Satan’s Highly Successful Tool  - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com

“…for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.” 2 Peter 2:19b. If I was the devil and I wanted to motivate people toward a certain goal to bring them to a point of full bondage to me, what tool could I incorporate into their lives to control their minds, hearts, even their very souls? T.E.L.E.V.I.S.I.O.N. What a concept; a tool that would start out to be so very innocuous but would grow to become a highly successful manipulator. After all, it’s always on.

Every Christian believer knows full well that it is Satan’s intent to remove God from the minds of men - period. Just look how much freer Satan is now that he’s able to introduce subjects more in line with humanities sinful nature and desires, without condemnation or much resistance, all through the medium of television. The enemy of mankind has created a “leisure time” product that has now infiltrated every home, and what a potential for leading the masses astray. Television has become the full-on corrupting influence of a major segment of earth’s society. Television now dominates the human mind and heart. What better source of influence than television to bring evil right into the living room of every home?

Most children today are brought up in homes where watching TV is a way of life. In many homes television has become the family baby sitter. This includes many Christian homes as well. Does anyone reading this commentary honestly believe programmed television has had a positive effect on humanity? That’s like saying Satan has had a positive effect on humanity. “Well Ron, we have to take some bad with the good”. Do we? When humankind capitulates to the enemy it only enhances Satan’s position as corrupter in chief. Taking the bad with the good only further enables the bad. A mustard seed of corruption is as leaven in a loaf of bread; eventually it will permeate the whole loaf.

In today’s culture it’s almost unheard of to go anywhere in public where there isn’t a television disrupting the peace. Department stores, restaurants, gas stations, tire outlets you name it, television is always on and it’s thriving. We’ve been programmed to watch television every waking moment, and to believe in its content. All the while our minds are being polluted with the god of this world’s concepts of good vs. evil. Conversely, his concepts of good and evil are both equally evil.

The following is a quote from a recent article on the Fox News website: “TV producers look for ever-more salacious and twisted reality plot lines. Reality TV is cheap to make and producers battle to find the most bizarre plot line that appeals to devils of our nature. It would be nice to find something on TV that is uplifting and inspiring, not depraved and abusive,” said Dan Gainor, Vice President of the Business and Media Institute. “To the entertainment industry, there is no such thing as ‘too far,’ so making fun of young grandmothers and pregnant teens is par for the course.”

“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.” 2 Peter 2:20. By becoming entangled in the world of the satanic television, humanity is being systematically drawn away from God, away from our Lord Jesus Christ. Television corrupts, and although many have been introduced to the knowledge of the Lord, the entanglement into the pollutions of television becomes overpowering as that influence outweighs any other. Why? Because televisions are always on, while Bibles remain closed. Here’s a simple rule to gauge your television addiction. Ask yourself these two questions. First, what’s the first thing you reach for every morning? The remote or your Bible. And second, what’s the last thing you put down each night before bed? The remote or your Bible. Overcoming the demonic influence in your very own home can be a daunting task as television becomes embedded into your very nature.

“…and to keep himself unspotted from the world.” James 1:27b. The world loves television. In His word, God tells us to refrain from becoming defiled (unspotted) by the world. We have become an idolatrous generation creating our very own god which we cherish. People are predisposed to follow their god no matter what kind of idol that god turns out to be. The god of this world promotes his agenda through the medium of television. He and his lackeys pump mankind with deceptions that in turn men begin to believe; thus when presented with the truth of the Word of the One true God, that truth is regarded as fantasy or myth. Many today, because of the adverse influence of television, look at God’s Word similar to the way they would look at a children’s book of fairytales.

The world is upside down. Through the systematic infiltration of programmed television into our homes, we’re being taught that every form of wickedness is now acceptable in our new and enlightened society. On the forefront of wickedness is worldwide acceptance of abortions – murdering the innocent unwanted. Next is the newly created belief that the act of homosexuality is natural – even God ordained . My brethren, this should not be so .

Satan knows full well that to entangle us in his deceit he mustn’t simply offer sleaze as far as television programming goes, but that to influence us to a point of addiction he must also incorporate stories that touch the heart strings of humanity These plus breaking news stories of world events are all intentional to keep us glued to our chair as we stare at that inanimate object in the corner of the room, many times to the exclusion of all else.

On the surface television seems innocuous. But do you sense that the inception of television was a well thought out plan? If you answered yes then your senses are working fine because it was a very well thought out plan. The problem is it’s a satanic plan created to entice us while polluting our minds. It entraps us and brings us into submission to the god of this world – to fulfill his agenda. Humanity has become so engrossed with programmed television that Satan now has them for all seasons. Today most people are so ensnared in their relationship with their television that that piece of furniture has become their god – satanic as it is.

People today want more entertainment than ever before. Television has been designated to be the force that fulfills that desire, and they don’t even need to leave their living rooms. I’ve spoken with many people who agree with me that programmed television is a perversion and that we should not be watching it – especially those who claim to follow Jesus Christ. Yet these same folks continue to watch their desired programs – they are addicted. A line from the movie “Fireproof” would fit quite well here, “Watch out for parasites.”

A while back there was a concept promoted with very little fanfare, or acceptance for that matter, and that was, “If you don’t like what you’re watching turn the channel”. Well that didn’t work because Satan is fully involved and he put the trash on every channel. Next a new promotion with basically the same concept was, “Just turn it off if you don’t like it”. That too was short lived because people were already so completely addicted to programmed television that they couldn’t just turn it off. Finally there was cable and people could order the programming they wanted, but it was bundled with offensive programming so they had to pay for the bad to get the good (remember we’re talking about a media outlet that Satan has designed to fit his parameters). Most would call this entrapment.

In 1995 when I became a Christian I was addicted to television. But it gradually occurred to me that I was watching a plethora of filth. Not only that, but as I began to realize and embrace my role as the spiritual leader of my family, I also became fully aware of the satanic influence I was allowing my wife and our daughter to be filled with. On Sunday morning we would head off to Church to worship with likeminded believers, but all week long our minds had been filled with the refuse supplied by the god of this world instead of the word of God. In the year 2000 (yes it took five years) my wife and I made the decision to never again bring programmed television into our home. Our youngest daughter was 10 years old and the things we were watching on television were so very offensive that we just couldn’t allow our daughter to be satanically influenced.

When programmed television was eliminated in the Graham home, Bible study became our focus. What an eye opener that has been for us. Now, some twelve years later, I’m able to share my God given understanding of the Bible with millions of people around the world. I’ve honored God with my persistence in studying His word while eliminating that satanic influence in my family’s life. Satan hates me because I follow Jesus Christ, but he despises me because I’ve turned my back on his influence. Yes, we still own a television, a video player, and a DVD player and we will occasionally watch a movie. But we are not inundated with the filth that the god of this world has designated for all homes to be saturated with. We refuse him and his invasion into our lives. There is nothing godly about programmed television.

Most people, including Christians, can easily give the score of the latest professional sports matchup but have no idea who Levi is in the Bible. Can we not see that this is intentional? Satan does not want us to read our Bibles, let alone actually study them. Therefore he’s given us an alternative, which is television – a venue that is not only distracting but most people will derive much more pleasure from television than from studying their Bibles. Satan has been very successful at distracting people and leading them away from God. Certainly Christians should see this evil. Sadly many don’t, and won’t. So let me ask you, my friend, what does the Bible say about being led astray? “I don’t know, I’ve been watching television”. That’s a truthful answer, but it’s a sad commentary on Bible study.

“…and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:” 1 Peter 3:15. How many Christians do you know who can give an answer for the hope that lies within them? For that matter, how many Christians do you know, personally, who are able to give a sufficient answer to a nonbeliever’s inquiry concerning the validity of the Bible? “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.” 2 Timothy 4:2. I wonder how many Christians today understand what it means to preach the word, or how many are always ready with all longsuffering to reprove, rebuke, and exhort using correct doctrine. My guess is not many .

So, what do we do about gleaning information concerning current events without the television blaring in the corner of the room? There are alternatives. Some are not much better than television. Believe me, the god of this world has his hands in every form of media. But there are still newspapers with world reports, magazines, books, and radio. Most people have computers and can visit many websites that offer a huge amount of breaking news and other content without being infected with Satan’s shenanigans. But let me just add, if you seek the filth you will find it. Satan guarantees it.

T.E.L.E.V.I.S.I.O.N. is an acronym for “The Evil Lies Everywhere Visible In Satan’s Invasive Offensive Nonsense”. Don’t fall for his deceptions, they are many and they are destructive. We are admonished in God’s word to separate ourselves from the world, but how do we do that when we are so addicted to the things of the world? One way to break the addiction is to come to grips with the satanic influence being assimilated into our lives. My wife and I realized the adverse effect that television was having on our daughter early on, and we were determined that while she was a child we would do everything possible to eliminate that pervasive wickedness which was coming into the sanctuary of our home through programmed television. By doing so God strengthened our own resolve to eliminate that segment of the satanic influence in our lives and bring Bible study to the forefront. We also homeschooled our daughter which added a huge amount of responsibility to our everyday lives, but it was well worth it in the long run. “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6. We watch our youngest child today at age 22 growing into the young women we always wanted her to become. And we are sure that’s what God wanted also.

I can’t say it any plainer than this, turn off the television and your life will change for the better as you learn to honor God in all you view and all you do.

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
All scripture is from the KJV and God breathed

Please continue to pray for my health to improve, Thank you, and God bless.
Ministry address – 96 County Road 5480 Salem, MO 65560

My past commentaries are archived at the following link
http://www.raptureready.com/featured/graham/graham.html 
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Bombs over Persia - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com

“Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him, And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal:” Ezekiel 38:2-3. Are we seeing the beginning of the fulfillment of the prophecy God gave to Ezekiel? In the last few weeks the extreme rhetoric that has been tossed back and forth by Iran, Russia, the US, and Israel is striking to say the least. After my commentary entitled “Hybrids” was posted to the internet a few weeks ago people have been asking me “What’s next?” So what is next? Well, what’s the whole world witnessing today?

“Iran plans one-kiloton underground nuclear test in 2012” DEBKAfile Special Report January 10, 2012. First of all, the above statement should bring to a close all the debate as to whether or not Iran is developing a nuclear bomb. Secondly, most of us already knew they were in that process, we just didn’t know exactly where in the process they were – now we do. For those in the die hard “don’t confuse me with facts” crowd, uh, sorry but the facts are obvious. So, what’s next? I believe all the world would do well to come to grips with the fact that Iran means to wipe Israel off the proverbial world map – that truth is obvious and is seen as being their only intent for acquiring the bomb. Therefore the Jewish people around the world now stand at a precipice not seen since WWII – and they have a decision to make. Do they allow Iran to achieve their goal of perfecting a nuclear bomb – do they even allow Iran to test that bomb? Or do they strike Iran and bring the playing field of nuclear bomb holder nations back to pre-nuclear Iran days? By the way, Russia (Magog) has made it plain, striking Iran is a no-no.

More than anything else, Iran wants to push the Nation of Israel off its God given land and into the Mediterranean Sea – to be swallowed up, and forgotten forever. Then as they are reeling from that accomplishment and feeling vindicated and powerful they’d like nothing better than to see to it that the U.S. of A. takes a similar plunge. Clearly something must be done to stem the advance of a nuclear Iran, and it probably should have been done yesterday. Make no mistake, no matter what decision is made it will be costly.

Just how close are we to the prophesied Second Advent of Jesus Christ? That depends. If Iran fires a nuke at Israel, certainly earth’s Christian populous would be in a heightened state of expectation. Israel will not be annihilated, God will not allow that scenario to come to pass; He will intervene for His people Israel. The United States of America, on the other hand, is a different story. There is no promise from God to save America from annihilation save, of course, the promise He made to Abraham. “And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee:” Genesis 12:3. Although the United States of America has partnered with Israel to this point, with the vehement rhetoric coming from our fearless leader concerning Israel, perhaps Christian, it’s time to start looking up.

There is a verse in Ezekiel that seems appropriate for insertion here. “And I will send a fire on Magog, and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the LORD.” Ezekiel 39:6. Obviously God is adamant about what the future of Magog holds. Then God refers to “them” in the same thought. Who is God referring to when He says “I will send a fire…among them that dwell carelessly in the isles?” The Hebrew word translated to English as “carelessly” can also mean in safety or security. The Hebrew word used here actually denotes a sense of false security or a confidence that is unrealistic. Israel will be in this same mode of false security when Russia (Magog) and her allies come against them. In the “isles” means region or country. So who is it that God is referring to? What county has been dwelling carelessly in their own country for some time now? Could it be that God has His sights on the good old U.S. of A., as we as a nation turn our backs on Him and more specifically on His people Israel?

Persia (Iran) is prophesied to move against Israel in the last days, but according to God’s word, Persia will be defeated. Now this is a very interesting scenario since Russia is telling the world that an attack on Tehran, Iran, is an attack on Moscow. Well now, that changes the dynamic somewhat. If Israel launches a preemptive strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities, Russia is going to be drug into the fray as though someone placed a hook in its jaw. “And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army…” Ezekiel 38:4a.

The whole idea of a nuclear Iran is beyond belief, not to mention comprehension. Yet for those of us who’ve studied the word of God, and believe what we read, we’ve no doubt that Iran (Persia) will do everything it can to destroy Israel in these last days. They will fail, but of course Iran doesn’t see it that way. Right now their leadership is bent on bringing together all the elements necessary to create global conflict. They believe this scenario will usher in the Twelfth Imam. Christians, if we were still here, would know this guy as the antichrist. We know he’s bringing an evil which hasn’t been seen before into the world. But the Muslims believe he is the one who will usher in global peace and harmony. They are chomping at the bit to get this guy on the scene and in control.

Where we once only read prophecy and waited for the appearance of any sign, we can now lay those prophecies over current events, and there has never been a time when they’ve fit so perfectly. The Nation of Israel will take Iran’s nukes out no matter what else happens. They will eliminate that particular threat to their existence. The U.S. will retaliate against Israel by pulling all our financial and military support and by issuing sanctions against our longtime ally. But none of that will matter to Israel as they will have attained a sense of security which will placate their people because of the now nonexistent threat from Iran (Persia). That security will be short lived as they will then find themselves entrenched in a fierce running battle for their very existence; a battle which will be fought on many fronts.

Syria, Lebanon’s Hezbollah (and of course Gaza’s Hamas) will unite with the other warring factions such as the Palestinian PLO’s Fatah army in the West Bank and they will invade Israel. There will be thousands of rockets fired at Israel and some will undoubtedly hit their mark. No other nation will come to the aid of Israel; they are on their own. Well not exactly – the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is still looking out for the tiny Nation of Israel. Once the Church has left its pretty white buildings behind, Israel will again become God’s main focus.

There is talk that the United States will jump in and stop the nuke production in Iran before Israel has the chance. But if that does happen then there will be a response from Russia and/or China that will not be pleasant for Americans. Remember, Obama agreed to eliminate most of our nuclear arsenal with a treaty he made with Russia. But for those who think Russia eliminated their nukes on the same level as the US, well, I believe they’ll be surprised.

The leaders of every nation on earth know full well that Israel cannot just sit by while Iran completes their nuke program. Don’t misunderstand, most of the nations of this world are demanding Israel do just that. But Israel has other plans. Israel’s leaders and their populous are in agreement; there will never be another Holocaust in Israel’s history. Therefore they have only one option and that is to stop Iran before they test the bomb of all bombs.

This is a very exciting but also a dangerous time period. Dangerous in that if we don’t know who Jesus is, if we haven’t placed our faith, hope, and trust in Him as Savior and Lord and the only way to the Father, then dangerous becomes our fatal flaw since the rejection of Jesus Christ only leads to destruction. But for those of us who do believe, exciting is an understatement – we’re watching God’s prophetic word unfolding daily. Every Christian should be on the edge of their seats right now. What’s going on in Iran, Syria, Egypt, Israel, Russia, and the rest of the Middle East can only be described as prophetic scripture coming to pass.

So what should we do while we wait on the Lord? Stock up on guns, ammo, and a ton of survival gear? I understand that mindset better than most as I was operations manager for a national magazine which specialized in the promotion of self-reliant living and preparedness (living off the land, and off the grid, and returning to doing things the way our grandparents or great-grandparents did them). But the mindset that promotes “self-anything” is not the Christian mindset, or at least it shouldn’t be. There’s nothing wrong with planning for tomorrow, but we have no need to worry about tomorrow because God is our Father and He takes delight in providing for the needs of His children. The Father loves His children; it’s as simple as that. We walk by faith not by sight. I see all the worldwide woes approaching but it only heightens my resolve to occupy till He comes. “Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” Luke 12:32.

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
All scripture is from the KJV and God breathed

Ministry address – 96 County Road 5480 Salem, MO 65560

My past commentaries are archived at the following link
http://www.raptureready.com/featured/graham/graham.html 
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Faith Compromised -  - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek (Gentile).” Romans 1:16. When a believer becomes ashamed of the Gospel he/she will display definite signs that they are embarrassment by what the Bible says. When this embarrassment becomes public the believer then feels it necessary to change, re-interpret, and corrupt the word of God. Many Christians do this so that they might remain a friend to the various religions of this world. In addition, many Christians continually attempt to fit themselves into a posture of political correctness (tolerance); in such a case the Gospel of Christ becomes an even bigger liability. There’s a new breed of Christian emerging and roaming earth who has found it convenient to line item veto the scriptures that don’t jive with their preconceptions.

When we say yes to Jesus Christ we’re saying “Yes I believe You, I believe Your word, I believe in what You did for me”. Contrary to popular teaching, we aren’t given the option to believe one scripture verse while we dismiss others. If we are to stand up for Jesus we must have a solid and sound foundation to stand on. If we poke holes in the Bible then we are only destroying our own footing. Make no mistake, if your biblical foundation is wrought with holes, sooner or later you will fall for any deception.

As Christians attempt to appease those who are of a different faith by rejecting portions of God’s word, they are virtually thumbing their noses at God. We become compromisers of our faith when we publically proclaim that the God of the Bible is the same God of all faiths. This disobedience to God is reflected in the vocabularies of many who claim to be Christians. How can we claim a relationship with the Son of God when we stand opposed to His written word? I submit that there is no discernable difference between the Christian that corrupts, ignores, or refuses to believe God’s word and those Pharisees who referred to our Lord as Satan “But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, “It is only by Beelzebub, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons.” Matthew 12:24. At that point Israel as a Nation was in full rejection of her Messiah. When we claim a relationship with that same Messiah but dismiss His word as obscure, unnecessary, or as having little or no remaining authority over us, then be assured, Lucifer has taken over and Jesus has been dismissed. When Christians become hostile to the word of God by voiding various truths, these folks can be guaranteed that our God will not take that abuse of His word lightly. God is longsuffering, but still He’s God. He’s not to be mocked. God’s word will stand and those who reject it, or change it, or even minimize its authority as something that should be relegated to past generations will be greatly surprised at the end result of their foolishness.

Man creates his very own god; all he need do to conjure up a god is to focus his mind on that goal. Oh wait a minute; wouldn’t that be demonic? This is a perfect example of how demonic entities wind up masquerading as a god. They are invited to take the throne man has created for them and they are more than happy to facilitate man’s desires. “To whom will you liken me and make me equal, and compare me, that we may be alike?” Isaiah 46:5. God is asking those who insist on creating their own god out of some nonliving material, to whom are they comparing Him?

These false gods consist of the god of Islam, the god of the Mormons, the god of the Jehovah Witnesses, and any other man-created god. Have you ever noticed that all manmade gods deny the deity of Jesus Christ? I can’t speak for every born again believer in Christ, but these religions all sounds demonic to me. God makes the following statement which should put all people who worship false gods in their place. “Those who lavish gold from the purse, and weigh out silver in the scales, hire a goldsmith, and he makes it into a god; then they fall down and worship!” Isaiah 46:6. Are we beginning to see the absurdity of such folly? To compromise our faith so we can be more presentable to the other faiths of this world is absurd. It’s blatant disrespect for the Creator of the universe. God, the God of the Holy Bible, makes it plain as day that there is no other God but Him.

Is there any difference between those people in Isaiah’s day and the purveyors of falsehoods who are bent on creating their own god and establishing their own religion from nothing? Satan takes control over the minds of the rebellious who find it necessary to negate the God of the Bible. Then with control over their minds he plants the seed that they are worshiping the same god as the Christians and Jews. Take Islam for instance. George Bush claimed everyone, even Muslims, worshiped the same God, the God of the Bible. Barack Obama declares this same lie, and many evangelical Christians agree. But all it takes is a minimal amount of research to discover that the religion of Islam established its foundation based on a manmade lie. God authenticates His word by giving us history lessons in advance. What religion can boast of that? For a Christian to agree with the two individuals above something must be compromised – that would be their faith.

God declares that He alone is God “Remember this and stand firm, recall it to mind, you transgressors, …remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, …declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose” Isaiah 46:8-10. If we take God at His word then how can we neglect these passages? Standing firm on God’s precepts is the exact opposite of a faith-compromising Christian.

There is a huge difference between “religion” and Jesus our Messiah. All who practice a religion must find a way to come before God through their own good works. Religions are all works based. But Jesus requires zero works as a prerequisite to obtaining salvation, and since Jesus is God Almighty, He won’t have anything to do with false religions. He’s not a part of the “bridge builders” whose pursuit it is to connect all of earth’s religions together by insisting everyone worships the same God. Our Creator God says otherwise. All attempts to unite the world under one ecumenical system are satanic. The only Name that will secure us our own personal Heavenly inheritance is Jesus Christ, the one and only God of all creation.

“…it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks” Acts 9:5b. All of earth’s “religions” are the same in that they are all kicking against the pricks. Let me put it in simple terms everyone can understand. Religion is akin to paddling a canoe up a 1000 ft waterfall. These adherents to false religions paddling their canoes must reach the top of the waterfall to keep from drowning. Impossible you say? Think about it, these foolish people have nothing to rely on save a paddle and their own strength. All religions are in this same predicament. All of their efforts to reach God are impossible without Jesus Christ. For those of us who’ve placed our faith and trust in Him we become Christ like, taking on the characteristics of Christ. Jesus then becomes our strength; “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” Philippians 4:13. We, those who are born again, didn’t have to prove ourselves worthy before we were allotted salvation. We didn’t need to knock on doors or become righteous first, we don’t need to die in jihad to enter Heaven – Jesus did the dying – we’re given life everlasting. All we had to do was believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and God immediately justified us. All we did to get to the Father was believe on the One He sent “Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.” John 6:28-29.

The Christian who compromises his/her faith by promoting the false assumption that the God of the Bible is the same God of all religions is not only calling God a liar, but they are also giving false hope to those false religions. Look at it this way; picture a cheerleader standing on the shore of the river where those in the canoe are trying to ascend that 1,000 ft waterfall. The cheerleader is calling for them to paddle harder, paddle harder, faster, faster, but it’s all to no avail. The people in the canoe can’t get anywhere – and they’re drowning. The impossibility of ascending that waterfall is the same as believing we can get to Heaven without Jesus as our Savior. We can do nothing by our own merit to earn our way into Heaven – Jesus already did it.

If you want to strike up a friendship with a person who is following after the enemy’s lie that everyone worships that same god, that’s fine; but there should be no misunderstanding on that person’s part as to just where you stand concerning false religions. If you stand on God’s inerrant word then you must be honest with those folks about where God sees them and their religion. “…I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” John 14:6. By the words of that verse we must conclude that if we don’t know Jesus Christ as the way, the truth, and the life, that He alone is the only possible way to the Father, then we are in the same canoe as those folks who are attempting to get to God by some other means than through faith in His only begotten Son, Jesus the Christ. In the canoe or cheerleading on the shore, we are wallowing in hopelessness. If we say we follow Jesus Christ but we deny He’s the only way to the Father then we’ve diminished Christ’s deity and made void His work on the cross and His resurrection. This would mean our faith is in vain. “And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. ...if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.” 1 Corinthians 15:14, 17b. These people who adhere to false religions remain in their sins.

The idea that all faiths worship the same God originates in the deepest darkest depths of Hell and is a blatant attempt to create a vacuum that will suck every adherent of every false religion straight down to the abyss. A Christian who promotes this satanic lie is nothing more than a willing advocate of the devil. Only Satan could have come up with such a deception. As this malevolent supernatural being continues his opposition to God we see his focus is on the Church to create confusion while establishing friction among the followers of Jesus Christ; all to facilitate his agenda of death and destruction.

When a Christian compromises his/her faith they are walking with the devil. Help us Father to see the truth. Think about it – do you really think Jesus “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.” Revelation 1:8 is apt to share His Throne with any man-invented god?

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
All scripture is from the KJV and God breathed

Ministry address – 96 County Road 5480 Salem, MO 65560

My past commentaries are archived at the following link
http://www.raptureready.com/featured/graham/graham.html 

If you’d like to be on my email list to receive the commentaries just drop me a line and let me know

Hybrids - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com

“And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” Genesis 6:5. Humanity is moving through a period of increasingly deteriorating moral behavior. Today wickedness among earth’s inhabitants has grown to a fever pitch. When we study our Bibles what becomes evident is the fact that between the antediluvian world, known as the days of Noah, and our present world there is a shocking similarity unfolding before us.

The news of late has been replete with unimaginable stories of brutality. Most people are mystified, even horrified, at the extremity and the frequency of the cold hearted and brutal acts of senseless aggression, perpetrated mostly on the aged, in various sectors around America. What is it that we are witnessing? This seemingly new form of insanity invading America is actuality a worldwide phenomenon, and it’s burgeoning.

A new breed of criminal has emerged on the scene – younger, stronger, completely lacking remorse. Oh, and cold hearted would be a gross understatement. Nothing witnessed by generations upon generations can prepare humanity for this emerging wickedness. They are many, their numbers are growing, and they all seem to have one thing in common, they lack any semblance of a human soul. Their purpose seems to be that of mayhem, confusion, and to inflict as much pain as possible, even to the point of death of the victim. They’re being manipulated to perform like robots, and to attack like well trained attack dogs. Their trainer, who we should all recognize as a manipulator, yes, he’s Satan and he has only wickedness on his mind.

Who are they? Where have they come from? Are these marauding bands of seemingly soulless bodies even human? Has there been some tampering going on with the DNA of a segment of earthlings creating beings void of human emotion? What would need to be done to a person to negate the traits that provide us with feeling love, kindness, and even remorse? Is it possible to change the genome through DNA manipulation to void a person’s soul? The manipulation of human and animal DNA being performed in medical labs today is astounding. Most of society today hasn’t a clue about what’s being created in these labs. Genetic engineering is in well advanced stages in what can now be seen as man taking over for God; man has now become the manipulator/creator of new forms of life. “But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.” Daniel 12:4. Can there be any doubt in the minds of those who take God’s word seriously that knowledge has increased exponentially and that we are now at the end?

On the horizon are DNA microchips able to analyze more than a thousand traits at once, those linked not just to a child's health but to enhancements – genes that influence height, intelligence, hair, skin and eye colour and athletic ability. Source – The Globe and Mail

I am getting to a point here with all these questions. I believe the Bible has the answer. We’re informed, by Jesus Christ Himself, in Matthew 24 that there would be some distinguishing factors associated with the last days on planet earth that would set those particular days significantly apart from all other periods of time in human history, save one. Jesus tells us what time period in man’s past best fits as a comparison of what will be witnessed in the last days just prior to His return. He was enlightening us while attempting to elevate our sense of perception at the same time. Jesus is telling us what’s coming and He’s not being elusive. Jesus’ warning had to allude to something completely different than what humanity would consider normal.

“But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark” Matthew 24:37-38. Obviously those of Noah’s day were eating and drinking to sustain themselves, although we’re not told what they were eating and drinking. Some in-depth study I’ve done shows a corruption even in their diet. But my question here is – why would Jesus speak of marriage or giving in marriage during those days? To the casual reader marrying and giving in marriage is seen here as simply going about business as usual, they see nothing out of the ordinary about this verse. But to the studied reader what Jesus is alluding to is that just prior to His return to earth the world will be experiencing an all consuming evil corruption of the genes of humans through the cohabitation of fallen angels and human women just like the people of Noah’s day were, which was the reason God destroyed the antediluvians with a worldwide flood. Think about it this way, who in their right mind will be thinking about their white wedding dress or their black tuxedo at a time when the world will be crumbling around them? The world, just prior to His return, will be filled with the violence, wickedness, and mayhem that Noah witnessed in his day. Jesus lays out precisely for His disciples the full picture of those last days. Jesus wasn’t referring to normal marriage plans, but to very abnormal and abominable copulations between two distinct groups of beings. If we misinterpret the verses in Genesis 6 most of the rest of the Bible will never make sense.

Keep in mind that Jesus was referring to similarities between the antediluvian era and the last days before His return. Remember, the reason God (Jesus) sent the deluge was because of all the abominable unions (marriages) between fallen angels and human women, and the progeny these unions brought forth. Evil was spread over the antediluvian world exactly the way it’s overtaking ours today. Jesus referred to marriage in those days before the flood because that’s exactly what we read in the Genesis 6 account. “That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose” Genesis 6:2 (emphases mine). Jesus isn’t being coy; He’s laying out the future. One that involves the worst possible scenario, the re-incursion of fallen angels into our space/time continuum for one purpose, the corruption/destruction of the human race – just as they did in the days of Noah.

“And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men:” Daniel 2:43. Daniel is revealing a message given in a dream to king Nebuchadnezzar by God. But we see something very strange in this verse. “...they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men”. Again, for the casual reader there is nothing out of the ordinary in this verse, but for those of us who study prophecy with a desire to fully understand what God has in store for His creation there’s something in that verse that should give us reason to pause and delve deeper. Who are “they”? Whoever “they” are they’re mingling themselves with the seed (offspring) of men (daughters). This is a prophecy of the last days. There was a corruption of the genome in Noah’s day perpetrated by fallen angels. We’re told by God Himself that there will be a resurgence of this same corruption in the days just prior to Christ’s return. Here in Daniel chapter 2 we’re given confirmation that in the last days “they”, fallen angels, will again procreate with human women to produce offspring (hybrids/Nephilim). The question is – are these hybrids already dwelling among us?

The birth pangs that Jesus refers to in His “Olivet Discourse” lesson are upon us – only the foolish will deny it. “…all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.” Matthew 24:6b. Jesus is about to call His disciple’s attention to numerous birth pangs which will begin just a few years before His return. It is significant that the verse above mentions that all these things must come to pass. Everything Jesus lays out will happen – some of them are happening now. Jesus continues describing just what these things entail. Although Jesus is speaking to the Nation of Israel, of those folks who will still be alive at the end of the “Great Tribulation” just prior to His return, I believe the birth pangs He speaks about are a warning sign for all who will believe and trust Him. In the next verse you will see why I believe the birth pangs have begun.

“And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.” Matthew 24:12. If I were to restate his verse so that the meaning would be even clearer than how it’s written above, I would state it thusly: “When lawlessness thrives and is coupled with extreme wickedness, and as this scenario becomes more and more pervasive on the world scene, then what humanity has enjoyed in the past in regards to kindness, affection, benevolence, charity, and brotherly love will be nonexistent. Then the new breed of human (the hybrid) filled with hate, malice, wickedness, and cruelty takes over” (please understand that these are my words, I’m not attempting to put my words in the Bible – only to provide a more clear understanding). If we look into the original Greek words my explanation above would be pretty close to what Jesus was telling His disciples. The period of time Jesus refers to will be extremely frightening, and there is every indication that that period of time has arrived.

The closer we get to the time of Christ’s return the more improbable will be the sights that we see and even sounds that we hear. Improbable in that they will consist of what we’ve always been taught as being that of the realm of myth (supernatural). My wife and I heard a sound the other day that was completely abnormal. It was a noise that seemed to come out of nowhere and grew louder and louder, similar to an approaching train. We had walked down the rural road we live on to our mailbox, about an eighth of a mile. As we were just about to the mailbox, the sound started. There was a slight breeze but not really enough of a wind that would create a loud howling noise. No planes in the air above us, and no approaching automobiles on the main road. We were perplexed to say the least. What was it? I have no idea, it simply stopped. But the dimension of the malevolent supernatural is invading our world and they are becoming more and more brazen with their antics, allowing many people to see things they don’t want to see, or hear things no human can explain.

UFO’s are reported every ten minutes somewhere on planet earth. That’s a lot of sightings by many people, people from every walk of life. The beings that operate these craft are, at times, allowing themselves to be seen, and for the most part they are described as creatures with no resemblance to human beings. The investigative data that I’ve studied points to these beings as inter-dimensional not extraterrestrial. They’re not traveling from distant galaxies to interact benevolently with earthlings. They are appearing and disappearing as though popping in and out of other dimensions. Why are they coming? I believe it is to create an atmosphere of fear and confusion. The beings that traverse dimensions can be benevolent or malevolent and we should be keenly aware of the current incursion by many malevolent beings in these last days. But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” Matthew 24:37.

I believe Satan’s goal is to build an army that he can fully control, thus command to fight at the last war which the Bible refers to as Armageddon. He’s not just content with readying this horde for battle with the Lord, but while the Lord tarries, Satan will be focused on inflicting a world of hurt on humanity in ways we would never have conceived, all to create an atmosphere of fear and confusion. He’s done it before, and he’s prophesied to do it again in the last days. The stories of these marauding bands of soulless misfits exploding on the scene today are from various news releases I’ve read over the past few months. I’m sure most of you have been privy to these same articles but perhaps had not connected the dots.

I mentioned birth pangs earlier and I was alluding to a gradual but burgeoning set of conditions. As the birth pangs Jesus speaks of run the gamut from minute to extreme, the church can be seen at the beginning of those birth pangs. But as they become more and more severe, without warning, in the twinkling of an eye, the church disappears and the only people remaining to experience all the mayhem and misery created by these fallen angels and their soulless hybrids are the Christ rejecters. If you’ve never said yes to Jesus Christ, and you remain in that state of mind, then those extremely harsh birth pangs are going to be yours to experience.

I’ve done my own research and am convinced humanity is in its last stage. I would hope that everyone who reads this commentary will be motivated to explore the plethora of research data on the subject of a post-human world, the world of the genetically modified human. God will not allow this corruption of His creation to go much further. As I’ve stated, the research has progressed to the stage that scientists are convinced that it’s time to alter the genome of humans. We are in the last days, and Jesus is on His way.

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
All scripture is from the KJV and God breathed

Ministry address – 96 County Road 5480 Salem, MO 65560

My past commentaries are archived at the following link
http://www.raptureready.com/featured/graham/graham.html 
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2012 – The Legacy of Quetzalcoatl - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com

“That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing.” 1 Thessalonians 4:12. What this verse has so eloquently stated is we who walk in the precepts of the Lord should be an example to those on the outside of salvation. We should certainly not be distracted by known deceptions. We should always be prepared to denounce such lies. Satanic lies are established to create an atmosphere of fear while setting up a sense of confusion, all for the purpose of fulfilling Satan’s agenda. We’ve heard the hype leading up to 2012, and that year has now arrived. That hype is a lie built around a calendar...a calendar created by the worshipers of the demon, Quetzalcoatl.

If we look to the alternative news websites we can glean a lot of good information about what is coming, prophetically speaking. In many of these articles those of us who are students of the Bible can see the occasional unveiling of the biblical prophetic truths we’ve been studying. Some disastrous scenarios might well reach us at our homes, but they will in no way be what the Bible describes as the wrath of God.

For some time now the mainstream media (who continually obfuscates the truth) has been enamored with the possibility that the Mayan prediction might actually occur in 2012. That the mainstream media would give so much air time to such a topic, and so intently, should give us reason to doubt any serious possibility of such an occurrence. In truth, what we can see approaching is far worse than anything the mainstream media depicts as the ultimate destruction of planet earth. Pie-in-the-sky plentiful times or the end of the world, both scenarios are equally presented by these goofy mainstream media pundits. But I will say this, for those of us who follow the One who is hated by most of humanity, this year may prove to be quite a distressing year.

With the looming doomsday scenario of the Maya predictions, many will become increasingly apprehensive which will lead to a state of fearfulness. It would be well to note that if we are going to put faith in a Maya calendar prediction we would do well to remember that the Mayans gained their notoriety as the civilization that sacrificed thousands upon thousands of their own people on the altar to their god Quetzalcoatl. The Mayan people did this bloodletting to appease their god and open portals for the demons to enter this dimension – could the fact that we have the same bloodletting practice going on today in America and around the world, in the form of government sanctioned abortions, be opening the same portal of the demonic? The whole word now seems to be just as demonically enticed as the Mayans. Is Quetzalcoatl standing on our doorstep?

The lie which brought about this fairly new doom and gloom scenario is a key element in creating an atmosphere of fear and confusion. Fear is the tool at the top of the arsenal of weapons currently in use by the enemy of all humanity. Fear and confusion combined with manipulation will create the perfect atmosphere for the enemy as he draws closer to accomplishing his goal.

One day soon the world will be changed, but the end of the world will not occur on December 21, 2012. How can I, a mere human, make such a claim? Simple. I don’t read that particular doomsday scenario anywhere in the Bible. I believe the Author of the Bible above all of man’s writings. God has not declared an end to the world at a specific date in 2012, although the Rapture of His Church may occur in 2012. That would certainly usher in the “apokalypsis” and a mega war at a place referred to in the Hebrew tongue as “Harmagedōn” resulting in the re-appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ with His saints (the Church). The removal of the Church will be quite the cataclysmic event – but not the end of the world.

This same lie that portends the world will end in 2012 is currently being perpetuated by Hollywood and through a plethora of books. Both venues are involved in this deception to capitalize on the dollars each can generate. Satan doesn’t really care about the motivation, only the ultimate outcome. Movies and books will increase the promotion of the lie which will ultimately funnel down to fear and confusion. Increasingly we see that people are so ignorant of Biblical truth that falling for the enemy’s schemes is inevitable. This 2012 end of the game scenario might well be the setup for the strong delusion spoken of by God in His word.

Jesus tells those who will read His word that the last days will be laden with deception. “And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.” Matthew 24:12. When we look at this verse with discernment, it’s increasingly obvious that what Jesus told His disciples those many years ago has certainly begun. Many people today are perfectly in line with Satan’s agenda and are fulfilling Jesus’ words to His disciples to the letter. Whatever we hear in these last days concerning impending doom, our recourse is to first search the scriptures to see if what we are being told, or if what we’ve heard, agrees with God’s word.

Scary things may well be in our future, but the biblically astute will be much more alert to deception. This end of the world scenario is increasingly flooding humanity with thoughts of doom and gloom, that’s Satan’s modus operandi. Because Satan doesn’t know, any more than mankind knows, when the end will come he must always capitalize on every opportunity even, the false predictions of future doom and gloom. But Satan’s final goal will not be fully realized, unless…

“And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;” Luke 21:25. The above verse is just an example of what people will be experiencing in the last days before the Lord’s return. This whole idea of the 2012 Mayan end of the world doom and gloom brings into prefect view a sense of the perplexity of nations which can be plainly seen infecting our culture today. There is currently an increasing anticipation of foreboding as people begin to believe in the possibility that the 2012 Mayan prediction might actually occur. Here’s the rub, it’s not whether it will occur or whether it won’t, but that it can’t. As I’ve already mentioned, 2012 being the year the world ends is not recorded in the word of God. The world coming to an end in December of 2012 will be a non-event. But the purpose behind the lie will have come to fruition. The damage will have been done as the goal of the malevolent sadistic supernatural realm will be that much closer to bringing about fear and confusion while trapping humanity in a cesspool of deception.

The whole idea and promotion of 2012 being the end of the world has a dark element of supernatural origin implemented to create a desired effect, which, as I’ve already stated, is one of fear and confusion. Satan remains at odds with God even though he lost everything he held dear when God died for His creation. The cross was certainly a stumbling block for Satan who, over the last 2,000 years, has become even more determined to destroy mankind. He’s not done.

The Bible plainly states that the wrath of God will come upon a Christ-rejecting world, but that the Church will not be here to witness even the beginning of the pouring out of God’s wrath. We can read about the 70 weeks prophesied in the Book of Daniel and see that only 69 of those weeks have come to pass. The final week has not begun but when it does it will culminate in Christ’s return with His Church. The Rapture must occur at least 7 years prior to Christ’s return. After that there will be 1,000 years wherein Satan will be bound and the world will keep on spinning. How then can the world end in 2012? It can’t.

The Mayans were devil worshipers who sacrificed their own people to their plumed serpent god, Quetzalcoatl. The idea that these devil worshipers could have come to a conclusion that the world would end in 2012 is preposterous. Instead of looking to Satan’s devotees to open our eyes to the future, let’s look to God – first as our Creator and Savior, secondly as the initiator of our faith and the giver of life, and thirdly as the source of all true prophecy. In doing so, we simply look into His word to see the absurdity of those flooding the world with the Maya predictions.

There is an aspect of the Maya predictions that rarely gets discussed and that is the Maya didn’t really portend an end to the world as many believe. They simply created a calendar that once deciphered ended with the year 2012. All of the doom and gloom associated with the Mayan calendar is only a satanic attempt at creating fear and confusion in the hearts of men. It sets up a plausible yet fictitious end game scenario. Since we know that Satan corrupts God’s word we also know that there will be false prophecies that somewhat parallel God’s own prophecies, but they are actually a very cleaver deception. With all the hype of 2012, I believe it is possible that we are being setup for the delusion that those who have rejected Christ will believe. If Satan can achieve his goal of getting people to accept this 2012 end of the world scenario, then as December 21, 2012, draws closer fear will also increase exponentially. …if the Rapture were to occur after that anticipation reaches fever pitch, Satan will have no difficultly convincing humanity of his end of game ultimate deception.

With fear and confusion firmly embedded in the minds and hearts of men, Satan then uses his control over those men as pawns while establishing his end game goal. After the removal of the restrainer, which includes the Church, Satan will reveal his “man in waiting” to the deceived world who will accept this man with open arms – as the savior of the world.

What we can be sure of is that the prophecies in the Bible are true, correct, and will all come to pass in due time. Just as all the fulfilled prophecies of the past came about exactly to God’s specifications, those of the future are also guaranteed to come to fruition exactly as God has pronounced. “Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.” Luke 21:26. Fearing what’s coming on earth is not prudent for the believer who has placed their faith, trust, and hope in Christ. Satan controls a mass of misinformation on this globe and the end of the world coming in 2012 is one of his biggest lies since corrupting Eve – I believe it is right up there with another huge lie which is, of course, the lie of evolution.

“The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.” Psalm 34:7. Here we’re told that those who belong to the Lord have nothing to fear from God’s enemies. Why? The angel of the Lord is a reference to the pre-incarnate Christ. He is encamped around us – we’re protected on every side. The battle rages. The enemy is relentless, but powerless, against “The angel of the LORD.” Christians shouldn’t fall for the ensuing deception as Satan floods the unbelieving world with his lies. We who follow Christ are fully protected from this evil and malevolent supernatural being; the rest of humanity, as they become more and more subjected to his lies, will find the truth increasingly elusive.

As the world becomes more and more engrossed with the idea of 2012 bringing an end to their beloved planet earth, Satan/Quetzalcoatl will continue to lead them in that lie as he sets them up for his impending doom. The rest of us will enjoy a firm and secure future, and just knowing about that future inspires hope “We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” 2 Peter 1:19-21. In other words, if prophecy isn’t in the Bible it’s a deception implemented by the deceiver of all mankind and destroyer of souls.

Any mention of any looming apocalyptic catastrophic destruction of planet earth not found in the Bible is a scenario created out of a mind consumed with evil and hatred for the inhabitants of said planet; Satan revels in this arena. His attempts at inculcating fear in the minds of humans are legendary. On the other hand, God delights in the offering of His grace to all of His creation. Satan is intent on man’s destruction; God is fully focused on man’s salvation. Satan hates us with a hate that is humanly inconceivable; God loves us with a love unimaginable, and therefore indescribable. Satan is bent on keeping the state of mankind in a posture reserved for the damned; God died for us to remove us from that state to become heirs of all He has. While Satan is bent on instilling fear in all humanity; God would be overjoyed if all humanity were to embrace the hope He has provided through His Son, Jesus the Christ. Satan only destroys lives; God builds on our lives to perfect us and ready us for an eternity with Him. Satan is a liar and the father of all deception; who would trust him? God’s precepts are perfect and His prophecies are true and accurate; He can be trusted. Which one of these two supernatural beings are you going to look to for a true glimpse into the future?

The prophecies of God are being played out little by little almost every day just as there are false prophets portending approaching doom – nothing new here. But in this year of 2012 we may well be witnessing the encroachment on humanity of the mother of deceptions, which include the false Maya predictions. This year, the hype of 2012 will make Y2K pale in comparison. Many, if they haven’t already, will become caught up in this circus event and see it as an increasingly significant possibility. Before this year is over many will be setup to embrace the lie. What lie you ask? The lie which will be ushered in at the moment Christ removes His Church. But the prelude to that event is the setup. I believe this will be seen by the Church and will be obvious to many of us. It’s just offstage ready to be unveiled as the date of December 21st gets closer and the possibility that the Lord takes His Church home this year grows stronger. Satan will then be in a perfect position to spring a great deception on the remainder of humanity. Get ready!

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
All scripture is from the KJV and God breathed

Ministry address – 96 County Road 5480 Salem, MO 65560

My past commentaries are archived at the following link
http://www.raptureready.com/featured/graham/graham.html 

If you’d like to be on my mailing list to receive the commentaries just drop me an email and let me know

Kingdom of Darkness - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com

“… the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:” Ephesians 2:2. The prince of the power of the air is Satan, and the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience is alive and flourishing in our hallowed halls of government. This evil prince, along with his controlling powers of persuasion, has been hard at work corrupting mankind from the beginning of creation. Satan is fully aware that humanity has moved into an era which is witnessing the culmination of prophecies.

Way back in the Prophet Daniel’s day Satan did everything he could to keep major end times prophecies from ever reaching Daniel’s ears. “Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia. Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days: for yet the vision is for many days.” Daniel 10:12-14. For 21 days the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood a messenger sent by God who was to deliver an end time’s prophetic message to Daniel. “Prince of the kingdom of Persia” refers to a position of rank, within the hierarchy of the kingdom of darkness. In this context it’s referring to a “demonic military rank.” Only with the archangel Michael’s help was God’s messenger able to continue and finally reach Daniel. Just as that malevolent fallen angel withstood God’s messenger in those days, the demonic realm is just as well established today. Many reside in high places of authority such as the leadership arena of the governing bodies on planet earth.

Satan is dead serious and fully determined to take control over his domain, which is planet earth and all its inhabitants. The dimension of the malevolent supernatural has moved into the dimension of man. The battle that rages between good and evil is not far from our doorstep. We can be sure that just as there was a prince of the kingdom of Persia during Daniel’s time to stand as a resistance to God’s holy angels, there’s a well established demonic prince of America who is currently resisting the forces of good while he pulls the strings of the decision makers of this land. Thus far what can be plainly seen is our elected officials are intent on driving this country to destruction. That’s what these ranking fallen “bene ha’Elohyim” are all about – the destruction of mankind.

We can also be assured that just as we understand prophecy today, the demonic realm understood it long before us. About 2,000 years ago Jesus confronted a legion of demons who had taken up occupancy in a man from Gadara. “And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time?” Matthew 8:29. Before the time? What time? That legion of demons knew their time was not up yet. Why had Jesus come? The demons knew prophecy and according to their calculations Jesus was not playing by the rules of the times designated in those prophecies.

“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Ephesians 6:12. We’re given four designations in this verse and all are referencing manifestations of evil (principalities, powers, ruler, and spiritual wickedness “in high places”). In the Greek they are “archē” – “exousia” – “kosmokratōr” – “pneumatikos-ponēria”. Paul is speaking of Satan and his demonic horde consisting of fallen angels and demons. In the above verse we see a clear designation of the hierarchy of the kingdom of darkness. These hordes of malevolent misfits have received their assigned positions of power from their leader Satan accordingly. They are well established and thoroughly entrenched in the highest governing offices of every nation on earth.

God assigns individuals of His choosing to rule over the nations, yet we must realize that fallen men rebel against their God just as the fallen “bene ha’Elohyim” (angels) did eons ago. In the case of the governing bodies of the world, Satan has corrupted the leadership. We know there are limits to God’s patience, and on occasion some very unpleasant course adjustments (judgments) are decreed. In America’s case, for instance, we see a nation that once lived by God’s ordained moral precepts. America now lives by the demonic influence of the ranking prince. In accordance to the direction of that prince, America has become a nation that now promotes the worldwide distribution of pornography, the wholesale worldwide acceptance of the murder of unborn babies, and the unfettered worldwide acceptance of homosexuality. All of these societal downgrades are an abomination to God. When nations move away from God’s standard for morality something has to give. As we look down Main Street America today it seems our nation is receiving exactly what we deserve, and it’s come to us in the form of our current leadership.

The demonic element working behind the scenes in every nation on this planet is a burgeoning force; they wield great power of influence over the nations. The direction in which most of us would prefer our nation head is not in accordance with the ranking prince doing the steering. As America’s moral foundation collapses we see the waning of love and charity; long past are the days of “love thy neighbor.” America has changed from just a few decades ago; today America has an altogether different mindset. America has fallen so far from its previous high moral state that it’s as though we’re in a sewage hole with nothing to grab hold of to hoist ourselves out. Today it’s all about greed, sex, and self, and that mindset is now perfectly in tune with the ranking demonic prince of America. As so many nations have done, America has turned her sovereignty over to the prince of the power of the air, who in turn has established the ranking demonic supernatural authority over mankind.

“For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.” Matthew 24:21. Our God is long suffering, but according to His word, one day very soon His hammer of perfect justice will come down with a force never before seen on this planet. All the nations of the world will suffer greatly, and the supernatural element will be put in their rightful place. But that’s for another commentary.

As this rank of demons has taken their positions in the seats of power on planet earth, most of the world’s citizenry have no clue as to who is truly in the driver’s seat. If we dig into our history books it’s not hard to discover that these principalities and powers have been developing their strategy for quite some time now. The nations of the world have now embraced Satan’s agenda, which is the satanic indoctrination of anything that is opposed to the One true God of all creation. We see that Humanism, Socialism, Marxism, Communism, and Fascism have been embraced by the leadership of most nations, including America. Satan has achieved his goal. Right here in America our children are currently being indoctrinated with these very same satanic concepts through our public school system. This should leave no doubt in the minds of every Christian in America that malevolent supernatural powers have taken over the reins of our government.

Satan has used his power of influence to spread his agenda worldwide, he exercises his incredible persuasive authority to amass followers and create a stirring of their minds, and then he simply begins the string pulling from behind the scenes. Satan is domineering - the worst of all despots. But there are bounds that even he can’t cross. God has set the boundaries of Satan’s influence over mankind and although he may think he has complete autonomy, we know God views things differently. But Satan’s manipulative powers of persuasion are formidable indeed. Through his intervention into planet earth’s regional governments he has persuaded mankind that his form of government is best. I would challenge any of my readers to supply me with one example of a governing body that is a major player in world affairs that is not influenced by the demonic. Before you respond allow me to remind you of Jesus’ own words to the Pharisees and rulers of His day. “He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.” Matthew 12:30. We are either with Jesus Christ or Satan, there is no in between ground available.

All around the world we see despots ruling their nations with an iron fist, ready to smash anyone at the first sign of disobedience. Just look at Syria, North Korea, Iran, China, and Russia to name a few. These nations are led by the prince of the power of the air, and America is rapidly becoming just as totalitarian.

If Satan can, through his power of persuasion, convince men in the highest government offices to follow him and adhere to his directives instead of God’s precepts he wins the control of that nation’s government. Even though God places men or women in a position to rule over their particular governments it doesn’t mean that those individuals will stand firm and follow God’s will. Remember Saul? Satan’s influence over mankind is increasing as is plainly seen today; as we observe, many people are turning away from the God of the Bible to follow other gods – into the kingdom of darkness.

Although we might think that “We the People” have control over our government leadership through the voting processes established in our country that is no longer the case. With the demonic influence firmly seated at the pinnacle of power, American’s can vote for whomever they wish, but where the power lies the power shall remain. What about the Constitution? The United States Constitution has been disregarded or ignored by our elite elected officials for years. We are no longer dealing with natural man but with malevolent supernatural powers far beyond our control.

The scope and mass of Satan’s influence is so broad that God’s word actually refers to him as the “prince of the power of the air” and the “god of this world.” When you give those designations some deep thought you will agree that in these mortal bodies and without God’s intervention we have no hope of combating the supernatural realm on our own. Everyone on planet earth is subject to the evil of the “prince of the power of the air” when they enter his domain, and his domain is earth.

Scope and mass are two distinct properties used by Satan as he pushes forward into the lives of men. Scope is the range covered by an activity or subject – the range of application or boundaries which Satan takes full advantage of and control over when we allow him that freedom. Mass is different, it is a body that forms a whole but has no definable shape, a large but unspecified number. Satan wallows in this territory. His followers are an unspecified number but we know for certain that that unspecified number is massive. Jesus tells us “...wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:” Matthew 7:13b. In other words, they, the many referred to in the above verse, are followers of Satan. Every nation on earth reeks of a malevolent satanic influence. As each nation becomes more and more engulfed in the participation and promotion of Satan’s agenda, more and more people will find themselves heading down that broad way which leads to destruction. Many will not realize their error until it is too late.

The strangeness to all this demonic influence is that even though it is so pervasive the majority of humanity has no clue as to where they are being led. How better to control the minds of people than through their individual governments? Christians, if no one else, should be fully aware of Satan’s influence at every level of government. Ranking fallen angels and the lower class demonic horde have influenced the elected leadership in such a way that those government leaders are now promoting and implementing Satan’s agenda and forcing it on humanity.

How can we “Christians” persuade the foe of the demonic to intervene on our behalf? Prayer and being prepared is the key “Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day” Ephesians 6:13. My brethren, we are firmly seated in that evil day. An incredible war is raging and we humans are the prize. Protection from all the fallout is provided by the One who battles for us. “Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:” Ephesians 6:16-17. We need to put on the full armor of God to withstand Satan and his horde of fallen angels and demons. But no one can put on God’s armor until they’ve put on His Son, Jesus the Christ.

God bless you all,

Ron Graham

twotug@embarqmail.com
All scripture is from the KJV and God breathed

Ministry address:
96 County Road 5480 Salem, MO 65560
You have permission to re-distribute all my commentaries as you are led by the Spirit of truth.

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Seventy Weeks of Years - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com

“Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.” Daniel 9:24. To begin with, it’s imperative to grasp the meaning behind the term “weeks” in the above verse. Many times while studying God’s word we find our English words insufficient to allow a full explanation of the true meaning found in particular scripture verses. For example, in ancient Hebrew “weeks” refers to a heptadic structure we find throughout the Old and New Testament. Simply put, many times throughout His word God speaks in units of seven. The Hebrew word “shabuwa`” (weeks in English) is used to describe a period of time. Sometimes it serves to describe a seven day period, but in the text above it is a reference to a week of years.

“Yea, whiles I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation.” Daniel 9:21. This verse indicates that God sent the angel Gabriel to Daniel to give him understanding concerning the seventy weeks.

The angel Gabriel is speaking about the future of Israel, and when Gabriel says “seventy weeks are determined” what he means is seventy sets of seven years are determined on thy people and upon thy holy city. So a total of 490 years will culminate with the fulfillment of all that was spoken of by the angel Gabriel in the verse above. A portion of that verse has already been fulfilled along with 483 of those years.

Seventy weeks are determined. What God means by “determined” is that His decree to Daniel is indomitable, it is set in stone, and it won’t be changed or slighted. If we take God at His word, as we should, what the world is going to experience at the end of the seventieth week of Daniel has, in God’s view, already transpired. Which means these coming events can’t be altered – they must occur just as Gabriel proclaims.

Upon thy people and upon thy holy city. Here the angel Gabriel is referring to God’s possessions - the nation of Israel and His Holy City (Jerusalem). The seventy weeks are determined upon these two possessions of God. Conspicuous by its absence in verse 24 is any mention of the still to come Church age. Why? Everything in the verse above refers to Israel and the Holy City, Jerusalem, save one aspect. The one portion of the above verse already fulfilled today is the most important part of the whole verse. Hold on, the explanation is coming.

To finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins. Wow! Have we seen any evidence that an end of transgression and sins has occurred sometime in Israel’s past? Both transgression and sins continue today just as they have throughout the existence of mankind. Therefore, those who insist that all these prophecies have been fulfilled must live on some utopian planet somewhere apart from planet earth. Why? Because as we wake up from our night’s sleep to a new day there are always new transgression and sins to face. God says He will “finish”, put a stop to, all of this world’s transgression and sins, which as we all know has had a long and dismal effect on mankind. The end of all transgression and sins which currently plague us is a specific set date known only to God. What we do know is that elimination point will not come before the end of the prophesied seventy weeks. Sixty-nine of those weeks have passed into history, yet transgression and sins are still in full bloom. By all accounts we see the seventieth week is set to begin very shortly – that is as soon as the Church age, which began at the end of the sixty-ninth week, is brought to a close.

And to make reconciliation for iniquity. This portion of Daniel 9:24 should be fairly obvious to us all. It’s the only part of that verse that has been fulfilled. Of course we know that all of the prophecies stated by Gabriel in that one verse must be fulfilled. But one of God’s main goals which was formulated and determined before even one foundation stone was laid in the creation of planet earth, was to reconcile mankind to Him. Our God and Savior has done just that. That reconciliation occurred when Jesus, Israel’s Messiah, took His preordained position on that cross. Jesus fulfilled that particular prophecy about 2,000 years ago. Reconciliation for iniquity was made, not just for Israel but for the whole of mankind – and Jesus said “Τετέλεσται – Paid in Full.”

So what two important issues have we learned so far? 1) God has promised He will fulfill all the prophecy given to Daniel and that He is by no means through acting on Israel’s behalf. 2) The reconciliation event that occurred some 2,000 years ago has created a Way for all mankind to join the nation of Israel as partakers of the promised inheritance. Because of Israel’s rejection of her Messiah we, the Gentile Church, have been grafted into our very own relationship with the Messiah.

And to bring everlasting righteousness. Everlasting righteousness can’t be afforded to a world where transgression and sins reign supreme. But God’s promise will come to fruition at the end of Daniel’s seventieth week when the King of kings reigns supreme.

Side note:
The mystery of the Church is specific and exclusive in nature. The nation Israel, on a whole, has rejected their Messiah, and that rejection is clearly laid out in Matthew chapter 12 where the Pharisees refer to their Messiah as Satan. That rejection began with Christ’s first advent when He came as a suffering servant culminating with His death on the cross. At His Second Advent, His return as a conquering Hero and the establishment of His Monarchy will be fulfilled at the end of the seventieth week spoken of above. At which point Jesus Christ, King of kings, will put into effect His concept of a perfect new world order. No matter what some theologians and Bible teachers teach to the contrary, Israel is still God’s chosen people. God is still very much involved in the affairs of the Nation of Israel. The seventieth week of Daniel, which is still on the horizon, is a period of time in which God will prove to the nations of the world just what the Nation of Israel means to Him. But His Church must be removed first.

“…and to seal up the vision and prophecy…” Daniel 9:24b. Then the angel Gabriel tells Daniel the vision and prophecy is to be sealed up. This again points to an end and fulfillment of all biblical prophecy. Currently there are a whole lot of people seeing visions and prophesying about what’s on the horizon; every day I receive at least one letter from someone who believes they’ve had a prophetic dream or vision that they believe is foretelling of coming events. “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:” Joel 2:28. We can now conclude that God is setting the stage for the finale of human history which will culminate in everlasting righteousness replacing transgression and sin as Jesus the Christ takes the helm of planet earth as her King. There will be no further need of visions or prophecy in the Kingdom to come as everything will have been fulfilled. Therefore at the end of the seventieth week of Daniel, God will seal up vision and prophecy and make an end of them. There will be no more false prophets or wannabe gods attempting to lead the masses astray.

And to anoint the most Holy. God’s Temple will be the most Holy place on earth. Again, all prophecy must be fulfilled just as the Bible teaches. God’s Holy Temple is not even built yet, therefore this portion of the prophecy is still a future event. God can’t anoint His most Holy place until it’s built. This is another point in a long line of scripture verses which are simply dismissed by the Amillennialist (Preterist) crowd. As God anoints His Holy Temple and puts an end to all forms of unrighteousness, all transgression, and all sins, what comes into perfect view here is not only the act of committing transgression which will be dealt that God-ordained final blow, but all guilt associated with any and all of those unholy and unrighteous rebellious acts will be eliminated.

It’s important to understand that there has been a gap period between the end of the sixty-ninth week of Daniel and the beginning of the seventieth week. This gap of time has now lasted for almost 2,000 years, and during this time God has been devoted to the establishment of His Church. This phenomenal Church growth witnessed by the world for the past 2,000 years will soon be coming to a screeching halt. The Church has been God’s focus, but all of that is about to change. Here in the 24th verse of Daniel chapter 9 we see that God’s focus is primarily on His people Israel and on His Holy City, Jerusalem.

As a nation Israel is still in rebellion to God, but that will change in the middle of the seventieth week as the abomination of desolation is revealed. “When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet…” Matthew 24:15a. The abomination of desolation will mark the beginning of the Great Tribulation (note I didn’t say the beginning of the seventieth week) in which the Nation of Israel will be fully engulfed. At this point Israel will come to realize the man they’ve been so enamored with for the previous three and one half years was actually Satan himself. Then they will begin to call on the Name that is above all names – the Name of their “mashiyach nagiyd”(Messiah the King) – which is Jesus the Christ.

Prior to Daniel’s seventieth week, at a specific God-ordained point on His established timeline, His Church will be complete. At that precise point in time, Jesus will remove every born again believer from the face of this planet. There will not be any remnant of Christ’s Church remaining on earth as God once again focuses specifically on His chosen people, Israel. God will still accomplish all of His goals presented to Daniel by the angel Gabriel according to His plan and for His glory. But we, the Church, can be fully assured that that final week will not involve the body of Christ, until the end when we will come back with our Lord in His glory. “…and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.” Revelation 17:14b.

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
All scripture is from the KJV and God breathed
Ministry address – 96 County Road 5480 Salem, MO 65560
My past commentaries are archived at the following link
http://www.raptureready.com/featured/graham/graham.html 
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Wise Men Still Seek Him  - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com

“Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,” Matthew 2:1. Wise men have been seeking the Son of God since before His birth, and wise men still seek Him today 2,000 years after His death. Why is that?

Christmas is upon us once again, and every year the idea behind remembering and celebrating our Savior’s birth becomes a little more obscure in this secular world. But for those of us who wisely choose to follow Him, this is a very special time of year. I’m not talking about Christmas trees and mistletoe or Santa Claus and reindeer; what’s so special about this time of year is that our thoughts and remembrances are focused on the truth. Our God who created the universe entered His creation as a newborn baby – the baby Jesus – and grew into manhood all so He could die a horrible death so we, His creation, would be spared an eternity in Hell. The realization of that truth dispels any lingering doubts as to why “Wise Men Still Seek Him.” “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6.

For the moment let’s ignore all the debate about when Jesus was born – let’s rejoice in knowing that He did come. The 25th of December has become a tradition for Christians to gather together and focus on their Messiah – not just His birth, but also who He is and what He did. As we sing the wonderful traditional and contemporary songs which are so full of the spirit of Christmas, joy fills our heart, peace fills our mind, and love fills our soul.

Because it is such a special time of year, many estranged families are reunited and differences of the past seem to melt away while they remember the baby Jesus who grew to become Savior of the world. Loving one another is what the Lord Jesus is all about. Love is brought forth at just the thought of baby Jesus in a manger. From everlasting to everlasting Jesus brought us His joy, peace, and love. “Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.” Psalm 136:1.

“And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” Luke 2:13-14. That tiny baby boy who brought forth such joyous praising from the host of Heaven’s angels at His birth is God incarnate. That little baby born in a manger, wrapped in swaddling clothes, held tenderly and lovingly in His mother’s arms, was to be “…great joy, which shall be to all people” Luke 2:10b. That little baby boy, surrounded by shepherds who had come in from the fields to view and be a part of the miracle that night, was the full representation of God Almighty. “For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.” Colossians 2:9. Is there any doubt as to why wise men still seek Him?

The Magi who traveled from the east to meet and bring gifts to this Jewish toddler were wise men indeed. These men were not followers of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, yet they knew the scriptures better than the Pharisees. They were worshipers of false gods yet they were able to read the signs in the Heavens. They had foresight enough to adhere to what they had learned from the Hebrew Scriptures and what they’d gleaned from the stars; they knew their destination was Judea, and they knew they were seeking royalty. Why did these worshipers of false gods come to exalt and worship the one true God? They were fully convinced through all of their God given knowledge who it was they were seeking – the King of the Jews.

We’re not told very much about the baby Jesus growing into a toddler, then a teenager, then a young man in His early years of manhood. Not until we find Jesus beginning His earthly ministry are we given a glimpse of who the baby boy born in that manger in Bethlehem had truly become. Then of course as the scriptures unfold for us it becomes obvious who this little baby boy was. Jesus began His mortal life in very humble beginnings, yet preordained before the foundation of the world to be the Savior of mankind. The little baby boy born in the manger met His destiny without doubts, and He taught His disciples that they should not have any second thoughts if they were going to follow Him. Jesus told them what their future held. They too would endure pain and persecution; the world would hate them. Yet, as we see today, wise men still seek Him – persecution or no.

Some thirty-three years after the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem’s manger, He was nailed to and died on a cross of wood, yet as Chuck Missler likes to remind us “He made the hill on which it stood.” I’ve often wondered if I’d lived during the years Jesus “walked the shores of Galilee and climbed the hills of Judea” (another Missler quote) if I would have been a disciple of His scattering and running for my life, or one of those in the crowd exuberantly screaming “Crucify Him” while His mother watched her eldest son as He suffered the pain and agony of a torture meant solely for criminals.

The somber manger scene is indeed a beautiful remembrance of our Savior’s birth, and the Christmas season brings numerous messages of love and compassion. It is a wonderful time of year. But the reason for Christmas is to remember that God, displaying His grace and mercy toward His creation in an act of unselfish love, became the propitiation for the sin of the world. This little baby grew into a man and without hesitation, He set out to do His Father’s will. He taught the masses the way of the Kingdom of God, He walked on water and quelled the fears of His disciples as He calmed the seas and dispelled every attempt by Satan to destroy Him.

“Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing…” Isaiah 35:5, 6b. He healed the sick, made the blind see, the lame walked again, He raised the dead, and all these people rejoiced and praised this Son of God. But there’s so much more “And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.” John 21:25. Amen!

“Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.” Matthew 1:23. Did Joseph and Mary really understand that this little baby, who Mary carried and gave birth to, would become the ruler of all nations? Did they know their baby was also their Creator? Could they have had any idea that Mary’s little baby boy would one day die for all of mankind and then rise from the grave three days later? These two regular people were told their child was to be called “God with us” and that “of his kingdom there shall be no end” Luke 1:33b, but what did that really mean? The wise men knew – they knew who they were seeking and they came to worship Him – and wise men still seek Him today!

Soon our Lord will return to take His rightful place on the Throne of David as King of kings. “Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.” Isaiah 9:7.

Indeed, this is a wonderful time of year when we enjoy the sights and sounds which envelop our senses all related to the birth of Christ. While we remember Jesus’ birth let’s not forget the reason He came – to set men free. “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” John 8:36. I love you Lord Jesus, you are my God, my Savior, my King, my Brother, and my Friend.

Merry Christmas, and God bless you all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
All scripture is from the KJV and God breathed
Ministry address – 96 County Road 5480 Salem, MO 65560
My past commentaries are archived at the following link
http://www.raptureready.com/featured/graham/graham.html 
If you’d like to be on my mailing list to receive the commentaries just drop me a email and let me know

Return of the Nephilim  - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com

“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Ephesians 6:12. Whether or not we want to admit it, earth’s been invaded by an element of malevolent, supernatural, other dimensional beings. The paranormal is in full swing. The fight is raging and humanity is the prize. The battle has now moved into our four dimensional space/time continuum and still people ignore it or write it off as silly science fiction nonsense. Yet science fiction often has a foundation based on fact. Earth’s inhabitants are in for a measure of the paranormal unparalleled in the last 4,000 years.

Currently Satan, his hoard of fallen angels, and the demons of old are poised on the brink of facilitating the most startling phenomenon the world will ever witness; the Bible calls it a “strong delusion”. The race is on; it’s a race against time itself. Not one of the multitudes of malevolent supernatural beings, or any human for that matter, has a clue as to when Satan’s time will run out. But there are certainly indications that humanity has entered its final phase, which portends that Satan’s last days are here. Satan can see the same things we see, except he sees them with an urgency the rest of us can’t even comprehend. Satan is responsible for the evil which will bring about much of the catastrophic occurrences on planet earth in the last days.

Satan has an agenda which includes a massive amount of deception and a bit of public exposure to pique the interest of a few, yet maintaining his agenda in the realm of science fiction for the moment. In the meantime scary things are happening – the appearance of ghosts/demons, “space” aliens, unexplained animal mutilations, etc. All of these weird occurrences are burgeoning. The world is moving into chilling, unexplored territory. Yet people seem to have no fear of the aforementioned occurrences. Why is that? Because we’ve been desensitized through some entertaining Hollywood movies, and the exploitation of the paranormal. We’ve got ghost hunters enjoying a field day while exploring all the claims of paranormal occurrences, vampires becoming so acceptable in our society that many want to become vampires themselves. When I was a young boy all my friends and I wanted to be like Superman who represented everything good – today kids and adults want to be vampires which represent everything evil. What an about face society has made.

Nothing seems to be lacking as Satan slowly and meticulously unveils his deception. The mainstream media has even gotten into the fray. They see the appearances of ghosts, goblins, ghouls, spirits, and anything that goes bump in the night as newsworthy entertainment. Imagine if by chance, someone actually runs into a few of these very real specters? Would people associate any evil with such a phenomenon? There’s more than just a chance man will see these spirits as benevolent. It is Satan’s goal that mankind embrace the whole idea of the paranormal as benevolent extraterrestrials meaning no harm but only good for earth’s populous.

Here’s the rub, the human race is being setup for the last day’s delusion. Everything is falling perfectly into place. The brunt of the delusion won’t be fully in place until the “Church” is in Heaven. There’s no doubt that what’s currently occurring all over the world points to a worldwide deception. To some of us who have been given discernment, Satan’s attempt at deluding the public is obvious. “…the son of perdition. Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God...” 2 Thessalonians 2:3b-4a. This son of perdition is ready to be revealed, his only hindrance is the Holy Spirit indwelt Church.

Please try and understand that once the Church is gone and the deception is unleashed, believing anything but the lie of the enemy will be incredibly difficult – impossible for many. “God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:” 2 Thessalonians 2:11b. Why would God send this strong delusion? The very next verse tells us why. “That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” 2 Thessalonians 2:12. In other words, those who had been presented with the truth of the Gospel of Christ and rejected that truth have nothing to look forward to but condemnation as God’s strong delusion is implemented. When we take that last verse to fruition, many of us will come to a most horrible conclusion. Many of the folks we’ve witnessed to over the years who’ve remained steadfast in their rejection of the truth will end up swallowing the strong delusion – hook, line, and sinker.

I broached the subject of supernatural evil in a commentary a few weeks ago and with the tremendous response from my readership I decided to delve a little deeper into this incredibly important subject matter of the book of Genesis chapter 6.

We’re told in chapter 6 of Genesis that a supernatural evil brought on the destruction of the antediluvian world. This subject matter deserves much more attention and explanation than I can place into one commentary, especially when one considers all the foolish and misleading interpretations of these few verses. Fallen angles, human women, and their offspring – the Nephilim is the focus in this commentary, but the paranormal stems from the demonic hoard who, after the flood of Noah, found themselves without bodies. These were the Nephilim hybrids of that era. The last days before the return of our Lord Jesus will experience a resurgence of the Nephilim, hence all the activity surrounding the paranormal. Satan is readying the inhabitants of this planet to accept another invasion by the fallen angles and the return of the Nephilim.

Many folks today try to dismiss the Nephilim completely by attributing this assault on humanity as the result of the co-mingling of the sons of Seth with the daughters of Cain. Try and support that idea using Scripture. An acrobat would be hard pressed to perform such a stretch.

There were Nephilim (giants) in the land in those days and also after that. The procreation of human beings can create little monsters, but they aren’t monstrous. The Nephilim hybrid – the offspring created from the union of fallen angels and human women – brought about the most evil the world had ever experienced. To this very day we’ve not been subjected to such evil – but it is coming.

Let me get one thing straight. This commentary is not being written as an attempt to persuade those who hold opposing interpretations of Genesis 6 to change views. What I’m espousing here has come about through years of diligent study. I would propose that each “in Christ believer” do their own study of these critically important scriptures. Please don’t send me someone else’s contradicting study; believe me I’ve seen and read them all.

The verses in Genesis chapter 6 are perfectly clear and do not contradict Jesus’ words in Matthew chapter 22. “For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven.” Matthew 22:30. Notice Jesus is speaking of the resurrection and angels of God in Heaven. Angels appear to men numerous times in the Bible and in male form. They’re seen eating and drinking, therefore they undoubtedly have access to all human bodily functions.

God says what He means and means what He says. I decided a long time ago to challenge myself to learn what these verses meant instead of listening to others concerning these passages. If we adhere to what the Bible is actually telling us, the truth is not difficult to discern “That the sons of God (The Hebrew bene ha Elohiym – always refers to angels) saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose…There were giants (nĕphiyl in the Hebrew or Nephilim) in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown. And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” Genesis 6:2, 4-5.

In the verses above the “sons of God” refers to fallen angels who came to earth, took wives of all they chose. Put in more simple terms, the fallen angel’s cohabitated with human women and their unions brought about these hybrids referred to as Nephilim, and they were giants. What we are told occurred during that stage of human history is an evil that quite frankly seems almost impossible to even consider let alone believe, yet it is factual. To the human mind the concept of angels and human women procreating is so repugnant – so beyond fantasy – that most simply dismiss it as impossible. The problem with dismissing this evil as fantasy, especially at this point in time, is akin to burying our heads in the sand. We, the Church, need to be keenly aware of and kept abreast of this strange evil coming about again. Make no mistake these fallen angels are currently continuing their shenanigans as they corrupt the last day’s human race. The bringing forth of the hybrids (Nephilim) into our midst has begun.

These fallen angels, through whatever means at their disposal, brought a mass of hybrid beings onto this planet with one goal in mind: to create a soulless and pure evil human hybrid – to replace all who are made in God’s image. Their success would have eliminated any chance of a forthcoming Messiah. Our Messiah arrived precisely when He was supposed to which tells they were not successful. Satan has, once again, begun his dastardly deeds with another assault on mankind.

Non-human hybrids that had no souls were also void of ability to love, therefore through the influence of the fallen angels their imaginations were pure evil continually. The evil was not merely focused on mankind but on the animal kingdom as well. With enough of this interbreeding, love could be bred out of man completely. This is exactly what occurred. All flesh became corrupted save Noah and his family. “And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.” Genesis 6:7. Scientists have extrapolated that there were as many people on earth prior to the flood of Noah as there are today. If that be the case and all but eight were saved from God’s decree to destroy man from the face of the earth, something much more evil had to have taken place besides just interbreeding of various human lineages. What occurred in the antediluvian world is to reemerge in the last days. The return of the Nephilim.

Why would God destroy every created thing? Why destroy poor dumb animals, the birds of the air, and creeping things? “And the LORD said, I will destroy man…, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air.” (v7b) Yes, the animal kingdom was also corrupted, thus God destroyed them also. These malevolent supernatural beings interfered in the animal kingdom to create part animal, part human “hybrids”; an animal soul cannot exist in a human body, and vice versa. FYI - the United States Senate has just passed a bill that would clear the way for the acceptance of sodomy and bestiality in the military and it was passed by a margin of 93 to 7. Who’s pulling the strings of government? “In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not…” 2 Corinthians 4:4a. Satan is the “god of this world” most men and women in leadership roles over nations bow to his every whim.

Unlike the giant Nephilim of the past the new hybrids are being created in labs around the world to resemble humans with human like traits. They will be just as soulless and loveless as those of the antediluvian corruption. They are probably already living among us. Everyone should become familiar with transhumanism. The secular scientists involved with this type of breeding animal/human hybrids are doing the devils bidding. I believe this is a major part of the strong delusion God will send to deceive the unbelieving world.

What I’ve explained in this commentary is completely verifiable through a diligent study of the scriptures. If you think I’m nuts, that a scenario such as I’ve espoused is impossible, then all I can say is wait and see. But while you wait you might heed Jesus’ words “But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” Matthew 24:37.

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
All scripture is from the KJV and God breathed
Ministry address – 96 County Road 5480 Salem, MO 65560
My past commentaries are archived at the following link
http://www.raptureready.com/featured/graham/graham.html 
If you’d like to be on my mailing list to receive the commentaries just drop me a email and let me know

Who You Gonna Blame  - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com

“And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.” Matthew 12:30. Since this is our commandment – and as we adhere to that commandment with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength – how then can we justify blaming God for the evil in this world?

God gets the blame for every evil, horrible, senseless act of hate and destruction that occurs around the planet. Look at all the people strung out on drugs and alcohol, and what about all the senseless murders that are reported every day by our illustrious media services? It’s always the God of the Bible, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who receives the blame from those who have no understanding of God. It’s never the Islamic god allah, nor any other false entity. Oddly enough, people are quick to blame God, but refuse to even acknowledge the existence of His adversary Satan. When we fail to see the true supernatural being who promotes evil and who is responsible for the dismal state of affairs of this planet then the tendency is to blame the Creator. Yet Satan is the deceiver and the destroyer of souls. Satan is the reason we live in a fallen world instead of a paradise. Eve fell for the serpent’s lies and that began the downward spiral of man. But it was Satan masquerading as a serpent who instigated the whole ungodly scheme.

Why does God allow…? Why doesn’t God put a stop to…? If God loves us then why are we in such…? Fill in the blank. These are frequently asked questions, but they are always asked of God our Creator as though He were to blame. God is not the progenitor of evil, Satan holds that title. No one wants to believe in a dark, fallen, supernatural being like Lucifer (Satan) slithering around in the dark, so most people point their finger at God when evil occurs.

Satan is, according to the God of the universe, “…the god of this world…” 2 Corinthians 4:4, which means that today just as in earth’s early history, that fallen supernatural deceiver previously known as Lucifer or Light Bearer, should take the blame for the direction we see humanity heading. Because of the fall of mankind earth temporarily belongs to Satan, but his tenure as owner of and ruler over earth is almost over. His home is about to be foreclosed on.

“This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;” 2 Timothy 3:1-4. We see all sorts of men and women today immersed in immorality, being fully corrupt in their hearts and minds, willing to inflict all forms of evil on others. The news organizations flock to these extreme and sensational works of the followers of Satan like sharks to the scent of blood. They seem to feed on the depravity of humanity.

From the beginning of time, men and women have been lured into the very dark arena of the malevolent supernatural world through their own foolish choices and their evil desires. As the hammer comes down on people who get wrapped up in lawless acts that ruin their lives, they seem almost instinctively to assign the blame for their predicament to God. Of course, many don’t even believe in God but the blame must go somewhere, thus blaming God is seen in their warped brains as justification of all their evil deeds.

Yes God gets angry at our foolishness and there will be a time when He will allow the ultimate hammer to fall. “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;” Romans 1:18. But blaming God for our own self-indulgences and unbelief is indeed folly.

God told Adam and Eve what to do and what not to do. God, being the Creator had the right to dictate to these two how to live, but He would not force them to comply. Our antediluvian parents disobeyed God’s directive. Thus they made the decision to hand over the ownership of this world to Satan. Satan now has dominion over earth and over the lost. Instead of blaming God, who gave us everything, we should be striving to live an awesome life in unison with Him. We should be loving Him and praising Him while turning our lives away from the things Satan says are good and enjoyable. Satan’s secret agenda should be no secret at all; he only wants to see all human’s destroyed. There now, it’s out in the open – no more secret. “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy…” John 10:10.

Satan, in all his deceptions, works his evil upon us then places all blame for that evil on our Creator God. He prefers to work his evil incognito. If we allow Satan this free pass, the tendency of most people will be to write off all mention of him as pure lunacy. But with every instance of hurt, pain, or suffering, hating and blaming God becomes the norm – dismissing God from every aspect of life, except when it comes to assigning blame, becomes altogether too easy. God never wanted His Creation to experience pain and suffering, He doesn’t want to see us hurt – as such we shouldn’t see Him as a mean, strict parent, but as a strong loving God who heals our lives even after we’ve gone way off course. Because we live in a world that has been cursed we must learn to live with the fact that evil things are going to happen to us and to the ones we love – the closer we get to the end the more frequent and persistent will that evil become.

Satan exists, he’s a powerful and cunning supernatural entity, and he’s malevolent to the core. We may view this world as beautiful, but in all actuality it is a disfigured cesspool brought on by the father of all lies and the deceiver of souls. Satan should be receiving the blame for the ills that have infected mankind, and man should take responsibility for his own actions. God should be given all praise, glory, and honor coupled with our undying love, but never assigned blame.

You and I have a Father, one who knows and blesses us by fulfilling our every need whether we gratefully acknowledge Him or not. We’re God’s creation, He would never think of us as rubbish even though we live on this rubbish heap. God has loved us from before the creation of the world. He’ll always love us even though He so unjustly receives such criticism and blame. God is fully aware of the blinders deployed by the one who hates us. God explains all this in His word which, because of those very blinders, so many reject.

As many of us have found out, cancer is a part of life. But this world has an even greater cancer which will soon be eradicated. Death is a part of life in a fallen world, this is just a given that everyone has or should have grown accustomed to; at any moment it can overtake us. Again, the one to blame for death and disease is Satan, not our Creator God. Satan’s has usurped authority over mankind through his deceit. This authority has one goal, to hurt, maim, kill, and completely destroy men’s lives.

God, the Creator of this universe, only wants us to see Him as He truly is, as our Savior, Redeemer, Lord, and loving Father in Heaven. Mankind, for the most part, has foolishly chosen to ignore God and allow Satan a free hand. God doesn’t allow evil things to occur, Satan with his free hand makes evil occur. Satan’s fixation has always been of pure hate; he hates mankind with a passion we can’t even comprehend. When a loved one dies we hurt, and he knows it. But what Satan does through deceitful means is to blind us of God’s perfect love while he convinces us that the Creator of the universe should be the recipient of our hate as we grieve for a loved one’s passing. In this realm Satan has been quite successful.

People make decisions that in many cases lead to hurt and suffering for them and their family. Is this God’s fault? Should we blame God for the bad choices we’ve made? Man’s rebellion to his God has created a lot of pain and suffering, most in Christ believers simply see this as another part of living in a fallen world. We’d all like to protect our loved ones from suffering pain or anguish, but sadly there’s going to be occasion for everyone in this world to experience dark times while they travel that valley of death. Placing God at fault for what boils down to our free will decisions is foolishness.

We live in a sin filled, fallen world where the worst “evil being” imaginable along with a malevolent hoard of tagalongs are in charge. We shouldn’t focus our lives on this invisible evil but we should be fully aware who is behind the full on carnage that is destroying lives.

Yes, God knows the nature of the beast that runs this world. God will one day soon take all pain and suffering from us. Nothing will remain but love, peace, and joy as we who are saved step from this world into our awaiting eternal domain of Paradise.

Perhaps the enemy’s technique of blinding humanity from seeing the truth of God has been so effective in your life that even though you don’t believe there is a God, you see no other recourse but to blame Him for every occurrence of misery that comes down the pike. In that case, just be aware that the God who you deny loves you so much He died a most horrific and agonizing death on a cross so you might have everlasting life.

God will not interfere with your decision to remain in unbelief while you assign culpability to Him. But when you enter the eternal destination you’ve chosen, which is Hell and total separation from God, you’ll be instantly confronted with the reality of your life’s decisions. You will never blame God again, only yourself.

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
All scripture is from the KJV and God breathed
Ministry address – 96 County Road 5480 Salem, MO 65560
My past commentaries are archived at the following link
http://www.raptureready.com/featured/graham/graham.html 
If you’d like to be on my mailing list to receive the commentaries just drop me a email and let me know

Times That Try Men’s Souls - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com

Today is very different than yesterday. Tomorrow will be nothing like today. But one thing is sure, we don’t see one day passing without reading or hearing a reference being made to this world falling apart – eroding, ending. There are so many signs today which only add to man’s apprehension in regards to an approaching calamity. “Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.” Luke 21:26. Certainly the kinds of headlines we’re bombarded with today can and do try a man’s soul.

What mankind is witnessing today is only the “birth pangs” associated with the nearness of Christ’s return; certainly we’re not feeling the full on effects of what Jesus tells us is coming in the last days. Jesus’ return is close, and every Christian should reel with anticipation and excitement every time something out of the ordinary or unexplainable happens. But today’s Christians seem to be apathetic concerning the coming of their Lord; a lull between events allows apathy to creep into the Christian’s life lessening the anticipation of future events. Although many may read about the catastrophic occurrences around the world which have led to mass amounts of human death and suffering, there seems to be a sort of disconnect as people simply dismiss any possibility of such devastation occurring near them, or in their lifetime. Today most followers of Jesus Christ are unaware of the unimaginable magnitude of catastrophic events that are coming. Jesus warns the last remaining generation prior to His return that they will be overwhelmed by three specific ever recurring events, which are earthquakes, pestilence, and famines. Interestingly we’re all witnesses to the fact that all three are increasing in frequency and intensity just like birth pangs.

If we were to travel back just fifty years and revisit the “birth pangs” of that era they would seem miniscule in comparison to today. Fifty years ago when I was 10, there was little talk, if any, of the “end of the world” scenarios. Today it’s everywhere we turn. Why? I believe the simple fact is that people, being made in God’s image, are quite adept at recognizing the signs as they effect the earth and sky changes that only God could bring about. Although they know something’s afoot most have no clue as to what is going on, and little desire to pursue God’s word for the answers. Over time, this apathy creates an atmosphere of fear, as men can’t grasp what’s taking place. Thus, men’s hearts will fail them as the end grows ever closer.

There is no doubt in this expositors mind that evil has increased exponentially throughout the world. A moral and upright person can’t even watch the nightly news, or read online news content, without grimacing in disgust while being consumed with sorrow. The horror inflicted on mankind by our fellow man, especially that which is inflicted on the very young and the very old can only be seen a pure satanic. All of this evil is many times more prevalent today than just fifty years ago. Certainly each generation must go through trying times, and the generation of fifty years ago had many troubling tribulations. Our current generation seems to have reached its zenith in regards to this trend of pervasive evil; an evil which has led all civilizations into extreme immorality, and depravity. Another form of evil permeating this world is greed. Astonishing to me is that, while most of us are doing everything we can to tighten our belts to ward off what many see as another Great Depression headed our way, a bunch of the elite bankers are so full of greed that they are doing everything possible to negate our personal sacrifices. Certainly the greed of a few will lead many men to the apex of that which tries souls.

This is our time to be tried. The difference between all those other times and ours is that this is the “last generation” before Christ’s return. The truth is, for those of us who know what’s coming next, these are exciting days. Difficult to comprehend at times yes, but exciting nonetheless. If we give some thought to what’s coming next, and then pay close attention to observe the times and the signs, there will be nothing surprising or terrifying about what follows. “But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.” 1 Thessalonians 5:4-5.

Apart from all that immorality, depravity, and greed which certainly reigns supreme on planet earth these days are the last day’s events of which Jesus tells His disciples will come. We are on a timeline in which those symbolic birth pangs are occurring more frequently and with much more intensity. But where on that timeline are we currently? Good question. It may help us to define our current position on that timeline by viewing the recurring signs of the past. When we do, we will be confronted with a huge difference in comparison as we look at frequency and intensity. I’ll give three short examples regarding these three observable phenomenon.

If we perform a simple web search on the United States Geological Service website (www.usgs.gov) we’ll find there a plethora of data concerning earthquakes past and present, even predictions of future events. Interestingly we find that both the quantity and severity of earthquakes have increased and are increasing daily. In my birth year, which was 1951, there were zero earthquakes recorded on the day I was born (August 24). I arbitrarily picked the year 2008 for a comparison and was floored by the number of earthquakes recorded that year on my birthday. There were over 293 earthquakes in “diverse” places. Remember were looking at just one single day’s earthquake occurrences. Now let’s take a look at the earthquakes for the entire year of 1951. The total was 592 that year. Now let’s look at that arbitrary year of 2008. Total earthquakes that year were 31,777 according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). Are the birth pangs increasing just as Jesus explained? Some will simply say that technology has improved so that we are now able to detect more earthquakes than in previous years. Let’s see if that holds true. The 1906 earthquake that devastated San Francisco, for example, registered 7.8 magnitude. According to the USGS website the Loma Prieta earthquake of 1989 was recorded at a magnitude of 7.1 on the very same equipment as the quake of 1906. What this example demonstrates is the equipment in place during the 1906 earthquake was quite sufficient in registering any quake that might have come along. Simply put there just weren’t as many. Today’s earthquake frequency and intensity is increasing exponentially just as the Bible clearly states.

Here’s a little more information for the skeptic. So far this year (2011) 189 earthquakes have occurred within the range of magnitude measuring from 6.0 to 9.0. In 1951 there were only two earthquakes at a magnitude above 6.0, one recorded at 6.2 and the other at 6.3. Obviously something substantial is going on in regards to the frequency and intensity of earthquakes today, which point us back to the Bible and the fact that we should regard Jesus’ words as true and indisputable.

What must have been perceived as non-events by Bible teachers fifty years ago has certainly fallen into the category of “WOW the Bible is true” in the mind of any truth seeker today. “…and earthquakes, in divers places” Matthew 24:7b. The Greek word “kata” is translated divers in English meaning “throughout” but it can also mean “daily”. So we can conclude that in the days just prior to Jesus’ return there would be earthquakes occurring on a global scale increasing in their frequency and intensity on a daily basis. Even more interesting is the fact that earthquakes have increased so much in just the last fifty years that now hundreds of earthquakes shake this world every day.

Pestilences: Any deadly infectious malady – including plagues. In the last days they will come on mankind with increasing frequency and intensity. In a country that prides itself as being on the cutting edge of discoveries which result in medical cures and disease control, many ugly maladies remain unstoppable. There are actually so many plagues and diseases being combated today that they are too numerous to mention in this commentary. Let me just say that the mother of major infectious plagues these days, HIV/AIDS, is still on the top of the ladder when it comes to stubbornness. HIV/AIDS has been found to be increasingly difficult to eradicate. Certainly AIDS is the personification of the meaning behind Jesus’ word pestilence – meaning communicable, transferable, transmittable, contagious. Take your pick, isn’t this exactly what every society in every country on earth is experiencing? There is an inordinate amount of frustration with this burgeoning disease.

Famine is the one sign on our Lord’s list of signs that has the most potential for causing widespread calamity, which will certainly try man’s soul to the max. And just as earthquakes and pestilences are nothing new yet increasing in both intensity and frequency, so it is with famines. Today we witness an intensifying devastation occurring in drought stricken countries.

I recently read an article which indicated that extreme poverty in the U.S. is at record levels. The article stated that 1 in every 15 Americans are considered very poor, and that 20 million Americans are living in extreme poverty.

“About 20.5 million Americans, or 6.7 percent of the U.S. population, make up the poorest poor, defined as those at 50 per cent or less of the official poverty level. Those living in deep poverty represent nearly half of the 46.2 million people scraping by below the poverty line. In 2010, the poorest poor meant an income of $5,570 or less for an individual and $11,157 for a family of four. That 6.7 percent share is the highest in the 35 years that the Census Bureau has maintained such records, surpassing previous highs in 2009 and 1993 of just over 6 percent.” Source – Daily Mail

The obvious picture we see developing is that American’s overall are becoming poorer not wealthier. Not only is employment declining but so are wages. Once upon a time a famine was coming to America. It’s no fairytale folks that famine, by all intents and purposes, has arrived. Food is certainly high on the average persons mind every day. Poor people have a hard time buying food, some people resort to stealing to get their daily bread. Some 46 million Americans are currently receiving food stamps. When that well runs dry many will turn to stealing to get what they and their family need to survive. The birth pangs Jesus spoke about are unfolding before our eyes. Famines certainly can cause the hearts of men to fail.

Obviously the return of our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ can’t be far off. These are the times Jesus referred to as the beginnings of sorrows. According to Jesus’ own words the last generation is the generation that will experience the brunt of birth pangs. We are that generation. But the most intense of those birth pangs are yet to come and the removal of His Church must surely be at hand. These times will become much worse as we move closer to Christ’s return. Many of my brethren, me included, are praying constantly that His return is only seven years away. That would mean that the Rapture of the Church could occur today.

Everywhere we look the sky seems to be falling, yet few are running for the One that protects and covers. Nothing can stop what’s coming, the prophecies of the Bible must be fulfilled, and they will be to the letter. Since there’s no place to run, no place to hide, that only leaves us one alternative. The peace and joy we have in Christ will endure right up to the day He takes us home. “Be careful for nothing… And the peace of God, which passed all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6a-7.

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
All scripture is from the KJV and God breathed
Ministry address – 96 County Road 5480 Salem, MO 65560
My past commentaries are archived at the following link
http://www.raptureready.com/featured/graham/graham.html 
If you’d like to be on my mailing list to receive the commentaries just drop me an email and let me know.

Paradise Lost - - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com

These days there seems to be a lot of confusion, conjecture, fictional theories, and downright foolishness concerning the whereabouts of the Garden of Eden. What happened to that awesome Garden after Adam and Eve rebelled and received their eviction notice demanding they leave their one time home post-haste? Was it destroyed by the Flood of Noah’s time? Was it just simply eliminated by God? Where has it gone, this Garden of God?

“And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.” Genesis 2:8. Planted in the Hebrew is “nata” and it means to establish. We see from the scripture verse above that God planted (established) this Garden in Eden (Eden, by the way, means pleasure) and then after creating Adam, placed him in his new habitat. “And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.” Genesis 2:15. Adam was created from the dust of the earth, and then he was transported to a location more befitting his newly created life. Adam was given an awesome responsibility in this newly established habitat, which was to keep the garden beautiful (dress it). But none of these verses tell us precisely where Eden was. So, just where is this garden of God?

After their rebellion and subsequent fall, Adam and his wife were given an eviction notice. Suddenly we see our antediluvian parents being banished from the Garden of Eden. That banishment included a new life in another location apart from the Garden of Eden, a life that would be consumed with hard physical labor, undoubtedly coupled with a deep sense of guilt, shame, and misery for them both. “Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.” Genesis 3:23. God sent Adam (and Eve) out of the Garden and back to the land and ground from which he was created. So here we see that God speaks of two distinct locations. The ground that He used to create Adam was distinctly different than the surroundings in the Garden of Eden – the perfect environment for God’s new creation. We know where the “ground” is – it’s the earth where we all live today. But where is that elusive Garden?

“So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.” Genesis 3:24. The word “kĕruwb (Cherub) in the Hebrew, used in the above verse, can denote one Cherub or a number of Cherubim. The translators of the King James Version of the Bible translated “kĕruwb” into English as Cherubims which doesn’t really make sense. The plural of cherub is cherubim. There is no need for an “s” at the end as we see rendered in English in the above verse. In this case God placed a Cherub (kĕruwb) at the east of the Garden of Eden to keep the way of the tree of life. As we look further into the Hebrew words we find that God placed just one angelic sword there with the Cherub, this would further indicate the presence of just one Cherub.

Was this precaution to keep Adam and his descendents out of the Garden of Eden? Not hardly. Angels are very powerful and cherubim are even more so. One angel would have been over-kill to keep mankind out of God’s Garden.

Here’s a little tidbit of information for those of you who are not familiar with the power of angels. “And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the LORD went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.” 2 Kings 19:35. One angel in one night slew 185,000 Assyrians; they are much more powerful than humans.

If we humans were being kept from the Garden we would be able to see it and the Cherub wielding his flaming sword. So, where is that Garden? Consider this. The Garden of Eden does not exist in the dimension in which we live and the Cherub is not guarding against humans, but guarding against supernatural beings bent on wickedness who desperately want access to the tree of life. The flaming sword (angelic sword in the Hebrew) that turned every way indicates a supernatural barrier. Therefore there would be no “earthly” reason for guarding the entrance to the Garden of Eden against unlawful entry by mankind. It’s a physical impossibility for mortal humans “in the flesh” to see it, let alone enter the Garden of Eden (Paradise).

That Cherub is there explicitly to keep supernatural malevolent beings from entering and being mischievous. But why? I’m going to answer that question with a bit of conjecture on my part, but it’s a logical conclusion. God told Satan and his hoard of fallen angels that there would be a fight between two distinct seeds (“And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” Genesis 3:15). The hostility God is speaking about is between Jesus the Christ (the seed of the women) and Satan’s seed. This proclamation caused Satan to realize that if he was to survive it was up to him to disrupt God’s plan of the redemption of mankind. If Satan had been allowed to enter the Garden of Eden again; and more specifically to gain access to the “tree of life,” that access could have greatly contributed to his agenda of disrupting God’s plan to restore the broken relationship between Him and man. Obviously God had no intention of allowing Satan any latitude in this area again – hence the Cherub and his sword. The Garden of Eden/Paradise is of another dimension where the faithful go when they die. Therefore Satan and his cohorts had to have been denied any access to that dimension without exception.

“And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life , and eat, and live for ever:” Genesis 3:23. The above verse explains why God, being fully aware of Satan’s plan, had no choice but to guard the entrance to the Garden of Eden. Otherwise man, by way of Satan and his malevolent hoard of fallen angels, would have become as corrupt as those wicked supernatural beings, but with one added detriment for mankind. With access to the properties of that “Tree of Life”, man would have been immortal just like those malevolent supernatural beings and just as bent on corruption, shades of Genesis chapter 6 occurring over and over again.

The only way we humans can live forever is to shed these mortal vessels we refer to as bodies. Basically we must die to live. “So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.” 1 Corinthians 15:54. It was Christ’s victory over death and over Satan that gives humanity the only way of by-passing eternal damnation. Not at all the way Satan would have preferred things to have turned out. But hey, there it is. God is faithful! We can depend on God’s plans as always being perfect.

“He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.” Revelation 2:7. Jesus’ own words tell us where the tree of life can be found – it’s in the midst of Paradise. And those who overcome will be given access to that tree. Certainly the probability of Paradise and the Garden of Eden being the same location is very great indeed since from the beginning the “tree of life” was “established” as one of the trees in the Garden of Eden. We either have two names for the same location – The Garden of Eden/Paradise – or someone dug up the “tree of life” and replanted it in another location.

“And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom:” Luke 16:22. Abraham’s bosom is a reference to Paradise. On the day Christ was crucified there were two others suspended on their own crosses. One recognized who Christ was and asked to be remembered. He is now in paradise with the rest of the believers. “And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.” Luke 23:43. Paradise is the location where the Apostle Paul tells us he went when he was raptured (caught up – Harpazō in the Greek). “How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.” 2 Corinthians 12:4. When the saints are finally caught up (Raptured) we too will be with the Lord in Paradise (the Garden of Eden). If I’m correct in my theory about the Garden of Eden and Paradise being the same location, then the Garden of Eden has moved. “Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.” Ephesians 4:8. Now we see Paradise has been moved to a new location – it has ascended up on high.

So, the Garden of Eden is still very real, it’s just not visible to those still living on earth. Paradise is also very real because both locations are one and the same, and God confirms this by referring to the “tree of life” and it’s location as being both in the Garden and in Paradise. It’s a place that is completely off limits to any form of evil. It can’t be described with human words. It’s a dimension that will never be seen by the damned. It belongs to God and the redeemed.

