oil is still representative of the Holy Spirit but the perfume and fragrance of the anointing oil is specifically symbolic of Christ, He was anointed with perfume for burial. There are two instances in the New Testament where Jesus Christ was perfumed, A woman came with an alabaster jar of ointment perfume of pure nard, very costly and precious; and she broke the jar and poured the perfume over His head. Mark 14:3. A similar incident is in Luke 7:37 where His feet were anointed with perfumed ointment. This ointment is a different Greek word than that used for anointing oil, this was an embalming, burial ointment and so was heavily perfumed for obvious reasons!

The Hebrew word for anoint is ‘mashach’ and means ‘to smear with oil’ and the Hebrew word for Messiah is ‘Mashiach’ and means Anointed One! Christ (Christos) is the Greek word for Anointed. HE is our Anointing and only HE can impart His fragrance to us through our close relationship with Him. When you hug someone who has perfume on, it rubs off on you and you too become fragrant with that perfume. Christ is the Head of His Body, we are simply members of His Body and anointed by our association and contact with Him who is our Head and Anointing. It was the HEAD that was anointed, not the flesh or body which is simply under submission to the Head.

When we are close and intimate with Him, His fragrance, the anointing which is upon Him, will permeate our lives and will rub onto us (which is how the anointing oil was put on, it was rubbed or smeared on). We then are also ‘perfumed’ and anointed by our association and relationship with Him (Christ’s ones or Christians).

The fragrance and anointing of Jesus on our lives will be easier to sense the more time that we have spent with Him, intimately with Him. A perfume will not be rubbed onto you if you just sit chatting with someone across the room, you need to be in close, intimate contact such as a hug! This fragrance of anointing on our lives will point those attracted by the perfume to its Source, THE Anointed One and the Father. When you smell someone with perfume on, you know that they have been perfumED (anointED), but they are NOT the perfume (Anointing) themselves, they cannot give you the perfume because they aren’t IT, they have to refer you to the Source – the Perfume, Jesus the Anointed.

But thanks be to God, Who in Christ always leads us in triumph and through us spreads and makes evident the fragrance of the knowledge of God everywhere, for WE are the sweet fragrance of Christ (the Anointed One) which exhales unto God, discernible alike among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing: to the latter it is an aroma from death to death, a fatal odor, the smell of doom; to the former it is an aroma from life to life, a vital fragrance, living and fresh. 2 Corinthians 2:14-16. Many who have been anointed by God have noticed the effect described here – some don’t like the fragrance of Christ – it brings either life or death.

There is always a counterfeit or false replica of the true, the fact that this is so proves all the more clearly that there is also the true and that we must discern between the two. Christ dwells in us through His Holy Spirit. It is interesting that the Hebrew word Ruach which means Spirit, originates from the Hebrew word ‘ruwach’ which means to smell a scent, or perceive an odour of delight!

Consecration

The whole act of anointing with the holy anointing oil was primarily one of cleansing, consecration, dedication and being set apart for a purpose for God. But it is God Who confirms and makes us steadfast and establishes us with you in Christ, and has consecrated and anointed us; putting His seal upon us and giving us His Holy Spirit in our hearts as the guarantee. 2 Corinthians 1:21,22. We are now anointed as kings and priests to serve God, we are consecrated and dedicated to Him. We have to be clothed by Him, and hidden IN Him through death before we can be anointed and consecrated by Him. The holy garments of Aaron (High Priest) shall pass to his descendants who succeed him, to be anointed in them and to be consecrated in them. Ex 29:29. The word holy used is the same word (kadesh) as for sanctify, it means to set apart, separate out as holy. What is the ultimate in separation? Death. We must die to self in order to have His resurrection life flow through us.

The anointing of a king and priest was a one time event, and so also Jesus (our High Priest) has anointed us as His priests once and for all. Some churches and “ministries” encourage people to come up and ‘receive the anointing’ week after week. But what kind of anointing is it that they have to keep going back to man as the source of it? The things that were anointed in the Bible were priests, prophets and kings (one time events), lepers (for cleansing – one time event once again), furniture and things in the temple (that’s everything in us as His temple), clothes (our robes of righteousness), and food. Our food is the Bread of Life (Jesus – John 6:48-51) the Living Water (Jesus – John 4:13-15) and the Meat (1) – The Lamb of God (Jesus – Hebrews 13:9,10) – Christ the Anointed again!

When we claim that we are anointing someone, do we claim to be making them a priest, prophet or king? Or are we cleansing them? Or dedicating all of their ‘temple’ to God? Or putting on their robes of righteousness? Or feeding them with ourselves? NO! These are personal things that only an individual can ask CHRIST to do for them and that ONLY He can do as The Anointing! He is the only Mediator between God and man. We can point people to The Way, but we cannot walk out their journey for them! We cannot and must not presume to be Christ, we are simply Christ’s ones in submission to Him. HE is the One to point people to and they can then personally receive these things from HIM. Anything else is anti-christ (in place of Christ) and therefore idolatrous.

Anti-christ simply means anyone who sets themselves up in place of Christ or instead of the Anointed!!! ‘Anti’ in Greek means:
1) opposite to, before
2) for, instead of, in place of (something)

This, simply put, is idolatry. Idolatry is anything and everything which takes the place of, or is instead of Christ in a person’s life: For as far as this world is concerned, you have died, and your new, real life is hid with Christ in God…So kill, deaden, deprive of power the evil desire lurking in your members – those animal impulses and all that is earthly in you that is employed in sin: sexual vice, impurity, sensual appetites, unholy desires and all greed and covetousness, for that is idolatry, the deifying of SELF and other created things instead of God. Colossians 3:3,5 The spirit of antichrist is that which opposes or places itself instead of The Anointing (The Christ), usurping the role and function that is His alone. There have always been those around who will put themselves in place of Christ, which is why John wrote that there were many antichrists and said that the spirit of antichrist was already in the world.

1 We have an altar from which those who serve and worship in the tabernacle have no right to eat. Hebrews 13:10 was referring to the sin or trespass offering. The priests had to eat the offering (meat) in a sacred place, it was considered most holy (Lev 7:6,7). We now have an altar to eat from which they in their rituals and religion did not; our altar has Jesus as the sin offering upon it, HE is our meat! This makes the Last Supper even richer and fuller in it’s meaning.

Go to Part 3 – Anointing Ourselves

Being Anointed Today Part One

Being Anointed Today
by Lynette Woods
All Scripture references are from The Amplified Bible

Part One

For some time I had wanted to study the subject of anointing to find out how it was used and what it was for in the Bible. In so doing, I discovered that the application and use of the words anoint, anointing and anointed today seemed to be often used outside of the context of the Bible and in an extra-biblical way. The best way to discern the false is to know the true, so I attempted to lay aside my own personal understanding and mindset of what anointing was from teachings I had heard and read, in order to more clearly see what the Biblical meaning was and to allow the Anointed One to teach me Himself.

The first time anointing with oil is mentioned in the Old Testament is where Jacob poured oil on the stone that he’d been using as a pillow to dedicate it. And Jacob rose early in the morning and took the stone he had put under his head and he set it up as a pillar and he poured oil on its top in dedication. And he named that place Bethel (the house of God). Genesis 28:18,19. He anointed the pillar or stones in dedication, naming the place the house of God. The house of God, where He lives, is US – we are the temples and houses of the Holy Spirit so this may have been symbolically speaking of The Anointed One (the Rock) and His anointed ones (living stones). We are living stones, being built together into the living house of God.

The anointing as portrayed by many today is usually made out to be something that makes you feel good. The anointing will indeed bring joy and gladness, but it can also bring tears. Will the truth of God sometimes make you feel uncomfortable and convicted? Without a doubt! The Truth of God is anointed for that! Let the righteous man smite and correct me – it is a kindness. Oil so choice, let not my head refuse or discourage; Psalm 141:5. It is only when we comprehend the truth of how holy God is and how sinful we are, that we can truly repent and be personally revived and breathed on by the Holy Spirit (breath) of God!

“The issue of anointing is the issue of truth – the issue of authentic relationship with God, because if we are not authentically related to Him in truth moment by moment, how can we relate to men? And if we’re not authentic with ourselves, with those of the same race, same religious persuasion, what shall we be expressing to those who are outside of our orbit and to whom we need to bring a greater reality? The challenge is to bring to them a greater reality than what they themselves know and esteem and you cannot fabricate that. There’s something about the nature of that which is holy, that if it’s not jealously guarded, and watched over, becomes the cruelest of deceptions and cliches. It becomes the introversion, the negation of what is holy – it becomes, in a word, “religion”. Something is profoundly amiss. It raises some very serious questions about truth, integrity, righteousness, our relationship with the Lord. What we have been exaggerating and building up in a kind of phraseological Christianity in key words that evoke certain responses, is in fact not truth; and God is the God of Truth and the Spirit is the Spirit of Truth before He’s the Spirit of power. And so we need to return to reality – to a God who is truth and in truth or we’re going to find ourselves painfully deceived.” (Art Katz)

We are not told to seek after the anointing in the Bible but to seek to live in Christ, THE Anointed! We are simply told that As for you, the anointing which you RECEIVED (past tense) from Him ABIDES in you; so then you have no need that anyone should instruct you. But just as His anointing teaches you concerning everything and is TRUE and is no falsehood, so you must abide, live in and never depart from Him, being rooted in Him and knit to Him just as His anointing has taught you to do. 1 John 2:27. This true anointing will always teach you to remain vitally united to the source of anointing, Jesus the Christ!

Light for Revelation

The oil in the Old Testament was symbolic of the Holy Spirit. However there were TWO uses of oil in the temple, oil for the anointing oil and oil for light. The priest shall have charge of the oil for the light… and the anointing oil. Numbers 4:16.

The anointing oil, I believe, is symbolic of He who has it’s name, Mashiach, Messiah which means, Anointed One. It represented Christ. But oil was used not only for anointing in the temple but also for light and illumination and THIS is the Holy Spirit’s specialty: When He, the Spirit of Truth comes, He will guide you into all truth, the whole, full truth… John 16:13 HE is the one who guides us into all truth, who reveals His Word (Christ) to us. The truth is hidden, it is a mystery until the Holy Spirit shines His Light, revealing and illuminating Truth to us. The entrance and unfolding of Your words give light; their unfolding gives understanding, discernment and comprehension to the simple. Psalm 119:130

The lampstand in the temple had to have a continual supply of oil, the light was not allowed to go out. You shall command the Israelites to provide you with pure oil of crushed olives for the light, to cause it to burn continually. Exodus 27:20. We too must be filled continually with the Holy Spirit. Especially in these days, it is absolutely vital that we KNOW God! If we don’t know the Truth, we will easily believe the false because we will have no standard of truth, no point from which to discern the false.

I believe this is one interpretation of the oil that the ten virgins accumulated in their lamps – the Holy Spirit. To have just the Word and not the Spirit, is like having the lamp with no oil in it or like trying to read and understand the Bible in a room with no light on! The foolish virgins had not stored up the revealed Word of God in their hearts, it had not been revealed and illuminated by the Spirit to them and so their oil was not sufficient to last the distance. The wise virgins or bridesmaids had allowed the Holy Spirit to illuminate and reveal the Word, His teaching had become a vital part of their lives. They had stored up the Word, but perhaps they had stored it as an object rather than knowing Him as a Person. They knew Christ as the Groom but He was not THEIR Groom, they didn’t LIVE or dwell with Him in intimate relationship after the wedding where He would be their Life. The person that is hidden in the parable is the Bride. There would be no Groom or Wedding or Bridesmaids without the Bride and we are called to be His Bride, not just bridesmaids!

The reason given for the foolish virgins not being admitted to the wedding feast was because He did not KNOW them (Matt 25:12) and that seems to be one of the points Jesus was making. He is always wanting and seeking intimacy and CLOSE relationship with us. The 5 wise virgins had enough oil in their lamps for one evening of celebration; but that doesn’t compare with the option of being united for all eternity with the One Who IS the Light and the Oil!

Then he said to me, this addition of the bowl to the candlestick, causing it to yield a ceaseless supply of oil is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit (of Whom the oil is a symbol), says the Lord of Hosts. Zechariah 4:6. These are symbols to give us insight into what their function ought to be in our lives. He is the Spirit of Truth and when He shines the Light for illumination, we may not like what we see revealed that was previously hidden and out of sight in the darkness. This is why Truth is often rejected, the truth is something absolutely essential and yet often rejected (John 3:19-21).

We need the light of the Holy Spirit in order to see, otherwise our eyes are of little use in the dark! Sometimes when the Light shines on someone, it is so bright and revealing that they tightly close their eyes in order NOT to see. Jesus spoke in parables and mysteries so that man would not rely on natural knowledge and perception but rely on Him for spiritual illumination and unveiling (Matthew 13:13-15).

Deception leads to blindness, we cannot or often DO NOT want to see Truth. For you say, I am rich; I have prospered and grown wealthy and I am in need of nothing; and you do not realise and understand that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. Therefore I counsel you to PURCHASE FROM ME gold refined and tested by fire, that you may be truly wealthy, and white clothes to clothe you and to keep the shame of your nudity form being seen, and salve (anointing) to put on your eyes, that you may see. Revelation 3:17,18. This anointing or healing salve we are told to PURCHASE from Him so we can see; it comes with a cost. To admit Truth is to see Him as He is and to see ourselves as we really are and repent – dying to ourselves and our desires and being wholly dedicated to Him is costly, but very, very precious.

Go to Part 2 – Perfumed Oil & Consecration

Being Without a Voice or Refusing to Settle

So many times we have all heard if you do not vote you have no reason to complain and have no voice. Is that truth or is it that by voting for those running today we are settling for the less of two evils?

How dare anyone push their views on others and claim they have no voice for refusing to vote for people they do not want to take responsibility for. We all have a choice on election day; vote or not to vote, settle for whats on the ballot or refuse to settle.

How can we claim to be a Christian and then turn and be so deeply into politics? How can we serve the two which are opposite of one another? If Messiah were here, would he get into politics of today? Please remember that he didn’t two thousand years ago and I doubt he would today either. These people are corrupt and without God and you want them to lead you? Lead you where?

When we vote or endorse a person we endorse their ideas, beliefs and actions even if we don’t agree. By our endorsement we are just as guilty of their wrong doings as they are.

Obama clearly by his writings and statements (maybe not today but in the past and in his book) rejects the white in him and embraces the black. Being white myself and reading excerpts from his book, I am offended. Not by His race so much as his dislike for white people. His wife has been proven to be a racist as well. Not only that but he claims to be a Christian yet says there are more than one way to receive eternal life in God. I am sorry but there is only one way and no one can come in through a side window or back door. Only a thief would try to enter another way but the front door which is Yeshua Messiah.

Then there is McCain who would sacrifice our young men and women for the sake of OTHER countries. He chose a white woman as VP that has less experience than Obama and from what is surfacing on her, one should beware. McCain’s track record should speak for itself. He may not be as bad as some but he is far from Presidential material.

Neither of these and those independently running are worthy to lead anyone anywhere but a wide path that will lead to destruction. So who do we chose? If we claim to be Christian I believe the choice should be obvious because until we say “Blessed is He that comes in the name of Yahweh” we will settle for the evil of this world and be deceived to believe lies.

Do I lose my voice by not voting for these others? No I am expressing my voice by putting God first and choosing a path that would take us back to him. I will be including an article that I hope all will read called “To Vote or Not to Vote” I believe if we are Christian we need to show it and if not REPENT! THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS AT HAND! We need to return to God and stop following man. See how far it is that we have all fallen. Besides, do you really think you can determine who will win by voting? Man cannot change God’s plan and whomever He has chosen, will win. But no matter. Who ever you decide to vote for, remember you are responsible for every corrupt, evil and immoral thing they do and have done even if you are unaware of it.

Vote for return to God and His ways by not voting for these clowns and returning to God.

TO VOTE
OR
NOT TO VOTE

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In the days of Nehemiah, Hananiah was given charge over Jerusalem: for he was a faithful man, and feared God above many. (Nehemiah 7:2)

The United States holds a presidential election every four years and a mid-term election every two years. How wonderfully different America would be if the president and all of those elected to serve this nation were required to meet the same criteria of faithfulness and the fear of Yahweh.

To demonstrate just how far removed the political climate in America is from what we find at the time of Nehemiah, consider the following poll results. Prior to the 1996 election, it was revealed that over 70% of those polled did not care about President Bill Clinton’s morals or standards. Of greater importance to them was that President Clinton could empathize with the people. This is the antithesis to the reason why Hananiah was chosen to govern. Hananiah was appointed because he sympathized with God, whereas Bill Clinton was re-elected because he sympathized with the people.

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Appointment versus ElectionThe previous statement holds a second reason why this country has deteriorated politically: Hananiah was appointed not elected. Nowhere in either the Old or the New Testament can one find that elections were endorsed by God. Elections are not Yahweh’s way; they are man’s way.

When Kingdom law, that is, Yahweh’s law, is restored, elections will cease. Furthermore there will be no juries. This may displease some patriots, but that is only because we are continually propagandized by anti-Christ Socialists and Christian Patriots alike that free elections and juries are the only rational, civilized and humanitarian way of doing it. PRECISELY! It is the humanitarian or the humanistic way of conducting government, not the theistic way. Think about it: Elections and juries place government policy and judicial determinations into the hands of a public that is subject to the ever-changing morals and whims of the people. This structure may work well for the nation whose morality is in concert with Yahweh’s morality; but what about the majority of times when the morality of the two is not in concert?

Someone may counter: “Who wants to leave the appointment of government officials and judicial determinations in the hands of corrupt politicians?” No one does, unless you are one of those politicians. That is why Yahweh provided us in His Word with explicit qualifications for a man holding civil and/or religious leadership. That man must possess all of the following credentials and attributes. Among other things, he must be:

1. A Christian.
2. A fellow Israelite.1
3. One who fears Yahweh.
4. One who does not fear man.
5. One who is schooled in the laws of Yahweh.
6. One who has written out his own copy of Yahweh’s law.
7. One who daily reads Yahweh’s law.
8. One who scrupulously observes the laws of Yahweh in his own life.
9. A man of truth.
10. One who is just.
11. One who is impartial in judgment.
12. One who is unable to be bribed.
13. One who is neither greedy nor covetous.
14. One who is a terror to the wicked and a champion of the righteous.

Even if a man meets all of these qualifications, he still may not be a viable appointee because it is possible for his wife or children to disqualify him. He must also manage his own household well. In other words, he must be the head of his own home with a dignified, non-gossiping, sober, faithful wife and faithful, non-rebellious children — Exodus 18:19-21; Deuteronomy 1:13-17; 17:15-19; 2 Chronicles 19:5-8; Romans 13:1-4; 1 Timothy 3:1-13 and Titus 1:5-9.

These are the type of men (and yes, one had to be a man) whom Yahweh has directed us to appoint as leaders. If a candidate does not meet these qualifications, he is not to be appointed. In fact, the same qualifications must be met by anyone responsible for an appointment, which was usually by the hands of a religious leader such as Samuel who appointed Saul and David. Think about it: With such men, why would we need elections? Elections are only for choosing the lesser of two evils or the evil of two lessers.

The cut of men possessing these qualities are the class of men described by the Apostle Paul in Romans 13 — “minister[s] of God to thee for good.” 2 However, this is hardly a term that fits most politicians today.

It is time that we understand that anything short of Yahweh’s standard as established in His laws is spiritually and politically left, liberal and ungodly. Therefore, as Christians ours is not to elect any candidate of any political party. Instead, it should be our aim to reestablish Yahweh’s judicial system and appoint men who fear God and who will enforce His laws.

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Accessories to Their CrimesWe deserve what we get when we set the standards and elect those who rule over us. It reminds me of the mid-west pastor who, during his sermon, had been discussing the lion and the lamb living together in peace. A circus man in the congregation argued that the arrangement could not possibly work. “Well,” said the preacher, “why don’t we try it? You bring a lion and I will ask someone in my congregation to bring in a lamb.” The circus man brought a lion in a cage, placed the cage on the church lawn and left town before the farmer arrived with the lamb. When he returned three weeks later, sure enough, the lion and lamb were lying down together in peace. “Well,” said the pastor, “it works fine, but we do have to replace the lamb once in awhile.” The moral of this story is do not complain and grumble if one of the lions/tyrants that you elect devours a few sheep along the way!

When the next election rolls around we should understand that we deserve whom we elect. Of even greater consequence, when we assist in electing immoral, illicit and ungodly men or women into office, we become accomplices to their crimes. The Apostle Paul warned Timothy: “Do not lay hands upon [in modern America's case, elect] anyone too hastily and thus share responsibility for the sins of others.” (1 Timothy 5:22, NASV)

Lucifer

BIBLE Basics

Lucifer

Isaiah 14 vs. 12-14: “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer,son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High”.

POPULAR INTERPRETATION:

It is assumed that Lucifer was once a powerful angel who sinned at the time of Adam and was therefore cast down to earth, where he is making trouble for God’s people.

COMMENTS:-

1. The words “devil”, “satan” and “angel” never occur in this chapter. This is the only place in Scripture where the word “Lucifer” occurs.

2. There is no evidence that Isaiah 14 is describing anything that happened in the garden of Eden; if it is, then why are we left 3,000 years from the time of Genesis before being told what really happened there?

3. Lucifer is described as being covered in worms (v. 11) and mocked by men (v. 16) because he no longer has any power after his casting out of heaven (vs. 5-8); so there is no justification for thinking that Lucifer is now on earth leading believers astray.

4. Why is Lucifer punished for saying, “I will ascend into heaven” (v. 13), if he was already there?

5. Lucifer is to rot in the grave: “Thy pomp is brought down to the grave,…and the worms cover thee” (v. 11). Seeing angels cannot die (Luke 20:35-36), Lucifer therefore cannot be an angel; the language is more suited to a man.

6. Verses 13 and 14 have connections with 2 Thess. 2:3-4, which is about the “man of sin” – thus Lucifer points forward to another man – not an angel.

SUGGESTED EXPLANATIONS:-

1. The N.I.V. and other modern versions have set out the text of Isaiah chapters 13-23 as a series of “burdens” on various nations, e.g. Babylon, Tyre, Egypt. Is. 14:4 sets the context of the verses we are considering: “Thou shalt take up this proverb (parable) against the king of Babylon…”. The prophecy is therefore about the human king of Babylon, who is described as “Lucifer”. On his fall: “they that see thee shall…consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble…?” (v. 16). Thus Lucifer is clearly defined as a man.

2. Because Lucifer was a human king, “All the kings of the nations… shall speak and say unto thee, Art thou also become weak as we? art thou become like unto us?” (vs. 9-10). Lucifer was therefore a king like any other king.

3. Verse 20 says that Lucifer’s seed will be destroyed. Verse 22 says that Babylon’s seed will be destroyed, thus equating them.

4. Remember that this is a “proverb (parable) against the king of Babylon” (v. 4). “Lucifer” means “the morning star”, which is the brightest of the stars. In the parable, this star proudly decides to “ascend (higher) into heaven…exalt my throne above the (other) stars of God” (v. 13). Because of this, the star is cast down to the earth. The star represents the king of Babylon. Daniel chapter 4 explains how Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon proudly surveyed the great kingdom he had built up, thinking that he had conquered other nations in his own strength, rather than recognizing that God had given him success. “Thy greatness (pride) is grown, and reacheth unto heaven” (v. 22). Because of this “he was driven from men, and did eat grass as oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hairs were grown like eagles’ feathers, and his nails like birds’ claws” (v. 33) This sudden humbling of one of the world’s most powerful men to a deranged lunatic was such a dramatic event as to call for the parable about the falling of the morning star from heaven to earth. Stars are symbolic of powerful people, e.g. Gen. 37:9; Is. 13:10 (concerning the leaders of Babylon); Ez. 32:7 (concerning the leader of Egypt); Dan. 8:10 cp. v 24. Ascending to heaven and falling from heaven are Biblical idioms often used for increasing in pride and being humbled respectively – see Job 20:6; Jer. 51:53 (about Babylon); Lam. 2:1; Matt. 11:23 (about Capernaum).: “Thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell” (the grave).

5. Verse 17 accuses Lucifer of making the “world as a wilderness, (destroying) the cities thereof; that let not loose his prisoners to their home…(that did) fill the face of the world with cities”…”the exactress of gold” (vs. 17,21, R.V.; v.4 A.V. margin). These are all descriptions of Babylonian military policy – razing whole areas to the ground (as they did to Jerusalem), transporting captives to other areas and not letting them return to their homeland (as they did to the Jews), building new cities and taking tribute of gold from nations they oppressed. Thus there is emphasis on the fact that Lucifer was not even going to get the burial these other kings had had (vs. 18-19), implying that he was only a human king like them, seeing his body needed burying.

6. Verse 12 says that Lucifer was to be “cut down to the ground” – implying he was a tree. This provides a further link with Dan. 4:8-16, where Nebuchadnezzar and Babylon are likened to a tree being cut down.

7. Babylon and Assyria are often interchangeable phrases in the prophets; thus, having spoken of the demise of the king of Babylon, v 25 says, “I will break the Assyrian…”. The prophecies about Babylon in Is. 47 are repeated concerning Assyria in Nahum 3:5,4,18 and Zeph. 2:13,15; and 2 Chron. 33:11 says that the king of Assyria took Manasseh captive to Babylon – showing the interchangeability of the terms. Amos 5:27 says that Israel were to go into captivity “beyond Damascus”, i.e. in Assyria, but Stephen quotes this as “beyond Babylon” (Acts 7:43). Ezra 6:1 describes Darius the king of Babylon making a decree concerning the rebuilding of the temple. The Jews praised God for turning “the heart of the king of Assyria” (Ezra 6:22), again showing that they are interchangeable terms. The prophecy of Isaiah ch. 14, along with many others in Isaiah, fits in well to the context of the Assyrian invasion by Sennacherib in Hezekiah’s time, hence v. 25 describes the breaking of the Assyrian.Verse 13 is easier to understand if it is talking about the blasphemous Assyrians besieging Jerusalem, wanting to enter Jerusalem and capture the temple for their gods. Earlier the Assyrian king, Tilgath-Pilneser, had probably wanted to do the same (2 Chron. 28:20,21); Is. 14:13: “For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven… (symbolic of the temple and ark – 1 Kings 8:30; 2 Chron. 30:27; Ps. 20: 2,6; 11:4; Heb. 7:26) I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation (mount Zion where the temple was) in the sides of the north” (Jerusalem – Ps. 48:1,2).

Demons

BIBLE Basics

Demons

The previous two sections have explained why we do not believe the devil or satan to be a personal being or a monster. If we accept that there is no such being, then it surely follows that demons, who are held to be the servants of the devil, also do not exist. Many people seem to think that God gives us all the good things of life, and the devil and his demons give us the bad things, and take away the good things which God gives us.

The Bible clearly teaches that God is the source of all power (see Study 6.1), and that He is responsible for both the good things and the bad things in our lives:-

“I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord do all these things”, Isaiah 45:7;

“Evil came down from the Lord unto the gate of Jerusalem”, Micah 1:12;

“Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? shall there be evil in a city, and the Lord hath not done it?” Amos 3:6.

Therefore when we get trials, we should accept that they come from God, not blame them on a devil or demons. Job was a man who lost many of the good things which God blessed him with, but he did not say, “These demons have taken away all God gave me”. No; listen to what he said:-

“The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord”, Job 1:21;

“Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?” Job 2:10

Once we understand that all things are from God, when we have problems in life we can pray to God for Him to take them away, and if He does not, we can be assured that He is giving them to us in order to develop our characters and for our good in the long run:-

“My Son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of Him: for whom the Lord loveth He (not demons!) chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the Father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards and not sons” (Hebrews 12:5-8).

God: Source Of All Power

God is the source of all power:-

“I am the Lord, and there is none else, there is no God ( the Hebrew word for ‘god’ really means ‘power’) beside Me” – Isaiah 45:5;

“Is there a God beside Me? yea,there is no God; I know not any”, God says – Isaiah 44:8;

“The Lord He is God; there is none else beside Him” – Deuteronomy 4:35.

Such verses occur time and again throughout the Bible. Because God is the source of all power and the only God, He is therefore a jealous God, as He often reminds us (e.g. Exodus 20:5; Deuteronomy 4:24).

God gets jealous when His people start believing in other gods, if they say to Him, ‘You are a great God, a powerful God, but actually I believe there are still some other gods beside You, even if they are not as powerful as You’. This is why we cannot believe that there are demons or a devil in existence as well as the true God. This is just the mistake Israel made. Much of the Old Testament is spent showing how Israel displeased God by believing in other gods as well as in Him. We will see from the Bible that the “demons” people believe in today are just like those false gods Israel believed in.

Demons Are Idols

In 1 Corinthians, Paul explains why Christians should have nothing to do with idol worship or believing in such things. In Bible times people believed demons to be little gods who could be worshipped to stop problems coming into their lives. They therefore made models of demons, which were the same as idols, and worshipped them. This explains why Paul uses the words “demon” and “idol” interchangeably in his letter:-

“The things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with demons…if any man say unto you, This is offered in sacrifice unto idols, eat not for his sake…” (1 Cor.10:20,28). So idols and demons are effectively the same. Notice how Paul says they sacrificed “to demons (idols) and not to God” – the demons were not God, and as there is only one God, it follows that demons have no real power at all, they are not gods. The point is really driven home in 1 Cor.8:4:-

“As concerning …those things that are offered in sacrifice unto idols, we know that an idol (equivalent to a demon) is nothing in the world, and that there is none other God but one“. An idol, or a demon, has no existence at all. There is only one true God, or power, in the world. Paul goes on (vs.5,6):-

“For though there be that are called gods…(as there be gods many and lords many, [just as people believe in many types of demon today - one demon causing you to lose your job, another causing your wife to leave you, etc.]) But to us (the true believers) there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things (both good and bad, as we have seen from the earlier references)”.

Further proof that people in New Testament times believed demons to be idols or ‘gods’ is found in Acts 17:16-18; this describes how Paul preached in Athens, which was a “city wholly given to idolatry”, therefore worshipping many different idols. After hearing Paul preach the Gospel, the people said, “He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange (i.e. new) gods (demons): because he preached unto them Jesus and the resurrection”. So the people thought that “Jesus” and “the resurrection” were new demons or idols that were being explained to them. If you read the rest of the chapter, you will see how Paul goes on to teach the truth to these people, and in v. 22 he says, “Ye are too superstitious” (literally: devoted to demon worship) and he explains how God is not present in their demons, or idols. Remember that God is the only source of power. If He is not in demons, then demons do not have any power because there is no other source of power in this universe – i.e. they do not exist.

Old Testament ‘Demons’ Were Idols

Going back to the Old Testament, there is more proof that “demons” are the same as idols. Dt. 28:22-28, 59-61 predicted that mental disease would be one of the punishments for worshipping idols/demons. This explains the association of demons with mental illness in the New Testament. But let it be noted that the language of demons is associated with illness, not sin. We do not read of Christ casting out demons of envy, murder etc. It must also be noted that the Bible speaks of people having a demon/disease, rather than saying that demons caused the disease. It is significant that the Greek version of the Old Testament (the Septuagint) used the word ‘daimonion’ for “idol” in Dt. 32:17 and Ps. 106:37; this is the word translated “demon” in the New Testament. Psalm 106:36-39 describes the errors of Israel and likens the idols of Canaan to demons:-

“They (Israel) served their idols; which were a snare unto them. Yea, they sacrificed their sons and daughters unto demons, and shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan…Thus they were defiled with their own works, and went a whoring with their own inventions”.

Quite clearly demons are just another name for idols. Their worship of demons is described by God as worshipping their “own works…their own inventions” because their belief in demons was a result of human imagination; the idols they created were their “own works”. So those who believe in demons today are believing in things which have been imagined by men, the creation of men, rather than what God has taught us.

Deuteronomy 32:15-24 describes just how angry God gets when His people believe in demons: Israel “lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation. They provoked Him to jealousy with strange gods, with abominations provoked they Him to anger. They sacrificed unto demons, not to God; to gods whom they knew not… whom your fathers feared not…And He (God) said, I will hide My face from them…for they are a very froward generation, children in whom is no faith. They have moved Me to jealousy with that which is not God; they have provoked Me to anger with their vanities…I will heap mischiefs upon them”

So God describes demons as the same as idols, abominations, and vanities – things which are vain to believe in, which have no existence. Believing in demons shows a lack of faith in God. It is not easy to have faith that God provides everything, both good and bad, in life. It is easier to think that the bad things come from someone else, because once we say they come from God, then we need to have faith that God will take them away or that they are going to be beneficial to us ultimately.

New Testament Demons

But, you may say, “How about all the passages in the New Testament which clearly speak about demons?”

One thing we must get clear: the Bible cannot contradict itself, it is the Word of Almighty God. If we are clearly told that God brings our problems and that He is the source of all power, then the Bible cannot also tell us that demons – little gods in opposition to God – bring these things on us. It seems significant that the word “demons” only occurs four times in the Old Testament and always describes idol worship, but it occurs many times in the Gospel records. We suggest this is because, at the time the Gospels were written, it was the language of the day to say that any disease that could not be understood was the fault of demons. If demons really do exist and are responsible for our illnesses and problems, then we would read more about them in the Old Testament. But we do not read about them at all in this context there.

Demons In The New Testament

To say that demons were cast out of someone is to say that they were cured of a mental illness, or an illness which was not understood at the time. People living in the first century tended to blame everything which they couldn’t understand on imaginary beings called ‘demons’. Mental illness being hard to understand with their level of medical knowledge, the people spoke of those afflicted as ‘demon possessed’. In Old Testament times, an evil or unclean spirit referred to a troubled mental state (Jud.9:23; 1 Sam.16:14; 18:10). In New Testament times, the language of evil spirit/ demon possession had come to refer to those suffering mental illness. The association between demons and sickness is shown by the following: “They brought unto him(Jesus) many that were possessed with demons: and He cast out the spirits with His word…that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet (in the Old Testament), saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses” (Matthew 8:16,17). So human infirmities and sicknesses are the same as being possessed by “demons” and “evil spirits”.

People thought that Jesus was mad and said this must be because He had a demon – “He hath a demon, and is mad” (John 10:20; 7:19,20; 8:52). They therefore believed that demons caused madness.

Healing The Sick

When they were healed, people “possessed with demons” are said to return to their “right mind” – Mark 5:15; Luke 8:35. This implies that being “possessed with demons” was another way of saying someone was mentally unwell – i.e. not in their right mind.

Those “possessed with demons” are said to be “healed” or “cured” – Matthew 4:24;12:22;17:18 – implying that demon possession is another way of describing illness.

In Luke 10:9 Jesus told His 70 apostles to go out and “heal the sick”, which they did. They returned and said, v. 17, “even the demons are subject unto us through Thy name” – again, demons and illness are equated. Sometimes the apostles cured people in the name of Jesus and here we have an example of this (see also Acts 3:6; 9:34).

The Language Of The Day

So we see that in the New Testament it was the language of the day to describe someone as being possessed with demons if they were mentally ill or had a disease which no one understood. The contemporary Roman and Greek cultural belief belief was that demons possessed people, thereby creating mental disease. Those ‘Christians’ who believe in the existence of demons are effectively saying that the contemporary pagan beliefs in this area were perfectly correct. The Bible is written in language which people can understand. Because it uses the language of the day does not mean that It or Jesus believed in demons. In the same way in English we have the word “lunatic” to describe someone who is mentally ill. Literally it means someone who is “moon struck”. Years ago people used to believe that if a person went out walking at night when there was a clear moon, they could get struck by the moon and become mentally ill. We use that word “lunatic” today to describe someone who is mad, but it does not mean that we believe madness is caused by the moon.