“We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.” 2 Corinthians 5:8. Everyone who has died with their faith firmly established in the Son of God is now occupying that Garden/Paradise. They now know without any doubt that Paradise was never lost – only man. Paradise awaits each of us who’ve placed our faith and trust in the One who designed and created it, our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ. The alternative to Paradise has never moved; it’s exactly where it was when Abraham had the discussion with the rich man in Luke chapter 16 verses 19 through 31. By the way, that discourse was not a parable but a true account.

The Creator of all dimensions (Jesus Christ) has a special dimension fully established, which currently houses multitudes of God’s children. In contrast to that beautiful, awesome Garden (Paradise) is a location which is the most unpleasant of habitations, and that is a gross understatement. It currently awaits all the Christ-rejecters who have made it plain they want nothing to do with God. Two distinct and completely dissimilar eternal locations are in view as we live our lives out on planet earth. Paradise and Hell – both equally real. Paradise is the place where the living, continue living…forever. Hell is the place where the dead continue dying…forever. Deciding on which location you prefer doesn’t take a lot of intellectual prowess. It’s a simple choice. Which place is yours?

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
All scripture is from the KJV and God breathed
Ministry address – 96 County Road 5480 Salem, MO 65560
My past commentaries are archived at the following link
http://www.raptureready.com/featured/graham/graham.html 
If you’d like to be on my mailing list to receive the commentaries just drop me a email and let me know.

It’s Personal not Corporate -  - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com

“And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.” Genesis 3:6. Since the beginning of our human existence the influence of one spouse over another has been, in many cases, disastrous. Eve was deceived by the serpent, not Adam. But through Eve’s influential prodding Adam made a decision that led to his death. It was Eve’s will that Adam should eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. From the very beginning we see that one spouse can have a strong influence over the other.

Stumbling blocks and strongholds of the enemy are continually placed in all our lives. We must learn to fight to withstand the enemy forces. The lost people of this world will find this increasingly difficult. One such stumbling block is known as conformity. A somewhat touchy subject for any writer is to address the conforming influence a husband has over his wife, or vice versa. A man and woman will have various conflicting convictions prior to marriage, but soon after the consummation of that marriage a change begins to occur. Many times that change results in one or the other being conformed into accepting what the other believes. In most cases the wife’s beliefs change to mirror the beliefs of her husband. In some cases it’s not a bad thing; sometimes a spouse, being at one time lost and worldly, begins to see God’s truth. Thus the positive influence of this spouse is a good thing. On the other hand, when a husband or wife holds to a false belief system and influences their spouse against believing the truth of the Gospel of Christ, this conformity will only lead to destruction. Satan knows the truth, that Jesus the Christ is alive. But to fight that truth, a weapon in his vast arsenal is the influence of one spouse over the other.

Each individual on this planet must make a choice concerning the eternal. This choice is a personal decision affecting only the person making the choice. For example, I can’t make the choice for my wife nor can she make it for me. The same goes for our children, we can teach our children right from wrong, we can teach them about faith and love – all about Jesus – but we can’t make the most important decision of their lives for them. I’m sure some of us would like it if we could make that decision for a loved one, but it just doesn’t work that way. Even though salvation is a free gift of God, He’s made it abundantly clear it’s personal not corporate. Everyone must face the reality that Satan wields his influence over the lost like a king over his kingdom. An unbelieving spouse is a subject of that king, thus he/she must do his bidding.

My wife and I were married in June of 1988. I was 36 years old. I was pretty well set in my ways. I was already an alcoholic, my vocabulary was more than just laced with profanity, and I had a mean disposition. My new bride, a godly shy woman, a born again Christian with a heart that could only have come from God, knew that she was not following the word of God by becoming yoked with a non-believing and very ungodly, worldly man. I was for all intents and purposes a follower of the enemy of God; this is something my wife should have been repulsed with. Instead she fell in love me and I with her. We were married shortly thereafter. Can you see how horrible my influence over her life could have been? But instead she influenced my life. Please understand, it seldom works out that way.

Husband or wife, whichever one follows Satan normally will have the stronger influence. In most marriages the husband is the dominant force. They exercise an incredible amount of influence over their wife’s life. A wife, who obeys her unbelieving and many times manipulative husband, when it comes to a decision for Christ may just obey him right into Hell. In many marriages this tragedy is very real. Similarly, a wife can have the same detrimental effect on her husband if she remains in her satanic induced blindness toward the truth.

When men or women ignore the truth of God just to appease their spouse they are only foolishly falling into a trap laid down by the father of all lies (Satan). This personification of evil keeps a tight rein on those who belong to him. Satan will work one spouse against the other convincing them to remain in his camp. I’ve seen this type of situation time and time again, where a spouse begins to climb out of the muck and mire of the filthy camp of the enemy only to be waylaid by their other half who unabashedly steps in to do Satan’s bidding. I’ve also witnessed that at this point both of their hearts become incredibly hardened against their Creator, and when they remain in that steadfast position they all but cement their decision to spend an eternity in Hell.

Many will follow their spouses into the abyss instead of using their own intellect to come to a decision for Christ. Ignoring the power of the enemy is a common mistake these days as so many relegate Satan to nothing more than a mythological existence at best. Thus, he’s able to keep his hold on people through their own ignorant and erroneous beliefs.

Influence and conformity can be powerful stumbling blocks that, when coupled with decision making, can and do lead people astray. Certainly there are everyday decisions that affect the marriage and those decisions must be made together. Both spouses must participate in the decision making process to really enjoy a good and loving marriage. But the decision to turn one’s life over to Christ is the most important decision in this life, and it is personal not corporate.

Over the years I’ve learned, as many of you have, that marriage is a great institution. I can’t, or won’t, even contemplate living alone without my wife. My wife is not just a woman I met fell in love with and then married, she is more, much more. She is a major part of my life, she has become a part of me – bodily she and I are one. I can’t be separated from her for any length of time at all without missing her in a way that is almost impossible to describe. The love we have for one another is that same love that Jesus has for His Church. When she is away from me it’s the same as though a part of my body has been ripped away. God meant for us to view marriage just as He described it in the book of Genesis “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.” Genesis 2:24. God meant it. When a man takes a woman to be his wife there’s a lifelong bond established. This bond is never to be broken. This is exactly why the influence of one spouse over the other can be so great. If one spouse is a non-believer, the adverse affect that that one person can have on the other can truly mean Hell for all eternity.

This is precisely the reason why we (believers in Christ) aren’t to be unequally yoked with non-believing people “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?” 2 Corinthians 6:14. Why is the Apostle Paul giving us this admonition? Because time and time again unequal unions result in a most devastating end for one or both participants.

Then, of course, we have marriages with both husband and wife being non-believers. These two unbelievers aren’t really going to know love, the love of Christ that transcends all barriers, since their union was not built on a godly foundation. This ungodly union can place an incredible strain on a marriage, especially if one spouse begins to learn the truth about God. There’s a span of time where one spouse might begin to see God in ways they’ve never perceived before. This can cause friction in a marriage and even result in divorce. Even though one spouse emerges victorious in Christ they may have just destroyed their marriage. The Bible tells us that God hates divorce – and please don’t misunderstand, I’m not advocating divorce – but God in His word tells us that the believing spouse is under no obligation to remain in a marriage with an unbeliever. “But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God hath called us to peace.” 1 Corinthians 7:15.

Because of the incredibly powerful influence of their spouse, many who might be on the verge of making a decision for Christ will be convinced to stay in unbelief. As such they continue to drink from Satan’s pool of damnation. This is just another of Satan’s tools of deception. It’s a horrible sight to be witness to, especially when it occurs within your own family. In the big scheme of life, a personal decision for Christ is the most important of all decisions; all other decisions are comparatively immaterial. If we understand nothing else in this life, we must come to grips with the fact that a decision for Christ is personal not corporate.

Wife, your husband has no say in the matter concerning your eternal destination – husband, your wife has no say in the matter concerning your eternal destination. Here’s something to consider, when you stand before the God of all creation, at His Throne of Judgment with the rest of those who rejected Christ as their Savior, you will not be able to use the excuse that it was your spouse that kept you from making the decision to avoid Hell. It will be too late at that point to make excuses and there will be no chance for you to change your mind concerning your eternal destination.

Here are your choices: follow my unbelieving spouse into Hell or follow Jesus Christ into Heaven. Remember influence works both ways – your decision for Christ could be just what your spouse has been waiting for – to see the love of Christ in you. That Christ centered love might be the catalysts that turns another hardened hear toward Christ. Hear Jesus promise to you: “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.” John 10:27-28. (Emphasis mine)

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
All scripture is from the KJV and God breathed
Ministry address – 96 County Road 5480 Salem, MO 65560
My past commentaries are archived at the following link
http://www.raptureready.com/featured/graham/graham.html 
If you’d like to be on my mailing list to receive the commentaries just drop me a email and let me know?

Name above All Names - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com

“Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow…And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:9, 10a, 11. Why is the name which God placed above every name so often looked upon with disgust, animosity, and even hatred? Hatred toward the one who gave us life is beyond understanding. Yet even though God exalted His Son’s Name above all names it has become the most hated name in man’s history. I’m not taking about the most hated man in all man’s history, such as Adolf Hitler, but the most hated name above all names. In the United States of American you better think twice before mentioning the name of Jesus in the hallowed halls of academia. Mentioning Jesus’ name in public school as a visitor these days will get you a quick rebuke and if you are a student – detention and expulsion.

Why? What’s in a name anyway? Jesus, is a word translated from a Greek word “Iēsous” which means salvation. So Jesus’ name – a name we use every day (many times in the most derogatory manner) means salvation (our salvation). Most people hate the idea that they need to be saved so they reject the name of the one who wishes only to save them.

A huge majority of folks these days use the Lords name in the most disgusting manner. Jesus is coupled together with the word Christ to facilitate a revolting response to someone else’s angry and suggestive overture. Many times the name Jesus is used to express some annoyance or dissatisfaction. Jesus is used many times by many people who ignorantly go through life with little to no understanding of what they are doing by bantering about the name that God hath highly exalted and placed above all names.

Why don’t people use the name of Mohammad, or Buddha, or even one of the many names attributed to God’s adversary such as Lucifer, Satan, or Baal to express all the filth associated with our imaginations? Why is the name Jesus, which God elevated above all other names for His glory, made to be the brunt of so many filthy conversations these days? We can attribute the reasons for all these unholy expressions of anger and annoyance to two main categories – ignorance and hate.

Hate can be explained in many ways, but the main reason people hate Jesus is because of His most exclusive words. “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” John 14:6. Jesus proclaimed to His disciples that there was only one way to get into Heaven and that was through Him (Jesus). Basically, Jesus was only reiterating what He had previously proclaimed “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” John 3:36. Only through Him (the Son of God) can a person enter Heaven. This statement of Jesus’, for many people, is beyond ridiculous. How can God condemn so many people to Hell just because they believe in an alternative path to Him? After all, we can see that many people want to get to God, they just don’t want to go through God to get to God. They don’t see Jesus as God; interestingly, even though many will see Jesus as God’s Son they don’t equate the two as one.

Let’s be right up front here. There are no paths to Heaven. There is only one way to Heaven and that way was just explained above. The thought of many “paths” is encouraging to a wide variety of folks who are obsessed with being politically correct. This pervasive mindset doesn’t allow for such exclusivity as we see in the Christian faith. The minds of many have been so thoroughly deceived that they believe the lie of the enemy that many roads (paths) lead to God. In all actuality they do all lead to God, but not the way these folks would like to believe. Everyone who continues to believe in the lie which points to many alternative paths to God while rejecting His Son will one day stand before the very God they’ve rejected, Jesus the Christ. It will only be as a hearing, though, for their final judgment which will relegate them to an existence without the presence of God for all of eternity, which is Hell. Sadly, when they finally realize their mistake it will be too late.

Still others hate Him and His name because He was born Jewish, and we know that many people and even whole nations this world over hate the Jews and have for centuries. God entered His creation and became a Jewish man, fulfilling many prophecies. That truth is repugnant to those who have a deep-seated hatred for the Jews. Therefore that hatred continues into the supernatural. People hate Jesus and His name not even realizing that He is their God -- the only God of all eternity.

Most won’t accept the truth about Jesus the Christ during their lifetime. Many multitudes will continue to lash out in hatred and ignorance at the one who would freely give them everlasting life, the one who loves them beyond compare. The name of Jesus is horribly mistreated by a mass of people who see Him as just another man. Some don’t even believe He ever really existed. Some hate Him so much that they will go to any length to explain Him away. Sadly, many of these folks will die carrying that mindset of hate with them to the grave and beyond.

The other category, ignorance, is where many people reside. They remain in the bliss of their ignorance, never wishing to disrupt the lives they’ve made for themselves by intertwining themselves with the foolish tradition of men. “The Bible was written by men therefore it is only of men not of God.” This misconception of God’s word has and will have a very detrimental effect on a large portion of humanity before the end. In this enlightened post-modern world, many people believe they’ve risen above the need for a God. These days, the enlightened crowd considers anything that has to do with God simply manmade, pure superstition. If a person were to casually mention the name Jesus in the presence of one of these enlightened folks they would soon realize the brunt of their mistake as almost immediately there would come a pounce on that person like an attacking lioness protecting her cubs.

Many people today have been taught the lie of evolution to the exclusion of all other very real possibilities. These people believe that evolution is the catalyst which has propelled humanity into the 21st century. These same folks are fully convinced that all religions, including Christianity, are built on nothing more than foolish fantasies, excluding of course their own religion of secular humanism. Now that the populous has been enlightened with the idea that there is no absolute truth and the time of “reason” has been established, they can now say there is no God with complete impunity. Their zeal is unfettered as they trample on the Name above all names – Jesus the Christ, the only way to the Father.

Perhaps the two categories of hate and ignorance are more intertwined than we perceive. Here’s a recent headline taken from the WND website “Jesus’ name ruled unconstitutional, Judge says prayers to Christ do violence to America's pluralistic, inclusive values.” This attempt to bury the Name that God has exalted above all names is fraught with evil. Satan is the one who is behind every attempt to rid mankind of their Creator’s Name. But his attempts will always be fruitless as we who are Christ’s followers are still here reminding the unbelievers that Jesus is the Name above all names, and that He is the only way of salvation.

Obviously many will remain in their progressive state of ignorance, standing firm in their contempt for the one true God while they continually drag His Name through the filthiness of their grossly flawed minds. There are many reasons why Jesus’ name is so infused in the culture of hate today, some of which are due in part to those of His followers. Sometimes Christians can be their own worst enemies. If we study our Bibles we learn that we aren’t to be argumentative or abrasive when it comes to our interactions with non-believers, but we are to be as the Apostle Paul admonishes “Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:” Philippians 2:3-5. Lowliness of mind means that we are to be humble servants of the most High God, Jesus the Christ. We are to address the unbelievers with the mind of Christ who, when addressing the non-believing world, did so with love and compassion not strife or vainglory.

Does it infuriate you when Jesus’ name is used in vain? Think about how God sees those who use His name thusly. Does it infuriate Him? No. He loves them, and He understands better than the rest of us how powerful the enemy is. God wants us to love those who mistreat us and who drag the name of our Savior and Lord through the mud. And when we witness to them we might convince them that the Name they are showing so much disrespect for is indeed the Creator of the universe, and He loves them and is ready to forgive them all their trespasses. If only they will believe.

One day, very soon now, all knees will bow and all tongues will confess that the Name so many willfully abuse is the Name of the Judge of the universe. Jesus the Christ is God Almighty and without exception no matter how people treat His name He loves them all. But God’s word is true, only those who’ve placed their faith and trust in Him and Him alone for their salvation will avoid that Judgment Throne. The rest will be relegated to a place that is filled with fire and brimstone.

Let’s talk to these folks with the love of Christ in our hearts, after all some might just believe and be saved. Talk to them in a manner that they perceive to be argumentative and full of vainglory and they will not respond to His name with any semblance of love and affection. Let’s help all we can to rid them of the hate they profess toward Jesus our Savior God. We can help educate those who are ignorant to who He is. We, His Church, can be the light that so many are looking for in this dark world, which is just about to end, as we promote the truth about the one who has been assigned the Name above all Names. Jesus!

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
All scripture is from the KJV and God breathed
Ministry address – 96 County Road 5480 Salem, MO 65560
My past commentaries are archived at the following link
http://www.raptureready.com/featured/graham/graham.html 
If you’d like to be on my mailing list to receive the commentaries just drop me an email and let me know?

Simplicity - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16. Why is it so hard to see the simplicity in this verse? Just about everyone it seems is able to quote it from memory, but not many actually understand the content. God loves each and every human being on this planet and He always has. Before He laid the foundation stone of the earth He had already designed the way of salvation for all His creation. The fact that He allowed His only begotten Son to be the payment for the sin of the world was not an afterthought. Why is it so difficult for people grasp what God is telling us in the above verse? Believing the truth of what Jesus did for us is all it takes for God to see us as His children. Whosoever believeth in him. Believing is the key which unlocks the doors of Heaven for everlasting life – eternally secure in the hands of our Savior.

God provided the way for everyone to receive everlasting life, and He did so with simplicity in mind. But, God has given us each the freedom to choose – to choose either life or death. He knew, before we exited our mother’s womb, how hard headed and stiff necked we would turn out so He compensated, He designed the plan of salvation in a way that would be easily accessible to all. Please don’t misunderstand, for God Himself there was nothing simple about planning and then watching the death of His only begotten Son. Providing the way had to be hard even for God. Watching while Jesus was spit upon, slapped, mocked, ridiculed, scourged, and finally nailed to that cross to die would have been anything but simple for the Father. The simplicity I’m speaking of is how easy God made it for us to simply say yes to His Son, Jesus the Christ, and obtain what we clearly don’t deserve. Salvation is free for the asking. Believe, ask, and then receive God’s free gift of salvation – what could be simpler?

All God asks of us is to believe. There are no works involved. We don’t have to provide any proof of who we are, we don’t have to perform any religious tricks, or follow a set of rules and regulations to receive God’s free gift. Ya get it? It’s free for anyone who believes. Yet we see that many Christian organizations want to add to the simplicity of what Jesus did for us on that cross. All manner of works related faith programs are being espoused these days to create an atmosphere of difficulty – and in many cases are impossible to comply with. Just like the leaders of the Israelites adding over 600 laws to keep their people in line, we see many Christian based organizations following in Pharisaical footsteps lording over the laity (the nothings) with works and rules for obtaining and keeping their salvation. This was not the intent behind the cross of Christ.

How much more simple could God have made it? “And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Acts 2:21. I believe, yes Lord Jesus I believe in what you did for me on that cross. At the very instant that our mind begins to formulate those words we become born again, born from above, from God. God sees into our hearts and He hears our very thoughts, so He knew our words before they even came out of our mouths. Actually, God knew who would say yes to His son and who would say no long before any human habitation of earth.

God tells us in His word (the Bible) that Jesus (His only begotten Son) died on a cross and was buried. That He (Jesus) was three days and three nights in the grave and on the third day He rose from the grave. This is what God says we must believe in order to receive His free gift of salvation. There is nothing else for us to do but believe in order to receive that free gift. All God asks of me and you is to believe in order to freely obtain everlasting life. Does that sound simple to you? Doesn’t accepting the gift of salvation God gives us freely seem easy to you? Yes? Then why do so many people try to make it so difficult?

Believing in the Son is the key to everlasting life, and it’s not difficult to believe in Jesus because it’s not difficult to believe truth. There is also simplicity in believing lies and we must be careful to always see lies for what they are, attacks by the enemy. There are many things that are difficult in this life; loving others with the same agape love by which God loves all of us can be very difficult, and at times it may seem impossible. But when speaking about God’s free gift of salvation there is nothing that can take on a more simplistic tone than to simply believe. How hard is it to believe in a Creator who loves us and wants only to have a relationship with us? It’s not hard at all, unless of course we’ve been taught that there is no God. Then we would certainly find believing in something that we were taught doesn’t exist far from simple. But God does exist and He’s proved it time and time again. With every new day we’re confronted with God’s majesty. With every night’s sky we’re confronted with God’s plan of salvation in the stars.

After seeing God’s creation, no one in their right mind can conclude that there is no God, not if they’re being completely honestly that is. After seeing His creation and determining that He is and that He must be an awesome and powerful God, reality eventually sets in. At which point saying yes to Jesus Christ becomes a simple statement of faith “I believe”. “What about asking for forgiveness – repenting – and turning from our sinful lives?” Now you’re talking about sanctification which comes after we are justified (saved). The sanctification process is ongoing and will last until the day we die or until the rapture, at which point we will then be glorified. I’ve mentioned this in another commentary but I’ll repeat myself here for clarification. God’s plan is a three tier process. First we begin with Justification which is a done deal at the point in time when we first say “Yes Jesus, I believe”. The second part of the process is Sanctification; this can be the longest part of the three tier process, but it is God who does all the work here. He works on our hearts, convicting us of sin so we will begin to move away from what we were once involved in. During this process God is reforming us into the exact likeness of His Son, Jesus. It’s actually God who moves us away from sin by convicting – sort of like when a child gets too close to the edge the street. We call them back or we go get them. God does the same thing with those who are His children. The process of sanctification will take the rest of your life. Lastly, in this three tier process, is Glorification. We receive our glorified bodies and live with God for eternity.

The simplicity in believing in what Jesus did for us on that cross and then through His resurrection takes faith in God. We must believe that God loves us, and that He loves us so much that He’d send His perfect Son to take our punishment, to die in our stead. Believing this truth is the only way of salvation. Yes it’s simple; it’s just hard for those who’ve been taught in school or at home that there is no God. I can understand how hard believing in the death, burial, and resurrection of a supposedly nonexistent God would be. The simplicity comes when we are assured through the mountains of proof that exist everywhere we look that all we see must have been intelligently designed and that that designer is our Creator God, Jesus the Christ. “Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:” Romans 1:19-20. The fact is we are without any excuse for rejecting the truth which points to a loving God who does exist and who did die for His creation.

Really, the free gift that God offers is simply just that, a free gift. We can argue with God all day about how we feel that we should be required to do something to earn His free gift, that it is just too important to be so freely given. But at the end of the day Jesus said “Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.” John 6:28-29. Believe on Him (Jesus the Christ) whom He (God) hath sent. How much simpler could God have made it? Remember the decision to die for His creation was made before mankind was created. The simplicity surrounding the decision to say yes to Jesus Christ has been given to us by God. Will you accept His free gift or will you reject it? Simple question.

Believing in Jesus as Lord and Savior is easy, it’s just hard for those who wish to continue in their rebellion to God. And there will always be those works based Christians who insist on placing a massive yoke around the necks of those who want nothing more than a relationship with their Savior God. But hard hearts can be melted, and the works based deceived individuals can be set free. Just a few kind words from a follower of Jesus Christ can move mountains if we will only speak the words. This too is a simple thing, it’s made difficult by people who think some kind of reprisal will be forthcoming once the subject of Jesus Christ is broached. Believe it or not, many times people put on a hard shell but underneath there’s a Christian trying to come out (I was one of those). All they need is to hear a little truth and voila another dead person comes alive. The shell is broken and underneath that hard shell was another follower of Jesus Christ whose been dying to get out.

The truth is God does love every one. And His love is the same for each of us. “Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:” Acts 10:34. God doesn’t want any of His creation to perish. “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9.

Salvation is simple, God made it simple. Why? Because He loves us with a love we can’t even come close to comprehending. But we can understand “…that whosoever believeth in him should not perish…” John 3:16b. Believing in Jesus as our God and Savior is all it takes to gain everlasting life; Jesus paid the price, we in turn have nothing to pay. It’s simple when you really think about it. We were all perishing at one time until we said yes to Jesus Christ and believed on Him. Simple isn’t it? We humans make it hard but God designed it to be as a simple as a walk in the park. Everlasting life – all we need do is believe in the one who gives us that life, Jesus the Christ, Creator of Heaven and earth.

God bless you all,

Ron Graham

twotug@embarqmail.com
All scripture is from the KJV and God breathed
Yes you have permission to re-distribute all my commentaries as you are led by the Spirit of truth.
Ministry address: 96 County Road 5480 Salem, MO 65560
My past commentaries are archived at the following link
http://www.raptureready.com/featured/graham/graham.html 
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Because the Days are Evil - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com

“See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” Ephesians 5:15-16. We are surrounded by evil – compassed about on every side. Many forms of satanic/demonic evil are already entrenched in this world – such as false religions, cults, false teachings, and on it goes. We can see how Satan has made huge inroads corrupting the established Church. Much of our current exposure to the demonic, to the satanic, is not anything new, but has been with us since Jesus walked the shores of Galilee and climbed the hills of Judea. Standing firm for Jesus is not getting any easier, nor will it in the future. Therefore we must be ever watchful and vigilant as we see the ever expanding influence of Satan attempting to engulf all of God’s creation.

Humankind’s future is winding down to a point in time in which every evil known, or unknown, to mankind will be revealed, including some very strange goings on that haven’t been seen by mankind for thousands of years. In other words, there will soon be no unrestricted evil on earth. How can I say something that sounds so preposterous? Well, all it takes is some Bible study. Here are the Lord’s words for us to ponder “But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” Matthew 24:37. Our Lord gives us great information concerning the last days prior to His return (Second Advent). The horrible corruption that occurred in Noah’s day didn’t just appear one day. That corruption took hundreds of years to incorporate into the lives of the entire human race (save 8 souls).What we can plainly see occurring today in the field of UFO’s is not something new, it’s simply becoming much more transparent.

If we haven’t studied Genesis chapter 6 with care, or if we allow false interpretations which cloud our minds, we will not understand Jesus’ admonition in Matthew 24. These last days before the Rapture will cause every believer to take a much closer look at their understanding of God’s word. Those who don’t know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior will be falling like autumn leaves for the deception the enemy has planned.

Yes, there is an inordinate amount of evil that will be unveiled in the last days. Much of which has to do with the fallen angels of Genesis 6. “…the sons of God (bene ha 'elohim) saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.” Genesis 6:2. These are fallen angels (bene ha 'elohim) and they were the malevolent supernatural beings who participated in the most unholy of unions which created the hybrid race of the Nephilim, which subsequently corrupted of the human race. The Bible tells us that those fallen angels have been cast into everlasting darkness. But let’s take a look at what the book of Jude tells us about those particular angels. “And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.” Jude 1:6. Those angels who participated in that first incursion into the realm of human existence without permission are in chains. Yet there are many more fallen angels at Satan’s command, and ultimately at his ‘disposal’, who have gone on to once again sow the seeds of corruption into the human race. After the flood of Noah, more fallen angels became involved with human women and there were more Nephilim found inhabiting many parts of earth. Our Lord tells us this same corruption will come again in the last days just prior to His return.

Most of the demonic phenomenon occurring in the world these days is ignored and brushed aside because of a lack of knowledge, belief, or even interest – some of this ignorance might even be generated by fear. Until quite recently this strange but ever recurring phenomenon has been purposely obfuscated by those evil beings who wish it to remain secret until the “time” is determined. This is accomplished through the release of false information and or negative press reports associated with unbelievable and or farfetched stories.

I will be the first to admit that what I’ve been studying for the past few years pretty much resembles a lot of the science fiction themes of today. If it weren’t for the fact that I am a born again believer in Christ, the reality of what I’ve been studying (fallen angels, demons, UFO’s, hybrids, etc.) would be horribly frightening. Another fact is that the Bible supports what I’ve been studying, and if it didn’t then I wouldn’t be writing about it.

Now we’ll take a look at the verse that led many believers to pursue a more in-depth knowledge of the evil that persisted during the time of Noah. “There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God (bene ha 'elohim) came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.” Genesis 6:4. There is a lot to decipher in this verse, what we need is a fuller understanding of just what it was that transpired in those days before that great deluge. Fallen angels corrupted the blood line of man whom God created in His own image. The result of such a union between fallen angels and human women was a race of hybrids (Nephilim) without redeemable souls.

Now, before I go any further let me explain Jesus’ words from Matthew chapter 22, as I’m sure many of you will quote this verse in an attempt to dispel what I’m trying to expose. “Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven.” Matthew 22:29-30. The first thing I want to point out is that Jesus had the same problem as many of us do today. Because of their erroneous interpretations, Jesus had to admonish those who should have known the scriptures. Jesus did not say that angels bent on corrupting the human race could not procreate on earth, only that the angels of God (those which did not follow Lucifer) “in Heaven” do not marry. Also, when we read of angels appearing to men and women in the scriptures they always appear as men. Jude tells us “And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation…” Jude 1:6a. These angels basically disrobed, or cast off, their bodily form – habitation. Thus they were able to take on a familiar (habitation) such as the form of a human.

Reading Genesis chapter 6 verse 4 we see that this corruption didn’t only occur during the days of Noah, but it says “and also after that.” This means that after the flood which destroyed all but 8 souls (Noah and his family) these fallen angels would again attempt to corrupt the bloodline of the Messiah along with all of humanity. Many people think that was the end of this ugly part of human history. In many instances throughout the Old Testament we find the Nephilim, Anakim, and Rephaim (all giants/all soulless) inhabiting various areas of the Middle East and from much investigation their bones have been found worldwide.

In fact, that was not the end of the creation of these hybrids. Today we can see the same thing happening in many different venues where scientists are attempting to create a race of (human and animal/human and machine) hybrids. A very small sampling of examples would be sheep that have 15% human DNA so their organs can be used for transplants, cats that glow either red or green (supposedly for AID’s research), goats and spiders crossed to create goat milk with very strong spider web material (used by the military as bulletproof skin), an on it goes. Are these scientists being schooled by the fallen ones? Satan is very cleaver and fully deceptive. Who is he? Jesus tells us “He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.” John 8:44.

The fact that only Noah and his family were spared tells us that Noah’s bloodline had not been tainted (corrupted). But the evil one will not stop because of a little miscalculation; he’s fully capable of full on attacks of deception and he will not stop until Jesus stops him. So, we here on earth must always be prepared for the deceptions – the demonic attacks of the enemy – even if some of the evil coming our way seems to us to be impossible. What’s going on in the realm of the supernatural is now flowing over into our dimension and becoming visible to the human eye.

Now that we are in the last days we can see many things coming about in our world that leads us to understand more fully that which past expositors could not grasp. But Jesus Himself tells us that just as it was in the days of Noah (when the fallen angels corrupted the human race with their shenanigans) the same thing is going to occur prior to His return. That being the case we should be seeing some resemblance of that corruption today. UFO’s?

Do your own diligent study concerning this burgeoning phenomenon known as UFOlogy and go at it with an open mind. Understand that Satan is creating a new and huge delusion designed to infect the whole world. You might well be surprise at what’s going on right in your own back yard. Extraterrestrials? No, interdimensional malevolent beings – fallen angels.

We should be aware that the time is upon us for Satan to show his hand – what he’s up to. He and his minions of evil are now obsessed with prevailing against God. Satan believes that if he can disrupt the plan of God through the deception of the masses and the creation of a hybrid race without souls that God will be made out a fool and a liar. Then Satan will claim what he believes is his rightful place – the throne of God. I know how insane that sounds, but that’s the nature of the beast. And that is precisely what’s attacking us – insane, wicked, malevolent supernatural beings moving back and forth between dimensions. You believe in extraterrestrial UFO’s? Look again. Satan’s deceptions are burgeoning. Those massive amounts of visual sightings and abductions are the handy work of the father of all lies to deceive the human race; to prepare the world for a very unholy invasion – not by extraterrestrial, but by interdimensional demonic beings.
Something ugly has reared its unholy head, and has become much more blatant in just the last few decades. In fact, in just the last few years Satan has increased his deceptions by becoming even more public with all the UFO sightings. Satan’s flying machine/alien being deceptions have, today, become commonplace and believed by literally millions of people. Many simply see this UFO thing as a fact of life. The worst part of that deception is that people believe these beings to be benevolent. In fact, this very deceptive phenomenon is part of a larger plan to deceive then completely corrupt the human race, and these interdimensional fallen angels are anything but benevolent. They are for all intents and purposes malevolent in every way – and deception is at their core.

I’m not alone in what I’m professing here; there are many of us who have become well informed through diligent research in the past few years, and what we’ve found is that this deception is burgeoning and not going away. Everyone, and I mean everyone, must try to understand and come to grips with what Satan and his hoards of evil forces have been involved in, and what they are currently unleashing on this planet. Keep in mind that Satan hates humans, thus there will be none spared when all this supernatural demonic malevolent evil is finally and fully upon us. Satan is a supernatural being more powerful than our imaginations have the capability of understanding. He is “…the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:” Ephesians 2:2a. We must develop and be ready to deploy the only weapons available to us so we can stand against him. They are those mentioned in Ephesians chapter 6.

Why am I attempting to bring to the forefront of thought all the evil I see coming? The next few verses will explain. “Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say unto them, When I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man of their coasts, and set him for their watchman: If when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people; Then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning; if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head. He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood shall be upon him. But he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul. But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand.” Ezekiel 33:2-6.

No I’m not the prophet Ezekiel, but I believe we are obligated to blow the trumpet, so to speak, to raise red flags whenever information comes our way in regards to the deceptions Satan is forcing on an unsuspecting and mostly biblically ignorant thus unprepared world. Much of the research that’s been done is available for anyone who wants to learn the truth about the satanic delusion that is currently unfolding before our eyes. I would be remiss in my duties as a studied follower of Jesus Christ if I were to simply ignore what’s going on, or if I were to say “Let someone else alert the brethren, I’m just going to bury my head in the sand”.

Information is being assimilated in mass amounts – through books, DVD’s, many internet web sites, and the like. These are very dark times people; we are in a battle that may not be over soon enough. There may be many casualties before Christ removes His Church, then again we may be gone before you finish reading this commentary. Whatever the case, Jesus tells us to be prepared for any eventuality; we must be ever vigilant standing against the wiles of the devil. Something to think about – we Christians become accomplices to those evils we fail, or refuse, to oppose or expose.

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
All scripture is from the KJV and God breathed
Ministry address – 96 County Road 5480 Salem, MO 65560
My past commentaries are archived at the following link
http://www.raptureready.com/featured/graham/graham.html 
If you’d like to be on my mailing list to receive the commentaries just drop me an email and let me know?

Plenty to Go Around - - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com

“Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:” Ephesians 1:9-11 . What was God’s intent for creating us in the first place? Almost everyone who is presented with this question has a different answer. But there is only one true answer, God created us according to His will for His purposes and for His good pleasure.

We’re born on this planet earth and we die on this planet and in between those two points in time we may accomplish a lot or we may accomplish little depending on how we look at this life God has handed us. To God our accomplishments are viewed very differently than how we humans may perceive them to be. Did God place us here to become wealthy or influential? Did He place us on this planet to be poor or utterly useless? There is a vast array of ideas on just how we should live and conduct our lives being propagated today, and few of these concepts concur with God’s ideal lifestyle for the human side of His creation. How you and I see each other is not necessarily how God sees us.

It was never God’s intention that man be consumed with his daily labor to the exclusion of all else, especially as can be plainly seen in that so many have fully excluded God from their lives, and from wanting any part of Him. How can God be pleased when His creation ignores Him – all the time running after more wealth and masses of material goods? These days are filled with the pursuit of accumulating wealth and, of course, the age old problem arises as to what’s more important – what’s the priority in our lives? Sooner or later pursuing wealth will become overwhelming and our lives will reveal the loss of any thought of what’s really important, such as remembering we have a God – a Father in Heaven – who simply wants a loving and awesome relationship with His children to come to fruition.

Chasing after knowledge is another quest which becomes a stumbling block for many because we can exclude all else as we strive to obtain the goal of higher knowledge – most of which comes without any wisdom (knowledge means we know a tomato is a fruit, wisdom means we realize tomatoes don’t belong in a fruit salad). God is the giver of all knowledge and wisdom and He gives us what we need to build a loving relationship with Him, pursuing humanistic dreams which more often than not contradict God’s word fall into a category which is insulting to Him. All contrary concepts in regards to the word of God are of the enemy, and as we pursue them we unwittingly cross over a line which leads us directly into the enemy’s camp.

God’s plan for His creation never included anything apart from His Word. As we go about pursuing our own goals we must ask ourselves, where does God fit in? When we design our plans for our future is God involved? Future, there’s a word that must be discussed more. Without God we have no future. Our future according to God may have nothing to do with our own personal plans. God’s plan will be achieved no matter how many times we mere humans try to throw a monkey wrench into His plan for our future. The best laid plans.

“But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” 1Timothy 6:9-10. Most people who pursue after incredible wealth and power aren’t really concerned with what God wants or expects from them. Money, finances, these things are necessary for us to get by, that’s just a fact of life, but as far as God is concerned they are secondary needs and He will provide all our needs. First of all, God wants us to get to know Him. He’s put it on our hearts to seek Him, and He knows that we will live a life with a huge void in our hearts until we do just that. He wants us (His children) to have and enjoy a relationship with Him while we sojourn on this planet. He’s preparing us for an eternity filled with so much more than we can experience or appreciate during our stay on earth. Money buys just about anything, gobs of money buys way more than we need. A huge problem arises when we allow money to determine our path instead of allowing God to control that task. It’s easy to separate ourselves from God as we allow our hearts and minds to be filled with something we can’t easily be shed of; that would be greed.

“And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.” 1Timothy 6:8. You see, the more we have the more we want, and that’s just the human way of living. That’s why God tells us not to be consumed with the desire to have more than we need, but to be content in what we have. If we can’t find contentment in what we have then ultimately we will pursue after that desire to obtain more. This attitude of more in turn establishes a stumbling block in our lives, in this case it’s that old greed monster raising its ugly head again. We can either serve God in which case we will find contentment in whatever situation comes our way, or we will become subservient to the pursuit of the desire to have more and more of everything.

Let’s take a look at a much forgotten way of life. Years ago travel was mostly accomplished by using a horse-drawn wagon. Families would load up the kids for a jaunt into town on a Saturday to stock up with the necessities for the coming week or even for the next month. Sundays they would head to church in that same horse-drawn wagon. There was no rushing around and no cutting people off in traffic in order to get to their favorite fast food joint before the rush. Before we knew it we were sitting in shinny new and fast moving cars that would get us to where we wanted to go in an instant. All so we could wait in line to buy what we don’t really need. As we began to travel faster we began to expect everything that comes our way to come instantaneously. And we become upset whenever we are asked to wait or be patient. We stop at a fast food restaurant and expect our food to be delivered at breakneck speed. If, heaven forbid, we aren’t accommodated as we have come to expect, God help the poor soul that fell behind with our order by a minute or two. I give this fast food example because our daughter works at one of these establishments. It’s amazing to listen to her describe the patrons as they become incredibly irate by the delay of a few seconds in receiving their French fries. She tells her mother and me that some of these folks only have three or four letter word vocabularies – none of which are encouraging words. The really amazing thing is that all of these folks seem to be running late for their next appointment. How did everything get so rushed? Where is God in the mix of all this hurriedness?

Can you see what has happened in our pursuit for more? More and faster cars, more and bigger homes, more and more money so we are able to purchase more and more things that usually end up only collecting dust in an attic or basement. What all these wants add up to is a huge void where God should be. Once God fills that void everything else becomes of non-importance. Money, the one item that everyone needs, is no longer pursued with the fervor it once was. God provides.

In the mindset of most humans there is a goal to reach which has nothing to do with what God wants from us. God wants us to achieve something, that’s true, but it isn’t wealth, popularity, a ton of materialism, or even a massive amount of knowledge. He wants our love, our faithfulness, our minds focused on Him and not on the things of this world. In short, God wants a personal relationship with each one of us, as uninhibited by worldly influences as possible. Most of the things that occupy our minds and lives these days are actually things of the enemy. That’s right! Anything that takes your mind off God as you push yourself to even higher pursuits of happiness gives the enemy occasion to insert his propaganda into whatever time slot he finds accessible, especially where he finds God to be absent. You might want to rethink what gives you pleasure in this world, and when you do you might just realize that much of the pleasure of this world is satanic.

“I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me. Riches and honour are with me; yea, durable riches and righteousness. My fruit is better than gold, yea, than fine gold; and my revenue than choice silver. I lead in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of judgment: That I may cause those that love me to inherit substance; and I will fill their treasures.” Proverbs 8:17-21. God doesn’t look on earthly wealth as some kind of grand accomplishment. He doesn’t care how big our home is. He’s not interested in the fleet of cars and planes we might have acquired while we live on earth. As a matter of fact, to God all of that stuff is absolutely of no use in His domain. People will do everything they can to accumulate treasures here on earth and yet they all die, at which point their endeavors of accumulating earthly treasure are abruptly finished. If they’ve done nothing in regards to what God considers important then it was all for naught. Fame and fortune are only earthly pursuits.

“For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.” 1Timothy 6:7. What portion of those accumulated treasures do we get to take with us into Heaven? Not even one microscopic particle. Therefore, if we are born again and we know we will live forever, why store up treasures here on earth when we’re also told that all will be destroyed? “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:” Matthew 6:19.

One more thing that God wants for His people – for those who are called by His name, those who are born again, His children – is that at some point during their sojourning on planet earth, they will come to the realization that nothing materialistic, nothing of this current world will matter to their eternal existence. But that by being a positive force behind the promotion of His Kingdom they can actually store up treasure for themselves in Heaven – treasure that will be an eternal benefit to their existence in eternity. “But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Matthew 6:20-21. God wants our hearts to be focused on Him while we avoid the trappings of materialistic pursuits. Is that possible? Absolutely. Give God your attention and watch what He does.

Isn’t it interesting how so many people seek wealth and power above all other pursuits? What would happen if they were told that even if they were to gain the whole world they have nothing if they lose their soul in the pursuit of the dream of such things? Should we tell them? Might some still listen? Don’t worry; you won’t lose out, there are still plenty of mansions to go around in Heaven.

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
All scripture is from the KJV and God breathed
96 County Road 5480 Salem, MO 65560
My past commentaries are archived at the following link
http://www.raptureready.com/featured/graham/graham.html 
If you’d like to be on my mailing list to receive the commentaries just drop me an email and let me know?

In His Hands - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com

“In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.” Ephesians 1:13-14. I’ve heard it said numerous times “Maybe we can’t lose our salvation, but we can certainly walk away from it.” This statement is in every respect erroneous. What is being espoused with the above erroneous statement by the uninformed or biblically illiterate is that when we get right down to it our salvation can be lost if we so choose to walk away from God. But the truth of the matter is, every time we sin we walk away from God.

Jesus tells us that all we need to do is ask and it will be given to us. “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” Matthew 7:7-8. Nowhere in the scriptures does God tell us that He’ll remove our salvation for some yet future sin. Since Jesus died once for all sin, then logic tells us that God views what we would consider future sins as part of the past.

Thoughts of that day when the world nailed the Creator of the universe to the cross become abundantly clear as we study the scriptures. Our minds become immediately focused on an event so incredible that it actually changed the world. Many, when reading about Christ’s sacrifice, see it as a tragedy, but it was nothing of the sort. Jesus’ death on the cross was an achievement, an achievement that was planned before the laying of the first foundation stone of this earth. And its place in history was also preordained. Nothing can be done to change what was put into motion on that fateful day – the full and complete payment for the salvation of mankind. What had been broken by the first Adam was now repaired by the Last Adam. After all that God did, the lengths He went through to reconcile mankind to Himself through the shed blood of His only begotten Son, do we honestly believe that He would invalidate His freely given gift of salvation to those who continue to stumble now and then as they wrestle with their sin nature? The free gift He gave was not dependent on anyone’s actions only on belief in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus His Son. “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” John 3:36.

It would be foolish thinking indeed, and it would also be dangerous, to believe God would not be completely truthful in this respect. “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one.” John 10:27-30. No man can pluck them out of God’s hands. The reference to “no man” means that not even one who is born again can at some future point in time reject the fact that he/she is now justified in God’s eyes and turn away from Him. They might move themselves out of fellowship with God by turning away but they would never lose their justification (salvation).

Even though God paid the price in full with His very own blood to redeem mankind so that all might be reconciled to Him many who believe and are saved also believe there’s more for us to do than just believe. Many Christians believe it’s their responsibility to keep themselves saved through their good works. “Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.” John 6:28, 29. How many times does Jesus need to repeat Himself before we finally get it? Believe and thou shalt be saved. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9.

Many of the brethren, as they profess a faith in Jesus Christ for salvation, feel the necessity to take away from the sufficiency of the cross by limiting what Jesus accomplished once and for all. Essentially, what they are saying is that every time they sin they must put Jesus back on the cross so He can die again and they can be forgiven again – and again – and again. This is not right. Jesus doesn’t need to get back on that cross ever again. God’s shed blood was the sufficient propitiation or payment if you will, to save every human being throughout history. “For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.” Hebrews 10:14. Once we are sanctified/justified it’s forever. Alas, many deny this truth and they will wander around in the most defeated of attitudes, never realizing the joy they would have been privy to had they only studied their Bibles and believed and trusted in God’s Word.

“What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?” 1 Corinthians 6:19. A born again believer in Christ is no longer his or her own since Jesus bought us through His unselfish sacrifice of dying on that cross. If we believe that Jesus will lose or turn loose of those who belong to Him then we must believe that He puts little value on what He’s purchased with His priceless blood. “Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God; Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.” 2 Corinthians 1:21-22. It’s not hard to accept the truth, but as the professors of lies continue in their presentation of misinformation, the truth can become hazy, glossed over, substituted. It’s a fact that people love to parrot other people, especially those who seem to have more biblical knowledge than they do. Lies have become an ever widening phenomenon in and amongst believers all because we’ve allowed Satan to have his say in the matter.

Now let’s take a look at a few verses that get a lot of attention as being the proof that we can walk away or even lose our salvation. “For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.” Hebrews 6:4-6. These verses are continually misrepresented because of misinterpretation by those who wish to prove their point about losing salvation. In all actuality they are proof positive that a born again believer in Christ can never lose their salvation. Let me explain.

The correct interpretation simply surrounds the word “If” in verse 6. The writer of Hebrews (who I believe is Paul but that’s for another commentary) has set up a hypothetical hypothesis. “If they (born again believers in Christ) shall fall away . . .” The point Paul is making is that it would be impossible to renew salvation IF a Christian could fall away. That’s because Christ died once for sin – once, that’s it. “So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many...” Hebrews 9:28a, and if His sacrifice is insufficient, then there’s no hope at all. The argument is based on a false premise (that the born again can fall away) and following it to its senseless conclusion (that Jesus would have to be sacrificed again and again) we find the whole idea absurd.

The Apostle Paul makes the point well, that those of us who are born again can never lose what we’ve received freely, nor should we even contemplate a scenario of even the possibility of walking away from our completely secure, in God’s hands, salvation. “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:35-39. Go ahead, tear those verses apart if you must, but the truth is there for all to read. Nothing can separate us from God once we are in Christ.

Many who hold to the misguided belief that somehow we can lose our salvation, or that at the very least believe we can walk away from what God has done in our life through His only begotten Son, are mixing two distinctive characteristics. No, we can’t lose salvation which was once and for all imparted to all those who’ve placed their faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. Yes, we can move ourselves away from God’s fellowship. Being out of fellowship doesn’t mean we’ve lost what God covered us with, which is the blood of His only begotten Son, but that we’ve lost out on the incredible blessings that flow from our walk with the Lord – the peace and the joy that is inherent in our relationship with God our Savior.

When we sin we move away from God and that position is not at all a desirable position to be in. But the fact of the matter is this, it happens to all of us from time to time. When it does we must recognize it for what it is and return to God posthaste. How do we do that? Simple. The Apostle John, speaking to born again believers in Christ, delivers to each of us our own personal bar of soap “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9. That cleansing which only the Lord can provide moves us back into a right relationship with Him. If we don’t confess our sins are we lost once again, such as those who reject Christ altogether? No, absolutely not. We will feel defeated after awhile, we might feel down trodden, and we might even feel like giving up. Our fellowship with God will suffer as long as we make no effort to right ourselves with Him.

We didn’t receive salvation for anything we did - we can’t lose our salvation for anything we do. We believe – we’re born again – we’re justified, end of story? No. Then begins the process called sanctification. But that’s a subject for another commentary.

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
All scripture is from the KJV and God breathed
96 County Road 5480 Salem, MO 65560
My past commentaries are archived at the following link
http://www.raptureready.com/featured/graham/graham.html 
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Two Thieves, a Jailer, and God - - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com

“And they crucified him...Then were there two thieves crucified with him, one on the right hand, and another on the left.” Matthew 27:35a, 38. “I’ve done way too much to ever be considered a candidate for salvation”. Really? Just how much of a sinner are you? Are your sins so egregious that you would jump into Hell blindfolded without ever pursuing the truth – the real Truth? You feel there’s no hope for anyone such as yourself? Consider, if you will, a man who hung on his very own cross some two thousand years ago just off to one side of the Creator of the world. When the Roman soldiers drove those spikes into his body and stood His cross upright, he too was sure there was no hope for him – he had gone too far – his sins were too numerous.

God knew you before He began His creation of the earth. He knew the choice you would make concerning His only begotten Son even before He created Adam. God knew you would commit all the sins you have and still He died for you. Now, let me ask that question again. Are your sins so egregious that you feel God would never forgive such a sinner? Here’s the truth. All the sins of humanity that have been committed against humanity and against our God have been forgiven. They are gone people, never to be remembered by God again. What God does remember is your decision to believe in His only begotten Son, and He remembers all those who reject Him right up to the point of death, then they too will never be remembered again.

While Jesus was pushing up with His feet trying to keep from suffocating to death, as He was in horrible pain from spikes that had been driven into His body securing His body to that old ugly cross which was standing atop Golgotha that day, and this after being beaten to within an inch of giving up life, at this point Jesus was quickly slipping into death mode, yet He had the presence of mind to forgive one of the thieves hanging next to Him who had simply acknowledged who He was.

There was another man on another cross in Jesus’ view that fateful day; a man who the Roman authorities had found guilty of a crime against humanity. He was a thief. He stole from someone and he got caught. The Romans were making a spectacle out of these two men who had both been convicted of the crime of theft as a deterrent to others who might have been contemplating a life of crime. Two guilty men were being punished that day for their complicity in crime, but one of these men saw something – a light that day which was somehow obscured from the view of the other thief as he remained in darkness. Both men knew they were guilty. But only one was forgiven that day. Hanging on His own cross, was another man, the man Jesus Christ who unlike the two thieves was completely innocent of any crime. Yet He too would endure the same punishment as well as certain death just as the two criminals hanging next to Him. But the reality of the purpose of Jesus’ death that day would be remembered by every forgiven sinner for eternity.

The two thieves were both, at the beginning of this horrible episode, very belligerent as they taunted Jesus with snide remarks. As the crowed began their malicious and spiteful insults directed at the God of all creation, the two thieves joined right in. As Jesus began His triumph over death while hanging on that cross, it must have seemed to Him that He was surrounded by nothing but enemies. But instead of reeling off condemnations toward all those who were spewing their venom at Him, He was filled with pity for them. At one point, as He was watching the Roman soldier’s part His garments, He spoke the following to His Father in Heaven “Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.” Luke 23:34. He was actually asking for forgiveness for the men who drove the spikes into His body. Then many of the on lookers began to ridicule Him “And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross. Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said, He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him. He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God.” Matthew 27:40-43. That’s when even the malefactors that hung on crosses next to Him began to chime in. “The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth.” Matthew 27:44.

After that, strangely enough, one of the thieves began to think about what he was saying. Something touched this onetime thief in a way that gave him pause. Jesus had done nothing wrong and the more the other thief spat his venom at Jesus the more the now repentant thief began to be convicted of his errors. The Holy Spirit had broken through the hard shell exterior of this criminal, and before God Himself the thief became an admitted believer in Christ. His words to the other are quite telling. “And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss.” Luke 23:39-41.

When this man, a criminal, began to speak to the Creator of the universe he was already a believer in his heart, he was born again – born from God. “And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.” Luke 23:42-43. What was the works that this man did to be able to enter the Kingdom of Heaven? What could he possibly have done to warrant God’s grace while hanging on that cross next to Jesus the Christ? He believed, and Jesus pronounced this newly born man justified “Today you will be with me in paradise”. All the man did was to admit that Jesus Christ was Lord. We’re told in the scriptures that no man can say Jesus is the Lord but by the Holy Spirit. “Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.” 1 Corinthians 12:3. That one time thief became a son of God in an instant while hanging on that cross, as he first began to formulate his words to ask His Lord to remember him. But what of the other malefactor? Why didn’t he come to the same conclusion while in that most horrible predicament?

Crucifixion was the most horrible of executions for capital punishment judgments the Romans could devise. Apparently they had become well perfected in their craft. In many cases the pain and suffering went on for days. The other thief had to have been reeling in pain while spewing his heated venom at the King of the Jews. The Bible doesn’t give us any indication that this man ever came to a believing faith in Jesus Christ before he died. One thief we’ll meet in Heaven some day, and the other? Well, those of us who have done as the other thief in professing our faith in Christ will never meet the one who refused Christ that day. Sadly, some of those reading this commentary might.

How sinful have you been as you reflect back on the pages of your life? God places no more emphasis on one sin than another. As a matter of fact, since His only begotten Son has covered all sin with His shed blood God the Father is fully prepared to receive each of us into His Kingdom with no more than an affirmative response to Jesus His Son. One thief said yes the other said no. Jesus said to the one “Today you’ll join Me in paradise”, but to the other Jesus said nothing. The other man remained condemned, condemned by the Romans and condemned by his very rejection of the King of kings.

Why don’t people read their Bibles? If they would they’d find there the perfect rebuttal to the erroneous statement “I’ve done way too much to ever be considered a candidate for salvation”. Here’s another instance where an individual considered his life over – not worth saving. “And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled. But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here. Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ...” Acts 16:27-31a.

The lot of the jailer in the above verses was that if any of his charges were to escape he was held totally responsible for their sentence being completed. These Roman jailers were brutal and had no compassion for those held in their prisons. When this jailer awoke and saw all the doors opened he assumed every inmate was long gone. At that moment he knew he was in a world of hurt. This caused him much grief and he was about to commit suicide when the Apostle Paul spoke out to let the jailer know that they were all still there. That jailer knew at that very moment there is a God and he wanted to know him. Paul told him how to make that want become a reality. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. It’s just as easy for you my friend; you can do that can’t you?

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16. See? Jesus doesn’t beat around the bush nor does He pull His punches. The word “whosoever” is all encompassing. Even that brutal jailer now lives forever in Paradise. You can too, if you’ll only believe.

Let me get some folks stirred up a little. Here’s a statement some will no doubt get their dander up about. Here it comes – ready? No one goes to Hell because of their sins. “Oh Ron, just when I thought you were right on target, off you go on some unbiblical tangent. Aren’t unrepentant sinners condemned to Hell?” Yes. Unrepentant sinners are in real trouble that’s for sure, but if they go to Hell when they die it won’t be because they committed sins. Jesus paid for all of the world’s sin some two thousand years ago. People go to Hell because they’ve thoroughly rejected the payment Jesus Christ made for their sins. Those who reject the Son remain condemned unless they have a change of mind prior to death. The thief that rejected Christ at the cross condemned himself to Hell, and he was no more a sinner than the other man who was saved that day. We are all sinners in need of a Savior. When we become born again we don’t automatically or instantaneously stop sinning. We grow to hate sin but we are still sinners. When we die as a born again believer in Christ we still die as a sinner, but a forgiven sinner with a very different eternal destination (Heaven) than those who’ve rejected their God’s free gift for their salvation (Hell).

How sinful of a life have you led? Your past sinful lifestyle means nothing to God. What matters to God is this, are you willing to say yes to the fact that He paid the price for all sin past present and future with His own blood. Are you able to humble yourself enough to stand before God Almighty and say “Yes Lord, I believe”? If you are able to admit this one simple truth you too can have everlasting life. It really is that simple.

God died one day on an old wooden cross surrounded by unbelievers, by the time He died that day He had already gathered all the world’s sin unto Himself. Let me say that again. He gathered all sin to Himself. You can’t do anything so bad that God would say to you “Sorry my man, you’re just too sinful for Heaven.” And you can’t do anything to earn your salvation – take a lesson from the thief on the cross who did nothing but admit that Jesus Christ is the Lord.

Jesus Christ died for all His creation, He was buried that same day, and then just three days later Jesus our Messiah – God Almighty– arose from the grave. Jesus defeated death, and all who believe in Him will live forever. Believe the truth of this Gospel and you have everlasting life, reject it and you will join the unrepentant thief in his most horrible agony – a much worse agony than the few hours he spent on that cross – Hell is eternal. You see, although he had the same opportunity as the other man, he remained an unrepentant sinner until he died that day. I can still hear him saying “I’ve done way too much to ever be considered a candidate for salvation”. Please – choose Christ and live.

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
All scripture is from the KJV and God breathed
96 County Road 5480 Salem, MO 65560
My past commentaries are archived at the following link
http://www.raptureready.com/featured/graham/graham.html 
If you’d like to be on my mailing list to receive the commentaries just drop me a email and let me know

What Jesus Did For Me - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com

“And, behold, there came a man named Jairus,…and he fell down at Jesus' feet, and besought him that he would come…For he had one only daughter, …and she lay a dying,…he (Jesus) answered him, saying, Fear not: believe only, and she shall be made whole…and (Jesus) took her by the hand, and called, saying, Maid, arise. …and she arose straightway... And her parents were astonished: but he charged them that they should tell no man what was done.” Luke 8:41, 42a 50, 54b, 55b, 56.

The parents of the young girl in the story above, who everyone had supposed had died, (everyone but Jesus that is) we’re astonished at what Jesus had done. Obviously overcome with joy as they received their daughter back from the jaws of death. Certainly they wanted to scream their elation telling everyone what Jesus had done. Jesus charged them to tell no man. What do you think; did they comply with His wishes? Probably not. Lately that same elation has been overwhelming me. I too am now placed in the very real life scenario of wanting to let anybody and everybody know what Jesus did for me. Let me tell you why.

A question I get asked a lot these days is “How are you feeling?” Well, the answer is I feel pretty good. If I may I’ll explain why, starting from the beginning. As many of you know I’ve been fighting a battle with a disease called Myasthenia Gravis. My wife, daughter, and I have a piece of property here in southern Missouri. It’s just a small four acre parcel, but I truly enjoy it. Before my illness I kept our little piece of ground well manicured like a park; this chore had become a labor of love for me. For the past two years my chores had turned into nightmares since I was unable to carry out any of them.

I had endured seven IVIG infusions and a host of drugs had been prescribed by my neurologist to attempt to fend off this horrible debilitating neuro-muscular disease. My health seemed to be as a yo-yo, I’d feel fairly good for a few days then back to full on muscle fatigue. This was the routine since beginning the infusions. Then one day in July seemingly out of nowhere God intervened. I just woke up one morning feeling great. Wow! Praise God! Now I gotta tell somebody what Jesus did for me.

Back in May of this year I wrote a commentary explaining to my readership, that the infusions had worked and I was feeling better. Just after posting that commentary the fatigue came back with a vengeance. Our eldest daughter and her children lived with us at that time and my hematologist told me that the strain and stress was too much for me. He told me that trying to contend with four grandchildren (one of which was just a toddler, and the youngest still an infant) while in the midst of this disease was creating a wall of resistance to the procedures he had put in place as he tried to eradicate, or at least send into remission, the Myasthenia which was attacking my body.

My grandchildren are so important to me, and for the 10 months they lived with us I had become completely captivated by and attached to my infant granddaughter. So much so that we had bonded to a point that I knew I could never give her up. Grandpa, with his disease, wasn’t able to do much in the way of interacting with the other kids, but with the youngest I was able to hold her on my lap and feed her when it was time and everyday she would fall asleep on my chest while I sang to her. But, alas, I did give her up. Our daughter had made the decision to move back to California to pick her life back up, I imagine that means where she left it prior to moving to Missouri. When she took my ten month old granddaughter away I honestly thought I would die. The pain was incredible, far worse than any illness or disease I’d ever endured. I spent weeks in misery, the tears would not stop. Only through the grace and insistence of Almighty God was I able to continue with life and with writing the commentaries.

Just one month after their departure my health greatly improved and God gave me the relief I needed from the horrible depression that had beset me. With my health improvement, my outside chores became something I was looking forward to tackling again. Little by little I ventured out into the midsummer heat attempting to bring a not so good looking yard back to its previous splendor. At first it was a bit overwhelming. I’ve now progressed to a point that I’m able to perform some of my outside chores with little hindrance. God is good, and He gets all the glory.

Why am I telling you all of this? Because I gotta tell somebody what Jesus did for me! Jesus brought me back; He and He alone is responsible for my very improved heath today. No matter what the doctors might think or what the skeptics that read my commentaries might say, I know who healed me. Our family doctor is a great guy, this man is very knowledgeable and he dearly loves his work. He genuinely loves people, thus he makes a great doctor. When I fell into that seemingly bottomless pit which this whole disease experience had caused, my wife and I were convinced that my life was quickly approaching its end, and my doctor also saw the signs that caused him to concur. We had begun to discuss funeral arrangements. Our family doctor suggested it might be time for some hospice care. This all took place just a few weeks before our eldest daughter left for California with our grandchildren.

Needless to say, my doctor was shocked at my incredibly quick recovery, yet not really all that surprised as he also knew who was responsible for the miraculous improvement. When I visited my doctor just a week ago all he could do was simile and congratulate me on my recovery; all I can do is praise God. My doctor asked me that day what I attributed my renewed heath to and I told him – God. He agreed, even with all the marvelous advancements in medical technology, what happened to me was nothing less than a miracle. So, I gotta tell somebody – I gotta tell somebody – what Jesus did for me!

That’s why I am in a renewed posture these days. I want to shout it from the roof top. “Look what Jesus did for me!” It’s no secret what Jesus did for all of us two thousand years ago, not to mention all the miracles He performed. The miracles Jesus does today are just as visible, although these days it’s seldom our God and Savior who receives the glory, but it should be.

It wasn’t long ago that I made a conscience decision to place my life fully into God’s hands, holding nothing back for any reason. I’m His. This is essentially what the mindset of every devoted follower of Jesus Christ should be, which is nothing short of what Paul explains. “…But we have the mind of Christ.” 1 Corinthians 2:16b. The Greek word for mind is “nous” which denotes spiritual truth, the higher powers of the soul, the faculty of perceiving divine things, of recognizing goodness and of hating evil. All those who are born again have the mind of Christ, so use it.

My life is still in a bit of turmoil these days even after the Myasthenia has disappeared or gone into remission. I will go through knee replacement surgery on the 26th of September. Then after I’m fully recouped I’ll see another doctor about the problem with my esophagus. I’ve had constant reflux for some months now and my doctor is very concerned that there might be a growth down by the area of the junction of the stomach and the esophagus. The main point to all my rambling is to assure everyone who God is and that He is fully involved in the lives of His children. We say “God is in control” but do we mean it? I have no doubt who’s responsible for my much improved health. Just look what Jesus did, and is doing, for me. I spent two years with this disease which was only diagnosed last November. Did I ever think God had abandoned me? Not hardly. Even though the deterioration had caused my wife and I to focus on the end game – God was never dismissed as coach.

Many of my readers, and many more people than that, are in much worse straits than I ever was. On the other hand there are some who will never experience in this life any debilitating physical illness whatsoever. The crux of the matter is, either way, there is an end coming. The Truth which will lead us to everlasting life is always available, the perfect peace given us by Jesus Christ is that everlasting life and it is fully attainable for anyone who desires it. Those of us who have acknowledged the truth of the Gospel of Christ and who now have the mind of Christ are in for an awesome everlasting future. Of course, there will always be those who see no benefit in acknowledging God’s existence or who place no importance in the sacrifice of His only begotten Son for the remission of their sins. Therefore they will experience a very different eternity – one the Bible refers to as Hell.

Babies are born and people die, battles with illnesses come and go, there’s nothing new under the sun. “The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.” Ecclesiastes 1:9. Eternal life is and always has been eternal – there’s nothing new about it. Once we have it, it’s ours for eternity. We can take solace in that fact.

I have a brother in the Lord who, just a few years ago, was in an accident that put an end to his career. That which he had previously held as important began to disappear. He began to see life differently; materialism was no longer his goal. He is now in his early forties, and he has a new focus on life. Jesus Christ has become the most important part of his life and he’ll tell you his future looks brighter now than ever before. Some people fall apart when illness or injury besets them. Others, like this young brother in Christ, simply change their focus. In the process of the loss of his wealth he became the wise man Jesus tells us about. “Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.” Matthew 7:24-27.

None of us know when, or if, we will be burdened with a debilitating accident or disease. But we should know who will be there for us when we begin a journey down one of those paths. Some people tell us that Jesus is simply a crutch. Wow, as a disabled follower of Jesus Christ what more could I want than Jesus as a crutch? Now, for all who see those of us who follow Jesus the Christ in a derogatory light – as needing a crutch to get by – allow me to be your teacher for a moment. Another word for crutch is support. What is the purpose for someone needing support? To bear, to hold up, to sustain. Who would be better equipped to sustain us than the Creator of the universe? Even for those who hate Him and wish to be rid of Him once and for all, they too are being sustained (held up) by Jesus Christ (who, while we're on the subject, is God Almighty) every single day. Acknowledge it as truth or not, Jesus is also your support – your sustainer - your crutch if you will. Who in their right mind would refuse Jesus’ love because they simply see Him as a crutch? What a crutch.

Knowing Jesus as Savior, Lord, friend, brother, God Almighty brings a peace which cannot be surpassed. No matter what befalls us, with Jesus living in us we can endure anything. I can’t speak for the rest of you but, I just had to tell everybody, what Jesus did for me!

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
All scripture is from the KJV and God breathed

My mailing address is:
96 County Road 5480 Salem, MO 65560 - for those of you who desire to correspond by US mail.
My past commentaries are archived at the following link
http://www.raptureready.com/featured/graham/graham.html 
If you’d like to be on my mailing list to receive the commentaries just drop me an email – include your name and email address.

Called By His Name  - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com

“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14. The meaning behind the Hebrew word “shem”, which translates into our English word “name” used in the above verse, references a people who are established in a definite and conspicuous position. Who are those people who are established in the vicarious conspicuous position of being called by His name? Well, certainly the Jewish people, but God speaks to another group here as well.

What hinders God from doing what He’d prefer to do is sin. Whose sin? He’s certainly not speaking of the enemies of God nor is He referring to a bunch of non-believing government bureaucrats steeped in their own personal sins as they steal from their constituency. No, those who His attention is focused on in the verse above, and who He desires to help if they would only humble themselves, pray, seek His face, and turn from their wicked ways, already belong to Him. It’s a shock to realize who God is speaking to. “My people who are called by my name”, the wicked people are both Jews and Gentiles. God speaks to both camps. His chosen people are the Jews, yet His Church is also in view here. Wow – a real eye opener, but sadly true. Don’t write and tell me that that verse is an Old Testament verse directed only at the Jewish people of that day. If you honestly believe the above verse doesn’t address Christians then you’ll need to scrap the Bible in its entirety. There is no doubt that God is speaking to His children, born again believers in Christ, as well as His chosen people, the Jews.

If my people, and that’s a big “if”, will do what we should have been doing all along, which is walking with the Lord daily, then God will act upon what we ask of Him. While His people remain outside of His fellowship in their self imposed exile He will remain silent, the healing process will be put on hold until His people come back and embrace that loving fellowship He offers. Does that mean we’re not saved? Absolutely not. Many of God’s children are not walking with Him, they are out of fellowship. Keep in mind that God is calling His people which includes the born again to repentance. “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God…” John 1:12a. God has given us (the born again) the power to become sons of God. Once a son of God, always a son of God, but being out of fellowship with our Savoir and Lord brings only misery and heartache.

Is there any possibility that God will heal America, a land where the majority of its populous prides themselves on being Christian? Certainly God is fully able to heal our land and bring about the greatness that America once enjoyed, but will He? A nation where the vast majority of citizens claim to be Christian should not be in such trouble, especially as we see is the case today stretching from sea to shining sea. Where are all the prayer warriors?

Talk is cheap; I’ve stated it many times in past commentaries. Just because someone stakes a claim to being a Christian doesn’t really mean they are. There is a growing segment of Americans who are repulsed by those of us who claim to be “born again” and some of these folks actually profess to be Christians themselves. In the third chapter of the book of John, Jesus told Nicodemus that the only way to see the Kingdom of Heaven is to be born again. It’s fairly obvious that if a person is repulsed at the thought of being born again, that would be a real deterrent to ever seeing the Kingdom of Heaven.

Surely if the populous of the US were actually followers of Jesus Christ we could be fairly certain they’d be praying for God to heal their land and forgive their sins. This land, as far as I can see, is not being healed. Therefore either those who are called by His name are not turning from their wicked ways or the nation is made up of mostly in name only Christians. Today as never before in our history, America is in desperate need of healing, and the lost of this nation are going to be no help to the born again in asking God for His intervention. And if the born again don’t ask, well…

Prayer is extremely important in God’s economy. “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” James 5:16b. “Much of our prayer is not effective simply because it is not fervent. It is offered with a lukewarm attitude that virtually asks God to care about something that we care little about. Effective prayer must be fervent, not because we must emotionally persuade a reluctant God, but because we must gain God’s heart by being passionate for the things He is fervent for.” – David Guzik

A fervent prayer initiated by whom? A “righteous man”. His fervent prayer will avail much, and the humble prayers presented to God by those who are called by His name will result in the fulfillment of a spoken promise by the One who calls us by His name. That same promise will not come to fruition if those who are called by His name remain steadfast in their wicked ways and silent when it comes to sending up petitions to the Creator of the universe.

That verse of 2 Chronicles is presented in commentary after commentary, and has been for some time now. Many letters that come to me have that prayer inserted at the bottom, people are attempting to spread that verse around as a prayer for all to read and repeat. Always, as it is used in commentaries, it’s seen as a call to arms so to speak, but so far it doesn’t seem to have many adherents. How can I say that? Is there anyone out there that actually believes that God has healed, or is in the process of healing, our land? On the contrary, America is in dire straits. Only by calling on the One true God by those who place their faith and trust in Him, and Him alone for salvation, can the many plagues permeating this land be eradicated.

God has called all of His Children to prayer. Not just those who are actually active in prayer, but those who neglect prayer as well. In God’s directive of 2 Chronicles I don’t see where God is allowing for the possibility that if some will turn from their evil ways – pray – seek His face – then He’ll act. No! All of His people, all who are called by His name must turn from their evil ways and do as He has commanded.

Are the faithful asleep? There seems to be a vast majority of those who’ve placed their faith and trust in Jesus Christ who haven’t a clue as to what’s coming next. Those who are in tune with God and His word know that there will be some bad times (persecutions – tribulations – trials) which the Church will be forced to endure while we await the Rapture. What those times will consist of no one knows for sure. But we will be hated more and more for Christ’s sake and we can all see that those days are somewhat upon us now. Petitioning God’s help is our only hope and will be, in the near future, our only recourse as we see avenue after avenue beginning to close to those who follow the true Creator of the universe, Jesus the Christ.

A year ago I wrote a commentary titled “Time Has Come – Let’s Pray” which garnered a positive reaction from folks all over the world. I was thrilled with such a response and I was fairly confident we would begin to see a difference very soon. My brethren were convicted and they told me so. They were going to begin to diligently pray and seek God’s face and turn from their wicked ways. Surely there would be a full on trek back into fellowship with the One and only God of all creation. Did it happen? Did those who are called by His name begin their journey back to that place where they could continue in an awesome relationship with their Savior and Lord? I hope so. But I honestly believe that many professing Christians are so tied to this world, and the idea of instant gratification, that when they see no instant benefit in prayer they cease their communication with God. Then they do the unspeakable, they do an about face and instead of continually calling on God, they call on the governments of the world to attempt to clean up the mess we’ve gotten ourselves into on this planet, all the while continuing in their wicked ways.

Today it seems that instead of being concerned with the things of God, more and more believers in Christ are fully absorbed by the conditions of our times. Instead of relying on God and being in the center of His will, many have caved and bowed to the government and now are fully reliant on that very ungodly entity as their provider of basic needs. His people called by His name, in their quest for their perceived fair share, have neglected the One who loves them and freely gives with no strings attached. How do born again believers in Christ humble themselves before their God? By repenting of their evil ways and then turning away from sin.

The end is very near now and the healing of this land may be, for all intents and purposes, a moot point, but turning from our wicked ways, that’s something that should be paramount on our minds. From here on out nothing of this world should be attracting us. Think about it, what is the attraction of this planet now? Surely we’re repulsed by the cold heartedness permeating our society today. Do the lies coming out of our Federal Government seem attractive? Not hardly. Money? Love? Possessions? Nothing can compare to Heaven and that’s what we need to set as the priority of our thinking these days. The words “this world is not my home” needs to be believed now more than ever. This world is not our home; it is a place where we currently sojourn but only temporarily. If this world is so vastly important to you then I have some very disturbing and disappointing news, it will soon be completely destroyed by fire. “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.” 2 Peter 3:10. This biblical scenario is not too far off in mankind’s future.

The children of God have a new home being prepared for them which will never be destroyed, never be attacked, entropy will never enter therein. If you don’t want to leave earth with all its beauty then you must not believe your Heavenly home can transcend the earthly. Are we looking forward to Heaven, or are we simply giving lip service to something we perceive as only fantasy? If you are not looking forward to Heaven you will be of no earthly good to the Kingdom of God while here on earth. Only those who have disentangled themselves from the worldly know for certain that their future Heavenly home awaits them, new and perfect in its place.

If His people will turn from their evil ways and pray He will hear from Heaven, all of their prayers. But we must pray, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.” John 16:23-24. What an awesome promise given to us by the one who died for us. Neglecting to call on the Lord in prayer simply ties His hands. He wants us involved in the fellowship. It isn’t to be one sided. Let Him hear from you, that’s what He tells us in 2 Chronicles 7:14. He needs to hear from His people. When those prayers are sent up to God in earnest, then will He hear and act. This nation of ours might just remain intact while His Church remains prayerful and in fellowship with their God.

When all is said and done, this moment of time that we occupy is nothing more than a vapor. Trusting God is our only hope in a world which has a majority of folks who have no use for God whatsoever. God, in His directive of 2 Chronicles, is only asking those who are called by His name – His children – to pray. If you’re still not sure, allow me make it perfectly clear just who His Children are. We are those who Jesus refers to as being able to see the Kingdom of Heaven. Yes we’re sinners, yes we stumble from time to time, and yes we sometimes become adversely entangled in the evils of this world. That’s why the 2 Chronicles directive is as important to God as it should be to each of us. Read it again, ““If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14.” Now place it prominently in your memory banks – never to be forgotten – quote it often – then act upon it.

As born again believers in Christ, called by His name, we can see Heaven, our future home, and we know we will be there one day. It’s as though we see the future as we forget the past. Can you see it? No? Then you know what you must do.

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
All scripture is from the KJV and God breathed

My mailing address is:
96 County Road 5480 Salem, MO 65560 - for those of you who desire to correspond by US mail.
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Embedded (Satanic) Words - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com

“Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.” Psalm 19:14. Embedded in our English vocabulary is a word so opposed to God that its origin must be satanic. As followers of Jesus Christ our words are extremely important, especially to our God. The words which we emphasize in our daily conversation place a lot of responsibility on us as to just what we believe about our Creator. God always wants our speech to be edifying to others, and always, we should be using our words in a way that would glorify our perfect and awesome God. Through conversations with others we can tell just who it is they worship. As we listen to the vocabulary words of various individuals it doesn’t take long to come to the conclusion that they aren’t, nor do they have any intention of, worshipping the Most High God – Creator of Heaven and Earth.

Our words speak volumes about who we are and just who it is that resides within our hearts. There are only two apparent entities that are to be placed in the category of those receiving worship. God is the only One who deserves our worship, but since Satan has been attempting to usurp God’s authority for eons he too is placed in the category of likely recipients of worship. There is a huge difference in words that are acceptable to God and the words Satan will accept. Our words reflect in which camp we place our worship. Jesus tells us “He that is not with me is against me…” Matthew 12:30a. Since this is how God sees each individual on planet earth, whose side we’re on is easily discerned by our very words.

There are many words in our English language that have, over time, become the norm in every day speech. Some of these words are so rooted in our lives and those around us that it becomes almost impossible to refrain from using them. Many words have no place in the vocabulary of a born again believer in Christ. But there is one word in particular that is set apart from the rest and is pure satanic in its origin and nature. Since writing my first commentary on this subject some months ago I’ve tried to avoid this word in my everyday conversations and have been apologetic any time it has slipped out unintentionally. What word am I talking about? “Luck”. Luck is the word that is so entrenched in our English language that even if you begin today consciously attempting to circumvent this word you’ll find it very difficult, if not impossible, to avoid.

There are, of course, many words put to use in our English language every single day, even slang words, which don’t glorify God, but that doesn’t mean they are satanic words with an evil and sick agenda. So what can the enemy’s agenda be by introducing this seemingly innocent word “luck” into our daily existence? Let’s first take a look at the various applications where the word “luck” is used every day. Then we will take a similar look into how often we offend our Father in Heaven by employing this word every day.

Before we venture any further into the realm of luck, there is one scripture verse that seems quite appropriate at this juncture. “And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost.” Acts 12:23. You say that’s a pretty harsh response on God’s part just because Herod gave not glory to God. Well here’s another little tidbit of information gleaned from the scriptures for the skeptic who sees no problem in attributing anything to luck instead of to God’s grace and for His glory. “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” Galatians 6:7. The word “luck” has no place in God’s economy of words.

Are you ready? Here we go then. “Wow, how lucky can you get?” “That was sheer luck.” “You sure got lucky that time.” “How much luck can a person have?” “I pulled that one off by luck and happenstance.” “He’s so lucky.” “Why do they have all the luck?” Okay, you get the point, and I’m sure you all have a vast array of similar slogans you too could add to this short list, which proves my point. What we are doing as a race of created beings by using this word (luck) as a way of referring to what should be considered blessings from God, is we are attributing all the glory for those blessings we’ve received, or others have received from God, unto Satan, God’s adversary. We should be very careful about what we sow, for that is what we shall reap. Taking the glory from God and giving it to Satan won’t bode well with the One who should be receiving all the glory.

Satan introduced this word into our vernacular for one purpose, and that was to draw all attribution for blessings away from God. Why? So he could, with the help of God’s created beings, elevate himself to the state of godhood. Satan has always aspired to steal God’s glory. God, our Creator and Savior, is the giver of all good gifts, yet we give the glory to Satan by repeating any one of the above “luck” phrases. Each time something good comes our way and Satan is given the glory, God is mocked. It really gives you something to think about doesn’t it?

You may consider my condemnation of the word “luck” as harsh; moreover some of you might think Ron is over the top. But when you get right down to understanding the extent in which that word is used today you will soon see that God is not being praised or glorified whenever we substitute the word “luck” for blessings from God. Go ahead, answer me how can God be pleased with His children when they constantly refer to His blessing as nothing more than dumb luck? Who’s the real dummy spoke of here?

Satan’s agenda is to remove God from the minds of all humanity. He goes about his satanic agenda in ways we would hardly think evil. How can a little four letter word like “luck” be considered a part of an evil agenda by the one adversary who hates God more than we humans can even comprehend? Here’s the rub, it is not so much the word spoken but in what reference it is spoken and by whom. When born again believers in Christ refer to the wonderful things happening in their life as luck it’s the same as poking their finger in the eye of their Heavenly Father.

What would happen to that word if we all refused to use it or repeat it as part of our vocabulary? It would disappear. Sure, Satan would soon replace it with another just as offensive word to God, but it would be a red flag to any believer in Christ who knew the significance of words that attempt to replace God by placing His glory on someone else or even something else.

Can we, should we simply ignore words in our vocabulary which seem innocuous? What if, after reviewing certain words we find them to be an offense to God? What then? I have determined to stop using the word “luck” in my every day speech. Actually I’ve been attempting to discard it from my list of usable vocabulary words for some time now. At a point not too distant in my past, my vocabulary was riddled with profanity; words which I literally gave no thought to as to how my Creator would consider my speech. Yes, it was during my past life, before I died to self and became a son of God. My language was not at all edifying nor did my words glorify God in any way. But now that I’ve been washed in the blood of Christ I count the cost of all words in my vocabulary. Personally, it means a lot to me to do everything in my limited power to refrain from grieving the Holy Spirit. I believe the word “luck” is a huge attack on the sovereignty of God, and perpetuated by God’s number one adversary.

When those of us who know fully who we are (children of God) use words that blatantly remove God’s sovereignty and hand that sovereignty over to His enemy, we should be more than merely ashamed, we should be in tears. The problem, as I see it, is that most people who use that word “luck” (and I’ve never met anyone who doesn’t) have no clue as to the real meaning. Therefore they see it only as an expression of pleasure at seeing themselves or someone else receive something they didn’t deserve. “How lucky can you get” diminishes the God given blessing they just received while stealing God’s glory and giving it to Satan.

What is the derivation of the word “luck”? Honestly, placing it into a search engine will bring up a few million different ideas, but here’s the one that actually best fits the bill. Luck is derived from the name of God’s enemy – Lucifer . If we understand the idea behind the use of this word we can see who initiated the first use of it. Then we can attribute it to its rightful originator. Lastly we can discontinue using it as a means to rob God while glorifying Satan.

Look at it this way. When that word is used as a congratulatory sentiment referring to someone’s good fortune it conjures up all sorts of possibilities as to who is responsible for the fortunate set of circumstances that has just occurred. Leprechaun’s, tooth fairies, you name it, but seldom does God come to mind as the Benefactor who is actually responsible.

We as a society are becoming more and more desensitized; we are continually saying yes we approve of what was at one time forbidden or objectionable. Nowadays, especially here in America, the norm is to attribute a huge majority of God’s blessings to the “luck” of the draw. Actually every time we allow this abomination to occur God becomes less important in our daily lives and Lucifer (Satan) is elevated closer to his desired state of godhood. The nonchalant attitude these days toward our use of this extremely satanic word is so pervasive that it’s a wonder God ever receives any of the glory do Him. “Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God,” Romans 1:21. Be very careful, my brethren, about giving God’s intended Glory to another.

“Let your speech be alway with grace…Colossians 4:6. Words can give glory to God and they can take away His glory. Let’s be sure to glorify God in all things. Why give any glory to the one who only wants to see us destroyed? Think about it.

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
All scripture is from the KJV and God breathed
96 County Road 5480 Salem, MO 65560
My past commentaries are archived at the following link
http://www.raptureready.com/featured/graham/graham.html 
If you’d like to be on my mailing list to receive the commentaries just drop me a email and let me know

Where Have all the Demons Gone  - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com

“A scorner seeketh wisdom, and findeth it not: but knowledge is easy unto him that understandeth.” Proverbs 14:6. Most people today simply shrug off any idea that demons might actually be a real phenomenon. The desensitizing of the populous has been very successful, in fact the very thought of demons and fallen angels conjures up, in the minds of average folks, nothing more than ghouls and goblins making ready to do their thing at Halloween. The fact is demons, and their leader Satan, do exist and are very active in the world today. Only the foolish say “There is no such a thing as demons.”

The kind of thinking that dominates many of our western cultures today is that there is no such thing as a devil, therefore demons and the whole idea of fallen angels is ridiculous. This is of course exactly where Satan wants our thinking to remain. He has been working in the media for many years trying to change his image from the malevolent supernatural enemy of God and man to one of a cartoon character that no one need fear. He’s seen as a strange character with a red skintight suit, horns, a long pointed tail, and his weapon of choice is a pitch fork. Laughable yes, especially when you consider what the Bible says about his appearance. “And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.” 2 Corinthians 11:14.

A process of disinformation is at hand dismissing any idea that demons are real and thus relegating them to nothing more than myth and fairytales. Even many Christians these days have fallen for the same desensitizing efforts of the enemy and simply dismiss the fact that demons are present with us today; they too will do anything to disassociate themselves from any notion that demons are real. Demons, fallen angels, and the master of them all (Satan) are only present in books and if they were ever roaming the earth it was during some long past bygone era. Sure, demons may have been present during the time Jesus Christ walked the hills of Judea and the country of the Gadarenes, but after all, we know the Bible tells us that Jesus ushered them all into a herd of swine. All demons?

Demons are disembodied spirits. In other words, they had bodies at one time but are now bodiless, thus what do you suppose is their most sought after and treasured possessions? You guessed it, living bodies. The bodies that they prefer are those where they find no obstructions, bodies that voice no objections to these entities moving right into their new habitat. It’s not difficult to attract demons; people do it all the time. The difficult part is ousting them once they’ve taken up residence in a human body. “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” Hebrews 13:2. Just as Paul the Apostle mentions, some folks have entertained angels unawares, so too have many folks entertained demons and gone a step further, they’ve invited demons to dwell within their own bodies, most of the time unawares.

Demons are present everywhere and poised to pounce like a lion hidden and waiting on its prey. Give them the opportunity and they will take advantage of the situation while fully exploiting the human being as they take control of that person’s self-will. God’s word is specific about what not to do in regards to attracting demons. God’s prohibitions are for the good of all humanity. He doesn’t want anyone to attract and invite demons to embed themselves in a human body, mind, and heart. They are spirit and all they need is a portal in which to enter and set up residence in a human’s body. Portals are easy to open, but they must be opened by a human being. The demon, or demons, can’t just come in, they must first be invited, whether intentionally or unintentionally, the invitation must be given. These bottom dwellers are not really very picky but they are tenacious, they will wait, and wait until a human invites them into their new habitat. There are many opportunities for a human to open a portal and allow a demon to enter.

Side note:
Now, before I go any further let me explain that those of us who are born again believers in Christ cannot be indwelt by a demon or demons. We are already indwelt by the Holy Spirit of God and He doesn’t share space with malevolent misfits. But, and here’s the rub, Christians can allow a demon to erect a stronghold over their lives whenever they get into something they shouldn’t and that something becomes an addiction. Very tough to break away from addictions.

So how do folks go about inviting the enemy to come in and take up residence within their bodies? I hesitate to even pursue this any further as there may be some reading this commentary who will actually try it just to see if it works. Let me first put this warning in place: Believer or non-believer, don’t attempt any of the following exercises since in either case the result will be horrendous, and in many cases irreversible. Remember. if you’re not an in Christ, born again believer you can be demon possessed. It doesn’t matter who you are, demons want and need embodiment and anybody will do.

Opening a portal or entry point for a demon isn’t difficult, but it does take placing one’s self in a posture that is contrary to God. An obvious way to invite a demon in is the use of drugs and alcohol, which leave a person vulnerable to a supernatural, malevolent invasion. Another door opener is meditation coupled with speaking a word over and over (a mantra) which ultimately opens the portal to the supernatural world and allows the demons unabated entry.

Many people these days are attracted to meditation and yoga exercises which are purposely designed for attracting spirit guides (demons). When folks adhere to a practice of meditation, along with the process of clearing a person’s mind, that’s all the invitation a demon needs to enter. The process is quick and simple, and soon a demon will be attracted to that person as they recognize their opportunity has come to grasp hold and never let go of their new residence. Playing with a Ouija board is another way to open a portal for the demons, the ominous children’s game dungeons and dragon is another, a pursuit of mysticism, getting involved in witchcraft, these are all ways to open portals and invite spirit guides (demons) into your life.

Some people get involved in what’s known as “necromancy”. Necromancy is defined as the conjuring of the spirits of the dead. Why would anyone want to do such a thing? Most of the time, the purpose is for very selfish reasons. They believe that summoning the dead to this present time and dimension can magically reveal the future or that they (the dead) can influence the course of events. The Bible refers to necromancy as “divination, sorcery and spiritism” and all are practices that are forbidden by God. The word of God is quite specific concerning the prohibition of necromancy; God refers to it as an abomination. It is something that the Lord speaks very strongly against and it is to be avoided as much as any evil.

The idea that dead people’s spirits can be contacted for information is false. Those who attempt such contact inevitably contact demonic spirits, not the spirits of dead loved ones. Those who die go immediately to heaven or hell – heaven if they believed in Jesus as Savior, and Hell if they did not. “…neither shall ye use enchantment, nor observe times.” Leviticus 19:26b. Also “There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD:” Deuteronomy 18:10-12. Of course there are many prohibitions given to us from our Creator which people will ultimately ignore, but the practice of necromancy is far beyond dangerous, it’s a set course that results in demonic possession which in many cases is irreversible.

Necromancy is always going to involve demons. Anyone who practices it opens themselves up to a massive demonic attack. Satan and his demons seek to destroy human beings; their intention is not to communicate to humans truth or wisdom, but pure lies. We are told to “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:” 1 Peter 5:8.

There is no contact between the dead and the living. The Lord’s own account of the rich man and Lazarus tells how communication and/or travel back and forth between the living and the dead is not possible. Part of the conversation between Abraham and the rich man gives the answer to the idea of contacting the dead. “between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.” Luke 16:26. Therefore, if those who have died can’t pass from the torment side of Hades to Abraham’s bosom or vice versa, they certainly aren’t able to come back to where the living reside.

On the other hand contact with the supernatural, malevolent spirit world is quite possible, but God says don’t even attempt to do so. Our sole/soul contact in the here and now and any other dimension is God Almighty, no conversation with any other entity is to be pursued. There’s a very good reason God gave us His word containing His many precepts which contain, among many exaltations, prohibitions – which are always meant for the good of mankind. Many have turned a deaf ear to any warnings concerning contact with the spirit world or to the fact that this world is replete with demons.

There seems to be a very intense draw to the unknown and humans have an innate desire to pursue after that which should be left alone. Therefore, no matter how much we might attempt to warn some folks concerning these malevolent spirit guides, our warnings seem only to provide the catalyst which acts to reinforce their resolve in their pursuit to initiate some form of communication between them and demons.

Still, many others today simply refuse to believe in the fact that supernatural beings exist whether benevolent or malevolent, but the worst part is the spirits that accept contact from humans are quite hostile to humans. When these hostile beings (demons) take control of people their departure is never a foregone conclusion. As I’ve already stated, demons are quite tenacious and when they acquire a new home they aren’t going to be inclined to vacate the premises without quite the prolonged battle. Many human lives have been destroyed by demons not willing to turn control back over to the rightful owner.

Believing in demons and fallen angels is not difficult for the informed Bible student, but for those who are without any spiritual discernment, demons and the fallen angels – the spirit dimension – becomes not only hard to grasp, but in some cases an impossibility. Most folks today, rather than acknowledging the truth about demons, simply ignore the facts while attempting to live in a demon infested world. Ignoring the fact that demons exist won’t make them go away. The problem with this kind of thinking is that the demons will have them whether they believe in them or not. They don’t need for humans to believe in them, only the openness of mind to allow them to have access.

Satan doesn’t want you to believe he exists. On the contrary, he functions quite well in the arena of unbelief. When he’s resisted he’s useless, powerless, and he must flee from those who resist him “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:7b. He already owns those who reject Christ, and he’s doing everything in his power to disrupt the lives of those who no longer belong to him. When Christians refuse to believe in Satan and his minions of evil they’ve fallen for his lies. Sooner or later they too will find that the reality is demons are very prevalent and quite busy in these last days. No, these aren’t just costumed pranksters wearing masks; they are pure evil amassed to destroy humanity. They are relentless as they understand all too well their days are numbered. You don’t believe demons, fallen angels, and the Devil exist? Trick or Treat ?

God bless you all,

Ron Graham

twotug@embarqmail.com
All scripture is from the KJV and God breathed
96 County Road 5480 Salem, MO 65560
My past commentaries are archived at the following link
http://www.raptureready.com/featured/graham/graham.html 
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Well Kept Secret  - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com

“Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3. According to the Barna Research Online a whopping 85% of the American population claim to be Christian, but out of that grand total only a group of 35 to 42 percent actually claim to be born again. Barna’s study gave way to some very interesting boasts. When the first group was asked why they were staking claim to being Christian the answers were: 1) Because I live in a Christian nation. 2) Because my family is Christian. 3) Because I go to church at least twice a year. But even more interesting was the last figure that the Barna research group posted, that only about 8% of American adults believe that salvation comes by faith in Christ alone, and without any human works. Wow! Throw the Bible out, no one’s reading it anyway.

There are massive, very dark clouds hovering over the landscape of many Christian Churches these days. We should all be painfully aware of the move in many “Christian Organizations” to modify the Bible so it will better fit into their own worldview. It’s amazingly sad today as we watch so many “Christians” ignore or eliminate the Chief Cornerstone, the Originator of their faith, while embracing other religions in an attempt to unify all religious people groups. By eliminating Jesus and His claim of exclusivity (John 14:6), the promoters of universalism are paving the “way” for all religions of earth to reinforce their own claims that the god they worship is precisely the same God we all worship, thus magnifying the erroneous concept that all religions lead to Heaven.

The Barna Research Group, in their attempt to come up with somewhat of a complete figure as to how many people might actually be born again believers in Christ, concluded that as of 2006 about 25 million Americans fell into this category. The population of the United States has, in recent years, surpassed the 300 million mark. I’m not sure what that does to Barna’s 85% Christian population figure, but it seems to me there are a lot of closet Christians in the US. When we read figures such as 85% of all Americans are claiming to be Christians shouldn’t we be seeing a much different America than what we currently have? I don’t know about the rest of you but as I imagine this huge majority of Americans praying 2 Chronicles 7:14 I see God moving His protective hand over American, healing this land once again as America glorifies God as her sovereign Lord. Excuse me, I seem to have traveled to Neverland for an instant.

Satan’s deception and depravity know no bounds, he’s even convinced a huge segment of Americans that they are Christians, yet when questioned about their faith just a small minority profess that they are born again. The larger portion of those interviewed haven’t a clue as to what it means to truly be a Christian. Thus the reason for the massive amount of depravity which is currently sweeping our nation should be of no surprise to the truly faithful.

People believe that simply by admitting they are Christian there will be some automatic reward set up for them to reap. As true Christians know that just isn’t the case. If indeed these folks are actually Christians then their true identity has been a “well kept secret.” The vast majority of these professing Christians treat Christianity as though it were a plague. There seems to be a huge dark locked box somewhere perfectly camouflaged containing the beliefs of these professing Christians which they only bring out and expose to light at Christmas or Easter. How quaint, it’s just their little secret.

Sadly, this attitude of secrecy is far more pervasive even in the born again community than most fully grasp. How many of us who stake claim to Christ keep Him to ourselves only to trot Him out on Sunday mornings during church services? That born again designation is a well kept secret among many of the brethren when it comes to co-workers, some family members, and even many of our friends. I remember a letter I received a couple of years back about a woman who had recently become a Christian only to be told by her “best friend” that she had been a Christian for 30 years. Just another well kept secret.

Here’s the rub, when we take on the name of Christ we become His worldwide ambassadors. I personally can’t conceive of anything that would be more insulting to the King of kings (Jesus the Christ) than for His ambassadors to keep Him hidden, as though they were ashamed of Him. “For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels.” Luke 9:26. I know what you’re thinking; those I’m talking about aren’t even born again so they haven’t really taken on the name of Christ. True, the majority of those mentioned in the survey above aren’t really born again, but what about the other 8% who indeed stated that they are born again? Are we openly professing our faith in Christ, or are we being discrete so as not to offend anyone? Do we have the boldness of Paul or is our Christianity a well kept secret?

Our youngest daughter has placed Christian symbols all over the back of her truck, and anyone who pulls up behind her at a stop light will know immediately she’s a follower of Jesus Christ. She doesn’t keep her faith in Christ a secret, she never has. Our daughter sees following Jesus Christ as a natural lifestyle. While today proclaiming Jesus as Lord is looked upon as a mental imbalance, our daughter sees being born again as the only way to live. We were condemned by family and friends because we kept her out of public school and instead of sending her into the lion’s den we determined that God would be more pleased if we homeschooled her. We turned off our TV when she was 10 years old. Now that she’s 21 she has a faith embedded Christian worldview that other parents only dream about as they watch their children fall into one depravity after another.

Sometimes our Christian lives get so entangled with the world that we begin to lose our perspective on the future. Those of us who take the word of God literally and seriously know that Jesus is due to make an appearance to the faithful very soon. The Bible is so jam packed with prophecy (advance history lessons for the faithful) that there is no possible way apart from shear ignorance to dismiss God’s history lessons as merely colorful exaggerations. Those who have no use for the prophetic nature of the word of God have no real concept of who God is.

When we become forcefully pressured by the world to get all we can while we can, materialistically speaking, that pursuit can overwhelm us to the point that Jesus becomes no more than just a hindrance. When Jesus Christ becomes a mere hindrance to His follower’s, secrecy inevitably ensues and it’s time to place our God in the closet. What’s the old adage? Out of sight out of mind? When Jesus is out of your mind, you too are out of your mind.

I know people who wear Jesus on their cuff when they are around other Christians. That’s when they talk the talk and walk the walk. But when they are confronted by the lost people of the world, their faith in Christ becomes one of the best kept secrets of all time. Are they ashamed, or scared, or are they simply able to turn their Christianity on and off like a water spigot? Jesus said “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” John 14:15. How can any born again believer in Christ claim to love Jesus yet ignore Him as made evident by their lifestyle. Since the Holy Spirit has been sealed within all born again believers in Christ, denying Christ will become an impossibility. Our Christianity should never be kept secret from anyone, especially the lost folks of this world.

Keeping Jesus secret is akin to denying Him. Our Creator God has a very specific remedy for anyone who accepts Him as Lord, then denies Him before men. “But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 10:33. Denying Christ is to grieve the Holy Spirit. “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.” Ephesians 4:30. Power is given to every Holy Spirit sealed person alive, the power to admit before the evil of this world that Jesus Christ is Lord. Denying Christ is a simple test as to whether or not a person is actually Holy Spirit sealed.

“But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man… Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.” Hebrews 2:9, 17-18.When a man, woman, or child for that matter, becomes born again they are no longer their own. They have been bought and paid for with blood, the blood of the Messiah. Since this be the case, should we not also be just as open and positive as we possibly can with all peoples, knowing full well the sacrifice that was made on our behalf?

As we live and walk the Christian walk there is a sacrifice that needs to be considered daily. “Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.” Matthew 16:24-25. How many born again believers in Christ are prepared to deny themselves for Christ? Now give this a thought, how many “Christians” that belong to that 85% figure above would be willing to deny themselves for Jesus’ sake? The current and future real number of believers in the United States of America is known only to God. And that exact number will be Raptured very soon. Then those who claimed to be Christians but hadn’t a clue as to what that designation actually means, will stare at the huge void which was just created in front of them. Then they will shake their heads in unbelief of what has just transpired, ultimately they may realize they really never had a clue.

Approximately 25 million people will disappear in the twinkling of an eye from the American scene. What a void that will create. All those still alive who placed their lives in Jesus’ hands, and His alone for salvation, will disappear one day soon. Not just from America but from every corner of the globe. All those who claim the name of Christ without the rebirth from above will soon realize their claim was in vain as their only claim to fame will be pain. Be careful about keeping secrets, especially when it comes to your faith in Christ.

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
All scripture is from the KJV and God breathed

96 County Road 5480 Salem, MO 65560
My past commentaries are archived at the following link
http://www.raptureready.com/featured/graham/graham.html 
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Books, Books, and More Books  - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com

“To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding; To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity; A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels:” Proverbs 1:2-3 & 5. I’ve read many books both fiction and non-fiction written by various Christian authors over the past 15 years or so, and have enjoyed most of them. I’m sure many of my readers have done the same. There’s just something stirring about getting someone else’s prospective on scriptures. But, and this is the rub, I don’t use any of the books written by Christian authors as a final explanation of God’s word. God’s word is irreproachable, inerrant, and true. Therefore the opinions of others, concerning God’s Word, although useful, should only be used as a springboard as we search the scriptures for ourselves. I’ve read numerous authors with varying opinions of what the scriptures say. We know the Holy Spirit doesn’t work that way. Obviously, when confronted by varying interpretations there remains just one source to search. When it comes to understanding and discerning the truth about the scriptures we always want to go straight to the Bible itself.

There are many Bible teachers these days who’ve placed quite a bit of their biblical knowledge in books and on DVD’s, and have made these products readily available to the diligent Bible student who’s looking to obtain a better grasp of the Word of God. But if a Bible teacher is worth his salt he’ll tell his students from the beginning to search the scriptures for themselves, to do their own research concerning God’s word. We aren’t to blindly follow any Bible teacher, after all they’re only men, thus they are fallible. God is our ultimate teacher – He should be our definitive source when we search for inerrant truth. Although He has given many of His followers the ability to teach from His Word, He holds all Bible teachers to the same standard. When teaching His word we must teach using His whole counsel. We must not deviate from His word as many have done by promoting their own selfish agendas.

“If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, [even] the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmising, Perverse disputing of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.” 1 Timothy 6:3-5. In God’s Word we’re given clear instructions on teaching and holding teachers accountable. There’s absolutely no room for varying doctrines; when confronted with different interpretations of God’s word, clearly someone is wrong. That someone can’t be led by the Spirit of Truth. Paul says withdraw thyself from such as these.

I’m an avid reader. Books, especially those written by Christians, are my favorite apart from the Bible. Both fiction and non-fiction entertain me and I read all books out loud to my wife. Then we discuss them. One thing I’ve found to be true is that some Christian writers gets off base from time to time in their non-fictional account of God’s word. When this happens something clicks inside me, and as a Berean I will not hesitate to compare the author’s words to that of God’s. Even if the author is in error, I will usually finish reading the book. There may just be some little tidbit or nugget there that would be worthwhile. Having diligently studied the Bible for many years and having been given the discernment that can come only from God concerning His word, I have grasped that added dimension concerning God’s word that many Christians simply don’t realize is available to them. “But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you:” 1 John 2:27.

The Holy Spirit resides in every born again believer in Christ, therefore we all have Christ’s anointing. The Apostle John tells us that we aren’t in need of a man to teach us since the Holy Spirit abides in us “But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.” 1 John 2:20. And He will teach and is teaching us all things. Does this mean we don’t need Bible teachers to help us during our search of the scriptures? Not at all. John is teaching us is he not? Obviously there’s a place for teachers but they are not to have the last word when it comes to the scriptures, or in our personal learning. That domain belongs exclusively to God.

I just can’t get past delving into the subject of just how many Christian pastors have resorted to teaching their congregations from extra-biblical source materials. Why? Is it that they just don’t understand the Word of God themselves, thus they resort to functioning as a quasi-leader utilizing some mere man’s materials instead of focusing on the Word of God and allowing the Holy Spirit to be their guide through the scriptures? It’s been assumed that today in this post-modern world we live in we must change the way we present the Gospel. We must enlighten the masses in a manner never before utilized. The word of God is dated material, thus we must add some nuances of higher dimensionality regarding the teaching and spreading of God’s word. Our new post-modern society demands to be seen as enlightened. Why not just resort to using trickery while dazzling them with chicanery? (Wouldn’t that be tickling their ears?) With these new teaching concepts in place our poor misguided and misunderstood crowd of post-modern humanists will surely be returning every Sunday to receive more “ear tickling”. But here’s the rub, whenever we replace God’s inerrant word with man’s fallible word then we’ve replaced God as sovereign. If we aren’t going to teach the Gospel of Christ in our Christian Churches, then please, stop referring to them as Christian Churches.

Books, both secular and Christian, are so very plentiful a simple perusal through a Barnes and Nobel will attest to that (I do enjoy a good book store). A variety of books pertaining to everything from prophecy to angels and demons can indeed catch my eye. I like to do research on upcoming societal changes as well as extra-ordinary changes that have occurred over a seemingly short period of time; therefore I read books. For example, there are so many changes happening in our culture today that quite frankly would have been unheard of, and certainly completely unacceptable, just thirty years ago. Something I’ve been studying quite extensively is this thing called transhumanism. What is it? What’s it all about? Why all the hubbub? With experimentations designed to change humans into part human and part animal someone has finally sat up and taken notice. What are the ramifications of such experiments which are being billed as an enhancement of the human genome? The scientists who are involved in these experiments are convinced that to save the human race from its own extinction we must evolve to the next higher plane, one that will change the human being into a part human part animal or even part computer. I challenge all of you to put “transhumanism” into a search engine and see what comes up. Frankenstein’s monster is not science fiction any more.

There are a huge number of new scientific breakthroughs all being promoted as an enhancement to human beings so we can live forever. Reading books written by those who’ve been on the cutting edge of this new phenomenon can be enlightening as well as somewhat frightening for anyone who hasn’t studied what God has to say about all this evil. This is just another challenge for those who are watchmen on the wall. Transhumanism needs to be revealed to the Christian public; we all need to be aware of the evil that is now fully entrenched in our science labs. Reading books helps, and like I said, this phenomenon is spoken about quite clearly in our Bibles.

We can begin by reading and studying our God breathed literature beginning with the book of Genesis chapter 6. “And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose… There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown. And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” Genesis 6:1-2, 4-5. Ask yourself what was so bad on planet earth that God would destroy all the inhabitants including the land animals, save eight human souls as well as a few animals? Now take it a step further and ask yourself what’s the difference between then and now? To make it simple, there occurred through some kind of an evil process a corruption of the gene pool between fallen angels and human women. There are man-devised, error filled interpretations of this passage, but a straight forward, proper interpretation of these Scriptures makes it clear that God is telling us about something horrible that occurred concerning the corruption of humanity with fallen angels, and this corruption even involved the animals.

Now let’s skip forward in time and as we read the words of Jesus Himself as He tells us about what’s coming on this planet in the last days. “But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” Matthew 24:37-39. What Jesus is alluding to that will occur in the last days is exactly what occurred prior to the flood of Noah (fallen angels, humans, and animals - transhumanism) which caused God’s wrath to be poured out on an unrepentant world. This evil is now being established in our modern laboratories around the globe, and just as Jesus says it will be fully established just prior to His return. Once again God will pour out His wrath on an unrepentant humanity. God’s wrath will once again be poured out on planet earth, this time instead of a flood He’ll destroy the earth with fire. Reading books can give us a very real perspective on current events. But God’s word should always be our final authority.

There are some Christian authors who I have trusted over the years to be completely in line with the word of God. These authors are true Bereans as am I, thus their books reflect the truth of God’s word. There are others who I know are off base by a point or two which doesn’t stop me from purchasing their books, but I instinctively know that there will be a few red flags raised during my reading of their work.

The point is, we can learn something from most Christian authors even if it’s just a little nugget, other times we might just pick up a priceless gem. But everything we read concerning the Word of God from extra-biblical sources must always be viewed through the lens of the Bible. Go to the true source for accuracy. There is no substitute for His truth.

I’m determined to keep God’s word, to believe He says what He means and means what He says, and to stand firm while being bombarded by the ramblings of the skeptics. Amongst translation errors and downright lies infiltrating our English Bibles these days there will always be a way to obtain the truth. God will keep His Word pure in regards to the original Hebrew and Greek languages. As time progresses our English translations will become more politically correct as the translators do their part by removing or changing scriptures they determine to be burdensome on a society. After all, no one wants to be reminded of those old tired and obscure verses that have no place in our lives today, Especially those that point out God’s distain for sexual immorality. I suggest you all keep your Bible (preferably the King James Version) easily accessible; all kinds of nonsense regarding the word of God is headed our way.

God bless you all,

Ron Graham

All scripture is from the KJV and God breathed
twotug@embarqmail.com
96 County Road 5480 Salem, MO 65560
My past commentaries are archived at the following link
http://www.raptureready.com/featured/graham/graham.html 
If you’d like to be on my mailing list to receive the commentaries just drop me a email and let me know

Another Gospel - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com

“But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.” Galatians 1:8-9. Paul in his letter to the Galatians is delivering a resounding rebuke as they have begun to place themselves back under the Law. They were being corrupted by Judaizers who opposed Paul’s teachings. It’s interesting how these same heresies have flourished over the centuries and are now quite pervasive in today’s Christian culture. The Gospel of Christ was being replaced with a false gospel; Paul was furious, with good reason.

Paul used the Greek word anathema as a condemnation against these heretics. The Apostle declares in the strongest language that the Gospel he preached was the one and only way of salvation, and that to preach another was to attempt to nullify the death of Christ. Paul was not happy with the new direction he saw the Galatians heading.

We need to back up a couple of verses to get the flavor of Paul’s apparent frustration “I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:” Galatians 1:6. Paul uses the Greek word thaumazō which means: to wonder at, to look at something as a spectacle; it was hard for Paul to believe what he was witnessing. He was dumbfounded at the change of direction the Galatians had made. After he had taught them the truth of the Gospel they were so easily moved toward another gospel, a false gospel.

Can we see any of this type of movement in our Christian Churches today? Absolutely. Now, before I go any further I’d like to point out something about Galatians chapter 1 verse 8 which many Bible students might not see as so obvious. Paul adds angels to all those he’s condemning for infiltrating the church with false gospels. Even angels? Personally, I find it intriguing how false gospels involve even angels. As we look into the Mormon religion, right away we see that Joseph Smith was approached by an angel, the angel Maroni, who handed Smith “another gospel.” It’s exciting to see the Holy Spirit’s hand in every aspect of God’s holy writ. I couldn’t resist pointing out the obvious condemnation of this fallen angel as was handed down by God Himself, some 1,800 years prior to that particular angel’s deception. Paul’s letter to the Galatians, written centuries prior to the angel Maroni offering Joseph Smith another gospel, was a scathing indictment against the hoard of fallen angels and demons whose purpose is to deceive the masses, to turn folks away from the true Gospel. Millions now follow the teachings of Joseph Smith, thus the angel Maroni was quite successful.

“For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God…For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.” Acts 20:27, 29-30. Sure enough the wolves are on the march heading toward the sanctuary. The liars have corrupted the congregation; the masses are being deceived while being led away from the Gospel of Christ. Men who have no concept of the truth have risen in the church to fill leadership roles. Many have fallen for Satan’s lies thus they teach another gospel, one that leads the masses down the path of no return. Paul’s warning to the Galatians falls on deaf ears in many Christian Churches today.

Paul made it his life’s work to teach the whole counsel of God to all the churches he started, and even those he didn’t start (the Church in Rome). It was Paul’s mission to ensure that the true Gospel was preached and to drive out the erroneous teachings of the Judaizers, and not just the Judaizers but all false teaching. Paul was distraught with the Galatians because they were so easily persuaded to return to Judaism and place themselves back under the Law. But Paul was also very aware of the false teachings that were creeping in through Gnosticism and it was his mission to shine the truth on these false teachers and expose them for what they were.

The Gospel of Christ is ludicrous to many men in teaching roles in our Christian churches, which means they will only teach Christ’s Gospel as a symptom of the early churches ignorance. The Gnostics did not believe Jesus actually died on that cross hence His resurrection was only an illusion. The Apostle John explains who these Gnostics are. “Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time. Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father:” 1 John 2:18, 22-23a. John paints a very clear picture here. Denying Christ, as the Gnostics do, makes them antichrists. These are harsh words but necessary in order for the church to fully grasp what’s happening in our midst today.

The Church needs more Pauls today than ever before; as the Church has grown by leaps and bounds so have the heresies. We need men who will stand up for the truth of the Gospel. But where do such men come from? They are products of Christ centered teaching. They are drawn to the truth by the Holy Spirit of truth, and they are Bible believing saints with a mission. They are determined to provide accuracy in Bible teaching. These men are the Pauls of today; seek them out and you will find they won’t veer from the truth. Nothing can hinder the truth of God but many will try. Those who are led by the spirit of lies (Satan) will continue to do his bidding as they work toward dispelling correct doctrine. Only the discernment that is available from God can keep the truth seeker on the right path.

As born again believers in Christ we have our work cut out for us. There is and has been a systematic and forceful malevolent supernatural entity behind all false teaching. These antichrists know what they are doing and they are good at it. We have to be better at advancing the truth of God than those who follow Satan and his plan. Which means we must be knowledgeable of God’s precepts to be able to defend His word correctly – and with all tenacity; this is possible only through the power of the Holy Spirit and a regime of diligent study of God’s Word.

Side Note:
The Bible gives us knowledge and answers our questions, but just when we think we have all the answers, pride jumps up and bites us where we sit. Seeking knowledge through God’s word is necessary as we strive to be more like Paul, but we must be careful of pride. Remember Lucifer’s downfall was pride. We’ve all seen Christian leaders fall from their lofty perches, many after acquiring a prideful attitude.

Biblical literacy is the key to discerning truth from fable, and it only comes through a system of constant prayer and study, while humbly seeking His truth. It’s always a good idea to pray for God’s discernment to be upon you before undertaking a particular biblical study; by praying first we enlist the Holy Spirit’s help in guiding us through God’s Word. If you don’t study God’s word you’ll never know when a false gospel has crossed your path. You may be following one of these Gnostic teachers right now. Only diligent Bible study coupled with much prayer will keep you from being led astray. God’s word is truth, but it’s the way men interpret – or misinterpret – what God says that allows error. Some men find it necessary to embellish God’s word with their own thoughts to give the scriptures more excitement. Adding to or taking away from God’s word will only bring condemnation.

The enemy has many followers willing to step in and teach when there are no Pauls present or willing to fill that position, and the enemy has convinced many to follow his false doctrines. I can promise you this, the churches that are replete with false doctrines are Paul-less. When good men fail to stand up and be counted, bad men will always fill the void. Paul’s admonition to the Galatians is proof positive that there were no good men willing to stand up for the truth of the Gospel, thus they allowed the enemy to come in and present a false gospel which was readily accepted. There is no difference today when it comes to the myriad of lies infiltrating the church. Most congregations lack even a few Pauls who know the truth well enough to be able to stand up for Christ as they show the followers of Satan the door.

If you attend a church where the Pauls are numerous, count yourself blessed to be a part of such a congregation. On the other hand, if you can’t find a Paul among the men in your congregation then perhaps God has it in mind for you to step up and be the Paul or Pauline He wants you to be. At any rate, without due diligence, the wolves will be circling the sanctuary soon. Perchance there’s one standing behind the pulpit right now.

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
All scripture is from the KJV and God breathed

If you’d like to write to me, my address is:
96 County Road 5480 Salem, MO 65560

My past commentaries are archived at the following link
http://www.raptureready.com/featured/graham/graham.html 
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Suffering with Christ - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com

“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God… The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.” Romans 8:14, 16 & 17. The Greek word for suffer is sympaschō and it means to suffer or feel pain together, to suffer evils (troubles, persecutions) in the like manner with another. In this case Paul’s telling us as children of God that we are joint-heirs with Christ if so be we suffer with Him. What kind of suffering? Tribulations, persecutions, distresses, and many will suffer through illnesses, some quite severe.

To suffer with Christ is not very appealing to many Christians today. The world has grabbed hold of many who call themselves Christian which means that any idea of suffering with Christ is rejected as nonsensical. Paul’s words above fall on deaf ears for a huge number of professing Christians. What greater privilege than to suffer with our coming King.

The phrase “if so be” which Paul inserts before the word “suffer” above is self explanatory. He’s giving sort of a “what if” scenario. If indeed we suffer with Christ, then we are heirs with Christ. Not all Christians will suffer with Christ; some professing Christians will only admit to being Christian while in the company of other Christians. They have no intention of letting their secret out in a secular dominated public arena. As Paul points out, our inheritance is dependent on our suffering with Christ. So, those Christians who cloak their Christianity will avoid the persecutions associated with knowing and acknowledging Christ as Lord. Therefore they will not partake of the inheritance freely given “if so be” we suffer with Christ.

Paul knew about suffering; he went through a lot by the time he wrote this letter to his Christian brethren in Rome. “To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.” Romans 1:7. Beloved of God is another way of addressing Christians. The Roman Christians Paul is addressing knew of his many trials and they were fully aware of his sufferings for Christ. He’s trying to explain to them that they too will suffer persecutions if they continue walking with Christ.

“Are they ministers of Christ? …I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft. Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;” 2 Corinthians 11:23-26. It’s obvious Paul suffered much in his walk with the Lord. I wonder, in today’s world of modern conveniences and hi-tech living, how many of us who profess to follow Jesus Christ can actually say we suffer with Him.

“if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together”. Romans 8:17b. That statement should make the followers of Jesus Christ sit up and take notice. The Apostle Paul considered Suffering with Christ a privilege. And lest ye forget let me reiterate, your inheritance is dependent on your suffering with Christ.

There are all kinds of suffering, and as Christians we may pass through a period of some suffering and consider it not much more than simply an annoyance. Then again, God may want us to remain in the midst of suffering until He determines an end to it; sometimes that end will result in His taking us home. Again, why? God has His reasons for our sufferings and one of them is pointed out above by Paul. We, as born again believers in Christ, are justified. That means we’ve been given a free gift from God which is that of eternal life through Jesus Christ His Son. That part of salvation is complete. Another way to put it is, “it’s a done deal.” But there’s more, much more. There are rewards that will be handed out by Jesus Christ at the Bema Seat Judgment. This isn’t a judgment like a punishment but a judgment based on our attitude toward the Kingdom of God while here on earth. Some Christians will receive rewards, others won’t. It all depends on what we do here on earth after our justification as we are led by the Holy Spirit of God.

Rewards are given to those whose works were Holy Spirit inspired; their works will endure the flame of perseverance. Those who did things for others as a show of their own piety will see their works burned up like wood, hay, and stubble. “Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.” 1 Corinthians 3:13-15.

So, what do we have to look forward to then? I’ll tell you, once justified we can look forward to everlasting life with Christ as our King forever. But there’s something else we look forward to which is apart from that most treasured gift. Just as Paul went about setting up churches and admonishing believers, he did so even though the suffering was intense. He looked forward to the rewards Jesus would hand out after he finished the race. These rewards given out to the faithful are those things to which we should aspire. Did you know that simply longing for Christ’s appearing garners an award?

Many of you write and ask how I’m doing in regards to my health, your concern is much appreciated. I wrote a commentary a while back entitled “Patience and God’s Miracles” in which I hastily stated that my health was greatly improved because of the infusions I’d been receiving. Well, I should have heeded my wife’s advice and held off on that commentary a while longer, at least until I was sure that my exaltation was not premature. Consequently, I must now explain to everyone that the relief I was feeling from this horrible disease after the initial three infusions only lasted about seven days, and they’ve been quite expensive. Actually they haven’t been much help.

I began to wonder why, with the fervent prayers of many of my brethren going up to God from every corner of this planet and those of my family here at home, was I continuing with this disease that had so effectively embedded itself in the bloodstream of my body? I began to do some research of my own. I wanted to give a clear and concise answer to anyone who might enquire of me as to why God allows the suffering of His saints. Of course God gave me the answer I was seeking.

“My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” James 1:2-4. Sometimes we just need a little reassurance from God of the fact that He knows what He’s doing and we who are suffering numerous trials should count it all joy. Patience is one of the goals of our trials, but there’s more, much more.
“Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.” James 1:12. The Greek word hypomenō is the equivalent of our English word “endure”, but the Greek word is more precise in its meaning, which is “to remain” - i.e. abide, not recede or flee, to preserve: under misfortunes and trials to hold fast to one's faith in Christ, to bear up bravely and calmly: all ill treatments. We’re to count all suffering, trials, temptations, and persecutions joy, joy knowing we are suffering with Christ.

“Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.” 2 Timothy 4:8. Stephanos is one of two Greek words which means crown, but it’s not a king’s crown which would be diadem in the Greek. Stephanos actually means: a prize such as a victor’s crown. It refers to the eternal blessedness which will be given as a prize to the genuine servants of God and Christ. It's a crown of righteousness, and a crown of glory. Do you love His appearing? This crown is an earned crown and it has nothing to do with our justification (salvation). It’s a reward that will be given to all who love and desire Christ’s appearing. Worldly Christians love the world hence they aren’t looking for Christ to appear any time soon. So their answer to my question would be no.

There are many such rewards which will be handed out at the Bema Seat Judgment of Christ. But alas there will be many Christians who receive no such rewards, thus there will be much disappointment for those who cling to the idea of “Well I’m saved and that’s all that matters to me”. Paul describes his life as running a race and to win the race so as to receive the prize. There is more to this Christian walk than just fire insurance, much more.

Trials for the born again Christian can be many. Perhaps they are not exactly like Paul’s but to each one of us they can be distracting, even overwhelming. While passing through these trials it’s important that we not lose sight of our first love, Jesus Christ. Debilitating, formative hurtles can bring us to a point that we may even despair of life itself. Paul despaired of life. “For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life:” 2 Corinthians 1:8. Then Paul goes on to ensure the Corinthian Church that they have no need to despair. “But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead: Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us;” 2 Corinthians 1:9-10.

God has given us the power to turn away from sin and from the grip associated with temptation, trials, and tribulations (which are persecutions). Personally, I now count all my trials (illness) as joy. All born again believers in Christ should realize that the suffering which we endure is suffering with Christ. By suffering with Christ, God’s word assures us that we will be “joint-heirs with Christ.”

“There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13. God will never let us be tested more than what is common to man. This means God has given us the strength to endure all trials, even the infirmities that the enemy has been able to inflict upon many of us.

In my personal situation concerning the vast amount of trials that have come upon me of late, my faith has not only endured but has been greatly strengthened, and my walk with the Lord is now on a more stable foundation than ever before. God has drawn me closer to Him and our relationship is now much more intimate. That’s why I now count all the suffering I’ve gone through with this disease (Myasthenia Gravis) pure joy.

Most important is how we weather these storms. Do we sit and fret? Do we worry and ponder? Do we complain and lose hope? Do we blame God for our suffering? Or do we overcome in the face of all adversity? “He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.” Revelation 3:5. I have determined for myself to be an overcomer, to stay in the race and to finish in first place. As Paul so aptly put it “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:” 2 Timothy 4:7. I encourage all of you do the same.

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
All scripture is from the KJV and always God breathed
twotug@embarqmail.com
96 County Road 5480 Salem, MO 65560
My past commentaries are archived at the following link
http://www.raptureready.com/featured/graham/graham.html
If you’d like to be on my mailing list to receive the commentaries just drop me a email and let me know

Judgment – God’s Style - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com

“Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things.” Romans 1:20-23. These days there seems to be a barrage of questions concerning when will God judge America. We can find a plethora of commentaries focused on this same question. Little do most of these questioners realize it but God sent His judgment upon this nation many decades ago, which began our spiraling downward freefall into the abyss of no return.

Not just America, but many other nations as well have been judged by God and found wanting. Billy Graham quipped many years ago “If God doesn’t judge America He’ll have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah.” If you’re waiting for an atomic bomb blast aimed at destroying America in one fell swoop you’ll probably need to wait until America completely turns its back on Israel; God’s word says that every nation will turn against Israel in the last days. Now I’m not saying an atomic war won’t break out; as a matter of fact I’m certain it will happen one day with a few hundred or even thousand atomic bombs hitting the amber waves of grain. But the current judgment that God placed on America and all other nations of the world which have turned their collective backs on Him has not come in the form of an atomic bomb. When it’s all said and done many may wish it had.

What national movement is taking America by storm? And for that matter, what international movement is doing likewise? If you haven’t already guessed it’s the condoning and the almost overwhelming promotion of the abomination known as homosexuality. Not very many Christians realize that this once hidden “in the closet” filth which is now permeating our world is God’s judgment on all societies that have rejected Him. How do I know? The Bible tells me so. Keep reading.

Most Societies are now moving in the direction of “God gave them over to.” I’ll explain that statement shortly. But why has God done this? People know He exists, yet they refuse to acknowledge Him as God and do not give Him the glory He deserves as our Creator. Our God is a jealous God; we may cringe at the fact, even dislike the idea, that our God has the propensity of being jealous. But the fact remains He won’t share or give up His Godhead to anyone or anything.

The first chapter of Paul’s letter to the Romans is directed at the pagan world. Paul gives an extensive explanation on just how foolish these people are. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Romans 1:18-20. According to God’s Word He holds everyone accountable to know He exists and to seek Him. He does this through the obviousness of His creation. But these pagans Paul addresses here ignore the truth and worship idols made of things which were created instead of the One who is the Creator of all things. Therefore God gives them something special, something only these folks would cling to and bask in. Unbeknownst to them God’s judgment is on them and society as a whole because society has gone over to the enemy’s camp. God gives such societies over to be filled with lust as they too condone such behavior.

“Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:” Romans 1:24. The Greek word for the phrase “gave them up” is paradidōmi and it actually means: to give them up to evil desires. Who gave them up? God. Why? Because they changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man. They should know God exits through His Creation, yet they ignore the fact that God has revealed Himself, even His eternal Godhead, so they have no excuse for their refusal to glorify Him as God. In the above verse, the Greek word for “uncleanness” is akatharsia and it means: to give them up to impurity, lustful living. The Greek word for lust is epithymia which means to: desire, crave, long for. God has given these pagans up to a lifestyle they can’t resist, and they think this lifestyle is one they’ve chosen for themselves. The phrase “dishonour their own bodies between themselves” has the Greek word atimazō embedded in it which means: to treat with contempt, whether in word, deed or thought. “Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.” Romans 1:25. So the societies which refuse to honor God as Creator and Lord are, as they turn their backs on Him and worship the created thing, being judged - including America.

Just in case you’re wondering what the dictionary uses as an explanation for the word pagan here it is “an offensive term that deliberately insults somebody who does not acknowledge the God of the Bible, Torah, or Koran”. Actually no one should recognize the god of the Koran. At any rate, the word pagan fits those who reject God, and offensive as it might sound God’s judgment is much worse. “For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;” Romans 1:26-28. Here we see it again – God giving these foolish pagan people up, this time to a reprobate mind. In the Greek the word reprobate is adokimos and it refers to something that should be cast away as unfit as in something we would reject or throw out. God is in control here and He will not put up with whole societies turning their backs on Him.

Have you ever wondered why homosexuality has flourished in America and has become the norm in what was once thought of as a mostly Christian society? Today, even many professing Christians see no harm in homosexuality nor do they regard homosexuality as a sin. “More than 100 ordained Christian ministers have signed the proclamation, including leaders from Lutheran, Episcopalian, United Church of Christ, United Methodist, and Presbyterian churches which states homosexuality is not a sin.” Source: Onenewsnow.com. These pastors, as well as most of their congregations, don’t just look the other way but actually condone this abominable lifestyle. There are many professing Christians that see this sinful lifestyle as nothing more than two people of the same sex loving each other. I wonder just how many people actually understand how homosexuals, when it comes to the act of sexual intercourse, actually go about it. Not to be too graphic here, but it would probably make most people especially Christians sick if they actually understood what was involved when these depraved minds speak of loving or making love with one another, and if it doesn’t – shame on them.

Please don’t misunderstand God’s motives as He judges whole societies by giving them over to a reprobate mind. God loves everyone equally. He is no respecter of men. We were all born with the sin nature in us, it’s hereditary. We are all sons of Adam thus we all inherit the sin gene. Therefore the propensity for all humans to become homosexual is no different as far as sinning goes as stealing, lying, murder, adultery, and so on. It’s all sin and we usually embrace one or more of them until we become a “son of God.” Only then are we given the ability to say no to sin, because sin no longer reigns in our lives. But until we became born again we were all slaves to sin. Those who reject God cannot resist sin; they have no way to fight a battle against sin, and as a matter of fact they don’t even recognize their actions as sin.

The judgment on societies is different than the individual committing a sin. There are many born again Christians who live in countries where homosexuality has already been greatly manifested. So Christians are seeing the results of God’s judgment first hand. God’s judgment on America and the other nations that have turned against Him will become even more steeped in this abomination. This judgment will wax worse and worse as time goes by, especially as the opposition to the whole homosexual agenda wanes. “More than 50 percent of the current American voting public now have no problem with this spreading phenomenon, homosexuality.” Source: The Barna Research Group

We already see it openly in our military and the president of the United States has now made it known that he will no longer allow the Attorney General of the United States to fight for the Constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act. There are now six states which have passed laws that allow homosexuals to get married and many more are working on the legislation to do the same. And now we see California, the leader in the promotion of homosexuality, passing laws that demand that homosexuality and its history be taught in schools, and setting up homosexuals as role models for impressionable children. I wonder if the lesson God gave us concerning Sodom and Gomorrah is going to be a part of that history taught in public schools. Openly homosexual judges are now running our court systems and homosexuality is permeating our land. Need I go on?

“Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.” Romans 1:29-32. God gave them (these God rejecting pagan people) over to all the above mentioned adjectives because He will not be ignored nor will He be humiliated by foolish people who want to replace Him with some inanimate object as the focus of their worship. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is our Creator God. It’s a slap in His face to believe in anything contrary to that truth. Therefore since so many Americans enjoy slapping the face of God, God has been forced to act by judging America.

Read those words again from Romans chapter 1 verses 29 thru 32 and then think about all the evil in the news of late. “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.” 2 Timothy 3:1. The Greek word for perilous is chalepos which actually means: hard to bear, troublesome, dangerous, (harsh, fierce, savage). Savage? Are we not living in savage times? Mothers killing their children, fathers killing their families, mass murders occurring all over this country and around the world – sounds pretty savage to me.

As we are all aware, the teaching of the fact that we have a Creator God who we are all accountable to has in recent years become a forbidden subject in our government run, completely secular public school system. We know God is not pleased with the American people’s decision to eliminate Him from their consciences. Therefore we are paying a heavy price for this disobedience in the form of rampant homosexuality. Don’t look for it to end any time soon. As long as we stay the path we’ve chosen the judgment will continue and it will increase in its intensity – like birth pangs on a pregnant woman. If you are a Christian reading this commentary all I can say is beware of more evil coming. You might want to learn to pray the following prayer “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14. God is not speaking to the pagans but to His people. His children need to turn from our wicked ways, repent, to become doers of His word and put away the apathy and ignorance that has infiltrated His Church.

So, the next time someone asks you if or when you think God will judge America you can tell them America has been under judgment since we took the Bible out of our public schools and replaced it with the most horrible of lies - evolution. This extremely pervasive lie is completely satanic from its inception. Yet the vast majority of humanity, including many professing Christians, accepts it as truth over God’s word.

For many years now, worldwide, we’ve been killing the unborn babies in the womb at the rate of approximately 50 million per year, how then can God not judge the nations who’ve committed such atrocities and turned their backs on Him and His blessings? All children are a blessing from God. How can He just simply ignore this attitude of hate towards Him? Judgment has come to those nations who’ve found it necessary to embrace evil and eschew good, with America being a major promoter of evil around the world.

God’s judgment has come in the form of giving the foolish people who hate Him over to their own lusts. They don’t see it of course, but God’s judgment has befallen America as well as every other nation on earth who all dance to the same tune – they are without a doubt followers of Satan.

God help us,

Ron Graham

All scripture is from the KJV and God breathed
twotug@embarqmail.com
96 County Road 5480 Salem, MO 65560
My past commentaries are archived at the following link
http://www.raptureready.com/featured/graham/graham.html 
If you’d like to be on my mailing list to receive the commentaries just drop me an email and let me know

Deception at the End - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com

“And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.” Revelation 20:7-8. The number of those who will be deceived at the end of the 1,000 year reign of Christ will be as numerous as the sand of the sea. Wow! These people have lived with Christ and seen Him in His glorified body. They know Him, yet they still follow Satan and rebel against Him. How does Satan do it?

The believers who live through the Tribulation will be mortal. They will live and repopulate the earth during the Millennial Kingdom. Without the devastation of sin taking its toll, we can imagine the population increase during the Millennium will be enormous, almost incomprehensible. All those who are born during the millennium will enjoy the benefits and blessings of Christ's reign on the earth, but they will still be born with a sin nature, and they will still have to freely repent and believe the Gospel, personally choosing Christ as Savior and Lord.

Jesus Christ will take His rightful place on His Throne as the world’s monarch, only His monarchy will be perfect, unlike those of earth’s past. He will insure a perfect form of justice, while not tolerating the sin so prevalent in today's society “I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee…I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron… Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.” Psalm 2:7-12. When Jesus comes back to set up His Kingdom on earth He will not come as a suffering servant this time around, but as a conquering King. In military terms, He won’t put up with any dissention in the ranks.

We can only imagine such a time of “heaven on earth.". With God on His earthly throne is there any doubt that the earth will be filled with all the provisions people will need such as food and water? Everything folks need to live a comfortable life will be abundant. No one will lack anything. We, His saints, will rule and reign with Him in various capacities. One of our duties will certainly be to instruct those born during the millennium about Jesus Christ and teach them what He did for His creation. The people born during the millennium will not need to have faith that Jesus Christ exists as His existence will be obvious. He will be here so all eyes can see Him, but they will need to believe in His death, burial, and resurrection, just as we do now. As the Old Testament saints were looking forward in faith to His coming, we (the Church) look back on the cross and believe; faith is the binding tie. The tribulation saints will also look to the cross, as will those who are born during the millennium reign of Christ. They must become born again to be saved and to be able to enter Heaven. Even during Christ’s 1,000 year reign He will still be the way, the truth, and the life, and no man will be able to come to the Father but by the Son.

Apparently, since so many will be deceived by the father of all lies (Satan) towards the end of the millennium, we are given a clue here that unbelief isn’t reliant upon Satan’s lies since He will be bound in the bottomless pit for most of that duration. Life will be good during the millennial reign of Christ on earth. We will live under His perfect justice without sin, and even though the curse which is currently over all of God’s creation will have been lifted, the sin nature inherent in all humans will be a determining factor in the mass rebellion against our Lord as the end of the millennium approaches its climax.

Let’s take a trip back in time and try to see a parallel between the Garden of Eden and the end of the Millennium. We read in the book of Genesis that apparently God enjoyed walking in the Garden of Eden in the cool of the day. Adam, being immortal before his huge stumble that brought about the fall of mankind, saw God; they spoke, apparently, face to face. If God were to show Himself to any of us right now, we being mortal would most certainly die. Adam did not need faith to believe God existed. Nor will the people born during the millennium need faith to believe that God exists since He will be present and they will be able to see Him as He exists today in His glorified body. Still Adam rebelled against God. Why? His wife, Eve, was beguiled by the serpent in the Garden. Adam blew it by even allowing his wife to speak to this being, let alone be beguiled by him.

“Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.” Ezekiel 28:14-15. Lucifer was at one time the anointed cherub that covers, in other words he was God’s number one angel. His name means “light bearer”. He was an angel of light, the most beautiful of all angels. He probably beguiled Eve with his beauty. Yes, in Genesis he’s referred to as the serpent, but that word in the Hebrew is “nachash”, meaning the shinning one. That word can also be translated as diviner, someone who practices divination. He first shows up as a serpent, but this serpent could have been a very beautiful and beguiling being. Certainly Lucifer still had the ability to present himself as something that would not frighten Eve but convince her of his sincere desire to help her. This being (the serpent) had the uncanny ability to place doubt in Eve’s mind; after the doubt was established he went on with the lie, both of which he’s promoted over and over again for the past 6,000 years.

Lucifer asked Eve a question which instilled that first bit of doubt in her “And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” Genesis 3:1b. After he heard Eve’s response he blatantly lied to her while tempting her at the same time. “And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.” Genesis 3:4-5. As I mentioned, this has been Satan’s modus operandi since the beginning. He’s good at it, and during the millennial reign of Christ, Satan will have a thousand years to perfect his craft to the nth degree.

Have you ever known a liar? I mean a real liar, one who is so convincing they could sell refrigerators to Eskimos? You know the kind of person I’m talking about, they are incredibly persuasive, they have a huge abundance of charisma, and many of them these days take up residency in Washington DC. But no matter how well a human works at perfecting their ability to lie and deceive others they can never best their father, the god of all lies. How will Satan convince those living during and at the end of the millennium to reject Jesus Christ and follow him? The same way he’s done it with multitudes of earth’s inhabitants of the past. First create doubt, and then put forth the lie. Many people would rather believe a lie than the truth. Many of the folks living in those still fleshly bodies will be just as susceptible to the doubt and lie as Eve was, even more so when we consider she was immortal and where she was living at the time.

In the beginning Adam and Eve were created immortal. When God proclaimed everything He had just finished making was very good – it was perfect in His thinking, no flaws, therefore we can conclude Adam and Eve were immortal. Yet they freely gave up their immortality for the taste of what they thought would be a better life, so will multitudes at the end of the millennium. They, being unbelievers, will want to taste the lie which will be promoted by the father of all lies, Satan himself. But it will be much worse for them than it was for Adam and Eve. Don’t misunderstand, there will still be those who come to Christ during the millennium, but the vast majority, just as it is today, will reject the Messiah and they will go down in flames. “And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.” Revelation 20:9. They will have had more time than any other people of earth to discover who their King is and believe, but alas, many will make no such discovery as they will perish in unbelief.

Why is it easier or more fun to believe a lie? I imagine it’s like believing in evolution and the big bang theory. Throughout all the years these two impossible theories have been postulated there has never been a shred of proof to substantiate either theory. Yet, people believe them. Why? I suppose it’s like that old adage “Don’t confuse me with facts.” “In the beginning God created the Heavens and the Earth.” Genesis 1:1. Yet this Bible verse is totally rejected by the majority of earth dwellers. Why? The lie has become the truth and the truth dismissed as merely fable or myth. The theory of evolution, as well as the big bang theory both are quite satanic in their totality. Even many professing Christians believe this lie. So, how will Satan deceive the vast majority of none believers at the end of the millennium? Isn’t it obvious?

Satan and his cronies will stop at nothing to try to defeat God. Impossible I know, but Satan has such a hatred for humanity that he can’t see the impossibility in his actions. That’s a lot of hate. And the longer we live on this planet the more his hate grows. Evolution, the big bang, and the creation of other gods are all part of Satan’s plan to convince man that there is either no God at all, or that there are many gods and many ways to Heaven. Either way, with these lies, he’s become the winner of many souls. These souls will occupy the same eternity as Satan (Hell). Satan has always opposed God, and God has done more to save His Creation than a billion Satan’s could even think to do. Yet Satan is still followed by the vast majority of earth’s populace. Most of God’s creation, even though God died to save them and keep them out of that horrible place (Hell), will continue in their rejection of His free gift of salvation. That free gift was not free for God as He had to give His only begotten Son, Jesus the Christ, to die for His creation. And die He did but thankfully He has risen and is alive today. We serve a living, loving God who would do anything to see us come to Him instead of to His adversary, Satan.

Jesus Christ will still be rejected by multitudes living during the millennium just as He is today. This is a hard pill to swallow for anyone who lives every day for Jesus Christ. Still the Bible is true and we can believe every word. Many will follow their father the devil right into Hell and probably without a second thought.

God bless you all,

Ron Graham twotug@embarqmail.com
All scripture is from the KJV and God breathed

96 County Road 5480 Salem, MO 65560
My past commentaries are archived at the following link
http://www.raptureready.com/featured/graham/graham.html 
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All the Peoples of the Earth - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com

The following verse has been the lead off verse in many of my past commentaries and yet it seems I’m continually forced to explain it or defend it – here we go again. “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” John 14:6. What could Jesus Christ, the Creator of the universe, have possibly meant by proclaiming such a statement so completely exclusive as to thoroughly eliminate any other way of obtaining eternal life? Do you suppose He was only referring to those people who’ve heard the Gospel and made their choice to either believe in Him or reject Him? Surely He couldn’t have been considering the 1.5 billion adherents to the religion of Islam, right? And what about those people who live in the deepest regions of earth’s most obscure locations? How do they fare in regards to that verse above? Would it be fair of God to punish those who’ve never heard the Gospel or who’ve been taught another way to paradise?

“Well God is a fair God; surely He wouldn’t send someone to Hell for an eternity just because they weren’t given the opportunity to hear the Gospel message, or they were taught completely contrary to what the Gospel of Christ teaches.” Let’s get something straight right now before we venture any further into this seemingly controversial subject. “Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:” Matthew 25:41. God created Hell for Satan and His angels, not for man. When people end up in Hell it’s by their choice, not God’s. “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9. Never has it been God’s choice to send people to Hell, nor will it ever be. It is always each individual’s choice. That’s what love is; God loves us so much He gave us a way to avoid Hell but He won’t interfere with our choice if we decide to choose Hell over an eternity spent with Him.

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” Romans 1:16. This is the theme of Paul’s entire letter to the Roman Christians. Paul gladly proclaimed it as God’s panacea for mankind’s spiritual need. Paul indentified the Gospel of Christ as the “infinite resources of God” applied toward the goal of salvation in the life of everyone who believes regardless of racial background. And there is only one stipulation to obtaining God’s infinite resources and that is all people on earth no matter who they are or where they are must, individually, believe in the Gospel of Christ. “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved…” 1 Corinthians 15: 1-2a.

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Romans 1:18. Humans have a very difficult time grasping in their finite minds the meaning behind the “Wrath of God”. God’s wrath is not based on His emotions or anger, which is a human trait. Humans are motivated by selfish personal reasons and wrath in human terms would fall into a category of a need to punish or get back at someone – such as a need for revenge. But God is not motivated by human emotions. He is completely righteous in His character, and the fairness which is derived out of the minds of men is insufficient as far as God is concerned. What we believe is fair is subjective. Everyone has different motivating factors when it comes to their concept of what fairness is. Man’s subjective ideas of what fairness represents isn’t a quality that God considers when it comes to judging whether or not a person is born again. Fairness can’t save anyone. Just because you don’t think God is being fair won’t change His character. He’ll still do things His way. His way is just and perfect. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9.

So what do we do about all those people who don’t have Bibles and can’t read even if they had a Bible? What about the Muslims who are not taught about Jesus as Savior and Lord? Many people on this earth are taught that evolution is true and there is no God and that human beings evolved from pond scum. This lie has been taught in public schools as truth for decades; many of these folks may never hear the truth of the Gospel. What is God to do with these folks? To be fair in men’s minds He would need to place these people under some other type of judgment that would uniquely pertain to them and their circumstances. Unlike the rest of those who’ve heard the Gospel yet still reject the truth, those who’ve accepted evolution and the lie that there is no God should get a more fair shake from our Creator, right? Wrong!

What about those who’ve been taught some other religion, something which is completely contrary to the Bible and God’s provision for salvation? Will they go to Hell because they’ve been taught erroneously yet believe that lie? Yes. Every individual on the face of this planet is held accountable to God to seek the truth “Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.” Romans 1:19a. Some want to believe that this verse is referring to God manifesting Himself into the conscience of every man, but that’s not what this verse is saying. Verse 19 refers to the fact of His revelation and the next verse, verse 20 will explain the process by which that revelation takes place.

“For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:” Romans 1:20. Paul wrote this verse as a condemnation to all those who reject God. “Clearly seen” means just that, clearly seen. And “understood by the things that are made” means that what God has made is not only clearly seen but understandable by observing the things which He alone has made. People of earth can’t say they didn’t know God nor can they say they’ve never had a chance to know God since God has made even the invisible things of Himself known to man through His creation, “even His eternal power and Godhead; so they are without excuse.”(v20b) God never said He inserted who He is into the brain (conscience) of every human; He said He showed it to them through His creation. They either accept that revelation or they reject it. Their choice.

Paul simply explains that we are all held accountable by God to know He exists, and that knowledge of His existence is evident by the fact that we can observe His creation every day. But, and this is imperative that everyone fully understand, the knowledge that God exists will not save anyone, including the people in darkest Africa who have never heard the Gospel message. Paul never refers to salvation in verse 20, only that they who reject God are without excuse. “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Romans 10:17.

Anybody who has a question about how the people in darkest Africa, or Muslims for that matter, are to hear the Gospel Jesus has the answer “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” Matthew 28:18-20. How many of you reading this commentary have stepped up to the plate so to speak and preached the Gospel to others? How many of you have ventured out of your comfort zone to make sure everyone you know has heard the Gospel message? Where is your heart? Is there a burden on your heart for the lost and perishing? Charles Spurgeon says “If you don’t have a burden for the lost you may be lost yourself.” If there is one person on the face of this earth who hasn’t heard the Gospel message, who does that put at fault? Who did Jesus give this commandment to? Was it not given to all those who claimed to be His disciples? Perhaps you’re one of those who believe that, that commandment was meant for only a select few and not Christ’s Church in its entirety.

Again, speaking of the fairness of God, our God is a just God and what you and I might consider fair may not even be a part of God’s attributes. Humanity’s idea of fairness is always going to be based on skewed emotions. For a moment, let’s give fairness some real hard human thought. In our human estimation of fairness, just how fair was it that God had to endure watching His only begotten Son being scourged – tortured like a criminal almost to the point of death, while being mocked, scorned, and even spit upon? How fair was it that God had to stand idly by watching as His Son endured the most extreme humiliation? How fair was it that after God created man that His creation would rebel against Him and need reconciliation so we wouldn’t all end up in Hell? Finally, was it fair that God would be subjected to watching while His only begotten Son was nailed to a cross, naked to the world, and finally die while hanging there still being verbally abused? We serve an awesome and just God; human ideals and human concepts of fairness have nothing to do with Who we serve and how He dispenses His justice.

“And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.” Matthew 26:39. Jesus paid the full price for our sins, He didn’t deserve what He went through, but we humans do deserve punishment – we deserve God’s wrath. Every last human being on the face of this planet is guilty – born guilty – awaiting to face God’s judgment. Because God did not allow the cup to pass from His only begotten Son we know that there is no other way for a person to obtain salvation and eternal life than through believing in Christ and His death, burial, and resurrection.

In verse 16 of Romans chapter 1 where Paul speaks of salvation, he also mentions what we are being saved from. It’s the wrath of God. Those of us who are born again have dodged that bullet by placing our faith, trust, and hope in God’s only begotten Son and what He accomplished on that cross. The Gospel message is imperative for coming to that conclusion and making a decision for Christ. No Gospel message taught in darkest Africa? No salvation is possible.

“Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3. The Creator of the universe tells us that we must be born again to see Heaven. According to Jesus this can only occur when we believe that He died for the sin of the world, that He was buried, and that He’s alive today because the grave couldn’t hold Him. The resurrection of our Lord and Savior is true, and documented by His disciples who saw the empty tomb and who watched as He entered the room where they were all hiding. Then some 500 others bore witness to the fact that He is alive and that He had been resurrected. The Gospel message is essential to the salvation of mankind and Christianity is built on this Gospel and no other. Just believing that there is a God through His special revelation (creation) won’t get you into Heaven. God is adamant in His word that salvation comes through no one or nothing else. “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” Acts 4:12. That name is Jesus the Christ. The Messiah of Israel – mashiyach nagiyd, Messiah the King – the anointed of God. There is no other NAME under heaven given among men, whereby we MUST be saved.

My wife mentioned something the other day I thought was quite profound. She said “People play cards and board games and they, for the most part, play by the rules set down by the designer of that game. But when it comes to God’s rules (our Creator) people always want to make changes that better fit their lives and emotions – their concept of fairness”. Amen! This is exactly what we observe in the erroneous explanations of how the people of the deepest jungles and recesses on planet earth will be accepted by the Father in lieu of salvation through His only begotten Son. When people feel the need to placate the masses through politically correct means concerning some 1.5 billion people who worship the god of Islam the same logic is used.

Here’s a newsflash for all those who like to think the Muslims are not part of the equation when it comes to following Jesus Christ and Him alone for salvation. They are all condemned to Hell. They play by a totally different set of rules than Christians who worship the only true and living God and designer of the game, and they have already lost.

Unless someone tells the Muslims the truth – the Gospel message – and they repent and place their faith, trust, and hope in Jesus Christ and Him alone for salvation they will remain on the broad way that leads only to destruction, as will the natives of deepest darkest Africa. “…for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:” Matthew 7:13. How many is many? We aren’t told but in contrast in the next verse Jesus mentions that few will enter in through the strait way and narrow gate. Both words representing many and few in the Greek are used denoting numbers. We can only guess at what number the Creator of the universe was trying to convey, but I suggest He’s quite serious about the fact that many will perish and few will be given everlasting life.

Many of us are guilty of redesigning God into an image that falls more in line with our humanistic thinking. But what we should be doing with our self-made God is comparing him to the reality of the God of the Bible. Then we should make the appropriate alterations to our thinking which will put us in tune with our Creator and His truth and remove any foolish inclinations.

The fact that salvation comes through Jesus Christ alone is true and biblical and that truth can’t be skewed even a little for those who wish to distance themselves from the fact that perhaps they’ve never really committed to following Jesus’ commandment concerning preaching the Gospel to the world. Nowhere in the Bible are we told that there will be some who will be exempt from the necessity of hearing the Gospel and believing, nowhere. This concept is, in its entirety, a man made doctrine built on man’s emotions and ideals. God has never changed His mind about salvation. The Old Testament believers were looking to and believing in faith that their coming Messiah would be their salvation. Today we look back at the cross, at where our Messiah was hung and where He died. Then we look to His resurrection as our hope for eternal life. Without the Messiah, Jesus the Christ, without believing in His death, burial, and resurrection our hope is in vain. “And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. …And if Christ be not raised… ye are yet in your sins.” 1 Corinthians 15:14, 17.

“…No man cometh unto the Father but by me.” John 14:6b. Let me just add, period.

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
All scripture is from the KJV and God breathed
twotug@embarqmail.com
96 County Road 5480 Salem, MO 65560
My past commentaries are archived at the following link
http://www.raptureready.com/featured/graham/graham.html 
If you’d like to be on my mailing list to receive the commentaries just drop me an email and let me know?

Do You Trust Him - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com

“…The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; The God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour…” 2 Samuel 22:2b-3a. David knew his God and he trusted God. God knew David; He knew David trusted Him in all things. How about you? Do you trust God and does God know you trust Him? Everyday God finds a new way to ask us “Do you trust Me?”

Trusting in God means we’ve laid aside our feeble attempts at trying to run our own lives and have now turned all aspects of our lives over to Him. His abilities are far greater than we can imagine. God is fully capable of directing our paths but we, holding onto various portions of our own lives, might never realize the opportunities that God’s directions would provide simply because we are lacking sufficient trust in Him. With God it’s all or nothing. We fully trust God or we don’t. God knows if your trust is deficient, He knows you better than you know yourself.

Everyone remembers the story of how David faced down the giant Goliath, but there is a part of that story that many never pick up on. First, before we get into that very interesting yet little known fact, let’s get a little bit of background into this amazing feat of courage displayed by this youngster, David. “David said moreover, The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine…” 1 Samuel 17:37. Was David’s remarks based on his own courage or did he fully trust in the One and only living God? It was David’s trust in God which gave him the courage to face this giant.

Now let’s discover the depth of David’s trust in God. “And he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in a shepherd's bag which he had, even in a scrip; and his sling was in his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine.” 1 Samuel 17:40. Did David, even though fully trusting God to deliver him out of the hand of this Philistine, actually think he would need five stones to defeat Goliath? David slew the giant but used only one stone. So why did David, trusting fully in his God, need four extra stones? Not part of this story is that little tidbit of fact I mentioned earlier. Goliath had four brothers (1 Chronicles 20:4-8.) David was ready for them all. Was David depending on his own courage, his own abilities? Not in any way. David completely and totally trusted in God that day? David trusted God to not only deliver him out of the hand of Goliath but also if need be out of the hands of Goliath’s four brothers, hence the four extra stones. David knew God, he had a personal relationship with God, and David was victorious only because he trusted in His God to be there at that battle with him.

We all go through battles; sometimes it seems they’re a daily occurrence. When we are fighting against supernatural foes we must always trust in our God to defeat those foes. No matter how much we’d like to fight our own battles, mere humans are no match for malevolent supernatural beings. After all, we can’t even see them, but God can and does. When we trust God to fight those battles for us, His and our enemy’s stand no chance. If our trust in God is lacking, our ability to stand the test of those battles will also be lacking.

This life we’ve been given is as fleeting as a vapor of smoke, but as short as it can be there is a reason we were created and it isn’t to procure a wealth of treasures here on earth before we die. We’ve been given life so we and our Creator God can build a super relationship together, but we must place our trust and faith in Him for that relationship to fully develop. Trust is the basis for the relationship, and God knows this truth better than we do. Not one day will pass in our life that God will neglect to ask us the question “Do you trust Me?”

In the human mind it just isn’t natural to place our full trust in someone we can’t even see. But the born again believer knows that this trust is built on faith, and is essential to our faith. As our faith in our Creator God grows so does our trust in Him. That’s what God wants from us. He’s asking each of us who have placed our faith, trust, and hope for our salvation in His only begotten Son and Him alone, “Now, do you really trust me?” You and I must decide for ourselves if we truly trust God. If we are inclined to place our trust in our own abilities, in our own strengths, in picking ourselves up by own bootstraps, God knows those inclinations. But He wants us to trust in Him and His abilities and He’s showing us all the time how we can fully trust Him. We must see God’s works in our lives as His works not our own.

There is a lot more to trusting God as we live out our lives here on earth than we can even imagine. God is our Creator and as such He wants recognition for that aspect. “In the beginning God created the Heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1. If you don’t believe God is the Creator of all things in this universe then it’s apparent that you do not trust Him because you don’t believe His word. Think about it. Is there any part of God’s word that you dismiss as myth or fable or even legend? God’s Word is truth, but if we can’t get our minds around His word as fully true then we’ll never fully trust Him to tell us the truth.

We trust God that there will always be air to breath, or do we? First we must have faith that God will always supply our needs, and air, water, and food are all essential to those needs. Take one of those three elements away from us and we die. Does God supply our needs or do we supply our own needs. Do we believe air, water, and our food supply are just magically tossed before us? Do we trust in ourselves to supply food for our families, or is our trust in God as our needs are met every single day? Is it merely our self-effort that gives us our hope that tomorrow there will be food on the table, water to drink, air to breathe?

My family and I lived ten years on the coast of Oregon and many times we would take a trip to the south coast town of Brookings to shop at our favorite department store. On every trip we crossed a bridge, the “Thomas Creek Bridge” which is promoted as the tallest bridge in Oregon. The bridge was built at a height of 345 feet, and it spans a vast ravine. Each time we crossed that bridge my thoughts went to the engineer who designed and built it. Each time I had to place my life and that of my family in the hands of someone I didn’t know, someone who might have been drunk or on drugs when he designed that bridge. Who was this guy? I know he’s an engineer but I also know he’s just a man – a fallible man and with problems of his own which could have affected his judgments and his math. So, do those who cross that bridge everyday or once a week trust man that it will remain in place, or should those folks be trusting God that that bridge is safe? You see how God works? Every day He finds a new way to ask the question “Do you trust Me?” I can add to that question these words, “Or do you trust man?” Do you trust the Creator or the creation, the Potter or the clay, who do you trust?

Every aspect of our lives has God fully involved. Those who don’t acknowledge God or believe He even exists aren’t going to admit they trust Him. But whether they trust Him or not, He’s fully involved in supplying their needs just as He does with those who love Him and trust Him. No one on planet earth can survive without God. Those who are perishing wouldn’t agree with me as they, for the most part, believe we evolved from pond scum therefore there is no God and we are all responsible for our own existence. In their minds, everything we see, everything we can touch, smell, and enjoy with all our senses came from nothing. It all just happened one day billions of years ago. There’s an old song I used to listen to when I was younger but I never really paid attention to the words. These words were a part of that song “Nothing from nothing leaves nothing” those words mean so much more to me now than they ever did when I was a young man. Trusting in God means we don’t believe every theory man throws at us. Man will always attempt to usurp the authority and omnipotence of God. But God, everyday finds a new way to ask the same question “Do you trust Me?”

When you give of yourself or your resources God is involved. He asks you to trust Him and He will return your efforts or your resources to you many times over. How can He do that? He’s God. An old pastor I used to listen to on the radio once said “You can’t out give God” no matter what God places on your heart to do for others when you follow through with God’s will it means you trust Him. God will bless your faithfulness. Don’t think so? Try Him. “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.” Malachi 3:10. What’s God saying? You got it. “Do you trust Me?” In other words, if you trust God enough to bless others with a portion of what He’s blessed you with He promises to pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. Being a good steward with God’s property simply means you trust God.

“Do you trust Me?” These are God’s words spoken to believers in Christ. But God is asking a similar question of all those who reject Him, “Won’t you trust Me?” He’s not giving up on even one soul. When God gains their trust He gains another child. When we say “Yes Lord, I trust You” we admit we are a child of God. We must trust God that His Word is true and that He did enter His creation and become a man, the man Jesus the Christ. That He did die on a cross to save His creation. Only a perfect God could have accomplished this for His rebellious creation, and all He asks of each rebellious child is “Do you trust Me?”

“I trust You, God” is easy to say, but do you really trust Him? To trust in God fully we must turn our lives over to Him, completely. That means whether or not we are financially secure, whether we are in good health or not, whether we are being persecuted and mistreated for our faith. In all things we must trust God. We might, as Christians, be living in a very comfortable environment where we’ve become very content in our surroundings and nothing seems to be able to penetrate our perfect peace. Nevertheless He still asks “Do you trust Me?” Why? Because tomorrow a tornado or flood might wipe away everything we hold dear.

So the question I’ve posed throughout this commentary is God’s question to each of you and it really takes some thought. Don’t say “Yes God I trust You” if you still hold to some form of unbelief or you hold onto certain aspects of your life that God really wouldn’t want any part of (sin). We can only answer that question truthfully if we study it and allow it permeate our souls. Do I trust You, God? I hope the answer is yes, but remember God knows the truth no matter how you answer that question.

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
All scripture is from the KJV and God breathed
twotug@embarqmail.com
96 County Road 5480 Salem, MO 65560
My past commentaries are archived at the following link
http://www.raptureready.com/featured/graham/graham.html 
If you’d like to be on my mailing list to receive the commentaries just drop me an email and let me know

Do You Know Him - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com

“Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” Matthew 7:13-14. According to God’s own words the vast majority of human beings will never come into a saving relationship with His Son. Statistically speaking (meaning a person or persons being treated as a piece of data or information) multitudes of humans will take the wrong road which will lead them to an eternity void of God (Hell). In comparison, a much smaller number of folks will chose the way (Jesus Christ) that will lead them into eternal glory (Heaven). The only question in this life you need to be overly concerned with is which statistic will you choose to become?

Perhaps you’re reading this commentary because someone loves you enough to want you to see the truth. They’ve sent it to you but you are highly skeptical of God and the Bible. Please, do yourself a favor; take a moment to humor your friend, me, and God. Just sit back, relax, and let God guide your mind and heart for the next few moments, you won’t be sorry.

The Bible is the Word of God. Yes, it was written by men but it was authored by God Himself and no one else. The Bible is thousands of years old; no other book has endured the test of time as God’s word has. It was written by some forty men over a period of approximately 1,500 years. And by men who, for the most part, didn’t even know each other. Yet, when we study it we find it to contain one integrated design from cover to cover. There are 66 books all together that make up the Old and New Testaments. Each of these books has its importance. As we read and study our Bibles we learn that it is actually just one complete book.

How do we know that the Bible is God’s word? Why should we believe it? God authenticated His Word so man, after reading it, would have no doubt as to whom the author is. He did this by giving us history lessons in advance. The Bible is jam-packed with prophecy, which is simply God telling us what will happen next in the history of mankind. Many of those prophetic scriptures have already come to pass. Thus God’s authentication process is working fine.

In the Old Testament we’re given more than 300 prophecies concerning the coming Messiah. Who is this Messiah? Jesus Christ is the Messiah. Jesus fulfilled those Old Testament prophecies to the letter. Just in case you’re interested, the mathematical possibility of one man fulfilling even eight of those prophecies is astronomical; basically impossible. Only God Himself could have accomplished such a feat. Yet the Bible is still ridiculed and disparaged as being nothing more than myth, fairy tales, and legends by those who have no use for God or His Word. Most people who fall into the category of unbelievers only know what they’ve been told about the Bible by others who are also unbelievers. In the case of a non-believer teaching what the Bible has to say to other non-believers, naturally all that will be produced is more non-believers.

If you truly want to know and understand the Bible you must first become spiritually in tune with its Author, you must be born again, this will be explained a little further on in this commentary. But I will tell you right now that listening to other non-believers who only parrot what they’ve heard from like-minded non-believers will do you no good whatsoever. You must at least hear both sides of any story. That’s the only way to find the truth for yourself. Only then can you make an informed decision about which eternal statistic you’ll become.

Speaking of eternal destiny, most people will put more emphasis on which new refrigerator to purchase than where they will spend eternity. Man has been placed on this planet to do something; we have a purpose, but most folks have no concept of just what that something is. We have a Creator God and our God wants, more than anything else, to have a relationship with His creation (that’s us). Together with our Creator God we cultivate an everlasting relationship. But we must first believe in Him, who He is, why He did what He did for His creation.

“For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:” Romans 1:20. The word of God tells us that if we don’t believe in God there is no excuse for our unbelief. God has clearly revealed Himself in His creation. All we need to do is to look around and God’s power can be easily seen.

God is real, He is our Creator, and He is also our Savior. “But I’ve always heard you Christians say that Jesus Christ is your Savior.” That’s correct. “But, you said God is your Savior.” Jesus Christ is God Almighty. Here, let’s let God’s word explain who Jesus is “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.” John 1:1-3. Now, before we go any further let me explain something you might not know. The Old Testament was originally written in the Hebrew language and the New Testament was originally written in the Greek. The Bible was not translated into English until some four hundred years ago, just FYI. Now let’s continue.

The Apostle John was one of Jesus’ original disciples and he wrote this book. He knew Jesus, he ate with Him, they walked the shores of Galilee and climbed the hills of Judea together. John was an eye witness to Jesus as He performed all the miracles recorded in the Bible. In John’s record of the events of Jesus’ earthly ministry he refers to Jesus Christ as the “Logos” in the Greek. The English translation of the word “Logos” is “Word”. Jesus Christ is the Word. If we skip on down to verse 14 in this chapter we read the following: “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us…” John 1:14a. What John is saying here is that God entered His creation and became a man, the man Jesus Christ. Jesus has two distinct natures, He is fully God and He is fully man. Jesus Christ is our Creator God, and He is also our Savior, and that’s the truth found on the pages of our Bibles.

Your question right about now might be “Why do I, or anyone for that matter, need a savior?” You see, we humans blew it back some years ago in a place called the Garden of Eden. God created Adam and from Adam He made Eve. God had this great place all designed for their lives to be filled with happiness. But they weren’t happy with God’s explanation of how things were to go, through the prodding of an evil fallen angel (Satan) they rebelled against God which began a steady spiral down to what we now see as a very depraved society. In all this depravity humans have become more and more rebellious through the years. God calls this rebellion “sin.” Sin and God cannot co-exist so God had to do something to save His Creation from total damnation (Hell).

God offers you and all of mankind the same free gift. There is nothing you can do to earn it, nor can you purchase it. It’s free for the asking, but you must ask for it to receive it. “So, what is it?” I could tell you but again let’s let God do the explaining. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16. God is telling you in perfect English that if you desire to escape that place called Hell (perish), you must believe in His Son, Jesus who is the Messiah (the Christ). You must believe that Jesus Christ died while He hung on a cross some 2,000 years ago, and that He did this to take the sin of the world upon Himself; He was buried, and rose from the grave three days later. He’s alive today. He’s waiting for you to ask Him into your life. But you must ask. God is love, He loves you but He won’t force you to accept His free gift but He plainly explains the alternative to that gift throughout His Word.

“…if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.” John 8:24. You are a sinner and you must acknowledge that fact before anything else. God is telling you here that the penalty for unbelief is death; you will die in your sins. In other words, unbelief results in eternal punishment instead of eternal glory. Like I said, God will not force you to love Him. He loves you so much that He died for you and allows you to choose loving Him over an eternity in Hell.

Only our living God could have stepped into the picture to save His creation from everlasting damnation. Nothing less than the death of God Himself would suffice to accomplish this reconciliation between God and man. God loves you and does not wish for you to choose the alternative to His free gift. “I’m still not clear on this free gift thing.” Let me explain, Jesus Christ is the free gift from God. Jesus willingly died in your stead, He took your place on that cross, He took the punishment that was rightfully due you onto Himself. The free gift from God is His only begotten Son. God gave His Son to cover the payment necessary to take away the sin of the word. All you have to do is accept His free gift, Jesus Christ, into your heart and you will live forever.

You see, right now as a non-believer you are dead. You are dead in your sins. You are basically awaiting the second death when you will pass from this life into the next. But as a born again believer in Christ you only die once. That one death is death to sin. Once you say yes to Jesus Christ your sins are forgiven never to be remembered again, and you become born again, born from above, from God. God creates in you, not just a clean heart, but a brand new heart, you become a new creation in Christ, and something you will be very happy to learn is that your sins will never be thrown in your face by God. As a forgiven sinner you will be seen by God as He sees His Son Jesus, perfect.

God even goes a step further as He places in you His Holy Spirit who will dwell within you until you are taken off this planet and enter into your new home in Heaven. God seals His Holy Spirit in you and that seal can never be broken, not even by you. Remember earlier I said you had to be in tune with God to understand His word? Here’s that explanation of how you can be in tune with God. When you have the Holy Spirit dwelling in you, you are then spiritually in tune with the Author of the Bible and He will give you your heart’s desire. If that desire is to understand His Word (the Bible) He will provide you with that understanding.

All this is given to you by God the moment you first believe and are born again. You will have joy unspeakable, peace unmatchable, and a love unattainable from any other source. God becomes your Father, you become His child. Nothing can separate you from the love of God, nothing. “And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love.” Romans 8:38. The Apostle Paul tells us that once we are born of God (born again) nothing can separate us from Him. On the other hand God loves everyone equally, believer and non-believer. The difference is in the separation part. Non-believers, even though loved by God, will be separated from Him when they die. Even if you don’t believe in God you still reap the blessings from God. You are sustained by the God you don’t believe in. But that will all end at the death of the unbeliever as God will not be in Hell with them. Your punishment for rejecting Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord is eternal separation, eternal damnation.

“…Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved…” Acts 16:31. All through the New Testament we’re told to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ to be saved. But what does it mean to believe? It means we place our faith, our trust, and our hope in Jesus Christ and Him alone for salvation. There is no other way we can ever get to the Father than to believe in the Son. “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” John 14:6. All other religions are false and can offer you nothing when it comes to everlasting life. God is the God of the Holy Bible, of Judaism and Christianity and no other religion. All other so called gods (small g) are made up out of the minds of evil men and women who follow after their father, Satan, who God tells us is the father of all lies. And he’s promoted a mass of lies since.

Follow Jesus Christ, put your faith in Him and believe. Our human lifespan is short but eternity is forever. Dying is the closure on God’s free gift. After you’re dead and taken from this world you have no more chances to change your mind. It’s done; you’ve made your decision while you lived. Once in Hell there will be no pardons, no reprieves, no commuting of sentence.

If, on the other hand, you’ve made the right choice then Heaven awaits you and you won’t want to ever leave. Which of the two statistics have you chosen to become? Where are you opting to spend your eternity?

My prayer is that you’ve chosen wisely, and now you know Jesus and He knows you.

Ron Graham
All scripture is from the KJV and God breathed
twotug@embarqmail.com 
96 County Road 5480 Salem, MO 65560
My past commentaries are archived at the following link
http://www.raptureready.com/featured/graham/graham.html 
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All Bad Church Doctrine is Intentional - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:” 2 Timothy 3:16. All scripture is profitable for doctrine because it’s all God breathed. We are to use the scriptures as a reproof against bad doctrine, then we correct those who are promoting such doctrine, and we continue to use those same scriptures as instructions in righteousness. How can we ever expect to be considered righteous before our perfect God when we allow bad doctrine to sway our Christian Church?

Do we get bad doctrine from the Bible? Is God inclined to provide us with erroneous doctrines to confuse us? Doctrine, simply put, means that which is taught, it’s the act of teaching – it’s instruction. Jesus taught us His doctrines “And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine: For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.” Matthew 7:28-29.

The only people who should be teaching in our Churches are those who have studied God’s word and who stand firm on the truth of His word. These folks would be under the authority of God Himself. But this just isn’t the case these days is it? Bad doctrine is abundant in our Christian Churches. All bad doctrine comes from the father of all lies, Satan, and of course it’s intentional.

Many of my brethren have written me complaining about their Church doctrine. So much so that I’ve begun to wonder just how many truly Christ centered, Bible believing Churches remain. For the reason stated above, many of these folks have told me they refuse to attend church services and have begun to hold services in their homes with family members and friends. What they no longer receive at their local Christian Church is afforded them in abundance at home – which is God’s truth from His inerrant Word.

Like I said, bad doctrine is intentional; it has been Satan’s plan since the inception of the Church to disrupt the flow of true information and subtly subvert that truth with his lies. Many pastors today have no clue they are propagating erroneous church doctrine. According to many of my readers their pastors don’t seem to have an inkling of what is correct and what is not, or they just don’t care. They’ve tried to confront the pastor but in most cases he, or worse yet she, simply states “I was taught by my professors in seminary, and they hold PhD’s in theology, what do you hold?”

We are all held accountable by God to know His word. If we are taught by someone who is off base concerning God’s word we too will promote the same fallacies when we begin to teach others. All Satan had to do was to get those professors to see things his way and voila the bad doctrine began. We’ve certainly been privy to a lot of bad doctrine over the past few years. With the invention of TV we’ve seen men and women manipulating the masses for nothing more than personal gain. The internet has become another foraging ground for those who, solely for personal gain, have devised ways to achieve their goals and it’s all done using bad doctrine.

“Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” Matthew 15:7-9. The doctrines of men have become common place in our Christian Churches; can Jesus be happy about such behavior? You decide. But while you are making up your mind remember how many times in the scriptures we are told to “…be ye not deceived”. “That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;” Ephesians 4:14.

Why is it so easy to preach from the pulpit today and garner a huge following all the while teaching bad doctrine? Those of you who don’t know the answer to that question may well be part of the problem. “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;” 1 Timothy 4:1. Basically, giving heed means to regard as truth. These folks believe Satan and his minions of evil over God and His Word. Why? Because they are biblically illiterate and it seems they prefer their illiteracy over truth.

“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” 2 Timothy 4:3-4. Because of the many letters I receive these days from folks complaining about their pastor and others in their church leadership’s hierarchy who are leading their congregations down a very destructive path, I’d say we are well on our way to fulfilling the above prophecy.

I’m not able to attend every church service around this country so the letters from my brethren must suffice. But here’s a little tidbit some of you living here in the US might not be aware of. I’m not only inundated by letters from American Christians who are very concerned about their churches, but many letters come from my brethren in various countries around the world who have virtually the same complaint. Here’s a sampling of the complaints. “Why does my pastor teach from Rick Warren’s A Purpose Driven Life”? “Why is Rob Bell’s Velvet Elvis, or any of his books for that matter being taught to our congregation as the gospel?” And one of my favorites is “Why are we beginning to revert back to accepting and placing in our Christian Church many of the traditions of the Roman Catholic Church, doesn’t being a Protestant mean we stand completely apart from the RCC in all doctrine”?

I’ve had people write and tell me that their pastor reads the book “The Shack” from the pulpit and they want to know if this is doctrinal. Or why do pastors pass out books to their congregations entitled “Heaven is Real” not as a book of fiction but as a book that is actually supposed to represent Heaven to us?

A pastor must be able to discern the truth, and as he teaches and preaches from God’s inerrant Word it will be revealed to the congregation that God is the author of the pastor’s message. Because many pastors are not spiritually discerning, bad doctrine thrives. “Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,” Colossians 2:18. God’s word is our doctrine. When men veer off the path that God has laid down for all humanity, it is intentional. Satan doesn’t want the Bible preached in our Christian Churches, nor does he want Christians reading the Bible. So, he has devised a way to replace the word of God with books that entice us away from the truth. It’s quite apparent by the biblical illiteracy permeating our Christian Churches that Satan has been very successful in his attempt to replace the Bible with other works. Not knowing sound doctrine themselves, many pastors have fallen for Satan’s enticements. Then they proceed to advance the doctrines of devils instead of the doctrines of the one and only true and living God. All this bad doctrine has been devised by the enemy of God to throw the Church for a loop. Intentional? You better believe it.

The last thing Satan wants the Church to do is to physically open their Bibles and become habitual at reading and studying God’s word. If Christ’s Church were actually literate, biblically that is, there would be many more Christians questioning bad doctrine as it enters their churches. Bad doctrine would be stopped at the front door, or in the case of a pastor who spouts bad doctrine, shown the front door. And that question from the pastor mentioned earlier “Do you have a PhD in Theology? No? Then where do you get off questioning me?” would have no effect on biblically literate Christian congregations.

Nowadays many people assume that if your name isn’t followed by alphabet soup you can’t be knowledgeable enough concerning the word of God to question those who have a PhD after their names. The question we must ask ourselves when it comes to studying and understanding God’s word is how many of Christ’s disciples had PhD’s after their names while they walked and talked and lived with Jesus for those three years? At the end they were given the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit guided them; some of them wrote down their experiences with Jesus and as they wrote they recorded Jesus’ own words. But all of them preached the truth of the Gospel and all but one were horribly martyred for their faith.

This may come as a shocker to many of you but I have no PhD after my name. I have no collage credits to boast of. I’ve never attended seminary or any Christian college, or secular college for that matter. I made it through high school only by the skin of my teeth and the help of a brother-in-law who wanted to see me graduate. But I’m convinced my teaching is in line with God’s precepts. Why am I so convinced? Only God Himself could be the force behind the commentaries I write. I couldn’t write a word without Him.

I’ve studied my Bible; I don’t mean I’ve just read it through a few times or something like that, but I’ve studied night and day for years. Yes, I studied the teachings of men who had been in the teaching ministry for many decades. My mentor was Chuck Missler of Koinonia House. I spent years studying his teaching materials. For years my eyes would pour over the many teaching materials Dr. Missler supplies. But ultimately the Bible became my greatest source for truth. Everything we read or study apart from the Bible – every Bible teacher’s lessons, all Christian authors and their books need to be filtered through God’s Word.

I went out into the wilderness – I moved my family to rural Missouri from the beautiful Oregon coast. Needless to say they were not very happy with my decision. But in my mind I knew I had to divest myself of all entanglements of this deceptive world to grow closer to God. I spoke to Jesus my Savior and Lord here in the wilderness and finally I came to the realization that my life was no longer my own. I had determined to relinquish all control over to Him. When I made His will mine and His direction my path, He took control. When this occurred God saw that my need to know Him was greater than any other need I had in my life, and through my determination and diligence to grow closer to God by studying His Word, He taught me sound doctrine -- His doctrine, not the doctrines of men.

God will do the same thing for you as He did for me when you completely turn your life over to Him. Hold nothing back that you feel you need to keep control of and you will be greatly surprised by God’s participation in your study times. God will give you spiritual discernment; yes you with or without a PhD after your name.

“But the natural 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. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.” 1 Corinthians 2:14-16. Isn’t it interesting how Paul speaks about the natural man? The word of God is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to the born again believers in Christ who have the mind of Christ, His word is spiritually discernable. He does the instructing, the teaching, and it’s His doctrine, not man’s, by which we are taught.

Let no man deceive you into believing that you, a normal human being, are unable to comprehend the word of God, thus you need a man or women with a doctorate in theology to teach you. That they alone have the answers concerning the correct interpretation of God’s word. Those who allege such an exalted position are not led by the Holy Spirit to make such a claim. God will give anyone who asks for wisdom and knowledge concerning His word exactly what their heart desires. If it is your desire to no longer be a follower of all the satanic chicanery in the Christian Churches today, then ask God to teach you His doctrine. Study your Bible. Be a Berean “These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” Acts 17:11. Seek the truth for yourself daily to see if what you are being taught lines up with the Word of God.

All Bad Church Doctrine is Intentional, with Satan in the midst. The Word of God is our only true stability in a very unstable world. Study it with all due diligence and Satan must flee.

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
All scripture is from the KJV and God breathed
twotug@embarqmail.com
96 County Road 5480 Salem, MO 65560
My past commentaries are archived at the following link
http://www.raptureready.com/featured/graham/graham.html 
If you’d like to be on my mailing list to receive the commentaries just drop me an email and let me know

Got Oil - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com

“Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.” Habakkuk 2:4. The just – those who’ve become justified in God’s eye’s – will live by their faith. Old Testament or New, the just lived and do live by their faith. The Old Testament believers looked forward to and believed in the coming of their Messiah, the New Testament saints look back to the cross and the death, burial, and resurrection of their God and Savior, our Messiah, our coming King, Jesus the Christ, and believe. Three categories of believers are in view here, and they are all saved by faith through the grace of God, yet there remains a distinct difference as we view the salvation imparted to the Old Testament saints, the salvation of the New Testament Church age saints, and New Testament tribulation saints who will be saved while occupying the most horrible period of time known to mankind. Let me explain.

“Two Distinct Events” – a commentary I wrote – was posted to the internet about three weeks ago. Afterwards I was bombarded with letters from readers who requested further explanations, especially concerning the role of the Holy Spirit during the 70th week of Daniel. I was accused of all sorts of errors concerning the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. A few even accused me of becoming a convert to another faith. Though I thought I had explained the role of the Holy Spirit in the last seven years leading up to Christ’s return, as I looked back on that commentary I realized it needed a more thorough explanation.

The Holy Spirit will certainly play a very significant role during the last seven year period of time on earth prior to Jesus setting up His millennial Kingdom, and this period of time is spoken of as Daniels 70th week. During that space of time the Holy Spirit will be hard at work pointing people to Jesus Christ for salvation. That has always been His job. He never points to Himself, always to Jesus. But the Church age, having passed at this point, was a very distinct period in God’s economy. The Church, the body of Christ, consisted of individuals who were all indwelt with the Holy Spirit. “…in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.” Ephesians 1:13b-14.

Fact: The Holy Spirit is sealed inside of every born again believer in Christ today. Once the Church has been Raptured, this gift will be gone. Anyone who comes to believe in Christ for salvation after the Rapture will not be sealed with the Holy Spirit, but will be responsible for keeping themselves saved. The Holy Spirit will still be working, but not indwelling.

In the Old Testament the believers were led by the Holy Spirit to believe, to have faith in the coming of the Messiah, but were not indwelt by the Holy Spirit. The tribulation saints will be similarly led. But they, as the Old Testament believers, will not be sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. They must be prepared to endure all sorts of battles, and one such battle will be the waiting as it will seem as though their Master’s return is far off. Hence the parable of the ten virgins and the bridegroom of Matthew 25.

Matthew 24 ends with Jesus’ parable of the wise servant vs. the foolish servant. The wise servant diligently waited for His master’s return “But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.” Matthew 24:13. Matthew 25 is simply a continuation of that same thought. These onetime Christ rejecters must now endure through that horrible period to be saved. Many will be martyred for their faith, which will be the same as enduring to the end.

“Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.” Matthew 25:1. Here begins Jesus’ parable of the ten virgins and this one is going to shock many of my readers. Jesus begins this parable by referring to the traditions of a Jewish wedding; his audience must be Jewish since they would be the only ones to recognize the significance of these ten virgins (bridesmaids) and especially their lamps.

“There were three stages to a Jewish wedding in that day. The first was engagement - a formal agreement made by the fathers. The second was betrothal - the ceremony where mutual promises are made. The third was marriage - approximately one year later when the bridegroom came at an unexpected time for his bride.

In this parable, the first two stages have already taken place. Now the wedding party (the ten virgins) await the coming of the bridegroom for his bride.

Why does Jesus describe ten virgins? Talmudic authorities affirm that there were usually ten lamps in a bridal procession” – David Guzik

“And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.” Matthew 25:2-4. Here Jesus explains the foolishness of the virgins who had no oil in their lamp. We find that five of the virgins awaiting the bridegroom had their lamps trimmed sufficiently with oil; the other five took no oil for their lamps as they waited for the bridegroom. Oil is seen here as an idiom referring to the Holy Spirit. Almost from the beginning of this parable we can see something horrible is about to occur.

“While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.” Matthew 25:5. In other words, the wise as well as the foolish virgins were equally complacent and as they waited on the bridegroom they each fell asleep. The wise could legitimately slumber as they were secure in what they possessed (their lamps were full of oil). The foolish virgins slumbered unaware of the peril they faced (possessing lamps with no oil).

“And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.” Matthew 25:6-9. The five foolish virgins, hearing the bridegroom was on His way, scrambled to get prepared. The bridegroom is Jesus Christ, and the five wise virgins are those who’ve became saved during the last seven year period leading up to Christ’s return. The five foolish virgins were never saved.

Those who remain after the rapture of the Church and become born again will face very strong opposition to their faith, but they will need to endure to the end to be saved. They must keep the word of God, keep His precepts, keep the faith, and keep the Holy Spirit close. “And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.” Matthew 25:10-12. When Jesus returns, some of those who think they are saved will be surprised at His response just as the foolish virgins were surprised at the response from the bridegroom. Jesus, being the bridegroom, says that He knew them not, which means He never knew them. They were never a part of His family of born again believers. They had all the signs of being saved except the main ingredient. They had no oil in their lamps. The Holy Spirit was not present in their lives. They had neglected the Holy Spirit’s message and lived without faith in the coming King.

“Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.” Matthew 25:13. Obviously Jesus is speaking about His Second Advent as He’s addressing the folks that are living during those last seven years. Everyone who places their faith and trust in Jesus Christ during the 70th week of Daniel will need to keep themselves ready – they all need to be as the 5 wise virgins who keep their oil (the Holy Spirit). In other words they are saved by faith just as the Church is today, but they must keep that faith – and not turn away because of the horrible events that are about to unfold before them. The five foolish virgins never had the faith as the five wise virgins and that’s why they wanted some of their oil. They neglected the oil (the Holy Spirit) to trim their lamps. They very foolishly allowed the tribulations of that time to suck any faith they might have had right out of them, hence the bridegroom never new them.

“For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey. Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents. And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two. But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money.” Matthew 25:14-18. This parable is somewhat similar to our Lord’s parable of the ten virgins in that there were two groups of people, the wise and the foolish. In this case He’s addressing servants belonging to the Master (Jesus is the Master). The wise servants – well what can we say? They kept the faith, they endured till the end, and they never lost their hold on the Holy Spirit.

After Jesus rewards the wise servants He turns His attention to the foolish servant who had a real heart problem. There will be much wailing and gnashing of teeth by the foolish servant - the third servant demonstrated that he was not a true servant of his master (he was not saved). Is it not fitting then that he (and those who show the same heart) is cast forever out of the master’s presence into outer darkness?

The next part of chapter 25 gives us a great view of our Lords heart. “Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.” Matthew 25:34-36. Jesus tells them that the true believer is not at all self-centered, but others centered. The righteous were doing what they did for those mentioned by the King out of love. Their helpfulness came naturally as children of the King, and as they saw a person’s needs they reacted in a Godly way, and for no other reason than love.

“Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:” Matthew 25:41. Then there are the self-centered, the ungodly, who wouldn’t lift a finger to help someone in need. They are the unrighteous and Jesus lets them know in no uncertain terms that by not helping those in need they turned their backs on Him. “Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:” Matthew 25:46. Jesus clearly points out that Hell was prepared for the devil and his angels. Men only go to Hell because they have willingly cast their lot with the devil and his angels.

Through all we’ve learned here, there is one thing we must keep in mind. Jesus is still addressing the folks of the last seven year period – what many refer to as the tribulation week. As Jesus finishes the last of His parables of this chapter He concludes with two distinct categories of people. He arranges them in groups, His sheep on the right and those who rejected Him (the goats) on His left. The sheep were those who endured until the end; as they were keeping the faith they also helped others no matter what hardship it caused them. The goats were those who had no love for their fellow man, they lived completely contrary to what Jesus taught and expected from His followers; they did not endure until the end. The sheep inherited the Kingdom and the goats were cast into Hell.

I know there are seemingly numerous parallels to that which can be seen in the Church population of today, and it’s a fact that many even in the Church are not really saved (have no oil). But even though there are similarities to the Church age in these parables, the fact is we who are truly born again cannot lose what’s sealed within us, and therein we see the difference.

One last comment. I hope I’ve made it plain that Jesus is addressing those who are occupying that last seven year period of time. He has returned at this point to set everything right, and to set up His millennial Kingdom on earth. And guess who returns with Him? You guessed it, His Church. We are at His side. “To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.” 1 Thessalonians 3:13. Therefore Jesus the Christ, Creator of the universe can’t be addressing His Church in either this chapter or in the previous one.

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
All scripture is from the KJV and God breathed
twotug@embarqmail.com
96 County Road 5480 Salem, MO 65560
My past commentaries are archived at the following link
http://www.raptureready.com/featured/graham/graham.html 
If you’d like to be on my mailing list to receive the commentaries just drop me a email and let me know

Time – A Persistent Illusion - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com

“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:” Ecclesiastes 3:1. There is a time for everything under Heaven and God established those times. Time is so elusive that no human being will ever completely figure it out, that realm belongs to God. Time just keeps going, but sometimes we run out of time. Our lives are engulfed and ordered by time. Time is all around us, it moves past us yet we can’t see it, it even seems to speed up and slow down.

“A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;” Ecclesiastes 3:2. Scientists have been working diligently to zero in on just how the idea of time works in relation to the rest of the universe. So many theories have been postulated that nowadays the libraries and book stores are replete with ideas promoting their various scenarios all involving time and its basis for existence. Yet only One individual truly understands the nature of time perfectly – after all, He’s the One who created time.

“God made time so everything didn’t happen all at once.” I read that quote recently and it amused me, but it also moved me to give time a little more serious thought. As we read and study our Bibles we come to the conclusion that the restraints we feel and live by because of time seem to have no effect on God. He is the beginning and He is the end. God has placed a time frame in place for every season to occur as He has determined. With His knowledge of time God is involved in every detail of each of earth’s occupants. “A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;” Ecclesiastes 3:3-4. All aspects of time which have been seen by human kind throughout history God sees simultaneously. “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.” Psalm 90:2. Time is God’s creation and He determines the boundaries and sets times duration.

In the book of Revelation Jesus tells us “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending” Revelation 1:8a. Of course God is from the beginning and He will be here at the very end. It’s His creation; He’s in charge of every detail including every nanosecond of time. “Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:” Isaiah 46:10. Every moment of time is established for God’s good pleasure. As His children, we take comfort in knowing we are doing His will according to His time frame, His good pleasure.

John tells us that “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.” John 1:1-3. Then Paul tells us in Colossians that “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.” Colossians 1:16-17. Jesus Christ is the Creator of all time and we live within His constraints.

Humans can record what has happened in the past and those records can be passed on to all posterity. If we study the past we can learn a lot from those recordings. We can actually travel back in time by way of reading history books. Some of those travels can be very exciting, filled with intrigue, love stories, and many wonderful adventures which give us endless hours of entertainment. Entertainment that will keep us glued to our seats until we finish reading. All this and more can be found in God’s word. All we need is the time to read.

“A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;… A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.” Ecclesiastes 3:5, 6, & 8. The Bible is set in increments of time blocks. That’s how God set it up to be understood. We read it and find that God has given mankind their complete history in advance. We call that prophecy; God sets the time for every occasion all for His glory.

Even to achieve as simple a task as seeing what lies just a moment ahead during our daily routine is impossible for mankind. We can plan for tomorrow - make plans for a career change, a summer vacation, a trip to the doctor, or even our own funeral - but we really don’t know if tomorrow will be a part of our future. So the only prudent plan we can make out of all I mentioned is the one that involves our own funeral. Baring the Rapture, that plan is the only plan that will, with certainty, come to fruition at a point in time, according to God’s plan for our future.

God can see our future and He knows what our plans consist of. But His plan for our future may not be what we’ve planned at all. Tomorrows come and go almost without notice, especially in these rushing to and fro filled days. Since each day has us looking forward to a tomorrow, it becomes obvious that tomorrow is only a function of time designed to entice us to look forward. Tomorrow, then, becomes merely a persistent illusion. It’s akin to seeking after a mirage - it just isn’t there, but today is.

There’s only so much time in the life of every human being. Time, even though brought into existence by our Creator God, can be a real enemy to humankind, specifically to those folks who continually stand opposed to their Creator. Since tomorrow is such a consistently stubborn illusion, decisions and the follow through of those decisions must be accomplished in the present. For those of you who weren’t paying attention, that’s today. As Christians, we are bound by a command from our Savior God to work today. “Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.” Matthew 9:37-38. The Lord saw the multitudes and He knew there was a huge harvest. Today that harvest is even greater. Jesus sends you as a laborer into the field of harvest. Are you willing, or are you content to allow others to do all the labor? Ask yourself, when the time comes and we find ourselves standing before Christ to give an account of our lives, what will your response be as you face the Creator of the universe? Sorry God, I just ran out of time.

Many folks have no desire whatsoever to know God or to even believe He exists, unbeknownst to them, time becomes a most horrible enemy. When I was just a youngster I had a teacher who became so irritated with the students who were obvious time watchers, that he attached a sign to the bottom of the clock in his room which stated “Time will pass, will you?” God says “Time will pass, will my child bear fruit for my Kingdom?” Sadly, most Christians today won’t have anything to do with bearing fruit. They are so self-absorbed in the world they love they have no time for following God’s will.

Time is a most fleeting phenomenon, especially when speaking to a person whose eyes are blinded by the god of this world; time instead of being a luxury or something we take for granted becomes a hindrance. Time is a dangerous foe as a person remains in unbelief. Sooner or later time will take its toll on lost individuals as they continue in their stance against God. Why? Because those who remain in this condition risk the very predictable result of hardening their hearts even more against their Creator God. Their father the devil gains a far greater foothold over their lives as they remain in rebellion to God. These folks will finally realize how important the dimension of time was, but it will be too late. As believers in Christ we need to be very diligent in our witnessing attempts. Time is running out.

Side Note:

Here’s a thought provoker; this is my own concept, and it’s only conjecture meant just for fun. Since we know that God created time it would be safe for us to say that God is not restrained by any portion of His creation, including time. Since God dwells in another dimension called Heaven we may assume there is no time passing in that dimension. So here’s my conjecture. God Raptured Enoch when he was 365 years old. When the Church is Raptured we will enter Heaven at the exact instant that Enoch stepped through that same portal into the Heavenly realm. Question, how can we get to Heaven at a different point in time than Enoch if there is no time in Heaven? Purely conjecture on my part, but give it some thought and the possibilities are endless.

“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven… …A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;” Ecclesiastes 3:1, 7. Bottom line, there’s a time to sew and a time to speak; the time to keep silence has passed. None of us know how many tomorrows we have left. All we know for sure is what we have today. As born again believers in Christ we may not have any more tomorrows, as we should all be aware that the Rapture is imminent, which makes the urgency of speaking to our lost family members, friends, and even those strangers that cross our path about the saving grace of Jesus Christ paramount . Yesterday, today was tomorrow. Tomorrow, today will be yesterday. But today, today is today. So in all actuality today is all we’ve got. What will you do with your today?

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
All scripture is from the KJV and God breathed
twotug@embarqmail.com
96 County Road 5480 Salem, MO 65560
My past commentaries are archived at the following link
http://www.raptureready.com/featured/graham/graham.html 
If you’d like to be on my mailing list to receive the commentaries just drop me a email and let me know
 

Christian Scoffers Abound - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com

“Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. For this they willingly are ignorant…” 2 Peter 3:3-5a. For the last 2,000 years Christians have been anxiously awaiting their Lord and Savior’s return. Why? Because of Jesus’ own words in John chapter 14. “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” John 14:1-3. Then again, for that same period of time there have been those who challenge the rest of us with these words “Where is the promise of his coming?” 2 Peter 3:4a. Of course, we who truly trust God know that He will return.

Before Jesus returns to earth He has a prior commitment to accomplish. He must first remove His saints from amongst the earth dwellers. There’s nothing tricky about it, He’ll simply say “Come up here” and we who love Him and who’ve put our faith, trust, and hope in Him, and Him alone for salvation, will all instantaneously go missing. God the Father will say to His Son, “Go get ‘em Son”. At which point Jesus will remove His Church and then approximately seven years later He’ll return again and take His rightful place on David’s throne. “And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:” Luke 1:31-32. From that vantage point Jesus, our Messiah, will rule and reign as King of kings and Lord of lords, along with His saints, for 1,000 years.

In John’s Gospel chapter 14 in verses 2 & 3 Jesus isn’t just trying to get His followers to appreciate Him for what He can do for them with some pie in the sky heavenly enticements (mansions). He’s being extremely forthright telling us just what awaits those who follow Him. As His followers, these words should give us great comfort. When the Creator of the universe tells His followers, “I will come again” we should be more secure with that statement than we are with the fact that we have air to breathe.

Jesus is coming back in the flesh to set up His monarchy on earth. Many Christians perceive themselves to be too intellectual to believe such a thing as Jesus re-appearing in the flesh; most have been taught by their pastors or seminary professors that Bible prophecy is irrelevant, or that prophecy is all in the past, it’s all been fulfilled, there’s nothing else to come. They may be folks who are in love with their worldly pleasures and have no longing for His appearing. Remember the world loves those who belong to her. Don’t allow yourself to be deceived, Jesus will return, and in the flesh. He was flesh and bone when He appeared to His disciples and He will return in the same glorified body He left earth in. “Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.” Luke 24:39.

Scoffers are plagued with unbelief. Peter says scoffers will come in the last days, to which I must add “And how”. Any mention of the Rapture in one of my commentaries and the flood gate of letters opens for all who feel the need belittle me and point out my blindness concerning my interpretation of God’s Word. As Jesus tarries the scoffers seem to be further emboldened all the while neglecting to recognize He’s running the show, not us.

Christians who’ve studied eschatology should not be surprised at those who scoff at every prophetic scripture in God’s word. They hold to their own erroneous interpretation of God’s Word and defend their misguided ideas with all tenacity. They come at us from all walks of life. Peter said it would be so. What surprises this Christian is the fact that many of these scoffers, while claiming a relationship with Jesus Christ, criticize His Word. That fact is astounding.

In his first epistle the Apostle John tells us “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.” 1 John 2:19. John doesn’t mince his words. They called themselves Christians, yet they were not.

“…The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.” Matthew 13:24b-30. The tares are professing Christians yet are not of us. They infiltrate the Church and spread untruths but are perceived to be quite knowledgeable. Many listen to them. They are the enemy’s property, thus they scoff at the truth as they disseminate their lies to the biblically illiterate Church.

Many people simply want to reject God so they can go about their lives without the need to be accountable to Him. They would prefer to wallow in their sinful lifestyles with impunity; they don’t realize that the consequence of sin is death. It is ludicrous for a professing Christian to deny the truth of God’s Word and then ignore the fact that that denial has consequences. Jesus said He would return, why is that so difficult to believe? Could it be that many would rather live on this earth with its manmade rules and laws than to be governed by a perfect awesome King? I pray that is not the case, but I’m concerned that it is.

Many denominations believe that Jesus is currently ruling over His Kingdom in our hearts. To these folks it’s extremely farfetched to believe God will snatch His saints from the face of this earth at some point in the future. The 1,000 year reign of Christ on earth is an anathema to many professing Christians. These folks are also scoffers. “…for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.” 2 Peter 3:4b. In other words, they may believe in creation but believing in Jesus’ promise that He will return becomes much more obscure. Peter goes on to enlighten us with a much deeper look into their motives. “For this they willingly are ignorant…,” 2 Peter 3:5a. Willingly ignorant means deliberate. They deliberately refuse the truth, and they knowingly mouth opposition to the prophetic scriptures. The question is how can professing Christians deny God’s truth and say they love Jesus? Why profess to be a follower of Jesus Christ in one breath and call Him a liar with the next?

For years the erroneous teachings of scriptures by deceived individuals has wreaked havoc on a large portion of blind and disobedient Christians. Denying the truth that Jesus will return one day soon is calling Him a liar. A question remains, by denying prophecy are they not poking a finger in God’s eye? If a person doesn’t believe in the Rapture, that unbelief won’t diminish their salvation. Still, to refer to God’s word as nothing more than something that occurred in the past or relegating His word to simply allegorical can’t possibly be very endearing to Him.

“For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17. Denying any portion of God’s prophetic Word is akin to ignorance, which in the Greek is “agnoeō” and it means to err or sin through mistake, to be wrong. Denial of God’s inerrant word, for a follower of Jesus Christ is worse than unbelief, it is willful disobedience. Whether Christians know it or not denial of any portion of God’s word as truth in any form connects them to a corrupt and unbelieving world. As Christians, we are set apart from the world. Christians must stand together against any and all opposition to God’s truth. Picking and choosing what we want to believe is sin.

I find it interesting that four times in his letters Paul instructs Christians to not be ignorant (without knowledge):

Don’t be ignorant about God’s plan for Israel (Romans 11:25).
Don’t be ignorant about spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12:1).
Don’t be ignorant about suffering and trials in the Christian life (2 Corinthians 1:8).
Don’t be ignorant about the rapture and the second coming of Jesus (1 Thessalonians 4:13).

Yet, these are areas where ignorance is still common in the Christian church. Paul instructs the Church to learn the scriptures and to obtain the knowledge God would have them to possess.

Another of Paul’s admonishments is to comfort one another with the words he wrote to the Thessalonians. “But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words .” 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. Why would Paul give this admonition to comfort one another with these words if there is nothing comforting about them? Teaching the Rapture of Christ’s Church is clearly comforting and encouraging, otherwise there would be no reference to this event whatsoever.

The last days and the end times are spoken of constantly by prophecy teachers, yet in many Christian churches there is no comfort being offered as to the truth of the prophetic scriptures. Every prophetic scripture that has been fulfilled so far has come about exactly as God’s Word proclaimed they would. Why dismiss the remaining few prophetic scriptures as allegorical or as having been fulfilled back in 70AD? There are plenty of scripture verses that have yet to come to pass and we who study those scriptures have a clear vision as to what to expect in these last days. Comforting words are needed in our Churches today to fend off the horrible things we see occurring today. The literal truth of Scripture needs to be taught thereby heading off the lies of scoffers.

Bible prophecy is the key to understanding God’s word and for drawing closer to Him. The Bible has been laid open for our understanding, now more than ever before in the history of the scriptures. Diligent study is essential to discerning those scriptures and grasping what God clearly expects His Church to comprehend. Those who neglect diligent Bible study are missing out on a great relationship with their Savior God. Believing in Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection is just the beginning, now it’s time to build on a most desired relationship with the Creator of the universe. When we talk about walking with Jesus and growing closer to Him it’s through His Word and much prayer that that relationship builds, and as it builds He begins to take complete control of our lives.

The scoffers will still come, that’s just a fact. We will never convince everyone that God’s Word is true and inerrant; even many professing Christians stand apart from that truth. It all comes down to who you allow to teach you about God and His Word. In many cases men teach the Bible as they themselves have been taught without variance; which means that if they were taught by someone who taught erroneously those same errors are then passed down to the next generation of students and so on until the errors run rampant. Studying your Bible for yourself and praying for God to enlighten you to the truth of His Word will garner a huge harvest of truth and you can take comfort in knowing God gave you the discernment to understand Him.

Opinions? Yes, we all have them. Truth? Now that’s different, we must rely on and stay in God’s word and believe all of His truth. When we discover for ourselves that all of God’s word is inerrant and prophecy matters greatly in the Christians life, our life on earth becomes even more exciting as we await the final outcome.

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
All scripture is from the KJV and God breathed
twotug@embarqmail.com
96 County Road 5480 Salem, MO 65560
My past commentaries are archived at the following link
http://www.raptureready.com/featured/graham/graham.html 
If you’d like to be on my mailing list to receive the commentaries just drop me a email and let me know

Two Distinct Events - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com

Matthew chapters 24 and 25 have nothing whatsoever to do with the Rapture of the Church. Have I got your attention? Good. Now let’s proceed.

Jesus’ Second Advent and the Rapture of the Church are two completely different events. Believe it or not, many Christians lump them together. It’s important to understand the difference between the two so as not to be confused.

“But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.” Daniel 12:4. Daniel is told to seal the book until the end. What book? Knowledge will be increased, knowledge of what? God’s Word. We can go back in time and study many of the great expositors of God’s Word, men respected throughout the ages, and as we do we can find that in some instances they’ve erred in their interpretations. Why? Because the knowledge they needed to fully grasp God’s word was sealed up until the last days. Now, God is unsealing the book for those who will diligently seek His truth. Hold on to your seats, you might find this commentary to be a bumpy ride.