If these words were written down and re-read in 2,000 years’ time – if Jesus had not returned – people might think we believed that the moon caused madness, but they would be wrong because we are just using the language of our day, as Jesus did 2,000 years ago. Similarly we describe a certain hereditary disorder as “St. Vitus’s Dance” which is neither caused by “St. Vitus” nor “dancing”, but in using the language of the day we call it “St. Vitus’s Dance”. It is evident that Jesus Christ was not born on December 25th; yet the present writer still uses the term ‘Christmas day’ when speaking of that day, although I do not believe that we should keep that day as a celebration of Christ’s birth. The names of the days of the week are based upon pagan idol worship – e.g. ‘Sunday’ means ‘the day devoted to worshipping the sun’; ‘Saturday’ was the day upon which the planet Saturn was to be worshipped, Monday for the moon, etc. To use these names does not mean that we share the pagan beliefs of those who originally coined our present language. ‘Influenza’ is likewise a term in common use today; it strictly means ‘influenced by demons’. When Daniel was renamed ‘Belteshazzar’, a name reflecting a pagan god, the inspired record in Dan. 4:19 calls him ‘Belteshazzar’ without pointing out that this word reflected false thinking. I speak about ‘the Pope’ as a means of identifying someone, even though I think it wrong to actually believe that he is a ‘pope’ or father (Mt. 23:9).

There was a myth in Ezekiel’s time that the land of Israel was responsible for the misfortunes of those in it. This was not true and yet God reasons with Israel, using the idea that was then popular, “Thus saith the Lord God, Because they say unto you, Thou land devourest up men, and hast bereaved thy nations; therefore thou (the land) shalt devour men no more…saith the Lord God” (Ezekiel 36:13,14). There was a common pagan notion that the sea was a great monster desiring to engulf the earth. Whilst this is evidently untrue, the Bible often uses this figure in order to help its initial readership to grasp the idea being presented: see Job 7:12 ( Moffat’s Translation); Am.9:3 (Moffat); Jer.5:22; Ps.89:9; Hab.3:10; Mt.14:24 (Greek text); Mk.4:30. Assyrian mythology called this rebellious sea monster ‘Rahab’; and this is exactly the name given to the sea monster of Egypt in Is.51:9.

Seeing that the Bible is inspired by God, it is impossible that the Bible is merely reflecting the pagan influences which were current at the time in which it was written. It must be that God is consciously alluding to contemporary beliefs, in order to show that He is the ultimate source of power; He is the one who controls the ‘monster’ of the sea, so that it does His will. God therefore corrected the fundamental error in these people’s beliefs, which was that there were forces at work in the world which were not subject to God’s control, and were therefore evil by implication. However, the Bible does not, in this instance, go out of its way to decry the folly of believing that there is a massive monster lurking in the sea, or that the sea is a monster.

Another example is in the description of lightning and storm clouds as a “crooked serpent” (Job 26:13; Isaiah 17:1). This was evidently alluding to the contemporary pagan belief that lightning and frightening cloud formations were actually visions of a massive snake. These passages do not expose the folly of such an idea, or attempt scientific explanation. Instead they make the point that God controls these things. The attitude of Christ to the prevailing belief in demons is identical in this regard; his miracles clearly demonstrated that the power of God was absolute and complete, unbounded by the superstitions of men concerning so-called ‘demons’. Those who believe that the New Testament records of ‘demons’ prove that such beings do actually exist are duty bound to accept that the sea is really a monster, and that lightning is actually a huge serpent. This is surely a powerful point; there must be a recognition that the Bible uses the language of the day in which it is written, without necessarily supporting the beliefs which form the basis of that language. We have shown our own use of language to be similar. The Bible does this in order to confirm the kind of basic truths which we considered in Studies 6.1 and 6.2 – that God is all powerful; He is responsible for our trials; sin comes from within us – all these things can be made sense of by appreciating the greatness of God’s power to save. The so-called ‘higher critics’ are constantly unearthing links between the language of Scripture and the beliefs and conceptions of the surrounding cultures in which the Bible was inspired and recorded. These are understandable, once it is understood that the Bible uses language which may allude to local beliefs, but does so in order to make the point that Yahweh, the only true God, is far greater than the petty beliefs of men which would have been known to those who first read the inspired words, fresh from the prophet’s mouth.

With this in mind, it is surprising how many examples can be found in the New Testament of the language of the day being used without that language being corrected. Here are some examples:-

- The Pharisees accused Jesus of doing miracles by the power of a false god called Beelzebub. Jesus said, “If I by Beelzebub cast out demons, by whom do your children cast them out?” (Matthew 12:27). 2 Kings 1:2. clearly tells us that Beelzebub was a false god of the Philistines. Jesus did not say, ‘Now look, 2 Kings 1:2 says Beelzebub was a false god, so your accusation cannot be true’. No, he spoke as if Beelzebub existed, because he was interested in getting his message through to the people to whom he preached. So in the same way Jesus talked about casting out demons – he did not keep saying, ‘actually, they do not exist’, he just preached the Gospel in the language of the day.

- Acts 16:16-18 are the words of Luke, under inspiration: “a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of Python met us”. As explained in the footnote in the Diaglott version, Python was the name of a false god believed in during the first century, possibly the same as the god Apollo. So Python definitely did not exist, but Luke does not say the girl was ‘possessed with a spirit of Python, who, by the way, is a false god who does not really exist…’. In the same way the Gospels do not say that Jesus ‘cast out demons which, by the way, do not really exist, it is just the language of the day for illnesses’.

- Lk. 5:32 records Jesus saying to the wicked Jews: “I came not to call the righteous…”. He was inferring, ‘I came not to call those who believe they are righteous’. But Jesus spoke to them on their own terms, even though, technically, he was using language which was untrue. Lk. 19:20-23 shows Jesus using the untrue words of the one-talent man in the parable to reason with him, but he does not correct the wrong words the man used.

- The Bible often speaks of the sun ‘rising’ and ‘going down’; this is a human way of putting it, but it is not scientifically correct. Likewise illness is spoken of in the technically ‘incorrect’ language of ‘demons’. Acts 5:3 speaks of how Ananias deceived the Holy Spirit. This, actually, is an impossibility, yet what Ananias thought he was doing is spoken of as fact, even though it was not.

- There are many Biblical examples of language being used which was comprehensible at the time it was written, but is now unfamiliar to us, for example, “skin for skin” (Job 2:4) alluded to the ancient practice of trading skins of equivalent value; a male prostitute is called a “dog” in Deut. 23:18. The language of demons is another example.

- The Jews of Christ’s day thought that they were righteous because they were the descendants of Abraham. Jesus therefore addressed them as “the righteous” (Mt.9:12,13), and said “I know that ye are Abraham’s seed” (Jn.8:37). But he did not believe that they were righteous, as he so often made clear; and he plainly showed by his reasoning in Jn.8:39-44 that they were not Abraham’s seed. So Jesus took people’s beliefs at face value, without immediately contradicting them, but demonstrated the truth instead. We have shown that this was God’s approach in dealing with the pagan beliefs which were common in Old Testament times. Christ’s attitude to demons in New Testament times was the same; his God-provided miracles made it abundantly plain that illnesses were caused by God, not any other force, seeing that it was God who had the mighty power to heal them.

- Paul quoted from Greek poets, famous for the amount of unBiblical nonsense they churned out, in order to confound those who believed what the poets taught (Tit.1:12; Acts 17:28). What we are suggesting is epitomized by Paul’s response to finding an altar dedicated to the worship of “The Unknown God”, i.e. any pagan deity which might exist, but which the people of Athens had overlooked. Instead of rebuking them for their folly in believing in this, Paul took them from where they were to understand the one true God, who they did not know (Acts 17:22,23).

- Eph.2:2 speaks of “the prince of the power of the air”. This clearly alludes to the mythological concepts of Zoroaster – the kind of thing which Paul’s readers once believed. Paul says that they once lived under “the prince of the power of the air”. In the same verse, Paul defines this as “the spirit (attitude of mind) that…worketh” in the natural man. Previously they had believed in the pagan concept of a heavenly spirit-prince; now Paul makes the point that actually the power which they were formally subject to was that of their own evil mind. Thus the pagan idea is alluded to and spoken of, without specifically rebuking it, whilst showing the truth concerning sin.

- Acts 28:3-6 describes how a lethal snake attacked Paul, fastening onto his arm. The surrounding people decided Paul was a murderer, whom “vengeance suffereth not to live”. Their reading of the situation was totally wrong. But Paul did not explain this to them in detail; instead, he did a miracle – he shook the snake off without it biting him.

The miracles of Jesus exposed the error of local views, e.g. of demons, without correcting them in so many words. Thus in Lk. 5:21 the Jews made two false statements: that Jesus was a blasphemer, and that God alone could forgive sins. Jesus did not verbally correct them; instead he did a miracle which proved the falsity of those statements.

- It was clearly the belief of Jesus that actions speak louder than words. He rarely denounced false ideas directly, thus he did not denounce the Mosaic law as being unable to offer salvation, but he showed by his actions, e.g. healing on the Sabbath, what the Truth was. When he was wrongly accused of being a Samaritan, Jesus did not deny it (Jn. 8:48,49 cp. 4:7-9) even though his Jewishness, as the seed of Abraham, was vital for God’s plan of salvation (Jn. 4:22).

Even when the Jews drew the wrong conclusion (wilfully!) that Jesus was “making himself equal with God” (Jn. 5:18), Jesus did not explicitly deny it; instead he powerfully argued that his miracles showed him to be a man acting on God’s behalf, and therefore he was NOT equal with God. The miracles of Jesus likewise showed the error of believing in demons. Christ’s miracle of healing the lame man at the pool was to show the folly of the Jewish myth that at Passover time an angel touched the water of the Bethesda pool, imparting healing properties to it. This myth is recorded without direct denial of its truth; the record of Christ’s miracle is the exposure of its falsehood (Jn. 5:4).

- 2 Pet.2:4 talks of wicked people going to Tartarus (translated “hell” in many versions). Tartarus was a mythical place in the underworld; yet Peter does not correct that notion, but rather uses it as a symbol of complete destruction and punishment for sin. Christ’s use of the word Gehenna was similar (see Study 4.9).

Do Demons Really Cause Illnesses?

Everyone who believes demons exist has to ask themselves the question: “When I am ill, is it caused by demons?” If you think the New Testament references to demons are about little gods going round doing evil, then you have to say “yes”. In that case, how can you explain the fact that many diseases blamed on demons can now be cured or controlled by drugs? Malaria is the classic example. Most people in Africa believed until recently that malaria was caused by demons, but we know that malaria can be cured by quinine and other drugs. Are you then saying that as the demons see the little yellow tablets going down your throat they become frightened and fly away? Some of the diseases which Jesus cured, which are described as being the result of demon possession, have been identified as tetanus or epilepsy – both of which can be relieved by drugs.

A friend of mine comes from a village just outside Kampala in Uganda. He told us that people used to believe malaria was caused by demons, but once they saw how the drugs controlled it so easily, they stopped blaming the demons. However, when someone had cerebral malaria (causing serious mental illness) they still blamed the demons. A doctor came from the nearby town and offered them strong anti-mal drugs as a cure, but they refused because they said they needed something to fight demons, not malaria. The doctor returned later and said, “I have a drug which will chase away the demons”; the sick person eagerly took the drug, and became better. The second tablets were just the same as the first ones. The doctor did not believe in demons, but he used the language of the day to get through to the person – just like the “Great Physician”, the Lord Jesus, of 2,000 years ago.

The Devil and Satan

BIBLE Basics

The Devil and Satan

Sometimes the original words of the Bible text are left untranslated (”Mammon”, in Mt. 6:24, is an Aramaic example of this). As a word, ’satan’ is an untranslated Hebrew word which means ‘adversary’, while ‘devil’ is a translation of the Greek word ‘diabolos’, meaning a liar, an enemy or false accuser. If we are to believe that Satan and the Devil are some being outside of us which is responsible for sin, then whenever we come across these words in the Bible, we have to make them refer to this evil person. The Biblical usage of these words shows that they can be used as ordinary adjectives, describing ordinary people. This fact makes it impossible to reason that the words devil and satan as used in the Bible do in themselves refer to a great wicked person or being outside of us.

The Word ‘Satan’ In The Bible

1 Kings 11:14 records that “The Lord stirred up an adversary (same Hebrew word elsewhere translated “satan”) unto Solomon, Hadad the Edomite”. “And God stirred up another adversary (another satan)…Rezon…he was an adversary (a satan) to Israel” (1 Kings 11:23,25). This does not mean that God stirred up a supernatural person or an Angel to be a satan/adversary to Solomon; He stirred up ordinary men. Matt.16:22,23 provides another example. Peter had been trying to dissuade Jesus from going up to Jerusalem to die on the cross. Jesus turned and said unto Peter“Get thee behind me, Satan…thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men”. Thus Peter was called a satan. The record is crystal clear that Christ was not talking to an Angel or a monster when he spoke those words; he was talking to Peter.

Because the word ’satan’ just means an adversary, a good person, even God Himself, can be termed a ’satan’. In essence there is nothing necessarily sinful about the word itself. The sinful connotations which the word ’satan’ has are partly due to the fact that our own sinful nature is our biggest ’satan’ or adversary, and also due to the use of the word in the language of the world to refer to something associated with sin. God Himself can be a satan to us by means of bringing trials into our lives, or by standing in the way of a wrong course of action we may be embarking on. But the fact that God can be called a ’satan’ does not mean that He Himself is sinful.

The books of Samuel and Chronicles are parallel accounts of the same incidents, as the four gospels are records of the same events but using different language. 2 Sam.24:1 records: “The Lord…moved David against Israel” in order to make him take a census of Israel. The parallel account in 1 Chron.21:1 says that “Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David” to take the census. In one passage God does the provoking, in the other Satan does it. The only conclusion is that God acted as a ’satan’ or adversary to David. He did the same to Job by bringing trials into his life, so that Job said about God: “With thy strong hand thou opposest thyself against me” (Job 30:21); ‘You are acting as a satan against me’, was what Job was basically saying.

The Word ‘Devil’ In The Bible

And so it is with the word ‘devil’ too. Jesus said, “Have not I chosen you twelve (disciples), and one of you is a devil? He spake of Judas Iscariot…” who was an ordinary, mortal man. He was not speaking of a personal being with horns, or a so-called ’spirit being’. The word ‘devil’ here simply refers to a wicked man. 1 Tim.3:11 provides another example. The wives of church elders were not to be “slanderers”; the original Greek word here is ‘diabolos’, which is the same word translated ‘devil’ elsewhere. Thus Paul warns Titus that the aged women in the ecclesia should not be “false accusers” or ‘devils’ (Tit.2:3). And likewise he told Timothy (2 Tim.3:1,3) that “In the last days…men shall be…false accusers (devils)”. This does not mean that human beings will turn into superhuman beings, but that they will be increasingly wicked. It ought to be quite clear from all this that the words ‘devil’ and ’satan’ do not refer to a fallen Angel or a sinful being outside of us.

Sin, Satan And The Devil

The words ’satan’ and ‘devil’ are used figuratively to describe the natural sinful tendencies within us which we spoke of in Study 6.1. These are our main ’satan’ or adversary. They are also personified, and as such they can be spoken of as ‘the devil’- our enemy, a slanderer of the truth. This is what our natural ‘man’ is like – the very devil. The connection between the devil and our evil desires – sin within us – is made explicit in several passages: “As the children (ourselves) are partakers of flesh and blood, he (Jesus) also himself likewise took part of the same; that through (his) death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil” (Heb.2:14). The devil is here described as being responsible for death. But “the wages of sin is death” (Rom.6:23). Therefore sin and the devil must be parallel. Similarly James 1:14 says that our evil desires tempt us, leading us to sin and therefore to death; but Hebrews 2:14 says that the devil brings death. The same verse says that Jesus had our nature in order to destroy the devil. Contrast this with Rom.8:3: “God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh (that is, in our human nature) condemned sin in the flesh”. This shows that the devil and the sinful tendencies that are naturally within human nature are effectively the same. It is vitally important to understand that Jesus was tempted just like us. Misunderstanding the doctrine of the devil means that we cannot correctly appreciate the nature and work of Jesus. It was only because Jesus had our human nature – the ‘devil’ within him – that we can have the hope of salvation (Heb.2:14-18; 4:15). By overcoming the desires of his own nature, the Biblical devil, Jesus was able to destroy the devil on the cross (Heb.2:14). If the devil is a personal being, then he should no longer exist. Heb.9:26 says that Christ was manifested “to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself”. Heb.2:14 matches this with the statement that through his death Christ destroyed the devil in himself. By His death Jesus in prospect destroyed “the body of sin” (Rom.6:6), i.e. human nature, sin revealed in (the form of) our very bodies.

“He that committeth sin is of the devil” (1 Jn.3:8), because sin is the result of giving way to our own natural, evil desires (James 1:14,15), which the Bible calls ‘the devil’. “For this purpose the son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil” (1 Jn.3:8). If we are correct in saying that the devil is our evil desires, then the works of our evil desires, i.e. what they result in, are our sins. This is confirmed by 1 Jn.3:5: “He (Jesus) was manifested to take away our sins”. This confirms that “our sins” and “the works of the devil” are the same. Acts 5:3 provides another example of this connection between the devil and our sins. Peter says to Ananias: “Why hath Satan filled thine heart?” Then in verse 4 Peter says “Why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart?” Conceiving something bad within our heart is the same as Satan filling our heart. If we ourselves conceive something, e.g. a sinful plan, then it begins inside us. If a woman conceives a child, it doesn’t exist outside of her; it begins inside her. James 1:14,15 use the same figure in describing how our lusts conceive and bring forth sin, which brings forth death. Ps.109:6 parallels a sinful person with a ’satan’: “Set thou a wicked man over him: and let Satan stand at his right hand”, i.e. in power over him (cp. Ps.110:1).

Personification

However, you may reasonably reply: ‘But it does talk as if the devil is a person!’ That is quite correct; Heb.2:14 speaks of “him that hath the power of death, that is, the devil”. Even a small amount of Bible reading shows that it often uses personification – speaking of an abstract idea as if it is a person. Thus Prov. 9:1 speaks of a woman called ‘Wisdom’ building a house, and Rom.6:23 likens sin to a paymaster giving wages of death. This feature is further discussed in Digression 5. Our devil, the ‘diabolos’, often represents our evil desires. Yet you cannot have abstract diabolism; the evil desires that are in a man’s heart cannot exist separately from a man; therefore ‘the devil’ is personified. Sin is often personified as a master (e.g. Rom.5:21; 6:6,17; 7:3). It is understandable, therefore, that the ‘devil’ is also personified, seeing that ‘the devil’ also refers to sin. In the same way, Paul speaks of us having two beings, as it were, within our flesh (Rom.7:15-21): the man of the flesh, ‘the devil’, fights with the man of the Spirit. Yet it is evident that there are not two literal, personal beings fighting within us. This sinful part of our nature is personified as “the evil one” (Mt.6:13 R.V.) – the Biblical devil. The same Greek phrase translated “evil one” here is translated as “wicked person” in 1 Cor.5:13, showing that when a person gives way to sin, his “evil one” – he himself – becomes an “evil one”, or a ‘devil’.