The Rapture will occur just prior to the 70th week (seven year period) prophesied by Daniel. At the end of those seven years Jesus Christ, with all His Raptured saints, will return to put an end to the war of Armageddon. Placing the Rapture of the Church in the same time frame as the Second Coming of Jesus Christ is erroneous biblical teaching.

The Rapture was a mystery until Paul began to explain it in his letters. “Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye,” I Corinthians 15:51-52a. Paul’s teachings make it clear what will transpire at the Rapture of Christ’s Church. What we don’t know is when that awesome event will occur. But we have a great clue given to us by Paul in the book of Romans “For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.” Romans 11:25. The mystery Paul alludes to in this instance is the mystery of the Church. Fullness refers to an amount of something, in this case it’s a God ordained specific number of born again believers in Christ that must be accomplished before the Church disappears. When that number is reached the Church will, in the twinkling of an eye, be removed from planet earth. There is nothing other than that specific number standing in the way of Christ removing His Church. Something to keep in mind is it could happen with the very next person you witness to.

Much of the confusion regarding the Rapture vs. the Lords Second Advent is centered in Matthew chapter 24 with the following verse “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.” Matthew 24:36. Jesus, speaking to His disciples, lays out how things will occur during the seven years prior to His return. Verse 36 has nothing to do with the Rapture of the Church, but everything to do with Christ’s Second Advent when He returns with His saints.

In perfect view in chapter 24 of Matthew is the nation of Israel. This is the time when God concentrates His attention exclusively on His chosen people. The Church is not mentioned even once in this chapter. Jesus is speaking to the Jews of His day about the Jews of the last days remaining on earth just prior to His Second Advent (This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.” Matthew 24:34). The Church is still a mystery at this point in Jesus’ chronology of the last seven year period; why then speak of the Rapture of His Church to His disciples, if the mystery of His Church was still hidden?

Now let’s stop here and back up to the third verse in Matthew chapter 24. “And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?” Matthew 24:3. Four of Jesus’ closest disciples (see Mark 13) came to Him with three enquiries. First they wanted to know when these things would take place. What things? “…and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.” Matthew 24:1b-2. The buildings of the Temple would be completely destroyed and all the stones of those structures thrown down. This occurred in 70AD when Titus, the Roman general, took siege of Jerusalem and killed every Jew that remained.

The second and third questions posed by these four disciples are “and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and the end of the world?” Jesus goes into great detail as we read the rest of this chapter to answer their questions. We’ll touch on a few of those verses as I attempt to explain the circumstances surrounding them.

I’m going to veer off subject just a bit here as we read verse 13, notice that Jesus makes a very interesting, and what some might see as contradictive, statement. “But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.” Matthew 24:13. Wait just a minute. As much as I’ve studied the Bible I can’t find anywhere in scripture where Jesus tells us, concerning His free gift of salvation, that we must endure (persevere) to the end to be saved. No, all that is necessary for salvation to be imparted to us is to believe. We place our faith, our trust, and our hope in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord and Him alone as the propitiation for our sins. Can you see that something is amiss here? Jesus can’t be referring to His Church saying we must endure to be saved. Justification (salvation) is instantaneous when we first believe, there’s no enduring ‘til the end attached to our justification. “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life” John 3:36. These are Jesus’ own words; why would He purposely contradict Himself by saying we had to endure ‘til the end to be saved? Answer – He wouldn’t. So, there must be another explanation.

As I’ve mentioned, Jesus is addressing His disciples, and was teaching them the chronology of events that would occur during the last seven year period culminating in the battle of Armageddon. These events would precipitate His Second Advent. He speaks about things the Church can certainly see approaching as we occupy these last days.

Back in Matthew 16, where Jesus is speaking to the Pharisees and Sadducees, He explains to them that they should have been able to read the signs of His first coming “He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red. And in the morning, It will be foul weather today: for the sky is red and lowring. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?” Matthew 16:2-3. We are born again believers in Christ; certainly we can discern the signs of the times. Today birth pangs are increasing and they indicate that we are very close to the end. But we are not in the prophesied 70th week of Daniel yet, which will produce the many signs Jesus speaks about.

Matthew chapter 24 must be read in context. It is talking about Israel, not the Church. It is Israel that will endure those final seven years prophesied by Daniel. This includes, of course, the Great Tribulation of the last 3½ years of that period in which God pours out His wrath on a Christ rejecting world. Christ rejecters, not Christ accepters.

Jesus speaks about the Gospel being preached in “all the world”. We see that this phenomenon occurs in the book of Revelation “And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.” Revelation 14:6-7. At this point in earth’s history the Church has been missing from planet earth for quite some time.

“When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place” Matthew 24:15. Jesus then speaks of the abomination of desolation which can only occur after the Temple is rebuilt, which won’t occur before the Church is Raptured. Those who are in Judaea must flee into the mountains, clearly a reference to Jews. Jesus tells them to pray that their flight be not on the Sabbath day, again a clear reference to Jews because they observe the Sabbath, which was specifically established for them.

“For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.” Matthew 24:21-22. These two verses clearly point to a huge amount of destruction coming on the world. If God doesn’t put an end to it when He does, no flesh would be saved. By the way, the “elect” are those individuals who’ve become born again during the Great Tribulation.

In verses 25 and 26 Jesus begins to reiterate His warning about all the false Christ’s that will show up claiming they are the Christ. He tells them to look for Him as one who comes like lightning from the east and His light will shine all the way to the west. Then Jesus continues His chronology of events describing just how things will unfold for those who remain alive during the Great Tribulation.

“And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.” Matthew 24:30. Everyone remaining alive on earth will see Jesus coming, that’s not the Rapture of His Church, since we’re told the Church will meet Him in the air, Jesus doesn’t set foot on earth again until He returns with His saints. The Rapture event will take place in what the scientists confirm is the smallest measurement of time known to mankind. No one left on earth will observe its occurrence. All they will know is a lot of folks have gone missing.

The survivors of the last seven year period just prior to Jesus’ return must discern the signs indicated by Jesus in Matthew 24. They should be fully aware of the Pharisees and Sadducees lack of discerning abilities and not follow in their footsteps. Jesus gets His point across this time as He uses the parable of the fig tree. “Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.” Matthew 24:32-33. At this point in Jesus’ chronology tour, it’s just about time for His Second Advent when He returns to earth to take over as her perfect King.

“Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.” Matthew 24:34-36. After all we’ve just discovered how can these three verses refer to the Church? They don’t. The generation Jesus is referring to is the last generation of Jews on planet earth. Heaven and earth passing away and His words not passing away means that everything Jesus teaches in this chronology will come to pass without fail.

Now here’s the part that so many misunderstand about the Rapture of the Church. Jesus tells the four disciples, who began all this with those three little questions, that of the time of His Second Advent no man, no angel (and in Mark chapter 13 not even the Son) knows the day and the hour of His return to earth. There are a few other scriptures that sound similar to this verse in Matthew 24 (no one knows the day or the hour). But they are all addressing the Jews who will occupy earth’s last seven year period.

“But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” Matthew 24:37-39. These verses can be confusing if you’re still determined to place the Church in Jesus’ chronology tour. It will be a very devastating period, how can there be anyone who hasn’t noticed the carnage and catastrophic occurrences of God’s wrath? Who would be involved in pursuing any form of pleasure at a time like that? What has happened is Jesus has returned to the beginning part of the 70th week of Daniel to explain that not many will notice anything different going on. The Church is, in the twinkling of an eye, missing. This means millions, possibly even billions, of earth’s inhabitants have disappeared and yet those remaining simply return to business as usual. The word that must be inserted here is delusional. “And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie” 2 Thessalonians 2:11.

“Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.” Matthew 24:40-41. These two verses point to the end and Jesus is using an analogy here that everyone should be familiar with. Not everyone will remain on earth when Jesus returns to set up His millennial Kingdom. Those who became saved and lived through this period of God’s wrath will go into His 1,000 year reign; those who remained alive and in their rebellion to Christ during that horrible period of time will be separated into outer darkness. These two verses have nothing to do with the Rapture of the Church.

In the next few verses Jesus takes us into the realm of the possibility of losing one’s salvation. Again, the Church cannot be seen here. We now see that there will be faithful servants and unfaithful servants during these last few years. Jesus continues, “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.” Matthew 24:45-47. Some servants will faithfully occupy until He returns. But then there are the other servants who become unfaithful.

“ But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, And shall cut him asunder, and appoint [him] his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Matthew 24:48-51. Putting the finishing touches on this chronology, Jesus inserts a most perfect explanation of what happens to those who grow tired of waiting for His appearing and begin to revert to all sorts of evil.

It’s important to understand the quandary these folks who become born again remain in. They must keep themselves saved. In other words, they will not be indwelt with the Holy Spirit of promise as the saints are today. Today the Church is kept saved by God; this is a promise from God to His Church. But to the tribulation saints He makes no such promise. It will be quite possible to fall away and become unsaved during earth’s last seven year period.

Jews and Gentiles alike will be left on planet earth after the Rapture of Christ’s church. Many people will become believers and many will be martyred for their faith. A better solution is to place your faith in Christ today before He removes His Church from among the Christ rejecters. Today the Church is still here and until the Rapture occurs we must continue with Christ’s great commission and spread the good news to as many as possible, letting them know the lateness of the hour.

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
All scripture is from the KJV and God breathed
twotug@embarqmail.com
96 County Road 5480 Salem, MO 65560
My past commentaries are archived at the following link
http://www.raptureready.com/featured/graham/graham.html 
If you’d like to be on my mailing list to receive the commentaries just drop me a email and let me know

Patience and God’s Miracle’s - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com

“Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” James 1:2-3. A couple of weeks ago I wrote a commentary titled “Everything Falls Apart”. Before I go any further, let me just say I’ve not changed my opinion which I expressed in that commentary. It’s just a fact everything around us is deteriorating, basically falling apart. We grow older every day; it’s unavoidable and inevitable that someday we will die. Time is the contributing factor and at some point we realize it crept up on us practically unseen. Then of course time runs out.

However, sometimes God gives us a little more time, perhaps because our work for His Kingdom is incomplete. Even when we might be drawing up a will or arranging for our own funerals, God might say “Just a minute there son, I’m not through with you just yet.”

The week after I wrote and posted the commentary “Everything Falls Apart” I began a series of blood infusions. They are actually referred to as IVIG Infusions. I began on Tuesday the 10th, and they continued on Wednesday and Thursday of that week. My wife and I were of the mindset that this procedure might just be a last ditch effort. Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to join my many brethren who’ve gone on to be with our Lord, but I’d actually prefer to be caught up with the rest of you in the rapture.

My wife tells me everyday how much she loves me and needs me and I love her so much that I was agonizing every day over the possibility that I might soon be leaving her and the kids so I was willing to try anything the doctor would suggest to rid my body of this horrible disease. As I mentioned, the first infusion began on Tuesday; Wednesday morning before I began my second infusion my doctor came into the oncology/hematology department, and as we began to speak he said “You’re better.” I said how can you tell (I did feel a little different, but I had had days that were better than others in the past). He said “Your voice is much stronger.” My wife agreed with him as she too noticed this change in the strength of my voice.

It was Tuesday, a week prior to the beginning of the infusions, when my wife and I first met with this doctor. During the consultation the doctor spoke about the procedure and explained all that would occur. But then he began to speak in a somewhat pessimistic voice. You see Myasthenia Gravis is usually discovered in the blood, this was not the case with me. I had to endure electric shock to my muscles, and only then was I diagnosed with this form of Myasthenia. Since the procedure I was to undergo the following week was a blood infusion, the doctor was somewhat less than optimistic about this procedure bearing positive results since none of the medication that I’d been taking had bore any positive results. During the week I had to wait to begin the procedure my apprehensiveness grew and before long my mind became focused on cancelling the procedure. I ultimately relented, and when the day arrived we headed off to the clinic to get the first infusion over with.

The second infusion was completed and I felt well enough to take my wife out to dinner. The muscles in my throat had stopped working months before so it was impossible for me to swallow solid food. Now, for the first time in these many months I was able, once again, to eat solid food. The next day I was doing very well and I still had one more infusion to undergo. My doctor came in and took one look at me and he was ecstatic. Any pessimism on his part had vanished. Both my neurologist and hematologist were, to say the least, extremely pleased with the results, so far, from these infusions.

The next day was Friday and I was able to walk down to my mailbox, which is about an eighth of a mile round trip. Remember, I was hardly able to walk across the room prior to the infusions and like I said, eating solid food had ceased months before. Saturday was not a great day; the exhaustion was extreme after just a little physical exertion (I might have over done it).

I’m not out of the woods yet. I must continue the infusions every three to four weeks until the Myasthenia is in total remission. Then they will continue but less frequently. But the thoughts of funerals are no longer persistent on my mind. The best part is God has given me a new determination to continue His work. I couldn’t wait to get started, I’ve begun about 5 new commentaries since Sunday and I’m writing this update on Monday.

No one knows what God’s going to do; just when we might be thinking “Well, that’s it then”, He jumps in and says “Oh no, not yet. You’ve passed this trial of the trying of your faith and you’ve gained much patience. My child now it’s time to get back in the game full time.” I’ve told my wife that I’d like to begin preaching again, and she agreed I should.

There’s something else I must mention. I had no idea of how many folks read my commentaries until I put out the commentary “Everything Falls Apart”. The reaction to that commentary and my illness was overwhelming. I’m still getting letters from folks who are praying for God’s healing upon me and I’m so very humbled by all the response; the letters have arrived from countries all around this old fallen world. Folks have told me they are so encouraged by my steadfastness in the face of such adversity that it has given them strength and courage to continue, even as they fight off illnesses of their own. But it’s not me or the commentary that supplies strength, it’s Jesus Christ our Lord. I’ve been told that the commentaries bring comfort as well as inspiration. All I can say is “God gets the glory”. Without Him there would be no commentaries. He gives me what He wants me to write and He knows your needs. All I’m doing is allowing Him to work in my life.

I’ll conclude with these words. I am so very thankful for all your prayers and I promise you God heard them. I’m living proof of the power God exhibits as we invoke His help through prayer. The power of God is a visual constant in my life, anyone who knows me can attest to that.

Unbeknownst to many, I was much further gone than I ever let on. I honestly felt I was at the end and I was very concerned about how my wife would deal with the funeral cost let alone keep up with the monthly bills. But as long as there was one more course of action to take I wasn’t going to give up. God knew all along what I would do, and what I’d need to endure before the healing began.

It’s my hope that my physical and mental experience might be an example to anyone who is approaching a major battle, that they would take solace in the truth that God’s grace is sufficient. God will be glorified even through pain and suffering as He continually displays His miracles for all to witness.

My prayer is that God blesses each and every one of you with many times the blessings He’s showered upon this old sinner. Thank you, God, for all these wonderful brothers and sisters.

I love you all,

Ron Graham
All scripture is from the KJV and God breathed
twotug@embarqmail.com
96 County Road 5480 Salem, MO 65560
My past commentaries are archived at the following link
http://www.raptureready.com/featured/graham/graham.html

Call No Man Your Father - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com

“And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.” Matthew 23:9. In response to a portion of one of my past commentaries, an individual stated that he spoke, in German, with the “Holy Father” and was told that my commentary was in error. So I asked this man if he was referring to the Creator of the universe or to a mere man who had been elevated by other mere men to the position of god on earth. I received no response.

Jesus’ words in the above verse are clear; we aren’t to refer to any man as Father as we have only one Father which is in Heaven. Imagine referring to a “man” as Holy Father; besides being against the word of God, it just doesn’t sit well. What are the implications of any man desiring to be so revered on earth? “And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased…” Matthew 23:12a. Abased means to be humbled. If you continue reading Matthew 23 you’ll discover one of many heptadic (sevenfold) structures in the scriptures. The seven woes outlined by Jesus are a condemnation of the Pharisees and scribes of His day. Seven times Jesus refers to these men as hypocrites. Then He drives the final nail into their coffin with these words “Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?” Matthew 23:33. Although Jesus’ words were pointed at the Pharisees of His day, they also paint a perfect picture of the popery of the Roman Catholic Church as we can plainly see their hypocrisy displayed throughout its bloody awful history.

Jesus is very specific about all who wish to be first. “And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all.” Mark 9:35.

There is a religion where the leadership is elevated to such an exalted position that these men actually believe they are Christ on earth. They refer to themselves as “Vicarius Christi” which is Latin for Vicar of Christ. “The Latin equivalent of the Greek word “anti” is “vicarious” from which comes Vicar. So those who refer to themselves as Vicar of Christ are actually calling themselves anti-Christ, or another Christ.” “And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.” Matthew 24:4-5.

The question is, who would follow such men? Why would anyone want to replace our Lord Jesus the Christ the Creator of the universe with a mere human? The answer can be found in the above verse “Take heed that no man deceive you”. The deception has been with us since the Apostles wrote their epistles. In the fourth century AD Constantine became the first pope. From that time on the popery began their reign of terror by deceiving and murdering the masses. When the word of God is not taken seriously the deception is easily manifested.

A short history lesson:

During the 14th century AD a devout Christian man stood up against the evil of the anti-Christ system. John Wycliffe was one of the first to translate the scriptures from Latin into the language of the common folk. Wycliffe was hounded by the Catholic Church because of his stance against it. Wycliffe said “The authority of the scriptures was greater than the authority of any man.” And that “We ought to believe in the authority of no man unless he say the word of God, that if any man in earth, either angel of heaven teacheth us contrary of holy Writ we should flee from him as from the foul fiend of hell, and hold us steadfastly to the truth and freedom of the holy Gospel of Jesus Christ.” The Catholic Church hated Wycliffe so much that 44 years after his death they had his remains exhumed, his bones smashed, and then burned. The council of Constance then condemned Wycliffe and had him anathematized.

Down through the ages the popes have condemned any and all who would stand against them and their doctrines. Jan Huss was another that was condemned by the council of Constance at the same time as Wycliffe. Huss was burned at the stake in 1415 for his opposition to papal infallibility and because he stood on the authority and infallibility of the Bible. When the Roman Catholic Church caught Huss’ followers, they burned them at the stake. A century later, inspired in part by the sermons of Huss, Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the Church door in Wittenberg, Germany.

Jan Huss, Jerome of Prague, and many others believed the Bible and placed its authority over the Roman Catholic popery, thus the popery condemned them all and burned them all at the stake. These were true Christians being burned at the stake; true believers in Christ who knew the truth about the popery, that all the popes were and are anti-Christ. Following this religion and believing in their doctrines will get you to only one location upon your death, and it isn’t Heaven.

Martin Luther made the following statements “The Pope, possessed by demons, defends his tyranny with the canon ‘Si papa’. This canon states clearly: if the Pope should lead the whole world into the control of hell, he is nevertheless not to be contradicted. It’s a terrible thing that on account of the authority of this man, we must lose our souls which Christ redeemed with His precious blood.” Luther also declared “I believe the Pope is the masked and incarnate devil because he is the anti-Christ.” All the reformers from Wycliffe to Spurgeon believed the pope to be anti-Christ. Charles Spurgeon wrote “It is the duty of every Christian to pray against Antichrist, and as to what Antichrist is, no sane man ought to raise a question. If it be not the popery in the Church of Rome, there is nothing in the world that can be called by that name.”

William Tyndale was another who was terribly persecuted by the Roman Catholics. They hated Tyndale because he was determined to translate the New Testament scriptures from Greek into English. Rome’s position on this subject was as follows: Simple and uneducated men were not to touch the Bible or venture to preach its doctrines. After completing his translations of the Bible, Tyndale was put to death by the clergy of the Roman Catholic Church (basically that means the pope). One of Tyndale’s statements that so infuriated the Roman Catholic Church and which put the final nail in his coffin was “I defy the pope and all his laws if God spare my life here these many years I will causeth the boy that driveth the plow to know more of the scriptures than thou dost.” He was speaking to a Roman Catholic priest in his own home. Of course, I would be remiss without saying that the Roman Catholic Church did take pity on William Tyndale as they first strangled him before burning him at the stake

But murdering William Tyndale was not enough for this most ungodly religion of anti-Christ. They also burned all the Tyndale Bibles they could get their hands on, as well burning at the stake all those who were in possession of a Tyndale Bible. The Roman Catholic Church is as bloody as any tyrannical ruler in earth’s history.

Looking back through the whole ungodly history of the Roman Catholic Church it’s not hard to discover that they have always stood contrary to the truth of the scriptures. The popes have always claimed to be Jesus Christ on earth. Anyone who knows their Bible and believes it to be the inerrant Word of God must be appalled at the Catholic popes and their horribly blasphemous statements.

From the inception of the Roman Catholic Church, the popes have declared themselves to be equal with God. They took to themselves the title of Holy Father with full authority over the Church. Pope Innocent III, who fathered the inquisition, said “The Pope holdeth place on earth not simply of a man, but of the true God” Pope Nicholas said of himself “I am in all, and above all, so that God Himself, and I, the vicar of God, hath both one consistory and I am able to do almost all that God can do. I then, being above all seen by this reason, to be above all Gods.” Pope Nicholas also claimed that the popes themselves had the power to change the Gospel itself saying “Wherefore, no marvel if it be in my power to dispense with all things, yea, with the precepts of Christ.”

The Lateran Council, while addressing Pope Julius II, said to him “Take care that we lose not that salvation, that life and breath which thou has given us for thou are shepherd, thou art physician, thou art governor, thou art husbandman, thou finally art another God on earth.” Pope Pious X declared “The Pope is not simply the representative of Jesus Christ; on the contrary he is Jesus Christ Himself, under the veil of the flesh. Does the Pope speak? It is Jesus Christ who is speaking. Hence when anyone speaks of the Pope, it is not necessary to examine but to obey.” Pope Pious IX blasphemously declared “I alone am the successor of the apostles. The voice of Jesus Christ, I am the way, the truth, and the life…” Pope Boniface VIII said “We declare, say, define and pronounce that it is absolutely necessary for the salvation of every human creature to be subject to the Roman Pontiff.” Pope Clement VI said “No man outside obedience to the Pope of Rome can ultimately be saved. All who have raised themselves against the faith of the Roman Church and died in final impenitence have been damned and gone down to Hell.” Pope John XXIII said “Into this fold of Jesus Christ no man may enter unless he be led by the Sovereign Pontiff and only if they be united to him can men be saved…”

In 1984 Pope John Paul II was quoted as saying “Don’t go to God for forgiveness of sins: come to me.” Catherine of Siena, one of the patron saints of Italy, said “Even if the Pope were Satan incarnate, we ought not to raise up our heads against him, but calmly lie down to rest in his bosom. He who rebels against our Father is condemned to death, for that which we do to him, we do to Christ. We honor Christ if we honor the Pope.”

There is no doubt in my mind that the Roman Catholic Church is pure evil in origin; they remain so even in today’s enlightened society. Why do I say this? Even though our current society is supposed to be enlightened there are few that know and understand the word of God. Therefore many remain susceptible to the deceptions of Rome while ignoring Jesus’ admonition to beware of such deceptions.

This commentary is just the tip of the iceberg when compared to the volumes of heresies which would describe even more of how horrible the Roman Catholic Church has been to the true Christians over the last 1,700 years. Suffice it to say, Jesus told us about this evil that would appear on the scene claiming to be Him, but since they wouldn’t listen to Him why would they listen to me? The Apostle John wrote about the anti-Christ’s that would come and who were already among them. “Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.” 1 John 2:18-19.

Charles Spurgeon wrote “For truth’s sake, our Protestantism must protest perpetually…No peace with Rome…” Yet what we currently see taking place is many evangelicals running back to the doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church. This is a hard thing to witness, as we who are true believers in Christ know how obscene the Roman Catholic Church actually remains.

The way to enter Heaven is not by elevating ourselves to a position of prominence resulting in men bowing to us with much pomp and circumstance, but to humble ourselves as little children. “…Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 18:3. Sometimes it takes a lot of humbling to become as a little child in the eyes of God. For some of us it may take a lifetime to understand how to become “as little children”.

The Catholic popery work to elevate themselves to positions of exaltedness above the laity thus they are in for a huge surprise. First of all it’s obvious these popes have no fear of God. Secondly, they can’t be believers in Christ as all indications are that they disparage God’s Word. Instead of cherishing the Word of God as true believers do and adhering to God’s precepts as the truth they simply ignore God as they make themselves out to be god on earth.

Study your Bible. Don’t be one of those who have been, or are about to be, deceived in these end times. Call no man your Father on earth as God is our Father. All in all pray for all those deceived individuals, but by all means stay far clear of the Roman Catholic Church.

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
All scripture is from the KJV and God breathed
twotug@embarqmail.com
96 County Road 5480 Salem, MO 65560
My past commentaries are archived at the following link
http://www.raptureready.com/featured/graham/graham.html

Source: Decretals of Gregory IX, Book 1, Chapter 3
Source: “The Church Historian of England Reformation Period” by Josiah Pratt, pub. 1856, P. 159
Source: Apostolic Digest, Book V; The Book of Obedience.
Source: Dave Hunt, “A Woman Rides the Beast.”
Source: “Evangelical Christendom”, Jan 1, 1895, p 15, published in London by J.S. Phillips.
Source: Pope John XXIII Coronation Homily, Nov. 4, 1958
Source: “No Forgiveness Directly From God”, Pope Says by san A Schanche The Los Angeles Times, Dec. 12, 1984
Source: Luther’s Works, Table Talk, vol, 54, no. 441, p 330
Source: “History of the Christian Church” by Charles Sheldon p 59
Source: Charles Spurgeon, “The Sword & the Trowel”
Source: Charles H. Spurgeon as cited by Dr. Ian R.K. Paisley, in “Spurgeon on Antichrist”

Everything Falls Apart - - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com

The “everything falls apart” title above must be apparent, not only to me, but to many of you also. Recently we have all read about some well-known Christian brethren who have gone on to glory. Others are almost completely debilitated; one awesome Christian writer has just recently suffered a massive heart attack and is now recovering. There’s just no good way to describe what’s going on in this fallen world, except to say “Everything Falls Apart.”

Many of you have been very concerned about my health recently and have written to me expressing that concern with promises of prayers for me and for my family. I am a firm believer in God’s power to heal as well as His commitment to His children to answer all prayers. Prayers are our petitions to God and of course He hears all our petitions, we should never put ourselves in a position of denying that fact. A trip to my doctor last week confirmed my suspicion that my disease is getting worse. My facial muscles are beginning to droop quite noticeably, and keeping my eyes open is now getting very difficult. My strength has all but left my body and I’m exhausted as soon as I get to my feet. The disease I have is neuro-muscular; my auto-immune system is failing. In other words my body is killing itself. The worst part of this is my throat closes off to the point that I can only swallow liquids. This has caused a weight loss of almost 60 lbs since the first of the year and I’m continuing this trend at the rate of approximately 5 lbs per week.

Then there’s the prostate cancer which invaded my body about two years ago now. It had to be radically addressed because it is of the very aggressive type. Some of you might cringe at what my doctor had to do to keep the cancer cells from multiplying. It’s called medical castration and it works exactly the way you might imagine. I’m a firm believer and living proof that the truth of the matter is the curse is in full force in this universe as we can plainly see that “Everything Falls Apart.”

Scientists call this falling apart entropy. It seems the second law of thermodynamics is alive and well as everything goes from order to disorder. Nothing is excluded from the effects of entropy, nothing. The whole universe is affected and Paul tells us that “For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.” Romans 8:22.

Paul then goes on to explain our hope and how the Holy Spirit helps us even in our infirmities as we pray because many times we don’t even know what to pray for.
“For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:24-28. So in all circumstances pray, because that’s where God dwells.

“Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;” Ephesians 5:20. The worst thing we can do is to blame God for entropy (the falling apart of everything) we must endure. After all, it was the first couple, our pre-flood parents who rebelled against God which caused a curse on the entire universe. God gave Adam the world yet he was unable to comprehend just exactly what God had given him. After Adam and Eve’s rebellion we can assume they understood their new situation quite well. Sorrowful doesn’t begin to describe what they must have felt as he and Eve got the boot from their most prestigious home in Eden’s perfect Garden.

When we begin to feel what many would consider extreme effects of entropy we usually seek help, help from God first, and then we might turn to a specialist in the field of our particular aliment. And encouragement during these times is as important as any medical treatment. In my case many of you have become, through encouragement and prayers, very close friends. Encouragement is a life line especially when our individual world begins to grow dimmer. Surely many of my brethren are in the same physical condition as I am, maybe not with the same diagnosis of illness, but perhaps with just as many physical limitations.

“For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? ” Romans 8:29-31. These words were recently a portion of a very encouraging letter which a reader sent to me. They were exactly what this follower of Jesus Christ needed to hear.

I’ve had plenty of occasions lately, as my wife can attest to, when I have been so exhausted that to continue the commentaries seemed impossible. Somehow God gives me the strength to get the next commentary done. The idea of sitting around and doing nothing just doesn’t fit in God’s plan for our life. God expects His children to keep going; always being assured of the fact that He will continue with us. Remember, we are told to hold fast to the faith, and to occupy ‘til He comes.

Everyone’s faith will be tested at some point in their walk with Christ; and I’m no different. My faith has surely been tested over the last couple of years. Yet James tells us “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.” James 1:12. My illness has caused me, many times, to wonder how I can possibly be of any further use to God. Yet He never fails to show me just how useful I can be. When I question God on the commentary’s usefulness, invariably folks respond in huge numbers telling me just how much they needed to hear what I’ve just written. Isn’t God great? He never lets us down, and He never will, and that’s a fact.

Everything falls apart, that’s for sure and for certain. But when our bodies begin to deteriorate to a point that we feel useless it’s then that God can genuinely use us for His glory. When our strength is so depleted that we can hardly walk across the room, then there’s no doubt that it’s God’s strength that sustains us. When all seems useless, when the world seems to be closing in on us from every side, then it’s God’s words that bring us comfort and the strength to continue.

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
All scripture is from the KJV and God breathed
twotug@embarqmail.com
96 County Road 5480 Salem, MO 65560
My past commentaries are archived at the following link
http://www.raptureready.com/featured/graham/graham.html 

A Father and Son Reunion - - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com

“… A certain man had two sons: And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.” Luke 15:11-12. Why is it so difficult for so many to understand Jesus’ parables? He spoke in parable so those who had rejected Him would not understand what He was talking about, but afterward He explained them to His disciples, well most of them that is. Why then do so many Christians get confused with the parables? They are for our benefit. Jesus’ parables, for the most part, are a picture of God dealing with His children. God loves His children and Jesus occasionally conveyed that love through His parables. The parable of the prodigal son is one such occasion. After reading of the exploits of the prodigal son one should come away fully convinced of God’s incredible and everlasting love for those who belong to Him.

This particular parable begins with an apparently wealthy man with property, servants, and livestock. The man had two sons; the younger of the two sons became dissatisfied with his life and made the decision to head out into the world to see what the world had to offer. Before this young man left he asked his father to give him his inheritance, so the father divided the inheritance between both sons, and the youngest quickly left. “And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want.” Luke 15:13-14. Yes the inevitable happened and the young man was quickly corrupted by the world. As such, he went about wasting what his Father had given him on things that fulfilled his worldly lusts. As is common in many instances when an inheritance is involved, the money is spent with total abandon. What was not earned, many times, is not appreciated. I’ve seen people drop a hundred thousand dollar inheritance quicker than they would drop a twenty dollar bill that they worked hard to acquire.

“And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.” Luke 15:15-16. After this young man had wasted his entire inheritance, a famine took hold of that country, and he was now looking starvation square in the eye. The young man did find work in a pig sty, and to anyone it would have been a humbling job, but to the Jewish audience listening to the parable it was totally repulsive. You see, swine are unclean animals that Jews have nothing to do with. This young man had stooped as low as any Jew could stoop. The young man was attempting to keep from starving by living off the scraps left by the swine.

“And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!” Luke 15:17. While in the pig sty starving the young man began to reflect on just how much better off he would be even as a servant at his Father’s house. “I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.” Luke 15:18-19. So this youngest son of the wealthy Father knew what he needed to do. He had to return to his Father’s house and apologize for his disobedience and sinful lifestyle. In his heart he knew he was no longer worthy to be called his Father’s son, but perhaps he could return as a servant on his Father’s property.

The next verse is so awesome and full of the proof of our Fathers love for even one child who goes astray that it completely undermines any thought of one losing their salvation. Let’s take a look at what the Bible says happened next. “And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.” Luke 15:20-24. Here we learn that this young son had not lost his son-ship. He was always the father’s son even as he was living with the swine. Yes, indeed the boy was out of fellowship with his father, but when he came to his senses he immediately repented of his sins and the fellowship he once took for granite was reestablished with his father.

Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son speaks of the relationship between God the Father and those who have become sons of God. “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” Romans 8:14. God’s sons are all those who are born again. Outsiders without understanding of how God views those who’ve been born again would look at this young man as a dead, lost soul. But in reality, as a son of God, he had only moved away from his Father’s fellowship.

The entire chapter of Luke 15 speaks of the Fathers love for a wandering child. The parable about the man who left 99 sheep to go and seek the one that had wandered off and the parable about the women who lost a silver coin and swept clean her entire home until she found the coin both tell of people seeking something they owned but had lost. There was rejoicing in Heaven on both occasions as these verses speak of those who belong to God wandering off and then being found again. What many miss when they read of the sheep wandering and the silver coin disappearing is that both the man who lost one of his sheep and the women who lost one of her coins already possessed these two items. The sheep already belonged to the man and the coin belonged to the women. They were lost for a while but then they were found. I was lost but now am found. There are those who are indeed lost, not saved. But there are also those who are saved (who belong to the Father) and simply wander off. The later are addressed in this chapter of Luke’s Gospel.

Remember God never moves away from us, but because of the human appetite for lust we move toward sin coinciding with our move away from the Father. In his first epistle, which was written to Christians, John tells us that fellowship can and will be re-established. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9. As you read John’s epistles you will notice that he speaks exclusively to the sons of God.

Yes, I’ll receive a lot of negative responses on this subject since many have been taught that if that young son would have died while living among the swine he would have been condemned to Hell. That interpretation means that anytime one of us (sons of God) sins and removes themselves from fellowship with God, and then dies in that condition, we are instantly condemned to Hell. The people who believe this erroneous teaching really have no concept of God’s power and will. God keeps those who belong to Him secure in His hands and no man can remove us from God’s hand. “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.” John 10:27. Our salvation is based on our belief in Jesus the Christ, what He did for all of us by allowing man to nail Him to that cross, then to die and be raised again on the third day. This is God’s generously free gift to us and once we are born again, born from above – from God – it doesn’t take our strength to stay secure in His hands; it is God’s strength which keeps us justified in His eyes. Being justified doesn’t mean we will never wander off.

Jesus taught the parable of the prodigal son so we could get a clear picture of God our Father always standing before us with open arms. God is always in a fellowship mode, whether we walk away or not He’s there. If we do walk away, God remains diligent waiting for us to re-join Him where He is. Once a person becomes justified (saved), that person is no longer accountable for their sins “…for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I... Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.” Romans 7:15b, 17.

“For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:26. As God’s children sin can’t remove us from the Father’s hands. Whether they be past sins or future sins, they have been paid for by God Himself. Thus our actions after we are justified are never condemning. We may feel terrible during a session of sinning and rebellion, as well we should, and that’s the Holy Spirit dwelling inside us. But we, as born again believers in Christ, are never condemned. Out of fellowship? Yes. Never condemned.

God always takes us back no matter what kind of mischief we get ourselves into. We move away, He waits for us to return. The reward of salvation is the same for those in fellowship as for those out of fellowship. And every believer’s inheritance remains intact no matter where they walk off to while on earth.

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
All scripture is from the KJV and God breathed
twotug@embarqmail.com
96 County Road 5480 Salem, MO 65560
My past commentaries are archived at the following link
http://www.raptureready.com/featured/graham/graham.html

Rewards – Blessings – and Salvation - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com

“For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard.” Matthew 20:1. The parables are a great guide for those who are diligently seeking God. As we study our Bibles we begin to appreciate who God is and why He is the way He is. We can learn much about the Creator of the universe if the desire is there. One thing for sure is we will soon learn that God’s ways have a purpose entirely void of man’s perceptions of how things should operate. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.” Isaiah 55:8.

In His parable of the vineyard owner, Jesus shows mankind a different type of employer. A good man owns a vineyard and he needs laborers. This good man heads to the marketplace early in the morning to hire laborers to work in his vineyard. When he sees men standing around he approaches them and contracts with them to work in his vineyard. The vineyard owner offers the first men a day’s wage and they accept his fair offer and head off to work in the man’s vineyard.

After contacting and sending out men throughout the day to work in his vineyard, at about the eleventh hour (5:00 pm) the good man heads back to the marketplace where he encounters a few more men standing around and he inquires of them why they are just standing around. “And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle? They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive.” Matthew 20:7-8. So the vineyard owner offers to pay these last workers fairly and they head off to join their fellow laborers who are already working.

Now the work day has ended and the vineyard owner tells his steward to settle up with all the workers. In the minds of most humans a great injustice is about to occur here. This perceived injustice would depend on which group of laborers you belonged to; the workers which spent just one hour at labor in the vineyard couldn’t possibly see any injustice as they received their day’s wage. You see, there was no difference in pay for any vineyard worker that particular day. That full day’s pay must have made the one hour group extremely content. But the men who labored all day in the hot sun had a little different opinion on the matter “...they murmured against the good man of the house, Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day.” Matthew 20:11b-12. But the vineyard owner had this to say in response to their murmurings “...Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny? Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee. Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good?” Matthew 20:13b-15.

Was there any injustice done as the above workers perceived? Were any of them taken advantage of? No, they all agreed on the wage for the day, which at that time in history was a fair day’s wage. The problem arises when we consider only the human side of this parable. We see a great injustice done to the laborers who spent the entire day in the vineyard. We must conclude that these men had every right to murmur against the vineyard owner. In the minds of most humans a travesty of justice had occurred. In our economy today the laborers who worked longer hours should have been paid according to the hours they worked, not what some vineyard owner felt was fair and just for all. Right? Maybe. But remember, in the first verse of this chapter of Matthew Jesus brought our attention to the fact that He was likening the good man/vineyard owner to the Kingdom of Heaven, not to any humanistic pursuit for earthly gain.

In this parable the vineyard owner represents God, and the day’s wages represents God’s distribution of heavenly rewards. God rewards those He sees fit to reward and He does so as He desires. The rewards are according to God’s good pleasure, not man’s good works or hard labor. Many believe that what they’ve done in their life will assure them many rewards in heaven. But that isn’t how God works. The men who worked one hour of the day received the very same reward as the men who worked all day because it pleased the goodman of the vineyard (God) to reward them in this manner. In God’s economy there was no injustice, only God’s grace and mercy.

Looking at God’s rewards as He distributes them can be confusing to many since the mindset of most of earth’s population has a humanistic me, me, me mindset, which of course is not at all godly. As believers in Christ we should always be others-centered, never self-centered. Self-centered individuals will forever misunderstand how God decides to reward those He rewards and will never see God’s blessings as a part of His Kingdom. His rewards have everything to do with His will, not ours. Also, His rewards and blessings have nothing to do with whether or not we are worthy. After all, none of us are worthy to receive even one blessing. “…for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.” Matthew 5:45b. We may witness the lost of this world receiving what most of us would consider great rewards/blessings. But the blessings and rewards we might receive during this life on earth are insignificant in view of what awaits those of us who love and trust God.

Think about this for a moment. What was Jesus’ purpose behind this parable? Was it to expose a world of jealousness and hatred to our fellow man? Not at all. Jesus’ motivation begins in chapter 19 of Matthew when His disciples disputed among themselves about who would be first in the Kingdom of Heaven. That chapter and this parable are tied together. If you want to be first you’ll be last. If you are last you’ll be first. And that’s just part of the parable and how God’s rewards flow, there is much more to discover about this parable.

What more of a reward could God have blessed us with than the reward of eternal life? Receiving the gift of eternal life is the greatest blessing and easiest to accept from the Father by all who will believe in the Son. The parable above is all about God distributing His rewards and blessings as He so desires. Viewing salvation in this parable gives us much more insight into God’s process of distributing blessings and rewards.

Many of you reading this commentary might have asked Jesus into your life at a very early age. My granddaughter for example is only 7 years old and yet was so moved by what she is being taught about Jesus that she asked Him into her life to be her Savior and Lord. On the other hand, I was in my mid 40’s when I made that same decision. There are, of course, those who will live a life of ignoring God’s invitation all together. Although, if a man or women waits until the last hour of their life to say yes to Jesus and believe, according to God they receive the same reward as those who’ve believed and been born again for most of their lives. There are other rewards in God’s economy but here we are speaking only of the reward of everlasting life.

It’s not up to us to question God on this point. He rewards those who come to Him and place their trust and faith in Him. It’s His good pleasure to reward the believer as He sees fit; He glories in blessing the diligent who seek Him through a thorough study of His word, and He does this to glorify Himself. God is greatly glorified each time someone makes a commitment to Him early in their life and then they live their life according to His Word and will. But God is also glorified by the fact that He shows mercy on those who’ve rejected Him for almost their entire life. As the very old gentleman or lady lay on their death bed and confess to their loved ones that they have been extremely foolish all their life for rejecting Jesus as Savior and Lord, but now they believe and trust Him to save them even at this late hour. And who gets the glory for that late hour revelation? God.

So we can see that in God’s economy rewards are equal no matter what time of day they are received. No matter when we show up in humble adoration before our Savior and Lord we are all rewarded equally. How can that be? “Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:” Acts 10:34. God doesn’t play favorites. He is just and fair in His dealings with all His creation.

I’m not saying that everyone should wait until they are old and grey headed to become a born again follower of Jesus Christ. Those who wait must also contend with the very real fact that their life could be snuffed out instantaneously, forever losing the opportunity to accept God’s free gift of salvation. Something else that’s missed out on is fellowship with God and the joy of knowing and living a life for Christ. Many people flirt with death completely oblivious of what awaits them on the other side as they spend a lifetime rejecting Christ. Many others have been blinded by the god of this world, thus they see no significance in a God who died for them.

Earlier I mentioned I was in my 40’s when I finally opened my heart to Jesus Christ. What I didn’t mention was the fact that I had many brushes with death prior to my conversion. I was an alcoholic and I rode motorcycles, a very deadly combination. For some reason God spared me and through His grace and mercy I’m here today with a message of hope for anyone who might be where I was twenty years ago.

The crux of the matter is this, waiting until those twilight years before making a decision for Christ is not only foolishness, but like riding motorcycles while in a drunken stupor, very dangerous. Why wait? If you are one of those waiting for the most opportune moment to ask Jesus into your life, do now. Tomorrow may never come.

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
96 County Road 5480 Salem, MO 65560
All scripture is from the KJV and God breathed

Mōrologia – Foolish Talk - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way the truth and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, buy by me.” John 14:6. Try and keep this verse at the forefront of your mind as you read this commentary. If you don’t agree with the above verse you’ve got a lot more to worry about than the content of this commentary.

I’ve written time and again about the destructiveness of lies. Once previously I wrote about an incredibly destructive lie being promoted even by Christians as a wonderful and fully acceptable truth. Now God has put it on my heart to go into a more detailed explanation. I woke up one morning about 3:00 am and was immediately bombarded with the subject matter for this commentary. “But Lord I’ve written about this subject before, just a few months ago”. Still, I couldn’t shake the impulse to begin another commentary focused on this same subject. So I climbed out of my nice comfortable bed, sat down at my computer, and began writing everything He was giving me.

Speak a fable – something which sounds plausible – and over time guess what happens? People begin to accept the fable as truth. As many continually embrace fables, multitudes more are drawn to them – believing them becomes the norm. Continually repeating a wonderful sounding fable year in and year out, pretty soon the fable is miraculously transformed into what many perceive to be truth.

There’s a lie that is so incredibly subtle yet so pervasive and evil that every time it is uttered, in ignorance, most will nod in agreement. What is this satanically devised lie? Before I get into the specifics of one of Satan’s most destructive lies, let’s take a look at what God’s word has to say about deception and foolish speech.

Throughout God’s inerrant Word we’re warned to beware, be discerning, be watchful, be vigilant; all these phrases have the same meaning, which is exactly what Jesus meant when He said “Take heed that no man deceive you.” Matthew 24:4. What happened? Few, even among Christian believers, actually heed God’s warning.

“Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks… Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.” Ephesians 5:4 & 6. The Apostle Paul had just gone through a sizable list of sins which describe who these children of disobedience are. He adds this admonition “let no many deceive you with vain words”. Vain means empty, void of truth. Then Paul adds the words “foolish talking” as a characteristic of the children of disobedience. Speaking in today’s vernacular, it would read “talking foolishly”, which is still holding with the Greek word “mōrologia”. From “moros” we get, “foolish, dull, stupid”, and from “lego”, as used in Ephesians 5:4, it denotes more than mere idle “talk”. Some scholars describe it as “that talk of fools” which is foolishness and sin together.

The lie I’m going to reveal in a moment falls quite well into the category of talking foolishly – holding to foolishness and sin together. It’s actually a phrase that is parroted often, but when it is quoted by someone who isn’t even a follower of Jesus Christ in reference to another nonbeliever it is simply “that talk of fools”. That talk of fools stems from either ignorance of the truth, or an attitude of non-belief altogether. And little do most realize how deceptive this “foolish talk” can be.

There are many fables and downright lies being promoted today, and many even with biblical knowledge are unaware of their destructiveness. This particular lie is so all-encompassing nowadays I imagine few can actually say they’ve never used it. As I mentioned, the lie is satanic. Remember there is no benevolence in Satan’s character, nor has there ever been. So we must conclude that his agenda is to do and be evil continually.

“Let no man deceive you by any means:” 2 Timothy 2:3a. Why does God place, throughout His inerrant word, a warning against allowing oneself to be deceived? Because He knows Satan much better than we do. He knows Satan has done much evil and will continue to do every evil thing in his power to stumble us. Satan’s arsenal is built on deception.

“Little children, let no man deceive you:” 1 John 3:7. The Apostle John is speaking to those who are born again. Yes, even born again believers can be deceived, especially by the lie I’m about to reveal. I know, because I’ve heard it from the lips of believers when referring to someone who has just passed away. For those of you who are paying attention, that’s a clue.

“Let no man deceive himself.” 1 Corinthians 3:18. It is a sad thing when men deceive themselves, but worse yet when they deceive multitudes of others with what they perceive to be a seemingly harmless lie. This lie is continually repeated, many times, as an innocent way to console someone who has just lost a loved one. Well what can possibly come from repeating a harmless lie? I’ll tell you what harm. Generations of lost souls.

“I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth.” 1 John 2:21. People who repeat this particular lie have, for the most part, no idea of the damage it has done and continues to do. I can think of many lies that have corrupted the masses and which are now accepted as truth by huge throngs of this planet’s population (the horrible satanic lie of evolution immediately comes to mind). But the lie I’m writing about is this, “At least they’re in a better place.” This lie corrupts ever so subtly when spoken about someone who was never a follower of Jesus Christ. Most Christians don’t even see the problem inherent in such a statement.

I know by now many of you might be getting all riled up, but I’ll say this, that phrase is quite appropriate when used in the context of a born again believer in Christ who has passed on. But when it is used, whether by a believer or non-believer, to comfort the loved one of a recently deceased friend or family member who has never given a second thought to Jesus Christ and His Gospel, it is nothing more than the promotion of a satanic lie.

This horrible lie, which Satan loves to hear promoted, has been disseminated for so many years, that most people believe it even though they know their loved one never once in their entire life thought of Jesus Christ. Now that they’ve heard this lie they’ll stand by it fully convinced that everyone goes to Heaven no matter what they believe. Why? Because the alternative is unthinkable.

Many people will condemn me and this commentary as being unsympathetic towards those who are grieving, but a lie is a lie no matter in what context it’s used. Remember, Satan hasn’t a benevolent scrap of character in him. The only agenda that he has is to convince folks they are in good shape spiritually and that they are going to Heaven when they die because everyone goes to Heaven when they die no matter what they believe.

“At least they’re in a better place”. Although it seems harmless enough it really isn’t. I’m convinced that in the past this satanic lie has been, and continues today as, the culprit that has kept many folks condemned to Hell. When folks believe they go to Heaven because they are basically good people, or because they’re convinced everyone goes to Heaven when they die they’re only deceiving themselves. Believe me, this huge lie is growing. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard the phrase “People believe there are many paths to Heaven, so who am I to dispute them”. It especially concerns me when I hear this from the lips of pastors.

I guess I can understand the lost promoting such a lie, but a believer in Christ? How can a man stand before a congregation while holding his tattered, worn, and obviously well read Bible in his hand, open his mouth and preach what he says is God’s truth, yet as he’s standing there looking out over his congregation he doesn’t even believe what he’s preaching? Is it ignorance? Is it foolishness? Is it Satanic? Is it avoidable? Yes. Run from such a person.

The only people that die and go to a better place are those who die as born again believers in Christ. God tells us in His Word, Hell will be the only abode of the Christ rejecting dead. No well rehearsed comforting lie will change that fact, but it may destroy the lives of those who you’re trying to comfort.

Expressing sympathy at a funeral doesn’t need to include the phrase “At least they’re in a better place”. Simple, brief expressions of sympathy are best and they do comfort. While most people find themselves at a loss for words, the family will appreciate a sincere expression of condolence–however brief. “I’m sorry,” or “I’m so sorry to hear of your loss,” should be the most commonly used expressions, and they are perfectly adequate when said in a sincere, sympathetic voice. If you knew the deceased well enough, it is often helpful to say something like “I always counted Bob as a good friend,” or “Jane will be missed.” Kind words are always welcomed. If you knew the deceased and knew they had rejected the truth of the Gospel all their lives then “At least they’re in a better place” is nothing more than a bald faced lie. Can’t you imagine the destructiveness in that statement when spoken to the remaining loved ones? God always has a purpose. Time and time again He’ll use His children to relate His message to the lost world. His message to all who will read this commentary is to stop believing the lie and to come to Him for the truth; to believe what He’s telling us in His word and to turn from following Satan.

I’m sure I’ve stepped on some toes here, and as usual my motives will be misconstrued. It must be understood, though, that parroting a lie for the sake of comfort does more harm than good over the long term. If you are approached by someone and they ask you whether or not you believe their deceased loved one is in Heaven, don’t give them your opinion but refer them to the Word of God. John 3:16 is a good place to begin.

Why promote something of Satan’s inception? Let’s promote the truth of the Gospel of Christ instead. Comfort the hurting without mōrologia – “Foolish talk”.

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
96 County Road 5480 Salem, MO 65560
All scripture is from the KJV and God breathed

Open Doors - - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com

“And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;” Revelation 3:7. Jesus was speaking to one specific church, the church of Philadelphia. Yet today every Christian congregation believes their church is representative of this one church which Jesus had nothing but praise for.

First of all we know that Jesus was not at all unhappy with the church of Philadelphia (meaning brotherly love). They had persevered in times which were extremely difficult. They kept the faith, they did not waver on the Gospel, and they would not deny the name of Jesus Christ. Honestly, how many Christian churches fall into that category today?

“...behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.” Revelation 3:8. Out of the seven churches addressed in the book of Revelation, by none other than Jesus Christ Himself, the church of Philadelphia is one of two churches which Jesus didn’t admonish to repent. And this particular church (the Church of Philadelphia) will not go through the horrible events of the Great Tribulation. “Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.” Revelation 3:10.

Jesus titles Himself as Holy and True, having the key of David and having power over opening and closing. Jesus’ proclamation as being Holy and True declares His authority as God Almighty with power only He has to open and close doors, doors only He can open and close. Jesus references opening doors twice in the above verses while addressing the Church at Philadelphia, thus we can conclude from these references that there are two separate meanings being addressed. The first “open door” I believe refers to evangelism because, speaking of the Church at Philadelphia, they had the strength of Jesus and had kept His word which means they didn’t shirk their responsibility to preach the Gospel. In the following verses Paul plainly uses the open door idea. “For a great door and effectual [opportunity for spreading the Gospel] is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries.” 1 Corinthians 16: 9. “Furthermore, when I came to Troas to preach Christ's gospel, and a door was opened unto me of the Lord” 2 Corinthians 2:12. We also see it in Colossians “Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds:” Colossians 4:3. Evangelism is a door that God opens and it is commanded of all His followers that we recognize and walk through that door.

The second open door is the door that is open to Heaven. There are two Greek words we are concerned with: “Thyra”, meaning door or gate, and “Anoigō” which means open and refers to the door of Heaven as it is the same word used in the following verse, “And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.” John 1:51. Seeing Heaven’s door open will be the ultimate view by the Church as we are being Raptured. At some point after the Rapture, the door that leads to Heaven will be shut, forever.

Evangelism, for now, is a constant open door with proactive participants going about our Father’s business daily; that open door has remained so for the last 2,000 years. Even during the Great Tribulation there will be a tremendous amount of evangelism going on.

The other door, the door that leads to Heaven, is also currently open. As Stephen was being stoned to death he said: But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God. And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God. Acts 7:55-56. At some point though, Jesus will shut that door and no man will be able to open it. There’s a picture type of this same shutting of doors in the Old Testament. “In the selfsame day entered Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah's wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, into the ark; …And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the LORD shut him in.” Genesis 7:13 & 16. God shut the door to the ark and no man was able to open it. What I’m trying to say is that there is only so much time left before the doors are closed and, as we all know, time always runs out. Someday time will run out for entering Heaven. Time is one enemy that all Christ rejecters will soon come to despise.

How many churches today are involved in evangelism? What I mean by evangelism is, do Christian churches today seek people to come to church or do they send people who attend their church out to spread the truth of the Gospel of Christ? Jesus taught His disciples many things and gave them a simple commandment that He fully expected them to follow. As He was winding up His earthly ministry, He admonished His disciples to go into all the world and teach others what He had taught them. “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” Matthew 28:18-20.

That same commandment remains our marching orders today. Jesus was quite specific, when He says “Go ye”. What did He mean when He said “Go ye”? Did He mean go ye to that big white building every Sunday morning and sit in a pew for an hour and by doing so you’ll be fulfilling His Great Commission? No, He commands His own to be much more involved in spreading His good news than that. No matter how late the hour it’s never too late to witness to someone who is lost. Traversing the world in an attempt to evangelize is admirable and certainly is adhering to Christ’s command to spread His Gospel throughout the world, but you and I can find many lost folks right in our own communities who still need to hear the Gospel of truth. Why not start there? By the way “Ye” means “You”.

Then Jesus gave His disciples a final promise, a most important promise as they/we are to be about His business. “...lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world” (v.20). I’m not sure everyone involved in ministry fully understands this promise. No matter who we are, no matter what Christian ministry we’re involved in, whether it is evangelism, preaching, street witnessing, or writing commentaries for the internet, His promise is clear. Jesus is with us and will remain with us during every aspect of that ministry.

Let’s take a deeper look at His promise. Presence, power, peace, and love are four distinct attributes associated with Jesus’ promise of always being with us whether we’re involved in witnessing or whether we’re being persecuted.

What could be more reassuring for a believer in Christ as we access the most powerful of powers in the universe? Jesus is handing His powers to us along with His Gospel to teach others, how can we fail? This is the open door He speaks about. If God Almighty tells you He’s opened a door for you to go out and evangelize the world or your next door neighbor, are you going to refuse?

This is why the church of Philadelphia was so wonderfully singled out by the Creator of the universe; it was because of their devotion to Him and to evangelism. If a church body truly believes they are a branch of the Philadelphian church then that entire body must be involved in spreading the Gospel of Christ, and just like that early church they must never deny His name.

The Apostle John wrote seven letters to seven Churches as Jesus directed – the letter to the Church of Philadelphia and six more. The Church at Smyrna was singled out as the persecuted church. They, along with the Church of Philadelphia, received no rebuke from Jesus. But the other five churches had some major problems which Jesus addresses and He admonishes them to repent of their ways. One had lost their first love and the others were basically in the “falling away from the faith” mode. Speaking metaphorically of the Church of Philadelphia, it’s the only Church today which is moving in the right direction. Look for a church that relies on Jesus’ strength and power, and one that never denies His name and voila you have a branch of the Church at Philadelphia.

Evangelism is the key. We, as believers in Christ, are all evangelists in some form or fashion. We may not be in the category of a Franklin Graham or a Greg Laurie, and we don’t need to be. But we are all members of the body of Christ which means we are all on the same team, and being on the same team means we should all be on the same page of the play book.

Jesus is so distressed over the wayward and apostate church of the last days that He begins to plead with them on a personal level. The next verse is so touching, so to the point and it’s directed to anyone who will open their ears and hear, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” Revelation 3:20. In other words, in the last days, and referring to the apostate Church, Jesus is not in that Church; He’s standing and knocking on the door of the heart of each individual waiting to be invited in.

We can see two distinct camps appearing in the last days. Clearly there are people who profess to follow Jesus Christ dwelling in each camp. Camp number one is the church of Philadelphia, and camp number two contains those of the last days apostate church. The two doors Jesus speaks about (evangelism and Heaven) are both currently open, so ask yourself if you have walked through the door He’s opened by following His command to spread the Gospel? Or have you staked claim to camp number two and you’re now just sitting back enjoying your riches and your perceived salvation, unconcerned with the rest of the world’s lost and perishing people.

Jesus says to be either hot or cold is a good thing. Hot and on fire for the Lord, cold and in love with the Lord displaying a refreshing and sustainable help to others, but to be lukewarm, is to be dead. No one wants to be found lingering in the dead apostate camp, or do they?

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
96 County Road 5480 Salem, MO 6560
All scripture is from the KJV

Not Ashamed - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” Romans 1:16. There’s coming a period of time when professing Christians will either stand firm on their faith in Jesus Christ, or they will renounce Him in their attempt to stay free of any persecution. Undoubtedly, some of the future Christian persecution will lead to death.

I know what you are saying, “Not in America”. Well let’s take a moment to consider a hypothetical situation. The following scenario is fiction, or is it?

The Supreme Court of the United States confirms that Christian beliefs are harmful to children.

“A landmark judgment, handed down by the Supreme Court of the United States, declares that Christians with traditional views on sexual ethics are unsuitable as parents, and that homosexual ‘rights’ trump freedom of conscience in America. These Judges stated that Christian beliefs on sexual ethics may be ‘detrimental’ to children, and they implicitly upheld an Equalities and Human Rights Commission submission that children risk being ‘infected’ by their Christian parent’s moral beliefs.

The Supreme Court’s judgment strongly affirms homosexual rights over freedom of conscience and leaves all Christians unable to raise their children as desired, despite a proven track record as loving, caring, parents as well as being good providers. The summary contained in the judgment sends out the clear message that Christian ethical beliefs are potentially harmful to children. It states that Christian parents with mainstream Christian views are not suitable to be considered as potential parents since this does not agree with diversity and equality policies.”

There now appears to be nothing to stop the increasing ban on Christians who wish to pursue their God given rights to become parents as most are not willing to compromise their beliefs. Since the Supreme Court has basically denounced Christianity, what will become of those “in name only” Christians? Will they continue as professing Christians, or will they denounce Christ so that they may be allowed to continue in childbearing as well as living a non-persecuted life?

Fiction or non-fiction the question must be asked: “Will Christianity become so inconsequential that no further rulings will be necessary because of the diminished state of the church?” To further dramatize the above fiction/non-fiction scenario let’s bring the matter of Christianity before a future US Congress.

“The US House of Representatives, as well as the US Senate, after reviewing the political correctness of the Judiciary branch of government, and as an independent and august body, find that the establishment of new anti-Christian laws must be forthcoming. The US Congress has now given President Obama, in his second term as president, far reaching powers to contend with the growing threat of Christianity.

A new presidential dictatorial edict (from one who rejects the constitution) declares that all Christians attempting to worship openly and/or in the privacy of their very own homes are now subject to search and seizure of property which may result in their arrest. There will be no need for a trial as all those who are caught transgressing the president’s new edict will be imprisoned immediately and indefinitely.”

Do these hypothetical scenarios showing America’s possible future give any of you reason to pause and review the scriptures to see if there is any reference to such situations? You can imagine how any dissention during this future period will be severely dealt with. Before we head off to the Bible to get God’s perspective, let me just say that the above scenario is not fully fiction. The High Court in England basically has concluded that Christian ethics are harmful to children; I substituted the US Supreme Court for the High Court of England to dramatize how this very real situation could occur here in the US. The scenario with the US Congress was purely hypothetical.

There’s obviously a push on in England to establish a firm precedence for discriminating against Christians. Will it be long before the US follows suit?

On a slightly different note, according to an article I read recently Switzerland is becoming a nation devoted to the Muslim religion of Islam. But that’s not near as scary as the fact that they have passed a ‘racial discrimination’ law which establishes fines and incarceration for anyone convicted of criticizing the religion of Islam. President Obama has gone on record wanting these same ‘hate laws’ established by the US Congress making any criticism of Islam a crime, yet you may criticize Christianity with all impunity. This from a man who professes to be Christian yet places the religion of Islam over Christianity. Obama born again? Doubtful.

It’s time to venture into the Word of God “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” 2 Timothy 3:12. The Greek word “pas” which is translated into English as “all” means: each, every, any, all, the whole, everyone, all things, everything. Paul says every single Christian living a godly life will suffer persecution. I know there are plenty of Bible teachers around that will dispute this because the kind of persecution Paul is speaking about can’t happen in a free society. Well then, let’s see if we can find another witness. Oh, here’s another verse that seems appropriate at this juncture. “Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.” Matthew 24:9. There’s that pesky Greek word “pas” again, this time referring to “all” nations. All nations will be involved in the hatred and persecution of those who live a godly life in Christ. And of course that would include the good ol’ US of A.

So the question remains, who will stand firm in the face of what most certainly is on the horizon – intense worldwide Christian persecution? If you search the history archives available to almost everyone you’ll find that millions upon millions of Christians have been martyred over the centuries. The Catholic church is far from the least of these persecutors. During the 11th through the 16th centuries AD we find a period of time referred to as the Dark Ages. During this time period no less than 50 million devout Christians who would not dance to the Catholic church’s tune were horribly murdered, most were burned at the stake.

Will millions more Christians be martyred prior to Christ’s return? Possibly. As many of us know there are always going to be those who will bow the knee to Baal instead of standing firm on their faith in Christ. Those who fall into that category will then be referred to as Christ rejecters, and yes they will all probably live to see another day. But those who deny Christ before men will notice they’ve a new problem when they ultimately stand before God. “Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 10:32-33. Certainly something to think about.

What the gist of this commentary boils down to is this, are you ashamed of the Gospel of Christ? Does the mention of Jesus Christ while you’re out in public embarrass you? Have you given any thought to the very real question “What if, here in America, we lose our inalienable rights?” The Constitution of the United States of America is currently being trampled upon with a shear lack of regard and which, quite frankly, is astonishing. Currently, in all areas of our federal government there is little evidence of sincere efforts at re-establishing that once revered document (The Constitution) to its previously held place of prominence.

And what will the elimination of the Constitution mean to the professing godly Christian? I must take a little artistic license with a quote from one of my favorite movies “You got trouble folks, right here in River City, that starts with a T and that rhymes with P and that stands for persecution, yes you’ve got trouble folks”. For all those born again believers in Christ living a godly life, persecution is not far away.

“For the LORD will not cast off his people, neither will he forsake his inheritance.” Psalm 94:14. The list of those who stood up for Christ and then died a horrible death is long. The Apostles were all, with the exception of John, put through the most excruciating of tortures before death. In the first three centuries AD Christians were fed to wild animals, dipped in pitch and impaled on poles then lit on fire like candles for lighting up the night, as a matter-of-fact there has never been a time since Jesus’ ascension when Christians weren’t horribly martyred. Why would any Christian living the godly life in Christ today feel immune to the coming persecution?

“But what can those living godly in Christ do Ron?” We’ve already done it. We’ve placed our faith, trust, and hope in Jesus Christ, and Him alone for salvation. Nothing of this world can touch us. We can’t be harmed. We are indwelt with the Holy Spirit of God. Malevolent supernatural forces have no power over us as we claim the power of Jesus Christ over our lives. So edify one another with these words. Remember these bodies are only vessels holding our true self and God has complete dominion over us.

Our time has come. As we continually stand firm upon our faith in Christ we prove to a Christ rejecting world that God reigns. His power and His glory will be seen through each of His obedient children. And through our obedience Jesus the Christ will be exalted.

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
96 County Road 5480 Salem, MO 65560
All scripture is from the KJV and God breathed

“Lord, Lord” - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com 

“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 7:21. As you can see from the above verse there will be those who, although in their minds believe they’re in good spiritual condition in regards to spending eternity in Heaven, the fact is they’re not now, nor have they ever been in Christ’s book of life. The above verse was not placed in the Bible to instill fear into the hearts of the born again believer, but to warn those who think they’re justified (saved) but in reality are not.

“Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” Matthew 7:22-23. It’s interesting that Jesus doesn’t argue with these folks about all the good works they performed in His name, but plainly tells them He never knew them.

Clearly there are many who profess to be Christian and even do many good works in the name of Jesus Christ, but when it comes to being in a one on one loving relationship with the Creator of the universe the evidence just isn’t there. “I never knew you” spoken by our Creator will be a horrible edict when heard at the end of a life dominated by good works.

According to Jesus Himself, it isn’t what we do for Him it’s our relationship with Him that matters. He wants to know us personally and He wants us to know Him in this same manner. This awesome relationship will create a trust; we will trust Jesus the more we get to know Him. Before we even realize what’s happening, our trust in Him will grow into a relationship dominated by our love for Him. By placing our lives, our trust, and hope in His very capable hands we are well on our way to cementing that one on one relationship that He wants and expects, and that we should desire as much as He.

When we say yes to Jesus Christ a change occurs in who we are, we become born again, which will be an obvious sign that something about us is different. Those who’ve known us in the past will be amazed at the transformation that has taken place. The change may be gradual for some and instantaneous for others, but change you will. As this process (which God enacts in us) becomes evident our rebellion to God will cease. Those who are truly born again will never hear those heartbreaking words “I never knew you” But it’s obvious that many shall.

Jesus’ words are clear “…I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” Matthew 7:23b. These workers of iniquity have not been forgiven because there was no real conversion on their part. Those of us who are born again have a one-on-one relationship with Jesus Christ. Conversion comes when we first decide to place our faith, trust, and hope in Christ alone for salvation. This new relationship in Christ will be acknowledged by the Creator of the universe Himself as He seals His Holy Spirit within each of us. Our faith in Jesus Christ is the key.

There are two sides to every coin, and the other side of this coin is steeped in lies. It’s the purpose of the father of all lies (Satan) to see that there is no relationship between God and His creation ever established. He’s got one agenda and that is to confuse, disrupt, corrupt, and to lead astray all who will accept his lies over the truth given to us by our Creator. Could the words of Jesus be any clearer? “Not everyone who saith unto me Lord, Lord…” Matthew 7:21a. Keep a watchful eye on what you are being taught, and what you believe about the Creator of the universe. Yes, Jesus is the Son of God, but He is also God Almighty. If you don’t believe this truth about who Jesus Christ is, you’re already in the grips of deception and headed down a path that has no connection to Christ whatsoever.

Satan’s deceptions know no bounds or boarders. A recurring warning throughout the scriptures is one of being watchful that we are not deceived “Take heed that ye be not deceived:” Luke 21:8. Those who believe that is their works that save them are wallowing in the muck and mire of satanic deception.

We must always be on our toes when it comes to the truth of the scriptures. Many will teach lies subtly – going ever so slightly off the mark – and many more will, through the corruption of those same scriptures, teach pure unadulterated deception. These folks, unwittingly, belong to Satan. Allow me to present an example of false teaching. A popular pastor/evangelist has recently released his new book in which he attempts to dispel the idea of Hell. He does this by stating that no human being can be absolutely sure anyone has ever been sent to such an awful place. Never mind the numerous scriptures that plainly point out the existence of Hell. This man believes everyone goes to Heaven no matter what they believe. Worse yet is the fact that this man pastors a huge congregation of 10,000 who are allowing themselves to be led by a man who is himself led by the father of all lies, Satan.

There are many folks who are very interested in seeking the truth, and many believe they’ve found that truth among a fully apostate congregation or false religion. These are those Jesus is speaking to in the Gospel of Matthew chapter 7. His words, “I never knew you” are a sad commentary on our times. So many think they’re in good shape eternally, but according to Jesus Himself that just isn’t the case. Honestly, do you think Jesus is speaking to just a couple of people as He claims no personal relationship with these folks? The truth of the matter is He is more likely speaking of multitudes of foolish, deceived individuals.

Be careful people, even many seminaries and Christian colleges teach erroneously these days. In a little Presbyterian church just down the road from where we live, they recently had to dismiss their pastor because she tried to teach the congregation that Jesus was a sinner (don’t even get me started on women pastors). When she responded to those who dismissed her she told them she was taught in seminary that Jesus had sinned. It’s a good thing that someone in the leadership of that small church had read their Bible. The only way we are going to be deceived is by listening to someone else tell us what the Bible says instead of searching the scriptures for ourselves to see if it is so (see Acts 17:11).

Something that has come to my attention over and over again in the last few years is the practice of reading the Bible through in a year. I’m not saying this is a bad thing, but reading your Bible through in a year just to say you did it and perhaps receive an award from your church leadership will not provide you with the study habits needed to garner the knowledge available in God’s word to fend off the lies from false teachers. Only a line upon line, precept upon precept study habit, along with taking in the whole counsel of God will protect you from the great apostasy that’s coming, and which in large part is already here.

Many, in this nation of ours at least, attend churches which are jam packed with fully apostate doctrines. They’re being fed, that’s true, but if a person drinks enough arsenic… Many Christian churches are led by pastors who are only interested in tickling the ears of their parishioners; these folks don’t understand how serious Jesus is when He made the proclamation “I never knew you”.

“Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.” Matthew 7:15. It’s not hard to lead people around by their noses. Men and women have been doing just that to the simple minded for many millennia. The difficult part is getting them to see the truth after they’ve been indoctrinated with Satan’s lies. Chuck Missler, a Bible teacher whom I admire greatly, makes an appropriate statement at the beginning of one of his books. It’s a warning to all who might desire to venture further into reading his book, it states as follows:

Warning
This book can prove seriously disruptive to the comfort of closely held presuppositions.

People get suckered in and literally hooked on a lie; that lie becomes so imbedded in their psyche that God’s truth can no longer penetrate their mind. Many professing Christians hold to erroneous presuppositions and have no intention of allowing any disruption to their beliefs (comfort zones) because they are unwilling to search the scriptures for themselves. Instead these folks allow false teachers to promote their lies which in many cases are mixed with some truth. These lies then are embedded in the minds of those who are too lazy to search the scriptures for themselves.

Many erect stonewalls when their presuppositions are attacked, even if there’s just a simple suggestion that something may be amiss in their belief system. This phenomenon can happen to anyone who is not prepared for the eventuality of Satan’s lies.

When it comes to our relationship with Jesus Christ, God our Savior, nothing is more important. It’s not whether or not you go to church, it’s not how many scripture verses you’ve memorized, it’s not whether or not you’ve read your Bible through in a year, it’s do you know Jesus the Christ, and just as important is the question does He know you? Commit yourself to establishing a personal relationship, fully focused on our coming King. You won’t be sorry as you’ll avoid hearing these heartbreaking words “I never knew you.”

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
96 County Road 5480 Salem, MO 65560
All scripture is from the KJV and God breathed

Who Killed Jesus - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com 

The Catholic pope recently released a book in which he exonerates the Jewish people of their roll in the conspiracy resulting in the murder of our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ. Wow, the Catholic Church moving from millennia of anti-Semitism, to all out Jew haters of WWII, to exonerating the Jews from any blame in the conspiracy to kill Jesus. Now that’s phenomenal. Although, when we read the Bible for ourselves we learn a lot about those who attempted to kill Jesus. We know that the Roman soldiers drove the spikes that suspended Jesus on that cross, but we find it was the Jews who did all the plotting against Jesus. But the question of this commentary is “Who actually killed Jesus?”

Yes Roman soldiers certainly took part in Jesus’ death, but those Roman soldiers didn’t kill Jesus. So who did? A quick perusal through the New Testament gives us plenty of evidence against many of the Jewish people of that era who conspired to kill our Lord. “Now the chief priests, and elders, and all the council, sought false witness against Jesus, to put him to death;” Matthew 26:59. These folks were all Jews.

“And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong.” Luke 4:29. Jesus had just finished reading to some Jewish folks in the synagogue from the book of Isaiah. What Jesus said caused these Jews to see red. What was so bad? Here are Jesus’ final words to this group “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. …And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.” Luke 4:18-19, and 21. Jesus explained to His listeners that this was His mission here on earth, that those scriptures He had just read had now been fulfilled. After this statement, spoken by their Messiah, those particular Jews conspired to kill Him.

In the 12th chapter of the Book of Matthew there is an obvious point where the Jews fully reject their Messiah. “But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils.” Matthew 12:24. So in the minds of the Pharisees, the rulers of the Jews, Jesus is Satan. From chapter 13 of the book Matthew to the end of that book we see that Jesus only spoke in parables in order that the Jewish leadership would not understand Him.

“Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do.” John 8:44. Jesus pulls no punches as He speaks to the Jewish leadership and others standing around. He tells them how evil they are and that they are the children of their father the devil. Many today look at Jesus as a lightweight without the courage to stand up to His detractors. This exchange between Jesus and the Pharisees shines the true light on our Messiah. The Pharisees response to Jesus’ forcefulness was predictable from all we already know about the Jews of that day. “Then said the Jews unto him, Now we know that thou hast a devil. Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and thou sayest, If a man keep my saying, he shall never taste of death. Art thou greater than our father Abraham, which is dead? and the prophets are dead: whom makest thou thyself?” John 8:52-53. Jesus, through much patience, is continually attempting to tell these folks who He is and His response to the above statement by the Jewish leadership is just a further attempt at the same. “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad. Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? John 8:56-57. Can’t you just hear the sarcasms and distain in their voices? They were mocking Him. All Jesus said and did meant nothing to these folks. Then the Creator of the universe laid it completely on the line in the next verse. “Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.” John 8:58.

The Jew’s response to Jesus’ statement above tells us exactly what they had in mind for the one who they rejected as their Messiah. “Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.” John 8:59. Jesus was not afraid of those Jews who wanted to kill Him, but His time had not yet come. Only Jesus Himself would determine when and where He would allow Himself to be taken.

In another instance Jesus healed a man who had been crippled for thirty-eight years. When the Jews finally understood who healed this man they were outraged, not only because Jesus had healed this infirm man on the Sabbath, “But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.” John 5:17, but also because He had made Himself equal to God, “Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.” John 5:18. But the question still remains, “Who killed Jesus?”

“After these things Jesus walked in Galilee: for he would not walk in Jewry, because the Jews sought to kill him.” John 7:1. I’m sure there’s no doubt in the reader’s mind as to who it was that conspired to kill Jesus. Conspiring to kill someone and then actually pulling off such a deed are two different things. The Jews of Jesus’ day did not kill Him.

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one.” John 10:27-30. These statements by the Creator of the universe disturbed the Jews greatly and their response was obvious and logical in their minds. The Jews doubted Jesus at every turn, and their response to the Messiah was always the same. “Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him.” John 10:31. It’s true, they wanted Him dead. But did those Jews actually kill Jesus the Christ?

The scriptures are clear; many of the Jews of those days desperately wanted Jesus dead. But they didn’t kill Him. Therefore the Jews would need no such exoneration from a pope. God has never given it to any of the Catholic popes to extend forgiveness for man’s sins. God alone forgives us of our sins; all we need to do is ask. Yes, Jesus the Christ was and is fully man, yet He was and is also fully God. The pope is simply a man who other men have elevated to a position of authority over a group of deceived individuals.

So, the Jews were the instigators of Jesus’ death. The Roman soldiers clearly drove the spikes into Jesus’ body and crucified Him. But none of this tells us “Who killed Jesus.”

“Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.” John 10:18. Jesus laid down His own life for His creation through His own power. And Jesus picked up His own life, again, for His creation and by His power. So, you want to know who killed our Messiah, Jesus. Well the answer is simple. The responsibility of Jesus’ most horrible death lies at my feet. Yes, I killed Jesus and so did you. It was our sin that nailed Him to that cross, and He went willingly. And it was His love for us that kept Him there until He gave up His own life, “No man taketh it from me.”

No one person or group of people killed the Creator of the universe. The sin of the world had to be dealt with so all of humanity could be reconciled to the one true God. In the Garden of Eden man rebelled against his Creator, this rebellion had to be dealt with. The Creator, Jesus the Christ, had no other choice than to become mankind’s “Kinsman Redeemer” so man could once again be reconciled to Him.

Blaming the Jews for the death of Christ is nothing more than hate. Christ Himself blames no one. He forgives everyone if only we will accept His death on that cross, and His subsequent resurrection from the grave as full atonement for our sins.

The one thing none of us need is a man who thinks he speaks for God to exonerate the Jewish people or any of us of any wrong doing, for any sin, or for the death of Christ. “Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” Luke 23:34. As Jesus Christ hung on that cross looking down on the ones who accused Him and upon those who drove the spikes into His body, He forgave them. Forgiveness from the Creator of the universe is all anyone needs.

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
96 County Road 5480 – Salem, MO 65560
All scripture is from the KJV and God breathed

Folly and Shame -  - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com 

“He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him.” Proverbs 18:13. The word “folly” in the above verse refers to foolishness, specifically referring to foolish people. Referring to these same folks, the word “shame” in the above verse is meant to show them their folly is disgraceful, a reproach, an insult, and without honor. This verse speaks expressly of those who answer or draw an opinion about certain subject matter of which they have no foreknowledge. In simple laymen’s terms, this kind of irresponsibility only demonstrates their agnosticism, which simply means they lack any semblance of knowledge.

Supreme folly not only exists but is growing by leaps and bounds. In our current society there is a growing trend aimed towards anyone who stakes claim to the blood of Christ for salvation. What is the trend? It’s hate. Christians are seeing more and more severe animosity aimed at them by foolish, shameless people. They make judgments and answer a matter (on Christianity) before having any knowledge on the subject. Likely as not many of these foolish know-it-alls are only parroting what they’ve heard from someone else, who, in turn, is also parroting what they’ve heard on some previous occasion.

Hatred concerning Christians and Christianity is clearly advancing, and without a doubt the biggest promoters of this satanic advancement are those who are consumed with the homosexual lifestyle and those who condone that lifestyle. This vicious and venomous attitude toward Christ’s followers is infectious, infecting many more who, even though they are not wrought in that abominable lifestyle, join in the hate spewed by those who are. Yet they have no knowledge of what Christianity really consists of. Since those of us who are actually born again stand firm on God’s word, and since His word fully condemns the homosexual lifestyle, we’re hated and persecuted.

What we are witnessing in a society where at one time Christianity was embraced by a majority, is the proverbial snowball effect. This extreme hatred, now being accepted by many and aimed at anyone who even looks like they might be a professing Christian, is beginning to resemble an out of control train just before it hits the log wall at the end of the track. Every day more and more followers of Jesus Christ are being persecuted, ridiculed, and condemned for their faith by foolish people without any knowledge as to what that faith holds.

“The separation of Church and State” is a concept contrived from a simple letter written by Thomas Jefferson to the Danbury Baptist Association in 1802, and is now promoted as constitutional, yet that phrase cannot be found, nor is it implied, on any page of the Constitution or Declaration of Independence. This underhanded and intentional deception has been one of the greatest weapons in the enemy’s arsenal to force the Church here in the U.S. into silence here in the U.S. If the Christian church doesn’t toe the line (fall into step with the rest of the world) we will be fully condemned and persecuted by our now very secular humanist government. Many Churches in America have learned how to “fit in” with the world, thus they are no longer a threat to the secular humanists. Still, many other Churches remain firm holding onto the truth of God’s word. Hence they open themselves up to untold hate followed by persecution.

There are obvious signs of hatred developing into a major crescendo and will at some point, in the not too distant future, envelop all who are not followers of Jesus Christ. If you haven’t noticed any hatred or if you disagree with my analysis of the current sentiments of much of world, then the only thing I can tell you is that your eyes must be closed, your ears covered, and your head buried in the gullible sinking sands of doubt. Hate will appear in many forms and arrive from many different directions.

We who follow Jesus Christ unabashedly know there’s nothing to fear from those who hate us. But those who hate us fear us without even knowing why. Many people today, through the teaching of the lie of evolution, consider Christians and Christianity a huge disgrace on the rest of the populous, and an evil religion. These uninformed individuals believe that their children are in grave danger through the promotion of Christianity. They believe that any Christian evangelizing of the populous is an attempt at brainwashing, and a severe attack on their children. Fear and ignorance of the truth is the fuel that’s currently stoking the flames of hatred across the full spectrum of earth dwellers (the lost).

Out in the wide world of internet commentary and blogs, venomous hatred pointed at Christians can easily be found. Don’t take my word for it, but if you’re interested do your own search, although I don’t recommend it. Many of these folks say we (Christians) should all be imprisoned, still others suggest prison is too good and death is the only solution to eliminating the Christian influence from the world scene. Little do they realize but their wishes of the elimination of all true Christians from planet earth will soon come to fruition.

These folks actually believe that what we teach in our homes and in our Christian Churches to our children concerning the Bible and the Son of God should be deemed child abuse. I read recently on a website which I frequent daily, that some of these folks suggest Christians are so stupid that we are a disgrace to the human race. Anti-Christian sentiment is growing and the Bible says we are to expect much more as the end approaches.

“How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?” Proverbs 1:22. So many people today are absolutely, completely biblically illiterate and yet they publicly mock and ridicule the Bible with fierce abandon, which plainly displays their complete lack of knowledge and relegates them to the category of fools. They hate knowledge and take delight in scorning and hatred of Christians.

“…fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Proverbs 1:7b. The Bible is clearly speaking of the intentions of the foolish. They despise wisdom, they loath it. And instruction in the truth is scorned, even spurned. How can righteous people contend with the likes of these?

To begin with, there must be a healthy fear of the Lord. To fear God, according to those who are lost, is simply foolishness. Fear is not an unhealthy trait. Born again believers fear God, we revere Him, we respect Him, but more than that we love Him. We see and receive His awesome blessings and yet we know that He can, without effort, stop life in its tracks.

Those who hate God mock Him; ignorance is becoming common place. A lack of understanding, in many cases, is the only reason for hate. That so many are obsessed with hating Jesus Christ and His follower’s is quite disconcerting. Hate is ugly no matter who is involved and when it is condoned, as we see it occurring in many venues of daily living today, we naturally become concerned. But when the hate and devastation affects our brethren it affects us all.

The politically correct crowd in the Church today, as I mentioned earlier, are in lockstep with the secular world. Thus when they encounter a believer who actually holds the truth of the Bible supreme and inerrant, who takes God’s Word literally and seriously, and believes that God says what He means and means what He says, this evil crowd turns to the only arsenal within their grasp. Satan lays it at their feet and they dutifully wield it with all determination, and in many cases with great expertise. What is it? Condemnation. Yes, even in the church there are those who condemn others of the Christian faith who will not toe the politically correct line.

We expect hate and persecution from the foolish lost people of the world, but it is always flabbergasting when we encounter such hate from those who’ve supposedly turned these godless attitudes over to their redeemer. Hate is a powerful tool of the enemy of God and can be quite contagious. When not held in check, when allowed to spread, hate becomes all consuming like a wildfire ultimately affecting everyone in its path.

The end of all this insanity is upon us and we can see it approaching by watching the cataclysmic increases in not only famines and earthquakes, but also a world poised on the brink of war. “And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.” Matthew 24:12. We are currently inundated with thriving iniquity (wickedness). The result of such wickedness is the contamination of the heart. Once loving, caring, giving folks are turned into patrons of evil. Hearts have grown as cold as a block of ice, and hate is the flavor of the hour.

This trend seen in the current attitude of hate towards Christians is not new. In the twentieth century alone more Christians were martyred for their faith than in all the other centuries since the ascension of Christ combined. Just like Jesus told us, the hate is unavoidable.

When something approaches that affects our spirit so dramatically, we should know there’s only one course of action for the born again believer in Christ. Put on the full armor of God. Why? “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Ephesians 6:12.

All this hate toward Christians is satanic; Satan and his hoard of demons are all too ready to incite more and more hatred toward the followers of Jesus Christ to the point that the whole world will one day fall in step. We who stand with Jesus Christ realize that the fight has intensified because of the lateness of the hour. Just like those of us who are attuned to the signs of the times, so Satan understands those same signs and is fully aware that his time on earth is running out. If he’s going to corrupt many more lives he must shift into high gear. Hence, all the animosity and hate aimed at the brethren from the lost and perishing. Demoralize and destabilize the message bearer and the lost might just remain lost. After all, what man or woman will intentionally walk across burning coals if the path going around those coals is clear and comfortable?

Becoming a Christian, and I mean a truly born again believer in Christ, in an atmosphere of pure hate which is being propagated worldwide can be frightening and discouraging. Persecution of the saints is not to be dismissed as simply a concept of a by-gone era. Preparing one’s self with the armor of God as described in Ephesians 6 is the work of a prudent Christian. These days are filled with hatefulness and everyone who calls on the name of Jesus Christ will experience the persecution of hate. On the upside, the Rapture of the Church is most certainly on the cusp. Stand firm in the face of all adversity, you won’t regret it.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:” 1 Peter 1:3-7.

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
96 County Road 5480 – Salem, MO 65560
All scripture is from the KJV and God breathed

Idol Worship -  - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com 

“Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God,” Exodus 20:3-5a. This Old Testament stuff doesn’t concern today’s post-modern society. “No other gods before me”? There are so many other gods taking the place of the One true God today that idol worship has actually become the norm.

People have been inventing their own gods for thousands of years. But nothing comes as a surprise to God; He knew the world would become consumed with the worship of idols (false gods). Consequently He gave us a commandment prohibiting the worship of all the false gods men would eventually bring into their lives. Today the Bible is under constant attack and simply dismissed as folklore. Thus idol worship has moved into high gear. Paul explains in the first chapter of Romans that those who worship idols instead of the obvious true God are fools. “Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.” Romans 1:21. Why is Paul so harsh in his description of the heart of these folks? “Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator” Romans 1:25a. It’s pure foolishness to worship the created in lieu of the Creator of the universe. “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:” Romans 1:20. Idol worshipers will someday stand before the Creator Himself and when that day comes excuses will be nonexistent.

Lucifer, the “shinning one”, at one time was known as the “cherub that covered” “Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth;” Ezekiel 28:14a. Now of course he’s known by many names, none of which are at all complimentary, but it wasn’t always that way “…Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. … Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.” Ezekiel 28:12b, 15. God created Lucifer as the most beautiful, knowledgeable, perfect in his ways, anointed cherub of all. Lucifer’s downfall came when it was found that iniquity had taken the place of perfection. Then he took his sinful prideful attitude and attempted to usurp God’s authority so he could become god. Lucifer (Satan) has been convincing men to do the same thing since he first appeared in the Garden of Eden. Many now believe they are their own god; they worship the created instead of the Creator.

Idolatry and pride go hand in hand, Satan’s pride turned into rebellion to God and ultimately into idol worship. In Satan’s case he worships himself. But he also wants the world of men to worship him. Satan’s agenda: turn men against the Creator God and they will turn and worship anything as a form of god. Worshipping an idol is worshiping Satan.

The Ten Commandments were given to us by the One true God, the Creator of the universe – Jesus the Christ. Yet today these same Ten Commandments are simply written off as manmade mandates which, in the minds of the lost, were only established to bind and hinder the growth of humanity. The Ten Commandments are systematically being removed from all public view. They are not only being ignored but there is a push on to relegate them to obscurity. For now, though, they are deteriorating having been placed in a category of fables. Can you remember the last time the subject of God’s Ten Commandments was broached by your pastor?

The government removes the Ten Commandments from public view every chance they get. If they don’t remove every vestige of those old tired commandments the ACLU files suit and we know how much the ACLU is feared. When in truth we should fear the One who, with His finger, wrote those Commandments in stone.

I wonder just how many Christian churches post the Ten Commandments so they can be readily viewed by their congregants. Ask most Christians today to recite the Ten Commandments and watch how they stumble, stammer, and squirm in their seats trying desperately to remember even five out of ten; many can’t accurately quote even one of the Ten Commandments.

Yes it’s true, it is impossible for any human being to be perfect and keep the Ten Commandments of God, which is precisely why God sent His only begotten Son to die in our stead. But to no longer teach the Ten Commandments – to simply ignore them altogether – is tantamount to ignoring God. Ignoring God will set in motion a complete lack of caring about who God is coupled with extreme apathy towards God’s word. To neglect any part of the Bible is foolishness. The Ten Commandments must be taught to our children; sadly, today we need to teach the parents as well.

God cannot be pleased with a group of people who claim His provisions, who claim His presence in their midst, who claim the blood of Christ as their covering, and yet neglect and even disparage His commandments. “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” John 14:15. Do you love Him?

This world, in which we Christians only sojourn, is fast becoming more and more overrun with people who are filled with anger, hostility, greed, and hatred toward their fellow man and toward their God. We currently live in a world made up of men and women intent on fulfilling every sinful desire, who delve into all sorts of unspeakable evil practices for no more than a few minutes pleasure, and whose goals are only materialistic continually. These folks worship at the altar of Baal (Satan).

“For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.” Ephesians 5:5. When God is eliminated from our lives something else must take His place. If another gospel is preached in our Christian churches other than the one true Gospel, then another god is proclaimed instead of the One true God, idol worship has expanded into many Christian churches. Mammon is the new idol.

Just as idol worship became a stumbling block to Israel after they left Egypt, so it is advancing in all societies today. Those who have no use for the true Creator of the universe – the God of the Holy Bible – have their own gods (idols) which they of course worship with all tenacity.

Many atheists are feverously attempting to prove there is no God, that the Bible is a myth. But if there is no God, then why are these folks so adamant in their attempts to disprove Him? It’s impossible to not worship something. The foolish lost of this world continue to worship the creature instead of the Creator.

The Christian is just as vulnerable to idol worship, anything that replaces Jesus Christ in our life as pre-eminent becomes an idol. If Jesus Christ is supreme over your life then you are holding fast to the faith. But the fact is many have relegated that supreme position to the enemy of Christ. “Wait a minute Ron, I love Jesus, and I attend church on Sunday.” That’s fine. Let me ask you a question. What about the other six days and 23 hours which remain in every week? Who’s first in your life on those days and hours? We must understand that God is not a part time God. “Thou shalt have no other gods before me” He commands us to place Him in first position in our lives and that we never boot Him out of that position in lieu of something we feel is more attractive and pleasurable.

Man’s inventions can, and do, distract people – ultimately replacing God with an idol. Idol worship is something we must always be mindful of. Ask yourself this question: how much of my day is spent in the word of God? Does anything I own, or anything I long to own, or any activities I’m involved in get in the way of my worship of God and my study of His Word?

It really isn’t rocket science, people; it’s only that old wicked Satan who wants every human to be as lost as he and his hoard of misfits. Idol worship can overwhelm us. We must understand that we are endowed with God-given attributes which are to be used to His glory. Any time we replace God with an idol it’s the same as slapping Him in the face. It’s a statement we are making that says “I love this ‘thing’ more than God.”

God’s blessings are ours to enjoy, but there is no love for God when we attribute those blessings to something we did on our own, or good luck. That attitude is prideful and satanic.

Sinful pride is the culprit for the loss of fellowship with the one and only true and living God. We pride ourselves on our own greatness ultimately replacing the Creator of the universe with an idol, in this case “self” is that idol.

When we speak of the idol worshipers, the stories and lessons from the Bible immediately come to mind. Over and over again we can read in our Bibles of the Israelites backsliding and following after the pagan gods and worshiping at the altar of Baal. The imagery of what and who the Israelites worshipped as god conjures up images of creepy creatures and wood carved human sex organs.

Archaeologists have found reliefs of some incredibly odd looking forms carved into walls which were depicted as being worshipped as gods, some with the body of a man and the head of a bird or the head of a man and the body of a lion, and this is repulsive to most of us today. But today’s idol worshipers also worship at the altar of Baal, only today the idols are not carved images but they still include their idols of sexual pleasures as well as modern technologies. Can you think of an altar where the majority of men, women, and children sit, eyes fixed on their idol for hours on end? How about those people who sacrifice their children who are still in the womb to their idol, the god Moloch.

All religious cults claim to be the true source or path that leads to God, but refuse to acknowledge Jesus Christ as the only true path to salvation are all intertwined with idolatry. Muslims, JW’s, Mormons, Buddhists, Hindus, New Agers, even many Catholics are idol worshipers. Even worshiping at a Christian Church where Jesus is neglected or subordinated to a lesser god, and where the seeker friendly purveyors of mammon are elevated to a position of supremacy, is pure unadulterated evil, and idolatrous.

Idol worship is so prevalent today that to admit to worshiping the one true God, Jesus the Christ, exclusively brings down the wrath of the secular world. The exclusivity of salvation through Jesus Christ alone is seen as extremely intolerant to other religions, thus we are hated by a world which prides itself on political correctness. But Jesus told us this is the way it will be for all who follow Him. “If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.” John 15:18-19.

Is there anything in your life that is more important than being Christ centered? “If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.” Luke 14:26. Because we love Jesus Christ nothing comes between Him and that love, not even our families or self-preservation.

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
96 County Road 5480-Salem, MO 65560
All scripture is from the KJV and God breathed

Different Soil – Same Seed - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com 

“And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow; And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up: Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth: And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them: But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.” Matthew 13:3-8.

There are four specific soils mentioned in our Lord’s parable of the sower, but only one actually leads to salvation. Take heed here folks, there is no in between ground. There are multitudes of professing Christians who comfortably call the wrong ground home. The problem is many, though claiming a relationship with Christ, may not have a relationship with Him at all. Ignoring Jesus’ parable of the sower can be detrimental to your eternal life.

“And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up:” Matthew 13:4. The wayside ground proves to be horrible ground for planting or for expecting any growth. This first ground points to those who hear the Gospel yet understand it not. They are blinded to the truth, thus they can’t understand it. “…then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.” Matthew 13:19b. Void of understanding they are easy prey for the enemy (fowls). Satan steals what these folks heard (blinds them to the truth). So these folks, although having heard the truth, remain ignorantly lost. “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” 2 Corinthians 4:3-4.

“But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.” Matthew 13:20-21. These folks heard the word of God and received it with much joy. They started off enthusiastic about the Gospel of truth, yet after some persecution raises its ugly head in their lives they fall away from the truth, meaning they never really had it. The Apostle John tells us who they were. “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.” 1 John 2:19. What we see here is that among those who claim to be Christian, it’s obvious that there are many who have never gone through a conversion from death to life. Thus the words “falling away” come into play. They knew the truth and accepted what they heard as the truth, yet they allowed life’s troubles to move them away from that truth. They never became justified (saved).

“And He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.” Matthew 13:22. These folks heard the word but the world got in their way. They were deceitfully seduced by wealth, so much so that they bore no fruit for the Kingdom of God. “Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.” Matthew 7:19-20. It’s a sad commentary on our times; many believe they are doing just fine as Christians, but the truth never embedded itself in their hearts, there’s no commitment to Christ, and no salvation, “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 7:21. These kinds of verses are warnings from the Creator Himself. Heed them or not – your choice.

“But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.” Matthew 13:23. This is the only soil classified as good ground in Jesus’ parable. The first soil speaks of those who are thoroughly blinded to the truth by Satan and his hoard; they now refuse to believe anything that has to do with the truth of the Gospel. The next two soils are packed with professing Christians who, when the time comes, are going to be screaming the words “Lord, Lord”. Remember it’s the soil that is bad not the seed.

Jesus explains in various parables that not everyone who thinks they’re Christians actually are. Just claiming to be a Christian doesn’t necessarily make it so. I spent most of my younger years believing I was a Christian, but one day a born again believer in Christ explained what it took to be a Christian and I realized I had been wrong for years; I had swallowed the lie. There must be a conversion from a life of sin to a new creature who repents and turns from sin. Then they begin to walk in newness of life. “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17.

In many cases, just watching the lifestyle of someone who professes a faith in Jesus Christ can be quite telling. Jesus gave us the parable of the soil to teach us the difference between “born again” and “in name only” Christians.

The last ground Jesus mentioned is the good ground which produces much fruit through the understanding and acceptance of His Word as the truth. Every true believer produces some fruit but we all don’t produce at the same level. Some are more active in the spreading of the Gospel than others. Some make it their life’s work, spreading the Gospel to all parts of the globe. Still others find plenty of work right in their own communities. Nonetheless, all born again followers of Jesus Christ will eventually, at some point in their Christian walk, bear fruit, you can count on it.

The question is if you are a professing Christian today, of which soil are you? In writing this commentary I’m not attempting to judge whether a person is saved (justified) or not. The purpose is to help those who will read this commentary to do some soul searching before it’s too late. The fourth soil is the only good ground so the idea here is to do some self-evaluation to be absolutely certain where you will spend eternity. Jesus said “And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:” Matthew 7:26. Only the foolish ignore His warnings.

This world places incredible pressures on all humans so they will weaken and give into temptation. The only way to avoid sinking into the abyss is to be sure who we’ve placed our faith and trust in. Jesus Christ is the One and only Savior and Lord and our only hope for everlasting life. Satan is the god of this world and if you aren’t born again you’re Satan’s property. It is his intent to persuade you through evil means to reject and even ignore Jesus Christ and His Word. We are taught in the scriptures that most will comply with their father the devil’s demands. But it doesn’t have to be you. Three of the soils in Jesus’ parable above are owned by Satan, and he convinces many that they are on good solid ground – that everything will be fine. Yet they remain lost – just where Satan wants them.

Don’t fall for his traps. Don’t allow anyone to convince you that there are many ways to the Father, many good grounds. Or that good people will not go to Hell. Another trap is that you don’t have to accept Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. These are all lies that trap and bind, don’t believe them. There are many more being promoted as truth today, even in many Christian churches. Born again believers in Christ are firmly planted on soil four, the only ground where salvation is found.

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
96 County Road 5480-Salem, MO 65560
All scripture is from the KJV and God breathed

Thy Kingdom Come – Thy Will Be Done - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com 

“For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.” Psalm 107:9. Most of us studying prophecy know that the Rapture of the Church is on the near horizon. By studying the scriptures we can clearly find documentation focusing on that awesome event. The only part of the information concerning the rapture of Christ’s Church that will remain elusive is when the Rapture will occur. But as the psalmist says, God will fill a longing and hungry soul.

Sometimes I wonder, out of all those who believe Jesus will come and remove His Church from this planet, how many actually long for it and pray that it will happen, and that it will be soon. “When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.” Luke 11:2.

There’s a reason Jesus gave His disciples this prayer. It’s referred to by most as the Lord’s Prayer, but it should be called the Disciple’s Prayer. Jesus gave us that prayer to invoke God’s will. Each time we pray we should seek His will. What so many refuse to believe is that it’s His will that His Kingdom be set up here on earth. When Jesus finally sets up His earthly Kingdom after the battle of Armageddon His will will be done on earth, just as it is in Heaven.

In Heaven, God’s will is followed by all His angels; obviously, on earth His will is despised by most of her inhabitants. Some Christian Churches believe we are currently living through our Lord Jesus’ earthly millennial Kingdom because Jesus our Messiah reigns in our hearts. To them His earthly reign is only symbolic. Well that just doesn’t jive with His word. “Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him (Jesus our Messiah) a thousand years.” Revelation 20:6. This is an actual event which will not only establish our Messiah as our ultimate perfect King, but we, His saints (the Raptured Church), will be reigning with Him. Those who long for His appearing will receive a special reward.

We have set up prayer lists which we pray over, and there are prayer warriors who are dedicated to praying continually (something we all should be doing), and of course there are many praying for Jesus’ soon return. All sincere prayer is important and God hears the voices of His children as we lift up our prayers and supplications to Him. But one specific prayer Jesus gave us to pray is more often than not simply ignored.

I’m not sure just how many prayer warriors pray the Lord’s Prayer daily, but I know we should all be doing so. If we truly want our Messiah to return soon then let’s begin praying like we believe it, “Thy Kingdom Come Thy Will Be Done”.

When God’s Children speak with Him and even cry out to Him letting Him know how troubled our hearts are as we anticipate the coming deluge of persecution, He hears our pleas and knows our troubles and He will intercede on our behalf. One of these days as we are praying “Thy Kingdom Come”, sure as God made little green apples we will hear the trump call of God and the voice of the archangel and then we shall see Jesus as He takes us up to meet Him in the air. “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” 1 Thessalonians 4:16.

On the other hand, if we aren’t interested in Jesus Christ coming back quickly perhaps He won’t. I’m sure there are many professing Christians who are so enthralled with the world that they live by worldly pursuits without even a thought to Christ’s return.

“The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:” Revelation 1:1. We are currently witnessing the beginning of this rapid succession (must shortly come to pass) of signs. Even more exciting is the anticipation of what we know is approaching. We should be praying “Thy Kingdom come – Thy will be done” that all these signs to brought to their crescendo.

Nothing is in the Bible by chance, and certainly the Lord’s Prayer is no exception. There is a reason Jesus told His disciples to pray that particular prayer. Did Jesus give us that prayer to mouth over and over to the point that we know it by heart and we speak it without thinking? Have we allowed the Lord’s Prayer to become nothing more than a child’s redundant bedtime prayer? If so, we need to resurrect that awesome prayer from the depths of mediocrity.

Asking God to come back to set up His earthly Kingdom is not only prudent, but it is His will. After all, we’re assured that Jesus will remove His Church prior to what the Bible describes as the “Day of the Lord”, the Great Tribulation. Jesus tells us that that 3½ year period will be the most horrible time in the history of mankind. “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.” Matthew 24:21. This is not an allegory nor has this horrific period already passed. This, one of the final events in the history of mankind, is still a future event which, thankfully, His Church will be excluded from. Hopefully many more will join us before it’s too late.

In many a Christian’s mind, as well as in the majority of Christian churches today, apathy reigns supreme. Arrogance comes in at a close second. Both of these defeatist mind-sets play a pivotal role in the lives of those who reject the inerrancy, as well as the literal translation, of the Bible. “Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” 1 Thessalonians 4:18. It’s a shame but many Christians will receive no comfort from the words of Paul concerning the Rapture of the Church, especially since they love not His appearing. “Thy Kingdom come – Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven” is foreign to them. They are actually earth dwellers and perfectly happy to remain here.

I don’t know about the rest of you, but if my Lord Jesus were to return to remove His Church before you were finished reading this commentary, that would certainly suit me. Is that a defeated attitude? Not at all. Do I sometimes feel remorse for even having those thoughts? Yes. But then I must ask myself why? He gave us that prayer so we could be an active participant of His Kingdom by requesting He establish it post-haste. The attitude of asking for His soon return means we seek His soon appearing “Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.” 2 Timothy 4:8. If you love (long for) His appearing your crown of righteousness awaits you.

The Lord’s Prayer is a prayer that puts God’s interests first; it is His name, His Kingdom, and His will that are primary here. It should be our pleasure, as well as responsibility, to let God know just how much we’d like to see His will done. We must pray with a longing and we must believe what we are praying for, that God’s Kingdom is soon to be established here on earth; we want to see our King Jesus sitting on His earthly throne ruling and reigning on this planet, and we want it to begin right now.

“Our Father”. When we pray thusly we are praying in unison as His children. Calling God our Father shows we have a privileged relationship with the Creator of the universe. “Our” shows prayer belongs among His children. We find the Lord’s Prayer recorded in Matthew 6 then repeated in Luke 11, which should tell us Jesus considered it important.

Jesus’ disciples watched Jesus pray and they wanted to pray like Him. They wanted to speak with God the Father just as God’s only begotten Son spoke with Him. The way we speak to God shows a lot about how we feel about God. Jesus’ attitude as well as His demeanor as He prayed showed His full reverence for His Father.

We who actually place our faith and trust in Jesus Christ and Him alone for salvation are only sojourners on earth, and as such it should be our full and complete desire to be united with Him where He is, our future real home.“For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven:” 2 Corinthians 5:1-2. Even the Apostle Paul desired to go home, to put on his new heavenly body. Nevertheless, Paul went about doing his Lord’s will until the end. “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not. For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better…” Philippines 1:21-24a.

It makes good sense to pray as a body devoted to the Lord that the last day would arrive and His Kingdom would be established. When the Lord Jesus returns and places His feet on solid ground we will be with Him in our new Heavenly tabernacles. Let’s all pray that that day is nigh upon us. Oh come quickly Lord Jesus.

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
96 County Road 5480-Salem, MO 65560
All scripture is from the KJV and God breathed

“Children of the Light” – “Day of the Lord” -  -  Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com 

“But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.” 1 Thessalonians 5:1-5.

If you are a born again child of God, you are one of the children of light spoken of by the Apostle Paul in the last verse above, therefore you cannot, and will not, be overtaken as a thief would overtake the unsuspecting. Why won’t you be among the crowd that will be overcome with sudden destruction? The “Day of the Lord” mentioned in verse 2 above is referring to the day of God’s wrath. The title given us (Christ’s Church) is “children of light” if you are in the “Light” category you are “In Christ” therefore you will not be on earth when God pours out His wrath on this Christ rejecting world.

In the book of Isaiah, the prophet speaks numerous times of the “Day of the Lord”. One such verse that really catches the eye is “Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.” Isaiah 13:9. When the Lord comes back to earth this time He won’t come as a suffering servant, but as a conquering King. He will come with cruel wrath and fierce anger to destroy all who’ve rejected Him. Isaiah doesn’t mince words; the reader knows exactly what God’s actions will be when He once again sets physical foot on planet earth.

It is Paul’s intention to explain further to the Thessalonian Church that they are not part of those who dwell in darkness; therefore they will not experience the “Day of the Lord”. Paul starts off using words like “you” and “yourself” in verse 2 of 1 Thessalonians 5, speaking of the church. Then he changes to “they” and “them” referring to those who’ve spent their lives dwelling in darkness – those who’ve had no use for Jesus Christ their entire lives. For when “they” shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon “them”, as travail upon a woman with child; and “they” shall not escape.

Those who choose to remain in darkness will be left here on earth to contend with God’s fierce anger. We who are born again – although just as deserving of God’s punishment as those who dwell in darkness – will never face a moment of God’s wrath. How thankful are we that Jesus was willing to sacrifice Himself on that cross. He took all of our sins and nailed them to that cross. The sin of the world nailed and forgotten, but only those who are born again are forgiven.

“Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast. For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.” Isaiah 26:20-21. When the children of light are safely hidden and the door is shut, then the indignation will come. For the children of light, paradise will be our staging area whilst “the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth”.

“For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine. And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.” Isaiah 13:10-11. Those folks who will be left to deal with God’s wrath will first be plunged into darkness – darkness will be the norm around the world. Then God will punish them for their evil, wicked ways. Those arrogant enough to reject His free gift of salvation even going as far as to say there is no God – that we all evolved from pond scum – will immediately be reminded of their foolishness.

“Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.” Joel 3:14. This verse has been used by pastors as a draw to those who still need to make a decision for Christ. But, in all actuality, time has run out for the multitudes left standing in this valley. Since the valley of decision is the location of the battle of Armageddon it’s not some sort of safe haven or a place to finally make up your mind one way or the other concerning Jesus Christ. Joel is referring to this valley as a valley of judgment – by this time, if you haven’t made a decision to believe and accept God’s free gift of salvation, it’s too late. God’s judgment has come.

“The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come:” Acts 2:20. Notice the word “before” in this verse, darkness will reign supreme even before “that great and notable Day of the Lord” comes barreling down on this wicked, perverse generation. Yes, this generation.

“The great day of the LORD is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the LORD: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly. That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness… And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the LORD: and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung. Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD'S wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.” Zephaniah 1:14-15, 17-18. Many times in the Old Testament we see prophecy with dual fulfillment. King Josiah inherited a corrupt nation from his father Amon and grandfather Manasseh, a nation almost wholly given over to idolatry (2 Kings 21:3-7). Here God announces judgment against the idol worshippers in Israel. Although Zephaniah speaks of how God will judge a rebellious Judah, a future fulfillment is also in view here. God will once again judge the wicked earth dwellers – neither their gold nor silver will do them any good in the “Day of the Lord”. This prophecy is about to be fulfilled, God’s wrath is about to be poured out on a Christ rejecting world. No one, in their right mind, should desire to see and be a part of the final fulfillment of Zephaniah’s prophecy.

“For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.” Malachi 4:1. All of these prophets are speaking of the same future event. It’s the “Day of the Lord”; it’s the wrath of God being poured out on a generation that has thoroughly rejected God and His Christ and turned to wickedness (as in the days of Noah), and to postpone His wrath God would only be allowing all humanity to destroy themselves. “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.” Matthew 24:21-22. The elect are those who have become followers of Jesus Christ during the Great Tribulation. We, the Church, will be watching from the mezzanine.

“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9. Here we’re told of God’s patience – that He is longsuffering to us-ward. This means that God is slow to anger – slow to punish. But don’t forget that He is not slack concerning His promise. “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.” 2 Peter 3:9-10.

Throughout His Word, God places so much emphasis on the approaching “Day of the Lord” that for us to merely relegate it to allegory, or shrug it off as a future event unimportant to us today is foolishness and completely misses His point. He’s made a promise that His wrath will be unleashed. Yes, God is longsuffering to us-ward but He’s trying to get the point across to everyone who has an ear to hear with that although He is slow to anger and slow to punish, His anger will eventually be poured out and soon, but only on those who’ve rejected His free gift of salvation.

At this point you might want to do some real soul searching to be absolutely sure just where you stand in relation to the Creator of the universe. Have you heard the Gospel of Christ? Have you believed? Have you placed Jesus Christ first in your life? Or is there an idol in that most important place in your heart?

The Children of the Light/Day, are all those who have placed their faith and trust in Jesus the Christ alone for salvation. We are those who will be caught up to be with the Lord prior to “Day of the Lord” (the wrath of God).

Many folks disagree when it comes to this mystery we refer to as the Rapture of the Church, but as seemingly old and tired as the cliché becomes it’s still just as appropriate today as we’re continually confronted by the naysayers. We simply tell them not to worry; we’ll explain it to them on the way up.

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
96 County Road 5480-Salem, MO 65560
All scripture is from the KJV and God breathed

Preach the Gospel  -  Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com 

“Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:” 1 Corinthians 15:1-4. The Apostle Paul lays out for all to understand just what constitutes “The Gospel”, which is the message we believers in Christ should have firmly and faithfully imbedded on our brains – completely memorized and sharing it with the lost world.

“For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.” 1 Thessalonians 2:13. It’s the truth, when we heard it we were drawn to it – many of us believed it and we were saved. Where is “The Gospel” today?

“We are not makers and inventors; we are repeaters, we tell the message we have received” – Charles Spurgeon.

What message are we promoting? Is it the same message Paul promoted on his many journeys? What are people led to believe when they sit and listen to their pastor on Sunday mornings preach about prosperity or some other nonsense instead of preaching the truth of the Gospel? Spurgeon tells us we don’t create new messages we “Preach the Gospel”. And no, the Gospel is never to be considered old fashion, obsolete, or obscure.

The Gospel tells us of Jesus’ sacrifice – which was an accomplishment not a tragedy – made for the sin of the world. He died – He was buried – three days later He arose from the grave. Why did He die? Because His creation had turned into a bunch of lost sinners who had condemned themselves to Hell. Yet He still loved us so much He made the ultimate sacrifice by dying – paying the full price for our sins. Why Jesus? Because that was the plan the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit had preordained before the foundation of the world. The Gospel message is not a fable or a church tradition which lost its power over the past 19 centuries.

The fulfillment of the Gospel was an achievement and a passion that took nothing less than the Creator of the universe to accomplish. The reason for teaching the Gospel is to show a sinful lost world there’s hope, there’s a life after this life, a better life for us all – and that the One true God, who loved us so much He was willing to die a horrific death for us, is alive and well and stands with us today. But it must be preached, taught, fully explained – and it must be believed if salvation is the goal. If salvation isn’t the goal of the church then what is?

Paul explains the Gospel message always referring to the fact that all these things happened “according to the scriptures”. The Old Testament scriptures reference Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection. The plan for His death is described in places like Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53. The plan for His resurrection is described in Hosea 6:2, Jonah 1:17, Psalm 16:10.

The truth of the Gospel message is the most important message you will ever hear. But the problem is that as important as this message is, it is sorely lacking in its presentation from our Christian pulpits today.

“Good luck” is the god that receives the accolades today while the One true God’s blessings are dismissed as mere coincidence. Sooner or later the Gospel must also be dismissed as nothing more than an old fable – and to many, a very ill favored and sick fable at that. What kind of God would send His only Son to die such a horrible death? One who loves you and me more than we can know.

“And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” Mark 16:15. How has Jesus’ instructions changed? I found, with little effort, the term “Preach the Gospel” presented fourteen times in the King James Version of the Bible, “Preaching the Gospel six times, “The Gospel of God” twenty-three times, “The Gospel of Christ” 24 times, and the term “the Gospel” was repeated 94 times. Yet to “Preach the Gospel” message today is akin to preaching heresy.

“And after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavoured to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto them.” Acts 16:10. Paul and Silas, two itinerate preachers, preached the Gospel of Christ as they traveled on their journeys throughout Asia Minor and including Macedonia. It was the Gospel message that those people heard and responded to, which was portrayed as nothing less than the death of God Himself. The death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ is the theme of the Bible.

Sadly, today the Gospel message is given little significance in Christ’s Church. The messages are about being more spiritual and feeling good about who you are and what you’ve obtained. Pleasure, performance, prosperity are all wonderful themes to be preached in the minds of many Christian pastors; health and weight loss are flourishing messages in the Churches of Jesus Christ. But Christ dying on an old wooden cross for the sin of the world is apparently not a very pleasing or uplifting message to those who warm pews today.

Ask most people in the church today what the Gospel message is and the reply will be “It’s the good news”, or they may not even have an answer. Although most may know the Gospel represents good news they don’t know what good news it represents. There is way too much emphasis on man’s invented doctrines and other nonsense which has become traditional church doctrine. There is so very little representative truth about Jesus Christ these days that one might miss the fact that He is our Lord and Savior.

Most in the church today have no clue as to what Jesus meant when He told His disciples to “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” Matthew 28:19-20. Teach them what? The Gospel of course. His Gospel. Who He is and what He did. That His death, burial, and resurrection is the truth and must be believed if there be any hope for our salvation. Jesus Christ is the only way to the Father, period.

The exclusivity of the cross is not to be denied, yet the worldly religions, as well as what is becoming a majority of the professing church, are against us for what we believe, and for what we claim as exclusivity (John 14:6). We, the true church, are seen as intolerant, racist, bigoted, self-righteous, lacking compassion, and arrogant. Since they don’t believe the Word of God they see us as a bunch of haters. Therefore those of us who do believe Jesus’ statement “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” John 14:6, are nothing more than a shrinking minority.

The message today must be a more “seeker friendly – purpose driven”, conversational subject matter geared at not upsetting those who might object to putting restrictions on lifestyles. Of course the harshness and brutality of the cross and what the Bible says happened to Jesus while on that cross should not be spoken of as it may drive many away from the church. Let’s keep it simple and fun. Why drag Jesus Christ into it? With Him there is much suffering and heartache represented by that cross which is not a subject that goes over well with the politically correct crowd as they sip their lattés while allowing their ears to be tickled.

Preaching the Gospel to folks is old hat. It worked fine for those war mongering generations of the past, but today in this postmodern world of the new morality, and new age concepts there is no need for such an ancient, arcane teaching to be presented to folks. After all, isn’t it true that everyone who is good, no matter what they believe, goes to Heaven?

In a recent survey 83 percent of evangelical Protestants believe that there is no further need to preach the Gospel of Christ from the pulpit or spread the good news around the world. The survey concluded that anyone who is a good person, no matter what religion they are affiliated with or whether they are religious or not, will go to heaven when they die.

That, my friends, is certainly a sad commentary on our times. I for one am aghast at the level of unbelief in the evangelical community. It’s no wonder the Gospel isn’t being preached from very many Christian pulpits. To this crowd God’s word was not meant to be everlasting, but transient. As people and societies change with the times, so then must the message change. And it has.

People have become so nonchalant about what they believe that if anyone opposes those beliefs they simply become apathetic or ambiguous. The desire to stand firm for Jesus Christ and His word, and what once was thought of as a privilege to give one’s life in defense of, has now almost completely deteriorated.

The Bible is our link to God, but many churches today ignore, or worse ridicule and scoff at his Word, relegating it to a myth. When this occurs, Jesus Christ’s status as Creator of the universe is diminished or even lost all together. Then, as we’ve seen over the past few years, Jesus is remembered only as a prophet, teacher, or just a nice man.

Paul, speaking of Jesus Christ, says “And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.” Colossians 1:18. Does Jesus the Christ, King of kings and Lord of lords, still reign supreme in your church or has He lost His preeminence?

From the pulpit to revivals the Gospel message must become the dominating theme preached or without fail the true Church is going to do nothing more than shrink. What will become of all those big beautiful buildings rising up on the landscapes housing hundreds, even thousands, of pew warmers? Nothing. They’ll still be around and may even flourish, but without the Gospel message they are no different than a café, a social gathering of lost folks pacifying one another with drivel, yet without a clue of how lost they are.

Before the scriptures were written down for us, God placed the Gospel message among the stars, it’s known as the Mazzaroth or Zodiac. It’s been corrupted over the years by you know who (Satan) and now many astrologers stake their claim to what was originally God’s Gospel message and subvert it. The Gospel is so important to God that He arranged the stars in such a fashion at creation that they would explain His message of redemption. Why then does the church today dismiss it? Why has the Gospel message lost its appeal?

Look up church. It’s just above your heads – day and night. You’re standing in perfect view of the most important text message you’ll ever receive. God, help us all to get back to the truth and “Preach the Gospel”, proclaimed even in the stars.

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
96 County Road 5480-Salem, MO 65560
All scripture is from the KJV and God breathed
 

The Father Draws -  Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com 

“No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.” John 6:44. According to Jesus’ own words the Father must do the drawing (except the Father …draw him) otherwise none of us could be justified (saved). God works in mysterious ways, ways we mere humans can’t really wrap our minds around. God works through His Holy Spirit on the heart of every man – yet no man comes to Jesus unless God the Father is thoroughly involved. Not everyone accepts the truth and believes God when He attempts to convince them of His truth. If folks come to the foot of the cross it must be because God the Father drew them there and they believed. No man will seek justification (salvation) by his own volition.

Is it God’s desire that all of mankind be saved? “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” II Peter 3:9. The Greek word “pas” used here for “all” actually means all. But does that mean that eventually all men/women will come to Jesus Christ for their salvation? Not hardly. God alone does the drawing – He draws all but only those who are open to being drawn will come.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16. “Whosoever” refers to the fact that God extends His free gift of salvation to “all” but it doesn’t mean “all” will eventually obtain everlasting life. Since God can see the beginning from the end He knows those who will be drawn – likewise He knows full well those who won’t accept His free gift of salvation. It was never His plan nor is it His desire that some of His creation would remain unjustified (condemned). God loves all of His creation with a love that is beyond our understanding, yet God knows what the conclusion of each person’s life will be and has known every aspect of the timeline of each of our lives since before He laid the foundation of the earth.

Apart from His incredible love and mercy there is a persistent fact that cannot be overlooked. God gave each one of us something that really boggles our mind, free will. God will not violate His creation’s free will – He has no desire to fill eternity with a bunch of undesirable, loveless robots. We are born sinners – we are born lost. Some will seek God as He draws them, but most won’t and that’s the tragedy. Think about it, God loves everyone equally, yet He knows each individual’s ultimate destination for eternity. It must be an incredibly painful period for God to endure whilst He watches the life of one of His creation begin and then end without ever coming to the cross of Christ.

So where does all this foreknowledge of God’s leave the faithful who believe and follow Christ’s great commission? Why would the Creator of the universe leave His disciples with such a commandment? If God already knows whom He will draw to Christ ahead of time (who will accept His free gift of salvation) why is it that we must spread His Gospel to all creatures? What does He need us for? Let’s see if God will provide us with an answer.

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 5:16. We, His children, are His messengers. God will use us as we demonstrate His Glory throughout our Christian walk. He invokes our help as witnesses to His truth – then others (nonbelievers) see Him in us. It isn’t that everyone is born either saved or unsaved, but that throughout their life they either recognize God as truth then believe – hence He draws – or they refuse to see His truth, thus they remain lost.

We, as God’s messengers, may be the catalyst that brings about a change in a person’s attitude towards God. Yes, God draws us to His Son but how does He do that? By using the faith of His children as a picture, as a sign, as a visible fulfillment of His promises. He knew before He created us just what it would take to convince us of the power, presence, and sacrifice of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He knew His children would play a positive role in attracting others to the truth as they delivered His message to a lost world. This is one way God the Father draws us to Christ so that we would believe and follow His only begotten Son into an awesome eternity with Him. He also knew before the foundation of the earth which one of His children would be instrumental in another person’s life to help them see the truth. Sadly, He knows all too well those who are foolishly standing apart with an attitude of “I’m saved, that’s good enough for me.” This blatant refusal by God’s children to follow His commands must displease Him greatly. “Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.” Matthew 5:13.

“Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.” Matthew 5:14. Since we follow Jesus Christ we are to be that light to the world. Well then, the question must be broached – why do so many of His children remain hid? Like Jesus says when salt loses its saltiness it is good for nothing. What good is a bunch of good for nothing Christians?

All this craziness concerning predestination would be avoided if only we would at least attempt to understand God’s position regarding His domain. His word speaks of predestination in that He alone knows the beginning from the end. “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.” Revelation 1:8. If you give it some real serious thought you can see that, of course, He can speak of predestination since He’s known from the beginning who would be receptive to His drawing and who would remain in their stubborn rebellion to Him resulting in their ultimate, horrible end.

Here’s a little scenario on how this predestination thing works. God places a message on your heart to approach a certain person to witness to them. Now here’s the interesting part, God knew you would follow His will in witnessing to this person because He saw the fulfillment of His will before He even created you, even before He laid the foundation of earth. Therefore it is He (God) that draws. We are His instrument, not the cause.

God is and always has been, that’s just the plain truth. God is not restrained by time or space as is His creation. Scientists say there are four knowable dimensions and 6 inferred or indirect dimensions which, if true, means there are ten dimensions in all. To God there are no barriers to any of those dimensions because He transcends them all. Everything that happened on earth prior to you and I being here, and everything that will ever come to pass after we are gone, has been history to God since before He laid even one of this planet’s foundation stones.

To us humans’ seeing into the future is a very desirable concept but a dimension which will remain unattainable while we inhabit these earthen vessels. We can look back into the past but the future is beyond the bounds set forth by God Himself. Therefore man has no idea who will believe “the Gospel message ” and who won’t. That domain lies squarely on God’s shoulders.

We who have become born again are now a part of God’s family and as such we’ve become His messengers spreading the Gospel of Christ. We were given that command for a purpose. We’re to follow God’s will and speak to our fellow man about His truth – about who Jesus Christ is and what He did for us. But we can’t and don’t save anyone, we are only the messengers of an incredible, life saving message.

The Father draws – the Son raises us up on the last day– are you ready?

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
All scripture is from the KJV and God

Many of you have requested my mailing address so I’ve included it below.
Ron Graham
96 County Road 5480
Salem, MO 65560

Stoning False Prophets - -  Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com 

“But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die.” Deuteronomy 18:20.

There always has been and always will be false prophets who, for one reason or another, promote the most egregious of lies. In the Old Testament we discover God has pronounced a very severe punishment on those who presumptuously prophesy falsely. When God speaks through a prophet, that prophet will prophesy what is to actually occur in the future. There will be no doubt as to who is speaking as these prophesies come to pass, since only God can see the future. Thus this person would be considered a true prophet of God.

On the other hand, what if a man or woman professes to be a prophet of God yet their predictions fail time and time again? Are they speaking for God? Or are they speaking for His nemesis? What should the populous do with such as these? In the days of the recorded prophets of God, there were also false prophets who were determined to do damage to God and His Word. But God had a remedy for this type of chicanery.

In days of old, these false prophets weren’t merely dismissed as crackpots, nor were they given another chance to prophesy correctly. They were stoned to death for their evil deeds. Why? What reason could God have to institute such severe punishments against false prophets?

Today, if a professing prophet of God proclaims publically that God gave him/her a revelation/message for His people, but what God supposedly relayed to them never occurs, what consequences do these folks face? Before we look at the punishment let’s take a look at the effect false prophets have on the Word of God.

When someone professes to speak for God they better be accurate in their predictions since they are placing God and His Word in the midst of those predictions. It’s God who bears the brunt of distain when those predictions don’t come true. These days there seems to be no punishment for those who falsely prophesy in God’s name – therefore these foolish individuals continue their guise as authoritative, while deceiving if possible even the elect.

Can you understand why the false prophets were stoned? God was not to be made fun of, nor was He to be made out to be someone’s fool. God is not to be mocked or blasphemed. God is Sovereign, Holy, Just, and perfect in His ways. When God speaks to a prophet concerning a future event, that event will come to pass, without fail. His Word is true.

“For these nations…hearkened unto observers of times, and unto diviners: but as for thee, the LORD thy God hath not suffered thee so to do.” Deuteronomy 18:14. Although God is declaring to His people Israel they are not to hearken unto observers of times and unto diviners, He also speaks to His children today. We are not to hearken unto those who would set dates concerning His imminent return for His Church. Yet almost daily I receive letters from the brethren telling me that the Rapture will occur on such and such a date.

“If a man walking in the spirit and falsehood do lie, saying, I will prophesy unto thee of wine and of strong drink; he shall even be the prophet of this people.” Micah 2:11. When men turn a deaf ear to the Word and revelation of God, they then turn to downright fables, they love to hear from those who will tell them what they want to hear and there are many today that fit that bill. If doom and gloom are on the horizon they want to hear only that there will be plenty of alcohol for their daily consumption. False prophets have learned to adjust their strategy to adhere to everyone’s wants. So, those consumed with the need to know the exact date of the Rapture, can with little effort locate false prophets who are more than willing to set a specific date to placate these foolish individuals.

“And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.” Acts 1:7. With every false prediction God is placed in a very precarious position. God tells us not to set dates and He has a real good reason for this restriction: His Word is at stake. Those who set dates invoke God’s Word as the giver of that date. When that particular day comes and goes and the event doesn’t occur as prophesied, God’s Word is seen by many as being false. God actually puts more emphasis on His Word than on His name. Even professing Christians begin to doubt His Word as these dates continually come and go and the Rapture hasn’t occurred.

So, many turn away from God or won’t allow the truth of His Word to cross the threshold of their minds because of false predictions. These false prophets like to publically proclaim their message so they may be seen as having some sort of higher communication link to God. Yet when their prophecies fail, instead of the public seeing them as rip-offs trying to garner a little fame and fortune, there is no substantial condemnation, nor are they scoffed at. Instead they’re simply given another chance to achieve their goal. For instance, in the state of California here in the US there is an individual who continually declares the date on which the Rapture of the Church will occur. Many of his parishioners have lost their livelihoods because they listened to this crackpot. Invariably the dates come and go producing nothing. Yet his congregation stands undeterred by the reality that he does not to speak for God. Last year he once again announced to the world the exact date of the Rapture. When he is deemed a failure again, will he lose his position of prominence in that congregation? Probably not.

How does the public view God when the predictions of these false prophets fail? The lost world loves to see this occur, they only see what they want to see and their attempts to convince themselves of the foolishness of believing in a God is reinforced. Since these presumptuous prophets say they speak for God, the convictions of the lost are magnified with each failed prophecy. Are you beginning to see why God placed such a severe punishment on these false prophets?

God wants us to understand who He is and why He does what He does. God draws a line in the sand as to how much information we are given concerning the future. Yet, these false prophets continually cross that line. They remain steadfast as they stand against God’s Word. They know that their predictions won’t be seen as false, but merely delayed. Thus they can garner a huge following among the gullible and biblically illiterate of the world. Most of the time false prophets are only out for monetary gain and popularity. They give no thought to how much they tarnish God’s Word. By the way, God’s Word is not only seen as tarnished by the lost but also by many Christians who remain biblically illiterate. Over time, God’s Word is dismissed and made to be irrelevant in the eyes of those who are perishing.

In today’s society God receives the brunt of the blame for just about everything, including the predictions by the false prophets. When God’s children are sinful He gets the blame. If His children refuse to be the salt and light on this perishing planet, the lost won’t hear His Word. God is diminished in the minds of those who are perishing each time a believer fails to stand up for Him. When His children set exact dates for events which have been prophesied in the Bible (such as the Rapture) but God has not given the exact date, this only reinforces doubt in the minds of those who are already in the camp of doubting Thomas.

It has always been the nature of man to blame God. God knew before He created us what our nature would be, thus He gave us His word (the Holy Bible), to guide us and to keep us from listening and following the advice of the false prophets. Yet, because of the foolishness attributed to the human heart, His word is ignored and man is continually being deceived.

The New Testament has its share of warnings concerning false prophets. The Apostle Paul was concerned about false prophets so he declared to the Corinthian church “If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 14:37. In other words, if you have something to prophesy about you must allow the Word of God to be the ultimate authority.

Jesus warns about becoming deceived by these self-promoting false prophets. “And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.” Matthew 24:11. How many of those who claim the name and blood of Christ today actually heed His warnings? Paul tells us in First Timothy to “…refuse profane and old wives' fables…” 1 Timothy 4:7a. Yet many are being deceived daily by the very fables Paul speaks about.

Although false prophets can and do deceive many, another factor that many neglect, or simply refuse to consider, is that Satan is behind the scenes pulling the strings of such folks. “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;” 1 Timothy 4:1-2.

“For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers…, Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake. Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith; Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth. Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled. They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.” Titus 1:10-1, 13b-16. Where is that rebuke today?

Now let’s see what kind of punishment God holds for these foolish false prophets. Even though today the false prophet is no longer stoned God does have a plan for those who refuse to turn to the truth. “And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.” Revelation 20:10. One such false prophet will get what is coming to him; will this be the end for all who claim to be prophets of God but are in fact falsely representing Him?

“When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.” Deuteronomy 18:22. It’s up to us individually to follow Jesus Christ and His teachings. Believers are to accept His warnings as truth, always being on the watch for deception. No matter what, we should never fear those who say they speak for God and yet are nothing but liars.

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
All scripture is from the KJV and God breathed

Of Beasts, Birds, and Fish -  Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com 

Does God judge rebellious nations? If so then the questions that must follow are how does He judge and how long will He put off that judgment? Well first of all it’s obvious that God judges nations when they turn their backs on Him. Certainly Israel comes to mind as they passed through numerous periods when they blatantly walked away from God. Although God’s judgments vary from removing his blessings to giving a nation over to a particular sin, we can be assured God’s judgments are always just.

Can you think of a nation more deserving of God’s judgment today than that of the US of A? God has blessed America greatly, so much so that she has prospered to an extent that there has been a worldwide immigration to her shores. But the perception in the eyes of many of our neighbors today is that America has lost her greatness (her blessings).

A question that gets asked so many times nowadays is “Where is America in Bible prophecy”? Just about every prophecy buff has a different answer. My answer to this question is one which many will not like and will probably want to argue about. My answer is that America is not in Bible prophecy because she will have become a subservient subculture with absolutely no influence on the rest of the nations, or she will be completely destroyed by her enemies. Even though America is not specifically mentioned in the Bible, the word of God has many scenarios which might fit the future concerning America. Let’s take a look at just one of the prophetic books of the Bible, Hosea, for what I consider a clear view of America’s last days.

The book of Hosea focuses on the destruction of Israel’s Northern Kingdom, and for ten chapters Hosea pounds away at Israel because of their complacency with corruption, but the parallels between Israel and America are stunning. I thought about the recent occurrences of birds and fish dying and immediately Hosea chapter 4 came to mind.

“By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood toucheth blood. Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven; yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away.” Hosea 4:3. God says He’ll take away the food from Israel because of their lying, killing, stealing, and adultery. Hmm.

Recent reports about all those birds falling from the sky, the tons of fish washing up on banks of rivers, and a slew of crabs having become beached – all dead – are strange occurrences indeed. Many similar oddities have occurred within a relatively short period of time worldwide. Who knows where it will all lead or if it will ever end? Hosea sure seems to have the answer to all these weird things and none of it is looking good for the nations that have turned their backs on God. Certainly, America is no exception.

Hosea was a prophet of God and was commissioned by God to send a message to the Northern Kingdom which was referred to as Israel. The message was one of doom and gloom – the reason for this message was that Israel’s populous had turned their collective backs on God. Hosea isn’t warning Israel about the possibility of impending doom, he was telling them they pushed God too far, calamity was on the way. They (Israel) would soon be destroyed. Hosea spends almost the entire book telling Israel where they went wrong. Interestingly, the book of Hosea is prophetic and we can plainly see many striking similarities to America as we head into these final days on planet earth.

When we compare the extreme sinfulness of Israel that Hosea lays out for them with that of America today the resemblance is uncanny. God sent a foreign nation – Assyria, a devout enemy of Israel – to destroy them. I will attempt to show some of the similarities between Israel (not to be confused with the Southern Kingdom known as Judah) which was totally destroyed, and the good old US of A. But before I venture any further I’d like to remind the reader of Dr. Luke’s admonition as he makes it abundantly clear that just taking a Bible teachers word for something scriptural is not wise. For your consideration, “These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” Acts 17:11. Do your own studying – come to your own conclusions.

For Israel, in those days it was the best of times, they prospered greatly. But for their God, who was looking at Israel from a different perspective, it was the worst of times. As a matter of fact, as far as God was concerned, the clock had run out on Israel. God sent His message via Hosea which lays down an indictment against the Northern Kingdom of Israel – they were about to be destroyed by their staunch enemy, Assyria. Why? They had so completely defiled themselves with worshipping idols and committing adulteries that they no longer even remembered the God that delivered them out of Egypt. They had become the epitome of everything God abhors.

Fast forward approximately 2700 years and we see America has now become just as defiled as Israel. Israel had been established in the north for some two hundred years when God called in their marker, America has been around for a little over two hundred years and it seems we are now in the same boat as Israel. America today, just as Israel then, has become the epitome of everything God abhors.

For some years now America has been the primary worldwide exporter of all forms of evil. Judgment has come. No need to wonder any longer if God will judge America – God is judging America. God’s justice must come – blessings will still be seen because God sends the rain on the just and the unjust equally. But God’s curse will become more and more evident to Americans as well as other nations of the world who follow suit after America.

When America experiences prosperity she inevitably attributes that prosperity to good luck, not to God’s blessings. “Rejoice not, O Israel, for joy, as other people: for thou hast gone a whoring from thy God…” Hosea 9:1. America has also gone a whoring from her God, thus, rejoice not America. “The floor and the winepress shall not feed them, and the new wine shall fail in her.” Hosea 9:2. Watch out America, famine will soon be upon you. You think not? You haven’t been reading the crop reports here in America as well as all around the world have you? Perhaps you’ve forgotten about all the bees that have disappeared over the last few years. Once something becomes old news it also becomes unimportant. People expect God to judge America as He did Sodom and Gomorrah – instantaneously. Perhaps the current judgment is occurring in these stages for a reason. Could it be that God sees a period of time in which repentance may be forthcoming? Don’t bet the ranch on it.

Americans consume untold amounts of unclean food – defiled food – and what nation has more unbridled sin? What do Americans consume these days as food that hasn’t been genetically tampered with, filled with hormones, and other synthetic substances? American’s have been eating food defiled by the very people who produce it as well as our very own government for many years and it is taking its toll. How long ago did this judgment begin? Could the year 1962, the year America through a judicial decree removed prayer and Bible reading from the public school system, be the catalysts?

America has become a nation that refuses to worship the Lord. This will soon lead to a denial of its privileges concerning worship. Keep watching America; you think Washington is your friend? New and encompassing restrictions on worship are on the way; even Christianity’s most celebrated days will be taken away.

Hostility – intense animosity – holding a grudge – these are attitudes attributed to the ungodly because they disregard, disobey, and even despise their Creator God, Jesus the Christ, and even more so when He chastens and judges them. The world hates Him and all who follow Him. The true Christian will soon be the focus of all forms of hostility in America which was at one time founded on Christian morals and precepts. You disagree? Time will tell.

God sets up watchmen to oversee His flock, and these men are given the responsibility to guide, protect, and instruct His children. Could another of God’s judgments be that He allows His watchmen to become ensnared by the corruptness of an ungrateful and disrespectful nation? His watchmen then move into a realm of teaching “another gospel” – where they too no longer recognize their God. They become accursed, thus God’s judgments spread.

“There is a generation that curseth their father, and doth not bless their mother. There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness. There is a generation, O how lofty are their eyes! and their eyelids are lifted up. There is a generation, whose teeth are as swords, and their jaw teeth as knives, to devour the poor from off the earth, and the needy from among men.” Proverbs 30:11-14. There is no lower morality for any civilization than when they arrive at this point. This is the point that Sodom and Gomorrah sunk to just before God destroyed them. America is there now. Why did God destroy Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities round about? For condoning sin. These two cities as well as those surrounding them condoned the blatant sinful practice of homosexuality, and where is America today in this regard? Condoning same sex marriages is just a simple vote away in the halls of Congress. “Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!” Isaiah 5:21.

The worship of Baal is in full force in America today. When the knowledge of the true and Living God is refused, false gods will inevitably fill the vacuum, and when the worship of those false gods becomes evident in a person’s life that person will become just like the god they worship. False gods are heartless, brainless, and completely useless. Those who worship these false gods will take on the same characteristics of heartlessness, brainlessness, and uselessness. If you worship the world’s materialistic ways you will become materialistic. The world is harsh and unforgiving; if you worship the world you too will become harsh and unforgiving just like the world.

The collapse of everything, from our economy to our many freedoms, everything that the greatness of America once stood for, are all up in smoke because of her idolatry. People in America live under a false prosperity. Our economy is held together by how much money we can convince other nations to loan us. Individually, we run up incredible debt on credit cards and mortgages with a due date somewhere off in the future, and completely out of sight. The borrower is a slave to the lender. “The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.” Proverbs 22:7. America is a nation made up of slaves. Just a few short years ago, in the minds of most Americans, it was the best of times. God is calling in America’s marker.

“By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood toucheth blood. Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven; yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away.” Hosea 4:3.

America has now become the exact copy of Israel’s 734 BC populous. Israel – the Northern Kingdom, was utterly wiped out by their enemy. We too have enemies who would thoroughly enjoy witnessing our complete demise. Americans, as a whole, no longer place much trust or faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, but in prosperity and our military might. To God, our self-sufficient attitude has become an offense.

Will it be slavery stemming from our national debt or will America be wiped out because of the way our leaders appease our enemies? Either of those two scenarios won’t be very pretty. Perhaps the Rapture of Christ’s Church will occur prior to any such scenario. Of course there could always be a national repentance that takes place. Let’s pray for repentance first “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14 – and then the Rapture – in that sequence.

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
All scripture is from the KJV and God breathed

Fountain of Youth -  Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com 

“Jesus said …I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die…” John 11:25b, and 26a.

It seems that from time immemorial man has been on a trek pursuing what he thinks to be the only thing that would insure him everlasting youth – the fountain of youth. Elusive as it has been to those fountain seekers in the past, it remains only a dream. Ponce De Leon traveled the world over tirelessly pursuing the fountain that would give mankind a youthful immortality. Even though Ponce De Leon himself was unsuccessful in his quest to find that elusive fountain, that baton has been unceremoniously handed off to the scientists of today. Theirs is a formidable task to be sure, but through all their failures in seeking after that fountain, or whatever else they perceive might give them immortality, no one, it seems, is telling them about the fountain that gives everlasting life which was fully established on a cross two thousand years ago.

Scientists and other researchers have recently been seeking to find a gene that might lead to the discovery of this greatly anticipated “fountain of youth”. They have also been manipulating man’s genome by various means in order to produce an extension to man’s life span. They say they’re close to achieving their goal and that with the right gene sequence they will increase man’s average 70 year span and grow that number to 3 or 4 hundred years.

Building on man’s self-indulgence and gullibility the Hollywood moguls have captured the interests of movie viewers worldwide with their never ending supply of fictional characters pursuing and obtaining immortality. Books are numerous as fiction writers see no end to the material available as they seek to capture the imaginations of millions of potential “fountain of youth” seeking readers.

Man, because of his insatiable appetite for every sinful pleasure, has turned his back on God since God puts restrictions on sin. Now, because man wishes to become immortal like God, he must fully eliminate God from the scene. Man is on a mission to be reclassified with a brand new designation, he wants that title “god” for himself. Not surprisingly, men/women always fumble and fall flat when they try to replace God. We are a created being, and we are nothing without our Creator.

For years secular scientists have denied the existence of God, thus the very book in which all the answers concerning life and death are found is dismissed as folklore. “There is none so blind as he who will not see”; this current blindness is astounding.

Here’s something to wrap your mind around, how many billions of dollars and how many years of tedious research could have been avoided if these scientists and other researchers would have only allowed their fingers to do the walking across the pages of the Holy writ?

Instead of heeding God’s word they continually ignore it; failure after failure will be all they will realize. And the money and time wasted on this kind of research could have been better spent, perhaps in purchasing food for the hungry. Imagine the useful things that could have been accomplished with the resources those fountain seekers have been blessed with. People who now live in poverty could be eating three square meals a day and have sufficient clothing and shelter to boot, if all that wasted money had been spent wisely.

People become so fixated on prolonging their lives that they will turn to any medical research or remedy in pursuit of that goal. That goal becomes, to some, overwhelmingly important, almost to the exclusion of all the other important pursuits of this life. From the beginning God’s plan was that we live forever, and it still is. But because He knew man would rebel against Him, His plan also included His own death on an old wooden cross on a hilltop called Golgotha in Judea. God placed us here on earth for His purpose and for His good pleasure and glory. That’s right, and because of our rebellion it was also His good pleasure to die for His creation so we might still enjoy everlasting life. This was something He had planned all along, even from before the creation of the world. Interestingly, even after all our rebellion, all we, His creation, need to do to become immortal is simply to believe (place our faith and trust) in Jesus Christ. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16.

When we finally come to understand God’s purpose for our earthly life, only then will we live life more abundantly and be what He wants us to be. “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” John 10:10. The abundant life only comes through placing our faith, trust, and hopes in our Savior and Lord Jesus the Christ. He alone is the giver of immortality (everlasting life).

Little do these researchers/scientists know that every person born on this planet will live forever. The real “us”, that is to say who we really are, is spirit not flesh and blood, that’s what those foolish scientists don’t comprehend. We remain in these earthen vessels so we can live life here on earth with some semblance of ease. We can do the work involved to support ourselves and our family, we can and are to love one another, and to do God’s will while we’re here. Until we die this will be the case. But remember this, only the flesh and blood part of us dies. The real “us” goes on to live forever. The destination of that forever life depends on Who we know, and whether or not He knows us.

Adam and Eve were created as immortal beings. “And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.” Genesis 2:25. They were clothed with righteousness, not clothing as we know it. If they had not rebelled against God they would still be in that righteous immortal state and we would be right there with them. Alas they did rebel, thus all humanity now inherits the fate of our prehistoric parents. We’re now all born mortal and sinners and if the Lord tarries we shall all die someday, yet our spirit will continue for eternity, just like those prehistoric parents.

Continuing on after we leave earth will be the greatest adventure and it will never end. There’s a light at the end of the tunnel which we will follow after our short stint on earth as mortals ends; that light leads to an awesome state of immortality which God promises all can experience. But first corruption must put on incorruption. “For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.” 1 Corinthians 15:53. No matter what we’re forced to endure while in these flesh and blood bodies it will all be worth it when we reach our final destination, that is of course if we’ve made the right choice while in this mortal state.

These scientists pursuing longevity and/or immortality don’t realize it but they are actually doing mankind a disservice. God has whittled down man’s lifespan to a 70 year average (Psalm 90:10, Isaiah 23:15) which is plenty long enough to accomplish what He has planned for us. There are, of course, folks who fall into spectrums on both sides of the 70 year average, and there are plenty of reasons for shorter and longer life spans, which I will not expound on further. Suffice it to say we’ve been given enough time to do God’s will while we sojourn in this world. The question still remains, why would anyone want to prolong their stay on this evil, sick, and defiled planet for another two or three hundred years? What kind of moronic individual would really want to live forever in these corrupt, fallible, sin-riddled, pitiful bodies? Only the unsaved.

An indescribable paradise awaits those who’ve accepted the immortality Jesus the Christ, our Creator God, has provided for us. We will spend eternity with Him and we will be far beyond content, full of life, never to suffer again. Our immortality will be spent loving and worshiping our Lord; we’ll have a full knowledge of what’s beyond this dimension we live in while we explore all dimensions and in perfect glorified bodies.

Scientists want to prolong life indefinitely for the simple reason that they have no clue of what lies just beyond this four dimensional (breadth, length, depth, and height) continuum we are now engulfed in. For those of us who are born again we know that whatever the future holds while we remain here on earth, this world has nothing to offer that can possibly hold us here.

Secular scientists, especially those who are obsessed with seeking after immortality, don’t even want to think about what’s in store for those who’ve dismissed God as irrelevant and rejected Jesus Christ their entire lives. God promises it won’t be pretty. Since we are eternal spirits there’s no reason to seek immortality; if you want immortality look no further than your own spirit, it’s already immortal.

Like the scientists, those who continue searching for that elusive “fountain of youth” to live forever will eventually realize their obsession with immortality was nonsensical. At a point just after their death immortality will be achieved and oh what a huge disappointment it will be for them. All they had to do was believe and trust in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and true immortality, that eternal glory they so diligently pursued, would have been theirs.

If you know someone who is currently searching after that elusive fountain of youth, why not let them in on the God’s truth. Tell them how easy that fountain is to find. Tell them Jesus Christ is the fountain, the fountain of living waters “If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.” John 7:37-38, and that He alone gives every person who seeks Him and who believes in Him by placing their faith and trust in Him, everlasting life (immortality).

“But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.” John 4:14.

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
All scripture is from the KJV and God breathed

Laodicea Revisited -  Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com 

“And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth; I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.” Revelation 3:7-8.

Seven letters dictated by Jesus Christ Himself, and written and distributed to those seven churches by His most beloved Apostle, John, were to both commend and admonish those churches in those days. The churches, in the order they are addressed, lay out a history of the Christian church throughout the past two thousand years. The last church Jesus addresses is the Last Day’s church of planet earth.

The church of Philadelphia was singled out by Christ as being the most faithful of all seven churches. Ask anyone in any church congregation which of the seven churches in the book of Revelation does their church most closely resemble and without hesitation they’ll tell you their church most resembles the church in Philadelphia. Actually today’s church has very little, if anything at all, in common with the Philadelphian church. But there is a church where the resemblance between it and a huge number of the Protestant churches of today is uncanny.

The church I’m referring to above is of course, the church of Laodicea. No true born again believer in Christ wants to be branded with the title “Laodicean”. It’s sad, but whether they appreciate that designation or not that is precisely where most protestant churches are today – well established and fully at peace in this, the most apostate category of Christian churches imaginable.

Perhaps some of you will need a short refresher course as to just what was so bad about the church at Laodicea. As I said before, Jesus had just confronted six other churches. Some with praise and others He rebuked, and some were both praised and rebuked. But when we read His letter to the Laodiceans we notice a huge change in His demeanor.

“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; I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.” Revelation 3:14-16. First of all our Lord explains just who is addressing them, in this case “the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God”. Jesus refers to Himself by various titles and with each one Jesus is unquestionably referring to Himself as God Almighty. These things saith the Amen: Jesus is the Amen, the “so be it,” the “it is done.” Jesus is “the personification and the affirmation of the truth of God.” Jesus is the Faithful and True Witness, and this is a contrast to the Laodiceans, who will be shown to be neither faithful nor true. Jesus is the beginning of the creation of God. The idea behind the word for beginning – the ancient Greek word “arche” – is that of a “ruler, source, or origin,” not of first in a sequential order. This verse does not teach that Jesus was the first being created, but that He is the ruler, source, and origin of all creation – the Amen!

After Jesus establishes His authority He then goes on to tell this fully apostate, unfaithful church just what He thinks of them, and here’s where it gets ugly. For those who don’t really know the Lord Jesus this will seem quite out of character for Him. Many folks think Jesus was just some sort of mamby pamby, wimpy little man, cowering each time someone picked up a stone. That’s because they don’t know who Jesus Christ really is. I can make this promise to anyone who doesn’t know Jesus as Savior and Lord, you’ll never want to hear the Creator of the universe telling you, “I will spue thee out of my mouth”.

Many interpret incorrectly the references to hot, cold, and lukewarm spoken of by Jesus in verse 16 above. They assume the “hot” would reference an “on fire” attitude for the Lord, and they’d be correct, but then when we get to the “cold” this they attribute to being useless or dead. In this case they would be wrong. Lastly, we have “lukewarm”. What would be so bad about “lukewarm”? Well let’s take another look at it. “I will spue thee out of my mouth.” Revelation 3:16b. The Greek word for “spue” is “emeō” which actually means to vomit, vomit forth, or throw up. Jesus is speaking figuratively of His utter abhorrence of the condition of the church at Laodicea. Jesus uses the idiom lukewarm as He refers to the spiritual state of the Laodicean church, which afforded no refreshment to the Lord, such as is ministered naturally by either cold or hot water. When Jesus, being fully God, tells a church they are “lukewarm” He’s telling them they are good for nothing, absolutely useless, and deserve nothing more than condemnation.

Not a very endearing letter to the church by our Creator, yet according to the Apostle Paul this will be a prominent, albeit damning, quality of the Christian church of the last day’s just prior to Christ’s return. “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first” 2 Thessalonians 2:3a.” The word used in the Greek for falling away is “apostasia” and it signifies an apostasy from the faith, rebellion, and defection. “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; 1 Timothy 4:1-2. Paul clearly spells out the look of the church in the “last days”. According to a recent study done by the Barna Research Group, this “Last Days” Laodicean church is more visible today than any other period in the history of the church.

Let’s take a break from the lashing the Laodiceans are receiving while we look at an admonishment to the Philippians by the Apostle Paul “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.” Philippians 2:12. Paul calls the Philippians to put forth real effort into their Christians lives. This is not to work their salvation in the sense of accomplishing it, but to work out their salvation - to see it evident in every area of their lives, to activate this salvation God freely gave them. Here is where the Laodiceans fall flat, there is no evidence of salvation in that church, and as you will soon see there’s no evidence of our Lord Jesus Christ in this “Last Day’s” church either.

“Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing;” Revelation 3:17a. So they have everything and need nothing, not even Jesus. But in truth, the Laodicean church “…knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:” Revelation 3:17b. These folks who call themselves Christians have no idea they are the last days church. Jesus says they are actually wretched, and miserable. What He’s trying to tell them, in the plainest language possible, is that they are pitiful, deplorable, contemptible and pathetic to the point of pure disgracefulness. To vomit them out of His mouth reflects judgment. Since they will be judged they cannot possibly be born again, in Christ believers.

Those of us who are truly born again will not be judged. On the other hand, those who believe in and follow today’s false teachers who claim they know the truth but who are actually instruments of Satan, will one day be very sorry; they are the “Last Days” Laodiceans, and Jesus Christ says judgment is upon them.

“As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.” Revelation 3:19. Jesus won’t give up on anyone; He’s still trying to turn these folks around. He rebukes and chastens those He loves, and He loves everyone. The Lord’s very next words are a solid rebuke to the church of the last days. “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” Revelation 3:20. Once again, and in no uncertain terms, Jesus tells the last days church that He’s not in the church, He’s not among them. They’ve booted Him out, yet even though He’s outside He continues to knock asking to be let back in. But He’s no longer addressing His Church, but individual lost souls. “…if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him…” v20. Jesus is now addressing each person individually to accept Him before it’s too late.

A large number of folks making up the “last days” church will never have become born again. It will consist of a bunch of wretched, poor, lost, perishing souls. But “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne” Revelation 3:21a. So, the question begs to be asked. What are we? Overcomers or Laodiceans. Remember there is no in between area, no room for maneuvering for those who like to play the whole field, no grey area for those who make procrastination their life pursuit . Jesus said, “He that is not with me is against me…” Matthew 12:30.

Who are the Laodicean? They neither know Jesus as Lord and Savior nor do they need/want Him in their church. Whatever you decide to do with the rest of your life, be sure Jesus Christ is the most important part. Leave the church at Laodicea to the Laodiceans.

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
All scripture is from the KJV and God breathed

Biblical Knowledge Going Extinct -  Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com 

“Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD:” Amos 8:11.

Theological truth has lost its flavor. A growing trend in the church today points to a moving away from God’s word, away from sound biblical teaching. Has God’s word become of non-effect, unnecessary in these last days? The significance of this trend is obvious when reading the results of a recent survey done by the Barna Research Group (BRG). This survey indicates that Christians are in a regression of sorts when it comes to their knowledge of the scriptures.

People naturally seek after truth. Now that the Bible has been designated as being merely myth and legend, too many people now turn to the Discovery Channel for their daily allotment of “truth”. Oh, and of course there’s always the major news sources now seen as purveyors of truth, right? Especially if you want to learn about what’s wrong with the church, or read about the never ending scandals men of the cloth (sinful man) get themselves into now and then.

God’s truth is found solely in the Holy Bible, but that truth you’ll never hear on your nightly news channel. If the masses are not taught God’s truth by those of us who still know His truth, then their lives will be governed by what they learn from the secular media and of course in our wonderful government run, fully secular, Godless, public school system. Here’s a little news flash – those two wonderful sources of miss-information I just mentioned are inadequate, if not completely incapable, of portraying anything that might vaguely resemble the truth of God.

Whatever happened to the faith of our fathers? The knowledge that the older believers possessed is fading into the sunset, and many of the younger group of those who profess a belief in Christ no longer look at the Bible as inerrant. After all, the Bible is only a quasi guideline – we shouldn’t pattern our lives after what we read in that dusty, antiquated old book, should we?

Sorely missing in most seminaries and Christian colleges today is that “full council of God” teaching. Thus many of the new Christian leaders, teachers, and pastors exploding onto the Christian scene today are wholly incapable of teaching Theological truths.

Here we are today facing a world where many Christian churches have and are teaching from the “Purpose Driven Life”, and sometimes exclusively. They’ll read and study from books such as the “Shack” and even Dan Brown’s “The Da Vinci Code”. These heretical books are promoted by pastors as “must read” material; even worse, they’re viewed as truth. But God’s inerrant word get’s passed over and finally lost in the insignificant garbage heaps of life. There was a time when Christian pastors taught from God’s word and never from a book written by some man – containing page after page of that particular individual’s presuppositions or prejudices.

“And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it.” Amos 8:12. It’s interesting how the early Church yearned for the Word, how those such as the Bereans studied God’s word no matter what they were taught by Paul and Silas. There was a deep desire to learn God’s truth in those early church years and for many years thereafter. Where is that desire today?

Amos tells us that people will run around like chickens with their heads cut off (I’m paraphrasing of course) seeking God’s word but they won’t find it. Is that where we are today? People seem to be turning to any source in seeking the word of the Lord, and yet the word of the Lord eludes them; all the time it’s within their grasp, in front of their very eyes, right there in their Bibles.

Today, not only is there no time to study and learn God’s word, but His word has become of little use in our post-modern world. Many just dismiss the Bible as irrelevant for today. People are taught that the Bible is just a book full religious tradition thus inadequate as a source for any real human growth.

So it begins. There is a famine in the land. And yes, there may be a famine for food and water coming in the near future, but a famine for hearing God’s word is already here.

So where does this leave a huge segment of our protestant churches today? More importantly, where does it leave all those gullible individuals who believe they’ve been taught the truth while leaving their Bibles to collect dust? The “feel good” message delivered from many pulpits today leaves a lot to be desired in regards to understanding the truth of the scriptures. Teaching through the Bible exegetically, it seems, has gone the way of the Dodo.

What about salvation through Jesus Christ alone? This has become an antiquated concept today. It’s being replaced with salvation through many man devised works, and of course these works lead to the biggest deception of all, the concept of many roads leading to Heaven. Let me tell you where these folks stand in relation to being born again believers “In Christ”. They stand firmly entrenched with the rest of the non-believing, Christ rejecting, perishing masses.

As we move deeper and deeper into the prophetic last days before Christ’s return, we may find it extremely difficult to locate a truly Christ centered, Bible believing church. I’ve received numerous letters addressing this very problem, not only from folks here in America, but from brothers and sisters in countries all around the world. They’ve been telling me, for some time now, how difficult it is to find a church where Jesus Christ is still preached and worshipped, and where the Gospel is still taught. Many have given up the search, and with their families assembled, they simply worship at home.

The exclusivity of the Christian faith and inerrancy of the Bible is so offensive to some, that many in the church have taken it upon themselves to devalue and disparage God’s word so the promotion of the unity of all religions can be advanced. It’s no longer all about Jesus Christ – Mohammed and Buddha must have their place firmly established and on the same level as our Creator, Savior, and Lord.

The scheme, and that’s exactly what it is, of theological truth being ignored in many of our protestant churches today is not a new phenomenon. The enemy has been putting up roadblocks to God’s word for the last 6,000 years. In turning people, ever so cunningly, away from God’s word, Satan has successfully replaced Jesus Christ with a false gospel. “For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.” 2 Corinthians 11:4. Paul was very concerned about false gospels being promoted and that folks would believe those lies and follow the purveyors of those lies. You see, if we actually read and studied our Bibles we would have seen it coming and we could have avoided this evil substitution of God’s word. The presence of one little lie can grow and corrupt the entire church.

“But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.” Galatians 1:8-9. The Apostle Paul declares in the strongest language that the Gospel he preached was the one and only way of salvation, and that to preach another was to nullify the Death of Christ. So would anyone like to venture a guess as to what happens to those who presume to persuade the masses of the “truth” of a different and false gospel? Does Joseph Smith come to mind?

Apparently, according to this same study done by the Barna Research Group (BRG), teaching Jesus Christ and Him crucified is no longer an effective way to approach the lost of this world, especially the young. People who are not born again are not encouraged to become born again. But Jesus says “…Ye must be born again. ”John 3:7b. Those who follow these false teachers, yet still call themselves Christians, are not encouraged to spread the Gospel of Christ. Why? Well according to BRG’s survey, the exclusivity of the Christian faith has entered a new phase. Apparently, it is now frowned upon to approach the lost to witness to them. This all stems from believing there are many paths that lead to Heaven.

Jesus Christ as the way, the truth, and the life, is an old tired concept in the minds of many and should be shelved, replaced with the feel good message, and the unity of religions, these new concepts are doing a great job of adding warm bodies to the pews. The creation of the last day’s “church of universalism” can plainly be seen.

The famine spoken of by Amos concerning the word of the Lord is now firmly entrenched in all societies and quite discernable. This was to occur in the last days, which is just one more example of God’s prophetic truth coming to pass. Hold fast to the faith my brethren, we must occupy ‘til He comes. It won’t be long now.

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
All scripture is from the KJV and God breathed

Prince of Peace  -  Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com 

“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” John 14:27. Christians have “embedded in them” the peace of Christ. What exactly does that mean? If we seek a more in-depth explanation of the Greek word for peace we will find the word explained thusly: “Of Christianity, the tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and content with its earthly lot, of whatsoever sort that is.” Wow! Assured of Salvation, fearing nothing, content with their earthly lot? Is that you?

Why then are there so many fearful Christians? Letters keep rolling in – Christians fearing tomorrow. Why not just place all your fears at the foot of the cross of Christ and leave them there? To remain in a fearful state after receiving the peace Christ promised (salvation paid for on that cross) is tantamount to unbelief and will ultimately allow the enemy an open door into your life. Contentment for a Christian means knowing the peace of Christ. If you don’t believe Jesus is fully capable of saving you and providing you with His peace you’ll always find contentment just out of your reach.

Believing and trusting are synonymous when referring to our faith in The Prince of Peace. If we don’t trust Jesus to do all He said He’d do then we don’t believe He is who He said He is. There can be no doubt in our minds of who Jesus is. Why? Because the flames of doubt are stoked by our fears. In the verse above, the Greek word for troubled, refers to a severe disturbance in one’s mind, a disquieting affect in the spirit, and a sense of dread, anxiousness, distressing, to be filled with doubts. “Filled with doubts” and “assured of our salvation” are two incompatible states of mind.

Jesus admonishes us to not allow our hearts to be troubled. Why? Because fear leads to doubt which leads to more fear and before we know it we are consumed with a disquieted spirit in which the enemy can and will aggressively attack. Satan’s influence over a believer in Christ is evident in that person’s defeated attitude. He will do anything to render a believer of non-affect. Imagine, just for a moment, how awful life must be for the non-believer when faced with mounting fear? There is no peace of spirit for the Christ rejecters of this world.

God loves every man, woman, and child on this planet. It’s not his desire that even one person perish “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9. Certainly fear is something He never intended for humankind, only peace. Jesus, being fully God, knew there would be an over abundance of fear to go around. All who would believe in Him and accept the peace which only He can give would be able to endure anything in the enemy’s seemingly unlimited arsenal of weaponry.

Chapter 14 of the Gospel of John opens with these words from the Prince of Peace, “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.” John 14:1. Obviously Jesus is resolute in His admonition that we keep our hearts from being troubled (not to be filled with fear and doubt). He knows how the enemy works. After all, He created Lucifer; He was there when Lucifer fell from his lofty position “Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth... Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.” Ezekiel 28:14a,15. Lucifer can’t surprise God, thus we see in John’s Gospel that God is trying to convince us that when we place our hope, faith, and trust in His only begotten Son we are indwelt with His peace (Justified – Saved).

“And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;” John 14:16. When the peace of Christ is obvious in our lives, Satan sees a big sign on that “Temple of God” which reads “No admittance”. “…the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me” John 14:30b. Satan has absolutely no hook, no foothold, no toehold of deception in our Lord Jesus the Christ, which also means that Satan has no hook, no foothold, no toehold of deception in any of those who truly follow the Prince of Peace.

The last days are upon us and those of us who are actively pursuing God’s agenda for our lives are being vehemently attacked. If the enemy sees a rift in our spiritual fabric he cultivates that tear (fear, doubt, lack of faith) until it becomes a huge stronghold where he will dwell, and for as long as he’s able. Peace, the peace Jesus promised, is our salvation security that we accept through faith when we are born again, and is the only barrier to the enemy filling us with fear.

Forgetting or doubting Jesus’ promises will lead to fear. Especially when confronted with the current state of world affairs. Something most of us who study Bible prophecy are in high anticipation of is Jesus’ soon to occur, “snatching away” of His Church. It seems the closer we get to the fulfillment of those “last days” scriptures the more forgetful and fearful Christians become. “In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” John 14:2-3. This promise from the Creator of the universe should be on our minds continually. He’s coming back, and soon; fear not, you’re saved, no longer are you subject to the enemy’s every whim.

What Jesus clearly promises in those two verses above should replace all our fears with hope. Why then is there still so much fear among the brethren? Wouldn’t we, as His followers, prefer to be with Jesus where He is instead of remaining here on this very ungodly planet?

Dare I say it? Could it be that the fear in the hearts of many of my brethren is not actually a fear of the evils this world holds, but rather a fear of giving up all they’ve accumulated here on earth? That topic may be for another commentary, but it certainly bears thinking about here and now.

“Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.” John 14:19. Embrace the Lord’s words. Those who believe in Jesus Christ and who have asked Him to be Savior and Lord over their lives will live forever. To live with Jesus Christ for eternity is our hope and His promise, so stop fearing the natural world. Those who are perishing are not going to give you and me one bit of comfort or rest. God is our comfort and our rest.

“And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Matthew 10:28. This verse is so very important to all believers in Christ who find themselves consumed with fear these days. Fear is a weapon that the enemy wields and which will certainly weaken the little faith many of the brethren have. Most of us have been guilty, at some point in our walk with Christ, of allowing the enemy to infect us with fear. We fear the malevolent supernatural world; we fear what we cannot see. We fear those who hate us. Why fear the condemned? Our salvation is our security and our peace.

“Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice…” John 14:28a. Too many professing Christians don’t read their Bibles, thus these verses are foreign to them. Jesus promised to return. Whenever we neglect or ignore the obviousness of the scriptures we begin to move away from God.

That same old tired tune we’ve heard from the doubters of God’s word for the past two thousand years continues to raise its ugly head. These two verses from 2 Peter explain it quite well. “Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. ” 2 Peter 3:3-4. Many Christians today are in sync in their denying of the soon return of the Son of God, The Prince of Peace, our Savior and Lord, Jesus our Messiah. They will soon see how foolish they’ve been.

And there you have it. Fear and doubt have replaced the peace of Christ in the hearts of many of His followers. Yes, we should have fear, but a fear (reverence for the Lord – never doubting what He’s plainly told us. We’re told to “hold fast to the faith and to occupy ‘til He comes”. I say do what God tells you to do.

Fear and doubt are complacent allies of apathy and ignorance. Jesus gives us peace. Peace from the King of kings and Lord of lords is all we need to remain steadfast in our hope of His soon return. A huge misconception of who Jesus is permeates Christian churches today. Many professing Christians don’t even believe Jesus is who He says He is. In the Gospel of John we read where Jesus claims to be God “Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.” John 8:58. Again fear leads to doubt which leads to a lack of faith, which leads to unbelief. You don’t believe Jesus Christ is God Almighty? And off they go onto a very wide and destructive path.

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6. Isaiah lays it out for everyone who wants to know who Jesus Christ really is. Just read those names he attaches to the Creator of the universe. The one name that should stand out for all who’ve gotten this far in this commentary is The Prince of Peace.

Jesus Christ, called Wonderful, Counsellor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace, bestows His peace upon all who will receive it. So just what is there to fear now that you are born again? “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” 1 John 4:4. Fear Not!

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
All scripture is from the KJV and God breathed

Giving God the Glory -  Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com 

“Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.” 1 Peter 4:16.

I’m not a big fan of sports whether Football or NASCAR. Although, prior to Christ entering my life and changing my thought processes, I was addicted to professional football, but when Jesus got a hold of my heart my interest in many worldly activities waned and ultimately vanished. I no longer watch programmed TV, and haven’t for many years. I do understand, though, that many people find enjoyment, in watching sports and also participating in them. High school football has a big draw especially here in the Midwest where we live. This being the Bible belt, many of those players are followers of Jesus Christ. Can a born again believer in Christ, while participating in a team sport, glorify God?

I recently read a news release about a high school football player who carried a football into the other team’s end zone for a touchdown and immediately went to one knee and pointed up with one hand, he was publically giving God the glory for his accomplishment. To the “press” he made the following statement.

“It’s just something I do every time I get in the end zone. To honor my Lord because I play for him. I give him the glory because he’s the one that gives me the strength.”

Praise God, so far so good right? But as in most cases of a public display of our faith today there comes the inevitable opposition. In this youngster’s case it came from the referees in the form of a flag on the play, and a nullification of the touchdown. Not only was the touchdown forfeited but the offensive team was penalized 15 yards. The young man, probably after his coach spoke to him, reversed his decision to give the glory to God every time he reached the end zone and to refrain from publicly displaying his faith in Christ on the gridiron.

Apparently he would continue to be penalized throughout that entire league’s conferences if he did not refrain from publically showing reverence to God. Although those who instituted this league rule say they did it to prevent unsportsmanlike conduct – “calling attention to oneself on the field” – I’m sure the motive was to stop those who feel it necessary to give God the glory for their abilities from doing so publically. This young man’s decision to play football for God and for His glory abruptly ended after the penalty; he made a decision to place his team and teammates before God. The young football player’s comment after the game was:

“I’ll change it for the team cause they are the most important; we don’t want the penalty”.

Suddenly, it seems, the team is the most important part of his life and God will no longer be publically recognized or glorified. Many Christians today react in this same manner whenever they are confronted with opposition to their faith. If it is a decision they must make between political correctness and God, for the most part they’ll choose political correctness every time. Where does that leave the glory due God? Well certainly not in the public arena.

Let’s pause for a moment and think about the young man’s decision. At some point in his young life he became a believer in Christ, and having done so apparently he wanted to be faithful to God even on the gridiron. So he made a commitment to give God the glory for all his abilities. He determined that each time he reached the end zone he would proclaim his faith in Jesus Christ by glorifying His Savior publically.

Alas, at the first sign of resistance to his faith he crumbled. After professing his faith in the Creator of the universe he then “very publically” chose his teammates over Jesus Christ. What happened? What changed in his young mind that would convince him to publicly relegate Jesus to a position less significant than that of his teammates? And where did Jesus finally end up? He was benched.

“Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.” Romans 10:11. We shouldn’t cower or back down when opposition arises. There should be no difference in our demeanor private or public toward the Creator of the universe. And no team is more important than God.

Once we make the decision to relegate God to a position other than number 1 in our lives He begins a gradual slip into obscurity. Until we realize what we’ve done wrong, God will always take a back seat in our decision making processes. The young man made a wrong choice. He was able to talk the talk but when it came to walking the walk he stumbled and fell flat. His Lord now plays second string; he’s compromised his faith for the team and his team mates.

My brethren, there’s no “in between” when it comes to Jesus Christ, we either follow Him and love Him with all our heart, soul, strength, and mind or we are only pretending. I can promise you this, God knows our hearts. He knows if we are only pretending in our profession of faith in Jesus Christ. “And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?” 1 Peter 4:18.

Giving God the glory in a public setting is not offensive to God or to those who love Him. The offense is to those who hate God. Jesus said “Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” Mark 8:38. Determining to keep Jesus in a secluded arena and away from public scrutiny is shameful. This act proves to God that we are ashamed of Him, therefore we keep Him hidden.

Brothers and Sisters in the Lord, this should not be so. This is the reason that the true Church today is diminishing. Where is our faithfulness and our boldness to publically stand and praise our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ? If we keep God to ourselves Satan wins. The lost, “those who are perishing”, need to know that there are still people around who belong to that strange group known as “Born Again Christians”. Those Jesus freaks of the sixty’s were continually publicly displaying their faith in Christ. They’re now in their sixties, where did they go?

My question is this: What right do we have to claim Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord of our lives if we refuse to stand up for Him? It’s pure arrogance to proclaim we are covered by the blood of Christ and then cower at the first sign of persecution from the secular world. “O my God, I trust in thee: let me not be ashamed, let not mine enemies triumph over me.” Psalm 25:2.

We are living in the last days of planet earth, and as such, we can plainly see that the Church is faltering as it is confronted with a barrage of attacks from those who belong to Satan. It will become more and more difficult to remain faithful to Christ in the face of what seems to be overwhelming adversity. Cry out for Jesus in private and in public. Give no quarter to those who hate you and despitefully use you. Stand firm on your faith. Why? Because Jesus is faithfully standing with you. “Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering ; for he is faithful that promised” Hebrews 10:23.

Satan wins many of the rounds when it comes to Christians putting the secular world before Christ. God’s power is superseded by fear when His children fail to stand and publicly glorify Him. That young man relented and allowed the secular world to dictate to him when and where he can glorify God. Penalty after penalty, that young man should have continued praising God on the field of play as well as off. Even if he was ejected from the team, that young Christian football player would have won the biggest game of his life had he only stood firm on his faith.

None of us should ever have to stand before the Creator of the universe and explain our refusal to stand up for Him. If we refuse to stand firm on our faith, without question, we are either afraid of some negative consequence or we are ashamed of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. If its shame we feel then the question must be asked. Why? Why be ashamed of the one who gave us life? Why be ashamed of the one who paid the price for our freedom? How can we be ashamed of the one who died on an old wooden cross in our stead?

On the other hand if its fear you feel, then I would say heed God’s word. “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Matthew 10:28.

I remember a young teenage girl while staring down the barrel of a gun was asked by the boy holding the gun if she was a Christian. Instead of denying her Savior and Lord, she said yes and was instantly united with Jesus in Heaven. Do you think she has any regrets? Remember Columbine!

Professing a belief in Jesus as Lord and Savior is easy; living a life dedicated to Him (walking the Christian walk) is much more difficult. This is where so many falter. “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:” 1 Peter 2:9.

We diminish our Savior’s influence in this world and in our lives when we hide Him away from the public because of a fear of being ridiculed. Jesus never backed down or ran away when people spoke evil of Him. Where are the faithful? If His own children won’t stand against this evil world while giving God the glory for every aspect of their lives, who will?

Whether we are playing a sport for fun, or at our jobs, even in the grocery store, our faith in Christ should be overwhelmingly apparent. The other day a contractor came to my house, and in very cold weather he wore no coat, only his yellow t-shirt with writing in huge bold black letters proclaiming the message “I’m a Christian contractor”. After he finished measuring for a handicap ramp I’m attempting to get installed, I thanked him for his boldness in wearing that shirt. When we shook hands we called each other brother and both of us came away from that short meeting fully aware of the others faith in Christ. He didn’t know me from Adam but He was not ashamed of His Lord, nor was he concerned about any fallout from possible persecution.

“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” Romans 8:1. Condemnation is of the devil and he will continually bombard us with as much strife as he can, especially when we won’t follow the word of God. “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:7.

When we make the decision to follow Jesus Christ unabashedly, that decision comes with great responsibility. Condemnation being what it is the question becomes crucial to our faith. Will we stand up for Christ or recoil with fear and shame in the face of opposition?

We are to proclaim the message of the cross without fear of persecution. Nothing can touch our souls, they now belong to God. You want protection from the persecution? Claim the blood that was shed for your sins on a cross on a mountaintop in Judea 2,000 years ago. As Jesus Christ looked into the future and saw all of your sins and mine, do you think he was ashamed of us? I can honestly say the spikes that had been driven into His body had nothing to do with holding Jesus on that cross. Nothing but His love for you and me held Him there.

If you sometimes feel like you’re only going through the motions and you aren’t actually walking the walk of a born again believer in Christ, that can change. Simply put Jesus Christ back in His rightful place as the Lord of your life, which means He is not only on your team again, but He is the whole first string. Now, make that change permanent.

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
All scripture is from the KJV and God breathed

Always, The Poor Will be With You -  -  Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com 

“For the poor always ye have with you...” John 12:8a. The various explanations of the Greek word for “poor” consist of: reduced to beggary, begging, asking alms, destitute of wealth, influence, position, honor, lowly, afflicted, helpless, poor, and needy. The Greek word for “always” can also be translated “forever more”. Jesus is speaking here, in particular, about the greed displayed by Judas Iscariot (who later betrayed Him) concerning the expense of the oil Mary is using to anoint the Lord to prepare Him for burial. But it’s very interesting how the Creator of the World is also telling those around Him, including His disciples, that there will always be those who are poverty stricken (poor) among them/us.

Lately in the news there’s been a lot of talk about hyper-inflation and this talk is increasingly being propagated from pundits, commentators, and analysts of all kinds. What is hyper-inflation? The dictionary describes it as “a very general increase in prices”. In today’s terminology though, that definition would be an understatement. No, what today’s hyper-inflation is referring to will purposely turn people who once had wealth into people who are destitute of any wealth whatsoever. There is currently a push among the governing elite to see this become reality.

How can hyper-inflation happen? Hyper-inflation doesn’t just happen one day; this very real phenomenon has been in the works for many years. Poverty has always been with us, but what we see sprouting are ugly tentacles of a very pervasive, fully encompassing, methodically reasoned, and quickly approaching, worldwide (planned) catastrophe. The very descriptive phrase “poverty stricken” is much closer to becoming a reality for the majority of earth’s populous today than ever before in earth’s history. Worldwide economic and financial disorder will lead to a complete collapse of all the social order, and it’s clearly on the horizon. But along with this imminent and increasingly frightening situation comes great anticipation by believers in Christ that the last days are here.

The principalities and powers are full blown into creating a one world order and the world will look for someone to get them out of the ugly mess they’ve found themselves in, and a leader will emerge. That fact in itself should be more than encouraging to believers. Why? Because the word of God tells us that before that eventuality occurs Christ will take His Church home. Just as the return of our Messiah draws ever closer, so draws the prophesied approaching world chaos – and the world stands unawares.

The questions put to me in various letter are:

1. Will we be raptured before the crash of the world economy?
2. Will we need to store up food while we wait for Christ’s return?
3. Wouldn’t storing up food and resources be standing against God?

I’m no guru or prophet but we can certainly refer to the word of God for direction. In times past, God has given signs of future events such as famines and those astute enough to see the signs survived the famine because they were prepared.

For instance, we’re told in the book of Genesis that Joseph, the son of Jacob, used his God given ability of dream interpretation to explain to Pharaoh of Egypt what God was trying to tell Pharaoh through a dream. “And Joseph said unto Pharaoh, The dream of Pharaoh is one: God hath shewed Pharaoh what he is about to do. …This is the thing which I have spoken unto Pharaoh: What God is about to do he sheweth unto Pharaoh. Behold, there come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt: And there shall arise after them seven years of famine; and all the plenty shall be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine shall consume the land; And the plenty shall not be known in the land by reason of that famine following; for it shall be very grievous. ” Genesis 41:25, 28-29.

We’re told that because God gave Pharaoh a dream, Egypt became diligent in their preparations concerning the approaching famine. Pharaoh put Joseph in charge of all Egypt’s storage facilities and when the famine came, Joseph had done his job well. Egypt, and Egypt alone, had storage facilities which were completely full. The whole world would endure the famine and the whole world looked to Egypt for food. Egypt was greatly blessed and as such they prospered throughout the seven years of famine.

“And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.” Revelation 6:5-6. The imminent worldwide economic upheaval points to a fulfillment of the above verses as being on the very near horizon. A horizon filled with the poor and destitute.

Therefore it only makes sense to presume that God has given us this history lesson in advance for a reason and it is up to us to heed His warning signs or ignore them – possibly to our own peril. “But Ron, God will always provide for His children’s needs”. True. And just how does He go about that phenomenal feat? Can we assume that when the economic upheaval gets a little worse and the Lord tarries a while longer before taking us home, that when food becomes scarce or too expensive to purchase, that God will then simply rain down manna from Heaven?

Perhaps, but a more realistic approach to the situation might be that, as believers in Christ, God is telling us that the world economy is about to implode and that we should be getting ourselves prepared. “In Christ” believers know the end time scenario, or at least we should. Thus we must prepare our barns for any eventuality. Right? Brothers and sisters in the Lord, having the wherewithal to help each other while we also help the lost of the world would be a great example and witness to those who are perishing, and possibly the last act of benevolence to be observed by the lost prior to the rapture.

As I’ve mentioned, the letters are numerous asking what we should be doing right now since we can see all this upheaval coming. To me it’s very simple: Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and His word. His word tells us that a huge disruption in the norm is coming. No one knows just exactly when He’ll remove His Church, but it will occur prior to the Lamb of God opening the six seals of Revelation 6. Of course nothing happens instantaneously so there may well be some pre-upheaval apparent to the Church. Many may well become destitute and homeless. The poor will always be with us.

It won’t be going against God’s word to have a little extra food, water, and other provisions on hand in case of an emergency. I believe it would only be prudent and a very good management scenario of our God given resources. Everything we have belongs to God, thus He expects us to take good care of what’s His. Surely God would not be opposed to His children storing up some provisions so His Temple (our bodies) will remain as a beacon of light to the lost.

This world has fully embraced what is known as a fiat money system. In other words there is no substantive value backing our paper money, it can’t be redeemed for gold or silver. It only holds value as long as the government leadership says so. Ask yourself what you would do if you were to be confronted at the door of a store by the owner who blocks your entry into the store until you show him you have either gold or silver to use as payment for goods. No cash and no credit cards are allowed.

We need shelter from the harmfulness of adverse weather conditions, we need food and water, and we need clothing. Without paper money the barter system comes to mind. And if it comes to it, we’ll need a community of likeminded people to barter with. The bartering scenario is just a suggestion; I’m not saying it will ever come to that extreme. But since there is a possibility of such a scenario you might want to look around to see what you own which might be valuable enough to be a source for bartering.

I’m only suggesting things like this because I know folks are very concerned about the future of the world’s economic/financial systems. It’s amazing how we’ve allowed a few articulate speaking individuals to take complete control over our financial stability. Where did we go wrong? Well it all started when we decided to believe man over God. Now man rules and God has been removed. But the current trend that God is insignificant in the minds of most men will soon be reversed as God takes back the helm.

Children of God, we’ve become way too extravagant and materialistic in these end times. Jesus said the poor will always be with us and some of us might just fall into that category before long. We would all do well to get ourselves back to the basics of life and disregard the rest as nonessential. And here’s a thought. Instead of adding to your woes this Christmas season by venturing further into indebtedness, why not spend your hard earned income on something that will keep you and your family sustained in the future while many others scramble to find food? Something that would sustain your loved ones when times get tough would be a full pantry.

Pray we are raptured before any such scenario becomes a reality, but prepare for the possibility that poverty may soon become a way of life.

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
All scripture is from the KJV and God breathed

Satanic Attack/Fallen World - -  Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com 

“There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.” Job 1:1.

At some point there may come a time in your walk with God when you ask the question “Why should I continue?” If we, as Christians, ever hit that point, the book of Job could be our greatest resource; at a minimum it should not be neglected.

I want to relate some circumstances that have drastically affected my life of late. Through the prompting of the Holy Spirit it was laid on my heart to communicate to others something that many of you may identify with. A course of events associated with my life, which began some years back, have somewhat come to a head in these last few weeks.

About ten years ago I began to actually study my Bible. I was saved before that, but because of the Church I attended I wasn’t really encouraged to study my Bible, only to give it a causal read now and then. And the Old Testament was practically forbidden by the leadership of this particular Church. Being a stubborn man at heart and having the curiosity of a cat, I ventured into the Old Testament realm without hesitation. All in all, my studying took the inevitable turn toward believing the Bible (God’s word) over man, which sent me running from that particular Church never to look back.

Then, almost six years ago now, the Holy Spirit led me and my family to Missouri where I was able to fully engulf myself into Bible study. Through these studies it was only natural to venture into the Greek and Hebrew, ever seeking a deeper understanding of God’s Word. I now stand on a more sure foundation. I was relieved to find that the English translation, for the most part, coincided with the original languages. As I continued my studies I began to sense the Holy Spirit leading me into an arena previously unexplored by me. Writing.

It has now been a little over four years since I began writing these commentaries, always led by the Holy Spirit to be an encouragement to others who might be struggling with God’s word. At times it is quite laborious, but always a labor of love. My writing has taken me on cyber travels throughout the entire world. Friends and acquaintances have popped up from almost every country on planet earth, brothers and sisters in Christ reading my commentaries and responding – some with questions or asking for further explanations but most simply respond with words of encouragement, as well as words of gratitude, and of love. I’m so thankful for all my friends, and oh how I’d like to respond to every letter.

Now let me get to the heart of the matter. Four years ago, just after embarking on this new adventure in writing commentaries, a series of illnesses began to affect me physically. Being somewhat slow to grasp situations it hadn’t dawned on me until quite recently that perhaps I was under some sort of satanic attack. Satan and his hoard of evil followers might just have set their sights on me. Am I being attacked similarly to Job and many others since who have stepped into the realm of promoting God’s Kingdom? Or perhaps it’s only that we live in a fallen world and entropy is taking its toll on my body.

Let me describe what’s been happening to me over the past four years. Perhaps after reading this account you will see similarities between what’s been attacking me and troubles in your own life that may be pulling you away from God. Maybe – just maybe – you can find the relief I have.

I began to experience periods of extreme dizziness which made it almost impossible to have an active lifestyle. Then something began to affect my eyesight which led me to seek medical help. My muscles became weak and I was almost lethargic at times. I had to discontinue many of my normal activities, such as going to the store and going to Church, and I could no longer do my usual yard work which I dearly loved to do. To shorten a very long story, I’m now almost completely immobile. I spend a huge amount of my life on the couch.

I was diagnosed with a rare disease called Myasthenia Gravis. There is no known cure for this disease, but there are treatments that can give relief in 90 percent of the people who have this disease. The first attempts at treatment thus far have had no effect. Perhaps this is something more than just entropy. Time and more attempts at treatment will tell.

In addition to this disease I’ve been diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer. Also, I had a total knee replacement about 14 years ago which was a complete failure and I’ve had to put up with that inconvenience for years, and now my other knee has decided to go the same way, and of course this just adds to my mobility problems.

It gets better. Because of my medical condition, my wife needs to stay close to me to help when I get stuck and cannot get up from the couch or I can’t walk back from the kitchen or bathroom. She has some medical problems of her own which also hinder her ability to be an asset to any company. This has put a strain on our finances since I’m only receiving social security we haven’t the means to do much outside of getting by. As many of you know the medical cost involved in pursuing answers and ultimately relief from these physical ailments can be daunting. The cost of the medications that one must take to continue living can be a formidable task to overcome. Sometimes we wonder just how is this all possible. God has never ceased to amaze the Graham family as mountains of hardships become molehills to contend with.

Through all of this turmoil the commentaries keep coming. Each week God gives me one more commentary. I’m reminded of what Jesus said to His Apostle Paul, “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” 2 Corinthians 12:9. What more could we want, or even need for that matter, than the power of Christ resting upon us? Surely His grace is sufficient in all our endeavors.

This is why the power of Satan, which is indeed a force to be reckoned with, is no match for the power of God. My wife and I are committed to do God’s will and to live the best we can promoting His Kingdom while proclaiming the Gospel of Christ to the world. If that means we are to endure the slings and arrows of the enemy, so be it.

As believers we are in a battle, a spiritual battle that will not and cannot be won through man’s meager means. This battle we are in belongs to the Lord Jesus Christ. When we turn our lives over to Him, He takes control, and we are then only bystanders. Yes we are to be afflicted at times, sure there is pain and suffering, absolutely there will be occasions when we feel like giving in to the enemy and surrendering. But the book of Hebrews tells us “…be content with such things as ye have: for…I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.” Hebrews 13:5-6.

Fear can be a real foe and it must be dealt with. Fear can be debilitating in and of itself. There is no need to fear when we are born again because God has taken possession of what belongs to Him. It’s interesting just how many times in our Bibles we are told to “fear not”. After all, what’s the worst that can happen to us? Death? “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” 1 Corinthians 15:55. God is in control and the sooner we come to that realization the better we will get along in this world.

My wife and I and our daughter had been doing just fine with all these aliments, God saw us through each month. Now another blessing has come our way. Our oldest daughter and her four children have come to live with us. Through a set of circumstances in her life God has brought her back to Mom and Dad, and back to Him. We may never have had the opportunity to see our grandchildren, but now they live with us. Although we have a rather modest home we are content with what God blesses us with – and still opportunities abound.

Throughout the last four years since embarking on this adventure of writing for the Lord, my life has had many ups and downs. But through it all my faith in God has sustained me. Just knowing that God is near to me and guiding me and blessing me and my family with His grace and mercy has been my great joy.

If you are a born again believer in Christ reading this commentary today and you have had similar circumstances that have affected your life but were unable to make neither heads nor tails out of what’s happening, then be assured God knows your afflictions and He hears your prayers. In His time according to His will all will be worked out for His glory. Satan loses, God is always the winner, and we are the beneficiaries of Gods victory.

On the other hand, if you don’t know God as your Lord and Savior there is still time to make an adjustment to your eternal circumstances. Place your faith and your trust and your entire life in the hands of the King – King Jesus the Christ – and then watch as He takes control of your life. You may be surprised at the results, but you will never be sorry.

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
All scripture is from the KJV and God breathed
 

Saved – by a Building? -  Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com 

“John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven.” John 3:27.

“If you don’t go to Church, you’re not saved.” I heard that phrase from a man the other day, and I responded with “Going to Church doesn’t save you. We’re saved because Jesus died on a cross for our sins and that we believe that fact.” I said, “Do you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior?” He answered “Yes I do”. So I said “That’s what God wants from us, to believe in His Son. To know who He is and what He did for us.” By faith through God’s grace we believe and are saved, and the building you call a church hasn’t a thing to do with that salvation.

I heard a story about a women who attended services in a Christian congregation for 40 years, and when she turned 70 she finally came forward during an alter call and gave her life to the Lord. She began attending that Church when she was 30 and for 40 years she heard to message after message, she was probably very active in potluck dinners and such, yet had never asked Jesus into her life. We’re not saved by going to Church. Jesus saves and it can happen anywhere.

We can attend a Christ centered Church and hear God’s word preached every Sunday, but until we make up our mind to say yes to Jesus Christ, going to Church just becomes a routine we follow. I attended a Church for a full year before a man in that congregation asked me some questions that jogged my brain into gear. The man asked me “If you died today, Ron, would you go to Heaven or Hell?” I only needed to ponder that question for a few seconds, as I knew I had not given my life to Christ. I had never admitted to being a sinner and I’d never asked Him to save me from my sins. So I answered “I would probably go to Hell.” I spent a year attending that Church, religiously sitting in the same pew that had become my seat for that year. In all that time I never really heard the message. I never really paid attention, and the question the man asked me that very special day never once came from the pulpit in that church. Church doesn’t save, Jesus saves.

I asked Jesus into my life the very day that man asked me the question that got through to my brain. I opened the door that Jesus was knocking on and He came in. But the amazing thing as I look back on that situation is that it took a year for that question to be presented to me. Why? All the born again believers in that Church just supposed I was listening, but they were wrong. Going to Church for a full year didn’t save me, but Jesus did.

You may hear a great message while sitting in a pew, but even that message won’t save you. It’s what you do with that message that brings about a brain shock, a Holy Spirit induced revelation that convinces the lost that they must make a decision for Christ, and they must make it soon. It can and does happen during a Sunday morning worship service, but make no mistake, only Jesus saves and it’s the Holy Spirit that reaches us for Christ, be it through a message at a local church or through a few words uttered by a friend on a street corner.

“Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners-of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.” 1 Timothy 1:15-16. The Apostle Paul attended synagogues for years, and he knew the Old Testament scriptures very well, but he was not saved until he met Jesus out on that lonely, dusty Damascus road. No church saved him.

I’ve also heard it said that simply to believe in Jesus Christ is not enough, although we’re told numerous times throughout God’s word that all we must do to be saved is to believe. The verse that is inevitably trotted out to confirm the misguided opinion that believing in and of itself is not enough is in the book of James. “Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.” James 2:19. Its true there’s only one God, and that one God is Jesus the Christ. There is also only one devil which is Satan, but there are many seducing spirits that belong to Satan and they do tremble at even the thought of God.

The fact of the matter is these seducing spirits tremble because they know the truth. This confuses many especially when we are admonished over and over again throughout the New Testament that believing is what is necessary for salvation. The demons believe, but not by faith; they recognized Christ as Lord and as their future Judge. They are seducing spirits acting under Satan to deceive men. They know they are doomed to Hell because they can’t be saved. They know they have no chance of reconciliation with God. That’s why they tremble, they know their ultimate destination and they know time is their enemy.

Salvation only comes through faith in Jesus Christ. “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” Acts 4:12. Many people are convinced that they are saved simply by attending church. In all actuality, without ever asking Jesus Christ into their lives, they are as lost as the seducing spirits that follow Satan. How many have fallen for these words: “If you don’t go to church you’re not saved”? So, they go to church to prove their salvation, but have never accepted Christ. Where are those people spending eternity?


“He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” John 3:36. Man believes by faith that Jesus is who He says He is and that He died for our sins. We believe the scriptures; more simply stated we trust God. We have placed our faith in the fact that Jesus is the only way we can be saved. We hear the message of the cross (that message can come while sitting in a boat in the middle of a raging river, or standing on a street corner, or sitting in church) and by hearing that message we are then convicted in our spirit to believe. “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” Romans 10:17.

What was the response by the keeper of the prison where Paul and Silas were locked up once he realized none of his prisoners had escaped? He fell down before Paul and Silas and asked “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” Acts 16:30. To which came the response. “…Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved…” Acts 16:31. To believe means we trust Him. “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:” John 1:12.

Going to the right church, being baptized, doing good works of any kind, these are things we might do after we are born again, but they are not prerequisites for being saved. There are an untold amount of burdens being dumped on people by the uninformed or by those who have an agenda apart from God’s agenda. Thus there are doctrines made up by men which confuse and even bind those who wish only to follow Jesus Christ unabashedly.

Many people go to church for the wrong reasons, and most are seeking something but they don’t understand what. If a person is truly seeking God He’ll reveal Himself to them. In other words God isn’t hiding inside a big white building waiting to be discovered. Many folks, when they hit rock bottom and there is no place else to turn, finally end up asking God for help. All of a sudden it seems they need God’s help, but what they hadn’t realized previously is that God has been there all along helping them, blessing them. If only they could realize that simple fact, perhaps they wouldn’t need to hit rock bottom before finally turning to God.

Fellowshipping together with our brothers and sisters in Christ in a Christ centered Bible believing Church can be an awesome experience, one that we may never wish to depart from, but that isn’t what saves us. Jesus Christ saves, and only Jesus is worthy of that designation.

No my friends, you and I don’t need to walk through the doors of some huge Christian cathedral, or a small backwoods humble Christian Church to ask the God of the universe into our lives. I have said it before, the early Church met in their homes and there God added to the numbers of His Church daily. Personally, I asked Christ into my life on a street corner outside a local restaurant in the little town of Gold Beach, Oregon. There, for the first time in my life, I spoke to God and acknowledged who He is, and interestingly there wasn’t a church building in sight.

God is wherever you confront Him. The most important question we should all be asking ourselves is “Have we asked Jesus Christ into our lives, to be the propitiation for our sins?” Not which church to attend and what to wear, or will I be accepted.

Where do you stand in regards to the God of all creation? If you’re waiting for some great revelation at your local church it may never happen. If no one has asked, then let me be the first. If you died today would you go to Heaven or Hell? Think about it.

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
All scripture is from the KJV and God breathed

“Tradition” - - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com 

“And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,” Acts 2:46. The early Christian believers got together every day, and they broke bread together, prayed together, and sold what they had so they could share with other believers who had more of a need than themselves. Their Christian experience was daily, joyful, and simple – good examples for us Christians to follow today.

What we notice right off is that these early Christians were overwhelmed with thoughts of Jesus Christ as they fellowshipped every day. They rendezvoused as Christians in the Temple. Matthew Henry tells us that “Though they met with the Jews in the courts of the temple, yet the Christians kept together by themselves, and were unanimous in their separate devotions.” Even after the temple was destroyed in 70 AD they still continued daily in one accord, but met exclusively in their homes. It wasn’t until almost 400 AD that Christians began to fellowship in buildings other than their homes.

Church tradition has come a long way in the last 2,000 years. Most of what is done these days behind the doors of Christian Churches is not so much biblical as traditional. Simply put, years of man’s doctrines have crept into our Christian Churches. Even though we practice something every week doesn’t mean it is necessarily biblical. And you’ll never really achieve any real understanding of your Bibles by simply sitting through three songs and a thirty minute message by a pastor on Sunday mornings. Never be afraid to simply open your Bible and begin a study. If done diligently and prayerfully, God will direct you and provide you with understanding.

“Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” Hebrew 10:25. This is the verse that so many choose to use whenever they are confronted with Christian believers who worship in their own homes in lieu of assembling in a big white building somewhere. Sometimes it’s actually used to condemn Christians who prefer home worship. Whether folks worship Christ together as a congregation of fifty or an assembly of five it’s still worship.

“Not forsaking” means we aren’t to abandon or desert (leave behind the brethren), and “assembling ourselves together” means we are to gather together in one place. This can be easily accomplished by getting together with our loved ones and worshipping God in our homes, every day.

We have grown accustomed to assembling with a huge throng of believers and non-believers alike. In the case of the early Church, though, they got together with other believers every day and they communed together, they prayed together, and God added souls to the church daily. Wow, even while worshiping in their homes?

In our homes, as neighbors join neighbors to hear the word, there may be more intimacy with God, and much more dialogue and closeness of worship. The prayers might be more spontaneous and fluent in the smaller home worship groups, and Jesus would certainly be there. “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” Matthew 18:20.

So why do I seem to be against hundreds of years of Church tradition? Actually I’m not. But I do believe, very strongly, that one day, very soon now, all those who are truly born again believers in Christ will need to discontinue holding worship services in those big, highly visible and expensive buildings. We will need to go back to the roots of Christianity – coming together and breaking bread daily in our own homes.

I believe Christians will be forced into a sort of undercover mode of worship involving perhaps only our immediate family members, and maybe a few close neighbors. It’s these Church traditions that many believers are going to have a tough time distancing themselves from in future America as well as other nations.

In many respects the assembling together has become a huge social club designed to entertain the club members. This membership atmosphere which has become the norm in many congregations, and which is now seen in the eyes of many as the Laodicean Church, might well be the church’s waterloo. These folks could well be the ones who will turn against and bring down the organized Christian Church in the last days. Believers might have to give up their coffee shops, book stores, bowling alleys, movie theaters, and all the rest of the unbiblical amenities that have infiltrated our worship halls.

As church traditions have become more commonplace in our services, we can see a moving away from the basic tenets of the Bible. Reading about how the early Christian believers went about meeting together and how their fellowship was centered on our Lord Jesus Christ and the breaking of bread together as a group is inspiring. Today we can see a huge difference as many years of traditions have crept in and become quite the financial beast of burden pulling the heart out of the worship services. Fellowshipping daily keeps coming back to mind.

Paul asked that the believers lay by and store a portion of what God had prospered them so it could be gathered and taken to distribute to the poorer saints. “Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.” 1 Corinthians 16:2. Since the early church assembled in their homes they had no huge overhead budgets to account for and they were able to help their brothers and sisters in the Lord with their increase.

“But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.” 2 Corinthians 9:6-7. Carefully read these verses – there’s not one reference to giving money but we are to give not grudgingly or of necessity, but cheerfully. It can be money, but it can also be our time, our experience, food, clothing, etc. Money is given these days because that’s what it takes to pay the mortgage on the buildings and the pastors salaries along with electric bills, but stocking up food pantry’s can be done by each believer bringing in a can of soup.

Many Christian congregations have bank accounts holding thousands, some even millions, of dollars. All the while there are believers in many parts of the world suffering from starvation, mal-nutrition, a lack of warm clothing, or a pillow to lay their heads on. Many more have not even a Bible to read. God will hold us accountable for what we did for the brethren.

Tradition tells us to tithe 10 percent of our income, place that tithe into an offering plate each week, thus we’ve done our part. If you are a believer in Christ you are free in Christ to worship and give as you see fit. Tithing is not a New Testament commandment, it’s a Church tradition. Giving comes from the heart and we don’t need to wait for Sunday services to give. If a congregation holds huge sums of money in their bank accounts they are not relying on God to supply their needs, they are saving up for their wants.

What will become of the believers who are stuck in the traditions of the past as the church is forced underground? What will the individual saint do when the persecution of the Church becomes overwhelming?

These are questions we should address now while we are at liberty to worship as we please. We should take a long hard look at just how important all those traditions really are. If you’re one of the ones who doesn’t believe the persecution of the Church will ever occur in the US, you may well be living in a dream world. Yes, there will always be those big buildings where people meet, but in the last days they will only be filled with Laodiceans.

Please don’t misunderstand what I’m saying. I’m not attempting to dissuade folks from attending Sunday worship services by any means. There are, I’m sure, many fine congregations out there that are doing a great work for the Lord. I’m only suggesting that all the saints should become aware of the possibility that home worship is also approved of by God. It’s not forsaking the fellowship if we have fellowship in our homes. It’s just extremely different than what the organized church is accustomed to, traditionally speaking.