‘Devil’ And ‘Satan’ In A Political Context

These words ‘devil’ and ’satan’ are also used to describe the wicked, sinful world order in which we live. The social, political and pseudo-religious hierarchies of mankind can be spoken of in terms of ‘the devil’. The devil and satan in the New Testament often refer to the political and social power of the Jewish or Roman systems. Thus we read of the devil casting believers into prison (Rev.2:10), referring to the Roman authorities imprisoning believers. In this same context we read of the church in Pergamos being situated where Satan’s seat, or throne, was – i.e. the place of governorship for a Roman colony in Pergamos, where there was also a group of believers. We cannot say that Satan himself, if he exists, personally had a throne in Pergamos.

Individual sin is defined as a transgression against God’s law (1 Jn.3:4). But sin expressed collectively as a political and social force opposed to God is a force more powerful than individuals; it is this collective power which is sometimes personified as a powerful being called the devil. In this sense Iran and other Islamic powers have called the United States, “the great Satan” – i.e. the great adversary to their cause, in political and religious terms. This is how the words ‘devil’ and ’satan’ are often used in the Bible.

In conclusion, it is probably true to say that in this subject more than any other, it is vital to base our understanding upon a balanced view of the whole Bible, rather than building massive doctrines on a few verses containing catch-phrases which appear to refer to the common beliefs concerning the devil. Study 6.1 and this section will repay careful, prayerful re-reading. It is submitted that the doctrinal position outlined there is the only way of being able to have a reasonable understanding of all the passages which refer to the devil and satan. Those words can be used as ordinary adjectives, or in some places they refer to the sin which is found within our own human nature. Some of the most widely misunderstood passages which are quoted in support of the popular ideas are considered in the Digressions which accompany this study.

Those who have problems in accepting our conclusions need to ask themselves: (1) Is sin personified? Clearly it is. (2) Is it true that ’satan’ can be used just as an adjective? Yes, it is. What real problem, therefore, can there be in accepting that sin is personified as our enemy/satan? The world is often personified in John’s letters and Gospel (see R.V.); what better title for this personification than ’satan’ or ‘the devil’?

Angels Cannot Sin

BIBLE Basics

The Angels

All that we have considered so far in this Study is brought together by a consideration of the Angels:

• physical, personal beings
• carrying God’s Name
• channels through which God’s Spirit works to
• execute His will
• in accordance with His character and purpose
• and thereby manifesting Him.

We mentioned in the last study that one of the most common Hebrew words translated ‘God’ is ‘Elohim’, which really means ‘mighty ones’; these ‘mighty ones’ who carry God’s Name can effectively be called ‘God’ because of their close association with Him. These beings are the Angels.

The record of the creation of the world in Genesis 1 tells us that God spoke certain commands concerning creation, “and it was done”. It was the Angels who carried out these commands:

“Angels, that excel in strength, that do His commandments, hearkening unto the voice of His word” (Ps.103:20).

It is therefore reasonable to assume that when we read of ‘God’ creating the world, this work was actually performed by the Angels. Job 38:4-7 hints this way too. Now is a good time to summarize the events of the creation as recorded in Gen.1:

Day 1 “God said, Let there be light: and there was light” (v.3)

Day 2 “God said, Let there be a firmament (sky, expanse) in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters (on the earth) from the waters (in the clouds)…and it was so” (v.6,7)

Day 3 “God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together (forming seas and oceans)…and let the dry land appear; and it was so” (v.9)

Day 4 “God said, Let there be lights…in heaven…and it was so” (v.14,15)

Day 5 “God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature…and fowl that may fly…and God created every living creature” (v.20,21) – i.e. “it was so”

Day 6 “God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature…cattle, and creeping thing…and it was so” (v.24).

Man was created on that same sixth day. “God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness” (Gen.1:26). We commented on this verse in Study 1.2. For the present, we want to note that “God” here is not just referring to God Himself in person – “Let us make man” shows that ‘God’ is referring to more than one person. The Hebrew word translated ‘God’ here is ‘Elohim’, meaning ‘Mighty Ones’, with reference to the Angels. The fact that the Angels created us in their image means that they have the same bodily appearance as we have. They are therefore very real, tangible, corporeal beings, sharing the same nature as God.

‘Nature’ in this sense refers to what someone is fundamentally like by reason of their physical structure. In the Bible there are two ‘natures’; by the very meaning of the word it is not possible to have both these natures simultaneously.

God’s Nature (’Divine nature’)

Cannot sin (perfect) (Rom.9:14; 6:23 cp. Ps.90:2; Mt.5:48; James 1:13)

Cannot die, i.e. immortal (1 Tim.6:16)

Full of power and energy (Is.40:28).

This is the nature of God and the Angels, and which was given to Jesus after his resurrection (Acts 13:34; Rev.1:18; Heb.1:3). This is the nature which we are promised (Lk.20:35,36; 2 Pet.1:4; Is.40:28 cp.v 31).

Human nature

Tempted to sin (James 1:13-15) by a corrupt natural mind (Jer.17:9; Mk.7:21-23)

Doomed to death, i.e. mortal (Rom.5:12,17; 1 Cor.15:22)

Of very limited strength, both physically (Is.40:30) and mentally (Jer.10:23).

This is the nature which all men, good and bad, now possess. The end of that nature is death (Rom.6:23). It was the nature which Jesus had during his mortal life (Heb.2:14-18; Rom.8:3; Jn.2:25; Mk.10:18).

It is unfortunate that the English word ‘nature’ is rather vague: we can use it in a sentence like ‘John is of a generous nature – it just isn’t in his nature to be mean; but he can be rather proud of his car, which is just human nature, I suppose’. This is not how we will be using the word ‘nature’ in these studies.

Angelic Appearances

The Angels being of God’s nature, they must be sinless and therefore unable to die – seeing that sin brings death (Rom.6:23). They must have a literal, physical form of existence. It is for this reason that when Angels have appeared on earth they have looked like ordinary men:

- Angels came to Abraham to speak God’s words to him; they are described as “three men”, whom Abraham initially treated as human beings, since that was their appearance: “Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree” (Gen.18:4)

- Two of those Angels then went to Lot in the city of Sodom. Again, they were recognized only as men by both Lot and the people of Sodom. “There came two Angels to Sodom”, whom Lot invited to spend the night with him. But the men of Sodom came to his house, asking in a threatening way “Where are the men which came in to thee this night?”. Lot pleaded, “Unto these men do nothing”. The inspired record also calls them “men”: “The men (Angels) put forth their hand” and rescued Lot; “And the men said unto Lot…The Lord hath sent us to destroy” Sodom (Gen.19:1,5,8, 10,12, 13).

- The New Testament comment on these incidents confirms that Angels are in the form of men: “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers; for some (e.g. Abraham and Lot) have entertained Angels unawares” (Heb.13:2).

- Jacob wrestled all night with a strange man (Gen.32:24), which we are later told was an Angel (Hos.12:4).

- Two men in shining white clothes were present at the resurrection (Lk.24:4) and ascension (Acts 1:10) of Jesus. These were clearly Angels.

- Consider the implications of “the measure of a man, that is, of the Angel” (Rev.21:17).

Angels Do Not Sin

The Angels being of God’s nature, they cannot die. Seeing that sin brings death, it follows therefore that they cannot sin. The original Greek and Hebrew words translated ‘Angel’ mean ‘messenger’; the Angels are the messengers or servants of God, obedient to Him, therefore it is impossible to think of them as being sinful. Thus the Greek word ‘aggelos’ which is translated ‘Angels’ is also translated ‘messengers’ when speaking of human beings – e.g. John the baptist (Mt.11:10) and his messengers (Lk.7:24); the messengers of Jesus (Lk.9:52) and the men who spied out Jericho (James 2:25). It is, of course, possible that ‘angels’ in the sense of human messengers can sin.

The following passages clearly show that all the Angels (not just some of them!) are by nature obedient to God, and therefore cannot sin:

“The Lord hath prepared His throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all ( i.e. there can be no rebellion against God in Heaven). Bless the Lord, ye His Angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of His word. Bless ye the Lord, all ye His hosts; ye ministers of His, that do his pleasure” (Ps.103:19-21).

“Praise him, all his Angels…his hosts” (Ps.148:2)

“The angels…are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them (the believers) who shall be heirs of salvation?” (Heb.1:13,14).

The repetition of the word “all” shows that the Angels are not divided into two groups, one good and the other sinful. The importance of clearly understanding the nature of the Angels is that the reward of the faithful is to share their nature: “They which shall be accounted worthy…neither marry…neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the Angels” (Lk.20:35,36). This is a vital point to grasp. Angels cannot die: “Death…does not lay hold of Angels” (Heb 2:16 Diaglott margin) If Angels could sin, then those who are found worthy of reward at Christ’s return will also still be able to sin. And seeing that sin brings death (Rom.6:23), they will therefore not have eternal life; if we have a possibility of sinning, we have the capability of dying. Thus to say Angels can sin makes God’s promise of eternal life meaningless, seeing that our reward is to share the nature of the Angels. The reference to “the Angels” (Luke 20:35,36) shows that there is no categorization of Angels as good or sinful; there is only one category of Angels.

If Angels could sin, then God is left impotent to righteously act in our lives and the affairs of the world, seeing that He has declared that He works through His Angels (Ps.103:19-21). They are ‘made Spirit’ by God in the sense that He achieves all things by His spirit/power, acting through the Angels (Ps. 104:4). That they should be disobedient to Him is therefore an impossibility. The Christian should daily pray for God’s Kingdom to come on earth, that His will should be done here as it is now done in heaven Mt. 6:10). If God’s Angels had to compete with sinful Angels inheaven, then His will could not be fully executed there, and therefore the same situation would obtain in God’s future Kingdom. To spend eternity in a world which would be a perpetual battlefield between sin and obedience is hardly an encouraging prospect, but that, of course, is not the case.

Angels And Believers

There is good reason to believe that each true believer has Angels – perhaps one special one – helping them in their lives:-

• “The Angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them” (Ps. 34:7).
• “…these little ones which believe in me (i.e. weak disciples – Zech. 13:7 cp. Mt. 26:31)…in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father” (Mt. 18:6,10).
• The early Christians clearly believed that Peter had a guardian Angel (Acts 12:14,15).
• The people of Israel went through the Red Sea, and were led by an Angel through the wilderness towards the promised land. Going through the Red Sea represents our baptism in water (1 Cor. 10:1), and so it isn’t unreasonable to assume that afterwards we, too, are led and helped by an Angel as we journey through the wilderness of life towards the promised land of God’s Kingdom.

If the Angels can be evil in the sense of being sinful, then such promises of Angelic control and influence in our lives become a curse instead of a blessing.

We have seen, then, that Angels are beings…

• with God’s eternal nature and bodily appearance
• who cannot sin
• who always do God’s commands
• and who are the channels through which God’s spirit-power speaks and works (Ps. 104:4).

But…?

Many “Christian” churches have the idea that Angels can sin, and that sinful Angels now exist who are responsible for sin and problems on the earth. We will discuss this misconception more fully in Study 6. For the present we will make the following points:-

- It is possible that there was a creation previous to our own, i.e. that recorded in Genesis 1. It is also conceivable that the present Angels came to have an awareness of “good and evil” (Gen. 3:5) through having been in a similar situation to what we are in this life. That some of the beings who lived in that age did sin is not to be ruled out; but all this is speculation which the minds of men love to indulge in. The Bible tells us what we need to know about the present situation, which is that there are no sinful Angels; all Angels are totally obedient to God.

- There can be no sinful beings in Heaven, seeing that God is “of purer eyes than to behold evil” (Hab.1:13). In similar vein, Ps.5:4,5 explains: “Neither shall evil dwell with Thee. The foolish shall not stand” in God’s Heavenly dwelling place. The idea of there being rebellion against God in Heaven by sinful Angels quite contradicts the impression given by these passages.

- The Greek word translated “Angel” means “messenger” and can refer to human beings, as we have shown. Such human “messengers” can, of course, sin.

- That there are evil, sinful beings upon whom all the negative aspects of life can be blamed is one of the most commonly held beliefs in paganism. In the same way that pagan ideas concerning Christmas have entered what passes for ‘Christianity’, so, too, have those pagan notions.

- There is only a handful of Biblical passages which can be misunderstood to support this idea of sinful Angels now being in existence. These are considered in “In Search of Satan”, available from the publishers. Such passages cannot be allowed to contradict the wealth of Bible teaching to the contrary which has been presented.

YHWH and Evil

BIBLE Basics

God and Evil

Many sects of Christendom, along with many other religions, believe that there is a being or monster called the Devil or Satan who is the originator of the problems which are in the world and in our own lives, and who is responsible for the sin which we commit. The Bible clearly teaches that God is all-powerful. We have seen in Study 1.4 that the Angels cannot sin. If we truly believe these things, then it is impossible that there is any supernatural being at work in this universe that is opposed to Almighty God. If we believe that such a being does exist, then surely we are questioning the supremacy of God Almighty. This issue is so important that the correct understanding of the devil and satan must be considered a vital doctrine. We are told in Heb.2:14 that Jesus destroyed the devil by his death; therefore unless we have a correct understanding of the devil, we cannot understand the work or nature of Jesus.

In the world generally, especially in the so-called ‘Christian’ world, there is the idea that the good things in life come from God and the bad things from the Devil or Satan. This is not a new idea; it is not even an idea only limited to apostate Christianity. The Babylonians, for example, believed there were two gods, a god of good and light, and a god of evil and darkness, and that those two were locked in mortal combat. Cyrus, the great King of Persia, believed just this. Therefore God told him, “I am the Lord, and there is none else, there is no God beside me…I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil (N.I.V. “disaster”): I the Lord do all these things” (Is.45:5-7,22). God creates peace and He creates evil, or disaster. God is the author, the creator of “evil” in this sense. In this sense there is a difference between “evil” and sin, which is man’s fault; it entered the world as a result of man, not God (Rom.5:12).

God tells Cyrus and the people of Babylon that “there is no (other) God beside me”. The Hebrew word ‘el‘ translated “God” fundamentally means ’strength, or source of power’. God is saying that there is no source of power in existence apart from Him. This is the reason why a true believer in God cannot accept the idea of a supernatural devil or demons.

God: The Creator Of Disaster

The Bible abounds with examples of God bringing “evil” into people’s lives and into this world. Am.3:6 says that if there is evil in a city, God has done it. If, for example, there is an earthquake in a city, it is often felt that ‘the devil’ had designs on that city, and had brought about the calamity. But the true believer must understand that it is God who is responsible for this. Thus Mic.1:12 says that “evil came down from the Lord unto the gate of Jerusalem”. In the book of Job we read how Job, a righteous man, lost the things which he had in this life. The book teaches that the experience of ‘evil’ in a person’s life is not directly proportional to their obedience or disobedience to God. Job recognized that “The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away” (Job 1:21). He does not say ‘The Lord gave and Satan took away’.He commented to his wife: “Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not (also) receive evil?” (Job 2:10). At the end of the book, Job’s friends comforted him over “all the evil that the Lord had brought upon him” (Job 42:11 cp. 19:21; 8:4). Thus God is the source of “evil” in the sense of being the ultimate permitter of the problems that we have in our lives.

“For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth…If ye endure chastening…afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby” (Heb.12:6-11), this shows that the trials which God gives us lead eventually to our spiritual growth. It is setting the word of God against itself to say that the devil is a being which forces us to sin and be unrighteous, whilst at the same time he supposedly brings problems into our lives which lead to our developing “the peaceable fruit of righteousness”. The orthodox idea of the devil runs into serious problems here. Especially serious for it are passages which speak of delivering a man to satan “that the spirit may be saved”, or “that he may learn not to blaspheme” (1 Cor.5:5; 1 Tim.1:20). If Satan is really a being bent on causing men to sin and having a negative spiritual effect upon people, why do these passages speak of ‘Satan’ in a positive light? The answer lies in the fact that an adversary, a “Satan” or difficulty in life, can often result in positive spiritual effects in a believer’s life.

If we accept that evil comes from God, then we can pray to God to do something about the problems which we have, e.g. to take them away. If He doesn’t, then we know that they are sent from God for our spiritual good. Now if we believe that there is some evil being called the devil or satan causing our problems, then there is no way of coming to terms with them. Disability, illness, sudden death or calamity have to be taken as just bad luck. If the devil is some powerful, sinful Angel, then he will be much more powerful than us, and we will have no choice but to suffer at his hand. By contrast, we are comforted that under God’s control, “all things (in life) work together for good” to the believers (Rom.8:28). There is therefore no such thing as ‘luck’ in the life of a believer.

The Origin Of Sin

It must be stressed that sin comes from inside us. It is our fault that we sin. Of course, it would be nice to believe that it was not our fault that we sin. We could freely sin and then excuse ourselves with the thought that it was really the devil’s fault, and that the blame for our sin should be completely laid upon him. It is not uncommon that in cases of grossly wicked behaviour, the guilty person has begged for mercy because he says that he was possessed by the devil at the time and was therefore not responsible for himself. But, quite rightly, such feeble excuses are judged to hold no water at all, and the person has sentence passed upon him.

We need to remember that “the wages of sin is death” (Rom.6:23); sin leads to death. If it is not our fault that we sin, but that of the devil, then a just God ought to punish the devil rather than us. But the fact that we are judged for our own sins shows that we are responsible for our sins. The idea of the devil being a specific person outside of us rather than the principle of sin within us is an attempt to move the responsibility for our sins away from ourselves. This is yet another example of men refusing to come to terms with what the Bible teaches about man’s nature: that it is fundamentally sinful.