Daily worship of our God and Savior Jesus Christ is our faithful duty, and it includes every Christian believer. If Jesus is to be constantly on our minds then we should already be faithfully worshipping Him daily in our homes. But is that the case? Are the majority of believers today consumed with Jesus Christ? That is precisely why I am writing this commentary. If you’re not focused on Jesus while going about your daily routines, how will you become focused on Him when the bottom falls out concerning our freedoms here in the US? Mainly, our freedom to worship. When it becomes impossible to worship openly what will become of Christ’s Church?

Being prepared for the eventual persecution of the Church is only good sense. Holding to the traditions that have become commonplace in our worship service may not be prudent. Folks, the persecution Jesus spoke about is coming. It’s time we as His Church become prepared for whatever the world throws at us.

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
All scripture is from the KJV and God breathed

Right – In Their Own Eyes - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com 

“In those days …every man did that which was right in his own eyes.” Judges 17:6. When mankind resorts to following his own imagination, especially concerning what is right and what is wrong, God, for the most part, gets left behind. Although they won’t admit it, most people today live their lives, at least in some respect, in accordance to God’s word. When people blatantly disregard God’s laws and live according to what they themselves believe to be right then invariably up becomes down and wrong is seen as right. Those who are completely opposed to anything biblical and who radically reject the teachings found within the pages of God’s word are doomed, or better stated damned.

Here’s a little side note:
For those of you who don’t yet get just exactly what it means to be damned, it speaks of those who are lost – those who have no hope – they will find themselves in a place of torment when their end comes. For those who reject Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior it means an eternity in Hell. If you don’t believe in Hell, yet you continually reject God’s free gift of salvation, you will.

Today as marriage is being attacked or distorted many refuse to believe that God gave us our institution of marriage many thousands of years ago back in the Garden of Eden. God’s idea of the appropriate form of marriage has been well established in most cultures today. Another of God’s laws which is now characteristic of most of earth’s civilizations is the fact that murder is not condoned, not in any fashion. In the book of Exodus we read the verse “Thou shalt not kill” Exodus 20:13. The Hebrew word used here actually means murder (Thou shalt not murder). This is God’s sixth commandment and has been His standard for thousands of years. The prohibition on stealing, lying, and adultery are all well established bans which were recognized long before secular man’s laws were even thought of. It amazes me when I ponder these things; just where do folks think all these, and many more, directions for our lives came from?

It’s true that people, for the most part, don’t read the Bible. But many of its truths are continually passed down even through generations of secular law givers. If there is no God why hold to His precepts? Why not allow complete abandon and live like the devil? Because whether they like it or not the knowledge concerning God is in every man. “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:” Romans 1:20.

People today have an excuse for everything. But God says there is no excuse, that the ignorance of His power and Godhead is inexcusable. This means they who don’t believe there is a God have no excuse for holding such a non-defendable position. There will be no defense as these folks make their final appeal to God while they stand before Him awaiting judgment. Imagine walking into a courtroom and standing before the judge completely defenseless with only the claim, “But judge I didn’t know murder was against the law”. How much credence would any judge give such a defense? Ignorance of the law is no excuse.

Today we live in an age that is ripe with the “spirit of wickedness”, which can be attributed to every man doing that which he feels is right in his own eyes. We are bombarded with clichés’ which constantly remind us of our individuality. We are encouraged to break the rules, to place no boundaries on our liberties, to let loose our inhibitions, to embrace humanism, and to come to grips with the promise of no remaining taboos. According to today’s secularist every old fashioned taboo should be removed from today’s “enlightened” society.

If it feels good do it, after all we’re only human. Today’s message from the secularists is always the same: “Make your own rules; you answer to no one, the universe revolves around you.” But the result of taking that path can only be disorder. “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” Proverbs 14:12. Without God’s truth and intervention in the affairs of mankind there would not even be a mankind.

Today’s culture demands the populous has the right to do whatever they want, whatever pleases them, whatever they can derive pleasure from is considered to be right and acceptable. Instead of looking to the Bible for answers man looks to his fellow man, who is just as corrupt as himself.

“If you want to be truly happy follow your heart.” Wait a minute, what does Jeremiah say? “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” Jeremiah 17:9. The heart is deceitful? Yes. That’s what God says about the heart, so should we follow something that is deceitful and desperately wicked? Who would want us to follow the heart if it is only going to deceive us? I’ll give you one guess.

Satan, of course; he conspires to deceive us and he succeeds continually. All those above clichés are his invention or better stated his intervention. Humanism is his concept because it removes God from the world. “Well, without God the playing field becomes more equal.” Not hardly. Without God there remains only His enemy. God’s enemy hates all humans; this fact is well known by all believers in Christ. Without God’s protection, the playing field becomes horribly skewed toward Satan’s agenda, which is evil, death, and ultimately Hell.

Where humanity is headed, and even in many cases already resides, is exactly where Satan wants us. It’s a hard pill to swallow when a person learns they’ve been following Satan all their lives. God has always been close but He doesn’t interfere with our will. Yes, He sent His Holy Spirit to direct us toward Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son, but God will not force us into a believing, faith filled, and loving relationship with Jesus. That must be a decision we make on our own.

Opposition to God’s word is folly. Even when folks say they accept some of the Bible as truth but they don’t believe that the entire Bible is from God they are only following their true father, the devil. An evil scheme of Satan’s is to discredit the Bible, to show that the Bible is corrupt, misleading, and full of myths and should be disregarded. Many folks would rather follow Satan and his lies than read and believe the truth of God, hence, the overcrowding nature of Hell.

The world belongs to Satan, he stole it from Adam, and he’s had an almost complete autonomy concerning earthlings for around 6,000 years now. There are currently two groups of people on earth: Earth dwellers (those who belong to this world – Satan) and Christians (those individuals who’ve given their lives to Christ and as such are only sojourners here).

Man can and does ignore God, but man cannot remove God, not from his mind, his heart, or from planet earth for that matter. Man can only make the decision to attempt to remove God from his life. When man becomes convinced that he has achieved success in removing God from his life he begins to see everything differently, as right in his own eyes. This is exactly where Satan wants mankind. This has been Satan’s goal from the beginning. Eliminate God and everything falls into Satan’s grasp. Those who fall into the clutches of God’s enemy will finally get what they’ve pursued all their lives, an eternity without God. Earth dwellers are those who, knowingly or not, exclusively follow Satan. Remember there is no neutral ground; there are only two to chose from, Jesus Christ or Satan. Jesus said “He that is not with me is against me;” Matthew 12:30a. There are many folks, almost innumerable numbers, who should study those words more carefully.

God wants us to pursue a relationship with Him and to live according to His word. But when in our own eyes we see all forms of evil as pleasure, always enticing us, and we allow ourselves to be led by evil in an attempt to be fulfilled, sooner or later, nothing we do or try will be fulfilling. We will ultimately end up like Solomon preaching “Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.” Ecclesiastes 1:1-2.

Here we are staring at the end of all time, we are all looking eternity in the face and people are still consumed with pursuing pleasure, seemingly more than ever before. There continues to be purveyors of pleasure in all walks of life, always bent on pulling the masses toward destruction. All this perceived pleasure is fleeting, temporary at best. No matter how close we get to the end, the end will never be in sight for those whose tendencies are focused toward doing what is right in their own eyes.

What are your sights set on today? What or who are you looking to for your own peace of mind? There can only be one who can bring peace to you. You might concede that all is vanity, but with Jesus Christ in your life, your life doesn’t need to be lived in vain.

Folks, doing what is right in your own eyes can produce some horrible consequences. One very severe consequence ultimately arises as a result of rejecting God’s free gift of salvation. That severe consequence is an eternity of torment in Hell without possibility of reprieve or pardon.

Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, never mind what you think you know or what others tell you about the existence or non-existence of God Almighty. Come to your own decision regarding Jesus Christ. Come to the correct decision that will forever endear you to the Son. Jesus Christ is God and He is the way, the truth, and the life. And if you truly want to see Heaven when your time on earth runs out, remember this – Jesus Christ, the only begotten of the God, gives life, and life more abundantly. And He leads all who will follow Him to Heaven. All those who will place their faith, their trust, and lives in His hands are in for a great escape.

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
All scripture is from the KJV and God breathed
 

Wealthy Christian Leaders - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com 

“For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”
1 Timothy 6:10. It can get pretty discouraging, especially in these last days before Christ’s return, as we’re confronted with more and more high profile Christian leaders falling into sinful lifestyles. When I read about both men and women pastoring huge mega churches, or those who are out on evangelistic tours pulling down yearly salaries in the millions, all the while building up fleets of exotic cars, boats, and flying their own personal jets around the world, I’m actually grieved in my spirit. Why? Because almost without fail the next thing we know is they’ve been caught in some kind of scandal, and it is usually of a sexual nature.

It seems that the more money they receive the less attractive lifestyle they lead. Year after year the news reports come in exposing, even detailing, the less than moral lives many of these individuals have been living. Professing Christians – all of them leading huge flocks of parishioners to where? God knows. Without fail, as they are caught in the most compromising of positions, out come the tears and the cries of repentance begging for forgiveness. Have they actually repented and turned away from the sinfulness that got them into the bind they are in? Only God knows. But we as followers of Jesus Christ must make a decision to forgive them and continue to follow this person’s teachings, or to simply move on.

“Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.” Matthew 18:21, 22. Here Peter refers to a brother sinning against a brother, but these folks are sinning against God and it is God whom they need to ask forgiveness of. Of course God will forgive them but God can see their hearts, He knows if they are truly sincere or not.

The love of money certainly is the root of all evil, of that fact I have no doubt. It seems that many of these folks started out in the most sincere ministries, but as their following grew they became wealthier and wealthier until their lifestyle had made such a change that finally their extremely flamboyant lives demanded they pursue more wealth. Oh sure, they can preach a sermon that draws huge crowds, we’ve all seen the results of their obvious charisma. And they seem to draw folks with some very deep pockets. They are very convincing with their showy, sometimes fiery, sermons, but are these folks actually portraying a Christ-like lifestyle or are they living a “behind the scenes” type of life that if truth be known would have us squirming in our seats?

Was Christ ever rolling in the dough? Did Jesus Christ ever come to a meeting in one of the most expensive modes of transportation of His day, or did he usually walk from the last place He held a meeting? The only time the Bible records Christ as using any mode of transportation other than walking is when He rode on the colt of an ass into Jerusalem and allowed Himself to be worshipped as Messiah.

Everyone we see or hear about as heading up a huge congregation or Christian organization, and who command these multimillion dollar salaries are potential targets for an attack by the enemy. Satan and his minions of evil thoroughly enjoy tearing down the lives of those who’ve been elevated to a position of authority and responsibility over the Church. The wiser of these folks have surrounded themselves with individuals who keep them accountable – walking the strait and narrow so to speak. But the “wise in their own mind” crowd, who eschew accountability, it seems are continually attacked and slit open like fish and laid out for public ridicule.

“And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.” Matthew 19:24. The love of money, the pursuit of money, the drive to gain more and more money as well as material assets has become the major focus of many of those who are at the center of the Christian leadership. Money can and does change lives; as millions of dollars come rolling in, so does the many temptations including those temptations that lead people astray. Keeping one’s self from those temptations becomes a different type of battle because there are things that people need. But there’s a huge difference between needs and wants. Once the money is available the wants become easy to obtain.

We should remember that God ordains those He wishes, and that that ordination should in no wise place them in a position of wealth and prosperity over the laity. Remember it was Jesus Christ Himself that made the reference to the deeds of those who lorded over His flock as something He hates. “Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.” Revelation 2:1,2,4, 6.

God doesn’t want those whom He placed in positions of leadership over His flock to lord over them as some sort of god, nor does He expect them to flaunt what He’s blest them with. Yes, He has blest many with wealth and they are expected to use that wealth in a godly manner. When Paul called for a collection it was to provide the saints who were suffering with sustenance. Paul never took a widow’s mite for himself. But he did spread the Gospel which is what we are all called to do. We are to spread the Good News to all nations and not lay up our treasures here on earth. People who’ve been so wonderfully blest financially can be such a huge help to God’s Holy Spirit to lend a helping hand, and to use those riches to bring the lost to Christ.

That’s really what being a Christian leader is about. Is it wrong to desire a nice home, nice car, health insurance, retirement account? Not at all. But when desire for wealth becomes – five multimillion dollar mansions strung across the US, a fleet of exotic cars and limousines, and a private jet, that becomes excessive and that Christian leader may already be playing into the enemy’s hands.

Falling from God’s grace can happen to any of Christ’s followers, rich or poor. But it seems the enemy has a special purpose in trying to bring down the church by exposing the fallacies and failures of affluent Christian leaders. It’s as though the enemy is saying to the world that the Christian Church is corrupt and therefore God is unreliable, and that people should find their own way in this world instead of following these corrupt Christian leaders that God has supposedly ordained.

There’s a reason that the following scripture verse is a part of the word of God “…It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.” Matthew 19:24.” Once the love for money becomes our life’s pursuit, the need or desire for a Savior becomes insignificant. The message becomes a message of prosperity instead of a message of hope in the one who can actually save us.

The idea behind evangelism is to promote Jesus Christ as the only Lord and Savior of man. The idea of riches becomes a self-promoting scheme to obtain even more earthly riches. Do we promote Jesus Christ or an incredibly wealthy Christian leader? You need to decide for yourself which of these two very different paths you are going to pursue and follow.

Jesus Christ never pursued earthly wealth while He walked the shores of Galilee or climbed the hills of Judea. They nailed Him to a cross, naked, between two thieves, and there He died. He was buried in someone else’s tomb. But when He ascended into Heaven, forty days after He arose from that grave, He left the most wonderful inheritance any of us could ever wish to obtain; a Heavenly inheritance that would cost us nothing. No earthly riches could ever purchase His free gift for us. No overt popularity could ever elevate us to a position of such prominence that we would receive His Heavenly gift through our own works.

Jesus paid the price, Jesus is the answer, and Jesus Christ is all we need to get from this life to the one He’s prepared for us. Personally I’d rather be known as someone who is more like Jesus and less like the world. No amount of money can bring us the peace we can receive by knowing the King of kings and the Lord of lords. Do you know Him? And more importantly, does He know you?

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
All scripture is from the KJV and God breathed
 

PC Runs Amuck – Among Christians - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com 

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” John 14:6. First of all, as followers of Jesus Christ, we must be convinced that the Bible is the inerrant word of God. Secondly, we must believe, our Messiah, Jesus – God Almighty - is being truthful with us. And thirdly, we must believe that when He made the statement “no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” He was speaking to all humankind on planet earth, for all time.

If we believe that Jesus is who He said He is, and we believe in Him and on Him, then why not believe His statement above? How many Christians believe there are many paths/roads/religions that lead to God? Surprisingly, there are many professing to follow Jesus Christ who openly call their Messiah a liar. How’s that you might ask? Simply by agreeing with the politically correct mindset that all religions worship the same God, or with those who say there are many paths to God that don’t include Jesus Christ and His sacrifice.

Jesus is God and as such He has the authority to make such an exclusive statement. “In Christ believers” may not like the idea that Christianity is so totally exclusive but we are not given the choice to disagree. We either believe God that His word is true or we end up calling Him a liar. Those who profess a faith in Jesus Christ yet believe there is another road, another way which leads to God are without excuse.

The president of the United States claims to be a Christian and yet he claims that there are many paths that lead all those from other religions to the same God. As I’ve already mentioned there are many professing Christians making this same erroneous statement. Former President Bush made the same statement. Whether or not these men are trying to be politically correct or not probably won’t matter one iota to God when they all stand before Him. Anytime men and women feel it necessary to place man’s ignorant ideas above God’s precepts, thereby calling God a liar, should prepare themselves for a very hot and tortuous eternity.

The reason many professing Christians disagree with the word of God may be summed up in these terms: they are fearful of evangelism. Perhaps they don’t want to step on toes; they may find it easier, thus preferable, to go along with the PC crowed. We know that there are many who “line item veto” what they don’t like concerning the word of God; Jesus’ statement in John 14:6 is one of the main line item vetoes preferred by PCers.

Yes there are many religions and they all have their faithful adherents. “Aren’t those who worship the god of those other religions actually worshiping the same God of the Bible? And if they are, wouldn’t that mean that there are many roads or paths that lead to Heaven?” The answer to that question is, of course, no. All religions do not worship the one true God, the God of Bible, the God of Christianity.

Just a quick look into the various religions of the world will be an eye opener to most Christians. No religion of this world accepts Jesus Christ as God Almighty. You might be confused with my statement. What about Christianity? Friends, Christianity is not a religion, it is a faith through grace based lifestyle which the true believer in Christ lives daily. Religions do everything they can, by utilizing their own manmade ideas, to atone for their own sins instead of relying on Jesus Christ, the one who has already atoned for the sins of the world. Oh yes, there are some religions out there among the world religions who claim to be Christian but they don’t actually believe Jesus paid the whole price for their sins and thus they do all sorts of works to help themselves achieve salvation. Consequently, Jesus’ final spoken word from the cross “Tetelestai” (meaning “Paid in Full”) is also line item vetoed.

Many of the world religions believe that Jesus Christ was a living being but not God Almighty. They believe Jesus was a man, yes, a great teacher and humanitarian but that is as far as their belief takes them. Through their relegation of Jesus to the status of a mere human they strip Him of His deity and leave Him standing bare and insignificant. This attitude of subordinating Jesus Christ to some sort of lesser god or angel by many who erroneously take the name of Christian will never endear them to the King of kings and Lord of lords.

By Jesus making the statement that no man can come to the Father but by Him, He’s effectively eliminated all worldwide religions from being of Him and has driven the stake of exclusivity into the ground like that of a line in the sand. Only unlike the bully who draws a line in the sand as a dare, Jesus says cross this line and live.

Christianity isn’t really exclusive like some kind of club that only allows certain high profile folks to join. There really isn’t anything exclusive about the Christian faith. Everyone is given the opportunity to become a believer in Christ and thus become a part of the body of Christ. Joining a religion of the world, including the religion of atheism, will be a major barrier to ever entering the Kingdom of Heaven.

“I am the way the truth and the life” – the whole reason for this statement was that people would believe and not perish. Those who do not believe Jesus’ words will certainly perish. “…that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16b. This verse is just as exclusive as the verse in John 14:6. To obtain everlasting life we must first believe in Him (Jesus Christ) as the one who gives everlasting life. There is no other God and there is simply no reason for political correctness. If God Almighty isn’t being PC why should we?

“For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” John 3:17. There is no condemnation in Jesus Christ the condemnation is in believing there are other paths/roads/religions that lead to the Father. All who believe this erroneous concept are condemning themselves to Hell. God gives us His truth to follow – it’s up to us to believe and to follow Him as our only Savoir and Lord. “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.” John 3:19.

This really is the basis for all the political correctness in the world. Men love darkness and they love their evil deeds, and they love placating others. They want to remain in the world doing what they see as right and correct. Many followers of Jesus Christ are in the same mindset as the PC crowd. If they believed everything Jesus said they’d be overwhelmed with guilt, and from this guilt would come repentance. Alas this just isn’t the case as we can plainly see; they don’t believe what Jesus said, therefore guilt and repentance are not forthcoming. “For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.” John 3:20-21.

There is a very large segment of earth’s population who stand against Jesus Christ, nothing new in that statement. But unbeknownst to them is the fact that they are all currently condemned to Hell, and will remain so unless at some point in their life they come to believe what the Holy Spirit has laid on their hearts about Jesus Christ. Joining the PC crowd and going along with the mindset of many paths lead to heaven will only serve to cement the feet of that large segment of earth’s population to that path which leads to destruction.

PC Christians, in many instances, are standing against Jesus Christ. If anyone is opposed to Jesus’ teachings they are opposed to God. Can a person be truly saved and still be opposed to Jesus Christ? When we witness to someone it’s usually someone who is an unbeliever, but with professing Christians that isn’t the case, or is it? When it comes to witnessing, who are we to witness to? Is it the lost who’ve never heard the Gospel, or the lost that have heard it and don’t believe it? Or is it the professing Christian who believes he is saved yet continually calls my Savior a liar?

There are many verses in the Bible that when read by the unsaved can be difficult to understand and misconstrued. There are many who’ve read the Bible and have dismissed it as mythical. Many others parrot only what they’ve heard someone else say about it. But those who profess a faith in Christ have no excuse for calling Him a liar. Born again believers are indwelt with the Holy Spirit and He directs us. If you believe there are many paths/religions which will lead the unsaved to the Father, other than the path that the God of all Creation has espoused, then you will most assuredly want to rethink your conversion experience. You’d best begin with asking Him for forgiveness.

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
All scripture is from the KJV and God breathed

Strange Flesh Punishment – God Style - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com 

“But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” Matthew 24:37. We’re told that the evil on earth was so great during Noah’s life prior to the flood that God made a decision to eliminate all that evil. Does flooding the earth seem just a little extreme to you? “And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” Genesis 6:5. Such full corruption so permeated the world that God had no choice but to eliminate mankind and start over. God’s punishment might have seemed extreme to us living today, but God’s punishment is always just. It’s impossible for God to err in His judgment; He is our just and righteous God.

“And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air;” Genesis 6:7. It’s hard to imagine that apart from the wickedness of man all the beasts and the creeping thing, and even the birds of the air had been so utterly corrupted that God had to destroy them save those which Noah took aboard the Ark. What could have caused such ire in God to produce such a complete, destructive response?

Do you sense, as I do, that God was thoroughly put out with His creation? Is it possible that God could become so angry that He would, once again, destroy the earth and everything on it? In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus tells four of His disciples that in the last days just before His return, earth’s inhabitants will experience the same evil as they did prior to the flood of Noah. What did that evil consist of? It was a time filled with angels and humans going after “strange flesh”.

The word of God never fails to enlighten no matter how many times we read it. I was astonished at a verse I read recently, one I had read many times in the past, but this time a little nugget took hold and really sunk in. It speaks of God’s punishment. “And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.” Jude 1:6. Jude is referring to the fallen angels of Genesis 6 that co-habituated with human women. They had to leave their first estate, their own habitation, when they took on a form that would allow them to indulge in sexual relations with human women (they were going after strange flesh). “That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.” Genesis 6:2. Sons of God, or “Ben Ha Elohiym” in the original Hebrew text of the Old Testament, always refers to angels.

Then Jude goes on and describes another set of events where God, once again used the most extreme of punishments to eliminate a people who had gone way past God’s ordained and well established normal marital relations by going after “strange flesh”. “Even as Sodom and Gomorrha , and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.” Jude 1:7. What do we learn from these two verses? The idea of going after “strange flesh” obviously always includes some form of a very severe punishment.

God destroyed the earth by flood because the inhabitants were going after “strange flesh”. How strange? He was forced to destroy even the animals, the creepy thing, and the birds of the air. What in the world was going on in those days to prompt God into such severe action? Certainly more than the promoters of the erroneous doctrine of the daughters of Cain cohabitating with the sons of Seth are able to explain.

All indications were that these “sons of God”, or fallen angels, were attempting to fully corrupt God’s creation. They were trying to give earth a complete makeover. Humans, plants, animals, creepy things, even the birds of the air would no longer be God’s perfect creation, but a satanic representation of creation devoid of God’s spirit.

This is what is understood as “strange flesh”. God cannot allow such goings on as it diminishes the creation He initiated and ultimately creates human beings without souls. God not only put a stop to this satanic chicanery but placed very severe punishment on those who make a practice or a lifestyle of going after “strange flesh”. You might ask how this “strange flesh” concept is affecting society today. I’ll tell you, it’s the same as it was during the days of Lot; homosexuality ran rampant in Lot’s day as the minds of men were evil continually.

Unlike the antediluvian flood that destroyed the entire earth, God’s punishment in relation to Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, although total and complete annihilation, was confined to just a small portion of the earth. It may seem quite severe to today’s human race and yet God says it is set as an example to all who wish to follow in the footsteps of those who indulge in the sinful lifestyle of going after “strange flesh”.

In man’s view, God’s punishment many times seems awfully over the top. At times God commanded various leaders of His people such as Joshua and later Saul to completely wipe out certain nations including men, women, and children even their animals. Why? Because they had corrupted themselves by going after “strange flesh”. In His word, God explains His reaction to man’s rebellion. He gave us His word to live by, to come to the understanding we need so we won’t follow in the same corruptions. But man, for the most part, rejects God’s word thereby continually falling under the same judgments.

Going after “strange flesh” is the key ingredient here. God created everything to multiply after its own kind. “Strange flesh” means there’s a major, and quite frankly a very satanic, disruption infiltrating God’s design of creation. By recognizing God’s incredibly severe punishment for those who participate in this corruption, it becomes plain to any intelligent observer that any variance in God’s design and instructions for mankind will be dealt with in like manner.

This is the message all believers in Christ should be fully convinced of. Ignoring God’s punishment as we turn a blind eye and condone those who partake in this “strange flesh” lifestyle may be politically correct, but aren’t we neglecting our responsibility to our fellow man, not to mention our love for God and for His word?

Peter tells us that “For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;” 2 Peter 2:4. Here again we’re given the eternal destination of the angels that sinned in Genesis 6. Peter’s use of the word Hell comes from the Greek word “Tartarus”, and is actually even worse than Hell. It’s the darkest abode of woe. In other words, these angels were to receive a punishment far worse than that of just the average sinner who would reject Christ.

“And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly; And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly;” 2 Peter 2:5-6. The punishment of Sodom and Gomorrah is consistent with that of the antediluvian world. Why? Because God says going after “strange flesh” is unnatural, it’s against the normal sequence of His creation of producing after one’s own kind, and He will not allow it to continue.

Clearly there are different levels of punishment in that ungodly dimension called Hell or Sheol. Although no one should want any part of that dimension, to be cast into “Tartarus” is the worst punishment of all.

There are consequences for sin. But going after “strange flesh” means those individuals who participate in the most unnatural lifestyle of homosexuality, or bestiality, or any other deviation from God’s normal plan for the procreation of His creation will be judged more severely than the rest of the Christ rejecting world. God’s judgment on those who go after “strange flesh” is purposely set, not merely as a more severe punishment, but as an example of what should not be accepted as a normal lifestyle.

All sin is forgivable. But when sinfulness keeps people from asking God for forgiveness and accepting His free gift of salvation it becomes unforgivable. Of course we all sin and therefore are all in need of a Savior, but those who refuse to acknowledge they are sinners and who remain as unbelievers until death are blasphemers of the Holy Spirit, which if not corrected prior to death is the one and only unpardonable sin.

Sin is fully capable of keeping the unsaved, unsaved. Rejecting God’s truth is rejection of Jesus Christ. God’s punishment is severe in the case of rejecting His only begotten Son, but the severity level advances greatly for those going after “strange flesh” while rejecting Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. It becomes the same punishment doled out to the angels that kept not their first estate.

As a Christian I’ll never experience Hell, and if we could get other people to grasp what Hell is all about it would be obvious they wouldn’t want too either. The abode of woe, referring to Tartarus, is so much more horrible than that of Hell that we Christians should be doing all we can to convince the purveyors of the “strange flesh” concept to turn from their evil ways. Tartarus is beyond the realm of Hell, it is the ultimate in God’s punishment. It is reserved for all those who go after strange flesh.

Homosexuals are going after “strange flesh”. To live a lifestyle going after strange flesh is, plainly stated, not staying in the boundaries set by God for His creation. After all, since God did not spare His angels that sinned He will not spare those who “Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls:” 2 Peter 2:14a. Many homosexuals claim to be Christians and yet see no need to step out of that lifestyle. We cannot be born again and blatantly stand against God. Being born from above, born from God, means we no longer live for ourselves but for God. In other words, the homosexual will turn away from going after strange flesh once born again.

Punishment God’s style is ultimately the worst punishment anyone will ever endure. But God does not want to punish any of His creation. His plan and pleasure would have all His creation coming to the realization of the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Sinners, saved by grace thru faith in Jesus Christ.

Avoid Hell, avoid Tartarus – believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, place your faith and your trust in Him and you will be saved from all punishment. Remain in your steadfast rejection to Christ while continuing your “strange flesh” adventures and the extreme punishment of Tartarus will be yours for eternity. What’ll it be?

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
All scripture is from the KJV and God breathed
 

HELL – SHEOL - - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com 

“The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.” Psalm 9:17.

It’s true, there really is a Hell. I know because I’m standing in the midst of the most horrible place anyone could imagine. Truth be told, no human being could ever come close to imagining what I am seeing and experiencing without experiencing it personally for themselves. Hollywood could not do justice to the immense hideousness of this place. What I am seeing cannot be described in human terms. Why am I here? I rejected God’s free gift of salvation, and if you keep reading you might just avoid spending eternity with me.

You see, I died and instantaneously there I was in Hell. I knew immediately where I was and that I was surrounded by others who I perceived knew exactly where they were also. “Hell and destruction are never full;” Proverbs 27:20. There is no denying the truth any longer. All of us standing in this most unholy realm of godlessness were instantly confronted with the overwhelming truth of our failure to acknowledge the one true and living God of all Creation.

I see a huge cave-like chamber so immense it’s beyond my ability to describe it in size. It seems as vast as the universe itself but without stars, it is pitch black like a huge black hole, and yet I can see through the blackness into a deeper blackness. From a human standpoint this place defies explanation, yet I see it. I feel the presence of multitudes all around me but no one speaks, and as I reach out to touch another person there is nothing but blackness. I also feel that each person, including myself, knows that enduring this chamber of horrors is only temporary. I can feel that there is something else coming something that will be even more horrible and impossible to endure, something which will ultimately be our self-imposed punishment for eternity.

As I stand here I’m weighed down with fear and sorrow. My very first thought is that I had been given every opportunity, while I lived on earth, to avoid such a place. Before I died I was an intelligent man. Not given to believing in fables and myths, and I had a good grasp on what I thought was reality. There is no denying the fact of the matter that I had allowed the world to deceive me and convince me that there was no God. The evolution of pond scum into living beings keeps coming to mind as a major satanic deception.

Interestingly, as I stand here silent in all this blackness I understand fully why I had allowed myself to be so completely deceived. A life of denying God is laid before me. Everything I had ever done on earth is vividly playing back across the recesses of my memory. All the evil I was responsible for torments me, even all the good deeds I had ever accomplished are laid before me as a proof that all the good deeds one can perform mean nothing to God unless they are done through the born again experience of believing and trusting in His only begotten Son Jesus Christ. These scenes are exploding out from all the blackness as though being played on a huge theater screen that only I can see. Excluded from all this playback is any semblance of happiness. There is to be no further joy for me for eternity now that I am in this Hell, and I know it.

Horrible, horrible misery and wretchedness is all I can sense as I stand here. It is not just my own wretchedness but that of those who occupy space with me. It is as though all the unhappiness in the universe is now easily sensed as it floods the caverns of my mind. Remorse and guilt also inundate my being. The permanence of Hell is relentlessly affecting my mind. The unshakable and overwhelming obstinacy of the reality of my situation is now extreme. And the more I linger and try to somehow deal with my new surroundings, the more severe become my anguish and sorrow. I realize that this place which was created by God as a future eternal dimension of torment for Satan and his angels is, along with all its awful horribleness, now mine also. “Therefore hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure:” Isaiah 5:14.

I realize that my torment is never to depart but is only going to get worse as more and more join us in our new eternity. I have no clue as to just how long I’ve been here because time is not a factor in this particular dimension, but that awful playback continues for what seems like millennia. One thing I know for sure, eternity has no end. Dread and sorrow fill every fiber of my being as I stand here remembering the opportunities I had been given as they are piled one upon another to remind me of what I had rejected while I was alive on earth. Over and over again it plays in my mind that people – friends and family – brought the truth to me explaining about Jesus Christ and His sacrifice on that cross. Each time the scene plays, further and further into the depths of Hell I slide. The deeper I slide the stronger my dread grows while I anticipate the next flash of memories depicting my refusal to accept the truth of the Gospel of Christ. The misery, sorrow, and grief is unbearable. I know I cannot deal with this horrible place for very much longer, yet this undeniably torturous eternity remains steadfast staring me in the face.

My new existence is just as real and vivid as all the time I had lived and ignored the plight of my fellow man while I enjoyed all the pleasures I could on earth. Only now there will never be happiness and joy again. My worldly depravity comes screaming back at me while I stand here in all this seemingly empty blackness. It is alive and overwhelming as it sinks deep into the recesses of my eternal consciousness. All the evilness I had dabbled in throughout all those years as a living being, along with all the sorrow I had effectively dealt out to my fellow man, is now mine to endure for eternity. The tables have been everlastingly turned and as all this continually rolls across the screen of my thoughts, the clarity of extreme sorrow fills me to a point that I think I will explode. Even as much as I long to explode, to disintegrate into a billion specks of nothing, I know I will never escape Hell, never.

It seems as though tears are falling down my cheeks, but not really. It’s more like flames of fire licking at my face. And then fear of more visions of my life on earth coupled with the full sinking awareness of where I am and how long I will be here gives way to the most bewildering sense of failure I would ever know. But the worst thing about being in Hell is knowledge. All the knowledge of who God is and what He had done for me is perfectly and completely apparent. I now fully understand that it was He who sustained me through all my joyous yet very selfish years on earth. Just knowing that while I was on earth I was in God’s hands, and that I was never completely apart from Him, makes my current sorrow even worse. And now I know there is never to be another chance to be with Him. Spending eternity without God is like experiencing death over and over again – never to stop. Realizing God will never be present with me again gives way to the most fearful concept that could ever attack my consciousness. Lonesomeness that is indescribable in human terms is now gripping me as I stand in my eternal isolation.

Even though God was responsible for my very existence and for all the good things that entered my life while I was alive, I never once gave Him what He wanted from me, acknowledgement of God and love for Jesus Christ was the farthest thing from my mind. The simple yet totally obvious fact that relates to my current situation is that all I had to do was believe in the One who God sent to earth to save mankind from their sins. That all sounds so simple now and yet impossible for all those who, like myself, have crossed the plane into this new dimension called Hell.

Senses and perceptions are all still in place. Although from your humanistic view point I’m dead, I’m actually very much alive, more so than I had ever been on earth. I did not understand anything relevant to eternity while on earth, but now standing in this vast horrible darkness I understand with crystal clarity. I will never have another chance to believe and confess the truth and be saved. This Hell is now to be my present and this present never ceases. Explaining this existence further could never sufficiently give a true view of Hell. Hell cannot be explained in human terms, it has to be experienced to fully grasp. For anyone who thinks they are currently living a life of Hell on earth, and who’ve rejected Christ their whole life – let me conclude with – you ain’t seen nothin’ yet.

The above scenario is a fictional presentation of Hell. The supernatural cannot be explained in human terms, and certainly not with our limited cranial abilities. No one who places themselves in Hell for eternity will ever return to give testimony to the rest of humanity as to just what transpires there, so I contrived a plausible, yet fictional, adaptation of Hell, one that most readers should be able to grasp.

Jesus gives a great example of what hell is all about in Luke chapter 16 beginning in verse 19. Jesus is not speaking in parables in this situation, He’s giving us a factual set of circumstances, in other words the conversation between Abraham and the rich man really happened.

Jesus tells us that it really wouldn’t matter if He were to send one back from the grave to explain what Hell was all about. Just like the fictional example given above, people who are deceived into believing the lies of the enemy will not be persuaded even if someone was to rise from the grave, show up on the world stage, and proclaim what was truly going on down there. “And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.” Luke 16:31.

Jesus was nailed to a cross some 2,000 years ago, and He, just a few hours later gave up the ghost. He was then buried in a tomb with a huge rock rolled across the entrance. Yet in just three days Jesus arose from that grave and was seen by His disciples and the women that followed Him, even to 500 others. He remained on this earth for some 40 more days. All of this is recorded in the most historical book of all time, the Holy Bible, yet most refuse to believe this truth. Thus the above fictional scenario will become factual for all those who continue to reject Christ as Savior and Lord.

Hell is a real place and the Bible speaks of it often, which of course tells us the opposite is also a real place. Heaven is equally shrouded in the scriptures whenever we seek a clear and full explanation about that awesome place. But be assured both are accessible and both are eternal. Hell, being a place God created to house His rebellious angels, is also available for anyone who so chooses to spend their eternal existence there.

To avoid that horrible place for eternity is quite simple. God made it simple for His Creation because of His great love for us. Although He had to watch while evil men put His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, through the most horrible of punishments He still gives us every opportunity to come to the realization that we must believe in what He did so we can avoid that eternal punishment of Hell. We humans can either believe the truth and live, or we can say no to that truth and reject His free gift of pardon. Those who say no to God’s offer of salvation are telling Him they would much rather endure eternal punishment themselves instead of relying on Jesus Christ as the propitiation of all sin.

Given the above scenario and the possibility that that just might be at least somewhat similar to what Hell is actually like, wouldn’t it be better to try and avoid that place? Here’s all you have to do to avoid Hell: Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Admit you’re a sinner and that you believe Jesus Christ died for your sins. Believe in your heart and confess with your mouth that God raised Him from the dead. Believing and understanding go hand in hand. Once you believe this simple truth, studying your Bible becomes a walk through the most awesome experiences life will allow. Once you have God given biblical discernment the Bible becomes the most exciting book of all time and you will never get tired of reading and studying God’s truth.

Hell, or Sheol, is real and if you’re a believer in Christ you’ll never know what that horrible place actually consists of. Everyone who rejects Christ will end up in Sheol where they will await the White Throne Judgment of God and from there all those Christ rejecters will be cast into the Lake of Fire which burns forever. Not a very pleasant thought for your eternal existence. Ultimately, it’s your choice. So, which of the two ultimate and eternal destinations have you chosen? Heaven or Hell.

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
All scripture is from the KJV and God breathed

Denial of the Trinity – Same as Rebellion -  - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com 

Fundamental to the understanding of God’s triune nature, who He is, His attributes and abilities is our acceptance of the truth of all scriptures. Denial of God’s truth is tantamount to denying one or more of God’s natures which must be considered rebellion, period. Denying truth never eliminates truth. God’s truth is always our foundation, we start there. When we consider that the discernment of God’s inerrant word is imparted only to those who believe and trust Him, we realize our faith in God underscores all possible understanding of His word and who He is.

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth…And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.” Genesis 1:1, 2. In the very first verse of the book of Genesis, God plainly states that He created the Heavens and the earth. Then He goes on to say that His spirit was upon the face of the waters. What’s so hard about understanding those two statements? Denying any portion of God’s truth is rebellion to God and will fog or distort ones biblical understanding. God said it, so believe it, period.

When we read a little further down the page we find one of God’s natures, His triune nature, staring us square in the face. “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness:” Genesis 1:26. What’s that He said? In Our image? After Our likeness? Who do those who deny the Trinity suppose God was speaking to here? His angels? Scripture never tells us that God created the angels in His image. So who else would be in view here? Could it be His only begotten Son and His Holy Spirit? There is no other explanation; after all, man was only a twinkle in God’s eye at this point.

For many, it really won’t matter what God says about His triune nature. Rebellion, stubborn pride, even arrogance and ignorance, will always form a very significant barrier against understanding truth. Since the word “trinity” is nowhere found in our English Bibles there will never be enough proof to support God’s declaration that He is fully capable of the most supernatural of manifestations, that of three distinct God’s in One. The word trinity doesn’t need to appear in our English Bibles. At least not to establish the truth since Hebrew was the language in which the Old Testament scriptures were originally written.

“In the beginning God.” The word God was translated into English from the original Hebrew word “Elohiym”, which is a plural masculine noun. The Holy Spirit placed this Hebrew word “Elohiym” in the original text for a very specific reason, to show all who would read His word that God has a very unique ability apart from all the “man invented” gods. From the beginning, God intended for His creation to understand that He is one God with a very significant and quite unique attribute. Our One God, through His own confessed supernatural ability and nature, is able to manifest Himself into three different personages, which are God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. By reading the Hebrew text, we find within the first four words of the first verse of the Bible God telling us He is a triune God.

God had no intention of hiding this ability from His creation; it’s only His creation who insists on denying Him and His Son as well as His Holy Spirit as being One triune God. Many deny God altogether and they, we are told, are without excuse. “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:” Romans 1:20. Clearly, those who insist on denying God’s triune nature by re-interpreting scripture to fit the box they wish to place God into are equally without excuse.

“I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.” Revelation 1:8. Who is speaking in this verse? The Apostle John tells us whose revelation this is in the very first verse. “The Revelation of Jesus Christ…” Revelation 1:1. So Jesus Christ is speaking. He’s giving instructions to the Apostle John. Jesus Christ is God Almighty as He clearly states in verse 8 above.

I’ve received numerous letters from folks who reject any notion of a triune God, and who consistently point to the Catholic Church as the inventors of this doctrine. Others choose Constantine as the culprit who instilled this supposedly erroneous concept into the minds of the believers. This whole approach as a way to write off the truth about God’s triune nature is in itself a corruption of God’s word. The scriptures declare an eternal triune God. The Catholic Church did not write the scriptures nor did Constantine.

“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth..” John 1:14. Here in the very first chapter of the book of John we are told that the Word (referring to Jesus Christ) became flesh and dwelt among us. This verse indicates that the Word had to have been in existence before becoming flesh and blood. And yet Jesus is referred to as the Son of God. Undeniable proof of a Father and Son relationship intertwined within the Godhead.

“And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Matthew 3:16. Here in this straight forward verse God is fully revealed in His triune nature. God the Son (Jesus the Christ), God the Holy Spirit descending and lighting upon Jesus, and God the Father announcing from Heaven how pleased He is of His beloved Son.

Again, there are numerous verses that declare the truth of how God reveals Himself at different times in different natures both in the Old Testament and the New. In the book of Isaiah we read the same Hebrew word that was used in Genesis 1:1 – Elohiym. “Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me,” Isaiah 46:9. Simple as this verse reads in the English the Hebrew has a few more surprises for those who will diligently seek them. First of all, the first reference to God in this verse is the Hebrew word “EL” which is always used as a singular masculine noun. Here we see God declaring He alone is God and there is none else. In other words, God says there is only one God not many gods. For example, the “man invented” moon god, allah of the Muslim faith, is not our God. He is simply a manifestation out of the minds of those who are deceived.

Then God takes us a little further into revealing His triune nature. He says “I am God, and there is none like me.” In this instance the Hebrew word used to represent our English word for God is “Elohiym” which is the plural form of the same masculine noun. “None like me” again, all those false gods which continually pop up on the scene are created out of the minds of men, yet time after time they are shot down by our one and only true triune God. By God referring to Himself as Elohiym, He stakes claim to having a triune nature and a nature that is not possible for any of those false gods to replicate. Only God Almighty can manifest Himself in three different personages.

But still, when folks are predisposed with the idea that the Trinity is a false doctrine there are not many who can convince them otherwise. God Himself, try as He does through His very own words, is very often rejected or dismissed as only man’s misunderstanding, or misrepresentation of scripture. Those who rebel at the idea of the Trinity are too often saying “Don’t confuse me with facts”.

Another couple of verses that clearly reveal God’s triune nature, yet become bones of contention while being interpreted erroneously, are John 1:1 and Colossians 1:16-18. In John’s Gospel, John refers to Jesus Christ as the Word. That fact is for the most part universally understood. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:1. In denying the Trinity many people will use a book that the Jehovah’s Witnesses have written themselves using their own fallible re-interpretation so the scriptures adhere to their own manmade doctrines. In their corrupting of the verse in question they’ve inserted an “a” between the God inspired words “was” and “God” in order to prove their point that Jesus was only a god not God Almighty. This is an obviously slanted and biased attempt to diminish Jesus’ deity. And as it would seem, many believe that that is precisely what the original Greek states. But in fact the “a” is not to be found in any of the original Greek manuscripts. Consequently what has occurred is just another case of corrupting God’s inerrant word for the purpose of promoting man’s doctrines over God’s truth.

Further analysis of the text in the following two verses of John chapter 1 gives conclusive evidence that Jesus Christ is God Almighty, the Creator Himself. “The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made.” John 1:2-3. John, still referring to Jesus Christ as the Word, states that “the same was in the beginning with God” and that everything made was made by Jesus Christ, thus Jesus Christ is God the Creator of everything, while co-existing from the beginning with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit.

To emphasize the truth of Jesus Christ as our Creator God, the Apostle Paul adds, “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.” Colossians 1:16-17. Wow, what more could anyone want in regards to Jesus’ deity and His triune nature. Alas these two verses prove nothing in the skeptic’s eyes.

Why? This next verse gets in their way. “And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.” Colossians 1:18. In the Greek, the word for firstborn is “prōtotokos”. Firstborn – from protos, meaning “first,” and tikto, meaning “to beget” – is used in His relationship to the Father, expressing His priority to, and preeminence over, creation, not in the sense of being the “first” to be born. “Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:” Colossians 1:15. Here is where Christ’s eternal relationship with the Father is in view, and the clause means both that He was the “Firstborn” before all creation and that He Himself produced creation.

On and on it goes as scripture after scripture declare the triune nature of our awesome Creator God, Jesus the Christ. At the top rung of the ladder of rebellion stand those who fundamentally reject God’s inerrant and infallible word. They are those who wish, through corruption of His word, to influence, disrupt, and lead astray those simple minded who have no drive or inclination of studying for themselves to ascertain the truth. They simply parrot what they’ve heard.

“I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.” John 8:24. This verse is so very important for all those who remain in their stubborn rebellion to God. Why? Because by denying God’s triune nature they deny Jesus’ deity. In the verse above, Jesus is speaking and in no uncertain terms is telling all those who refuse to believe that He is God, that they will surely die in their sin. Be careful folks.

God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit are One. That’s the truth.

God bless your all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
All scripture is from the KJV and God breathed
 

Time Has Come – Let’s Pray - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com 

“But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them…” Luke 5:35.

Lord God Almighty, Your Bride has been patiently, sometimes impatiently, awaiting Your soon return. I and many of my brethren are so very tired of man’s attempts at governing this world; please Father send the Bridegroom to take over where man has so dismally failed. Surely the time has come for man to receive his final instructions as to who You are. This world has embraced every form of evil, no doubt in similar fashion to those who occupied space on earth during the antediluvian era. Your promise is that You will never again destroy the world with a flood, thank You for that promise Lord. But God, those of us who still read and study Your word know that You have every intention of destroying this world one last time, only this time by fire. God, this tells us You are fully prepared to unleash Your judgment once again; only this time on a Christ rejecting, evil, depraved and wicked world.

We are all guilty of sinning and deserve to be punished for our inequity. How can we ever thank You enough Lord Jesus for receiving that punishment in our stead. Over the past 2,000 years many people have placed their faith and trust in You Lord, but we also realize that many, many more have gone on to inhabit eternity fully removed from Your fellowship. We are very sorry God that that same situation is so prevalent and remains a growing phenomenon today. And as we look out on earth’s inhabitants we realize that most today are earth dwellers. In other words their home is this earth and they have no intention of leaving it for something they can neither see nor touch.

Lord, Satan’s pride has now been grasped by humanity at large and has become a major stumbling block for receiving the truth of the Gospel. As Your children, we find performing the great commission given to all saints exceedingly more rejected than ever before. So Father, we are wondering if by chance the time has come that You are at the very cusp of removing Your children from off the face of this deteriorating planet?

Please Father, we are not complaining as we pray and ask these questions, we are only affirming our readiness to be received up into glory. Man cannot see into the future, but by Your word we realize we are in for some pretty tough times ahead. Men’s hearts and all the evil at hand will only get worse as the days proceed. Therefore, the only eye opening events being played out before Your Church are more and more evil continually.

Abba Father, it is our sincere prayer that apart from all the wonderful blessings You continually provide to Your children here on earth, and for which we are all extremely grateful, that we may now enlist Your full intervention in our governmental situations. If that is not Your plan then we ask You Father to provide us with a most speedy exit form planet earth. Of course Father we do understand that we are to hold fast and occupy until You come. It’s now become our most sincere hope that that hour is upon us and that our extraction will soon be complete.

As this world government falls further and further into the abyss Father, know this, Your saints remain steadfast in their resolve to proclaim Your Gospel to all nations, and we know that before the very end comes when our Lord returns with us, His saints, to rule and reign for 1,000 years that that Gospel will have been preached to all the nations worldwide. So all the nations of the world will have had the same opportunity to hear the Gospel and respond.

But Lord, we are in the here and now, and as such we have witnessed the exceedingly pervasive deterioration of Your once perfect creation. We’ve not seen any signs of a reversal of the second law of thermodynamics (entropy). On the contrary, everything is still falling apart exponentially, especially Father, these bodies You gave us. Even though we can remember a much more fluid gate in our step, many of us now have much difficulty in maneuvering these bodies. Again Father we’re not complaining only pointing out what You already know.

Certainly Father, this prayer could be misconstrued as the mere grumblings of spoiled children, but I would hope not in Your eyes. What we are praying for, Father, apart from Your immediate intervention in the affairs of man, is such a clamor of voices all praying this prayer that even our government leaders would hear and “change” their evil ways. That they would begin to follow Your precepts set forth in Your word. We know, Father, that there is a time and a season for all things under Heaven, and we are in hopes that this prayer is in perfect timing with Your will.

As You well know Father, Your children are not in perfect sync today, especially in regards to Your inerrant word. Many hold to the doctrines of men and place much more importance on those doctrines than in Your own words. This concept is especially hard to grasp for many of us as we are all supposedly born of the same Spirit. It’s becoming more and more difficult Father to find a pastor and a congregation that proclaim the inerrant truth of word. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is being replaced, in many churches, by something that feels good but which has no redeeming qualities. At a time when we, the body of Christ, should be standing firm and united as one body, we instead seem to be fracturing and splintering at an alarming rate. God, we need Your Holy Spirit more now than ever before.

The enemy is hard at work, Father, establishing his warfare strategy, recruiting leaders and infantrymen and women to fight against Your Church. The roadblocks and obstacles he throws at us are, at times, quite debilitating. Yet Father, we know You are with Your children through every day. Still Father, it is our continuing prayer that Jesus Christ will return and evacuate His bride soon.

God, Your children fear nothing of this earth, it’s only our deep desire to be with You forever more. The corrupt lifestyles that are paraded before us, the ugly filthy contempt that many of our fellow citizens have for You and for us makes life, at times, almost unbearable. Evil continually bombards our minds, and is set daily before our eyes and has become a burden that none of us wish to endure further, but we will Father. We will hold fast ‘til Jesus tarries no longer. No matter what evil this way comes, our hearts and our souls are steadfastly Yours.

Lastly Father, we pray that You never lift Your covering of protection from upon the children you call sons and daughters. We resolve to spread Your Gospel of truth even until the very final moment before our Bridegroom returns, and may we do so as the body of Christ. This, Father, is our prayer today and every day until we are caught up to forever be with our Lord, Jesus the Christ. We praise You and worship You and glorify Your holy name.

Blessings to all my Christian brethren as we pray together.

YBIC
Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
All scripture is from the KJV and God breathed
 

A Backup Plan - - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com 

“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” Romans 10:9-10 .

It was 1969, I was soon to turn 18 and begin my senior year in high school when one day out of the blue my mother asked me a question which, quite frankly, left me in shock. We were sitting out on the patio of our home in Chico, California, when my mom asked me, “Ronnie, do you believe in Jesus Christ?” This was a first time experience for me and I was completely unprepared. But being the smart-alecky kid I was, I firmly and resolutely replied “No”. I was in a state of rebellion. Rebellion to God? Yes. But I was also rebelling against my mother. In truth, I had rarely given Jesus Christ a second thought during those 18 years, other than to use His name as a swear word.

My mother kept a little white leather covered Bible on a nightstand next to her bed. I saw it plenty of times but I can’t remember ever picking it up and reading it. Saying yes to Jesus Christ is an individual choice we all must make and my mother knew that. She wept the day I gave her my response and through her tears she managed to say she hoped we would all be together in Heaven some day. I wrote this off as a woman’s hysterics. After all, at 18 I already had a good grasp on all knowledge, right?

Fast forward now 18 years. I’m sitting next to my mom in the hospital’s ICU and holding her hand, I had been with my mother since she had entered that hospital a few days earlier and I knew she was in severe pain. Yet in the last few minutes of her life, as we spoke my mom’s face began to glow. She smiled at me but didn’t say a word but I could tell that the horrible pain she had been enduring for the past few days was gone. Then, she just peacefully slipped away. My mother believed Jesus to be the only way to the Father. She knew the truth.

I turned 59 years old in August and my mother has been gone for 23 years. She never saw her son come to a saving faith in Jesus Christ, but she may well have been instrumental in my decision to do so.

I had no idea of eternity or anything after death and at that time in my life I had not placed any stock in Heaven or Hell. When my mom died that day, as far as I was concerned, that was the end and there was nothing else. The response I gave my mother 18 years earlier was a lie. I did believe what I had been taught about Jesus, as far as that teaching went. But I was angry with my mom and very rebellious and so I blurted out a lie that caused her great pain on that day, and probably for the remainder of her life. We never spoke about Jesus again, at least not that I can remember, and I’m not sure she remembered that particular conversation. But I do, I’ll never forget the pain I was responsible for that day.

The question my mom asked that day was important to her. And considering the question she presented her rebellious son with that day, along with the peace I saw on her face as she lay dying, I am in hopes that I’ll soon see my mom again – this time in Heaven. She believed in Jesus Christ, she had a faith and a hope I didn’t understand. My mom never wanted for much; only that her family would all be together again. My mom was a forgiven sinner, of that I have no doubt.

Since the subject of Jesus Christ had rarely come up in the Graham household when I was growing up, in my early adult years I had absolutely no desire to pursue anything remotely close to acknowledging Jesus as Savior and Lord. I really had no idea what Jesus went through for me. But in August of 1995, just days after my birthday, Jesus came into my life big time. If my mom could have only seen that day it would have erased all the pain I had caused her.

One day while living in Oregon, and not long after my conversion, I was speaking by phone with my dad. As a new believer in Christ I had to ask him what he thought of Jesus Christ. After communicating the normal father and son pleasantries, I tuned the conversation toward Christ. It continued something like this:

“Dad, do you believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God?”

And my dad answered and said “Yes”.

So now that I had begun this line of questioning it was as though the Holy Spirit was prompting me to follow through, “Ron, don’t just leave it there”. So I continued with “Yes what Dad?”

To which my dad responded “I believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God”. Now I was on a roll.

“Dad” I said, “Do you believe Jesus died for you sins?” To which my dad responded again in the affirmative. So once again I felt compelled to draw him out with a complete verbal response to my question.

I said “Dad, what do you believe about Jesus Christ?”

To which my dad replied “I believe Jesus Christ died for my sins.”

Can you imagine the peace God gave me that day all because I asked my dad a few simple questions? Can you imagine the peace I have today knowing where my parents are? The conversation between my dad and I went on from there and I knew by my dad’s words that we would be united in Heaven one day soon. I received from my dad exactly what I wanted to hear. And this whole prompting was done through the will of God. So my dad, believing in his heart, could make confession with his mouth to another believer in Christ that Jesus Christ is Lord.

Now imagine, if you will, the pain I caused my mom by responding to her question with a lie? My mom carried that pain to her grave. But God spared me that pain. And as I reflect back on my mom and dad’s spoken words and by believing what the Bible tells me about how we obtain eternal security, gives me great hope of our Heavenly reunion someday. God is great!

Dad died in 1999 and he and my mom are now in Heaven. Since God hasn’t given me the insight to see into the heart of another person, I can’t be certain regarding another’s salvation. But I know what the Bible says about those who believe in their heart and confess with the mouth “that God hath raised him (Jesus Christ) from the dead” (Romans 10:9-10). The word of God is what I go by for my assurance when it comes to the salvation of family members and friends.

There are many incidences that occur in our lives that cause us to ponder whether or not a person we know is truly saved. Joy and peace are ours to embrace when we learn someone close to us has embraced Christ and is now a part of His body. But it pains us to see a loved one living against God’s will. This pain comes to all of us sooner or later, and ultimately gives rise to an urgency to pray and to voice our concerns to those loved ones. We know time is their enemy and that a choice must soon be made.

But there is only one person who we are responsible for as far as our salvation is concerned. That one person is our self. My mom, even though broken hearted by my response to her that day, was not responsible for my choice. She put the question out there for me to react to, but my reaction was my own. Did my mom plant a seed that day? Of course she did.

My mom knew there had to be a choice made as far as believing in or rejecting Jesus Christ. She knew it wasn’t a family decision or a corporate decision, it is singular. I made the choice to say yes to Jesus Christ, but I couldn’t force the yes response from my dad; I couldn’t give a positive response for him, he had to make that confession on his own. My mother couldn’t force the correct response out of her rebellious 18 year old son; I had to respond to Jesus Christ in the affinitive for myself before it was too late. And I did.

Once we’ve reached that state of mind where we know beyond the shadow of a doubt that our salvation is securely in God’s hands, because we’ve said yes to Jesus Christ we can move on and promote His Gospel without hesitation, without the fear of condemnation, and especially without the burden of wondering where we will spend eternity. We know our salvation is true and secure, and as such all the excess worldly baggage is removed and we are free. Free to pursue life full of the adventure Jesus Christ has set forth for us while proclaiming the truth of His Gospel.

If you’re reading this commentary and you’re wavering between believing or rejecting Christ, or if you’ve made up your mind to fully reject Christ’s free gift of salvation and you consider this commentary foolishness, then please, just humor me as I ask you a few simple questions. What if you’re wrong about eternity? What if Heaven and Hell do exist? What is your backup plan? It’s just human nature to enlist a plan as we go forth through this life, and backup plans are also wise in case the first plan needs to be abandoned. In regards to eternity, every fence sitter, atheist, even those following false religions need a backup plan. After all, there is always the possibility you’re wrong about what you believe.

Do you really want to find out you made a mistake only after you’ve died? “His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.” Psalm 146:4. That’s why it’s always prudent to have a backup plan in case your first plan has no validity. Think of it this way, what have you to lose by asking Jesus into your life? What is the loss you will incur by placing your faith and trust in Jesus Christ for eternal life? Before you answer that question consider how short this life is and how long eternity is. “Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.” James 4:14. This life is very short, like vapor – we’re here today, tomorrow we’re gone. But eternity is forever.

Now, ask yourself another question. What will you gain by placing your life in Jesus’ hands? Answer: An eternity in an awesome place that is beyond the ability for humans to even imagine. Think of the beauty in God’s creation here on earth. Now magnify that beauty a million times, and while imagining that beauty, imagine no wars, no poverty, no sickness, no death, no hatred, no lying, no murder, only love, a love we will never understand while we exist in these earthen vessels.

Everyone who has rejected Christ as Savior and Lord should have a backup plan just in case they’ve made an incredible error. Do you need a backup plan? If so, what is it? Here’s an idea: Believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Say yes Jesus Christ and receive God’s free gift of salvation. Don’t delay any longer. Soon there will be no more time and no more chances to develop or submit a backup plan; you’ll just have to go with your wrong choice. Choose life with Christ, as I did fifteen years ago. I’ve never regretted that decision, nor will you.

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
All scripture is from the KJV and God breathed
 

Here We Go Again - - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com 

A recent article circulating various news sites proclaimed 24% of American’s have made it known that they believe Barack Obama to be Muslim, not Christian, so the media is on a frenzy to prove his Christianity. The fact that everything he does is contrary to God and the fact that he promotes the Muslim faith every chance he gets couldn’t have anything to do with folks believing him to be Muslim, or could it? Perhaps the fact that he was born into a Muslim family with a Muslim father has something to do with what faith he embraces. Muslims claim that all children born into Muslim families are indoctrinated into the Islamic faith. So where would that leave Barack Obama?

The truth is Obama has never publically denounced his Muslim faith, and the fact that he enjoys an especially close association with those who adhere to the religion of Islam could be part of the reason many consider him a Muslim trying to hide himself in sheep’s clothing (pun intended). As we take a look at the people standing alongside Obama claiming he is a Christian, we can readily see they have no concept of just what constitutes the Christian faith.

Consider the following; these Obamaites say he prays every day, so do Muslims. They say he has Christian advisors (debatable), but he’s also saddled himself with Muslim advisors. They say he has his own special way of looking at the resurrection, yeah, as do all Muslims, (in their minds it didn’t happen). And those talking heads that speak for Obama regarding his religious faith, as well as the mainstream media, feel these things prove he’s a Christian.

The fact is, those of us who are actually born again know there is only one way to become a Christian. And it isn’t through the occasional lip service the media deems sufficient proof of one’s Christian faith. To be a “Christian” takes commitment to Christ, and many times we are faced with sacrificing family ties, friendships, even jobs for our faith. Believing in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior is a full, lifetime pursuit. There’s really no difficulty in accepting the truth of the Gospel of Christ, the difficulty comes in embracing that truth for life.

How can I be saved? “Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.” John 6:28-29. The people came to Jesus while He was at Capernaum and inquired of Him what they must do to do the work of God. In other words, what must they do to be saved? And what was Jesus’ answer? “… that ye believe on him whom he (God the Father) hath sent.” John 6:29b. How do we believe? By placing our faith, our trust, our very lives in Jesus’ hands. At the moment we’ve done that we are instantly born again (justified in the Father’s eyes) saved for eternity.

This is not just a causal belief system Jesus is referring to. No, our lives will go through a supernatural change. Even our own family members may ask “What happened to you?” Some may even disown us. When we become born again, born from above, born of God we begin a whole new life with a whole different family. Our faith now resides in God; we who are born again trust God and believe His inerrant word.

People listen to Obama as he claims to be a Christian and they believe him. Why? Because those folks have no concept of what it means to be born again. I’ve listened to Obama many times, but I’ve never heard him say he was born again, or when and where his conversion took place. I have heard him say, though, that he believes there are many paths that lead to Heaven, which in turn tells me he believes our Lord Jesus Christ, the one he claims to follow, is a liar (John 14:6).

“You seem to be somewhat judgmental Ron.” Do I? Over and over again, when I write about Obama, predictably I’m sent the scripture verse that reads “Judge not, that ye be not judged.” Matthew 7:1. Excuse me, but Jesus also gives the following admonition: “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.” John 7:24. Again, predictably, that one they conveniently omit.

The Greek word for judge is “krino” and it means “to call into question”. This is what Jesus means when He says “judge with righteous judgment”. We are to call into question the unbiblical actions of individuals and discern for ourselves whether or not to follow such a person. This is something that is sorely lacking in the Christian community today. It seems everyone is afraid of being accused of judging others. Mostly this misrepresentation of scriptures comes from those who are not following Jesus at all, let alone being biblically knowledgeable. When that verse is used it is always in relationship to someone condemning someone else’s seemingly judgmental attitude. Christians aren’t to condemn, but we are to judge/call into question the actions of others and use biblical discernment to do so.

Obama displays no devotion to Jesus Christ; actually quite the opposite is true. No one can be a follower of Jesus Christ while standing so firmly against Him. No born again believer in Christ is going to promote and advance the Islamic religion. Obama, besides following Satan’s agenda by promoting and declaring Islam to be a religion of peace, is fully following Satan in other arenas as well. Obama is the most abortion happy president in the history of the United States. If he knew his Bible and believed it to be the inerrant word of God that it is, he could never condone the murder of the innocent.

Obama, as sitting president, is the most open and visible supporter of the homosexual agenda in our history. How can a born again believer in Christ stand so opposed to God and His word? How can any follower of Jesus Christ call evil good and good evil? “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! Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!” Isaiah 5:20-21. Old Testament or New, standing against God in any sense is not following Jesus’ admonition “If ye love me keep my commandments” John 14:15.

Here’s another fact that must not be overlooked. Anyone who supports Obama is also a supporter of the same satanic agendas. Whether or not you agree with my above statement is inconsequential, it’s God’s stance on these issues that concerns me and that is where I take my stand using biblical discernment.

Not everyone worships the God of the Bible; but multitudes worship the god of this world. Yet they believe they are worshipping the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. True Christians know that Jesus Christ is the Creator of the Universe, and the One and only God worthy of our worship.

Why doesn’t anyone ask Obama if he believes Jesus Christ is everything the Bible says He is? I’ll tell you why. In a YouTube video Obama has admitted no confidence in the Bible. In this same video he makes statements to the fact that he believes Jesus to be a great teacher, a great humanitarian, but never in that video or in any of his speeches does he refer to Jesus Christ as God Almighty. Obama disparages the Bible; but question him on what he thinks about the Koran, and you’ll quickly see where his allegiance stands.

Perhaps someday Obama will follow his own mantra and make a “change”. He may one day see the truth and actually become a true follower of Jesus Christ. Every one of us should be praying for that day to come soon. But as of this writing that day has yet to materialize and nothing I see coming from this man indicates that a conversion experience is even on the horizon.

I’ll be the first to admit that we are all sinners, but all born again believers in Christ believe the Bible is God’s inerrant word and that those words are not to be taken lightly. Obama claims the Bible contains numerous obscure verses. No, there’s nothing vague, unclear, ambiguous, or doubtful about God’s word.

Many folks claim to be a Christian, just like Obama, but the proof is in the pudding. “Ye shall know them by their fruits. Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 7:16-21.

The fruit America and the rest of the world sees coming from Obama is far from anything that might even minutely resemble a good tree bringing forth good fruit. All we see is corruption and lies “neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.” Jesus says every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit must be hewn down, and cast into the fire.

Obama says this nation is not a Christian nation, a claim he seems to be proud of. I agree this nation is currently far from being a “Christian nation”, but it was established on Christian principles a mere two centuries ago. Yet I’ve never heard that fact brought out in any of Obama’s speeches.

He claims that Muslims are responsible for the majority of the innovations that have occurred over the last few centuries. To say that, one would need to exclude the mass of innovations made by the Jews. Of course we know the Muslims hate the Jews so there’s nothing eye opening about Obama’s statement when one actually understands who and what Obama really is.

Barack Obama believes that all Muslims are worshipping the one true God. He believes this falsehood because he is a Muslim and stands alongside his own. No true follower of Jesus Christ will ever make the statement “Muslims worship the one true God.” It is impossible to make that statement if God’s Holy Spirit dwells within you. Why? Because allah, the Babylonian moon god, is the antithesis of God Almighty.

As stated earlier, there is more to being a Christian than the US news media, or even many citizens of the US comprehend. By and large, most folks have no understanding of God’s word; in the minds of these two groups, the media and many US citizens, anyone who says they’re a Christian must be Christian. Otherwise why would anyone make such an outlandish claim? Why would anyone want to be something many Americans, as well as much of the news media, deplore? In Obama’s case, claiming to be Christian influences people; better stated, he gained the votes of the uninformed Christians through his false assertion that he is one.

Friends, Obama is not a Christian, and those 24% of American’s who were surveyed recently saying he’s Muslim are 100% correct. Will we in this country be forced to live under the regime of this socialist, Marxist, Muslim president for two full terms? God forbid it. After all America may not survive one term under Obama. If you are a Christian, a true born again believer in Christ, and you don’t see the truth about this man yet, hold onto your hats, you soon will.

There is a curse on this Nation, my friends, and its name is Barack Hussein Obama. Pray for God’s intervention in this matter, and soon.

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
All scripture is KJV and God breathed
 

Emulating Martyrdom  - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com 

How is it that American Christians seem impervious to the extreme persecution that most of the rest of the world has been enduring for the past couple millennium? What makes us different? Why aren’t we being tortured and mutilated/beheaded like so many of our brothers and sisters worldwide? Don’t misunderstand; I’m pleased as punch for the freedom we enjoy in our open worship of our Lord Jesus Christ. But what evil lurks on our horizon?

“The twentieth century saw more Christians murdered for their faith than in all the previous centuries combined” – Chuck Missler – www.khouse.org . So what can those who unabashedly follow Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior expect to be confronted with in the 21st century?

The above question might well be on the minds of many of my brethren. We can pick up the newspaper and read about extreme Christian persecution almost every day, but it’s usually somewhere far removed from America. It should grieve our spirit to read about our brothers and sisters in Uganda or Somalia being butchered for their faith. In the Middle East Christians live in daily fear of being murdered. In China Christians are arrested everyday for holding firm to their faith and thrown into prison, many times for the remainder of their lives. Pakistan is another country that exhibits extreme cruelty toward Christians. In Bali, Indonesia the body of Christ suffers greatly; beheadings of Christ’s followers as well as bombs dismembering their bodies in this predominately Muslim country are all the rage. There are other nations treating Christians similarly, but what of America?

Here in America some Christian persecution has occurred, but nothing on the scale we read about in other countries. Just a few weeks ago I read about a man who was standing in front of a Planned Parenthood building, out on the public sidewalk no less, and he was arrested for silently praying. Praying in silence? How many of us have done that very thing, and in public? Even though that case has been dropped it is obvious Christians are being systematically discriminated against. We are losing our rights and freedoms to stand up for Christ in public. Another man who simply told a terminally ill patient to “trust God” was fired from his job as a counselor. Although we believers in Christ see this as harassment it’s not near the persecution many of the saints in other countries are forced to endure. Neither the man arrested for praying in silence nor the man who was fired bear any resemblance to Washington Irving’s headless horseman. Most of the time these intrusions on our God given rights to share our faith or stand firm on God’s precepts are followed by press releases. When the ACLJ or the Liberty Council gets involved, these matters are soon resolved. For now this seems to be the routine, but there’s no doubt in this believer’s mind that those in authority in America are purposely pushing the “attack Christians” envelope.

I’ve written about pastors who teach the Bible to be simply a document contrived from the minds of men; the dumbing down of the Church creates huge gaps in the pews where true born again believers once sat. Now those pews are being filled by the unregenerate. Of course this would normally be a good thing except for the fact that the type of teaching currently being promoted by unbelieving pastors will only result in keeping the unregenerate, unregenerate.

So I’ll ask the question again. Why such a small amount of persecution on American Christians? Persecution in America pales when compared to the majority of the rest of the world. Here’s a thought, is it possible that would be persecutors don’t see a noticeable difference between themselves and those claiming to be Christians?

“And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee…” Genesis 12:3. I know many refer to the US’s “helpful” association with Israel as the reason why there is so little persecution of American Christians. I see a problem here though, not only is our government cursing Israel by forcing the Jews out of their God given land, but denominational churches are cursing Israel by their false belief that the Church has replaced Israel. Since that is the case, shouldn’t we rethink the reason why American Christians seem to be impervious to the extreme persecution we currently see spreading across this globe?

The curse God places on those who curse Israel is not the persecution Jesus spoke about. The persecution Jesus speaks about, affecting all who follow Him, does not, nor will it ever, come from God.

There is a remnant of “in Christ” believers still remaining in this land we call America. Thus God’s hand of protection remains, for now. But have you noticed, though, how God seems to be somewhat easing His protection lately? Strange disasters have been seen for a few years now here in American that for the most part defies explanation. Who can explain September 11th 2001? How could a powerful nation – the most powerful nation on earth – allow something so devastating to be unleashed on its populous and its infrastructure? (Yes, those twin buildings which fell that day were a part of America’s infrastructure). Not to mention what it did to the American psyche.

All the disasters that have inflicted suffering on America’s populous will continue in frequency and severity, but they are unrelated to Christian persecution. It isn’t Christian persecution when entire nations suffer. The kind of persecution Jesus speaks of is reserved exclusively for those of us who follow Him, unashamed.

Is it just arrogance on the part of most Christians here in America to think we will escape this persecution? Jesus tells His followers that all those who follow Him will be persecuted. For those of you who still don’t get it, that includes His followers in America as well.

If it sounds as though I’m looking forward to the persecution Jesus speaks about you’ve got me all wrong. But I believe His word, therefore I know it is coming and there’s not a thing I can do but bear up under it. “Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you…” John 15:20. Well, we know our Lord was severely persecuted which ultimately resulted in His execution. Millions of His followers have died horrible deaths. Could it be that American Christians are living in denial? I don’t know about the rest of you but I thoroughly enjoy my comforts and I hate pain, therefore I’m not looking forward to any persecution whatsoever, but I’ve resigned myself to accept God’s truth.

As I mentioned previously, a more precise reason for the general lack of persecution hitting America’s Christian church these days is that it’s very hard to find the true Church among the apostate. Yet, just as a pig will root out a stump to get to the grub worms, the true followers of Jesus Christ will likewise be rooted out.

What can we expect as the enemy constantly recruits followers to seek out and destroy Christ’s Church? I’m not sure, but all sorts of evils come to mind. We should be aware that Satan has a lot of ideally suited harassments at his disposal, as well as an army of followers who hate us. The young Columbine High School student who would not denounce her faith in Christ as she stood looking down the barrel of that Christ-hating murder’s gun might be a good example of what we can expect.

Will all people who call themselves Christian go through this persecution? No. Why? “And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness; And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word's sake, immediately they are offended.” Mark 4:17. Many are Christian in name only, not in their hearts.

There is a huge groundswell of hate aimed toward Christians and that pot is being stirred by blogs all over the internet. Even our current government leadership is, and will continue to be, a satanically led force standing against Christ’s followers. “If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.” John 15:19. The world on a whole is lost and they love their own. Many who profess to be followers of Jesus Christ reveal little if any Christian traits. The world, in many instances, can’t distinguish between themselves and the majority of the “Christian” Church. But how the world will react to true believers in Christ is becoming painfully obvious.

We who are the remnant Church will not see God’s wrath because God intends to pour out that wrath on a Christ-rejecting world. Christ’s Church will not be here to witness that piece of history unfold. But the wrath of God has nothing to do with the persecution believers “In Christ” are told to expect. Our persecution will be nothing compared to God’s wrath, which all who have rejected Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord will see and feel.

No matter what evil comes our way, the followers of Jesus Christ are promised peace and joy and the strength to endure whatever the perishing world throws at us. “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.” Romans 8:35-37.

We may, very soon now, find ourselves emulating the martyred Christians of the past. That’s millions of truly born again believers “In Christ” who put God first in their lives and refused to renounce Him as Savior and Lord. May the rest of us stand firm as well.

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
All scripture is from the KJV

Pulling the Wool over God’s Eyes - - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com 

“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:28. Paul clearly states the obvious, punctuated by the true fact that we, who are born again believers, are all one in Christ. How can this verse be so widely misinterpreted? In response to a commentary I wrote on women pastors many have used this particular verse to contradict Paul’s teachings. As we all know, God’s word never contradicts itself. So in this commentary I’ll show what Paul was clearly teaching while addressing the Galatians.

It’s interesting, if we go back and read from the beginning of this chapter we see that Paul is disturbed by what’s going on in Galatia and his blood pressure must be more than just slightly elevated as he refers to the Galatians as fools. “O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth…” Galatians 3:1. Paul is speaking to the Galatians as believers who, by all accounts, knew the truth. They had been taught well and the knowledge and understanding was there. So what went wrong? The doctrines of men, the pride of life, the rebellion to the simple truth of the scriptures, and we see the same thing has happened today in many of our Christian Churches. Perhaps not the same deceptions as the Galatians were entertaining but deception none the less. Letting down our guard allows Satan a foothold and erroneous doctrines will creep in, most of the time unawares.

“… who hath bewitched you…” Galatians 3:1a. Paul is speaking to the Galatians as though they are under some kind of a spell. Paul knows the Galatians and what they’ve been taught, but something has changed. He sees the Gospel of Christ, having been previously accepted by them, being supplanted with a huge error. The Galatians were in the process of adding to the simple gift of salvation with the Old Testament Law of Moses.

Jesus Christ came to fulfill the law and the prophets and the Galatians were taught that truth. But they were bewitched in their thinking and became disobedient to that truth. The Galatians were heading off course and Paul had to help them get their sights back on Jesus Christ, and Him alone for salvation.

Unbiblical doctrines have once again permeated the Church, and strangely enough, these lies have become the norm and widely accepted by those in leadership. It’s as though no one pays attention to all the warnings against such doctrines. Jesus Himself addresses seven churches in the book of Revelation and most of them have strayed way off the correct path. Only two were still hanging onto the truth of the Gospel, and that was way back in the first century AD. Like the Galatians, much of the Christian Church has moved way off base.

Man’s perception of the Bible has changed over the years. It’s now seen as allegorical, erroneous, mythological and in many instances quite controversial. When man determines the Bible contains errors, or when verses are interpreted in a controversial way, some simply prefer to delete those supposed errors and stubborn contradictions so their agenda may be easier to achieve. If this procedure is continued for any length of time we can be assured many false doctrines will infiltrate our Christian Churches. Oh yeah, they already have. When people are blindly led by the rings in their noses instead of studying the scriptures for themselves these errors will fester into huge doctrinal issues which no one will want to deal with so they’re systematically ignored. Finally, erroneous doctrines become the new truth, and as we can now see are well entrenched in present day Christendom.

Paul saw this coming and he tried to head it off at the pass. The Galatians were being foolish in their attempts to yoke the Law of Moses with salvation, and Paul knew where this would lead. Our Christian Churches today have wandered off course; sadly there does not seem to be enough men with true biblical knowledge around to affect the change needed to get the Church back on course.

Over the past few decades there has been a huge lack of spiritual maturity among Christians. They’ve grown lax in how they deal with erroneous teaching. They’ve allowed new ideas and concepts that are unbiblical to filter in among the sheep, and in the end God’s truth has suffered greatly.

If we were to somehow conjure up Paul today and allow him ability to see for himself what has happened to the Church he would be both appalled and deeply saddened. His teachings are being treated with distain each time they stand in disagreement with or contradict a person’s personal stance on a certain issue. When someone doesn’t want to agree with the Apostle Paul because his words contradict their own manipulation of scriptures, they simply say “Although I respect Paul as a man of God he certainly didn’t speak for God in all instances”. This proves their own ignorance and deceitfulness. Of course since all scripture is God breathed (2 Timothy 3:16) we know that it’s not Paul’s words that are being tortured and manipulated, but God’s.

There’s an old adage that goes something like this, “If you torture the text long enough you can make it say whatever you want.” I’ve seen this many times, especially when someone disagrees with my commentaries. No matter how I try to explain various Scriptures in context and from the original Greek or Hebrew meanings, there are those who have been taught a skewed doctrine for so long that they cannot accept Biblical truth. Or Biblical truth doesn’t fit into their concept of how God should be doing things.

The Galatians were moving away from the pure teaching of salvation by grace through faith and trying to incorporate the Law of Moses into the salvation mixture. Paul basically resorts to teaching them all over again. This is what we learn as we read the entire 3rd chapter of Galatians.

In today’s world, a common occurrence is to manipulate the scriptures by taking them out of context. This misguided approach to the scriptures has proved quite successful for those who wish to further their own agendas. This erroneous and misguided manipulation of scriptures has led many people to believe these false interpretations while completely ignoring the exegetical process of studying scriptures. This ill conceived and satanic approach to the scriptures is what’s referred to as torturing the text. If you take a pair of scissors and cut the Bible into many pieces you can put it back together to read however you want it to read. Of course that would be cheating, and there are many who revel in this deceptive process.

“For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” Galatians 3:26-27. Paul’s admonition through these verses is for one purpose, to get the Galatians back on the track. To the traditional Jewish way of thinking you’re standing before God was predicated on whether or not you keep the Law. Paul says we can be considered sons of God in a different way: through faith in Christ Jesus. The Galatians were heading toward instituting a major error by attempting to add the Law of Moses to salvation, and ultimately by forcing the gentiles to adhere to the rudiments of the law, thankfully along came Paul to set them straight.

“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:28. Now we’re getting to the fundamental reason for this commentary. I sort of went the long way around the barn as it were, but it was a necessary route because of the misinterpretation, and erroneous manipulation of the above verse.

There is an old adage that states “The only barrier to receiving the truth is the belief you already have it”. Consequently I purposely explained the substance of the entire chapter of Galatians 3 so when I got to this verse those who might disagree wouldn’t just run away at this point. So keep reading and learn what Paul was really getting at.

You see, the problem that arose in the Church at Galatia was that some of the folks wanted the dividing line that once stood between the Jews and the Greeks to remain. It was Paul’s mission to open their eyes to the fact that in Christ Jesus no such line exists. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female. We are all one in Christ, so according to Paul what does “one in Christ” mean? There is no longer a dividing line between the three characteristics he mentions because when we become born again we are all “In Christ.” Greeks, slaves, and females are all the same when it comes to our inheritance of the Kingdom of Christ. We are all “In Christ”, one body, a group of people set apart for God’s good pleasure.

This doesn’t mean that there are no longer any differences. Paul knew that there was still a difference between Jew and Greek, and his evangelistic approach might differ to each group. “For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more. And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law. To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.” 1 Corinthians 9:19-22.

The slave still had a daily obligation to obey his master , though they might be equal in Jesus “Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ; Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men: Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free.” Ephesians 6:5-8. The whole book of Philemon addresses this same thing.

There is neither male nor female? Of course there are still differences that no one can dispute, and there are still roles for male and female in the home and in the Church “This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach; Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous; One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?”1 Timothy 2:1-5.

“Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body” Ephesians 5:22-33. Though they are equal in standing before God there is still a chain of command set forth by God for all who belong to Him to follow. There are differences in role and in function, but none in standing before God through faith in Jesus.

“When we say that Christ has abolished these distinctions, we mean not that they do not exist, but that they no longer create any barriers to fellowship.” – John Stott

“He is not writing about a unity that comes about as a result of human achievement. He is saying that when people are saved by Jesus Christ they are brought into a marvelous unity, a unity between the saved and the Saviour and a unity that binds together all the saved.” – Henry Morris www.icr.org

“And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.” Galatians 3:29. This concluding verse of Paul’s ties it all together as to just what correcting was going on with the Galatians. This chapter of Galatians and in particular the verse that states we are all one in Christ has nothing whatsoever to do with women pastors or teachers; it’s about fellowship and our inheritance. Clearly Paul is addressing the Galatians erroneous view that adhering to the Law of Moses was a part of salvation. Paul uses this chapter to set the Galatians straight.

Although I understand how when taken out of context some might think by referring to there is neither male nor female that they’ve achieved their vindication for women pastors and teachers, clearly the opposite is true. “But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.” 1 Timothy 2:12-14. As for the word of God, it’s clear and thus it still stands.

Women who have taken on a teaching role or pastoral role by usurping the authority God gave only to men are in direct contradiction God’s word. But I’m sure these women, as well as many mislead men, will find another way to torture the text so they can continue in their attempt at pulling the wool over God’s eyes.

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
All scripture is from the KJV

On Broadway - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com 

Bright lights, adult theaters, jumping hot spots for socializing (among other things), fast cars, high rollers lots of fun and excitement to be had “On Broadway”. Now that’s the life, huh? “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:” Matthew 7:13.

There’s a Broadway in every town, in every community, in every nation. And I’m not talking about the street called Broadway, although many have become trapped and lost on that street. No, what I’m talking about is the Broadway Jesus speaks of as a particular path that each of us must choose to walk or avoid. It’s actually a simple path to follow. That’s why so many end up there. Fun, thrills, games of all kinds. A plethora of perversions and distractions from the woes of life can be found “On Broadway”.

What is the Broadway? It’s interesting when we look at the Greek word it actually means spacious, there seems to be no limitations on just how many people Broadway will accommodate. Any decision we make or any path we take which opposes Jesus Christ is the Broad-way that leadeth to destruction, and that my friends is just a simple fact.

There are many cults circulating the globe which teach their followers concepts that are diametrically opposed to God’s inerrant word, and those teachings culminate “On Broadway”. When someone says “There are many paths that lead to Heaven”, that’s Broadway. “All religions claim their own path to Heaven, Christianity is no different,” that’s Broadway. “I’m basically a good person; God won’t send me to Hell”, Broadway. “I don’t believe in God, or Satan, or Heaven and Hell”, okay, everybody say it together, Broadway.

Even in Christian colleges there are those who conspire with Satan to lead their students to Broadway. Anyone who teaches contrary to God’s word is conspiring with Satan. Satan, the father of all lies, invented the lie “…ye shall not surely die ” Genesis 3:4. In other words he called God a liar. That is precisely what we see happening whenever a pastor or college professor tells their parishioners or young impressionable students God didn’t really mean what He said. I’ve received letters from students confirming this to be the case. Be careful where you send your children for a Christian education. Many Christian colleges have successfully robbed that name from God and are currently well entrenched on Broadway.

A dear sister in the Lord recently wrote to me about the co-pastor “a woman” at her Church who line item vetoes verses from God’s word which she doesn’t like – Broadway.

Many Christian denominations come close to Broadway because they won’t recognize Israel’s legitimate claim to the land God gave them. “The Church has replaced Israel in God’s eyes”, that’s Broadway. God never reneges on a covenant. Those covenants He made with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and David are binding. Refusing to accept the truth of those covenants and thinking the Church has now replaced Israel in God’s eyes is just another way to call God a liar – Broaaadwaaay.

“Jesus is not God” – Broadway. “Jesus was a good teacher but He didn’t die on a cross or arise from the grave”, do you get the feeling Broadway’s filling up fast? Are we beginning to see why the Broadway is so easily followed yet so destructive? And why Jesus says many will enter thereat? There are so many lies infiltrating the minds of men that over time the truth of God’s word becomes diluted, and of non-effect.

“Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.” Colossians 2:8. The word “spoil” above actually means to give place to. In other words, when man gives place to the doctrines of men instead of adhering to God’s word – Broadway.

Today we see many doctrines of men being adhered to in the church. One which is a sure path to Broadway is by adding to the sufficiency of the cross. This concept, in effect, is saying Jesus didn’t pay the whole price for my sins so I must perform my own works, such as being baptized to complete the process, or I must speak in tongues, or be a member of a certain congregation… these doctrines of men (lies) go on and on. Instead of being saved by grace through faith, according to man’s doctrines , faith alone just won’t do. This lie will lead people away from believing that through faith in Jesus Christ are we saved by God’s grace. Ultimately many who go to Church to find the truth only find Broadway.

When believers in Christ fail in their assigned task of spreading the Gospel of Christ, Satan will take full advantage of that failure, and he has. Besides all the Christian cults, and demon possessed professors, many of our Christian leaders are vacillating when it comes to standing firm on the word of God. When the scriptures are allegorized, marginalized, or even discounted as mere fables by pastors and teachers, Satan gets elevated. This very real satanic promotion has and will in the future lead many to – Broadway.

“Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.” Matthew 7:15. Basically liars, these are men and women who have perfected the skill of lying to an art. They’ve made their father the devil proud. The only way any of us can keep from participating in their dance, “the Broadway shuffle”, is by being ever diligent in our studies of and believing in God’s inerrant word. God warns us again and again about liars. Sadly many just don’t pay attention or they don’t believe Him, and of course yet another path to Broadway.

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” John 14:6. Of course this claim by the Creator of the universe is widely disputed among false religions, and even many so called Christian college professors; thus this disputed truth has been responsible for more people wondering onto Broadway than almost any other lie promoted by Satan.

Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” Matthew 7:14. Here Jesus drives home a fact. “Few” is His word when referring to just how many will eventually follow Him. The Greek word “oligos” can be translated as: little, small, few, or slight. In other words we’re looking at a Greek word which, when used in the above context, represents a very slight numerical value. God is telling us in no uncertain terms that huge multitudes of folks will find Broadway much more advantageous than to accept the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Just who are these people? Well, some of them you know. Some may even be related to you.

I don’t know about the rest of you but when I read God’s word about how few enter in through the narrow way (Jesus Christ) vs. the many that will go through the broad way (the path that leads to Hell) it’s not only sad but depressing. But imagine how our Creator God must feel when even one of His creation rejects His Son? God offers all of humanity a free gift of salvation, yet He tells us that Broadway will be packed. What a sad commentary as we see multitudes upon multitudes of deceived folks looking to Broadway (Hell) for their eternal future.

God knows something none of the rest of us can ever know. He, being outside of the restraints of time and space, has a unique advantage over us. He can see the beginning of all things as well as the end of all things simultaneously. This unique advantage allows Him to make statements such as “few there be that find it” (that is the narrow way – Jesus Christ), and “broad is the way that leads to destruction” (Satan’s way – Hell). God knew, even before He created the universe, who would believe in and follow His only begotten Son, and who would take the Broadway turnoff. This in no way diminishes our responsibility to choose for ourselves which path to take.

Yep, Broadway is a turnoff in more ways than one. It means going against the truth. It’s a deliberate choice that folks make to stand in complete rebellion against their Creator. The lies which the enemy supplies to all humanity are damning and he knows it. Satan cannot see the beginning from the end and thus all he can do is work day and night to corrupt God’s creation. Satan is a very powerful and intelligent supernatural being but he can’t hold a candle to God; as hard as the enemy tries to usurp God, God never loses control. But He, being the loving gracious God He is, will never force anyone to avoid Broadway. He gives us direction through His word and has placed the Holy Spirit on earth to guide us to Jesus Christ, but the final choice to follow Christ or to jump “the Broadway train” is entirely our domain.

Jesus gave us those verses in Matthew 7 as a warning to all who wish to occupy eternity with Him. He’s telling us that there will be much obstruction ahead (that’s another commentary), but the simple way will be the Broad way. The narrow way, which is only through Jesus Christ, leads to life, “and few there be that find it”.

Should we think that the more the lost see Christians being persecuted for their faith the better Broadway will look to them? Not hardly. Foxe’s “Book of Martyrs” tells of millions of early Christians being persecuted and executed, but they remained steadfast in their faith. He describes many scenes of Christians as they are being eaten by beast or burned at the stake all the while their faces resembled angels. It was as though they were looking at Jesus and He had given them a peace to endure the pain. These martyrs, by holding fast to their faith, are prime examples of how the Church, though hugely persecuted, grew to the size it is today.

The lies which permeate our current Christian culture are, on many occasions, voiced by those who over the years have gained our trust. During the dark times of persecution which are surely coming what can we expect from these fearless leaders? A new mantra of political correctness. The old adage “if you can’t stand the heat get out of the kitchen” is changing. Many of our Christian leaders today simply turn down the heat (water down the word of God). Christianity is currently perceived as politically incorrect; therefore many Christian leaders are simply falling in line with what society wants. “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” 2 Timothy 4:3-4. And what will those itching ears, and fables get them? Broadway.

Salvation through Jesus Christ alone is becoming more and more unpopular. The Muslims hate us for what we preach, and yes I mean all Muslims. There is no such thing as a moderate Muslim. They wish to inculcate Sharia Law across the globe and here in America the religion of Islam is spreading like wildfire. One main obstruction to their achieving their goal is Christianity; it must be eliminated so they can proceed with their agenda. Oh, and by the way, Islam and it’s 1.5 billion adherents – Broadway!!

Broadway is Satan’s undisputed path. Is it easy? Is it comfortable? Is it fun? Some may think so, but it’s actually deadly and Satan knows it. Satan hates humans, he even hates those who openly worship him as their god. It is not in his character to be benevolent. He is determined to lead and guide, through whatever deception seems to fly, as many people as he can down – to Broadway.

Jesus admonishes us to enter through the straight gate and narrow way which at this point in time obviously remains open. If this were not the case He would have shut the door and taken us home by now. Consequently there must still be time and room for anyone who chooses Him, albeit precious little time remaining.

Therefore we, as His followers, still have work to do. We are to hold fast to the faith ‘til He comes. We are to spread the good news of His Gospel to the world. We are to make disciples of all nations. And we are to do all this no matter how much persecution comes our way.

Question: Is the straight gate and the narrow way the only path to Heaven? Give that some real thought before you answer. Are there other roads that lead to the Father? If you believe, as many do, that there are many roads that lead to Heaven then you’ve just called Jesus Christ a liar and your future is secure – On Broadway.

May God bless and change lives,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmai.com
All scripture is from the KJV
 

Women Pastors - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com 

“But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.” 1 Timothy 2:12-14.These Bible verses have certainly seen their fair share of controversy over the years. Battles rage over just exactly what Paul meant here and was he just speaking culturally to those folks at that particular time in history? For the answer to that question the Apostle Paul takes us clear back to the book of Genesis.

Many people don’t really have a clue about the deception that took place in the Garden of Eden. “Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” Genesis 3:1. First of all we must ask the question “Why did the serpent (Satan) seek out the women to confront with his lies instead of Adam?” Satan brought his temptation against the woman because he perceived she was more vulnerable to attack. This is because she did not receive the command to not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil directly from God, but through Adam.

“And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” Genesis 2:15-17. God gave the clear command to Adam. Then, when God created Eve, Adam made God’s prohibition of that particular tree and fruit clear to her. But Eve probably didn’t really pay all that much attention to Adam when he passed on God’s command not to eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil because when the serpent (Satan) questioned Eve as to whether or not God said they couldn’t eat of the fruit of that tree, she responded with “We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.” Genesis 3:2-3.

We must take notice of the fact that Eve’s knowledge seems to be lacking. She doesn’t name the tree of whose fruit she and Adam were to abstain from eating.

Actually, Eve’s first mistake was in carrying on a discussion with Satan. “The Lord rebuke you” should be our only words as we address Satan. As we can see, Eve’s apparent lack of knowledge makes her all the more vulnerable to deception. She then went from bad to worse as she misquoted the command God gave to Adam. Her words, “Ye shall not eat of it” and “lest ye die” are close enough, but she added to the command and put words in God’s mouth when she said, “neither shall ye touch it.” The major consequence we see that arises from putting words in God’s mouth is we begin to teach the doctrines of men as if they are the commandments of God. “But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” Matthew 15:9. It’s interesting just how many of mans idiosyncrasies have become doctrinal mandates in our Churches today.

Secondly, Eve was deceived but her husband was not deceived “And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression” 1 Timothy 2:14. Satan perceived Eve to be the weaker link in the chain and so he approached her with his lies, sure enough she fell into transgression.

By taking us back to the beginning, Paul precludes any arguments that might arise concerning women teaching or usurping the authority of men as being a cultural issue of that society. Paul’s admonition was not a cultural issue then, nor is it now; it’s God speaking through Paul.

God knew what would happen if women were allowed to teach men and to usurp authority over them. Sure enough, the majority of the cults today were begun by women who have manipulated the scriptures so that they could, without fear of condemnation, rise to positions of authority over men.

Over the past few decades women have become pastors of churches because of a lackadaisical attitude on the part of the Church, not to mention men’s ignorance of scriptures. So what do we see happening today? The completely erroneous rendering of the truth of the scriptures by those who wish to supplant God’s word. “But I suffer not a woman to teach:“ The word “suffer” used by Paul is from the Greek word “epitrepō” and it actually means “permit”. Paul says he does not permit a woman to teach or usurp authority over a man. Women are not free to usurp authority over men nor are they at liberty to become pastors of Churches.

I know that I’ll receive a massive amount of letters disputing Paul’s stance on women in a pastoral position. Many will attack me for even suggesting there’s a problem with women being in a position of authority over men. They’ll march out Debra, Esther, Lydia, and Priscilla. None of whom were priests or pastors of Christian Churches. And knowingly or not they will be attacking God.

“This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;” 1 Timothy 3:1-2. A bishop must be the husband of one wife. Bishop, Elder, Pastor is what the text refers to. The Greek word for husband is “anēr”, a masculine noun with the following description: of a male, of a husband, of a betrothed or future husband, any male. And the Greek word of wife is “gynē”, a feminine noun. A description of the word “gynē” is: a woman of any age, whether a virgin, or married, or a widow, a wife, a betrothed woman. There can be no doubt as to what Paul was saying: no to women pastors, no to women teaching men. The text is clear.

We are all called to proclaim the Gospel to all nations, men and women alike. This means we explain the Gospel of Christ to anyone who will listen. Jesus Himself told us to do this simple thing. Speaking the truth of the Gospel is witnessing and possibly sharing your testimony with others. This is a far cry from where we see women have advanced to in today’s Christian Churches. Senior pastors, presidents of Christian seminaries and universities usurping authority over men.

“One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)” 1 Timothy 3:4-5. So we can see plainly that Paul only wants men who are capable of rearing their children in the admonition of the Lord. Not once does Paul include women in the mix of Bishop/Elder/Pastor, or Deacons for that matter. There are probably many well meaning women in leadership roles in churches who only wish to serve God with all their heart. But God’s word is firm and to the point, no women pastor, elders, bishops, or deacons in My Church.

“Likewise must the deacons be grave, not doubletongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre; Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience. And let these also first be proved; then let them use the office of a deacon, being found blameless. Even so must their wives be grave, not slanderers, sober, faithful in all things.” 1 Timothy 3:8-11. Women who bypass the clear exegetical rendering of scriptures to pursue and obtain the office of Pastor/Elder/Deacon are in full contradiction to God’s word, and so are the men who’ve allowed this error to escalate.

Here’s a little side note: In this same verse “the husband of one wife” has also been quite controversial in regards to men who’ve been divorced being excluded from holding the position of pastor of a Church or even that of Elder or Deacon. Paul was keenly aware of the pervasiveness of the cultural acceptance of taking in marriage multiple wives. But Paul in no way excluded men who were biblically divorced from entering the ministry or holding the office of elder or deacon. After all it was Jesus Christ (God Almighty) Himself who said that in the case of adultery divorce was acceptable. Who was it acceptable to? To God. Jesus put no restrictions on a man who divorces his wife for infidelity on her part, especially by excluding him from the ministry of preaching, or holding the office of elder, deacon or even a Bible teacher. This exclusion by many denominations has left many capable men who were called by God Himself into the ministry out in the cold. God says go and preach my word, and the Church says no. Makes a lot of sense doesn’t it?

Interestingly too, if the whole counsel of Scripture is bypassed, should we not also exclude Paul (who wasn’t married) and Jesus Christ Himself from being leaders of the Church or teaching? Of course not, what we must do is work within the boundaries of scripture instead of the boundaries of men.

Certainly by now the majority of the readers should see that Paul is quite adamant about the exclusion of women in the preaching ministry. Remember this verse? “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction and instruction in righteousness.” 2 Timothy 3:16. In other words, these verses I’ve included in this commentary are not just written by Paul the Apostle, but they were God breathed. If Paul says he does not allow women to teach or usurp authority over men, then we can be assured those words came from the Creator of the Universe.

If you are in a Church where your pastor is a woman then you are fundamentally standing with her, thus you’re standing against God. Ignoring the scriptures placed above even after looking into the Greek only makes your case weaker. Corrupting and manipulating those same scriptures, twisting them to say what you want them to say, or interpreting them contrarily to the exegetical norm won’t cut any ice with God when you try to explain your disobedience to Him concerning His word.

Lastly, I feel I must address the idea of homosexual pastors. A homosexual bishop/pastor/elder/deacon cannot possibly fulfill the requirement set down by God Almighty in which a man must be the husband of one wife. God sets the parameters, not man. God created male and female for a reason. “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.” Genesis 2:24. The word used here in the Hebrew for man is “'iysh” and means male, man, opposite of female. And the Hebrew word for wife is “'ishshah” and the description in the concordance is – woman, female, opposite of male. Absolutely no confusion here.

“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it…” Genesis 1:27-28. Homosexuals cannot multiply, they cannot replenish the earth, and they are actually a deterrent to replenishing the earth. Thus they stand diametrically opposed to God Almighty.

Homosexuals are an abomination to God, an affront to His inerrant word, and He would never condone the ordination of a women pastor, let alone a lesbian, to pastor a church. How in the world does a lesbian fulfill the requirement of “the husband of one wife?” It’s impossible. Again, it’s a case of people thinking that the Bible is not to be taken literally. God knew what would happen to His Church if these abominations were allowed to spread, and He tells us of the apostasy in the last days. People, we are there. Now women pastors and even homosexuals are taking over many of the mainstream denominations all because they either misinterpret the scriptures or they dismiss the word of God as simply metaphors and allegories and mostly irrelevant to society today.

Do you really want to be taught the scriptures by someone who avoids those verses that are clearly contrary to their position? Does “be ye not deceived” come to mind? Where’s all this headed? God knows.

“Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?” Luke 18:8.

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
All scripture is from the KJV

“My hard drive crashed a few weeks ago and everything was lost. I had backed up my address book a while before the crash but it was not current. To get back on my mailing list just resend your email address to me.”
 

Has the Word of God Gone Missing? - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com 

“The writers of the Bible believed their writings to be God inspired but in all actuality that just isn’t the case. The Bible is not to be taken literally as God’s word”. I heard the above quote recently on a national call in radio program. The caller told the radio hosts that her pastor was responsible for the above quote. The response from the two host pastors of the program was a rousing, in unison” RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!” Personally I thought that was good advice.

That pastor’s statement dismissing the fact that the Bible is God’s word reflects where we can place the bulk of the problems in the Christian Church today. The quote from that unnamed pastor can be laid at the feet of many pastors in many denominational, as well as non-denominational, churches around the world.

Why is Christ’s church floundering today? It is because the Bible, the inerrant word of God Almighty, is not taken seriously let alone literally by many of Christianity’s leaders. If we dismiss any portion of God’s word by implying it was not God breathed, then all of scripture becomes a bald face lie. “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:” 2 Timothy 3:16. Apparently the above mentioned pastor’s opinion is we should simply dismiss the entirety of the Bible as man’s own mythological tales. If we believe man just made up the words that established the biblical canon of scripture then the Christian Church has no purpose and is meaningless.

Recently I read that approximately 70% of the people who attend Church services are not born again. That number, if accurate, is not only depressing but scary. The idea that some pastors are demeaning, disparaging, and dismissing the Bible’s true validity, and giving man the credit for its inception through his imagination, proves that many people no longer believe what the Bible says. Therefore that 70% figure referring to the unsaved in the church, again if that number is correct and I suspect it is, would be a very good indication of where the Church is headed. Perhaps we’re already there.

Many expositors condemn those who claim we are witnessing the great apostasy of the Church happening today. But I say when legitimate surveys are done which indicate significant numbers of people in Church are remaining in their lost state, how much more proof is needed before those expositors see what many of us have been aware of for quite some time?

Our foundation of faith is based on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. What will we do for a replacement for the Bible? Will we turn to “The Shack” as our study guide? What about “The Purpose Driven Life”? Or better yet, perhaps the book of Mormon will be our re-enforcing and permanent new foundation for biblical truth. Don’t let yourself become deceived by people who have no true biblical discernment.

The Bible is our God given tool, a place where we can go to study and learn about our Great God and Savior, Jesus the Christ. But what of the history of the world both past and future? Studying God’s word to obtain greater understanding, discernment, and wisdom is essential for the born again believer in Christ. But the new mantra from many pastors today is “Listen to me, I’ve got the truth, forget that tired, old antiquated nonsense of our forefathers. The Bible is no longer relevant in our new progressive society.” People, this type of teaching is more commonly referred to as cultic.

I’ve known for years that many parts of the Bible are looked on as allegorical in most denominational Christian Churches, and that fact alone will be a disrupting and divisive influence to Christ’s true Church in the last days, but a pastor who claims the Bible is not God’s word is certainly fixated on removing Christ as the foundation for our faith. Tragically, this kind of teaching has now seeped into many congregations.

These days, we’re seeing many new pastors, learned men and women (don’t get me stated on women pastors) who’ve come out of seminaries completely void of any real essence of God’s truth. They then proceed to fill the pulpits of our churches and the messages they deliver week in and week out are nothing more than tripe if they believe not in the inerrancy of the scriptures. Hence the figure of 70% of pew sitters who lack any real conversion experience (by the way, in case you’re wondering, that 70% figure comes from the Barna Research Group).

The whole concept of dumbing down the Church by disparaging the inerrant word of God is fully, unmistakably satanic, and it started way back when Satan had his first conversation with Eve, “…Yea, hath God said…” Genesis 3:1. That little piece of satanic rubbish caused Eve to doubt God’s word and from then on it’s been all downhill (spiritually speaking) for humankind. But not for Satan; he and his demonic hoards must be quite satisfied with their more current achievements. By infiltrating the minds of the professors in the seminaries and Christian collages, who in turn teach the classes and corrupt the vast majority of students with those old antiquated but effectual lies, Satan and his minions of evil have reached new heights in their attempts at destroying the truth of God’s word. These newly initiated followers of Satan are now intent on disseminating their new god’s doctrine instead of the One true God’s inerrant word.

If people would simply grasp the fact that there are two opposing supernatural forces involved in the lives of every human being on planet earth, one benevolent and the other malevolent, and understand that one is diametrically opposed to the other, there would be many more followers of Christ on planet earth.

Mankind, for the most part, knows there’s a very basic concept, a completely recognizable aspect of life which permeates our very existence. It’s the basic premise of good against evil. What most don’t realize is that this “good vs. evil” concept is supernatural, and the malevolent side focuses their attacks on creating the most deadly of consequences. These two opposing forces waging continual inter-dimensional war are fighting for one purpose and that is for the sole ownership of human souls.

It’s true; these two opposing forces are stuck in a battle which pits supernatural beings against one another. And even though that battle rages on in another dimension, much of the residual from this war ends up in our human dimension in the form of lies, deceit, hatred; the list goes on and on. The number one way this fight effects humanity is that the malevolent forces are constantly bombarding us with their lies. Their darkest agenda is to disrupt, disparage, confuse, corrupt, and ultimately destroy the truth of its opponent, the benevolent ones. Which means the truthfulness of the Bible will be continually attacked. Sadly, many people grasp the enemy’s lies as truth and they become so blinded by these lies that they become adamant in their quest to do the enemy’s biding by re-distributing those lies to others.

The Bible is not only a faithful representation of God’s precepts for the instruction of His children, but it is also a historical document used by many to learn of humanity’s past. The Smithsonian Institute of History, for example, uses the Holy Bible to reference people and places of antiquity. Even though the people the Bible focuses on are the Jews, archeologists have used the Bible for years in their research to determine the placement of cities, buildings, as well as lost civilizations other than the Israelites. God’s word has been an invaluable tool even for the secular segments of our society.

For the believer in Christ there can be no doubting the Holy Bible is the inerrant word of God. That fact alone should say something about those who stand behind the pulpits of the Christian Churches and claim the Bible to be nothing more than man’s great ability at writing fiction.

We can’t look at God’s word and call it false and then with a straight face claim to be born again. Calling God a liar is certainly not a term of endearment. Going about the routine of pastoring a Christian Church while placing doubt in the very word that is to be proclaimed from the pulpit, has and will continue to lead those congregations into unbelief. Certainly, pastors who teach the Bible to be fallible man’s own creation will only add to keeping a Church of lost folks lost. That 70% figure will undoubtedly increase exponentially if this type of teaching continues. “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.” Matthew 7:13-15.

Jesus refers to those who lead others astray as ravening wolves. “Ravening” signifies rapacious in the Greek. Pastors, or Church leaders for that matter, who would rather believe Satan over God when it comes to the inerrancy of scriptures are rapacious in their determination to lead their flocks away from God. Jesus is applying a metaphor by using the word “wolves” in this context as He describes cruel, greedy, rapacious, destructive men and women intent on leading their flocks astray.

If the majority of folks occupying Church pews these days are indeed unsaved sinners, then it becomes even more understandable as to how and why the great apostasy will occur in the end times. Jesus tells us the path that leads to destruction is very wide and many will follow that destructive path. If a pastor doesn’t believe the Bible he’s not going to preach on salvation through Jesus Christ, and Him alone. He’ll undoubtedly preach on all the different roads that lead to Heaven to placate all the diversity in the pews even though, in truth, he’ll be leading them to Hell.

There are, of course, many ways to authenticate the Bible as being the inerrant word of God, but there’s one truth that always comes screaming back to me at times like these. It’s the following verse in which the Apostle Paul tell us “But the natural 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.” 1 Corinthians 2:14. There are a lot of natural men and women out there pretending to be faithful shepherds of their assigned flocks.

If we don’t believe the Bible then we are no different than the natural man spoken of by Paul. As a matter of fact, we are just as lost and condemned as that natural man. For those of you whose pastor teaches as the pastor spoken of earlier, with regards to the Bible, then my suggestion to you is the same as the statement made by the two radio hosts I wrote about at the beginning of this commentary, RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
All scripture is from the KJV

“My computer crashed about two weeks ago and everything was lost. I had backed up my address book a while before the crash but it was not current. To get back on my mailing list just resend your email address to me.”
 

Born Again Christians and Sin - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com 

“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” 1 John 1:8. Anyone who says they have not sinned is living a lie. In the verse above you must notice John adds himself into the mix of sinners. He says if we say we have no sin. “No” in the Greek is “ou” and is expressed absolutely, and emphatically. It’s as though the Apostle John has asked someone if he considers himself a sinner, and the answer has come back to John in the form of a resounding NO!

We deceive ourselves: Here again John adds himself into the fray in that he too would be leading himself astray if he were to claim he had no sin. We just aren’t grasping the truth if we claim to be sinless. John is addressing believers in Christ in his epistles therefore he is addressing me and you; as believers we will continue to sin until we are called home. If anyone tells you differently they are deceived.

“If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” 1 John 1:10. Again, we must first understand that John is addressing believers “In Christ” not the unsaved. Here in this verse John tells us if we claim we have not sinned we make Jesus Christ a liar. John tells us His (God's) word cannot be in someone who says they have never sinned, or even in those who claim now that they are saved they no longer sin. Again John places himself in the middle of this assertion by using the words “we” and “us”. It also means we can’t have God’s Holy Spirit in us if we claim a sinless life or a life of no more sin after we are born again. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9. Nowhere in the Bible are we told we will stop sinning once we’re saved.

“My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:” 1 John 2:1. Can you see what a contradiction this verse is when we neglect the exegeses of the scriptures? “My little children” is referring to born again believers and John wants us to fully understand that point. When we compare “That ye sin not” to the previous verse we can see John isn’t advocating sinning. He’s simply saying turn away from habitual sin. In other words don’t let our whole focus in life be on one big sin party without thought of the consequences. If that be your case, salvation has eluded you.

In the last part of First John chapter 2 verse 1, John states that if any man sins we have Christ as our advocate for our defense. In this same verse, “if any man sin” actually means “in case”. So if we interpret this verse correctly, what John is saying is when not if we sin we have an advocate which is Jesus Christ the righteous.

“He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” 1 John 2:1. Is it possible that John is saying in keeping Jesus’ commandments we will no longer sin? The Greek word “tēreō” represents our English phrase “keepeth”. The Greek word actually has many meanings but in this context John is speaking of those who “observe or take heed to” Jesus’ commandments. Since John previously addressed the fact that all believers sin, the answer to the question above is “No”. What he is saying is in observing Christ’s commandments we won’t live our lives in habitual sin. For example, living a lifestyle as a homosexual is habitual sin, as is living as an unmarried couple, or lying habitually. Once we become born again there will be a change that everyone who new us before our conversion will see. This change will reflect Christ as a definite positive part of our lives.

“I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name's sake.” 1 John 2:12. This verse is wonderfully placed in this chapter and in context we are told that all believers are forgiven sinners. Something that many “In Christ” believers stumble with is the fact that they continue to sin even though they have been justified (saved). Condemnation reigns supreme in their lives. But Paul tells us “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” Romans 8:1.

In the book of Romans chapter 7 Paul speaks about his childhood before he was taught the law “I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet. But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead.” Romans 7:7-8. Very young children don’t know what sin is until their parent’s teach them what constitutes sin and what doesn’t. That’s why parents must be responsible for explaining sin and its consequences to the children God has blessed them with.

In Jesus’ eyes the very young children are blameless. They aren’t corrupted by all the evil and sinful desires that adults are continually confronted with. Children see joy, happiness, and love in the simplest forms. But before we know it our children are at that age when they are accountable for their own sinful actions; if they aren’t taught Godly ways they will not see any sin in those actions.

In the following verses Paul addresses that age old conundrum, one that has continually plagued believers throughout the ages. Why do I continue to sin now that I’m born from above? Remember this, now that we are justified God sees us through His Son Jesus Christ and our sins past present and future are forgiven. Still, even though we are justified in God’s eyes (saved), we still sin. The Apostle Paul will explain why, “The law is good, then. The trouble is not with the law but with me, because I am sold into slavery, with sin as my master. I don't understand myself at all, for I really want to do what is right, but I don't do it. Instead, I do the very thing I hate. I know perfectly well that what I am doing is wrong, and my bad conscience shows that I agree that the law is good. But I can't help myself, because it is sin inside me that makes me do these evil things. I know I am rotten through and through so far as my old sinful nature is concerned. No matter which way I turn, I can't make myself do right. I want to, but I can't. When I want to do good, I don't. And when I try not to do wrong, I do it anyway. But if I am doing what I don't want to do, I am not really the one doing it; the sin within me is doing it. It seems to be a fact of life that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God's law with all my heart. But there is another law at work within me that is at war with my mind. This law wins the fight and makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin? Romans 7:14-24. (NLT)

Now read and understand Paul’s last words on this subject, and please, dwell on them. “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...” Romans 7:25 (KJV). I hope the readers of this commentary will understand why I’ve inserted the verses in the paragraph above using the New Living Translation. Many have a difficult time understanding Paul’s explanation about the nature of sin in Romans 7, especially when read in the KJV. So there is no lingering doubts, Paul, far into his ministry, states the obvious, we are all sinners and will remain so until glorification.

That’s why God had to die for His creation. There was no other way for us to be redeemed from this life of sin. Please don’t misunderstand, born again believers will grow to hate sin over time and they will be remorseful each time they fall back into temptation. Neither the Apostle John nor Paul is advocating sin. On the contrary, they are preaching against sin. Even though we remain slaves to sin, through our Christian maturity, our walk with the Lord Jesus Christ, we will begin to walk to the far side of sin.

One last point, for the believer who occasionally stumbles (that’s you and me), “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”1 John 1:9. This was written to born again believers in Christ, what an awesome promise.

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
KJV and NLT were used in compiling this commentary. Those of you who are KJ only, forgive me.
 

America’s Degeneracy is Flourishing - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com 

“Yet I had planted thee a noble vine, wholly a right seed: how then art thou turned into the degenerate plant of a strange vine unto me?” Jeremiah 2:21. In this verse God is speaking to Israel through the prophet Jeremiah, but is He saying the same thing to the people of America today?

There can be no doubt that the U.S. is floundering. I don’t mean just financially, although that is certainly a very real concern. No, what I’m talking about is the moral and spiritual degeneracy currently permeating our land.

Down we go, down to new depths of depravity. Most people in America haven’t a clue of what’s just around the next bend in the river concerning this nation, still, to some it obvious. America is currently wallowing in total depravity, but too many Americans see only what they want to see. Instead of a united nation, America is horribly fragmented. Increasingly we’re seen as a populous of “What’s in it for me” and “The devil take ya” attitudes. Something’s rotten in America, people, and I don’t think it’s oily fish.

Since America has given God the boot, American’s no longer give God the glory as the provider of their needs. Being thankful for what they’ve received from God has become a foreign concept. Americans have kicked God out of every aspect of life, even many churches no longer allow Him in. Is there still a question in anyone’s mind as to why America is riding the toilet rim?

Because these days are filled with bad news and economic down turns people keep turning to one political figure after another as a cure-all to fix everything, Instead we should be turning to the only One whose great pleasure it is to heal and restore. This One is mankind’s Savior, Jesus the Christ. According to a recent poll taken in America approximately 80% of Americans profess they are Christian. If that be the case, then we need to ask ourselves two very serious questions: First why, if 80% of America is Christian is there a Muslim determining America’s fate? Second, as a nation that claims its foundation stone was the rock Jesus Christ, why have we done a 180 degree turn away from Him and His teachings? America would not be in the toilet today spiritually and morally if we hadn’t turned our backs on God some decades ago.

Since 80% of American’s claim they are Christians, it tells me many are either lying or they don’t really have a clue as to what it means to be born again. It’s impossible to be a Christian without being born again. A person can’t just claim to be Christian yet have no knowledge of what that designation entails. They can play Christian but we can all see where that gets us.

“Ye are the light of the world.” Matthew 5:14. God surely planted a noble vine when He planted America, a light to a lost world. But that once very influential light has diminished and is now in jeopardy of going completely dark. Many theologians say America never was a Christian nation, only that God, for a time in the past, could claim a much larger portion of the American populous as His children. After doing extensive research into America’s past I’ve come to the conclusion those theologians may be correct. I don’t doubt 80% of Americans claim to be Christian, but I do doubt their spiritual conversion. And it’s as plain as day as to why I have my doubts.

“Ye are the salt of the earth:” Matthew 5:13a. To be a Christian means we adhere, as best we can, to the percepts put forth in the Bible. In the past we made it known to the world that America was a nation of Christ’s followers. If Americans as a majority are Christian, then they certainly aren’t following the Bible as their guide to living that Christ filled life. “...but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.” Matthew 5:13b.

God gave us everything we need in His word, and by that I mean He’s given us His commandments which are to be our guide in all life’s endeavors. But how many of the American’s polled who make up that 80 percentile group above actually read and study their Bibles? Or for that matter, how many even believe the Bible to be God’s inerrant word? It’s only my educated guess, but I would guess that only a small minority of those who claim to be born again (Christian) actually study and believe what they learn from God’s word, and even less actually apply what they’ve learned to their lives.

If I’m correct in my assumption, then as a nation we’re in real trouble, and we have been for some time. Our Liberties, those basic freedoms most take for granted have begun to deteriorate and are in danger of reaching levels not previously seen on the US’s portion of this continent. For this reason, the scarcity of true born again believers in Christ, America may well be beyond help when it comes to re-establishing our once revered republic.

How did the United States of America ever go so long without slipping into a totalitarian run country before now you might ask? I believe the numbers of those who actually placed their faith and their lives in Christ’s hands and allowed Him to have dominion over all aspects concerning their lives as well as their families was at one time much higher than the artificially inflated numbers we see today. In years past there were many more truly born again Christians who stood firm on the morals and precepts proclaimed in God’s word. They are the ones who did the voting and they placed their vote for individuals who had morals and were of good character. This just is not the case today; morals of the majority of American government officials are at an all time low. If we are voting for these folks as Christians, we are voting with our eyes closed.

Morals and character are two forgotten godly characteristics relegated to a by-gone era. These two lost biblical concepts are no longer taught in our public schools nor, I would gather by the evidence, in most American homes today. America’s school children are now taught more about sex than any other subject previously taught in those once hallowed halls. Why? It is and has been the agenda with the sexual revolution crowd for many years. It’s the old “anything goes mindset” the current mantra is “Let’s get today’s children indoctrinated in all manner of sexual practices and perversions at the earliest of ages possible” (in Montana sex education now begins with kindergarteners).

At some point in the not so distant future Americans will be living in a society where everything goes and immorality will be overwhelmingly practiced. Promiscuity will no longer be taboo but demanded from every child and applauded when they’ve reached the pinnacle of sexual depravation. “But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!” Matthew 18:6, 7.

Evil is ever present, and when not held in check spreads like cancer. Who holds evil in check? Holy Spirit filled Christians. The degeneracy of America has been coming for some time now, which tells me Christianity has been diminishing right along. So when we read of polls taken proclaiming an 80 percentile range of Christians in this country know this, something is amiss.

With little or no moral or spiritual education as children, and even less discipline, crime flourishes in America. Thus the national crime rates are continually rising; hence America builds more prisons to accommodate the ever increasing criminal population.

A very real and current danger arising from an over taxed populous is that many local and state principalities can no longer afford to hold onto their prison population. For example, the duration of court assigned sentences are being drastically cut because of a lack of funding to increase the size of county jails and for the jailers who supervise the criminals. This carries over on a larger scale when related to state and federal prisons. So criminals are being released back into the unsuspecting law abiding population long before they’ve paid their debt to society and where they may, with impunity, continue their lives of crime. That old adage of “If you can’t do the time don’t do the crime” is no longer relevant.

So criminals are turned back out on the streets and it becomes a never ending cycle of crimes leading to more crimes leading to more regulations which also become just as impossible to enforce because of the lack of enforcers. And it’s all because America has turned from being a nation made up of moral Christ followers, to a majority of followers of the religion of secular humanism where anything goes. The truth of God’s word is no longer embraced but debased.

The fault for the flourishing degeneracy of America lies with all Americans, but even more so with those who profess to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. We allowed this evil to progress by what we allowed to be taught to our children in public schools. When our children, while attending public schools for twelve years, are taught that there is no God, that humans evolved from pond scum, and that our prehistoric ancestors were primates, we must expect and accept the consequences of those teachings.

Ultimately what happens to human beings indoctrinated with the lie of evolution, which is pure satanic, is a migration toward animalistic tendencies. Since those who are taught this lie are being convinced they evolved from an animal with no moral restrictions, they no longer perceive any moral absolutes, and the sky’s the limit when it comes to depravation.

When degeneracy is allowed to flourish in any society, all too soon that society will be transformed into a wasteland no longer fit for human occupancy. A nation that continues to loosen its morals and discards its character will, before long, end up as did the people that existed in the days of Noah just prior to the great deluge. And we all know what happened to those sick and depraved individuals, or do we? The Bible must be believed and interpreted literally to understand the account of Genesis 6 properly and to understand why God sent that worldwide flood. Those who don’t believe history, or who allow history to be changed to fit a more civil concept or even forgotten for that matter, are doomed to repeat it. “But as the days of Noe (Noah) were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” Matthew 24:37.

The key to a moral society is to live by God’s word. When His word is disparaged, or eliminated completely as it has been in our public school system, as well as in many homes in America, moral decay inevitably moves in. How can degeneracy and moral decay be abated? It can’t. At least not without God. Personally, I don’t see God being embraced by the majority of Americans any time soon.

America – 80% Christian? Not hardly. America – flourishing in degeneracy? Now we’re getting to the truth. America – willing to make changes and head back toward God? Not so you’d notice. America – a nation headed for self-destruction? Likely, very likely.

God save us from our own foolishness,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
All scripture is from the KJV
 

Where’s the Church -Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com 

“After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.” Revelation 4:1. The Apostle John was given a special preview of future events as they would occur in Heaven. John wrote the book of Revelation approximately 2,000 years before the events he was allowed to see would actually occur. Our Lord Jesus Christ allowed this Apostle a very special gift and John wrote about all He saw as he gazed into the future.

The book of Revelation can be a little mysterious for believers who don’t understand what it’s all about. Many denominations just write this book off as allegory or dismiss it as past history with no bearing on the future of the Church. When I was first saved I asked my pastor about the book of Revelation hoping, as a new believer in Christ, to get some clarification about a book that had fascinated me for years, long before my becoming born again. I was seeking answers from a man who I presumed would be able to enlighten me as to the mysterious writings in that book; he had been a pastor for many years. His response to me was simple, “I don’t understand the book of Revelation therefore I just ignore it.” Consequently I never asked that man another question about the Bible and after a few more painful years at that church, my family and I left that non-denominational denomination. I went on to study my Bible and to place much emphasis on eschatology. I now understand the book of Revelation, and you can too.

There are 22 chapters in the book of Revelation, but after the first five chapters the only people who need concern themselves with the next 17 are those who will be left behind after the Rapture of the Church. Within the first three chapters Jesus addresses believers as well as others who think they are His followers but who are actually living a lie. As we can see from the verse above John is told to explain to all who will read this book of prophecy some of what Heaven is like and also who’s already there.

Remember, the voice which called to John in verse one above told him he would show John the things that must occur “hereafter”, in other words, things that must happen (in the future). John couldn’t have had any idea how far in the future this would occur, but he is sure of his location. He records the events as they occurred as the Holy Spirit directed.

“And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.” Revelation 4:2. John was in the spirit. Why? Because no sinful flesh can enter Heaven “...and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags...” Isaiah 64:6. Jesus Christ is in Heaven, and in the flesh, but He was and is sinless. His righteousness is perfect.

John was given an awesome gift as was the Apostle Paul; they were both given a glimpse of Heaven, an advance look if you will, into the Throne room of God Almighty. John goes on to explain what he saw there and his explanation is what assures all believers in Christ that they will not see the tribulation week unfold.

“And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.” Revelation 4:3. John was looking upon the Throne of God as God sat on His Throne. He uses the most descriptive terminology possible at that time to provide readers with understanding as he views God’s glory. John hands believers in Christ a most glorious insight into what awaits all those who place their trust, their faith, their lives in Christ’s hands, a peek at Who awaits us at the Throne of God.

John’s next view is quite significant for those who will be Raptured. “And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.” Revelation 4:4. The elders spoken of here by John are representative of Christ’s Church. This is where we who follow Jesus Christ realize that we are, at this point and from here on until sometime just after the end of the tribulation week, assembled before the Throne of God worshiping Him and giving Him all glory, honor and praise.

In Revelation 5:9-10, the twenty-four elders sing a song of praise to Jesus, and they cry out: “Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation. And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.” Revelation 5:9. In that passage, the twenty-four elders are clearly speaking as representatives of all God’s people, of the great company of the redeemed (Christ’s Church).

“The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.” Revelation 4:10-11.

“The white robes and crowns of the elders seem to indicate that they are indeed human beings - in glory, of course. Angels are sometimes presented in white robes or garments (Mark 16:5; John 20:12; Acts 1:10), but saints also have white robes (Revelation 6:11; 7:9; 7:13-14) as a picture of their imputed righteousness (Isaiah 61:10; Revelation 3:5-18). However, we never see angels crowned, but believers are and will be (1 Corinthians 9:25; 2 Timothy 4:8; 1 Peter 5:4).

Therefore, redeemed, glorified man sits enthroned with Jesus, on lesser thrones, to be sure, but thrones none the less. We are joint heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17), and we will reign with Him (2 Timothy 2:12). John, through Jesus’ insistence, gives the Church a wonderful picture of the saints in Heaven, and kneeling before God, and recognizably way before the wrath of God is unleashed on a Christ rejecting world.” – David Guzik

“... four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb..., and hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.” Revelation 5:8, 10. At the end of the Great Tribulation the saints will return with Jesus Christ as He assumes His visible position as King and reigns over all of earth for 1,000 years. This is proof positive for all the scoffers and naysayers who reject the Rapture that the saints (those who belong to Jesus Christ) are in Heaven and that we are made kings and priests and that we will reign with Christ on earth. If we are to come back with our Lord to rule and reign with Him, at some point we must have left earth to be able to return to earth. Clearly, the Church will not be here during the seventieth week spoken of by Daniel the prophet.

From this point and throughout the remainder of the book of Revelation, the tribulation and the wrath of God is clearly portrayed with no further mention of the Church (the body of Christ) being on earth. The seven year tribulation week becomes the point where God once again turns His attention to Israel. Even though the majority of Jews are blinded to the truth of the Gospel during the first half of the tribulation week, at the 3 ½ year point of the tribulation week, when the anti-Christ introduces the abomination of desolation, we’re told that all remaining Jews on earth will be saved. And not only Jews but many gentiles will also come to faith in Christ during that final week.

The Bible clearly tells us that through Jesus Christ, and only through Him, can we ever expect to enter Heaven. John was a believer, a follower of Jesus Christ and he was allowed a trip to Heaven before his death. To be in the presence of God Almighty we must be purged of our sins. The only way to be purged of sins is to believe in Jesus Christ; to believe is to accept His truth and His Gospel through faith, faith in the fact that His sacrifice on that cross was to pay the price for the sin of the world, that all might be saved. The Bible is written to everyone and everyone can either accept it as truth or reject it as a fairy tale. Believing the Bible to be a fairy tale, though, doesn’t negate the fact that God’s word is true. Unbelief and the rejection of the truth will only act as a catalyst in the condemnation of that person.

Rejecting the Bible and thereby rejecting the Gospel of Jesus Christ will automatically place you or your loved ones in the next chapter of the book of Revelation. “And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see. And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.” Revelation 6:1-2. Enter the anti-Christ, not Jesus Christ, although Jesus Christ does return on a white horse in Revelation 19:11-16. This is not Him, this is a satanic dictator who imitates Jesus. He rules (a crown was given), he rules with a bow not a sword, and he exercises dominion over the earth (went out conquering and to conquer). But the results of his rule show that this is not the reign of Jesus Christ.

I think we can tell much about how a person understands the book of Revelation and God’s prophetic plan by seeing how they understand this first rider. Those who think Revelation is mostly a book of history believe that this rider is Jesus. Those who believe that this is a prophetic passage, yet to be fulfilled, mostly account this rider to be the antichrist. This final satanic dictator over men will be more terrible than all previous dictators. He will rule over men as a false Messiah, and lead man in organized rebellion against God.

This (anti-Christ) guy is going to demand everyone take his mark and worship him and if they don’t they will be killed (beheaded). From this point on the Revelation of Jesus Christ gets very disturbing, even gruesome. There won’t be any place to hide from the coming horrors, they will be worldwide, fierce to behold, and completely consuming in their vastness. No one on earth during this time will escape the tidal wave of tribulations. Those who miss the Rapture yet become believers during the tribulation week will fall prey to some of the horrors spoken of in those remaining chapters. Most will be martyred for their faith.

Only by becoming a born again believer in Christ now, before the Rapture, can we be assured of our non-involvement in all those horrors. The book of Revelation is God telling all who will read it that they will be blessed by it and that they should see their need for a savior and repent while there is still time. That’s the blessing. Read it for yourself and tell others to read it also. Keep in mind that you only have the first five chapters as a time frame for repentance and avoiding all those judgments which will ultimately prove God’s displeasure with those who’ve rejected His only begotten Son.

Those first five chapters of this awesome book speak of blessings, churches doing well and churches doing not so well, about things going on in Heaven, and about who is surrounding God’s throne. There’s no doubt about who’s there and who isn’t. Besides God Almighty, only angels and believers in Christ are there.

“...to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass...” Revelation 1:1. The word “shortly” in this verse means quickly or speedily. In other words, what John was about to witness were things that once they began their succession would bring quick and speedy results. Jesus said the signs we were to be watching for would come on this planet like a woman in labor (birth pangs). We are currently witnessing the beginning of many end times signs spoken of by our Lord Jesus. It seems, according to the book of Revelation, we’re now in the ninth month of labor.

Many will ignore the book of Revelation as my ex-pastor has. Many others will write it off as simply an allegory. Some will read it and dismiss it as having already taken place. God, on the other hand, is quite specific when it comes to this book and its wonderful blessing, and the future it holds. “Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.” Revelation 1:3. Folks the time is at hand for the prophecies that have been spoken of.

The book of the Apocalypse is a book of prophecy in which we are given the events that lead up to Christ’s return. “Apokalypsis” in the Greek is transliterated Apocalypse, which is translated Revelation in English. Its meaning is more simple than what many perceive it to be. It literally means “uncovering, unveiling, revealing or laying bare a mystery, of things before unknown”. The book of Revelation was never meant to confuse or scare anyone away; on the contrary, it was written to benefit each and every believer in Christ and to open the eyes of the lost.

So, the question is, how will you respond to God’s blessing as it’s associated with reading this book concerning “things before unknown”?

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
All scripture is from the KJV
 

Wicked Ways – End Times -  Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com

“...turn from their wicked ways...” 2 Chronicles 7:14.

To living men no time can be as solemn as "the living present," whatever its characteristics; and that solemnity is immensely deepened in an age of progress unparalleled in the history of the world. But the question arises whether these days of ours are momentous beyond comparison, by reason of their being in the strictest sense the last? Is the world's history about to close? The sands of its destiny, are they almost run out, and is the crash of all things near at hand?

Earnest thinkers will not allow the wild utterances of alarmists, or the vagaries of prophecy-mongers, to divert them from an inquiry at once so solemn and so reasonable. It is only the infidel who doubts that there is a destined limit to the course of "this present evil world." That God will one day put forth His power to ensure the triumph of the good, is in some sense a matter of course. The mystery of revelation is not that He will do this, but that He delays to do it. Judged by the public facts around us, He is an indifferent spectator of the unequal struggle between good and evil upon earth. – Sir Robert Anderson – The Coming Prince – 1841-1918.

Sir Robert Anderson wrote a book titled “The Coming Prince”, a must read for all believers in Christ. He was also the head of Scotland Yard and as such was fully aware of the evil of his time; he witnessed plenty of human depravity during his stint at Scotland Yard. Through his writings it can be seen that he too longed for Jesus’ soon return. Even in his day he knew that the earth was very close to its last day. He died in 1918 which was exactly 30 years before anyone would see Israel become a nation again. God did not allow Anderson to see Israel enter once again into the land He had promised them and become a full fledged sovereign nation. But just a few years after Anderson’s death a generation would be born that would see Israel re-established in their own land.

Jesus makes the following statement so everyone reading these scriptures would understand. “Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.” Matthew 24:34. Jesus is speaking of future events so the generation that would be witnesses to all the signs that He had just mentioned should be fully aware that all these thing will be fulfilled during the life span of that particular generation.

The disciples Jesus was addressing would not witness all those signs as they were going to occur long after they were gone. Of course, they didn’t know how many years would pass before this prophecy would be fulfilled. After all, they were still living in the land God had given them when Jesus spoke about the events that would unfold just prior to His second coming.

“When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)” Matthew 24:15. Jesus had earlier told His disciples that “There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.” Matthew 24:2. He was speaking of the destruction of the Jewish Temple, but then, after laying out some end times events, He tells them that when they see the abomination of desolation standing in the Holy of Holies they should flee, get out of Dodge so to speak. Clearly the Jewish Temple is standing again, and this time something even more horrible and evil was coming.

Some of Jesus’ disciples would live to see the temple destroyed and many Israelite people slaughtered and the rest scattered. But not one of them would ever see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel come into view. Why? Because it would not happen for some 2,000 years further on into the future. But those Jews who remain in their self-imposed blindness will see this abomination take place.

The generation of Jews Jesus is speaking about will see the abomination of desolation standing in the Holy Place (the Holy of Holies) because they will be the last generation remaining just prior to and remaining through the Great Tribulation. The disciples asked Jesus what would be the signs of the last days and Jesus laid it all out for them. Those signs are obvious for us today, but those disciples asking for the signs can be very thankful they didn’t live to see what’s about to come down.

I believe when Jesus spoke of this particular generation He was referring to a full age span. According to national statistics a generation’s age span is approximately 70 years. More importantly according to God’s word we read “The days of our years are threescore years and ten...” Psalm 90:10a. So the generation that saw Israel reborn as a nation in 1948 is currently still with us. Some would be a little older than me. I was born 3 years after Israel became a nation but my sister who was born in 1944 could be considered a part of the generation that witnessed the most prophetic event of the 20th century. In the 21st century many of the folks of that generation are still here and will witness the biggest event since God entered His creation and became a man, the man Jesus Christ.

I’m not date setting I’m simply stating what the Bible plainly speaks of happening just before all these things (signs) occur. The 1940’s generation is just about out of here when we consider the average age span nowadays is 70 years. We can all agree that from 1948 to 2018 is a span of 70 years. 2018 is less than 8 years from now.

Could it be possible that 2018 just might be a very significant year prophetically speaking? I’m not referring to the Rapture. I believe in the doctrine of imminence when speaking about the Rapture of Christ’s Church. Therefore, clearly we can see that by all these calculations the Rapture could very well be on the cusp nearness wise.

Nobody can perfectly place a date on when the seven year tribulation period will begin and we don’t really need to. There’s no question that it will have a beginning and it will have an end which believers in Christ will never see. There’s also no question as to how soon it will occur. Why do I make such a blatant and outlandish statement? Because God Almighty told us, in His word, that when we begin to see these things we are to look up for our redemption draws nigh. I just read the news again and guess what? Sure enough, these things are beginning to unfold.

This commentary may seem to contain recurring themes similar to some of my past writings, but I believe as we draw closer to the end the importance of being observant and knowledgeable concerning prophecy is paramount for all those who are truly following Jesus Christ. Spiritually speaking, we all need to be on our toes. Anderson was convinced the end was near, and so it was. We on the other hand are so close now that the luxury of complacency should have been replaced with the anxiety of the moment.

Now, here’s why I’ve written this commentary. I see a major problem occurring today among those who profess to be followers of Jesus Christ. Many of God’s children are enticed with and even enjoying very wicked lifestyles. “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14. We should pay close attention to what God tells us.

The end is in sight, therefore shouldn’t we who are called by His name (Christians), be turning from our wicked ways? Let’s think about it for a minute. Have we? This time in which we live is certainly the last of the last days. Everyone who professes to be following the Lord Jesus Christ should be evaluating their lives and looking in the mirror to see who’s looking back. Is Jesus looking back at you and smiling that smile that says “Well done my good and faithful servant”? Or is the world looking back at you and whispering “You’re one of us”.

Wickedness abounds, just look at the news. It seems to me that Christians are somewhat responsible for this wicked and perverse generation. God tells us to turn from our wicked ways. We must pray and seek His face, realizing we are all just sinners. We must humble ourselves before our Great and Holy God. Then and only then will He hear us. The key word here, folks, is humble. Humble ourselves.

God gives us prophecy and as those prophecies are being fulfilled we need to open our eyes to the facts and not be afraid of them. In Daniel 9:2, Daniel was reading the prophecies of Jeremiah and he understood what was happening in God’s timing. He understood that the captivity was about to come to an end. As we read End Time prophecy we need to open our eyes to what is happening.

There are a lot of old time Bible teachers who have been at home with Jesus for a long time now and according to biblical prophecy they were way off base in their teachings. It was not their fault; God has opened up more for us to understand in these last days. Many prophetic scriptures remained hidden to the eyes of past Bible teachers. But now, in these last days, biblical prophecies are laid wide open for all who diligently seek to fully grasp.

The generation that witnessed the rebirth of the nation of Israel has not yet departed from the scene. The tentative end to that particular generation won’t come about until somewhere around the year 2018 (culminating in a 70 year lifespan). Then, of course, there’s the 7 year tribulation period that will immediately precede Jesus’ return. That tells us that perhaps the beginning of the tribulation week will fall sometime in 2011. Again, I’m not date setting, I’m only postulating a theory based on an exegesis reading of Scripture.

Then again, Jesus said “Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.” Luke 12:40. So if we think the above End Times scenario could not possibly be correct, then it might be.

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
All scripture is from the KJV
 

Wells without Water -  Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com

“These are wells without water...” 2 Peter 2:17a. We have a well on our property which on the outside looks the same as most other wells these days. Our well is 518 feet deep, but on the outside it just looks like a pipe sticking out of the ground. Its job, of course, is the same as most other rural country wells, which is to draw water from an underground reservoir and move that water into our home. Many of you reading this commentary may have a very similar looking pipe sticking out of the ground in your yard. Though they may look the same from the outside, the question is, are they?

Our particular well has a problem down inside that deep hole where our transport pipe and pump reside. But only my wife, daughter, and I can see the problem. At times we see the water that comes from the tap as clouded and sometimes it is reddish brown in color. Outsiders who drive by can see our well and pump house but until they live in our home they will not discover for themselves the ugly truth about our drinking, bathing, and laundry water. But the most important thing about our well is that it contains an abundance of water.

In the verse cited above, the Apostle Peter addresses a problem that is occurring more and more as we move into the last days on this planet. That problem is false teachers, he refers to them as “wells without water”. Now there are wells, and there are wells, and what must be determined by the believer is which well are you hook up to. Unless you are aware of the lack of water in a well you might just be persuaded to latch onto one that’s completely empty.

False teachers may look and even sound the same as teachers who proclaim the truth, but inside they are only dry wells. Water being a metaphor for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is what Peter is speaking about. False teachers do not have the Holy Spirit of God, they are led by the enemy of God and therefore they are, as the Apostle Peter most appropriately states “wells without water”. A Holy Spirit filled teacher will not teach falsehoods. False teachers may proclaim a portion of truth in their teachings but they are all intertwined in deceptiveness, they are empty vessels.

“And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you… ” 2 Peter 2:3. These folks who profess a relationship with our Lord Jesus, yet have no water in their wells, are in virtually every case only in the ministry for what they can materialistically gain.

I know I’ve hit on this subject before and probably will again, but these false teachers are among us today, and in great numbers, which just proves the seriousness of the hour. There are false teachers currently proclaiming damnable heresies, and believers must acknowledge them as such. Their lies are exposed through our knowledge of scripture; in this way all the church can see and not be saddled with, nor lead astray by, their lies.

This particular chapter of Peter’s second epistle is not addressing the possibility of false teachers and false prophets coming among us. On the contrary, Peter is stating a fact, they are among us now. And they are in our Christian Churches doing their damage. Therefore Christians aren’t so much in the “be on the lookout” mode any longer; we are currently in the “damage control” mode. Soon and very soon if we don’t confront this evil we will be in the “run for your lives” mode.

“But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies…” 2 Peter 2:1. Privily means secretive, but it isn’t that these liars teach in secret, it’s just that their agenda is cloaked in secrecy. Throughout the last 2,000 years, men and women have been tricked and swindled by these heretics. False teachers come and go but by-and-large we will never be without them. Many are here to reap a lifetime of earthly rewards and their consciences are seared with what’s in it for them attitudes.

Just by looking at the outside appearance of a water well isn’t enough to tell us anything about the capacity, efficiency, or lack of water in that well. If you are seeking a refreshing drink of water you’re not going to get it from a dry well. “Wells without water” (false teachers) are abundant, there may be one standing behind the pulpit at your local Church each Sunday, and I promise you they are great at extinguishing your spirit. On the other hand, only a Holy Spirit filled Bible teacher will work at satisfying your spirit’s thirst for the truth.

A huge red flag should go up for the true followers of Jesus Christ whenever someone claims Jesus is anything other than what He claims to be. Sadly, many are seduced into believing lies about Jesus even though they claim to follow Him. The Bible gives us the truth; all we must do is believe the Bible over men and women who continually teach lies. The only reason people follow a person who teaches a lie is because they neglect or reject their own Bibles. Here’s an example, many of these “wells without water” deny the deity of Christ. I’ve encountered many professing believers who blatantly deny Jesus Christ is God Almighty. A major heresy and a damnable one at that, yet they will follow the “wells without water” crowd blindly without ever looking to see if the Holy Spirit of God dwells in them.

“Just because a person has what appears to be a godly walk and relationship with Jesus Christ, they can still be bringing in destructive heresies. Often times, the worst damage is done by a good man who teaches lies. His lies are accepted far more easily because of the good character of the man.” –David Guzik

Our eyes are opened even more about these false teachers as Peter further explains that these “wells without water” are “…even denying the Lord that bought them”. 2 Peter 2:1. They, for all intents and purposes, look to be legitimate and truthful Bible teachers, saved and walking with the Lord, but they deny even “the Lord that brought them”.

I’ve been rebuked in the past by those who claim I’m being remiss in my duties as a watchman on the wall for not bringing into light the names of all those who are false teachers so the uninformed can know who they are. This is simply astonishing to me. How could I possibly name every false teacher out there? Besides, diligent Bible study habits aside, every born again believer “In Christ” is indwelt with the Holy Spirit of God. Thus the Holy Spirit directs us as to what is correct and truthful Bible teaching and what is false.

I’ve heard of many who might fall into the category of false teacher and false prophet, and yet I’ve not seen a need for myself to research them and their teachings. God will reveal their erroneous teachings, if indeed they are teaching erroneously, through His Holy Spirit to anyone who is seeking to know the truth. So, for the purpose of this commentary and many more I plan to write, I will leave the discernment of truthfulness up to all those who are indwelt with God’s Holy Spirit. These commentaries are written as a warning to you, as well as to the non-believers who choose to read them, to investigate the truthfulness, and whether there be water in the well of your favorite Bible teacher. Even non-believers will find the truth when they diligently seek it out.

We can expect a surge in heresy teaching and we are told that even many who’ve had occasion to hear the truth of the Gospel, as well as many professing Christians, will follow these heretics to their own destruction. “And many shall follow their pernicious ways;...” 2 Peter 2:2. Pernicious or destructive, no matter how you slice it they will all be damned to Hell because they chose to believe a false teacher who blasphemes and dishonors God’s Holy name.

“These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” Acts 17:11. We should all be just like those Bereans who would not just take Paul and Silas’ word for what the scriptures said, but they went to those very scriptures and read them themselves to see if what they were being taught was truth or lies, a practice we should all adhere to.

As Peter continues his 2nd Epistle he tells us of the harshness of the judgment that will befall false teachers. “…whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.” 2 Peter 2:3. You and I may see them prospering and becoming wealthier and much more affluent than we could even imagine. We may sit bewildered as to why they prosper as we watch them fill their bank accounts with all their treasures. But what God is doing behind the scenes is allowing them to heap up for themselves treasures here on earth, continuing in this same manner they will only cement their condemnation for eternity. Don’t envy these folks and their wealth for their end is destruction of the eternal kind.

Remember what Peter is telling us “These are wells without water...” 2 Peter 2:17a. The Holy Spirit is absent in the lives of these heretics. By deceiving the masses they have blasphemed God because they aren’t listening to His Holy Spirit. By not listening to His Holy Spirit and by falsifying His word they’ve condemned themselves. This condemnation is building to a crescendo that will result in the most horrible finale. And, as they continue and prosper more and more, one day their final reward will be realized, but it won’t be what they’ve been expecting.

The warning is to be sure you have the Holy Spirit residing in you and that you are in tune to His lead. This way you aren’t going to be drawn to the false teachings of the damned, Hell bound liars who only wish to prosper at your expense. Water wells are very similar in appearance, yet some are empty, devoid of water (the Holy Spirit). So the question remains, how’s the “Water” in your well?

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
All scripture is from the KJV

What Do We Say -  Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com

“For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” John 3:17-18.

A friend’s mother passed away recently, and the lady was a devout Jehovah’s Witness. She might have lived but she refused a blood transfusion. Another friend of ours mentioned “Well, at least she’s in a better place” to which my wife gently responded, “I don’t think so”.

Should we lie to people and tell them that their loved ones are in Heaven even though they were devoted to following a cult built on lies? “I think God will take into consideration that she was a good person and went to church every week”. Oh, really? Not according to my Bible. I guess because the JW’s have re-written the bible to say what they want it to say, they’re okay salvation wise. As my wife so appropriately states, “I don’t think so”.

So, how do we contend with people who, as they are grieving, make statements such as “at least they’re in a better place”, when we know that the deceased did not believe in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord? Where do we draw the line when it comes to being sympathetic? Considering that it’s too late for the dearly departed to change their minds about their faith in Jesus Christ, will it do any good to be honest when addressing the loved ones left here and grieving? I believe it will.

Those of us who are left here after our loved ones pass away must still contend with our choice in regards to eternity. Our loved ones who have passed on are gone for good. There are no further choices for them to make. They either believed the truth of the Gospel or they believed a lie, of which there are many. Either way they can’t change their minds and choose to believe the truth after they’re dead and gone. Those loved ones who remain can still make the correct choice when lovingly confronted with the truth.

Many of those who are left here grieving are just as lost as the ones that traversed the dimension of death. And these lost people comfort themselves with the thought that their dearly departed are in a better place. Whether they believe that place to be Heaven or some made up after life existence, they are comforted by a false assumption; they believe everyone who did good in their lives goes to that “better place”. They know they’ve done plenty of good things themselves in this life and so they find solace in the belief that they will someday be reunited with their loved ones in that mythical afterlife they’ve invented.

There are believers who will not go to funerals of people they know had rejected Jesus Christ for their entire lives. They say it’s just too hard to sit there and listen to a pastor make claims of how good that person was in their life, and even though they weren’t saved “Surly they are with God”. Some will say “Who really knows how God saw that person? After all, who are we to judge a person’s salvation status?” They may have believed in God and even trusted in God to supply their needs and to heal their ills; they just couldn’t get around the idea of God dying for them on a cross.” And there’s the rub. They didn’t believe Jesus Christ was and is the Savior of the world; thus, according to the word of God they weren’t justified (saved) in God’s eyes. They’ve condemned themselves “because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God”. John 3:18b.

We can know God’s will regarding salvation. All we need to do is pick up a Bible (His word) and read it. But we must read God’s word not, man’s made up words. Think about it. Does God pull any punches in His word? I would say no. In the Gospel of John we read “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” John 14:6. This is Jesus Christ speaking. Jesus Christ is God and as such He has the authority to make the statement in the verse above. He did this so everyone who follows a lie, a false gospel, a Christian cult, or any religion that teaches another way to the Father, would have no excuse when they die in their sins.

Why is it deemed cold hearted to tell someone the truth? Why should we remain silent? The one who died is gone and there’s nothing more we can do for them. But those who still remain must be told the truth so they can make an informed decision and hopefully one that would keep them from following a lost loved one to that same horrible eternal existence.

How do we know? How can we say for certain when a person passes on, if they passed on to Heaven or Hades? We aren’t God. We don’t make that decision, that’s God’s domain. A person might have had a change of mind within the last few seconds of their life, and just before they expired they might have said yes to Jesus Christ. Perhaps never verbally speaking the words out loud so family and friends would know they made that decision. Well certainly if they lived a life as a Christ rejecter and in those last few seconds silently changed their mind, only God would know that. But when a person lives their life as a devout member of a cult, and throughout that life they continually rejected the deity of Jesus Christ, then more than likely when they breathed their last breath they did so in that same frame of mind.

Either way the truth needs to be promoted. The loved ones who knew their dearly departed family member was never a follower of Jesus Christ wouldn’t know if they silently made a confession to God just before death and so they would need to be told that if they don’t want to suffer the same end as their loved one they must make a decision for Christ while they are still breathing.

If we tell people, or even agree with people, that their loved ones have gone to Heaven because they were a good person, even though we know they were devout in their cultic faith, or had no faith in Christ at all, we are leading them astray. We might just as well be telling them that there are many roads that lead to Heaven. In a way we are denying Christ by not speaking the truth. He gave His life to give us the only way to Heaven, but if we tell others that a “good person” who dies goes to Heaven even though they had not accepted Christ, we deny His sacrifice.

“...whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 10:33. When we keep silent we deny Him, when we agree with a falsehood such as many paths lead to Heaven, we deny His payment for our sins. Either way we’ve mislead the loved ones who remain.

So what do we do when we have loved ones who are thoroughly immersed in a cult or some other false religion? Do we keep peace in the family by remaining silent about the truth of the Gospel? How will remaining silent or even condoning a cult or a false religion help to bring a loved one out of that false, and very damning, teaching? If we love them we must tell them the truth. Even attending a religious function with loved ones who are in a cult at their place of worship should be avoided at all costs. Those who belong to a cult might perceive a nonexistent softening towards their false religion or worse, a condoning of their practices by those who join them even as spectators of their rituals.

Should “In Christ” believers bend over backwards to keep civility and peace in the family, a family which is separated by those who have turned away from the truth of Jesus Christ and embraced a lie? After all, they’re condemned to Hell. How does keeping the peace with these folks show our love for them, especially when we keep silent about the truth? The truth of the Gospel is the only truth with regards to salvation. Love means telling people the truth about Jesus so they will not follow all the Christ rejecters who went to Hades before them.

Let’s see what Jesus says about keeping peace in the family. “Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division: For from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three. The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father; the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the mother in law against her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.” Luke 12:51-53. Clearly Jesus knew that following Him would cause division even in the sanctity of our own families. But should we be deterred by this division? Absolutely not. We must continually and without hesitation remain faithful to Christ by contending for the faith.

Most would probably consider it common courtesy to avoid the subject about Heaven or Hell altogether at a nonbeliever’s funeral. After all, as long as we are saved that’s what matters, right? As born again believers we should all have a tremendous burden on our hearts concerning the lost. The lost who have passed on have reached a finality believers in Christ can do nothing about, but nothing is final when it comes to the lost loved ones who remain.

It is simple to stand on God’s truth. But if you don’t know where to find the answers to rebuttals and outright disparagements which will undoubtedly come from the lost, then you will probably just go along with their self affirmations of everyone goes to Heaven when they die. Jesus said “Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” Matthew 7:14. Here again Jesus makes it clear that there is only one way to Heaven and that is through Him and Him alone. He refers to Himself as the narrow way and few will find that way. And even fewer will find it if we keep silent.

“And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.” Luke 10:27. We’re commanded to love one another. If you love your neighbor as yourself you won’t just let them live a lie without explaining the truth to them.

Funerals are tough on the ones left here, but not on the one who departs. For the nonbeliever or cult follower who’s funeral we’ve just witnessed, Hell is their next destination and that’s the truth whether we want to admit it to the lost loved ones remaining at the funeral or not.

On the other hand, those lost folks who are left here in mourning, even though they are fully condemned to Hell, can still hear the truth from a believer and perhaps they will make a decision to accept Christ and avoid Hell. There’s no grey area when it comes to salvation, Heaven is only available to those who believe in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. There is no other option, there is no other way, “...for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” Acts 4:12.

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
All scripture is from the KJV
 

Look Up - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com

“And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.” Luke 21:28. It is my sincere hope and my fervent prayer that my brethren are all in the same frame of mind and that they are all, metaphorically speaking that is, looking up right now. We are so close to the return of Jesus Christ that many believers have moved into the position of being watchmen on the wall. The Israelites had their watchmen to sound the alarm when danger approached and the Christians today have their watchmen who are sounding alarms. Listen to the voices of those who are telling you to get ready for there is no doubt that we are on the very precipice of the Rapture of Christ’s Church.

Letters from my brethren are continually flowing in concerning the Rapture, and folks are now becoming concerned with the lateness of the hour. Obviously many are now seeing the signs which are beginning to make a real impression on us. Jesus spoke of signs as future history as He sat with His disciples. He fully explained the end times scenarios which were to unfold. We can read all about them in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21. As we read those chapters the light begins to shine on us. What do those chapters say to those who are watching and waiting? Read them and at the same time read current world events and you’ll come away thinking the Bible was written yesterday.

The signs Jesus addressed would begin gradually, and increasingly those very same signs would appear to be even more severe, ultimately bringing their frequency and severity to a raging crescendo of catastrophes. And what do we currently see unfolding before our very eyes? The beginning signs Jesus told us to watch and be mindful of. Remember, Jesus said that when they begin to appear “look up”.

Right now, and each day from here until the Rapture, the signs Jesus spoke about will become so numerous and intense that it will be impossible to keep up with these events as they rapidly unfold. We can see that we are currently standing just this side of the seven year tribulation period.

Speaking for myself, I can hardly wait to get up in the morning to see what has transpired overnight with my country and world events. I know the signs are emerging exactly as Jesus foretold. I’m not frightened by those signs, no, not at all. Instead I’m encouraged and even excited with each sign that unfolds. We, that is those who follow Jesus Christ, were given our history lesson in advance for one reason, so we would know how very close His return is and put forth a definitive cry of warning to those who are still lost.

As we watch world history unfold around us we are to prepare ourselves for the inevitable, “...then look up, and lift up your heads...” Luke 21:28. But more importantly we are to spread the Gospel of Christ as never before. We who are believers in Christ must not allow ourselves to be muted, but clearly and concisely speak the truth to all who are perishing.

So, what are the signs Jesus spoke about? Let’s take a look at a few of them, sign by sign. First of all we read “Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them.” Luke 21:8. We’ve seen the damage wrought by those who’ve falsely declared that they are the Christ, and through their deceptive ways many have been led astray. Clearly not everyone has heeded Jesus’ words. We aren’t going to stop these deceptions from occurring but we need to be on guard, ever watchful, and ready to confront deceptions.

Secondly, we read “But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and by.” Luke 21:9. Jesus basically tells us that these are non-signs. Not to get all worked up over rumors of wars and even full blown wars when they take place because they are ever constant and somewhat predicable, they’ve always been numerous as well as frequent, so essentially they’re non-signs.

In three of the Gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, Jesus lays out a scenario that pretty much details the future of humankind. “Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven. But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name's sake.” Luke 21:10-12. Surely we’ve all witnessed, either by reading about them or being there firsthand, great earthquakes in many different (divers) places. They are increasing in intensity and frequency, and apparently, according to many scientists, we haven’t seen anything yet.

All of the above mentioned signs Jesus prophesied are going to open up for many to behold in the last days, but for the believer in Christ we will only see the beginnings of these signs “And when these things begin to come to pass...” Luke 21:28. “Begin” is the key word here; believers won’t be on earth for the brunt of the action.

Nation against nation, kingdom against kingdom, this too is currently in the making and can be somewhat unnerving as we read about all the saber rattling. And Israel is constantly being blamed for every little skirmish. One of these days, and very soon I’m afraid, either North Korea or Iran will push the rest of the world into another world war.

Certainly, we are currently witnessing around the globe and within the boundaries of many nations, turmoil, nation against nation, their own citizenry rebelling and fighting in the streets, many are being slain and many more are being injured, and for what? Because their governments, in many cases, have cut back on the handouts people were accustomed to receiving. It takes money and lots of it to withstand the turmoil besetting the world, and this world’s economy is very much at risk of failing. The US economy is teetering on a knife edge; watch for the turmoil of aggressive demonstrations beginning to occur here in the states in the not so distant future.

The unrest now surrounding Israel due to the flotilla incident is a worldwide phenomenon; the hatred is obvious in practically every nation. We are seeing the stage being set for the prophetic war of Psalm 83. This unrest will continue and worsen as the days progress. Most of Israel’s enemy’s are arming themselves to the hilt. They have one purpose in mind, one agenda, and that is the annihilation of Israel. Their only reason for living is to eliminate Zionism from the face of this planet. God says in His word to pray for the peace of Israel and we should be doing so daily. But we also know that God’s hand is upon Israel and He will not allow the annihilation of His chosen people no matter how many come against her.

“Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem. And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.” Zechariah 12:2, 3. The scriptures are clear, and they point out that every nation will come against Israel and that God will destroy them. Seemingly, since all nations wish to curse Israel and to do so without fear of God’s retribution, believers should be keenly aware of just what’s around the corner. Every nation is going to be in that mindset of destroying Israel; clearly those who faithfully follow the Savior of the world should be looking up.

Earthquakes, pestilences, fearful sights, great signs from heaven will only be as a prelude for those of us who are in Christ to be witness to. But for those folks who remain on earth after the Rapture, they will witness the full force of all those prophetic catastrophes.

Besides all the news on the national and world fronts which clearly indicate the last days are upon us and that we should be “looking up”, there’s a strange spiritual, supernatural side unraveling before us. Jesus also tells us of a great apostasy (falling away from the faith) in the last days. This phenomenon is quite pervasive. How do I know? By the many letters I receive concerning the inability of many believers to find a Christ centered, Bible believing congregation where they can attend worship services. I can tell you all, that the apostasy Jesus speaks about has now infiltrated many a Christian Church worldwide.

When these things begin to come to pass? My brethren, they’ve begun. Interestingly, an unthinkable event occurs in the 8th chapter of the book of Revelation which may give us reason to pause and reflect as we read “And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood; And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed.” Revelation 8:8-9. I wonder if that mountain could be a mountain of oil seeping from a broken pipe out in the Gulf of Mexico. Could this catastrophe be a prelude to fulfilling Revelation 8? We’re told by the scientists observing the leakage that the oil under the water now resembles huge plumes, kind of like mountains, and the US coast guard is using fire to disperse that oil. Certainly a catastrophic event is unfolding before our eyes. Just my thoughts.

At any rate our days on planet earth are clearly numbered. As such, those of us who are diligently following our Lord Jesus Christ and His commandments should be in the midst of the unsaved sharing the Gospel of Christ with them, praying for the ones we’ve spoken to who are fence setting, and looking up intently as our “redemption draweth” so very close.

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
All scripture is from the KJV
 

“Good Luck” - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com

“And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” Genesis 2:7. Both the Old and New Testaments make it clear that God created everything we see including people. It wasn’t “luck” that brought about the human race. All through God’s word nothing is left to chance.

I suppose everyone has heard the phrase “good luck” and even used such a phrase themselves, I know I have. Repeating the phrase “good luck” has become a habit with most folks and habits are hard to break, but I’m trying.

Where in the world did such a phrase come from? Another similar expression is “by chance”. Some say it came from Shakespeare’s “The Merry Wives of Windsor”. Regardless of where the phrase came from, its inception has its roots in paganism.

It’s uncanny how commonplace it’s now become to wish good luck on another person. I can understand the lost of this world expressing themselves in this fashion because they either don’t believe in God or they don’t understand the foolishness of such statements. The question is why Christian believers, in many instances, express themselves as the pagans do when they know there is no such thing as luck or chance? Those of us who know and believe God’s word know that only through our God is it possible to receive blessings of goodness. Wishing someone luck, whether good or bad, has no place in a believer’s vocabulary.

“Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.” Psalm 90:2. Luck is nonexistent. Luck in any form is not of God. We don’t get lucky. The dictionary describes luck as “success that seems to happen by chance”. Good luck, good fortune, chance, bad luck, these are all derived from a pagan mindset. In paganism God is replaced by a lucky set of circumstances. Yet true Christians know nothing happens by chance. This is how the whole idea of evolution got started and promoted to the extent that it is today. People are overwhelmingly inclined to believe in chance because they’ve been so programmed.

Those of us who believe in an awesome God who created the universe and everything in it know that chance does not happen. Everything we know and see was predetermined before the foundation of the world. Jesus knew before the foundation of the world that He would die for His creation and He knew how He would die. Imagine knowing something as horrible as exactly how He would die and living with that knowledge, as Christ did, all the while watching His creation continually rebel and grow farther removed from Him with every passing day. “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8.

God knew His creation would need a Savior so all mankind could be reconciled to Him. Human beings were at one time in a right and loving relationship with their Creator, but mankind rebelled against their Creator thus ending the awesome relationship which began in the Garden of Eden. Mankind could never expect to get “lucky” and obtain a reconciled relationship with God without God’s intervention. Luck had nothing to do with what Jesus did for us.

It’s interesting how many words are associated with luck, even a word like providence which is usually associated with God, is a synonym for luck in the dictionary. Divine providence is not luck, but again we have been programmed to associate luck with God. Yet luck plays no part in God’s economy. “When the boughs thereof are withered, they shall be broken off: the women come, and set them on fire: for it is a people of no understanding: therefore he that made them will not have mercy on them, and he that formed them will shew them no favour.” Isaiah 27:11. Believing in luck or chance will play a very distinct role in the lives of the lost and the consequences of such belief will be severe.

Those of us who are born again need to be mindful of using the word “luck” or even the phrase “by chance”. Anytime we use the word luck to describe an emotion, or any other word that relies on chance, we’ve just eliminated God. When believers, in Christ, invoke the word luck in their conversations instead of the truth, God is quietly but instantaneously relegated to a position not at all becoming of who He is. Why do we do this? Our witness becomes ineffectual each time we rely on the word luck as a form of expression especially if used during witnessing. Christians can’t even bless one another when the word luck materializes in their conversations.

“God bless you” is the response we who are “In Christ” believers should practice and be unafraid to proclaim. Even when speaking to unbelievers “God bless you” is much more significant and effectual than the phrase “good luck”. Saying God bless you to a non-believer will embed that phrase in their minds. We may get laughed at or hear snickers behind our backs, possibly even ridiculed, mocked and scorned, but it may take nothing more than a simple God bless you to jar those who do the ridiculing into hearing the Holy Spirit.

I’ve watched some older movies in the past, English and Irish and such, and have noticed in some of those movies when a character enters a house he/she announces themselves by saying “God bless all here”. I thought this was a great way to begin a conversation. Can you imagine entering a home and wishing everyone there good luck. It just doesn’t compute.

“I went fishing the other day and caught a big one; man did I get lucky”. No you were blessed. That fish was just another of God’s many blessings which pagans refer to as luck. How often do we take the honor and glory from God when we insert the word luck into our conversations? How often is God marginalized by the vocabulary of His own children? Think about it.

“Lucky you!” No, God blessed you. Why is that such a hard statement to make? If there is no such thing as luck, then there is no occasion to insert that word into our vocabulary. Everyone knows leprechauns are fictitious so how would it sound if we gave leprechauns the glory for all our blessings? “The leprechauns gave me good fortune”. How would God look upon His creation as they insult Him with such a statement? Yet we do exactly that with every utterance of “good luck”.

“The great God that formed all things both rewardeth the fool, and rewardeth transgressors. As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly.” Proverbs 26:10-11. People will travel miles out of their way to reach a place known as a gambling casino, they park their cars and their brains outside, and as they enter that establishment they are completely reliant on the pagan idea of luck to win money. Luck is what gambling is all about. Yet, if luck is nonexistent then why do some win at gambling? “...for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.” Matthew 5:45. God’s ways are far above man’s ways. Why He allows some to win at gambling and others to lose is beyond me. But I can tell you this, if you come out ahead at gambling it’s because God blessed you, God gets the glory, not luck. Statistics prove beyond the shadow of a doubt that losing is the order of the day for the huge majority of those who submit to such temptations. Why? Because God knows and you know that there are much better ways to use your funds than to throw them away at a gaming table.

Somehow the word luck wormed its way into the vocabulary of the human race. I believe it is satanic and should be avoided with extreme tenacity. Satan wants us to believe in luck and by doing so he’s eliminating God from our lives. If everything that happens to us is pure luck then God had nothing to do with any part of our lives, thus He doesn’t exist. This has been Satan’s plan from the beginning. Get as many as possible to believe that lie and they will forget all about God, which is exactly what we see being promoted around the world.

In its past, England once had a bustling Christian culture. Currently though Christian’s make up approximately 2 percent of England’s total population (that statistic can be found on numerous sits on the internet). Why has this phenomenon occurred in England? Because God’s enemy and ours corrupted that island by convincing that population that chance had occurred billions of years ago and that God was not involved. Sadly, every nation on earth is now headed in that same direction, away from Christianity and fully embracing luck and chance.

Although America was founded on Christian principles, that foundation has been eroded through the teaching of evolution “chance”. Everything we see happened by “chance” and we are very “lucky” to even be here after evolving out of pond scum. God? What God? Chance and luck is our god.

The big bang theory can be explained thusly: At first there was nothing, and then it exploded. We sure are lucky to have been in the path of that explosion so earth could evolve and life could appear on this meager planet, and all because of an explosion out of nothing. Never mind that scientists know that we live on a knife edge; with the slightest variation in atmosphere or temperatures life could not have come about or currently exist. But the Bible fully explains how this all came about, and it could only have been created by an all powerful God.

According to resources I’ve read lately, most secular scientists don’t even believe in evolution yet they refuse to admit it in any public setting because most scientists derive their livelihoods from secular government funding. Apparently they would rather remain in their sins and not be accountable to God. Evolutionary “chance” is now looked upon as fact and taught as such in our public schools, as well as in most schools around the globe. Most people will attribute evolution to the “luck of the draw” instead of believing a loving and most merciful God could have created everything just with the power of His word.

Nothing creates nothing, just try adding 0+0 any way you want, you will still have nothing in the end. Life, planets, or even the universe could not come about without information, and only God can supply information. Thus, only God creates. God is responsible for life on this planet; it was not luck stirring a pot of pond scum that brought about life. “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” Genesis 1:1. In the very first verse of the Bible we see nothing left to chance or luck. God gave Moses the words to the first five books of the Bible so we who would follow would have the truth about creation at our fingertips and nothing would be left to chance.

I think by now everyone can see that placing ones faith in luck has had a devastating influence on planet earth. Satan planned his strategy prior to the fall of man and he has been hard at promoting his agenda for the last six thousand years. But God has His own agenda, and of course it includes Satan and all who follow him. They are those who will one day be the recipients of God’s judgment. Nothing lucky about that.

Jesus Christ is our Creator God and our Savior. All who choose to believe in and follow Him will have everlasting life. All who follow Satan’s luck will have everlasting damnation. So the question is, do you still feel lucky or blessed?

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
All scripture is from the KJV
 

That’s Offensive - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com

“Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.” 1 Peter 2:7-8.

“You can’t draw that, that’s offensive”. These were the words that a thirteen year old student in California heard a few days ago from her teacher. The student had drawn a picture of the American flag with the words “God bless America” inscribed on the flag. For this she was singled out and told her project was offensive. Then the teacher went on to praise another student who had drawn a picture of Obama. This is just a very small sampling of what’s happening across this nation.

Socialism is now the new flavor in America. We now see public school teachers promoting and indoctrinating our children into this new socialistic, godless, false utopian society, and our government leaders are consumed with promoting the same failed concept. It’s now an offense to be patriotic in America. And what’s much worse is that it is now considered almost criminal to publicly demonstrate a love for God.

“Give no offense, either to the Jews or to the Greeks or to the church of God,” 1 Corinthians 10:32. Those of us who follow Jesus Christ and promote His Gospel have no desire to offend anyone. The Gospel of Christ is a take it or leave it reality. Most believers who are actually witnessing to others prepare themselves for the rejection of the Gospel. We can tell someone about Jesus and if during the conversation they make it plain they are not interested or they seem to be getting agitated we can excuse ourselves and move on. We don’t brow beat people into submission or attack them because they aren’t inclined to partake of the truth. We simply change the subject or stop talking all together.

It’s true that lost people have no problem with being offensive around Christians or even singling out Christians for abuse. We are ridiculed and even condemned by those who hate God. Even ending a conversation with “God bless you” is an offense to those who are perishing. The young girl mentioned above was simply expressing her patriotism and love for God which is a Constitutionally protected right. It seems America’s founding fathers were offensive by placing such high esteem on what they believed to be God given rights. At least that teacher thought so. Oh yea, and for those who think the separation of Church and state has anything to do with the U.S. Constitution it doesn’t. There’s no such thing as “the separation of Church and state” written into the founding fathers documents as they established this country as a sovereign, godly nation. But there is something called the Bill of Rights which says Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech..., and so on. “The free exercise thereof” is the same as saying if you are in a classroom in America and you wish to exercise your Constitutional right to express your love for God and country you may do so unimpeded.

So what’s changed in the Constitution to allow a teacher to prohibit students “the free exercise thereof”? The Constitution of the United States of America has not changed, but we the people have placed ungodly leaders in control of our government and as such we are reaping what we have sown. God has been replaced with the religion of humanism. And this unholy saga continues as these misguided souls attempt to rid this nation of all vestiges of that old antiquated belief which emphatically maintains there is a God.

First, they change our laws. How can they get away with that, you might ask? Through evil deceptions they get themselves elected to the highest office in the land, the Presidency of the United States of America, then they proceed to fill all the cabinet posts associated with that office with Marxists and Communists. They infiltrate Congress through similar deceptions until they dominate that once revered and stately body. Then they place into the highest courts of the land those individuals who have no use for God. This will, in turn, give rise to new and devilishly thought-out rulings that will far and above favor humanism, socialism, and ultimately communism over anything that might be based on faith in the one true God of the Bible. After a few years of these socialistic, humanistic, Marxists leaders lording over the masses, most of America will become painfully aware that their “inalienable rights” have dried up and blown away.

Socialism is alive and thriving in America my friends and we now sit on the very precipice of evil completely consuming our national government and taking over our beloved country. We aren’t just slightly moving in that direction, the guy that occupies the Oval Office has placed America on the fast track to becoming a dictatorial and completely socialistic entity.

Recently it’s been revealed that any mention of God by students will be harshly dealt with. Wearing the American flag on your person is also becoming a crime in the godless halls of academia. But there’s a time coming, and is almost here, when one certain word will get you thrown into jail quicker then oil leaking out of a pipe in the gulf, that word is “Jesus” the name above all names. Unless of course you use the Lord’s name as a swear word then of course you’ll be excused.

Letters come in all the time rebuking me for my stance on our current leadership’s regime. They try to tell me that this is all biblical and that we need to just accept it as the inevitable. God places who He wills into the offices of government and we aren’t to question His motives or His plans. We are just to accept everything as from God no matter how bad and evil our government becomes. If that’s our destiny, so be it.

Of course in some respects I’m inclined to agree with them. When they point out that God has a plan and He is in control, of that I have no doubt. But, God in His word never tells us to simply give up our liberties or to stop standing up for righteousness. After all, our liberties are all God endowed. I must conclude from the letters that I receive that God has now taken those liberties back which He had graciously bestowed on this great nation over the past 234 years. Now with the establishment of our new socialist government firmly entrenched we are to just be passive and patient and take whatever is thrown at us as being from God? I don’t think so. You see, God establishes governments and places people in its leadership to run those governments as God wills. Let’s be honest, does anyone reading this commentary believe that America’s current leadership regime is in any way following God’s precepts or God’s will for the American people, or more specifically for His own Children?

The answer to that question is yes if we believe God is punishing America for her failure to follow His precepts, for giving Him the boot as it were. But that would mean that God is punishing the righteous along with the unrighteous. His word plainly states this will not be the case. But on the other hand could it be that our leaders are not following God’s precepts and His will for this land? I’m much more inclined to believe the latter.

“Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!” Matthew 18:7. By referring to God as offensive those who make such claims are only condemning themselves. When Jesus uses the word “Woe” He is denouncing something, and in this instance He is actually judging those who bring offenses against God or against His children. If they only understood what they were doing they would be terrified to be in that position of denouncement. Alas, understanding is far from the minds of those who call God offensive.

Do I see any turnaround of our current rush toward socialism or communism or even Sharia Law? No. Wow, that’s depressing. Yes it is and we who follow Jesus Christ can plainly see where such a government made up of socialist Marxists will lead. Christians will be targeted as haters and dissenters, and will be seen as the enemy. If we become critical of the abuses which will certainly be manifest by the state we will feel the hand of persecution upon our backsides.

I’ve been accused of creating an atmosphere of fear among believers with some of my previous commentaries. I’m sure this one will fall right in line with the rest. It has not been my intention in the least to promote fear or be divisive. On the contrary, what I’ve been trying to induce is not panic or fear but the recognition of a new direction, a new and different playing arena if you will, in which our government leaders wish to lead us into a new and glorious utopian world where we will all live in harmony and peace. But knowing the word of God we can see that this is only an attempt by the enemy of God to move gullible people away from our Lord.

What does the Bible say about peace on earth? Only when Jesus Christ returns and makes an end of wars and eliminates the persistent evil will there be peace, one thousand years of it. Until then, while we have breath we are to be His mouthpiece, His disciples, His saints promoting His Gospel and telling everyone we can about His love for them. It’s not going to be easy from here on out, but that is partially our own fault. In many ways we believers in Christ have dropped the ball. It’s up to followers of Jesus Christ to pick it up again.

I believe there are some who’ve been called to be watchmen on the wall, and as such we watchmen will inevitably be singled out as the worst of the haters. There are many men and women who are courageously standing up for Jesus Christ and His Gospel and who will be the first to witness the strong arm of this new socialistic government.

Offensive people are going to increase and they will stand against us as we go about our Fathers business. That’s okay. We are told not to fear but to be of good cheer. “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33. Our peace is in Christ and we will never despair as long as we place our trust in Jesus Christ, and keep Him in our hearts.

Believe me when I tell you there will soon come a time when someone will say to you, “That’s offensive to me” and all you will have done is mention the name of Jesus our Savior to them. But do not fear what man will do to you for being a follower of Jesus Christ. Actually those who persecute us are the ones who need to be fearful. “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Matthew 10:28.

If the world sees us as offensive for speaking the truth of Jesus Christ, that’s a good thing. It’s those who call themselves Christians but who are thoroughly engulfed in the world and never mention His name that I’m concerned about. Where do you stand?

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
All scripture is from the KJV
 

Doctrines of Demons - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com

“Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons,” 1 Timothy 4:1. Basically, doctrine is teaching or giving instruction, and in certain cases it wholly conforms to a teacher’s accumulated knowledge. Whether or not that knowledge is correct and biblical is for the student to ascertain. (Acts 17:11) Some, in the latter times, will depart from the faith. Why? Keep reading.

When it comes to our Bibles there are basically two doctrines available to all humanity: God’s doctrines or precepts, and man’s interpretations of God’s doctrines and precepts. Throughout history, man in many cases has made it clear that he believes he is wiser than God. Whenever this insanity occurs, he inevitably changes God’s doctrines to fit his own ideas. Then he goes a step further and he instructs others in the doctrine he has invented. Of course, man’s truth, when derived from demons, will always be contradictory of God’s truth.

The men who intrude into God’s sphere of truth with the express desire to change God’s word are only following the lead of a demon. Since the beginning of time man has disparaged God’s word, usurped God’s authority, and supplanted God’s truth and God’s will for his own. Man has been attempting to replace God for thousands of years. Man has relentlessly pursued teaching the simple minded how to think. There can be no doubt that behind every divergence from the truth is a demon orchestrating and choreographing man’s every step.

The list of doctrines of demons is long and, in the minds of those who follow such tripe, distinguished. Every misguided approach to God’s word, which ultimately leads people away from Jesus Christ, is a doctrine that can be laid in the lap of a demon. “They even sacrificed their sons And their daughters to demons,” Psalm 106:37. Throughout the Bible we can read how man has been enthralled by demons (devils in the KJV). Even to the point that they were convinced sacrificing their children to a demon was a positive thing. That’s called abortion today.

What is it that gives rise to the doctrines of demons which are responsible for leading man astray? “For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe.” 1 Timothy 4:10. God our Savior? Paul, in his writing to Timothy, is making the statement that Jesus Christ is the living God. But if you talk to some of the followers of the different Christian cults and false religions they will profess no belief in Jesus Christ as God, some believe Jesus is God’s son, yes, but not God Almighty. This denial of the deity of Jesus Christ is a doctrine of demons which has been taught throughout the last two thousand years. Moreover, that teaching is growing and becoming quite the pervasive teaching today.

“I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.” Revelation 1:8. Here Jesus Himself is speaking. Jesus states quite emphatically that He is the Almighty. The Greek word used here is “pantokrator” and can also be translated Omnipotent. We know only God Almighty is Omnipotent.

Doctrines that teach Jesus is not God will have profound consequences on the people who follow and believe such teaching as truth. The Jehovah’s Witnesses are a good example of this demonic doctrine. Suffice it to say every doctrine that denies Christ as the Savior of the world, or that places Him in a subordinate position such as that of some kind of lesser god, is demonic. The JW’s wrote a book that counters the Bible. Why? Because of the demonic influence that took up residence in that organization as anti-Christ. They flat out deny that Jesus Christ is God. “...even now are there many antichrists;...” 1 John 2:18. There are many more anti-Christ and Christian cults’ fully established and operating openly professing to be true Christian believers, but in all actuality they are all condemned because they follow the doctrine of demons.

Then there are the doctrines that teach falsely that one can only be saved if one is baptized, or a member a particular church, or that one must speak in tongues, or worship only on Saturday, or pray for Mary’s intervention in their lives, or that one can lose their salvation. This list goes on and on, men promoting their own erroneous Bible interpretations as the truth even though the Bible, God’s inerrant word, teaches quite the opposite. They are demonic doctrines instituted to add to or even take away from the finished work of Jesus Christ.

Anything that man does to add to the sufficiency of the work that Jesus Christ fully accomplished on the cross is a doctrine of demons. The Bible is clear on that point, and adding to or taking away from the propitiation of Christ for the sin of the world is evil and demonic to say the least. False teachers are teaching what a demon has taught them.

Be assured even the demons know the scriptures and those who follow false doctrines will never hear the whole truth. They will only be taught a portion of truth and a whole plethora of lies so that the demons can hold sway over the biblical illiterate. Many people simply refuse to search the scriptures to ascertain whether or not they are being lied to. This is a very dangerous path to take. It would be akin to crossing a ravine which drops a thousand feet to the bottom by walking across on a tightrope of knitting yarn. Foolish to say the least yet many are currently standing on that very yarn (pun intended).

I continually receive letters from folks who quote scripture and then proceed to give me the translation of a scripture verse or verses which are completely out of context and therefore quite wrong. The Bible does not contradict its self but it must be studied exegesis. Most of these folks will quote a person who has been their Bible teacher for years. If a Bible teacher starts off with a wrong interpretation of scripture and after many years in the ministry hasn’t made a correcting adjustment to their erroneous teaching they’re still wrong. All those years of teaching doesn’t make them right, it only makes them followers of demonic doctrines. Simply put, they can’t see the truth because they are blinded by the lies they themselves have been taught. All attributed to demons.

People are being led down that primrose path that leads to their destruction all because they follow the teachings of an individual or cult/false religion that is ordained of demons. Today demonic doctrines are infiltrating and taking over our Christian churches like wild fire. The airwaves are full of doctrines of devils and even the most subtle of messages that seem so innocent and true can be doctrines designed by the enemy to corrupt and lead people astray.

A perfect example of “Doctrines of Demons” are the proponents of the feel good preaching techniques, and the prosperity gospel’s get rich schemes which come from those whose purpose is self gain. They are many and they are demonic as are the emergent movement and those who promote contemplative spirituality.

If a pastor stands before a congregation week in and week out and only speaks of God as love, never venturing into the realm of God’s judgment, then that pastor is thoroughly neglecting those tough, sometimes evil, churned up waters of sin where we find most people actually live. He would be a pastor who resides only within the boundaries of political correctness; his congregation isn’t being taught the whole council of God.

If lost folks only hear messages which peacefully tickle their ears sure they’re going to return for more tickling, but they will never become convicted of their sins. But let that pastor place them in the middle of their sin and he’ll be assured of a mass exodus.

The truth hurts; lost people don’t want to hear the truth. Think about it, they’ve been inundated with lies for so long they’ve grown accustomed to accepting lies as truth. An ear tickled congregation having been saturated with warm fuzzies might even revolt against a pastor who suddenly drops the doctrines of demons and reverts to God’s truth while delivering his weekly message. Then again some might just get saved.

Our enemy (Satan) doesn’t want his followers to hear the truth so he has devised a message that, if used by enough Bible teachers and pastors, will keep those who belong to him from ever becoming born again. Remember, Satan will lead you as close as possible to the truth without losing you to salvation. Once a person is born from God and they become a new creation “In Christ”, Satan loses. Satan doesn’t like losing and he will not go down without a fight.

“Christians aren’t perfect just forgiven”. But the crux of the matter is, to become a born again believer people must be convicted of their sin. That’s basically the first step. If that conviction is never forthcoming then repentance will also remain a nonevent. Doctrines of demons will see to that.

How do we stave off the influence of doctrines of demons? We must know God’s word. Did you get that? Let me reiterate, we must know God’s word. Not just a superficial knowledge of our Bible, but a solid understanding gained through Christ centered Bible teachings and much fervent prayer. God will give the diligent Bible studier all the discernment necessary to obtain a firm foundation and to proceed through life with understanding on how to avoid the doctrines of demons. Without that God given foundation there’s no telling what doctrines one might follow, Mormon, JW’s, Islam, Catholicism and the rest – doctrines of demons the lot.

Erroneous teachings and doctrines spread like the plague and after a while people will begin to see and perceive truth in a bald-faced lie. This is very dangerous and a perfect example of how cults are started, as well as how they flourish.

God tells us how to go about studying His word and even how to teach it to others. “Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:” Isaiah 28:9-10. Go through the Bible line upon line and study God’s word like you’re eternal life depended on it. Why? Because it does. Use a concordance and look up any word that may be difficult for you to grasp. Look up the Greek words that stump you in a “Vines Expository Dictionary of New Testament words”. Search your concordance as the Old Testament brings forth words you may find confusing. Our God is not a God of confusion so there is always an answer. There are so many ways to learn God’s word today that a true believer is without excuse. Following the many doctrines of demons can be avoided with just a little due diligence and prayer.

If you follow demonic teaching it is to your own peril. A born again believer will do everything possible to find out if what they are being taught from the pulpit or from a Bible teacher is the truth as God has designated it, or if they are following doctrines of devils. Which is it with you?

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
Both the KJV and the NKJV Bible translations were used in compiling this commentary
 

Second Chances - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com

“...they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12.

Are there second chances in life? Absolutely. Second chances are available for just about every aspect of life. Our God is a God of second chances, and third and forth and on they go. “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9. This verse is indeed encouraging, and rightfully so.

“Longsuffering is that quality of self-restraint in the face of provocation which does not hastily retaliate or promptly punish; it is the opposite of anger, and is associated with mercy, and is used of God.” – Vines Expository Dictionary.

That’s our God, longsuffering; even though we at times are quite rebellious He’s loving and patient, full of grace and mercy to us-ward. But the question is, will God be patient forever? Many have heard the Gospel of Christ, and cannot make up their minds whether or not the Christian life is for them. Still others simply rejected it. Either way, knowingly or not, these folks are relying on God’s longsuffering and patience.

“For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:” 1 Corinthians 15:3, 4. Just so we are all clear on what the Gospel of Christ is, I just played a trick on all those reading this commentary who claim they’ve never received the Gospel. You just did. Now we can move on.

Those who hear (or read) the Gospel and yet choose to put off their decision for Christ while they wallow in their desired sin just a tad longer are playing with fire. Those who’ve just outright rejected Jesus Christ haven’t a clue as to what they are playing at. Why? Time is the procrastinators Achilles heel. “And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.” Romans 13:11.

You say you want to wait until after the Rapture of the Church, if there is such a thing, to say yes to Jesus Christ? The word of God says not to delay, but when we hear the Gospel message we are to repent of our sins.

With all the signs of the times currently exploding onto the scene, and knowing what the Bible says about the end times believers in Christ know God is on the cusp of ending His self imposed longsuffering. If this is so, what happens to second chances then?

We all make mistakes, and oh how great it is when we are given a second chance; a chance to right the wrong we’ve committed. I’m sure everyone reading this commentary has had occasion when they can remember being afforded a second chance, perhaps even more than once. There will come a time though when all God’s second chances will end.

The Holy Spirit of God works in mysterious ways, ways we cannot comprehend. He works ever diligently, never tiring, pointing everyone to Jesus Christ. But there comes a time when the continual in His face rejection of the truth moves the Holy Spirit away from that soul. When a person hardens their heart to the extreme against God there’s a point of finality when the Holy Spirit ceases His work. Then those poor misguided souls are left to their own destruction.

People, for the most part, don’t understand God and His far reaching love for His creation. Where you and I might have given up on a person, believing them to be a lost cause, God sees far past our perceptions of who’s a lost cause and who’s not. A terrible place for any human to be though is in that place where the Holy Spirit finally decides enough is enough. I’d like to say that this just isn’t the case, but the Bible says differently.

“…because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved... That they all might be damned” 2 Thessalonians 2:10b & 12. This means they were offered the truth by the Holy Spirit of God, and that God was patient with them to a point you and I would consider extreme, and yet they continued in their rejection of God’s only begotten Son.

The Gospel of Christ has been preached around the world and, for the most part, in every language. So for the majority of earth’s human population the Gospel of Christ is a fairy tale. This rejection God calls blasphemy. These folks fall into a category for which this commentary was written. They are those who’ve rejected the truth of the Gospel, who have rejected the Holy Spirit’s convicting messages. This is essentially calling the Holy Spirit a liar, which is the blasphemy God speaks about and a condition, if not corrected, that will condemn the blasphemer to Hell “…because they receive not the love of the truth…” (v.10).

I’ve often been asked if, after the Rapture of Christ’s Church, people continue to be afforded salvation. The answer is yes. The 144,000 Jews for example (12,000 from each of the 12 tribes of Israel) will be saved and will be witnesses for Christ and spreading His Gospel everywhere during the Great Tribulation. Many more will be saved because of the efforts of these and others. Yet we read, “... for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:” 2 Thessalonians 2:11. What cause? They rejected the love of the truth. Recognizing the truth during the Great Tribulation for those who’ve rejected it for years will be very difficult, if not impossible. And by the way, if you’ve heard the Gospel and are still fence setting that would be the same as rejecting the love of the truth.

So what happens to second chances after the Rapture? God tells us that because of the strong delusion He will send them they will believe the lie. Who? Our current world of Christ rejecters. Why? Because they were given chance after chance after chance to believe the truth, yet they rejected God’s truth at every turn. Harsh punishment from a loving God? Not at all. These are the folks who took pleasure in unrighteousness and hardened their hearts against their God.

So why believe a lie instead of the truth? What could that strong delusion consist of that would be so appealing? The Vines Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words tells us that it’s a fraud. We all know how frauds operate, always lying, working feverishly at their craft of deception convincing the simple minded that they have the truth. Frauds are appealing, that’s how they deceive. People are easily deceived when they are ignorant of the truth.

“Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,” 2 Thessalonians 2:9. This strong delusion, this fraud, this anti-Christ, with all his lying signs and wonders will take many gullible people with him to Hell.

There will be folks who come to Christ during the Tribulation’s seven year duration, I’m not disputing that fact, but here’s the rub, many more will not be saved, and they will not be saved because of the condition of their hearts now. God’s strong delusion being placed on earth will be the stumbling block that keeps many from salvation.

Completely rejecting Christ now, before the Rapture, will lead multitudes to commit a horrible mistake during the tribulation period. God’s not going to make it easy on those who’ve called His Holy Spirit a liar and rejected His only begotten Son. A lifetime of rejecting the truth is a good indication of who will believe the lie.

“That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” 2 Thessalonians 2:12. Those who fall for this delusional lie condemn themselves to Hell. Why? Because they took pleasure in unrighteousness instead of rejecting unrighteousness and accepting the truth. That damnation comes as a result of their own foolish choice. Hardening ones heart against God means one accepts the enemy’s lies as truth.

Those of you who have been assured that salvation will still be possible during the seven year Tribulation may want to re-evaluate that assurance and your stance on God’s free gift of salvation now, this side of the Rapture. There’s nothing standing in your way of believing the truth while there is still time. God has made His free gift of salvation accessible and easily acceptable, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved,” Acts 16:30b-31a. God offers His free gift of salvation universally to all. The truth is, waiting for another day to accept God’s gift of salvation is pushing foolishness to the extreme.

So many people have been lied to for so long about what it means to be born again, that people shy away from asking for forgiveness and repenting of their sins. Many have heard the Gospel and liked what they’ve heard, but they feel it would be impossible to ever stop sinning. So they wait until they, through their own self will, can stop this sinfulness they’re obsessed with. But in all actuality the opposite is true – repent and ask for forgiveness now and the sinning will decrease. People need to be educated in this truth by all who preach and teach God’s word.

All believers are sinners and will remain so until death or the Rapture. Even though a person is born again, born from God, they never stop sinning. But they are forgiven and that is the key. Forgiveness only comes through repentance of sins and by believing in Jesus Christ. Waiting to say yes to Christ and His Gospel after being given truth is akin to sitting at a bus station and waiting for a bus you know has already come and gone. Foolishness.

Today many pastors and Bible teachers teach that sin is completely abated when we become born again. That is a completely erroneous fabrication and blatant corruption of the truth. The Apostle John addresses that very subject in his first epistle.

“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” 1 John 1:8-10. Here John is speaking to believers. How do I know? Go to the next chapter of First John “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:” 1 John 2:1. Here John addresses those he’s writing to as “My little children” He uses this phrase in conjunction with believers and no one else.

When we read First John chapter 2 verse 1 it is obvious that he’s telling us to “sin not”. Clearly he wants us to be mindful of our nature to sin and to turn against that nature. Then John states this most telling verse, “And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:” (v10). Another way to translate this word “if” from the Greek is “in case”, in case anyone sin. That tells us that Jesus stands with us as our advocate with the Father in case we sin. Clearly the Holy Spirit would not have had John include the above verse in his epistle to the saints if there was no further sinning after conversion.

God is a God of second chances; this is what John addresses in this epistle. This is what needs to be taught even to non-believers as we witness to them, even to those who are continually sitting on the fence. They need to know that as a believer in Christ they will occasionally sin while residing on this side of eternity. But their sins will, over time, diminish. As a matter-of-fact they will begin to hate the sin and remorse will ultimately set in each time they sin.

All our friends and family members, who fall into this category of fence-sitter or of those who completely reject the truth of the Gospel, need to realize that after the Rapture salvation will be much more difficult to obtain because of the strong delusion God is going to place on all who’ve rejected His Son. It is pure foolishness to put off the decision to become a born again believer in Christ hopping God will give you one last future chance.

If you’re still a fence sitter it’s time to take that leap of faith, all second chances are about to reach their finale. Say yes to Jesus Christ, right now, please don’t wait any longer, the end is in sight, Jesus is at the door, planet earth is sitting late in her last hour. There will be no second chances once your residence is Hell, and one way or the other, believer in Christ or Christ rejecter, everyone lives forever, the only question remaining is which eternal destination have you chosen?

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
All scripture is from the KJV
 

Space – The Final Frontier - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com

“Have ye not known? have ye not heard? hath it not been told you from the beginning? have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth? It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:” Isaiah 40:21-22.

I know mankind, for the most part, doesn’t consider the Bible as truth, but simply an antiquated book filled with myths and legends all contrived by men with an agenda. And that fact in and of itself is becoming more and more apparent even throughout the evangelical community. So what is the basis for truth if not God’s word? Is it man’s knowledge now seen as truth based on fabricated evidence, changing almost daily, which most of humanity has been inundated with for the past few hundred years? Why is it that even many believers today find it so difficult, if not impossible, to believe every word that proceeds from the mouth of our God?

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:” 2 Timothy 3:16. There should be no doubt in a believer’s mind of the validity of scripture. Alas, that is not the case. Like I said, even many Christian believers would rather believe man over God. I know this for a fact because I’ve spoken with them.

God’s word, in relationship with those He has made new creations “in Christ”, is to be trusted implicitly. The plain fact is the Bible is God’s truth, period. You either believe His word or you believe man, there is no in between area to where one might reside and feel vindicated. “Well I believe the Bible is God’s word, but I believe He’s speaking in allegories and metaphors.” NO, you believe man over God.

Scientists would have us all believe that the edge of the universe is billions of light years away, which means that by traveling at the speed of light man wouldn’t reach the edge of the universe for at least 18 billion years. I submit to all those enthralled by man’s fabrications that the heavens are simply rolled out as a scroll just as the Bible states. I’ll even take it a step further and say that all we humans see in the night sky, as far as deep space is concerned, is only a wonderful holograph, an illusion if you will. Well, my theory is no more farfetched than that of the proponents of billions of years.

Is God sitting on the circle of the earth? God encompasses all things, and as such He is as likely to be setting on the circle of the earth as He is dwelling in the very heart of every believer. There is nothing outside of the realm of possibilities for God. It’s only man who attempts to constrains God.

What amazes me about God is that God is thoroughly amazing. God’s intellect is so far above man’s that man has had to lower God down a few trillion notches as he tries to explain God, who is unexplainable. Man, in all his acquired knowledge, will never even come close to remotely comprehending just the minutest aspect of who God is.

We’re told by the scientists that there are trillions of stars out there in that huge expanse of space, God tells us that for man they innumerable. Interestingly, God has counted them all and even given each star a name. “He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names.” Psalm 147:4. That’s right, He calls them all by name; He even knows your name and every little detail of your life.

Man cannot possibly get his finite mind around that concept so he’s had to make up his own idea of what the universe is all about. To man, the size of the universe is only conjecture; no human being could possibly know what was involved in creating such an expanse or what holds it all together. God tells us He rolled the heavens out like a scroll, scientists tell us it all occurred with a big bang. God was there in the beginning, where were the scientists?

All of man’s obvious conjectures are only useful for one thing, to take man’s mind off his final destination. Man’s final frontier is not space as most astronomers, and scientists sucked into the lie of evolution, promote with all tenacity. Obviously man is preoccupied with space and all its seemingly endless vastness. But where does that preoccupation lead? As man speculates more and more about what lies impossibly out of his reach (space), he loses sight of his Creator who’s standing right next to him.

Man, in his lifetime, will never physically reach destinations that he has placed at light years distances out into space. To travel to Proxima Centauri, our closest neighboring star apart from our own sun, would take 4.22 light years; a person would need to travel at the speed of light to reach that destination. No human being could live through traveling at the speed of light.

Telescopes have afforded some interesting looks at our nearest neighboring planets and even exciting views of deep space, but that’s all it will ever be; anything more is simply conjecture on man’s part. But if we read God’s word we learn a lot about the truth of what the Heavens are all about, they make a declaration.

“The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.” Psalm 19:1-3. God’s glory is declared to all who look to the skies. It’s His handiwork that man sees as he gazes into space. God is everywhere and there isn’t one single word that is uttered by man that He does not hear.

When man proclaims there is no God and decides to exalt himself above God and His word, God is painfully aware of man’s ignorance and rejection. He hears every word spoken and knows every thought that’s thought before we think it. He understands every language, fluently. Especially hurtful to God is when God sees His children (believers in Christ) accepting man’s explanation over His of how everything was created.

The stars and planets and all the expanse of the heavens are God’s domain. Man was never meant to travail the vastness of space, nor were we to eliminate God from an arena that declares His glory. There is nothing out in deep space that man must be preoccupied with to the exclusion of God. God tells us to look to the skies for signs. God has placed everything we see in the night’s sky for His glory not ours.

Astrology is a satanic corruption of what God has purposely designed into the heavens. These signs are there solely to assist man in seeking the truth. God gave man every opportunity to fully grasp the knowledge of who He is while establishing a foundation for our faith. There’s nothing evil about looking to the stars for pictures of the Gospel, such as the Mazzaroth indicates, but there are huge problems with contriving the things associated with the stars which the new age astrologists promote.

Looking to the cosmos as man’s final frontier is a satanic deception. Man’s final frontier is eternity and there are only two locations for man to consider. Ultimately man will end up in one or the other. And no matter what, man must choose which one to occupy. Sending men and women to the moon or to a docking station out in space is a huge waste of taxpayer funds and there is a bigger need for those funds right here on earth.

When we gaze at the night sky with a telescope we are defeating God’s purpose. We don’t need a telescope to gaze into space; we can take in all God’s signs with the naked eye. The signs are plastered across the expanse not in just one star.

“And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:” Genesis 1:14. We’ve just read God’s purpose for placing the lights in the firmament of heaven. Believing God placed everything exactly where it is should bring peace to every believer. Knowing there is no space that God does not occupy should be a joy and wonderfully comforting for those of us who are born again; only the nonbeliever remains perplexed by the vastness of the universe.

“All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.” John 1:3. Jesus Christ is who the Apostle John is speaking about as he refers to Jesus as the Word, or in the original Greek language the “Logos”. Our Creator God is none other than Jesus Christ the only begotten of the Father.

“For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.” Colossians 1:16-17. Here Paul also refers to Jesus Christ as being the Creator of all things.

Conjecture about the stars and the planets, and galaxies far far away, has led men to write incredible stories of fiction, jam packed with mind boggling, phenomenal adventures as well as incredible strange creatures from other planets which has created much wealth for those in the book writing/movie making business. All of which are only fanciful tales created out of the minds of men who for the most part have no use for God.

God’s word tells us the reason for all the stars in the heavens; they are for signs and for seasons, lights for illumination. The Christian Gospel is there in all its glory to be seen by all who have eyes to see. But the enemy of God has perverted that vastness and turned it instead into a wasteland of astrological nonsense, the only purpose being to create a void in men’s minds and hearts where God should be. What do you see when you look to the stars? God or satanic deceptions.

The cosmos is not man’s last exploration, nor is it his final frontier – man’s final frontier will ultimately be his final destination. That old antiquated, but completely true book, the Bible, tells us so. What we all need to ask ourselves is which final destination do we chose? Heaven or Hell. Belief in Jesus Christ means you’ve chosen Heaven over Hell. By believing there is no God your choice has also been made and Hell will be your final frontier.

So, who ya gonna believe?

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
All scripture is from the KJV
 

Three Step Process - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com

“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” Romans 10:9. There is a three step process which all believers in Christ will ultimately traverse; two of those steps come after salvation. Many believe salvation is all there is, but not so, in all actuality salvation only begins the process.

Justification or salvation – is the act of God declaring men free from guilt and acceptable to him. When we first believe we become justified in God’s sight. Believing in the selfless act of the only begotten Son of God, Jesus Christ, who died for the sin of the world. Jesus is the propitiation for our sins.

The Bible teaches that only by the death of a perfect man, God Himself, could man ever hope to be justified. God had to place Himself in the role of Kinsmen Redeemer, as such He became the propitiation for mans rebellion. For this reason Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son, became a human with flesh and bones, to be the perfect sacrifice for sin and make atonement or “propitiation” for the entire world.

When we place our faith and our trust in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, in the blink of an eye we are born again, which means we are justified. It’s not difficult, or painful, or even costly. And God wants all to come to this realization, to believe, and by doing so to become His children (sons of God).