“There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him…For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders…pride, foolishness: all these evil things come from within and defile the man” (Mk.7:15-23).

The idea that there is something sinful outside of us which enters us and causes us to sin is incompatible with the plain teaching of Jesus here. From within, out of the heart of man, come all these evil things. This is why, at the time of the flood, God considered that “the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth” (Gen.8:21). James 1:14 tells us how we are tempted: “Every man (it is the same process for each human being) is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust (”of his own evil desire”, N.I.V.) and enticed”. We are tempted by our own lusts, our own evil desires; not by anything outside of us. “From whence come wars and fightings among you?”, James asks; “Come they not hence, even of your lusts?” (James 4:1). Each of us has specific, personal temptations. They therefore have to be generated by our own evil desires, because they are personal to us. It has been truly said that we are our own worst enemy.

The book of Romans is largely concerned with sin, its origin, and how to overcome it. It is highly significant that there is scarcely a mention of the Devil and Satan in the book; in the context of speaking about the origin of sin, Paul does not mention the Devil or Satan. In the same way, “the devil” is a New Testament concept. If there is an external being who makes us sin, surely he would have been mentioned extensively in the Old Testament? But there is a very profound and significant silence about this. The record of the Judges period, or Israel in the wilderness, show that at those times Israel were sinning a great deal. But God did not warn them about some powerful supernatural being or force which could enter them and make them sin. Instead, He encouraged them to apply themselves to His word, so that they would not fall away to the ways of their own flesh (e.g. Dt.27:9,10; Josh.22:5).

Paul laments: “In me (that is, in my flesh) dwelleth no good thing…for the good that I would I do not…if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me” (Rom.7:18-21). Now he does not blame his sinning on an external being called the devil. He located his own evil nature as the real source of sin: “It is not I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I find then a law (within me), that, when I would do good, evil is present with (i.e. within) me”. So he says that the opposition to being spiritual comes from something that he calls “sin dwelling in me”. Every thoughtful, spiritually minded person will come to the same kind of self-knowledge. It should be noted that even a supreme Christian like Paul did not experience a change of nature after conversion, nor was he placed in a position whereby he did not and could not sin. The modern ‘evangelical’ movement claims that they are in such a position, and thereby place Paul well within the ranks of the ‘unsaved’ because of his statement here in Rom.7:15-21. These verses have proved a major difficulty for their claims. David, another undoubtedly righteous man,likewise commented upon the constant sinfulness of his very nature: “I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me” (Ps.51:5).

The Bible is quite explicit about the fundamentally wicked nature of man. If this is appreciated, there is no need to invent an imaginary person outside our human natures who is responsible for our sins. Jer.17:9 says that the heart of man is so desperately wicked and deceitful that we cannot actually appreciate the gross extent of its sinfulness. Jesus also branded human nature as fundamentally evil in Mt.7:11. Ecc.9:3 (Hebrew text) could not be plainer: “The heart of the sons of men is full of evil”. Eph.4:18 gives the reason for man’s natural alienation from God as being “through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart“. It is because of our spiritually blind and ignorant hearts, our way of thinking that is within us, that we are distanced from God. In line with this, Gal.5:19 speaks of our sins as “the works of the flesh“; it is our own flesh, our very being and nature, which causes us to commit sin. None of these passages explain the origin of sin within us as being because the devil put it there; sinful tendencies are something which we all naturally have from birth; it is a fundamental part of the human make-up.

If Satan Were an Angel…

Angels do not sin…..

Seeing that sin brings death, it follows therefore that they cannot sin. Angels were made higher than man who we know are all sinners worthy of death. The word angel comes from the Greek word “aggelos” which means messenger and is not exclusive to just celestial beings as many times angel is referring to humans.

Angels according to scriptures, (all of them) are by nature obedient to YHWH and therefore cannot sin.

Psa 103:19 The LORD hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all.
Psa 103:20 Bless the LORD, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word.
Psa 103:21 Bless ye the LORD, all ye his hosts; ye ministers of his, that do his pleasure.

Psa 148:2 Praise ye him, all his angels: praise ye him, all his hosts.

Heb 1:13 But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool?
Heb 1:14 Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?

The word all shows that the angels are not divided into two groups, good and evil.

Luk 20:35 But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage:
Luk 20:36 Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.

Heb 2:16 For verily he (Messiah) took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham.

The nature of angels would mean that the Messiah couldn’t die and He had to. Therefore he took on the seed of Abraham. Luke 20 above shows there is only one group of angels not two.

If angels could sin, then YHWH is left impotent in our lives and the affairs of the world, seeing that HE has declared that He works through His angels in Psalms 103:19-21.

Psa 104:4 Who maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire:

YHWH achieves all things by His Spirit power working through His angels. It is impossible that they can be disobedient to Him. We should be praying daily for His kingdom to come to us here on earth and that His will be done here as it is already done in heaven.

Mat 6:10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

Many churches have the ideology that angels can sin and that these or this sinful angel is responsible for all sins and problems on earth. How can there be sinful angels in heaven when YHWH eyes behold no evil nor can evil dwell with HIm?

Hab 1:13 Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity: wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, and holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than he?

Psa 5:4 For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with thee.
Psa 5:5 The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatest all workers of iniquity.

In light of this information, how can there be a fallen angel archenemy of YHWH?

Mar 7:15 There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man.
Mar 7:16 If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.
Mar 7:17 And when he was entered into the house from the people, his disciples asked him concerning the parable.
Mar 7:18 And he saith unto them, Are ye so without understanding also? Do ye not perceive, that whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man, it cannot defile him;
Mar 7:19 Because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats?
Mar 7:20 And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man.
Mar 7:21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,
Mar 7:22 Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:
Mar 7:23 All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.

It is the heart of man that is evil and sinful. The bible is quite clear on the wicked nature of man. There isn’t a need to invent a superhuman to blame our sins on.

Jer 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

It is a very foolish thing to call evil good and good evil but by believing as many do today on fallen angels that they do not even understand, that is exactly what is happening.

Isa 5:20 Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
Isa 5:21 Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!

This is why we are told to be quick to listen and slow to speak because we are ignorant to what we speak of if we do not have the full understanding of the matter.

Jas 1:18 Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
Jas 1:19 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:

Now here is something to think about before you say there is a satan archenemy fallen angel god,

2Pe 2:10 But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, self-willed, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities.
2Pe 2:11 Whereas angels, which are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against them before the Lord.
2Pe 2:12 But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption;

Jud 1:8 Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities.
Jud 1:9 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.
Jud 1:10 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.
Jud 1:11 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 Korah.
Jud 1:12 These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots;
Jud 1:13 Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.

If you believe in satan as an angel of celestial nature WOE UNTO YOU!

Free Will:Masquerade of the World

Sermon Notes by Pastor Mark Downey

Kinsman Redeemer Website

The free will of Adamkind has not been free since the first decree that God gave them. “Thou shalt not…” restricted Adam and Eve as to what they could or could not do in the Garden. The significance of the ‘tree of knowledge of good and evil’ was known only to God, so the temptation presented itself to know what God knew. The original sin was believing that they would be as gods and not believing they would die (or lose their immortality) for the trespass. Having trespassed the decree, they realized they were naked as jaybirds for what they did and thus helplessly exposed for their crime. Genesis 3:7 reports that they put fig leaves together as a cover-up or apron. This expression is as figurative as the language in I Peter 1:13, “Wherefore, gird up the loins of your mind.” In other words, we are being told to gird up or bind, as with a belt (and thus securing) our full mental capacity. This girding is in context to a soldier putting on protective armor. So we can see that from the get-go of our race, that mortal man must equip his mind with the proper protection. However, this symbolic apron does not protect mankind from the judgment of God any more than the aprons of Freemasonry or Mormonism. It is a cover-up or mask that tells us that the action was of our own free will. Thus begins the history of mankind wearing a self righteousness mask of protection. Of course, this is just the opposite of putting on “the whole armor of God” that we read about in Ephesians chapter 6.

The masquerade has been the sovereign free will of man in contradistinction to the sovereign will of God. This inevitable conflict begs the question as to who is in charge. God or man? This reverts back to the sin in the Garden. The masquerade of man’s free will does not say you will be equal to God, it says you shall be above God, because it is a clash of sovereignties or wills. A self-evident truth is that the Creator is always greater than his creation. Free will puts forth the notion that there is no power outside of ourselves (including God) causing us to choose a course of action. It says that God does not determine a person’s choice. The Big Question is: What is it that causes man to make his choices? That is the fundamental issue in understanding free will. It’s not whether or not man wills, but rather whether God determines that will. It’s whether or not man or God was the ultimate cause of that choice.

If God created Adamkind with a sovereign free will, then He has created something greater than Himself. God would then be without control over His own creation. Do you think free will had anything to do with the race you were born into? Hardly! Do you think your ancestry has any effect on the choices you make? Most assuredly! If free will had anything to do with our own birth, then our ancestry would be meaningless. However, there is a meaning to life in God’s Plan for the Ages.

The Word of God can be viewed as a book of cause and effect. The first of the Ten Commandments states, “Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.” And yet we can see from the very beginning of Adamkind, man superimposed his will over God’s will and assumed the masquerade of sovereignty. Obviously, we cannot make God null and void as a factor affecting our being born into the world, although many pretend that that is the case. Our wills are constantly being influenced from cradle to grave. The question is: do we acknowledge the influence of God to do His will or do we believe we can be as God with our own will? One can pick and choose Bible verses which would imply man has a free will to act upon a decision. Probably one of the best known passages is Joshua 24:15, “Choose you this day whom ye will serve”; but we shouldn’t forget the last phrase, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” In other words, our choice corresponds to the will of God not our own.

But what happens when one chooses something above the will of God? Is God still in control? If we balance scripture implying the free will of man with scripture promulgating God’s will on earth, then the answer is certainly yes. God is always in control. We are told that the God of Creation declares, “The end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done” Isaiah 46:10. This not only suggests the Word of prophecy, but establishes predestination. All prophecy proves the divine destiny of God’s will and control of His Plan for the Ages. We can then make the logical conclusion that free will and predestination are mutually exclusive precepts. One must be right and the other wrong.

If God foreknows all things then how can anyone deny that He also predestines all things? The truth of the matter is that we do not deny man making choices or having a will. The truth is found in what causes man to make the choices he does. If there was no tree in the Garden, there would have been no choice for Adam to make. It’s not whether we choose to do something or not, but whether God determines that choice. Is man or God the ultimate cause of that choice?

Let me pose an example. You are now reading this message. Why are you spending time on it? Why aren’t you watching TV or out fishing? Why are you on this page while other people are not? You might respond that you wanted to be here or it was your desire or that you chose to be here of your own free will. And I’d say, “Sure, but who or what caused your will to decide to be here right now?” We can find a precise answer to this question in Philipians 2:12, “Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure.” There you have it: God determines our will and actions.

When Billy Graham beckons his followers to his “altar calls” and tells his audience not to pray for those coming forward, because they have to accept Christ of their own free will and at that point in their lives not even God could help them, then Graham is contradicting the cause of one becoming a Christian. He is telling them to put on the mask of free will and to forget John 15:16, “Ye have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you.” The will and desire to follow Christ emanates from the independent mind of man being prompted by the Masonic tempter Graham, rather than the auspices of God.

How can any of us in our carnal minds initiate the will to subject ourselves to God? “Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither can be” Romans 8:7. You see, sin entered the world and God’s Plan for the Ages was for man to acknowledge his fall from grace (immortality) and his need to be free from the illusion of self will. This means surrendering our will to the will of God. Faith is the victory that overcomes the world, not the will power of self. When we think we make the initial decision to know God, we, in essence, trespass against God to be as God, because we have meritoriously taken grace upon ourselves without sanction. People try to face God with a vicarious mask of piety, which is nothing more than a shallow attempt at self righteousness. Perhaps, we can see more clearly why the Israelites would not face God at Sinai after their naked shame of building a golden calf. We can only face God with the mask off and humbly repentant.

Jesus clarified the order in which man is saved and it doesn’t begin with our will. “All things are delivered unto Me of My Father; and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him” Mt. 11:27. In other words, it is Christ that reveals God to us, not our own artificial penchants for personal discovery. “No man can come to Me, except the Father which hath sent Me draw him” John 6:44. How can any man be right about anything if it doesn’t correspond to the righteousness of the Lord? Repentance then corresponds to what God has decreed right or wrong. We don’t change from carnality to holiness through free will, but rather through the agency of divine righteousness. “Or despisest thou the riches of His goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?“ Romans 2:4. Again, Paul tells us, “In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth” II Timothy 2:25.

These scriptures prove that salvation does not come by our free will, but rather God’s grace (unmerited favor). The only thing we can do about salvation is a response to God’s gift of grace, which initiates the desire within and causes us to repent and have faith. This process works through the Holy Spirit, which is to say God’s separation of man’s motivations from His own motives. The motivation from God will cause you to do what is right. Self motivation will cause you to err.

We must always come back to the question of who is in control, who has the power and real authority? Are we to believe Billy Graham, who thinks your free will can overrule God? This is the gall of pride waxing the mystery of iniquity to a shine. Man may claim free will, but their ignorance of history reflects the invisible stream of Providence according to God’s Plan for the Ages. And what pray tell is that Plan to the man who places free will on the throne of our hearts and minds instead of God? “What? Know ye not that your body [heart and mind] is the temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?” I Cor. 6:20. Who sits on your throne in your temple? If you think you have free will, then you do and you’ve just dethroned God.

Apostasy is part of God’s Plan. “Let no man deceive you by any means; for that day shall come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed… who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God… so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God” II Thes. 2:3-4. Don’t be deceived into thinking that the “man of sin” is not a plurality of mankind that violates the first commandment and is just a singular individual. And don’t think that God can’t deceive or incorporate “strong delusion” (II Thes. 2:11) for those who reject the truth and believe a lie, because it is within God’s power to do so. The incredible irony is that the masquerade of free will is necessary for the Plan of God to be revealed. You may be wondering why God would keep people in ignorance of His Divine Plan. It’s so they can fulfill their predestined roles, thinking they have free will while carrying out their part of the Plan.

The illusion of man’s government was a mystery until it was revealed in the Word. Had certain men known that they really didn’t have free will, they then would have ruined God’s Plan of salvation. “But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained [predestined] before the world unto our glory. Which none of the princes of this world knew; for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord in glory” I Cor. 2:7-8.

This message may be incomprehensible to the usual suspects as, “The natural [carnal] man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness unto him; neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” I Cor. 2:14. And here’s the kicker, “God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit, for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God” I Cor. 2:10. Some people won’t have a clue about this message: some people just don’t get it. As a matter of biblical fact, the spiritually immature (even neophyte Christians) will struggle to understand the illusion of free will. It may come as a surprise to some, but God foreordains our thoughts and our choices. “The preparations [plans] of the heart of man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the Lord” Prov. 16:1. That means that the aprons of fig leaves and the whole armor of God are both under His control.

If God is unable to foreknow what course of action men may take, then God must be without knowledge of the future. He would be limited to knowledge incrementally as it happened… so you can forget about His “omniscience”. Fortunately, that is not the case, because the “testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy” (Rev. 19:10) i.e. the motive of predestination. Jesus was our example to pray and witness to the lost sheep of the house of Israel (the White/Adamic race of Creation). We are an instrument of God’s methodology, as no other people, to bring forth the fruits of His Kingdom. We are being used in a mighty way to accomplish His Plan and purposes upon the earth.

But, we must learn the difference between God’s will and free will or self will in order to advance His Kingdom. The motive behind free will is the impediment which we must overcome and conquer. “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” Eph. 2:10.

Now that God has put salvation out of my control through self will and put it rightly under the control of His, I can rest in His Spirit before His throne all the days of my life. And the Lord’s Prayer will not be spoken in vain: Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Who WAS Lucifer?

The word “Lucifer” is found only one time and that Is in the KJV bible in Isaiah 14. Many today believe that Lucifer is  the name of a fallen archangel, the arch enemy of YHWH and mankind. What they fail to do is take the entire context and find out what Isaiah 14 is actually talking about or whom is referred to as Lucifer.

Lucifer was never the name of a person. It was translated from the Hebrew word “hêylêl” and according to Brown-Driver-Briggs Concordance is means

Lucifer = “light-bearer”
1) shining one, morning star, Lucifer
1a) of the king of Babylon and Satan (figuratively)
2) (TWOT) ‘Helel’ describing the king of Babylon

Notice satan is figuratively not literally.  Lucifer should not have been put in the context at all. It would be more correct to have it read shining one or morning star. So who is Lucifer in Isaiah 14? Let’s take a look and see.

Isa 14:1  For the LORD will have mercy on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and set them in their own land: and the strangers shall be joined with them, and they shall cleave to the house of Jacob.
Isa 14:2  And the people shall take them, and bring them to their place: and the house of Israel shall possess them in the land of the LORD for servants and handmaids: and they shall take them captives, whose captives they were; and they shall rule over their oppressors.
Isa 14:3  And it shall come to pass in the day that the LORD shall give thee rest from thy sorrow, and from thy fear, and from the hard bondage wherein thou wast made to serve,

Isa 14:4  That thou shalt take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say, How hath the oppressor ceased! the golden city ceased!

Here we see it is the king of Babylon that is talked about in this chapter. YHWH told  the house of Jacob in other words the tribes of Israel to take up what will be written next as a proverb against the king of Babylon.

Isa 14:5  The LORD hath broken the staff of the wicked, and the scepter of the rulers.
Isa 14:6  He who smote the people in wrath with a continual stroke, he that ruled the nations in anger, is persecuted, and none hindereth.
Isa 14:7  The whole earth is at rest, and is quiet: they break forth into singing.
Isa 14:8  Yea, the fir trees rejoice at thee, and the cedars of Lebanon, saying, Since thou art laid down, no feller is come up against us.
Isa 14:9  Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming: it stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth; it hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations.
Isa 14:10  All they shall speak and say unto thee, Art thou also become weak as we? art thou become like unto us?
Isa 14:11  Thy pomp is brought down to the grave, and the noise of thy viols: the worm is spread under thee, and the worms cover thee.
Isa 14:12  How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!

King Nebuchadnezzar came against the nations of Jacob/Israel and took them captive. He tried to kill the three Hebrew men in fire for not bowing down to him.
Isa 14:13  For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
Isa 14:14  I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.

These words do not fit the character of a supposed Devil power. Here was a Dictator, a King, one who had conquered Israel with a great slaughter by Yahweh’s will. He had taken them to Babylon…he had conquered Syria, Egypt, Moab, Ammon, and Arabia and many other lands. His pride and arrogance knew no bounds, and one day, in the Palace of Babylon, he made the boastful speech…..“Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the Kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honor of my majesty?” (Dan 4:30) Even as the last words were upon his lips, a voice from heaven passed judgment upon him and he was driven from his throne…(Daniel 4:31). Do you not see in this impious speech, the same outline as Isaiah speaks of ….“I WILL ascend above the heights of the clouds [heaven]; I WILL be like the most high [in authority].” (Isaiah 14:14).
Isa 14:15  Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.

The word hell comes from the Hebrew word she’ôl
According Brown-Divers-Diggs it means

1) sheol, underworld, grave, hell, pit
1a) the underworld
1b) Sheol – the OT designation for the abode of the dead
1b1) place of no return
1b2) without praise of God
1b3) wicked sent there for punishment
1b4) righteous not abandoned to it
1b5) of the place of exile (figuratively)
1b6) of extreme degradation in sin

When ever you see sheol in other areas it means the grave or place of death. Man goes to the grave, not archangels.
Isa 14:16  They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms;

Nebuchadnezzar made the nations of Israel quake. He was a conquering king that thought he was a god.
Isa 14:17  That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners?

He destroyed Jerusalem in 586 BC and looted the temple built by Solomon and destroyed it.

Those reading Daniel’s wonderful interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream (Daniel 2:37) will see what a proud position this King had held, for God had given him the greatest of all empires (up to that time). He had been used as a scourge against Israel, for their sin before Yahweh, but retribution was now to come, for this great King was driven from his throne by seven years of madness. This was an enormous “come-down” for a great King who had caused all the nations “to tremble.” His fear was upon all nations, one after another they fell before him.
Isa 14:18  All the kings of the nations, even all of them, lie in glory, every one in his own house.
Isa 14:19  But thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable branch, and as the raiment of those that are slain, thrust through with a sword, that go down to the stones of the pit; as a carcass trodden under feet.
Isa 14:20  Thou shalt not be joined with them in burial, because thou hast destroyed thy land, and slain thy people: the seed of evildoers shall never be renowned.

Do angels need to be buried?
Isa 14:21  Prepare slaughter for his children for the iniquity of their fathers; that they do not rise, nor possess the land, nor fill the face of the world with cities.
Isa 14:22  For I will rise up against them, saith the LORD of hosts, and cut off from Babylon the name, and remnant, and son, and nephew, saith the LORD.

Do angels have sons and nephews? Nebuchadnezzar did.
Isa 14:23  I will also make it a possession for the bittern, and pools of water: and I will sweep it with the broom of destruction, saith the LORD of hosts.
Isa 14:24  The LORD of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand:
Isa 14:25  That I will break the Assyrian in my land, and upon my mountains tread him under foot: then shall his yoke depart from off them, and his burden depart from off their shoulders.
Isa 14:26  This is the purpose that is purposed upon the whole earth: and this is the hand that is stretched out upon all the nations.
Isa 14:27  For the LORD of hosts hath purposed, and who shall disannul it? and his hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back?
Isa 14:28  In the year that king Ahaz died was this burden.
Isa 14:29  Rejoice not thou, whole Philistia, because the rod of him that smote thee is broken: for out of the serpent’s root shall come forth a cockatrice, and his fruit shall be a fiery flying serpent.
Isa 14:30  And the firstborn of the poor shall feed, and the needy shall lie down in safety: and I will kill thy root with famine, and he shall slay thy remnant.
Isa 14:31  Howl, O gate; cry, O city; thou, whole Philistia, art dissolved: for there shall come from the north a smoke, and none shall be alone in his appointed times.
Isa 14:32  What shall one then answer the messengers of the nation? That the LORD hath founded Zion, and the poor of his people shall trust in it.

Clearly the one being addressed here is a man and not a celestial being. After all, angels do not disobey YHWH. Man was made with the evil heart and man is the one identified by scriptures as being evil and against YHWH. One thing for sure, lucifer is not a name of anyone but rather a mistranslation of a word that was in reference to the king of Babylon that took Judah captive (as prophesied)  and then was destroyed by YHWH ( as prophesied).

Insanity and Double Mindedness

This article was found on the internet and is very informative on the Double Minded Man. To view the web site it came from, just click on the heading and you will be transfered to their page. I have quoted on one statement and my words are in [] and are written in a different color.

The Double Minded Man

Revelations 3:13

“He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;
15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.”

I was going to call this article “Idols of the Heart”, because that is what it is really about. The things that cause us to be double minded and take our focus from the very Person of Jesus Christ. These idols, sacred cows or Golden calves can be a person, organization, activity (the sports god?), position, job, money, possessions, religious belief system, heritage/genealogy, culture, self-focus/self-importance, hobbies, perceived ‘rights’, politics, land or country, and quite simply, minding earthly things.

Philippians 3:20 “For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:”

Unfortunately, while many are not deliberately trying to turn from their focus of God, others deliberately are double minded. Many are immature or in sin issues that they have not dealt with, thereby not being obedient to Scriptures. Many hang on to their sacred cows, believing they should not take the test of the Word of God. Others appear to make choices to be double minded.

Many are familiar with the Scriptures in James 1: 6

“But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.”

And James 4:8 “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.”

” A double minded man is unstable in all his ways….”

To be double minded and unstable needs to be understood…

From Strong’s Concordance >

Double minded > 1374. diqucov dipsuchos, dip’-soo-khos
from 1364 and 5590; two-spirited, i.e. vacillating (in opinion or purpose):–double minded.

Unstable > 182. akatastatov akatastatos, ak-at-as’-tat-os
from 1 (as a negative particle) and a derivative of 2525; inconstant:–unstable.

Some dictionaries define double minded using the terms, “Having different minds at different times”, “unsettled,” “undetermined”.

It is impossible for someone to say they fully love and serve God and be double minded. Why? Because Jesus said so.

Many are familiar with the Scriptures where Jesus speaks about singleness and light of the eye. If one is not single of eye or purpose–they are more evil than one who claims to be fully against God.

Matthew 6:19 “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
22 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.
23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!
24 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.”

There are many people who make the claim to belong to Jesus Christ or Yeshua, as many Messianics call Him, [This is an incorrect statement on the true name Yeshua. One does not have to be Messianic to prefer the actual name of the Messiah in which we all should use regardless of what religion we call ourselves or choose not to call ourselves. I prefer Yeshua and I am not a Messianic!] and yet serve the flesh and idols of the heart. Many mind earthly things, having their “sacred cows”. The Scriptures are clear about that too.

Philippians 3:17 “Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample.
18 (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:
19 Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.)
20 For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:”

Romans 6:12 “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.
13 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.”

Part of this double minded spirituality, besides serving the flesh and instead of having a heart focus for Christ alone, is the idea that a person can have the ‘best’ of both ‘worlds.’

Can one? Or is God very clear about these issues?

Zephaniah 1:5 “I will cut off them that worship and that swear by the Lord, and that swear by Malcham.”

James 3:12 “Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.
13 Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him show out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.
14 But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.
15 This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.
16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.
17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.”

In essence, a double-minded person so lacks conviction in their beliefs that they are found to often change loyalties or ideas, depending who they are with, desiring to influence or wanting to show allegiance to or have association with.

The double minded man is actually dishonest with themselves and others, and appears to use truth and lies in whatever situation to benefit themselves in some way. The person is filled with hypocrisy.

Hypocrisy

Strong’s Concordance>

5272. upokrisiv hupokrisis, hoop-ok’-ree-sis
from 5271; acting under a feigned part, i.e. (figuratively) deceit (”hypocrisy”):–condemnation, dissimulation, hypocrisy.

5271. upokrinomai hupokrinomai, hoop-ok-rin’-om-ahee
middle voice from 5259 and 2919; to decide (speak or act) under a false part, i.e. (figuratively) dissemble (pretend):–feign.

WordNet Dictionary> Hypocrisy

Definition: 1. Insincerity by virtue of pretending to have qualities or beliefs that you do not really have2. an expression of agreement that is not supported by real conviction

Synonyms: lip service

See Also: dissembling, falseness, feigning, fulsomeness, insincerity, oiliness, pretense, sanctimoniousness, sanctimony, smarminess, unction, unctuousness.http://www.hyperdictionary.com/dictionary/hypocrisy.

Webster’s 1913 Dictionary

Hypocrisy

Definition: “…outward show…to play a part, the act or practice of a hypocrite, a feigning to be what one is not, or to feel what one does not feel, a dissimulation, or a concealment of one’s real character, disposition, or motives; especially the assuming of false appearance of virtue or religion; a simulation of goodness…”

Hypocrisy is the necessary burden of villainy….

Hypocrisy is the homage vice pays to virtue….

http://www.hyperdictionary.com/dictionary/hypocrisy.

People who are double minded and mind earthly things, regardless of what it is, desire to serve the flesh and God. They are playing a spiritual game of fence straddling, thinking they can take from God as well as falsehood and false prophets and false teachers. To put it in Scriptural terms, they want to worship Almighty God while at the same time bowing to Baal.

Of all the things that God hates, duplicity of mind and hypocrisy are named many times in the Scriptures. The end result is destruction.

As was stated in the introduction verses of this article, “15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.”

The concept of this hypocrisy and duality of mind and purpose seems to make the person believe that God abides the confession to and vain worship of Himself from someone who on the other side of his face loves the things that are against God.

Isaiah 32:6 “For the vile person will speak villany, and his heart will work iniquity, to practice hypocrisy, and to utter error against the LORD, to make empty the soul of the hungry, and he will cause the drink of the thirsty to fail.”

Almighty God has been very specific about those who have gone after false gods while His people allowed it or took from them.

Leviticus 20:1 “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
2 Again, thou shalt say to the children of Israel, Whosoever he be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn in Israel, that giveth any of his seed unto Molech; he shall surely be put to death: the people of the land shall stone him with stones.
3 And I will set my face against that man, and will cut him off from among his people; because he hath given of his seed unto Molech, to defile my sanctuary, and to profane my holy name.
4 And if the people of the land do any ways hide their eyes from the man, when he giveth of his seed unto Molech, and kill him not:
Then I will set my face against that man, and against his family, and will cut him off, and all that go a whoring after him, to commit whoredom with Molech, from among their people.
6 And the soul that turneth after such as have familiar spirits, and after wizards, to go a whoring after them, I will even set my face against that soul, and will cut him off from among his people.
7 Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the LORD your God.” See also Numbers 25, etc.

While hypocrisy and being double minded can be found time and time again in the lives of non-Believers, it is something that hits the highest level of deplorable for those who claim to love Jesus Christ. There can be nothing worse than someone who professes Christ, while also serving or advocating for the enemy of our souls.

Some go so far as to stand in defense of the Gospel, while promoting false prophets, or they are partaking of the “religious” teachings proffered by those who clearly reject Jesus Christ. Some attempt to make a pretense of defending the Word of God while never appearing to actually apply it. They have the appearance of a form of godliness.

2 Timothy 3:5 “Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.”

How can someone who claims to love Jesus Christ simultaneously live for or further the cause of satan?

How can one claim to live for Jesus Christ, and indeed may have at some point agreed with the truth of Christ, at least in their mind, yet return to serving the things that have been crucified with Christ?

Do these people really believe that Almighty God will ignore this? They misuse the grace of God, and while claiming to have repented or turned from these things, rather continue partaking of the things that God hates. That person allows those things to take precedent and have dominion in his heart. The Apostle Peter warned:

2 Peter 2: 17 “These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever.
18 For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error.
19 While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.
20 For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.
21 For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.
22 But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.”

Jesus wants our total focus and loyalty. And well He should. To say we belong to to Him, needs to be shown by our hearts focus being on Him. See: Carrying My Cross.

We cannot have one half of our mind on Him, and the other half welcoming falsehood, false prophets, the occult, desires or lust of the flesh, and so on, because the God given promise of that type of commitment, is the total destruction of that soul. For eternity.

A heart that is not sold out to Jesus Christ is a heart that He will spew out. If God is not first place in a person’s heart, do you really think He is willing to take a backseat to satan or the world?

If Christ truly reigns in a persons heart, as many double minded people claim, is there room for a false god or idol in that heart?

Each must ask themselves, Do I rest on Jesus Christ crucified? Do I live for Him alone? Is my purpose focused on obedience to Him? Or is my heart so filled with the things of this world, desiring acceptance or position, friendship from the world, seeking after signs, following after the things of the flesh, showing partiality and so much more, that the Name of Jesus or Yeshua, is merely there for religious purposes and appearance?

Do I have a sacred cow that I feel is more important than Biblical obedience or value it so highly that I will not allow the Scriptures to show me what it really is about?

James 4:4 “Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.
5 Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?
6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

Rather, isn’t our call in Christ, to not be the servant of sin, but rather righteousness in Christ?

Romans 6: 11 “Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.
13 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.
14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
15 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.
16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
17 But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.
18 Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.”

Romans 7:25 “I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.
8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
5 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.”

8:6 “For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.”

8:9 “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. 10 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.”

We are told to “mortify” the deeds of the flesh:

Romans 8:11 “But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.
13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.”

Colossians 3:5 “Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:
6 For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:
7 In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.
8 But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.
9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;
10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:
11 Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.
12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;
13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.
14 And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.”

To “mortify” means:

From Strong’s Concordance:

3499. nekrow nekroo, nek-ro’-o
from 3498; to deaden, i.e. (figuratively) to subdue:–be dead, mortify.

Mortify in Romans 8:13

2289. yanatow thanatoo, than-at-o’-o
from 2288 to kill (literally or figuratively):–become dead, (cause to be) put to death, kill, mortify.

Greek 2288 (thanatos)

2288. yanatov thanatos, than’-at-os
from 2348; (properly, an adjective used as a noun) death (literally or figuratively):–X deadly, (be…) death.

Greek 2348 (thnesko), ynhskw thnesko, thnay’-sko
a strengthened form of a simpler primary thano than’-o (which is used for it only in certain tenses); to die (literally or figuratively):–be dead, die.

The online Merriam Webster Dictionary states:

Main Entry: mor·ti·fy
Pronunciation: 'mor-t&-"fI
Function: verb
Inflected Form(s): -fied; -fy·ing
Etymology: Middle English mortifien, from Middle French mortifier, from Late Latin mortificare, from Latin mort-, mors
Date: 14th century
transitive senses
1 obsolete : to destroy the strength, vitality, or functioning of
2 : to subdue or deaden (as the body or bodily appetites) especially by abstinence or self-inflicted pain or discomfort
3 : to subject to severe and vexing embarrassment : SHAME
intransitive senses
1 : to practice mortification
2 : to become necrotic or gangrenous

http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=mortify

One entry found for mortification.Main Entry: mor·ti·fi·ca·tion
Pronunciation: "mor-t&-f&-'kA-sh&n
Function: noun
Date: 14th century
1 : the subjection and denial of bodily passions and appetites by abstinence or self-inflicted pain or discomfort
…3 a : a sense of humiliation and shame caused by something that wounds one’s pride or self-respect b : the cause of such humiliation or shame

The Cambridge online Dictionary states this:

Definition> mortify … to cause someone to feel extremely ashamed:

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=51978&dict=CALD

Encarta Dictionary online adds these thoughts:

“…1. transitive verb shame somebody: to make somebody feel ashamed and humiliated

2. transitive verb religion impose hardship on: to use self-imposed discipline, hardship, abstinence from pleasure, and especially self-inflicted pain in an attempt to control or put an end to desires and passions, especially for religious purposes…”

encarta.msn.com/encnet/features/dictionary/

If we, as Believer’s in the grace and sacrifice of Jesus Christ, have sacred cows and idols of the heart and things we hang on to that make us double minded, if we live according to the flesh instead of according to Biblical obedience, we should feel ashamed.

Those who love Jesus Christ are called to a higher calling. That is, to total focus and obedience to Him, without duplicity or hypocrisy.

2 Corinthians 10:3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:
4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
6 And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.
7 Do ye look on things after the outward appearance? If any man trust to himself that he is Christ’s, let him of himself think this again, that, as he is Christ’s, even so are we Christ’s.

Titus 2:10 “Not purloining, but showing all good fidelity; that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things.
11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, 12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;
14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. 15 These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.” [THE END!]

Now to speak on insanity…  it is quite simple. A mind without God is an insane mind!

If you are not wanting truth and able to lay down your idols to get it then you have chosen your sinful state over God and you are insane and an insane person is always found to be double minded or as some call it two faced!

What’s That You Are Eating?

Should we be following the food laws?
CLEAN AND UNCLEAN FOOD.

By Arnold Kennedy
Below is an excerpt on this subject, from a Bible Commentary, which excerpt is typical of most other
commentaries. It embodies the traditional doctrine that most churches teach about the Commandments of God as being now set aside. . A typical commentary comment is, “In the NT, however, such provisions for identifying ‘clean’ and ‘unclean’ animals were understood to have been set aside with the coming of Jesus (Mark 7:19; see also Acts 10:10-16)”. At least they are honest enough to say, “were understood” which shows they are not sure. If the argument was sure as is taught, it contains basic flaws, even if at first glance it appears to be reasonable, or even appears to be right.
FROM THE BIBLE KNOWLEDGE COMMENTARY.
“The precise meaning of these laws has been a source of debate since pre-Christian times. Perhaps
the most popular modern explanation of the laws is that certain animals were prohibited for hygienic
reasons. Commentators point out that pork may be a source of trichinosis and that the hare is a
carrier of tularemia. However, several lines of evidence make this explanation improbable: (1) Jesus
declared that all foods should be considered clean (Mark 7:14-23). This was reconfirmed in a
heavenly vision granted to Peter (Acts 10:9-23) since the disciples seemed to have missed the point
of Jesus’ earlier declaration. It is difficult to believe that God was concerned about the health of His
people in the Old Testament, but abandoned that concern in the New Testament. (2) Eating some of
the “clean” animals may represent a greater danger to health than some of the “unclean” ones. (3)
No hygienic reasons are given as motives for observing the law of the clean and the unclean. And
the Old Testament does not state that the Israelites considered the unclean animals dangerous to
their health.
A second popular interpretation of the prohibition of unclean animals for food is that they were used
in pagan cultic rites. Evidence for this is that the unclean animals are said to be ”detestable“ (Deut.
14:3). The same Hebrew word is used elsewhere in Deuteronomy of idolatry and other pagan
practices (7:25; 12:31). Also some unclean animals (e.g., pigs) were widely used in pagan rituals.
However, this explanation clarifies so little of the data that it is not too useful. And one may adduce
counter examples. For instance, the bull, a common symbol in the religions of the ancient Near East,
was permitted as food for the Israelites.
A third explanation is that the clean and unclean animals were symbolic of good and evil in the
human realm. This explanation became extremely subjective and even fanciful by earlier interpreters
of the Old Testament. For instance, some held that chewing of the cud (14:6-8) represented the
faithful believer who meditated on the Law. Others taught that the sheep (v. 4) was clean because it
served as a reminder that the Lord is His people’s Shepherd. This symbolic interpretation should be
rejected since it is divorced from the controls of grammatical historical exegesis, and therefore is
impossible to validate. However, a symbolic interpretation may be essentially correct if it is applied
comprehensively under strict exegetical controls to all the ceremonially clean and unclean animals
here”.
To gain right understanding, we firstly must examine the two passages of Scripture given in the commentary passage.
THE FIRST BIBLE PASSAGE USED TO SUPPORT TRADITION.
Mark 7:14-23 And when he had called all the people unto him, he said unto them, Hearken unto me
every one of you, and understand:
15 There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which
come out of him, those are they that defile the man.
16 If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.
17 And when he was entered into the house from the people, his disciples asked him concerning the
parable.
18 And he saith unto them, Are ye so without understanding also? Do ye not perceive, that
whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man, it cannot defile him;
19 Because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging
all meats?
20 And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man.
21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,
22 Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride,
foolishness:
23 All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.
In looking at this passage quoted, we should note that the commentaries have not gone back to the place
where the context is established. Here this context is established earlier in the chapter where Jesus is
contrasting the “commandments of men” with the “commandments of God”. In general, churches do not
seem to note the difference!
Mark 7:7-9. “Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of
men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as
the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. And he said
unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your
own tradition”
In no way does Jesus discount or eliminate the “commandments of God”. It is the “commandments
of men” Jesus attacks. Jesus does not commend or sanction the eating of unclean foods, or of breaking the “commandments of God” in these passages. Jesus is insisting that it was the “commandments of God” that were being rejected and thus were being broken by these Judean leaders. They had substituted their
interpretations for the “commandments of God”. The “commandments of men” Jesus talks about are the “washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do”. What the Judean leaders were keeping, or trying to keep, were the “commandments of men”. For the commentaries to insist, or even to infer, that these two sets of commandments are the same is not only a lie, it is total error. The commentators need to be able to explain how “the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do” has anything to do with eating pork or unclean foods. Jesus nowhere mentions pork or unclean meat in these passages, and in no way links the two differing sets of commandments.
When Jesus gave His explanation, to His disciples, saying, “Are ye so without understanding also?
Do ye not perceive, that whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man, it cannot defile him; Because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats?”, the context concerns only those things relating to the “commandments of men”. It is these things of man and mans’ religion that “goeth out into the draught, purging all meats”. The fact that pork, for instance, likewise “goes out into the draught” does not mean it is no longer an unclean food, even if commentators say it is so. Not eating swine’s flesh is part of the “commandments of God”, and this is not mentioned in this passage as being part of the “commandments of men”.
THE SECOND BIBLE PASSAGE USED TO SUPPORT TRADITION.
Acts 10:9-30 On the morrow, as they went on their journey, and drew nigh unto the city, Peter went
up upon the housetop to pray about the sixth hour: 10 And he became very hungry, and would have eaten: but while they made ready, he fell into a trance, 11 And saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending unto him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth: 12 Wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air. 13 And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat. 14 But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean. 15 And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.

16 This was done thrice: and the vessel was received up again into heaven. 17 Now while Peter doubted in himself what this vision which he had seen should mean, behold, the men which were sent from Cornelius had made enquiry for Simon’s house, and stood before the gate, 18 And called, and asked whether Simon, which was surnamed Peter, were lodged there. 19 While Peter thought on the vision, the Spirit said unto him, Behold, three men seek thee. 20 Arise therefore, and get thee down, and go with them, doubting nothing: for I have sent them. 21 Then Peter went down to the men which were sent unto him from Cornelius; and said, Behold, I am he whom ye seek: what is the cause wherefore ye are come? 22 And they said, Cornelius the centurion, a just man, and one that feareth God, and of good report among all the nation of the Jews, was warned from God by an holy angel to send for thee into his house, and to hear words of thee. 23 Then called he them in, and lodged them. And on the morrow Peter went away with them, and certain brethren from Joppa accompanied him. 24 And the morrow after they entered into Caesarea. And Cornelius waited for them, and had called together his kinsmen and near friends. 25 And as Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him, and fell down at his feet, and worshipped him. 26 But Peter took him up, saying, Stand up; I myself also am a man. 27 And as he talked with him, he went in, and found many that were come together. 28 And he said unto them, Ye know how that it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company, or come unto one of another nation; but God hath shewed me that I should not call any man common or unclean. 29 Therefore came I unto you without gainsaying, as soon as I was sent for: I ask therefore for what intent ye have sent for me? 30 And Cornelius said, Four days ago I was fasting until this hour; and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house, and, behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing,

Peter states simply what God had showed him in the vision, i.e. “God hath shewed me that I
should not call any man common or unclean”. To say that God showed Peter anything different such as,
“It is now acceptable to eat unclean meats”, is to call both Peter and the Word of God both liars.
The commentator says regarding the first passage in Mark chapter seven, “This was reconfirmed in a
heavenly vision granted to Peter (Acts 10:9-23) since the disciples seemed to have missed the point of
Jesus’ earlier declaration”. But did they really? Peter did not agree with the commentator that the symbols
in his vision had anything to with being able to eat unclean foods. The commentators refuse to believe what Peter says. This is because the commentators have to ignore the context, in order to support their traditional wrong doctrine. The context includes a connection about Peter being able to tell Cornelius what he should do. Verse 5. And now send men to Joppa, and call for one Simon, whose surname is Peter: He lodgeth with one Simon a tanner, whose house is by the sea side: he shall tell thee what thou oughtest to do This has nothing at all to do with eating or not eating pork, or any other animals God has declared to be unclean as food. When we read, “Ye know how that it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company, or come unto one of another nation; but God hath shewed me that I should not call any man common or unclean”, the “one of another nation” is allophulos which means “one of a kindred tribe”. In his explanation, Peter said something limiting the churches refuse to accept, “The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ”. As the Judeans thought of the 10 tribes of House of Israel as being unclean like pigs and other unclean animals, then we can start to understand the vision. But, in no way has it anything to do with eating or not eating swine’s flesh. It is about the Word of God being sent to, and received by, the “gentilised” House of Israel.
As always, the symbols in a vision have to be interpreted! The commentators do not do this in this
passage. Imagine how ridiculous it would be if all the symbols in Biblical visions were taken literally as the commentators have done here. Where we read in the vision of Peter saying, ‘Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean’ and ‘the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common’, this is part of the vision; it is not part of the interpretation. Thus churches are not teaching what Peter says God showed him. It is not unusual to find such wrong teachings in commentaries and Bible footnotes. And it is pointed out; the difference between clean and unclean animals predates Moses, since Noah knew the difference when he took the animals into the ark! The difference is eternal!
SOME RELATIVE NOTES FROM THE SAME COMMENTARY.
In Isaiah 66 we find this statement, which in context, is concerned with God’s people.
Isaiah 66:17 They that sanctify themselves, and purify themselves in the gardens behind one tree
in the midst, eating swine’s flesh, and the abomination, and the mouse, shall be
consumed together, saith the LORD.
Being consumed by God for eating swine’s flesh is a heavy statement! The abomination is shequets = “an
unclean thing, an abomination”. Yes, it is heavy for Isaiah to say that God will consume eaters of pork,
rodents and other things. But the same commentary (as quoted earlier in this paper) contradicts itself as it
agrees that eating unclean animals as being unlawful, stands until Judgment Day, saying:
When God restores His people to Jerusalem (vv. 10-13) in the Millennium, they will rejoice and
prosper, but on His and her enemies He will swoop down in judgment like a fire (cf. 2 Thes. 1:7-9)
and a whirlwind to slay them. This judgment will be fair because of their abominations: worshiping in
idolatrous gardens (cf. Isa. 1:29; 65:3) and eating ceremonially unclean animals such as pigs (cf.
65:4; 66:3; Lev. 11:7) and rats (cf. Lev. 11:29).
Where did they get the word “ceremonially”? It is from tradition. God’s commandment not to eat unclean
food has nothing to do with any ceremony. It has nothing to do with food offered to idols either. The word “enemies” refers to those of God’s people who are eating pigs and mice, etc. Here this commentary is contradicting what they say in their quotation found in the first page of this paper. They confirm this
concerning the verse below, which again is about eating swine’s flesh: Is 65:2-7 Which remain among the graves, and lodge in the monuments, which eat swine’s flesh, and broth of abominable things is in their vessels; Which say, Stand by thyself, come not near to me; for I am holier than thou. These are a smoke in my nose, a fire that burneth all the day. Behold, it is written before me: I will not keep silence, but will recompense, even recompense into their bosom, Your iniquities, and the iniquities of your fathers together, saith the LORD, which have burned incense upon the mountains, and blasphemed me upon the hills: therefore will I measure their former work into their bosom.

The commentary says, as follows:
Isaiah 65:1-7. Constantly reaching out to Israel, God revealed Himself to those who did not even ask
for that revelation. Only because of His grace did He do so, even calling out to them, Here am I. Yet
they did not respond. He was always ready to help them (holding out His hands; Paul quotes vv. 1-2
in Rom. 10:20-21), but they continued to be stubborn, independent, and evil. They provoked God by
(a) worshiping in pagan gardens (cf. Isa. 1:29; 66:17); (b) being involved in necromancy (supposedly
consulting the dead, while sitting among the graves, 65:4; cf. 8:19); (c) disregarding His dietary laws
(65:4b; cf. 66:3, 17; Lev. 11:7); and (d) being religiously arrogant till they became as repulsive and
irritating to Him as smoke in a person’s nose. Because of their sins, the LORD would judge them. The
Assyrian threat (Isa. 1-37) and the Babylonian Exile (chaps. 38-66) were two of the ways the Lord
disciplined His people. The consequences of sin had to be faced; God would pay them back in
judgment for their idolatrous worship in high places (cf. 57:7).
Here the commentary again declares this reference to eating swine’s flesh concerns God’s people, thus
showing inconsistency. Is there any wonder why church members are all so confused?

A THIRD BIBLE PASSAGE USED TO SUPPORT TRADITION.
Rom. 14:14 I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself:
but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean. But if thy
brother be grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou not charitably.
This is another passage that is used to promote the teaching that the eating of unclean foods was
set aside by Jesus. Here again, tradition, which promotes that idea, has not considered the context. The
context is established in the first verse of the chapter where the issue is about being a vegetarian or not.
Rom. 14:1 For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs.
The context certainly is not about eating, or not eating, unclean meats. It is about being a vegetarian
or not. So, as usual and according to good Greek word usage, “all” refers to the “all” of the context only, and thus does not include anything outside of the particular context. Likewise when we come down to the verse “All things indeed are pure” and “For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost”, there has been no change in the context within this chapter, and thus there is no application outside of the limited context.

A FOURTH BIBLE PASSAGE USED TO SUPPORT TRADITION.
1 Cor.8.8 But meat commendeth us not to God: for neither, if we eat, are we the better;
neither, if we eat not, are we the worse.
Again, to suggest that this means that God’s people can now eat unclean foods once again means
that no notice has been taken of the passage context, which is confined to eating foods offered to idols.

FINAL COMMENT.
No wonder church members are confused over this issue and every issue relating to “the
Commandments of God”, a phrase found often enough within the New Testament, even if churches ignore
the phrase. Church trumpets, such as commentaries and teachers, are making uncertain sounds by
contradicting themselves, in the way as was pointed out above! Commentaries say that on one hand Jesus
has set aside the eating of unclean animals, and on the other hand that God’s people will be judged for
eating swine’s flesh on judgement day, (if not before). What they have set aside are the “commandments of God”.
The footnotes of the “Life Application Bible” actually say, “He did not downgrade the Law, but He
paved the way for the change made clear in Acts 10, 7-22 when He removed the cultural restrictions
regarding food”. Amazing! Does this concept not in fact downgrade the Law of God? And where does
‘culture’ come into it? Do we not say our culture allows us to eat pig but not rat, so that is now our standard? On this basis we could say nothing of the “commandments of God” has any relevance in today’s “culture”. This is what we are seeing today in society and most churches, go along with this idea, even in the holier than thou, so-called “holy ghost works”. There may be some partial acknowledgement of the “commandments of God”-(Mal.2:9)- but God says, “Therefore have I also made you contemptible and base before all the people, according as ye have not kept my ways, but have been partial in the law”. This partiality causes society to view the churches as they do. It is God that has brought this view of churches by society to pass. The blessing and the glory have departed from the churches. Again, why?
Rev. 22:14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of
life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
And, as Jesus says,

John 14:21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he
that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest
myself to him. Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt
manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? Jesus answered and said unto
him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we
will come unto him, and make our abode with him. He that loveth me not keepeth
not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which
sent me.
Jesus has not therefore changed the Father’s word, or the Father’s commandments. In
making obedience a matter of the heart, Jesus did not over-ride the “commandments of God”. He
said,
Matthew 5:17-18 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to
destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or
one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
But, commentaries and Bible footnotes, in general, gyrate in contradictory comments to try to
establish the idea that heaven and earth has already passed away, thus giving the impression that the
“Commandments of God” have been set aside. At least 90% of churches follow the conclusions of these
commentators. Thus churchgoers have been taught to think that unclean foods are now clean.
Ezekiel 22:26 Her priests have violated my law, and have profaned mine holy things: they have
put no difference between the holy and profane, neither have they shewed difference between the unclean and the clean…..
Romans 6:1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? GOD
FORBID:
Galatians 3:21 Is the law then against the promises of God? GOD FORBID:
Paul did not agree with the commentators and neither should any of us.
Those who have been redeemed by the Blood of the Lamb, outside of any works of the Law, then
come into a new relationship where the principle, “Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God,
and keep it” applies.

Anybody for rat pie?

The Whore of Babylon

Richard Anthony

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The Angel said that he will tell us the mystery of the Woman (Rev 17:7, 18). In fact, the whole book of Revelation gives us clues, so we will start our investigation there. Once we have the internal clues the external evidence shouldn’t be too hard to find…

The Woman is called “Sodom” and “Egypt” and “Babylon” (Revelation 11:8; 17:5, 14:8, 18:10, 21). The Woman is located where Jesus was crucified (Revelation 11:8). The Woman’s dwelling place becomes a River of Blood (Revelation 14:20). The Woman is Split into 3 Divisions (Revelation 16:19). The Woman “sits on many waters” (Revelation 17:1) and these “waters” are diverse peoples (Revelation 17:15). The Woman has fornicated with the Heathen World against God (Revelation 17:2, 18:3, 18:9). The Woman is born along on a Beast (Revelation 17:3). The Woman is the Mother of all Whores and Abominable Atrocities (Revelation 17:5). The Woman is Drunk on the Blood of O.T. & N.T. Saints (Revelation 17:6, 18:24, 18:20). The Woman is responsible for the death of the Prophets and Apostles (Revelation 17:6, 18:20, 18:24). The Woman sits on 7 Mountains (Revelation 17:9). The Woman is a dwelling place of devils (Revelation 18:2). The Woman is a Prison for Evil Spirits (Revelation 18:2). The Woman is a Cage, full of Dirty Birds (Revelation 18:2). The Woman has a Full Cup of Iniquities (Revelation 18:5). The Woman is Doubly Judged (Revelation 18:6). The Woman considers herself a Queen (Revelation 18:7). The Woman still considers herself Married (Revelation 18:7). The Woman was Rich and Mourned when Judged (Revelation 18:10, 16-19). The Woman merchandised the Souls of Men (Revelation 18:13). The Woman is pronounced Desolate (Revelation 18:19). The Woman’s sound of Joy is taken away (Revelation 18:22). The Woman’s position of Creativity is taken away (Revelation 18:22). The Woman’s authority as someone equipped to Judge is removed (Revelation 18:22). The Woman’s Light-Bearing ability is snuffed out (Revelation 18:23). The Woman’s Bridegroom has Divorced Her (Revelation 18:23). The Woman’s Engagement/Marriage has been annulled/abrogated (Rev 18:23). The Woman is called “This/That Great City” (Revelation 11:8, 14:8, 16:19, 17:18, 18:10, 16, 18, 19, 21, 21:10).

The Woman = Jerusalem

The most compelling evidence that the woman is Jerusalem is that scripture says it’s where Jesus was crucified! (Revelation 11:8). Compare Jerusalem before her Judgment: (Revelation 11:8) and after Her Judgment (Revelation 21:10).

There are two Jerusalem’s. One was the literal, fleshly type of the true, spiritual Jerusalem. One was the Zion of Israel – the abode or rallying point of God’s chosen nation, the other was the true Zion – the Abode of God and by extension the spiritual Home/Abode of His people where they are written and their spirits assemble before Him in awe and worship.

Jerusalem was once the Beautiful City of God, but now she has become a den of devils and full of idolatries and filthy abominations. God is going to judge Her and give her name to the spiritually faithful – those from both the nation of Israel and the heathen nations. Thus will His “Jerusalem” and His “Zion” be pure.

God also uses the term “this great city” to refer to Jerusalem in the Old Testament (Jeremiah 22:6-9).

The Woman has killed the Saints – the Prophets, Apostles, and Jesus (Revelation 11:8; 17:6; 18: 20,24).

Jerusalem has killed the Saints – the Prophets, Apostles, and Jesus (Matthew 23:29-36; Luke 6:22-23, 26; 11:47-52; 13:28,33-34; Acts 2:23,36; 3:15; 4:10; 5:30; 7:51-52; Romans 11:2-5; 1 Corinthians 2:7-8; 1 Thessalonians 2:14-15, James 5:10).

Mt. Zion & Jerusalem are the Capital City for the Saints (Hebrews 12:18,22-24).

Heaven is The Country for Saints: (Philippians 3:20, Hebrews 11:13-16, Galatians 4:24-26, Psalm 48:2; 74:2; 76:2; 87:5, Matthew 5:34-35).

The “Dragon” was the source of power and authority for the Beast (also referred to as the serpent, the Devil, and Satan at Revelation 12:9, 20:2). Were the Romans ever called “children of the devil”? The Jews were: (John 8:44; Acts 13:10; 1 John 3:10)! The Jews were also called “serpents” and “offspring of vipers” (Matthew 23:33)! And that same verse (Matthew 23:33) condemns them to a fiery end similar to the end of the Beast and his followers (Revelation 19:19-21)!

The 7 Mountains (Revelation 17:9) refer to Jerusalem, not Rome. The seven mountains upon which Jerusalem was built are Mount Zion, Mount Ophel, Mount Moriah, Mount Bezetha, Mount Acra, Mount Gareb, and Mount Goath.

Some might ask, “If the ‘whore’ is Jerusalem, how could the ‘beast’ be Nero Caesar, from Rome? Would not the “beast” be someone who rules over Jerusalem? The answer is that Caesar DID rule over Jerusalem. The highest religious authorities in Jerusalem, and all the Jews living in Jerusalem, even admitted that Caesar is their king (John 19:15).

Revelation 11:8

Let’s look at the term “Sodom.” John wrote that this is a “figurative” name. That means it does not tell us the actual name of the city, but it’s spiritual condition. Once more, in letting the Bible interpret itself, we find this is a reference to Jerusalem. In Isaiah, chapter 1, after declaring that he had a “vision…concerning Judah and Jerusalem” (verse 1), Isaiah wrote, “Hear the words of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom…” In Jeremiah 23:14, because of the adulterous prophets, God said that Jerusalem and her inhabitants had “become to Me like Sodom.”

But what about “Egypt?” No where in the Bible is Jerusalem called Egypt. However, that the first century generation was also in an exodus. While Old Testament Israel’s exodus was from the bondage of Egypt, the New Testament Israel’s exodus was from the bondage of the Old Covenant Law. The most recognizable passage that depicts this “new exodus” is found in I Corinthians 10:1-11. Paul wrote, “And all these things happened to those [as] examples, and was written for our warning; to whom the ends of the ages have arrived.” His contextual foundation for this statement was the Old Testament exodus from Egyptian bondage. He wrote that they had passed through the sea (verse 1). They ate manna and drank from the rock (verse’s 3-4). He then relays how they wandered in the wilderness (verse 5), became idolaters (verse 7), tried the Lord and were destroyed by serpents (verse 9). This shows us that, just like the “type and shadow” of the Old Testament and their deliverance from bondage, the New Testament saints were undergoing the same exodus. The only difference was that Paul’s generation was the reality to which the Old Testament example pointed.

Furthermore, in Luke 13:33-34, Jesus said, “[T]oday and tomorrow, and on the following [day], I must travel on, because it is not possible [for] a prophet to perish outside Jerusalem. Jerusalem! Jerusalem! The [one] killing the prophets, and stoning those having been sent to her.” Then, in Matthew 23:29-37, Jesus blasted the Jews of His day for killing the prophets and the apostles. He declared that they are the children of their fathers who also killed the prophets. Then in verse 32, Jesus said that they would complete the sin that their fathers started. But the most crucial evidence is found in verse 35, where Jesus said, “upon you (i.e., the Jews of His day) may fall the guilt of all the righteous blood shed on the earth.” Then He said, “I tell you the truth, all of these things will happen to you people who are living now. Jerusalem, Jerusalem! You kill the prophets and stone to death those who are sent to you” (verse’s 36-37). In both passages, Jesus told the Jews of His day that they were guilty of “all the righteous blood shed upon the earth” (see also Acts 7:51-52).

Notice of Divorce

In Jeremiah 31:32, God said he was “an husband” to Israel. In Jeremiah 3:8-14 and Isaiah 50:1, God states that he was married to Israel, and gave Israel a bill of divorcement, because Israel committed adultery. This occured around 721 B.C.

Jesus said, “It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement: (Deuteronomy 24:1) But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.” (Matthew 5:31-32).

God said that the only Just reason for divorcing your wife was “on the ground of unfaithfulness.” Also, that a “written notice of divorce” must be given. Would God not abide by His own laws? Prior to the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70, God served Israel her divorce papers. And this allowed for a new bride.

Revelation 21:2, “And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.”

When was the Old Jerusalem destroyed? 70AD. So when should the “new Jerusalem” have been established? 70AD. Aren’t the followers of Christ now the “bride” of Christ? Yes. In 721 B.C., God divorced Himself from the adulterous, harlot wife and gave to His Son a new Bride in 70 A.D.! That’s Us!

Ezekiel 16

Ezekiel 16 is very compelling evidence that Jerusalem is the whore. Here are some excerpts:

Ezekiel 16:1-2, “And there is a word of Jehovah unto me, saying, `Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations, and thou hast said:”Ezekiel 16:7-8, “…And comest in with an excellent adornment, Breasts have been formed, and thy hair hath grown — And thou, naked and bare! And I pass over by thee, and I see thee, And lo, thy time is a time of loves,”

Ezekiel 16:15-18, “And thou dost trust in thy beauty, And goest a-whoring because of thy renown, And dost pour out thy whoredoms On every passer by — to him it is. And thou dost take of thy garments, And dost make to thee spotted high-places, And dost go a-whoring upon them, They are not coming in — nor shall it be! And thou dost take thy beauteous vessels Of My gold and My silver that I gave to thee, And dost make to thee images of a male, And dost go a-whoring with them, And dost take the garments of thy embroidery, And thou dost cover them, And My oil and My perfume thou hast set before them.”

Ezekiel 16:20, “And thou dost take thy sons and thy daughters Whom thou hast born to Me, And dost sacrifice them to them for food. Is it a little thing because of thy whoredoms,”

Ezekiel 16:22, “And with all thine abominations and thy whoredoms,…”

Ezekiel 16:25-26, “At every head of the way thou hast built thy high place, And thou dost make thy beauty abominable, And dost open wide thy feet to every passer by, And dost multiply thy whoredoms, And dost go a-whoring unto sons of Egypt, Thy neighbours — great of appetite! And thou dost multiply thy whoredoms, To provoke Me to anger.”

Ezekiel 16:28-38, “And thou goest a-whoring unto sons of Asshur, Without thy being satisfied, And thou dost go a-whoring with them, And also — thou hast not been satisfied. And thou dost multiply thy whoredoms On the land of Canaan — toward Chaldea, And even with this thou hast not been satisfied. How weak is thy heart, An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah, In thy doing all these, The work of a domineering whorish woman. In thy building thine arch at the head of every way, Thy high place thou hast made in every broad place, And — hast not been as a whore deriding a gift. The wife who committeth adultery — Under her husband — doth receive strangers. To all whores they give a gift, And — thou hast given thy gifts to all thy lovers, And dost bribe them to come in unto thee, From round about — in thy whoredoms. And the contrary is in thee from women in thy whoredoms, That after thee none doth go a-whoring; And in thy giving a gift, And a gift hath not been given to thee; And thou art become contrary. Therefore, O whore, hear a word of Jehovah, Thus said the Lord Jehovah: Because of thy brass being poured forth, And thy nakedness is revealed in thy whoredoms near thy lovers, And near all the idols of thy abominations, And according to the blood of thy sons, Whom thou hast given to them; Therefore, lo, I am assembling all thy lovers, To whom thou hast been sweet, And all whom thou hast loved, Besides all whom thou hast hated; And I have assembled them by thee round about, And have revealed thy nakedness to them, And they have seen all thy nakedness. And I have judged thee — judgments of adultresses, And of women shedding blood, And have given thee blood, fury, and jealousy.”

Ezekiel 16:41, ” And burnt thy houses with fire, And done in thee judgments before the eyes of many women, And I have caused thee to cease from going a-whoring, And also a gift thou givest no more.”

The evidence is overbearing. All throughout scripture, Jerusalem is said to be the whore.

The Beast, Harlot and the Horns

The Bible tells of a particular race of people that are the twelve tribes of Israel/Jacob. Inside the content of the scriptures we read of the House of Judah (3 tribes) and the House of Israel/Jacob/Ephraim (the lost tribes as they are called). All through scriptures we hear YHWH telling us He will redeem Israel because He is the God of Israel. Why then do people apply prophecy to other people and places? Would not it make better sense that prophecy is regarding the 12 tribes as well? Here is a short study that I hope will wake people up to stop believing in what the majority of Judeo-Christianity tells you because you will believe in lies and not even realize it…

Rev 13:1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.

The beast first rises out of the sea (Mediterranean Sea) having seven heads (seven churches which are names in Revelations) and ten horns (kingdoms) with crowns (power/royalty) with lies concerning God on the heads.

Rev 13:2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.

Fast as a leopard, able to tear you to shreds, and has a loud boasting mouth that roars out lies. The dragon here is the same as the red dragon and there is a name of a person in the bible who was referred to as red.

Gen 25:25 And the first came out red, all over like an hairy garment; and they called his name Esau.

The dragon represents Esau’s bloodline and possibly the impostor Khazar Jews. We were told that Esau would be involved by looking at what YHWH told his mother while they (Esau/Jacob) were in her womb.

Gen 25:23 And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger.

What many do not realize is that when the tribes were sent into captivity, Esau, or as the bible refers to them as Edomites, were mixed with modern Jewry. When few returned to Jerusalem from Babylon, Edom was mixed with the House of Judah that returned. During Yeshua’s time, the king known as Herod as well as the high priest was not from Judah, they were Edomites. Herod not Solomon built the wall, which the Jews flock to today. Esau sold his birthright and his descendants have mixed with Jacob and pretend to be Israel. Edom practices the religion of Babylon and gives power to those that also practice this religion, which gains a person authority over others and a seat above others. This is the religion of Judaism. The Talmud and the Cabala were both brought back to Jerusalem from Babylon after Judah mixed with Edom returned. (Mind you only 45,000 out of 500,000 ever returned. The rest mixed with the other lost tribes over time) Today they call themselves the nation of Israel and are mixed with Khazar converts that are not even from Abraham since WWII and are imposters. Israel (the nation of today) represents Edom and Edom /Khazars are the dragon and Judaism is the beast.

Rev 13:3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.

When Yeshua was murdered by these people, they suffered a deadly wound and nearly vanished however over time as they had become bound for a little season, they were let loose again and today they know their time is short so they seek whom they can destroy. Now the world marvels for the Jew. They call them God’s chosen people but they are chosen for destruction and no longer have a place in heaven. Many churches today support this beast and are afraid to say anything against them knowing full well that the Jew hates Yeshua and by their own admission they are anti-Christ.

Rev 13:4 And they worshiped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshiped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?

By accepting the dragon, Israel, which gives power to the Judaism beast, fulfilsl this scripture. This is false worship and false worship is how one takes the mark of the beast. Who is able to speak out against Jews or Israel today without being labeled anti-Semitic? Who is able to war with them with out the rest of the world coming down on you hard? Like the Muslims for instance, the world hates them because they know the truth of the Jew and are not afraid to say it.

Rev 13:5 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.

Have you read any of the Talmud? They claim Yeshua/Jesus is a bastard and is not the Messiah that the Jew needs no Messiah as they consider themselves gods. If that isn’t blasphemy, what is? This is the one sin you cannot be forgiven for so don’t tell me YHWH will save the Jew. They are doomed and set for destruction. Forty and two months is the same as 1260 days. In Revelations we have John measuring the court that will be trampled under foot for 42 months.

Rev 13:6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.

Where do you think all of the false doctrines come from in churches?

Rev 13:7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.

Who is charge of the money in the world? Where the money is, you will find control. We are slaves to banks and jobs to pay them.

Rev 13:8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

Oh no, if you are supporting them and as you read this you are thinking I am crazy, you are dead! If you worship the beast guess what… your name won’t be found and you will be destroyed.

Rev 13:9 If any man have an ear, let him hear.

Rev 13:10 He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.

Understand?

Well, let’s stop there for a minute. Who are the ten kingdoms that have crowns?

Rev 17:12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.

Rev 17:13 These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.

Rev 17:14 These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.

Ten kingdoms that haven’t yet received their kingdoms is referring to ten tribes that have not received their inheritance yet. The ten horns are ten tribes of Israel in the bible. They will believe in the beast and for a time make war with Yeshua. But they won’t win. Those that are called, chosen and faithful out the tribes with Yeshua as their King and Messiah will defeat them and win! The tribes that worship the beast will be the majority and they all think alike.

Rev 13:11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.

Here we have the same beast rise out of the earth (He has migrated just as the tribes have) Two horns and speaks like a lamb. This is Judeo-Christianity and Catholicism. They preach Jesus but support the enemy of YHWH.

Rev 13:12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.

Hey look at the Jews! They are their own nation and God’s chosen people! If you say anything against them, God will punish you. NONSENSE! God has already spoken against them!

Rev 13:13 And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,

Ever been to a Pentecostal church? The say they speak with tongues of fire but it is confusion and tongues of man. I grew up in one and they are heavy into delusions and false doctrines as well as worship of the Jew.

Rev 13:14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.

With their tongues of fire they deceive people to believe it is a gift from God and you must have it to be saved. That is so non-biblical. Tongues are for the unbeliever not for a feel good moment for those that claim to believe. They make images to the Judaism with their support and lies. The paint a purdy picture!

Rev 13:15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.

This image is what many are teaching and preaching in churches. By living the false doctrine, it breathes life. If you do not believe in their ways, you are cast out. If you speak out against Jews you are cursed. And there have been those literally killed for their words against Judaism.

Rev 13:16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:

Rev 13:17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

Poor people pay tithes to these false churches, people give money to support the Jews, and all believe in lies to the point of rejecting the love of truth and taking it to heart. They in their minds (foreheads) accept these false teachings over truth and by their actions (hand) they are known to be supporters of evil. They have their mark! Guess what? If isn’t an RFID chip!

Rev 13:18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.

What? He isn’t a fallen angel? NO HE IS MAN!

So who is the two horns here? They represent Judeo-Christianity and Catholicism, which we already discussed, and they are the remaining two tribes of Israel, Joseph and Manasseh/America and Europe.

Want more? Lets look into Revelations 17 now.

Rev 17:1 And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will show unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:

Who is the whore that sits on great waters? You will know at the end of this study.

Rev 17:2 With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.

Rev 17:3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet colored beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.

Esau the scarlet colored beast of Judaism.

Rev 17:4 And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet color, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:

Sounds like priest garments.

Exo 28:2 And thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother for glory and for beauty.

Exo 28:3 And thou shalt speak unto all that are wise hearted, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron’s garments to consecrate him, that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office.

Exo 28:4 And these are the garments which they shall make; a breastplate, and an ephod, and a robe, and an embroidered coat, a miter, and a girdle: and they shall make holy garments for Aaron thy brother, and his sons, that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office.

Exo 28:5 And they shall take gold, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen.

Exo 28:6 And they shall make the ephod of gold, of blue, and of purple, of scarlet, and fine twined linen, with cunning work.

Exo 28:7 It shall have the two shoulder pieces thereof joined at the two edges thereof; and so it shall be joined together.

Exo 28:8 And the curious girdle of the ephod, which is upon it, shall be of the same, according to the work thereof; even of gold, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen.

But wait the color blue is missing from Revelations? Why?

Num 15:38 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 ribbon of blue:

Num 15:39 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:

The harlot, though she claims to be God’s representative on earth, the missing color blue in her description indicates that she actively disregards and transgresses the law of God. One of the characteristics of the antichrist power is lawlessness:

Rev 17:5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

Rev 17:6 And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.

All of the prophets were killed in Jerusalem. The saints were martyred there as well.

Mat 23:37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!

Rev 17:7 And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.

Rev 17:8 The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.

The beast was in Yeshua’s time then was bound for a little season then was let out and is in lawlessness. He was and is not God’s yet he was bound and now is again.

Rev 17:9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.

Jerusalem is sitting on seven mountains, I know Rome is too but Rome is not the beast. They are offspring of Judaism just like today’s Christianity. The names of the mountains are Mount Zion, Mount Ophel, Mount Moriah, Mount Bezetha, Mount Acra, Mount Gareb, and Mount Goath.

Rev 17:10 And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.

Rev 17:11 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.

These are the seven church ages. One of them was the true worship of YHWH and was of the seven but was distorted and changed and is the eighth. The Jews say they keep YHWH’s law and statutes but they do not. They are of the seven and are the eighth. They are the synagogues of satan. Five church stages are gone, the one that is and one that is coming that I believe we are either entering or are in now and the eighth of the seven which is Judaism. The beast, which we have seen is Judaism is the eighth.

Rev 17:12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.

Rev 17:13 These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.

Rev 17:14 These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.

We have already touched this.

Rev 17:15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.

She sits on the world. Judaism is currently worldwide. In all nations and languages and from sea to shining sea.

Rev 17:16 And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.

Oh no, the ten tribes turn on her!

Rev 17:17 For God hath put in their hearts to fulfill his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.

It is YHWH that causes the tribes to give their kingdom to the beast, not a fallen angel demon god. He does it until HIS words are fulfilled then watch out whore! The tribes are going to rip you apart!

Rev 17:18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.

Jerusalem!!!!

One more part before I end. Many maybe asking, “ What of the little horn of Daniel?”.

Dan 7:7 After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and broke in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns.

There are those ten tribes again.

Dan 7:8 I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.

The little horn removes Judah, Benjamin and Levi and pretends to be the House of Judah when they are actually Edomites and Khazar Jews and do not belong among the ten tribes.

Dan 7:9 I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire.

Dan 7:10 A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.

Dan 7:11 I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spoke: I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame.

And they are judged and destroyed forever gone! The end!