When we first believe we go through what is commonly known as a change of mind. This new mindset leads us away from our past reprobate life. The question that many ask is: “Is a person completely saved at the point when they first believe?” My answer is this, if that person truly believed in Christ’s atoning sacrifice on the cross and humbly confessed to God that they recognize that they are a sinner, then yes they are completely saved at the point when they first believed. “...no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.” 1 Corinthians 12:3b. It’s the Holy Spirit which always points to Jesus Christ and convicts the lost of their need for a savior. When we confess that Jesus is Lord it’s only by the Holy Spirit that that confession is possible.

Reading the account in Matthew 13 concerning the parable of the sower gives us an answer to the question above. The first soil that Jesus speaks of refers to those who hear the word of truth but don’t understand it. Those who fall into that category, or soil, make no commitment to Christ and have no revelation that they are sinners, they make no profession of faith in Christ, they do not refer to Jesus Christ as Lord, consequently there’s no repentance of sin. They’re not saved. This, by the way, is a weekly occurrence in our Christian Churches today. Many hear the message but never respond.

Once we become born again it’s not difficult to see a part of ourselves represented in all four soils (which should actually be the parable of the grounds). All believers spend a little time in all four soils.

Like the wayside, sometimes even believers allow the word no room in our lives. Studying God’s word becomes a chore and ultimately is relegated to an insignificant position in the believer’s life. Neglect Bible study and face a lack of understanding which can lead a Christian into defeatism.

Like the stony places, we sometimes have "hot flashes" of enthusiasm in receiving the word but which is quickly extinguished. The enemy takes away our joy and before long we can become apathetic even lethargic towards our faith.

Like the soil among thorns, the world is constantly threatening to choke out God’s word and our fruitfulness. The cares of living in the world becomes so burdensome that believers begin to get discouraged, or disillusioned. Our positive Christ-like attitude becomes diminished. God’s word takes another negative hit.

Like the good ground, the word becomes very important and we begin to bear fruit. Finally we get it. This new revelation leads to an aggressive pursuit of God’s will for our lives, and Bible study becomes a pleasure as God opens up more and more of its meanings to us.

Truly a believers security can be found in the following verse “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,” Ephesians 1:13. God has just made us a promise that none of us can deny. Once we believe and trust in Jesus Christ we are sealed with His Holy Spirit, which is a God sealed promise that cannot be removed, ever, by anyone or anything. Justification is complete.

Sanctification – looking at each one of the soils in Jesus’ parable as I’ve just pointed out indicates God’s participation in the three step process. This Godly involvement is referred to as sanctification. Believers go through all sorts of ups and downs and occasionally we might fall down some rather slippery slopes. But God is always there to lift us back up and give us His assurance that He will never leave us or forsake us. This is the ongoing process of sanctification, God initiated, God fulfilling, lifelong work of God in every believers life.

When I first accepted the Lord Jesus as my Savior and was baptized I felt nothing had changed in my life. Oh sure I went around bragging that I had been baptized all the while thinking that that experience was the pinnacle of my salvation and that I was now a member of some elite group. It wasn’t until a few years later that I realized I had actually been re-born, and knew precisely what that meant. I was a new creation “In Christ”. When that realization hit me, like a ton of bricks, I knew I was saved, (justified in God’s eyes). Before that I continually had doubts. And prior to coming to that understanding of my eternal security I made little or no effort to live my life differently than before I made my confession of faith, or at least I thought I hadn’t. But looking back I see God was and is totally involved in every aspect of my then, as well as now, new life in Christ.

What I’m saying is God takes control once we become new creations in Christ. Our eternal security is God’s responsibility. His hand is what moves us from the very beginning of our new life in Christ through that process of changing us into the exact image of His Son. We actually progress in our walk with Christ, through God’s intervention, right up to the point in time when we leave planet earth for our heavenly home.

There are, on occasion, times when we will look at another person with wonderment as to their position in that three step process. We may not see any fruit in another’s life. We can’t really see what God is doing in that person’s life, can we? Remember, God is in control of the sanctification process, not us. Each person is different and each person comes to an awareness of the undeniable importance of salvation (justification) at different levels of that sanctification. Eventually the fruit that comes after being saved will appear in every true born again believer’s life. If they are not really born again the fruit will never materialize, at least not until they make that true profession of faith.

If a person tells me they are born again, that they believe Jesus Christ is Lord, that they believe His Gospel, then that is good enough for me. Like I’ve already mentioned, the Apostle Paul tells us that it’s only through the Holy Spirit that we are able even to confess such a belief. Each believer is in God’s hands, as such, He is responsible for keeping each one saved, not me or my perception of another’s salvation.

Many people get confused when it comes to these two concepts, born again and fellowship with God. Two entirely different perceptions but they go hand in hand. We all want to be in fellowship with God but each time we sin we are removed from that fellowship until we repent. There are many very adept Bible teachers who are still confused in this regard. Being born again is not an on again off again state in a person’s life. Sin is an on again off again part of every born again believer’s life. Fellowship with God, as much as we’d like to think otherwise, is an on again off again relationship because of sin.

Justification – done deal once we become born from above, from God. Sanctification – ongoing for the remainder of our lives, this is God’s exclusive domain.

Glorification – this is the last part of this three part process. Glorification occurs at the moment a believer in Christ dies. “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs--heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.” Romans 8:16-17. We are called joint heirs of the Kingdom of God with Christ. Suffering is a part of being children of God. Even though our flesh may not want anything to do with any type of suffering, sooner or later suffering for Christ will become apparent.

Suffering for Christ is only a natural progression of things, like death and taxes. This will become even more evident as we get even closer to Christ’s return. For many around this planet suffering for Christ is nothing new. “Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience.” James 5:10. It’s important to remember we will be glorified with Christ at our immediate release of these earthly vessels. If we must endure a little suffering along that journey, then rejoice knowing you suffer for Christ.

Glorification, being the final stage coming just after death, should be looked forward to with a high degree of anticipation. While we’re alive, we go about our Fathers business, witnessing, and spreading the good news of Jesus Christ, but we are also eagerly but patiently anticipating our Savior’s imamate return.

There’s even a crown righteousness tied to that anticipation. “Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.” 2 Timothy 4:8. This crown of righteousness is given to all who love the idea of Jesus’ soon arrival.

When we go home to be with the Lord, at some point just after that homecoming we will receive our glorified bodies. And like Jesus after His resurrection, we too will have the ability to traverse all the different dimensions without hindrances.

“We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.” 2 Corinthians 5:8. It won’t be long now. Keep looking up.

God bless your all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
All scripture is from the KJV
 

Christian Hate - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com

“These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.” Proverbs 6:16 – 19.

Human beings commit the aforementioned abominations all the time. They are nothing new, neither to man nor to God. The writer of the above proverb makes it abundantly clear that God is not at all pleased with these seven weaknesses attributed to us humans. Quite matter-of-factly we’re told God hates them. Strong word hate, especially when attributed to a loving and merciful God. We might be confused after reading such an account about God our Savior; it just doesn’t seem to fit who He is. God hates? I’m perplexed. Yet most Christians know that God’s word is true, and as such we can, and should, realize He does hate all He considers abominations.

Equally puzzling for the non-believer that is, is a reaction of hate or even borderline hate from a follower of Jesus Christ. The analysis of a Christian’s hateful attitude by nonbelievers whenever they encounter said hateful Christian would be one that would most assuredly condemn the whole of Christendom.

Christians should also find all that God refers to as abominations just as offensive even admitting to “hating” all that God abhors. But never are we to hate the people whose lives are consumed with committing these abominations. An attitude of hate displayed by a believer in Christ would certainly be offensive to God.

Was there ever a time during Jesus’ ministry when He exhibited hatred toward another person? What about Jesus’ enemies? “And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him..., Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do...” Luke 23:33a-34a. Jesus, during His ministry, was intent on leading everyone He could into an understanding of what the Kingdom of God was all about. During His ministry Jesus encountered hate everywhere, but since He is God he never displayed the slightest hint of hate. He was adamant about forgiveness even to those who nailed Him to that cross.

What then should we do when people display hatred towards us? “Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;” Matthew 5:43-44. If Christian’s haven’t learned this simple truth by the time they are off milk and have moved on to the meat of the word then they had better go back and start again. The command to “love thy enemy” is one of the foundational tenets of our Christian faith. It’s one of the first things we learn as a new believer in Christ, never to be forgotten or half-heartedly adhered to. We don’t go around murdering abortion doctors because they are murdering babies in the womb, that would be repaying evil for evil. We should pray for them and ask God to convict and change their hearts.

Shedding of innocent blood can certainly be referring to the wholesale murder of babies in the womb. Just imagine how this atrocity must grieve God; followers of Jesus Christ should be just as incensed at this evil. We should hate this atrocity and be involved in movements that are trying, through peaceful means, to stop such action. But we should never take such desperate action against a fellow human being as to kill them for their participation in these atrocities. Such an extreme response would mean we were allowing hate (Satan) to have authority over our minds and bodies instead of the Holy Spirit who dwells within us.

Hate is ugly, it’s an ugly word and it’s an ugly reaction. Hate will permeate the body of a believer and destroy their very soul if it’s allowed to fester like an open sore. Many people hate Christians, nothing new in that statement. But how should a Christian react to hatred when it is aimed explicitly at them? The knee jerk worldly reaction is to strike back with everything we have as we defend ourselves.

As believers, if we are being physically harmed or attacked we should defend ourselves and our families; we would be remiss if we didn’t. But hatred expressed verbally is only words, and if that be the extent of our harassment our reaction should be one of piety accompanied with prayer. Even if we find ourselves capable of outwitting an antagonist through superior intellect, love for that person should be expressed through whatever actions we display. Nothing good can be accomplished through an attitude that even remotely resembles hate.

Over the past few years we’ve probably all become painfully aware of a Christian cult based in Kansas which can’t seem to keep their church and its members out of the news. Why? Because they seem to be filled with hate. This group of individuals, who erroneously stake claim to the blood of Christ, continually spew hatred at funerals of fallen military personal as they are being laid to rest. They actually turn up at these funerals of our fallen hero’s and chant and wave ugly hateful signs while disrupting the service and offending the loved ones who are of course grief stricken. This Christian Cult has taken hatred to a whole new level, all the while denying the love of Christ through their deplorable actions. If one can call these folks Christians then they would be the embodiment of Christian hate.

God watched as man beat, spit upon, humiliated, and then murdered His only begotten Son. Most humans would retaliate against those who participated in that horror of hate, but not God. God doesn’t hate His creation, He loves us. People who promote hate towards others are not of God. As a matter of fact they can’t possibly even have read and understood God’s word and still spew hatred. It’s not possible for born again believers to follow God’s precepts and hate anyone. To love our enemies is a commandment not a suggestion.

Some people hate for no reason, others have a ton of reasons yet none of them valid in God’s eyes. If God tells you to love those who hate and persecute you then love must be the key. Have you ever tried to hate someone you love? It’s not possible. Yes you can have arguments, even long disagreements, you can become discouraged and even get mad and frustrated with them, but if you love them you can’t hate them. God knew that simple truth and that’s why He commands us to love our enemies. Hate cannot grow or even survive in an atmosphere of love.

“Evil shall slay the wicked: and they that hate the righteous shall be desolate.” Psalm 34:21. God is our defender and protector and as the verse above states, God will take appropriate action against those who hate us. There can be no continual blessings from God for those who hate the righteous. If they hate us they must also hate God. Imagine the horrible eternal punishment they will receive if they stay in that mindset until death. They need our prayers not hate.

“Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake. Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven:...” Luke 6:22-23. Here Jesus tells us it’s a blessing to be hated for His name sake. Rejoice and leap for joy? How is that possible? By knowing your reward is great in Heaven. God Almighty promises you and me great rewards when we get to Heaven. That should be worth enduring all the hate people can throw at us.

“Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you.” 1 John 3:13. The Apostle John is basically saying it should come as no surprise that the world hates those who belong to Christ. Why do they hate us so? Because they hate being convicted of sin and just hearing the word Christian or Jesus Christ convicts them. People want to be able to wallow in the muck and the mire of sin without any consequences. They especially don’t want to be told they are doing something against God.

Without a doubt Christians are being killed every day for one reason, many people hate Jesus the Messiah so much that they need a release for that hatred and Jesus’ followers make for a perfect release. Until they come to realize Satan is behind their hatred manipulating their actions they will remain in that murderous mode.

“Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.” Romans 12:17-18. Love and hate make impossible bedfellows. Hate in a Christians heart will nullify the precious Gospel of Christ. Get rid of hate before it festers. Christians are to live peaceably with all men. How is that possible if we allow hatred toward our fellow man to rule our hearts? Besides that the enemy will build his stronghold in a Christians life where hated is allowed to dwell.

My dad had a great way of contending with people who displayed hatred toward him. I would say “Dad are you going to let that guy get away with that remark?” My dad’s response was always “Just consider the source and forget it Ron”. Great advice but I would go a step further. Consider that that person is probably not saved and pray for them.

“Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.” Romans 12:20. In other words, by loving your enemy you might just help bring him to the Lord. It’s all about loving others the way God loves us, unconditionally. People, for the most part that is, will respond to loving kindness with kindness. What’s that old adage? “You can attract a lot more flies with honey than with vinegar.”

The cult I mentioned above would do well to embrace loving kindness instead of spewing hate. There’s no way for Jesus to be found in the middle of such an outlandish attitude. What those folks are doing is convincing the unbelieving world that Christians are full of hate. Witnessing, as we are commanded to do, is our opportunity to promote the Gospel of Christ by sharing it with unbelievers.

Using a false gospel (one filled with hate) as a witnessing tool as the aforementioned cult provides is, simply put, folly. If hate is the message, non-believers will stay away. They already live in the world, which is full of hate, why would they want to jump from the frying pan into the fire? The lost are searching for something different, something set apart from that which they already have.

To feel anger or entertain thoughts of resentment because someone has horribly wronged you is a normal worldly response, but Christians are no longer in that category. For Christians to take a harsh stance against another person who belittles them, even during a fleeting moment of frayed emotions, is wrong. We should pray about any such situation then submit those emotions into the Holy Spirit’s most capable hands and allow Him to take control. Recompensing evil for evil is contrary to God’s word. A believer’s life is to be filled with a loving and caring attitude toward our fellow man, evil hateful attitudes are worldly. We believers have been born from above, from God; we are no longer of the world.

Is there such a thing as Christian hate? Should there be hate in a Christian’s heart? As I’ve just laid out, hate disrupts lives and destroys the love we hold for one another, even our enemies. My answer then is no. If you are a Christian today and you have hate in your heart, repent and ask the Lord for His help in removing that hate. It is God’s good pleasure to fill you with His love and joy, and in doing so He promises you peace, a much greater possession, in lieu of hate.

My final thought is this, even using that offensive word to describe something that you detest should be discouraged. Jokingly proclaiming I hate this or I hate that can give rise to an attitude of condoning instead of condemnation of a more severe and less jokingly hateful attitude. There are plenty of other ways to express one’s self without using that particular offensive word. For example, I love this and I love that. Allow love run supreme in your vocabulary.

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
All scripture is from the KJV
 

Defeated Christians - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com

“Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come fearlessly into God's presence, assured of his glad welcome.” Ephesians 3:12. You’re experiencing periods of depression because you feel you’re not worthy of God’s free gift of salvation. You’re terrified God might send you to Hell even though you’ve said yes to Jesus Christ. You’re in constant fear because you can’t accept that God would allow you to be saved since your motives for being saved are only to avoid an eternity in Hell. You’re living a defeated Christian life.

Above are some common concerns generated by some of the readers of my past commentaries. Mostly these kinds of feelings are submitted by new believers, but occasionally even the lifelong believer can come to a place where they too feel defeated.

Fears and doubts, ups and downs are commonplace in the lives of believers. I say this so you won’t feel you’re all alone. As we grow in our knowledge and understanding of God’s word, the lack of worthiness and sometimes overwhelming fear about losing our salvation mostly dissipate. Those who neglect a Bible study routine can expect the enemy to use these doubts and fears, frequently leading the believer into a life of defeat.

Depending on where you are in your walk with the Lord you may still be in a position that many refer to as a “babe in Christ”. I hated it when a mentor of mine referred to me as a “babe in Christ”, but as I grew in the Lord I came to realize what he meant. He wasn’t trying to berate me or make me feel insignificant as a member of the body of Christ, but as a new believer I still had a long way to go to grasp the deeper meanings of God’s word. I believed and read my Bible, but I wasn’t studying my Bible. As such, my understanding of His word was, for the most part, superficial. I couldn’t see all the falsehoods that were at work around me, many of which were right in front of me where I worshiped.

At times we all experience lackadaisical emotions concerning our Christian, and then other times we seem to be on fire for the Lord. This rollercoaster ride of emotions diminishes over time, and depending on your frequency of Bible study will determine you’re being on fire for Jesus or simply in a rut of apathetic indifference.

The sin nature which we all bear in our flesh is a drag on our emotions. Believers, for the most part, want to do everything right and yet many times we fail. It’s not easy to cast all the old things away, all the sinful things we were into while we were unregenerate (lost). What we’ve all had to learn is how to say no to the flesh.

The Apostle Paul was no different than any of the rest of us when it comes to overcoming the sin nature. Just look how he struggled. “For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. ...For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do,” Romans 7:15, 18-19.

Even Paul, a mighty man of faith, could not overcome the sin nature by himself. So what do we do? Continue in sin? By the end of chapter 7 Paul gives us the answer. “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? 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.” Romans 7:24-25. Our flesh is at war with our spirit, for this reason we will continue to sin. The only way to avoid sinning is to be rid of these fleshly vessels. But we won’t be separated from them until we die or we’re Raptured.

When it comes to believers, Satan has a specific agenda. His agenda is to do everything he can to disrupt the believer’s life. He does this by stealing our joy in the Lord. Before we were born again we belonged to Satan. Even though we may look like the same person on the outside, inwardly, at least, we are a changed and new creation, in Christ. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17. Obviously this new arrangement doesn’t set well with the enemy. We were Satan’s property and through a simple change of mind (belief and repentance) we now belong to God.

God sealed us with His Holy Spirit at the instant we first believed. That’s why we now belong to Him. That seal can never be broken - not by you or anyone else. All the hateful, prideful, scornful, pitiful emotions the enemy will bombard us with or that we may be laying on ourselves can’t change the fact that we have been justified in God’s eyes.

Of course the enemy of God now becomes our worst enemy ever. Becoming a new creation “In Christ” only adds fuel to the flame which is the enemy’s distain. Satan has always hated humanity, but those who belong to God are hated many times over.

The enemy is a deceiver and he’ll endeavor to convince you that you can do all the sinning you want since you aren't, and can never be, worthy to be called a son of God. If we fall for that lie we may slip back into a rebellious state standing against God until we come to the realization that it was only our enemy’s lies that we’ve been listening to.

A great example that points to a believer’s security is the parable of the prodigal son. (Jesus’ parable begins in Luke 15: 11). The story begins with a man who had two sons. The youngest grew restless and asked his father for his inheritance so he could go out and experience all that the world had to offer. His Father relents and gives the youth his inheritance and the boy goes out from his Father’s home and begins to live a riotous lifestyle, with drinking and all forms of perversions.

Finally after exhausting his entire inheritance he ends up working for a pig farmer (which for a Jew would be the lowest of low) where all he gets to eat is the pig’s leftovers. When he comes to his senses the young man returns to his Father’s home ready to plead for his Father to forgive him. What the boy didn’t understand is that even though he had left his Father’s home he never lost his Father’s love or the relationship he enjoyed by being his Father’s son. He was only out of fellowship with his Father (A place of defeat because we allow doubt and fear to rule and reign over our lives).

We read that his Father rejoiced when He saw His son approaching and He ran to welcome him back with open loving arms. This parable is proof that once we become sons of God we cannot lose our sonship; no matter how far we move away from God all believers remain forever His children.

If that boy had died in that pig sty before coming to his senses and returning home he would not have lost his sonship (salvation). Once we belong to God we are His forever. Whenever a born again believer in Christ goes through a period of rebellion he/she is only depriving themselves of God’s fellowship. Instead of living with God they are living with the pigs.

There are verses in the Bible that will haunt you if you take them out of context or if you determine their meaning to be different than what they were originally intended. Never allow anyone to tell you God can lose His grip on your soul. That person has definitely misinterpreted the scriptures. “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.” Romans 8:14. In God’s eyes a son is a son forever.

Our enemy Satan and his demonic hoard delight in erecting strongholds such as doubt and fear in a believer’s life and they are relentless in their efforts. But Paul tells us “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; 2 Corinthians 10:4.

Satan will never stop his attack on believers but the enemy strongholds can be defeated. Only through God and His word is the believer given weapons to demolish satanic strongholds. A major stronghold that the enemy will exploit is an attitude of defeatism in a believer. “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” James 4:7. The devil can’t stand it when we open our Bibles; as we begin to rely on the word of God, Satan flees.

God gave us life and He wants us to live that life abundantly. But if we live life so abundantly that we neglect God or we relegate Him to a position of insignificance, or we allow the enemy to build those strongholds over us, then we will live our life defeated instead of in the abundant love of the Lord Jesus.

It’s an understatement to say the enemy isn’t happy about your decision to follow Christ. Satan considers your change of mind as a defection from his camp. This leads to a battle over the soul of every believer. That supernatural battle rages on all around us. The enemy is outside of our plane of vision and yet he continually lobs stinging darts at us. You avoid those darts through the study of God’s word and prayer. God’s word is likened to wearing armor and the enemy has nothing in his arsenal that can penetrate it.

The process of being born again is complete and there is nothing that can add to our salvation, or for that matter detract from it. But justification is only the first part of a three part process. Next comes sanctification. This is of course God’s domain and He is fully involved. God will do His sanctifying in us and through us for the rest of our lives. God keeps us saved, we don't keep ourselves saved. That would be as impossible as saving ourselves. Lastly we’re glorified. This happens when we die. At some point after we die we will be given our new glorified bodies and we will live forever with Jesus Christ.

Don’t let anyone tell you that if you mess up and sin you can lose your salvation. That is a lie and completely non-biblical. If we are born again, we are born from God, and God doesn’t have butterfingers. He will never lose any of those He has brought to His Son. “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand.” John 10:27-29. That’s God’s promise to the believer. He knows us, we will never perish, He gives us eternal life, and He will never lose even one believer.

Lastly, and give this final point some serious thought, when Jesus died on that cross some 2,000 years ago, He did it not because He was guilty of any sin but because we are all guilty. We deserve the punishment that He endured. God died for His creation. Jesus, while hanging on that cross, looked into the future and saw every sin you and I would ever commit, and still He died for us. Man did not take our Lord’s life from Him, but God gave up His life so that we could have life.

“So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished!" And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.” John 19:30. The Greek word which Jesus speaks from the cross is “tetelesti”. In our English Bibles we read it as “It is finished”, but “tetelesti” actually means “Paid in full”. Your sins and my sins as well as the sins of the rest of the world were “Paid in full” when Jesus died on that cross. Jesus Christ defeated the enemy and sin when He died, was buried, and rose again on the third day. And all anyone must do to receive the covering Christ provided with His shed blood that day is believe.

Defeated? Not hardly.

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com

Close Encounter or Just Shock - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com

“And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.” Acts 7:56. Stephen saw a vision of Jesus just before he was stoned to death. There are many occurrences within the pages of God’s word where some have seen either an angel or a Christophony. In Stephen’s case he saw the Christ, the living Son of God the Father, in all His glory.

Many books have been written throughout the years which tell stories of those who’ve gone through a near death experience. Some of these folks claim to have seen God and some say they have even spoken with Him. In some cases these people have been declared clinically dead for a few minutes before returning to this human dimension. During that time they claim to have experienced something supernatural. Some have made rather hard to reconcile claims about having seen Heaven in all its glory and others claim to have been transported to the deepest dungeons of Hell itself, by Jesus Christ no less. Some of these stories have been so cleverly portrayed that many believe they must be true.

I’ve read many of these experiences, especially when I was a fairly new believer. I read as many books as I could get my hands on in those days, and all were written by Christians. Over the years I’ve seen the error of such books and now I understand much more about why people write books such as these. Some write about near death experiences because they know this subject is popular with the masses and they are very creative writers who can completely overwhelm the imagination of the readers. Many of these writers are only seeking after monetary gain or some other form of popularity.

But some of these authors surely believe they actually visited Heaven and Hell, or that they’ve seen Jesus in all His glory as they laid waiting for help in the middle of some automobile wreck or other catastrophe. I’m not here to argue or dismiss anyone’s near death explanation as false, only that I have doubts about some of them.

Many people use 2 Corinthians 12:2-5 as a Biblical proof text for believing in near-death experiences. However, this would be taking a lot of liberty with interpretation. They believe Paul had actually died and he found himself in heaven. But the passage does not state that Paul had died. God gave Paul a vision of heaven, so Paul did not have a near-death experience. Certainly Stephen had a near death experience since he was near death when he saw Jesus.

Other than Stephens experience the Bible is somewhat silent regarding near-death experiences, and there is no reliable scientific research to confirm such experiences, we probably shouldn’t simply accept the legitimacy of these claims on their face value. But I also believe it to be too strong to state that all near-death experiences are faked, imagined, or Satanic, but there are still serious concerns, Biblically, about the validity of many of these reported experiences.

Now that I’ve gotten that disclaimer out of the way, I would like to convey an event in my life that was a very strange occurrence to say the least. I’m not saying my story falls into the category of near death experiences, only that one fateful day I was supernaturally protected from harm. Close encounter with death, or was it something else? You be the judge.

In 1995 I went to work for a refuse company as a truck driver. Over the first few weeks I was going through some very intense training, learning to operate their equipment while being taught the route I was soon to be assigned. This particular day as my instructor and I were about halfway through my new route we had to make a quick detour to a transfer station. A transfer station is a place where trucks filled with refuse were unloaded and then other larger trucks would pick up those dumped loads and deliver them to a land fill area many miles away.

On this particular day my route trainer was driving the truck. As he brought the truck to a stop in front of one of the dumping bays he jumped out to move a backhoe that was parked in front of the bay. After moving the backhoe over to the side he climbed back into the cab of the truck and proceeded to back it into the bay. When he brought the truck to a stop again we both jumped out and went to the back of the truck to open our respective doors.

The driver opened his door first, swung it around and clamped it to the side of the truck and headed back to the cab, leaving me to do the same with my door. The problem arose when I opened my door. As soon as I had released the bar clamp which held the door shut it sprung open and hit me in the chest with a force I felt was equal to someone hitting me with a sledgehammer at full swing. My instructor had neglected to take the pressure off the load (similar to a large trash compactor), consequently all the pressure of that load was up against my door.

When the door hit me I was thrown backwards onto the top of the pile of garbage that was already lying there from a previous dump. The driver hadn’t realized I was injured and proceeded to raise the bed to dump the full load. As I was laying there in intense pain, and with all the air knocked out of me, I was unable to call for help. I watched as the front end of the dump unit rose high in the air and the back was lowered just above me. The door I had opened was swinging back and forth and that whole load of garbage was now hovering above my motionless body.

Now it’s important to understand that gravity alone should have created an unavoidable set of circumstances. I should have been buried at the bottom of a huge refuse pile. But that was not the case. As I lay there in excruciating pain fully expecting to be crushed to death, I was faced with an impossible situation. It was impossible for me to move out of harm’s way and it was impossible for that load to remain in the truck. As far as the driver was concerned, all that refuse should have been lying in a huge pile there in that bay.

Finally, after what seem like an eternity, the driver came back to the rear of the truck to ascertain the problem with the load not dumping out. When he saw me laying there under the back of that truck he picked me up and carried me out of the area where that load would eventually be dumped; that feat of strength alone coming from a man half my size can only be described as supernatural. When he laid me down again he placed me right next to the backhoe he had moved earlier and which was still running.

I was laying there in incredible pain as my instructor hurried off to call an ambulance and my wife. My wife tells me that the sound of his voice over the phone was one of extreme anxiety; he didn’t want to tell her everything. He must have thought that the spark of life which keeps us all alive was about to leave my body.

While I was laying there next to that backhoe in all that pain and with all the noise of the backhoe and the truck filling up that dump bay, I fell into what I can only suppose was a different realm of existence. Suddenly there was no pain and all the noise that had surrounded me earlier was gone. My eyes were open and I could see with perfect clarity a bright shining light before me. I didn’t hear a voice; I didn’t see a manifestation of Christ. And I’m still not saying that this experience was near death.

All I knew was I felt great with no pain at all; I was once again able to breath and felt I could even speak. I didn’t speak though, at least I don’t remember speaking, but I felt I had all my faculties. The day that this happened was very cold on the Oregon coast and yet I was now in total comfort - warm and without any pain in my chest. I didn’t have a clue as to where I was but I knew I was not lying next to that backhoe any more. The weirdest thing in my mind was that I was no longer laying down but standing. This comfort I felt was short lived.

Suddenly, quicker than a blink of the eye, I was back lying next to that backhoe, once again in extreme pain. All my senses were returned to the urgency of the moment. All the warmth I had felt was gone and I was freezing. All the noise that I had escaped from for that short period of time came back with a tremendous blast in my ears. And even though I was painfully back and in Oregon again, the only difference was I was breathing again.

The ambulance came and whisked me away to the nearest hospital. My wife met me there and she could see that I was in a lot of pain, but she was somewhat shocked when she saw me climb out of the ambulance instead of being carried on a gurney. The EMT’s took me into the emergency room where the attending physician ordered x-rays of my chest. When he got the x-rays back he was very surprised that there were no broken ribs. No internal injuries. No visible external injuries. The doctor determined I had only bruised some ribs. Surprisingly I was only laid up for a couple of weeks before returning to my job.

The garbage company fired me within a month of my return. They told me I would never learn how to operate their equipment efficiently, even though I had operated many different types of equipment for many years. I had to assume they were upset that they had to pay for an on the job injury.

Everything works out in God’s plan, and just after that accident my wife decided she needed to get back to Church; she had stopped attending church a few years before we met and was miserable during that time. Soon after that incident we began attending church together with our little girl.

It wasn’t long after that that I felt the conviction of the Holy Spirit; I prayed for Jesus to forgive me of my sins. I became a born again believer in Christ after what I suppose some might consider a near death experience. I think about that incident a lot these days as well as other incidences in my life when I came dangerously close to death. Where would I have been spending eternity if I had died that day? Thank God He kept me from severe injury and death. I thank Him daily that He has saved my soul from Hell.

Just a few years later I began to diligently read and study God’s word. Now here I am fifteen years later writing Christian apologetic commentaries. Those commentaries are read by literally thousands worldwide on a weekly basis. Could that be the reason God kept me alive through that ordeal? Is there any other reason I should be alive today other than to do God’s will and to be a light to the lost? Was my life saved that day supernaturally? Why didn’t all that garbage tumble out and bury yours truly?

A month after the accident I was in my doctor’s office for a follow up visit and I related this strange story to him. My doctor was not a believer at the time of hearing my story, and even if he was I might still have received the same response. His response was that I was probably in shock.

I’ll let you decide. God has placed us all here for a reason. He has a plan for every human being on this planet. Whether or not we ever follow His plan for our life is a decision we must all make. Was I given a special little boost on that fateful day? I must let the Bible be my guide, thus the truth of most near death experiences, in my view, will always be somewhat elusive. But God’s plan for our lives becomes clearer as we continue our walk with Him.

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
All scripture is from the KJV
 

American Sharia - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com

The title of this commentary is a complete contradiction in terms. The possibility of America and Sharia co-existing in the land of the free and the home of the brave is ludicrous. Other countries, such as England, are experimenting with this concept and are currently trying to develop a cohesive existence between their own original form of Parliamentary law and Sharia. So far it’s a disaster. A government under Sharia law cannot co-exist with any other form of government, period.

Many of our government leaders are currently conspiring to scrap the U.S. Constitution. Our Constitution has far too many restrictions on power grabbing. These government leaders must replace the Constitution of the United States with something else. Tampering with 234 years of proven success concerning our current form of government is madness. Mark my words, Sharia law will move in the moment our Constitution is moved out.

From the beginning of Obama’s first and only term in office we’ve witnessed over and over again his dishonoring of our Constitution and now he has spit on it and trampled it into the ground. Obama’s agenda is the destruction and complete elimination of our beloved and well established form of government. Why?

There can be no mistake, under a well written, proven document such as the Constitution of the United States of America, Sharia law would be impossible to implement. Don’t be fooled by what your government representatives are telling you about our Constitution being a living document, “We the People” is a Neanderthal of a concept in their eyes and at complete odds with Obama’s agenda. “We the People” must be disposed of so the ushering in of a new completely foreign form of government can take its place. I suggest it will be in the form of Sharia law.

America’s Christians have now reached that precipice in time where we are no longer compelled or commanded by God to adhere to our government’s laws. There’s no controversy surrounding a Christian’s duty to the Lord Jesus. We believers are not held to follow such a government that forces its people to participate, through the paying of taxes, in the wholesale slaughter of innocent babies while still in the womb. With the passage of the most illegal piece of legislation in America’s history, Christians have the duty to refuse to obey the laws of such a land. A majority of our elected officials mocked our Constitution, but even worse they’ve mocked God.

If you think Obama will stand behind an executive order that states there will be no government funding for abortions in this massive corruption that we just saw enacted into law you’re in for a surprise. I’m talking about the most pro-abortion president in the history of the US here folks.

If an executive order can be given it can be repealed, executive orders are not law, only Congress can enact laws. Obama will find a way for government funding of abortions to be included in this health care package or he’ll find another way to fund abortions, but let it be known he will not rest until he’s provided the abortion industry with the recourses of the federal government for full funding of this atrocity. You don’t believe me? You will and soon.

The government, through illegal means, snubbed its nose at the Constitution of America and its people and is now not only the enemy of this land but the enemy of God. As such, they can no longer demand our respect, our allegiance, or our patriotism. America as we’ve known it is waning and the socialist states of America are now the new mantra of Obama and his clan of misfits. Much evil is upon us as a nation and one way to respond is to refuse to go along.

For a long time now Christians have been wondering how their very powerful government would respond to any dissention in the ranks. What will they do with so many who refuse to toe the line? This country hasn’t enough prisons to hold all who stand against her tyrannical leadership, and I estimate there will be millions. So how will our government leaders respond to rebellion?

Obama will create a false crisis and then declare martial law. The military will be mobilized in every city to restore the peace in the land. Although Christians are for the most part peaceful, the government will determine that we Christians, as well as conservatives in general, are a huge threat to the stability of this new socialistic government. Thus we will be rounded up and locked up in detention camps just like this nation did to the Japanese Americans during WWII. It was a period of falsely created fear that moved Americans to stand against their own just because they were of a different race. This will be just one result stemming from the insanity that is now permeating our land.

The health care bill just passed by the House of Representatives and signed into law by Obama will be the catalyst that brings about the enforcement of martial law and I believe the introduction of Sharia through the eventual elimination of our Constitution. If you think the Muslims are going to pass up an opportunity to establish Sharia in America you are badly mistaken. Islam is all about world domination. They are chomping at the bit to get their foot in the door of American politics. Can you imagine what a coup that would be?

Oh you can say we will fight them in the courts, but remember who’s placing the judges in those courts. You say many states are challenging the constitutionality of this takeover of our rights. What Constitution? It’s being eliminated remember? Unless normal every day Americans make a visible public stance against this tyranny our government leadership will continue to rape our land and destroy our rights. Only 30 percent of America wanted this legislation to pass. Who were the democratic representatives listening to? Obama/Pelosi.

“Resistance to tyrants is obedience to God” –Thomas Jefferson. Is the United States of America still known as “One Nation under God”? Or have we capitulated to the enemy? We’ve just seen 219 democratic representatives doing just that.

Where will we go from here if Obama and his minions of evil are allowed to continue unabated? What recourse will be available to us if we continue to do little or nothing to stem the tide of what can only be referred to as, and I’ll put this as delicately as I can, the castration of the masses? We, as a once free people, are being systematically subdued. Sharia law will be Hell to believers in Christ if we are still here and being ruled by this evil. For those who decide to recite the following oath though “Allah is god and Muhammad is his messenger”, no problem.

America is on her way to resembling Hell on earth under this man who thinks He’s the messiah god. Christianity is out and the new religion of the land is approaching. We are all being set up for a huge fall. Obama’s intentions are clear. The replacement of our Constitution with his new socialistic agenda of spreading the wealth can certainly mean that eventually the enactment of Sharia will become the law of the land. The Constitution, in Obama’s mind, cannot be salvaged; it must be tossed out with the garbage. Watch for Sharia law to be introduced as the only viable alternative to the growing trend to obsolescence of our current Constitution.

Something evil this way comes. We’re witnessing the creation of a brainwashed bunch of lap dogs, a society being prepared to be ruled by Sharia law. Christianity is the antithesis of Sharia law. They simply cannot co-exist.

The following is an excerpt from American Thinker website:

Any review of the implementation of Sharia law anywhere in the world (or of Sharia itself) shows it to be brutal, cruel, misogynistic, anti-free speech, supremacist, anti-democratic, and anti-freedom of religion among its many unpleasant qualities.

Sharia law is derived from the Koran, Sira, and Hadith, the three foundational documents of Islam. Sharia law therefore has the authority of both Allah and Mohammed, as it is the codification of their commands and the words, deeds, and example of the prophet. American support of this barbaric "legal system" anywhere on this planet is folly.

Sharia law is antithetical to American concepts of freedom and democracy. There is no overlap whatever between American concepts of decency and justice and Sharia law. Among the horrors of Sharia are death for criticism of Islam, death for leaving Islam, dhimmitude (protection) for non-Muslims living under Sharia, the near impossibility of rape victims to prove rape, wife-beating, child marriage, unequal rights for women, no legal rights for non-Muslims, and the subjugation of women. The list of Sharia's horrors is lengthy and disturbing.

Under Sharia law, there is no "retaliation" by the Islamic state against a Muslim who kills a non-Muslim for whatever reason. Can there be a more barbarous "legal" system that is more overtly opposed to our own concepts of right/wrong, good/evil, decency/barbarism, and justice/injustice? No American who loves our Constitution and the freedoms guaranteed under it should accept Sharia law.

I preach Christ and Him crucified, I stand on the inerrant word of God. That’s good, that’s real good but an evil is coming that will preclude your preaching Christ and using the Bible. Under Sharia law you will be forced to preach from the Koran if you’re going to do any preaching at all.

Obama made the statement that shocked many American Christians last year, but was for the most part dismissed by the media. He said that America is no longer a Christian Nation. That statement, my friends, is so telling. He must believe that America was at one time a Christian Nation to say that it has now lost that designation. It’s a set up folks.

Another tyrant, Adolf Hitler, made some interesting quotes. Some of the more famous quotes include “Make the lie big, make it simple, keep saying it, and eventually they will believe it” and “How fortunate for leaders that men do not think” lastly “All propaganda has to be popular and has to accommodate itself to the comprehension of the least intelligent of those whom it seeks to reach”. Then there’s my quote, “If America doesn’t wake up soon we’re doomed.”

Side note:
Our government leaders know that Americans can get passionate when it comes to their rights being trampled, but they also know that that passion is short lived. Time diminishes passion and our leaders are more prepared to wait out the inevitable decline of passion among their particular constituency. Sooner than later American’s for the most part return to their normal daily lives, and all too quickly resolve to adapt to the new regulations. After all that’s why we elect representatives right? So we can just forget politics and leave the law making to the politicians because they know best.

Obama is Muslim, plain and simple, and has been since birth. He can quote the Koran from memory. Go to Google and type in “Obama and the Koran”. There are videos posted on YouTube that clearly show our president in his element. For those of us who are fully aware of Islam’s agenda to conquer the world for allah (Satan), this Obama character becomes even scarier.

Obama was raised in Indonesia and went to a Muslim school where he was fully indoctrinated with the mentality of the Muslims through the teaching of the Koran. The Koran teaches that a Muslim can lie when it promotes the Islamic cause, especially politically. Obama routinely participated in daily prayer vigils at his Muslim school, yet he lies that he rarely attended prayer time. Muslim children growing up in a Muslim society and attending a Muslim school are not given the option of attending prayer sessions. They attend, period. We all know he lies. Transparency in government? Liar. Americans are to be given five days to read any new legislation from the time he receives it to the time he signs it? Liar. He signed this new monstrosity within 36 hours of receiving it.

Obama has admitted how he loves to hear Islam’s call to prayer; he stated that “It’s the most beautiful sound in the world”. Wow, as a professed Christian I would have thought possibly Amazing Grace might have fit that bill better. And when it comes to the Bible, which all Christians should be adhering to, he either misquotes it or disparages it, which, by the way, is how Satan uses scriptures.

Obama canceled the National Day of Prayer breakfast 2009 but praises Muslims on their day of prayer.

"The National Day of Prayer, first designated by President Truman and made permanent by President Reagan, was celebrated by an ecumenical service in the White House by President George W. Bush every first Thursday in May.

This will no longer be the case. President Obama, apparently listening to complaints by atheists and others who hold that holding a religious service, no matter how inclusive, constitutes an official endorsement of religion, has canceled the National Day of Prayer service (White House observance)."

Mark Whittington - www.associatedcontent.com

The list of anti-American sentiments stemming from this man’s own mouth is staggering. Folks, Obama isn’t a traitor to America; he would need to be a citizen of the US to be labeled a traitor. But he is a usurper of power. Obama is a wolf in sheep’s clothing when it comes to his faith in Christ. His love for this nation and his respect for humanity are all nonexistent. He couldn’t care less about the American people. This agenda he’s embarked on is all about him, his Muslim faith, and Sharia law. Islam is a religion of peace. Ha! Christians might give their enemies a headache by witnessing to them, but Islam removes the heads of its enemies.

Heath care? Not on your life. This new law will give him (Obama) the farthest reaching power of any president in our history, far past the restraints preserved in our Constitution, and he will see it orchestrated to fully adhere to his agenda, pushing Americans to the brink of despair. We might see another revolution in this country, but I doubt it. Americans have become so docile, (like castrated animals) living the life of Riley that we’ll all probably just sit back and wait for the train (Sharia Law) to run us down.

What can we do then? Well most importantly pray, my brethren, of course, “Pray without ceasing.” 1 Thessalonians 5:17. The power in prayer is so undervalued these days, but God is listening. He longs to hear His children’s prayers; He wants us to trust Him in all things. Pray God will intervene on behalf of His children. And by all means we must become fearless for Christ.

"The more prominent you are in Christ's service, the more certain are you to be the butt of calumny [slander]. I have long ago said farewell to my character. I lost it in the earlier days of my ministry by being a little more zealous than suited a slumbering age. And I have never been able to regain it except in the sight of Him who judges all the earth, and in the hearts of those who love me for my work's sake." –C.H. Spurgeon

How prophetic of Spurgeon. “A slumbering age”, isn’t that where many Christians are today? Wake up America and follow God in all His precepts and stop the insanity of following a corrupt government down that wide path that leads to destruction. “We the People” must fight back against tyrants and all those who turned a blind eye and ear to the voice of the majority of Americans last Sunday by voting to bring on the further implementation of the destruction of our Constitution. You may not believe me, but I believe as Rush Limbaugh does “we are hanging by a thread”.

If our Constitution is still a viable document in November we have an opportunity to make our stand against the evil agenda of the Christian impostor sitting in our White House by voting. Then we must remain ever vigilant to never allow someone like Obama (to be voted out in 2012) or those 219 democrats (to be voted out in 2010) that voted yes last Sunday to ever gain a foothold in American politics again. But there remains a long, almost infinite period of time between now and November and a lot of damage can and will be done by those who wish to rid us of our current Constitution. Hence the implementation of Sharia.

You think I’m a wacko, out there in cyber space somewhere without a clue? Possibly, but just in case you’re wrong, you might want to begin a routine of reciting the Islamic oath I placed above, unless of course you’re going to stand up for Jesus our true Messiah.

Remember the queen of hearts in Alice in Wonderland and her famous and continual quote “Off with their heads”? Obviously she was Muslim.

Do you enjoy your freedom? It was fun while it lasted wasn’t it?

God help us all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
All scripture is from the KJV
 

What About the Children - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com

“Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.” Psalm 51:5. Frequently I’m asked to give an answer to what many perceive to be a very difficult question. “Will the innocent children be caught up with the rest of Christ’s Church at the rapture?” First we must reconcile the concept of children being innocent. David recognized that even at conception, he was a sinner. In the discussion regarding the age of accountability we must first understand that there is none without sin, “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:” Romans 3:10. Children, no matter how young, are not “innocent” in the sense of being sinless. Adam’s sin condemns us all from the time we are conceived.

Should the flood of Noah’s day be our guide to determine whether or not children will be included in the rapture? This would be a faulty concept indeed and can in no wise determine the rapture status of children today. How can the children who existed just prior to the flood of Noah be compared to today’s children? In regards to what went on previous to the flood that destroyed the world there is certainly much more explanation needed concerning most of earth’s inhabitants including the children who perished at that time.

“The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth. And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.” Genesis 6:11-13. There’s no doubt that the whole earth, save Noah and his family, were corrupt. That means the children also. It must be understood that there were very evil things going on in those days which many theologians refuse to come to grips with. The intense pure evil associated with the days of Noah prior to the flood cannot be overstated. Are we currently living in evil times? Absolutely. But nothing we’re currently witnessing can compare with what transpired before the flood.

Over the years, many Bible teachers have corrupted the text of Genesis 6 by adding their own flawed interpretation of those verses. Nowadays believers are taught that the mingling of the “sons of God” and the “daughters of men” were simply two different people groups. They try to tell us that the decedents of Seth are the “sons of God” and the daughters of Cain are the “daughters of men” and that these two groups of humans are responsible for all the pervasive evil that occurred prior to the flood. How? Just through co-habituation? Apparently, according to those who corrupt of the text, the sons of Seth were these perfect human men and the daughters of Cain were sinners, and through the union of these two people types we’re to conclude they corrupted the entire world and God had to destroy it. Huh?

Come on people, humans when matched up with other humans give birth to more humans and sometimes through these unions little monsters are brought forth, but they are not monstrous. Since all people are sinners and sooner or later sinners marry other sinners we can deduce that more sinners will be created through the union of two sinners. The translation of Genesis 6 using perfect Sethite descendents and the imperfect daughters of Cain is most assuredly a corruption of the text. Moreover, anyone who teaches this corrupt doctrine is a false teacher. Be careful who you follow; if they are wrong here in Genesis 6 undoubtedly they will err in other areas of the Bible.

Naturally people weren’t very receptive to angels taking wives of all they chose so it was inevitable that some tickling of the ears had to take place. God did not send a flood to rid the world of sinners but to rid the world of the evil seed created by these fallen angels. Because of their intrusion into the world, and ultimately what they did with human women, humanity had to be destroyed. The seed of these angels created a race of something so horrifying and evil and so completely pervasive that God had no choice but to destroy all of that corruption. The children that were produced from this angel/human sexual activity, if you can even call them children, were gigantic monstrous creatures the Bible refers to as the Nephilim.

Today we’re witnessing children born into families who have no concept of morality. Certainly we’ve seen at least some of these little monsters growing into adulthood oblivious of love and compassion, many endeavoring to seek out a “whatever feels good” type of existence. The path that leads to evil is the easiest, widest, and most traveled path and we can see many a young folks sprinting off in that direction. Many children turn to a life filled with evil and many are bent on carrying out horrible acts of destruction, but as the old saying goes “You ain’t seen nothin’ yet”.

The evil seed planted to corrupt humanity prior to the flood of Noah will come again in the last days and is very probably at its inception even now. “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.” Matthew 24:21. As already mentioned Noah and his family were spared, but why? Why did God spare Noah and his family? The text tells us that “Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.” Genesis 6:9. The Bible tells us that Noah’s gene pool was not corrupt but it does not say anything about the women other then God telling Noah to bring them along. “But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons' wives with thee.” Genesis 6:18. Anything I would say to answer this question would be sheer speculation and so I’ll leave it like this, God knew exactly what He was doing.

“But of the cities of these people, which the LORD thy God doth give thee for an inheritance, thou shalt save alive nothing that breatheth: But thou shalt utterly destroy them; namely, the Hittites, and the Amorites, the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee: That they teach you not to do after all their abominations, which they have done unto their gods; so should ye sin against the LORD your God.” Deuteronomy 20:16-18. God commanded the Hebrews over and over again to completely wipe out whole cities and societies sparing none that breathe (men, women, and children) everything right down to the last animal was to be destroyed. Why would God want even the children and the animals wiped out? Because the same evil incursion that had transpired prior to the flood was once again raising its ugly head.

“There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that...” Genesis 6:4. Even after the flood of Noah, Satan continued with his attempts to sow a “virus” among the genetic pool of mankind. The Bible refers many times to other occurrences of giants in the land. One such occurrence is the story of David killing Goliath, others include Numbers 13:33, Deuteronomy 2:11 & 20, 3:11 &13, Joshua 12:4, 13:12, 15:8, 17:15, 18:16.

The various people groups mentioned above had allowed themselves to become corrupted once again, just like in Genesis 6, and thus God saw all the evil that threatened humanity before the flood occurring again and He knew He had to act to once again sideline Satan and disrupt his evil plans.

Chuck Missler www.khouse.org and Jack Kelly www.gracethrufaith.com both have great studies on the Nephilim and the corruption that took place which is referred to in the book of Genesis chapter 6. What happened to the offspring of the evil union of angels and human women has nothing to do with children today who are born from normal human parents, especially in regards to the Rapture.

Christ’s death is sufficient for all of mankind. “And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” John 2:2. This verse is clear that Jesus’ death was sufficient for all sins, not just the sins of those who specifically have come to Him in faith. The fact that Christ’s death was sufficient for all sin would allow the possibility of God applying that payment to those who were never capable of coming to a believing faith in Christ, such as children who died before reaching the age of accountability.

This is, of course, conjecture on my part because the Bible does not specifically say that He does this. Therefore, this very subject falls into a category of things we aren’t told and which we can’t know for certain this side of Heaven. God’s applying Christ’s death to those who cannot believe would seem consistent with His love and mercy. It is my position that God applies Christ's payment for sin to young children and those who are mentally handicapped, since they were not mentally capable of understanding their sinful state and their need for a Savior, but we should not be dogmatic. Certainly, God is loving, holy, merciful, just, and gracious. So anything He does is always right and good.

Therefore it is my opinion that all children who have not reached the age of accountability prior to the Rapture of Christ’s Church will not be left behind. The parents, if they are believers, will go in the Rapture along with their children. But those parents who aren’t believers in Christ will be left childless and heartbroken because when the Rapture occurs their children (who have not yet reached the age of accountability) will instantaneously disappear along with the rest of the raptured believers in Christ.

The following verse is to me the qualifying verse that alludes to children who have not reached that accountability age going to heaven. “But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.” 2 Samuel 12:23. The story of David’s son by Bathsheba dying is sad indeed, but what does David say to his servants who ask him why, after the boy died, he no longer mourned? You can see from David’s answer that he was sure that he (David) would see his son again in Heaven.

“And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 18:2-4. Jesus puts a lot of emphases on little children in these verses. Although He is referring to our need to humble ourselves, He uses a child to demonstrate His message. We can learn a lot about the nature of our Savior God from these three verses.

God is gracious and just, He will not allow the children who are still under the age of accountability, and who He plainly lifts up as an example to us in the scriptures, to be left behind and to go through the horrible time of the Great Tribulation.

The question remains, will you be caught up with your children? Think about it.

God bless all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
All scripture is from the KJV
 

How Can They Be So Blind - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com

“Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.” 1 Corinthians 2:12. Through the Holy Spirit of God we are given discernment, an ability to grasp the meaning of the scriptures. On the other hand, the spirit of this world keeps many people blinded to the truth. Not the blindness associated with normal eyesight mind you, but rather a blindness that affects the ability to see the things of God. Why do so many allow the god of this world to claim dominion over their lives?

“Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth...” 1 Corinthians 2:13. The Holy Spirit that dwells in every born again believer teaches us the things of God. Without the Spirit of God people are unable to learn much about Him or His ways. We believers can do our best to teach the lost and we should, although it’s not through man’s wisdom that they will come to any real understanding of who God is, but through His Holy Spirit.

“But the natural 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.” 1 Corinthians 2:14. The world will not receive the teaching of the Holy Spirit unless they first become born again. They will only consider the things of God as foolishness because the things of God are learned through the Spirit of God. That’s why God is so intent on His children learning His word. But the lost, on the other hand, are not in a mode of learning about God or His word. They’re lost and must first be convicted by His Holy Spirit to believe the truth over the enemy’s lies.

Although God loves them, the rest of the world won’t really understand who He is until they come out of their rebellion (remove the blinders). Even though this blindness can be effective in keeping people in darkness it doesn’t have to be final. All of humanity has a choice to make, which is whether or not to stay in the dark (blind) or to open their eyes to the truth.

Satan is, of course, the god of this world. He has placed himself in that position of self-perceived prominence and as such he defends his fallen state with all tenacity. Satan has provided all the lies that convince people to put on the blinders and to keep them on. Although the mentality of the lost world is to go with the flow, join the crowd, and to remain mentality in a state of denial, that tendency to reject the truth can be overcome. In his first epistle the Apostle John speaks of those who have overcome the enemy. “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: 1 John 4:4. Everyone can, if they so chose, overcome the enemies lies.

“But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.” 1 Corinthians 2:15. The natural man cannot spiritually determine God’s will for his life. Furthermore, the natural man can’t really acknowledge the existence of Satan or that of his demonic hoard because he hasn’t been given the ability to judge all things spiritual. Satan and the demons are in a spiritual realm that exists only as fantasy in the minds of most of his blind followers. And yes, the lost are Satan’s followers whether they want to acknowledge that truth or not.

On the other hand, the spiritual man is empowered through God’s Holy Spirit to recognize God’s Kingdom and His glory. We know Satan is no fantasy, we know he exists. We know that our lives are constantly under attack from an invisible but real spiritual world of demonic beings. Through knowing God’s word we learn how to avoid the traps set down by those demonic hoards. Without the Holy Spirit of truth enlightening us and empowering us we too would be as blind as the rest of the lost in this world.

As the natural man lives his life in the enemy’s camp, Satan feeds him more lies so his life is filled with a continual barrage of deception. The longer a person stays in the enemy’s camp the harder it will be to come out and join the saved. Why do these people believe Satan over God? They prefer to. The agnostic will tell you “You can’t prove God exists.” This attitude is simply a denial of the truth.

“Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:” Romans 1:18-20. God has given everyone the ability to see Him through His creation. It’s sad to realize that those who won’t believe are only condemning themselves as they continue in their spiritual blindness.

This blindness that Satan imparts unto the lost is akin to his being their life guide. It’s Satan’s agenda to keep everyone he can in that state of spiritual blindness so they can’t see the light of Christ. With blinders in place, as these folks look at God’s creation they may see a form of beauty but they don’t attribute that beauty to God the Creator, but to Satan the evolutionist. These folks don’t actually attribute evolution to Satan, oh no. The lost believe it was their PhD scientists that discovered this phenomenon not realizing Satan was and still is behind the Darwinian theories of evolution as well as the big bang lie. The blind believe in evolution because that’s what Satan pushes and since he is their spiritual guide they believe him over God.

As long as people reject God our Creator and Savior they must place their hope of the future in the only tangible thing they can come up with. That tangible is a self-reliance attitude which is, simply put, the reliance on one’s self for everything and which is satanic to the core. The lost are wholly reliant on themselves or government for provisions and sustenance. And when they die, they believe that’s the end. Lights out there’s nothing else.

Through spiritual blindness people have assured themselves that there is no Heaven or Hell so there’s no eternal existence after death and thus there’s nothing to be concerned about, live as you want to live. On the other hand some believe in Heaven, but not Hell. With this mindset everyone gets into Heaven no matter what they believe.

Satan is undoubtedly quite proud of his mastery when it comes to convincing the spiritually blind that there are many paths to Heaven. When Satan comes in contact with someone who really feels the need to believe in a god, he will take a different route than with atheist and agnostics. He’ll enlist the help of false teachers of which there are many willing to step in and guide the spiritually blind away from Christ as the one true way to the Father and show them all the different paths which, as we believers all know, lead not to Heaven but to Hell.

Believers know God because it’s His good pleasure that we know Him and that we continue in a loving relationship with Him. He reveals Himself to us, to teach us His ways and to provide for us. He does this through His Holy Spirit. Now that we have the Holy Spirit sealed within us, acknowledging Jesus Christ as our Creator and Redeemer makes perfect sense. But a Redeemer of mankind, a God who would die for His creation is a foolhardy concept indeed to the natural man’s blind belief system. Satan has achieved great success in this arena.

So what must one do to remove the blinders and get out of the clutches of God’s enemy? “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved,” Acts 16:31. Pretty simple huh? Yet many will still reject the simplicity of that verse. Blinders attached to the satanic realm can’t be removed any other way. God did not design stumbling blocks into His free gift of salvation. Nor did He make salvation difficult to understand.

Enter Heaven by Jesus Christ or condemn yourself to Hell, there’s no simpler way to put it. There is nothing easier than believing in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation. “He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” John 3:18. That name is Jesus Christ, not Buddha, Allah or his prophet Mohammad, the Virgin Mary, or the New Age god or goddess Maitreya. Or any other fictitious named god or co-redemtrix that lost man can conceive of.

The simplicity of the Gospel of Christ flies in the face of the natural man’s ability to make sound judgments in relation to his blinded mind. I’ve heard those still wearing blinders profess “It just can’t be that simple. There must be more to it.” And so off they go adjusting their blinders as they continue to stumble along in unbelief.

Saying yes to Jesus is not difficult. We make it difficult through our own presuppositions of who God is. Instead of allowing the Holy Spirit to guide us into the knowledge of God, many presume God is in everything and that all one must do is to go out and commune with nature to experience Him. So instead of belief in His only begotten Son, their communing becomes a feel good experience with nothing, or a burning in the bosom as the Mormons put it. This too is another tactic of Satan’s to form fit the lost with the blinders he’s so effectively created. A quote from a brother who recently visited me was so appropriate for this commentary I had to include it here. “Satan will lead you as close as possible to the truth without losing you to salvation.” Amen to that brother.

But God is not a rock or a tree, and what He did to bring eternal salvation to His creation is beyond our full comprehension. What God went through allowing His only begotten Son to die in our stead must have hurt Him horribly. And the excruciating pain that Jesus went through on that cross we can’t even imagine. Jesus knew, before the foundation of the world, that His Father would require the ultimate sacrifice to be carried out. And even though He prayed to His Father that if there was any other way for mankind to be saved that that cup might pass from Him, He knew His Fathers will would be accomplished. “And he was withdrawn from them about a stone's cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.” Luke 22:41- 42. There is no other way.

“But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” 2 Corinthians 4:3 - 4. If folks persist in their rejection of the truth which is rebellion to God even after all that has been explained, then God will allow those who reject Him to have their way. He doesn’t want a bunch of robots and He won’t demand our love. He won’t interfere with an individual’s rejection of Him and that’s the truth.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16. God loved His creation so much that He made a salvation provision for us, a way out of the most horrible eternity ever imagined. God provided Himself as a sacrifice for all. “God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering:” Genesis 22:8. And He did, “And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” 1 John 2:2. Jesus Christ is the propitiation for all sin. That, my friends, is pure love. Satan, on the other hand, hates all humanity and wants nothing more than to deceive all into holding on to the blinders (lies) he’s promoted throughout time so they can join him in his place of torment for eternity.

Are you one of Satan’s followers still wearing those blinders to your own destruction? If so, you’ve just been enlightened with the only way to avoid that one way ticket to Hell. Jesus Christ is the only way to the Father. Believe that truth and the blinders will fall off immediately. You will see clearly and the Holy Spirit will teach you what you need to know from that point on. “I was blind, but now I see.” You will too.

On the other hand… wait, there is no other hand. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved,” Acts 16:31. Father, how can they be so blind?

God bless you all, and pass it on.

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
All scripture is from the KJV
 

The Days were Filled with Guns and Wars - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com

“And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.” Matthew 24:6. Just as Jesus told us, the last days would be filled with wars and rumors of wars and they are. No one can dispute that prophecy. Most nations now days have some very impressive armaments and most are fully into saber rattling. Is there any doubt in anyone’s mind that one or more of these nations “psychotic leaders” will launch their nukes one day very soon?

In the verse above, Jesus was speaking to four of His disciples and was unfolding for them and us the events leading up to earth’s final days. Wars and rumors of wars were something we would hear of but the end wouldn’t be just yet. Some look at these rumors as non-events in our day, but not long ago it would have been impossible to hear of the current saber rattling on a worldwide scale. Now we hear about it daily and instantaneously.

“For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.” Matthew 24:7- 8. Jesus goes on to explain that there are other signs to watch for that would occur on planet earth before His return. Mankind has witnessed these signs Jesus spoke of for quite some time now but they are increasing in frequency and intensity just like the labor pains that come upon a pregnant woman immediately preceding delivery As a matter of fact some might say she’s overdue.

Every day brings about more fears as to who will push that proverbial button, and launch their nukes first. How much longer before the end? Folks the end is in sight. To be sure, everything is winding down to that day of deliverance. Even though we see signs that indicate nukes will be launched in the near future there are many other events Jesus spoke about in Matthew 24 of which people would become acutely aware of during the last few years on planet earth.

Although Jesus is speaking to His Jewish disciples, He’s also addressing the people who aren’t believers at the time of the Rapture, which means Jews and Gentiles alike. Those left after the Rapture will be horribly and adversely affected by all those things Jesus spoke about. Imagine if you will, earthquakes much more devastating than they are now. Hundreds of earthquakes are currently running in the power range of 5 to 6 on the Richter scale and occasionally (but not often) they hit the 7 to 8 range. But how often do the earthquakes push to 9.0 or above on the Richter scale? Think of the devastation on planet earth if they were all 9.0 or better. The United States Geological Survey, or USGS, has tracked hundreds of earthquakes and aftershocks from the recent quake in Chile. What damage would have occurred on planet earth if those quakes had all been at the 9.0 range? What if they were occurring simultaneously all over the planet (in diverse places)? There would be no place on planet earth where one could hide from the devastation.

Jesus also speaks about pestilences. What about infectious diseases more widespread than what we currently experience or have ever experienced in the history of mankind. A disheartening news report recently spoke of tuberculosis coming back with a vengeance and being completely immune to any drug used previously to contain its spread. Imagine pestilences spreading like wildfire with no hope of any cure or vaccine ever being developed let alone distributed. And as in the case of the earthquakes there would be no place on planet earth where people could go and avoid the suffering.

Famines of course are terrible and devastating, claiming many lives and we’ve certainly seen the occurrence of such over recent years in various nations around the globe. But just as devastating would not only be those famines of food and water, but famines of God’s word. Just imagine if you will, the Bible, as we know it, being taken out of circulation in every country. How could such a thing happen, you might ask? Here’s something currently being advanced in today’s culture. I read recently about new Bibles being designed and promoted that will change God’s word to read completely politically correct. Just one example of this change is that the book of Revelation will be eliminated all together. Think of it, the inerrant word of God as we now know it gone, taken away. All that would be left is a horribly watered down contrivance of the original document with no Gospel message and no power at all to change lives.

Nation against nation. Could this mean the internal strife among people of the same nation, now that’s something we could conceivably see taking place in the not so distant future even here in the US. There is currently a ground swell of a revolutionary mindset exploding upon the scene and if we aren’t careful it could lead us into a second civil war. Conceivably, many more people would die this time around if this were to come about. The numbers would make the Haitian earthquake pale in comparison.

Along with Jesus’ Church the whole world is currently experiencing the beginnings of sorrows. Much of the evil things currently being promoted on this planet are aimed specifically at harming Christ’s Church. Evil prevails in every venue and it’s impossible to be unaffected by its continual appearance on the scene. Please be aware, if you are like me and you stand firm on God’s inerrant and literal word you will soon come under intense persecution even from the brethren.

We’re seeing so much misery and death currently being openly displayed that many people have begun to do the only thing they seem capable of doing to protect themselves against the depravity encircling the globe. They build walls around their lives so that the prevailing climate of evil and hatred will not penetrate their world. These walls they build will grow calluses on their hearts and cover over any remaining love for their fellow man. Then they sit back and wait for better times to materialize.

Here’s a news flash. Better times aren’t going to materialize until Jesus returns. This world is only going to experience further inclinations towards depravity. The second law of thermodynamics which is referred to in the scientific community as entropy teaches us that truth. Entropy is explained in laymen’s terms as a process of moving from order to disorder. At one time the human race was supernaturally ordered. In other words, when God finished His creation there was no occurrence of entropy. But since the introduction of sin into God’s economy and the subsequent curse and fall, the enemy of mankind has been hard at work ensuring entropy runs its full course. This world is becoming more disordered and thus depraved every day. This scenario, which included the introduction of entropy into God’s creation, is exactly what Satan had dreamed of accomplishing since he introduced Eve to his most famous lies way back in the Garden of Eden.

All the warnings which Jesus gave to His disciples in Matthew 24 are coming about now. Nations are mostly run by men who for the most part have cold and deceitful hearts. This influx of entropy is the catalyst the enemy uses in turning men’s hearts away from God and His love and toward depravity.

Men have been going forth conquering and to conquer for thousands of years. What’s new about this day and age is that in these end times we’re experiencing, many nations (being run by men with very depraved hearts) standing on the precipice of destroying earth with the idea that with their big guns they can rule supreme over the entire world.

Wickedness abounds and there’s no hiding a wicked heart which is bent on destroying others. We see it from nations such as North Korea and Iran to name just two. These two dominate the headlines these days because they are both governed by rogue and satanically controlled men. Both men seem to be chomping at the bit to destroy other nations. North Korea wants to destroy the US. Iran wants to destroy Israel and the US. Both have very big guns and both nations are run by men who are psychotic.

Can we, the rest of humanity, expect one of these men to go to the extreme and push that fatal button? Analysts say “It’s just a matter of time”. I read a report recently in which the writer claimed that we could expect something catastrophic within the next three months. With all the saber rattling currently being witnessed today, he may be right.

Here in the US the man who claims the title of commander in chief (not capitalized because it’s his claim not mine) is currently scaling back on our military and our big guns to appease our enemies. Let’s see if we can understand his strategy. We have had years of relative peaceful co-existence with all those who would like to see us either destroyed or conquered. But now, in the name of peace, we will drop our guard for that of a greater unified cooperation. All the while the two rogue nations mentioned above are thoroughly arming themselves as we disarm. Our other enemies, such as Russia and China, are also arming themselves to the hilt. So we drop our weapons, raise our hands high in the air, and give up in the name of peace? And that will stop our enemies from destroying us or invading our shores and placing us under their control? If that scenario wasn’t so absurd it would be laughable. You can bet our enemies are laughing.

Neighbors and friends, this psychotic episode in the history of the US might just be the straw that breaks the back of America. But that really isn’t what this commentary is all about.

There will be wars. There will be despots taking advantage of others whenever and wherever possible. All that is currently coming to pass in this world was prophesied in the Bible thousands of years ago. This evil march to the ultimate stage of entropy is biblical. God says it will happen but that He will put an end to all the evil in this world when He returns.

The problem as I see it is there really isn’t much time remaining for us to be about our Father’s business. If Obama is successful in his attempts at change, then the US could very well cease to be a force in spreading the Gospel worldwide. If we continue to allow Obama to have his way we will see the US come to that end. Other nations will follow suit as they always have. The Gospel message could soon become quite rare.

It’s exciting to watch this end game scenario of God’s materialize before our eyes. Just knowing everything God said would happen in the last days is true is encouraging. This generation is incredibly blessed as we are able to watch in amazement and awe the unfolding of major biblical prophecies. And yet it’s more than a little frightening. Why frightening? How many people do you know personally who are currently not believers in Christ? What about those in your immediate family and your close friends you go hunting with who have rejected the truth of the Gospel for years. Perhaps today is the day they well heed the Holy Spirit’s convicting message, and maybe a simple word or two from you will help them see the truth and make a change in their eternal destiny from Hell to Heaven.

Knowing the time is upon us and that Jesus stands at the door, the door of every heart, the burden on our own saved hearts for our lost relatives and friends should be so great that fear for their lost souls should become the motivating factor in our lives.

No need to sit around fretting about some despot with big guns who is bent on ushering in Armageddon. Instead, let’s toss away that callus covering over our hearts and dig out from that sand hill where we have our heads buried. Let’s stand firm in our faith while we continue to spread the Gospel of Christ throughout all nations while we are able and as we anticipate Jesus’ soon return for His Church. Because these last days are filled with rumors of guns and wars, and someday they will no longer be rumors, but a horrible reality.

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
All scripture is from the KJV
 

Evil Days Ahead - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com

Jesus said, “But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” Matthew 24:37-39. Even though the people of Noah’s day were marrying and giving in marriage, eating and drinking, and going about their daily lives, these activities were not the cause of the flood. So what was the cause and how will that affect us here on this planet when it hits again?

Although Jesus didn’t go into great detail about what had transpired in the world prior to the great flood of Noah’s day, God does go into a lot more detail in various passages throughout His word. We can be assured, through Jesus’ words, that the conditions on earth just before His Second Advent will be just as they were in the days of Noah and before the flood occurred, which as we all know carried away all but eight people to their destruction. Our Lord Jesus saw the characteristics of Noah’s day and made no distinction between that evil period of time and the evil period that is on a collision course with earth and mankind’s final days.

I heard many commentators repeat the verses above and basically as they speak about the last days they express their opinion thusly: Everything will be business as usual. So, I ask the question, will it?

What was going on in Noah’s day was not normal or business as usual. At least not in what many today would consider a normal business day. Let’s just take a peek at what God tells us was the goings on in Noah’s day.

“And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them,” Genesis 6:1. This verse plainly speaks of an exploding population. The word multiply comes from the Hebrew word “rahab” which means to be or become many. In Psalm chapter 144 verse 13 the same Hebrew word is translated “ten thousands”. So just as earth’s population is exploding today, some six billion people strong and counting, so it was in the days of Noah. But why flood the earth? Certainly not because men began to multiply. Even in the verse above we’re given no indication as to why God would annihilate earth’s inhabitants with a flood.

“That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.” Genesis 6:2. Now we begin to see some indication as to why God was displeased. The phrase “sons of God” is clearly seen as referring to angelic creatures. We find this phrase three other times in the Old Testament. “Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them.” Job 1:6. “Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD...” Job 2:1. “When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy” Job 38:7.

The translators of the Septuagint (Hebrew text translated into Greek) referred to the “sons of God” as “angels.” Unlike many today, these scholars certainly weren’t confused with the term “sons of God” nor were they trying to remain politically correct in their translation. Obviously the phrase “sons of God” is in no way referring to the descendents of Seth cohabitating with the daughters of Cain, which is what many believe. Thus what occurred there in Genesis 6 was clearly a demonic, sexual perversion, which God was not pleased with.

These demonic fallen angels somehow (we’re not told how) had sexual relations with human women of all they chose. Okay, let’s stop here for a moment. Before we progress any further we need to address what Jesus tells us in Matthew’s Gospel about angels and marriage. “For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven.” Matthew 22:30. Keeping within the context of the conversation here in Matthew we can plainly see that Jesus, after being confronted with a question from those who only wanted to trip Him up, answered thusly. “Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.” Matthew 22:29. Jesus, nowhere in the scriptures tells us that angels can’t get married or have sexual intercourse, only that they don’t participate in such behaviors in Heaven nor will man when he reaches Heaven. That’s because there’s no further need for procreation once we get to Heaven. Thus we will be as the angels of God in Heaven.

Now that that’s cleared up let’s get back to the case in point. The fallen angels who participated in this abomination took them (women) as they chose. The verse doesn’t say they went to the fathers of the women and asked for their hand in marriage. No, these demonic beings took them, forcefully. Remember the verse states “and they took them wives of all which they chose.” This was all part of Satan’s agenda designed to corrupt the gene pool so the Messiah, and Savior of the world couldn’t come, because He would never come from such corrupted men. This whole supernatural phenomenon was an abomination to God and He was sorely displeased. Except for Noah and his immediate family, the entire planet took part in this perversion.

“And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.” Genesis 6:3. We must consider the fact that God tells us right up front that He was only giving man another 120 years. In other words planet earth had already reached the point of no return and yet God gave them another 120 years to come to their senses, even though He knew they wouldn’t.

“There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.” Genesis 6:4. To understand this verse correctly it must be understood that the sons of God (fallen angels) had sexual relations with human women and the women bore children. The offspring of this most unholy union created a race of beings commonly referred to as Nephilim. They were huge creatures mighty in power and well known in that day as completely corrupt and evil. Again, there’s no reason not to expect the same corruption when earth enters its last days just prior to our Lords return.

So it’s extremely important to understand what Jesus meant when He said “so shall also the coming of the Son of man be”. He didn’t say that business as usual is going to be the cause for His soon return but that the pervasive evil will be the catalyst that brings Him back to earth. There’s no doubt that the world just before Jesus’ return will experience the same demonic, sexual perversions as that of Noah’s day.

Immorality and perverse sexual relations are occurring by leaps and bounds today. Other than the fact that it’s getting worse with each passing day there’s not much new or different about it, right? Is this the demonic and sexual perversion that we can expect in the last days? I believe that what we see today in the way of sexual perversion is satanic but we haven’t seen anything yet. There will be a height of depravity reached that will be unimaginable for our finite minds. The stage is set for the introduction of the most vile and corrupt sexual perversions since Noah’s time. And it will be a time of pure satanic Hell on earth.

“And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” Genesis 6:5. This verse really does speak for itself. This evil heart syndrome is back and well on its way to overwhelming men’s lives. Wickedness abounds everywhere and even though only God can look into men’s hearts, it’s not difficult for anyone who has eyes to see that a huge segment of society already belongs in this category. But it hasn’t reached its pinnacle of perversion yet and it won’t until a certain portion of society is removed.

Jesus’ words are like a hammer on our brains, when we wake up to the reality of what is going on around us we will undoubtedly have a headache. So completely are His prophetic words being fulfilled today, it’s impossible to misconstrue their meaning. Unless of course we flatly refuse to believe something so sinister, so devilish, so horrible could possibly happen in our time or could have happened in any prior period of human history. But if we believe His words then we must conclude He meant what He said. As it was in the days of Noah so shall it be in the last days preceding His return.

There’s no need for conjecture here or for reading between the lines. Everything in Genesis 6 is spelled out for the discerning eye. God Himself was there in that period of time speaking to Noah. Since He is the same God speaking to His disciples in Matthew 24, we can conclude from His words that the activities associated with the demonic during Noah’s day will be the same activity concluding earth’s final days.

“And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.” Jude 1:6. How is it possible, you might ask, that since the angels that committed this abomination are held in everlasting chains until the judgment that the same thing can possibly occur again? Satan has many more hoards of fallen angels at his command and he is readying them now to resume his unholy agenda of corruption.

Thus the human race can expect the same evil in the last days as Noah witnessed in his day because Jesus Himself said so “as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” According to this verse there’s no reason to exclude anything that went on in Noah’s day from occurring again.

“The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.” Genesis 6:11. Noah witnessed the filling of earth with violence and corruption in all aspects of human endeavor during that period just before the flood. You and I can see this earth is filling up with this same incredibly widespread phenomenon of evil right now just as Noah witnessed in early stages of this same evil. Every day we hear and/or read news stories in which we are confronted with the obvious lateness of the hour. I believe this is why we have been given the ability to gather and disseminate breaking news as we do. It’s another sign of the times that God has enabled us with so we can be made aware of this evil approaching and act accordingly.

In these last days the human race has been given something that our early ancestors could not have even perceived: World news, which includes the many instances of man’s depravity. This news is now generated instantaneously from around the world. We can discern, with little difficulty that we are quickly approaching the final hour here on earth.

Jesus does not differentiate when it comes to these two time periods, which are separated merely by a relatively small amount of time. Noah’s days and earth’s final days will be very similar in its wholesale depravity and distribution of evil.

“But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name” John 1:12. What becomes of us, those who are now considered “sons of God”? In those days filled with all forms of demonic sexual perversions, corruption, and violence, what will Christ’s Church[be doing? Those who are born again, of God, will be excluded from that horrible hour. Jesus is warning those listening and those who would read His words years later, but He’s not speaking to His Church. Nowhere in Matthew 24 is the Church mentioned, which can only mean we are already gone, just as Enoch was taken away by God prior to the flood of Noah.

But those to whom He is speaking it will be a most horrible and evil time period of which the world has not previously witnessed. “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.” Matthew 24: 21- 22.

No one in their right mind would want to be here on earth during that most evil of times. But many will remain tied to this world through their own foolish desires and complete lack of faith in the only one who can prevent their being left to endure such horrid times.

The late Larry Norman said it very well. “I wish we’d all been ready. The Father spoke, the demons dined, the Son has come and you’ve been left behind.” Don’t be left behind.

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
All scripture is from the KJV
 

Carnally Minded - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com

“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.” Romans 8:5.

After a year in office it’s obvious Obama is still in love with himself. Sadly, approximately 46 percent of those polled in recent surveys remain totally enthralled with this man. But worst of all are those who profess to follow Jesus Christ yet remain devoted to this man and his agenda, even though Obama stands for everything God abhors.

Knowing that our God is a jealous God, and that He is the one and only true God, how then can professing believers follow a man who looks at himself as the world’s messiah? Where’s the loyalty to Christ? Do we just ignore God’s word and follow His nemesis? Either God’s word is true or it’s false, we must submit to God and His will through His word or we walk away from God and join the camp of the enemy. Is it possible for born again believers in Christ to be so thoroughly influenced by one of His staunchest enemies?

The answer to that question is found in our Bibles. What’s more, it’s as plain as the nose on Obama’s face. Both believers and unbelievers who voted for Obama are after the flesh as stated in the verse above. They also mind the things of the flesh. In other words they are carnally minded. Their minds are focused, even centered on what will benefit them, but certainly they are unconcerned in regards to the will of God. God’s word gives us direction yet many who say they are Christians voted for, and still support, Obama.

“Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee;” Jeremiah 1:5. God told Jeremiah that He knew him before He formed him in the womb. We can certainly conclude from this verse that God knows all of us before we’re formed in our mother’s womb. Therefore He also knows each aborted baby before they are ever formed and ultimately destroyed. Yet many Christians keep right on with their admiration for a man who is 100 percent pro- abortion. If you voted for Obama you voted against God, plain and simple.

“Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.” Leviticus 18:22. God says homosexuality is an abomination to Him, yet these same Christians elected a man who has given himself over fully to condoning this horrible lifestyle. “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;” Romans 1:18. God destroyed whole nations and some cities of the past because of their flagrant sinful lifestyle of homosexuality because God calls this lifestyle and abomination to Him.

Many will tell you that one sin is the same as another in God’s eyes. Oh Really? Well as far as other sins go, how many cities of our past human history has God destroyed for the sin of lying, stealing, or covetousness? People have condemned themselves and placed themselves in Hades for sinning against their Creator but has God purposely destroyed any other city, or nation for that matter, because of lying, cheating, stealing, even murdering? The whole world is turning a blind eye to the sin of homosexuality. But does the whole world turn a blind eye to any other sin?

As believers, we must stand firm on God’s word and make godly decisions pertaining to who we vote into any office. When a candidate for any office, makes his platform as well known to the voting public as Obama did, a man who is diametrically opposed to God, it’s not hard to understand the mindset of the Christians that voted for Him. Those professing Christians who voted for Obama are carnally minded. “For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.” Romans 8:6. Over the past few months, some of the believers who voted for Obama have written to me expressing their shame in having had that carnal mindset. Praise God they woke up. But as we can all see the damage has been done.

What does it mean for a believer to be carnally minded? It’s a mindset that is contrary to God and His will for their lives. For a person to profess a relationship with Christ and yet to be so fixated on the world that their mind no longer relates to the will of God is to be carnally minded. How can a person such as this actually be born again? Those who are truly born from God are focused on God; their lives have been turned over to Him. They are willing to stand on His precepts no matter what the consequences. And they would never knowingly vote for someone who stands in direct opposition to God’s precepts.

There is no “in between” area to hope for here. Jesus said, “He that is not with me is against me; Matthew 12:30a. We can’t be for Obama and with Jesus at the same time, that’s impossible. Jesus took a firm stand on right and wrong and thoroughly expects His followers to show the same regard for the things we know to be evil. Homosexuality is wrong, and it’s an abomination for a believer “in Christ” to vote for a candidate who openly condones such a abhorrent behavior. It’s wrong to kill the unborn. The baby in the womb is known by God. The baby is innocent of any wrong doing. Why would any believer hang on the side of such error, disregarding God’s inerrant word? Carnality, they are after the flesh, not the spirit.

Being carnally minded leads to death. “Because the carnal mind is enmity against God:” Romans 8:7a. If you don’t know what that word enmity means do yourself a favor and look it up in your concordance. In my Strong’s concordance it’s #G 2189. It actually means hatred. If you are at enmity with God it means you hate God. Wow. How many professing to being born again voted for Obama, the man who stands against the one true God? Many. Well then, how many Christians voted carnally in the last presidential election? Every professing Christian who marked Obama for President on their ballet sheet. Let me ask the question again but phrased slightly differently. How many Christians hate God? All who stand with any man who is at enmity with God.

We’ve now seen this man in action for a whole year and are faced with enduring three more years with a man who being duly elected president of the US is thoroughly content in his failure to follow God in any way. Obama is at enmity with God. In other words Obama hates God, if he didn’t he wouldn’t be so firmly entrenched in the issues that are obviously opposed to God (abortion, homosexuality, etc).

Obama actually had the audacity to make the claim that he is a follower of Jesus Christ, yet he stands against God in every decision he makes. Why then should he have received even one vote from those who profess to stand with God? That carnal mindset is the only answer. Here we are trying desperately to understand how God could allow this man into office to run a nation built on Christian principles, when all it takes is a little perusal through His word to find the answer. Carnality is at the core.

“If ye were of the world, the world would love his own:” John 15:19a. The lost (nonbelievers in Christ) are of the world and they are perishing, and the world certainly loves their own. Believers should not be in love with this world, moreover this world should know that all Christians are opposed to every immoral and evil deed set down. But as long as Christians live with a carnal mindset the world will continue to love them just as they do their own.

“So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.” Romans 8:8. All the while believers remain in the flesh, and carnally minded, they won’t be pleasing God. I wonder how many Christian believers actually understand that verse. Being born again means we are focused on pleasing God, not ourselves. No matter what befalls a true born again believer in Christ we will remain true to God and His word.

When we pursue earthly wealth and materialism to the point that God’s will is diminished in our lives, wrong decisions, like voting for someone with Obama’s credentials or lack thereof, can only lead to becoming even more carnally minded. But if we are spiritually minded our mindset will be one of allowing the Holy Spirit to lead us into godly decisions. Obviously many who profess Christ as their Savior and Lord but are more concerned about the things of the world are not allowing the Holy Spirit a place in their decision making process.

Many lost people voted for Obama because they were afraid of losing their material wealth, they believed his lies. Nothing was as important as the financial situation in the minds of most who voted for him, and that goes for many Christians also. As long as believers stay in that mindset it won’t really matter who runs for the office of president. As long as the candidate relates to that materialistic mindset (the flesh), the other issues of the day will just fade away. The flesh will get in the way of every decision when the mind is in that carnal mode. This is enmity with God.

“But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.” Romans 8:9. The apostle Paul is speaking here to the believers in Rome. He say that if we profess to be a follower of Jesus Christ but we haven’t His Spirit dwelling in us we are not His. If I may elaborate a little further on Paul’s comments, if we don’t have Christ then we are still Satan’s property. And obviously, being in the flesh will be a very natural and basically everyday occurrence.

“Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.” Romans 8:12. As believers we owe no debt to the flesh or Satan, but to God. We are born from God when we became believers in His Son. We owe God a huge debt of gratitude that we can never repay. Why allow the flesh to reign over us since we owe the flesh nothing? To whom do we give our allegiance?

“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. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” Romans 8:13, 14. Believers have spiritually “died” to sin and the power of the flesh, and in general to all spiritual association with the world. We now belong to Christ and our identification is in Him. We who are believers in Christ are no longer unregenerate (lost) nor should we live according to the flesh (carnally). We have been designated “sons of God”. As such we have put the flesh to death.

This mindset of living carnally and hence in enmity with God has corrupted many a believer. When we who are God’s children take a stance for evil we are in rebellion to God and consequently we are at enmity to God. If you are one of those folks that has placed Obama on a pedestal and elevated him to a status above God in your life because of your foolish tendencies toward wealth and materialism and your fear of losing what earthly possessions you’ve acquired, then Obama has become your god. Who then will you be relying on for your salvation? If you are at enmity with God Almighty you might want to re-think your claim to eternal salvation.

“...carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life... Romans 8:6. Where do you stand in relationship to your Creator God? Are you carnally minded? If you are, then you are living according to the flesh, and your mindset is flawed. Do you hate God? Surely you don’t. But if your mindset is carnal it’s time to make a change. A relationship with God is based on our faith in Him in all earthly endeavors. God is the believer’s providence, and believers are saved to serve not to strive for and attain earthly rewards such as wealth and power. Carnally minded or Holy Spirit filled? You can’t have it both ways.

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
All scripture is from the KJV

“New Christianity” - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com

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

There’s a not-so-new “emerging movement” literally exploding onto the scene. It claims to be Christian yet shows clear-cut signs of dancing to a different tune. As you listen to the purveyors of this “New Christianity” you very quickly come to realize they are all about themselves. As a matter of fact you can listen to them for quite awhile before you ever hear the name of Jesus mentioned, and even then it’s only in a fleeting comment.

Honestly, while listening to these folks you will get the impression they are attempting to explain who they are, what they believe, and who they worship, yet when you walk away you’ll find yourself scratching your head in wonderment with no real idea of what they’re all about. Suffice it to say this new emerging movement, leaning heavily towards self awareness and contemplative spirituality, has significant false biblical roots.

“Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them;” Deuteronomy 11:16. Here in the fifth book of the Torah, Moses is addressing the nation of Israel, but in the New Testament we read the same warning over and over again. God knew the Hebrews would be drawn away from Him through the deceitfulness of evil men. There’s no difference today. Many will be led astray by deceit, which is what we see emerging in this “New Christianity”.

This “New Christianity” threatens the Church today just as Gnostic teachings threatened the first century church. This is what the Apostle John warned believers about in his epistles, “Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.” 2 John 1:9. Both of these erroneous teachings are focused on removing the true doctrine of Christ from Christianity.

As we will soon see they are not alone. The roots of all deceptive teachings were firmly established way back in the Garden of Eden where Satan first put doubt in the mind of Eve. Satan’s lying words convinced Eve, who in turn convinced Adam, to reject God’s truth and accept the lie. Satan still calls God and the Bible into question and ensnares those who are either naïve and scripturally uninformed or who are seeking some personal revelation to make them feel special, unique, and superior to others.

This “New Christianity” is aimed at young adults and those who’ve been disillusioned for one reason or another by mainstream Christianity. Following the inerrant word of God is not part of this new belief system. Actually what the leaders of this movement profess is just opposite. They see a need to re-establish Christianity and re-mold it into a force that fits today’s evolving post-modern culture. I’ve heard they’re now 60 million strong and growing.

As I listen to these folks spew their ten dollar words I hear very little substance, which leads me to conclude they are only full of hot air. How is it that people can get so far away from the truth of God’s word and still look at themselves as Christians? The Bible is no longer significant in their minds but they will follow the writings of their leaders unabashedly. There is no room for absolute truth, and social tolerance has become the gospel of this “New Christianity”.

While in their worship services all the attendees become a living part of the service almost as though they are acting out a scene from a movie. Their meetings include some rituals associated with Catholicism, a little Eastern Orthodox, and for good measure they throw in nuances reflecting other Eastern religions with their yoga and mysticism. It’s not surprising that Jesus is hardly mentioned. Why would he be? Hindus and Buddhist don’t accept Jesus as their savior. Even many Catholics now days look to Mary for their salvation.

When we as Christians step back and take a look at our Christian faith, what is the most important aspect of Christianity? Jesus Christ! As believers, Jesus Christ is the center of our very existence and we know our faith rests in Him. Our lives are His and we are to devote ourselves to Him. A true believer quickly realizes that this new life we now enjoy is all about Jesus the Christ, Creator and sustainer of the universe and everything in it. It’s His game plan that we are His disciples. Christianity has worked for the last two thousand years and true Christianity is still working. There’s nothing negative or boring about the message of the Gospel. Jesus Christ is life itself. Without Christ in your worship service the only message you’ll hear will be from His nemesis.

“The foolishness of man perverteth his way: and his heart fretteth against the LORD.” Proverbs 19:3. When we hear of any “New” movement that lays claim to being “Christian” but actually detracts from God’s inerrant word, think Satanic. The enemy’s purpose is to divide and conquer, to guide people away from the truth of the message of the cross. This new emerging movement along with this worlds other false religions all have satanic roots. Satan begins by placing doubt in people’s minds and he never changes his approach. Why should he? If it ain’t broke don’t fix it.

“Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said” Genesis 3:1a. If Satan can place doubt in a person’s mind which denies God’s absolute truth then even his lies will sound truthful. Soon, even the once faithful Christian is drawn away from Christ. Satan’s goal is to bring a message that will ultimately derail true Christianity. It may seem that he’s succeeding, but we who truly believe and follow the living Christ know who ultimately succeeds in the end.

It’s incredibly foolish to follow someone who professes to be a Christian and yet disregards Jesus and His word. That is the “New Christianity”, very persuasive and even attractive in all its casualness. Jesus is very hard to locate in their worship services. Outwardly this movement is seen by its followers as some great and wonderful replacement to the old tired traditions of the Christian past.

If you’re a young adult reading this commentary and you’ve become disillusioned with “traditional” Christianity, listen up. Even though innumerable multitudes have given themselves to the Lord over the past 2,000 years, many of whom were martyred for standing firm in their faith, you believe Christianity is broken and this “New Christianity” is the fix. This is a huge satanic deception, my young friend. True Christianity has been spread worldwide. Explain to me how that would have been possible without Christ. How could Christianity have ever come this far? In the minds of the adherents to this “New Christianity, for the last 2,000 years Christ’s Church has just been limping along barely surviving.

Because the folks following this new movement are looking for something different, something more exciting, something other than their parents Christianity, Satan will do everything he can to accommodate them in their quest. We shouldn’t be fooled by this easy belief system guided by articulate, persuasive, even charismatic speakers who’ve given themselves over to the enemy. “The tongue of the wise useth knowledge aright: but the mouth of fools poureth out foolishness.” Proverbs 15:2. These foolish leaders are only following their father Satan, liar extraordinaire.

Satanic attempts at re-establishing, or re-making Christianity abound today. The truth is everybody searches for God. They’re searching for something but they know not what. This leaves a big empty hole in their soul that needs to be filled. This “New Christianity” is there to convince the searcher that their club is the best. Actually it’s Satan’s club and he wants you to become a permanent member.

Then again, many erroneously believe that they’ve found God apart from Jesus Christ. This “New Christianity” is just one of the many vehicles Satan is using today to draw people away from the Savior of the world. People occasionally make the erroneous statement “I found God”; God draws us to His Son not the other way around. Only through the Son can we have a relationship with the Father.

Whether you sit around on your circled couches believing that self realization, prayer mantras, prayer labyrinths, yoga, contemplative spirituality, lighting candles or sitting in the dark contemplating your navel will bring you closer to God, or if you follow one of the numerous other false religions of this world, what must be considered is that any teaching which leads folks away from the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and who He really is, conforms perfectly to Satan’s agenda.

Whether it’s Islam, Mormonism, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Buddhism, Hinduism, Zoroastrianism, New Age (which really isn’t new at all), Contemplative Spirituality, Emerging Church or any other false religion that diminishes what Christ accomplished on the cross, you can be assured they all are leading their adherents to Hell. Satan is the father of all lies and he is the initiator and leader of every false religion on this planet. He’s drawing multitudes down that “broad way” that leads to destruction.

“If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.” 2 John 1:10, 11. John was quite adamant about these false doctrines. When he addresses his second epistle to the elect lady, who many believe to be Mary the mother of Jesus, he admonishes her and all who are with her to heed his warning, even to the exclusion of inviting them into their homes. Alas, if folks would only pay attention to the scriptures many would not have been deceived.

You and I are only pawns Satan uses in his attempt to thwart God’s end game strategy. Satan hates the human race and that is the truth. Satan’s doomed and he knows it. “And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.” Revelation 20:10. He will scheme and lie and introduce all forms of “New Christianity” (ideas that are actually the antithesis of true Christianity) into the world to take as many foolish, gullible people with him to their destruction.

God tells us in His word what to look for as the days of the end draw ever closer and certainly we can see for ourselves the signs He spoke of are unfolding before us with uncommon speed. Those who are easily deceived are simply falling for the same old tired lie Satan has been throwing at us for the past 6,000 years.

In His Olivet Discourse message, Jesus gives four of His disciples, and ultimately all of us who would listen, a command to “Take heed that no man deceive you.” Matthew 24:4. Jesus is saying “Heed My warning, men are coming, who will deceive you if you let them” (Paraphrase mine).

Jesus knew many would be deceived if He didn’t give that warning, but many are being deceived everyday because they won’t heed His warning just as Adam and Eve did not heed God’s words in the Garden of Eden.

“If ye love me, keep my commandments” John 14:15. Those who love Jesus and study His word are going to be prepared to confront whoever would come to deceive them. Those who don’t won’t.

As I read more and more about these false teachings which are permeating our Church and culture, my Savior’s words in Matthew’s Gospel continually flood my mind: “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” Matthew 7:13, 14. The Greek word used here to indicate few is “oligos” and used in this instance denotes a number quantity and size, such as few, little, small, slight.

Jesus Christ, Almighty God, is telling you and me that He is the strait gate, the narrow way and it’s only through Him that we will be able to enjoy everlasting life. This is the truth that Satan is working overtime to corrupt. Satan will live forever but once God sends him to the Lake burning with Fire and Brimstone he’ll not be able to enjoy his deceitfulness ever again. Nor will any of those who followed him.

When I see so many falling for this “New Christianity” and all those other false religions my heart sinks. I can’t help but reflect on Jesus words. “For many are called, but few are chosen.” Matthew 22:14. There’s that word “few” again. The names of the redeemed are written in the Lambs book of life. It is somewhat disheartening to realize God knew these evil deceptions would flourish as the days grew to a close on planet earth.

Before the foundation of the world, God had a little book with everyone’s name written there who would eventually believe the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. These are the ones the Bible tells us will live forever. Certainly taking any other path to God instead of through His only begotten Son would not bode well for ones name being written in Lamb’s book of life.

The phrase “choose wisely” never grows old does it?

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
All scripture is from the KJV
 

Waxing Cold in the Last Days - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com

“And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.” Matthew 24:12. Jesus, speaking to four of His disciples about the times just before His Second Advent, tells them that because sin will be so rampant, so commonplace in the last days that the love people once had for one another will become, for the most part, nonexistent. The Greek word “polys” is translated into our English word as “many”. It’s used in numerous places throughout the New Testament denoting multitudes, great and very significant numbers. Imagine, if you can, a world made up of people thoroughly devoid of “love” for their fellow man.

I believe Jesus is alluding to the seven year tribulation period that will begin just after the Rapture of His Church. It stands to reason that this “loveless” generation Jesus speaks about as being full of iniquity (wickedness) doesn’t just appear one day after the Rapture, but that societies would gradually migrate toward degeneracy and ultimately to a crescendo of rampant and overwhelming depravity.

In the verse above Jesus speaks of love which will wax (or grow) cold. Since we are living in the last days just prior to His return I believe that the lack of love for our fellow man has begun to spiral toward that final climax. I suppose, then, that it shouldn’t be surprising to biblically literate students of scripture when we see such cold heartedness infiltrating our society. But was Jesus including believers in that mix of folks whose love would progressively wax colder and colder?

What has happened to the once well known demeanor of those who profess to being born again? It seems, to me at least, that the once loving, caring attitude held by those who faithfully follow Jesus Christ is diminishing as we draw nearer to the last days before Christ’s return.

I’m talking about our attitude towards one another as we discuss biblical doctrine or other Christian issues. Discussion boards and forums are alive with debates and at times heated arguments ensue which are filled with angry words one might expect to hear from worldly people, but not Christians. Christians belittling Christian’s using a tone of superiority that bodes only of pride. Where’s that come from if not from the world? Love thy neighbor as thy self seems to be losing its appeal in these last days. My brethren, this should not be so; loving one another is one of Jesus’ most frequently stated commandments for His followers to adhere to.

Because we can now enjoy much more frank discussions which span what once was considered almost impossible barriers, believers can now communicate with one another worldwide, instantaneously, and with little or no accountability. We can join and contribute to forums and use email to express ourselves and if we so desire we can accomplish this new form of communicating with complete anonymity.

As believer’s views are attacked by other believers they, in many instances, attack right back instead of responding in love. Over the past few years I’ve noticed an increased hostility amongst believers who disagree on Bible interpretation.

All of us are confronted almost daily with what seems to be knee-jerk reactions instead of well thought-out and studied responses made through a love for one another and thorough devotion to God’s truth. Where has all the love gone? It seems that among believers today when it comes to discussing God’s inerrant word, love has been jettisoned. “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another” 1 John 1:7. How is true fellowship possible when the brethren continue in constant disagreement and strife?

Why must Christ’s Church argue so? This unholy trend is not hard to see as we peruse various Christian websites and forums. The anger that persists in discussions among believers is very disheartening. At times the very hostility that once was relegated to the heartless, unbelieving, and lost world has now crept into the lives of many believers. “Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his saltness, wherewith will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another.” Mark 9:50.

We’re witnessing a chasm growing between Christians today; there are so many different Bible interpretations being promoted that without well studied parameters (context is everything) many can’t distinguish clear and concise teaching from the erroneous. This inability to distinguish truth leads many believers today to argue amongst themselves on subjects such as doctrine and interpretation even though they may be completely wrong.

I believe this absence of love among the brethren can more easily be attributed to being conformed to the world than to a lack of Bible knowledge. Love is the bridge that will span any chasm no matter how big. Where is our Christian love? Are we to conform to the world or to Christ? “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son” Romans 8:29. The image of Christ is not seen in all this bickering.

The world is only going to corrupt its inhabitants, that’s all unbelievers can expect from this fallen, sin-filled world which they call their home. But believers don’t call planet earth home, we are only sojourners here and thus we should not become conformed to the world. Certainly we aren’t to have the same self-absorbed and prideful attitude as the unbelieving masses. If we allow the world to dilute our souls and corrupt our hearts and minds we will become as hateful and eventually just as loveless as many of those who have no hope. Then where does that leave our Christian witness?

God gives discernment to those who diligently seek His counsel; most believers know this to be so. There are those who will listen to a Bible teacher or a pastor and take everything they say as truth, never to be questioned. Are these teachers and pastors always correct? Not necessarily. In Acts 17:11 Luke tells us to search the scriptures daily to see if what we are being taught is truly following the scriptures (paraphrase mine). By searching the scriptures for ourselves we learn to rightly divide the word of God.

The problem and how it’s affecting the Church today stems from biblically illiterate Christians who only parrot what they’ve heard or been taught. Because many will believe the false teachers of the day they will argue a false doctrine to the exclusion of all else. And when these arguments get heated what emerges is bitterness and mistrust. Satan must be eating this stuff up.

It seems that believers are moving away from following Jesus’ commandment to love one another and beginning to embrace worldly debate as well as confrontation. There’s no doubt, Christians are becoming conformed to this world. “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” Romans 12:2.

I am completely aware of the need for correction today in the Church. But all correction should be tied directly to brotherly love. I’m convinced that Paul addresses the occasional need for correction in 2 Timothy. “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” 2 Timothy 3:16, 17. God’s word does the correcting when it is interpreted as His literal, inerrant word. We love one another and therefore we instruct and correct with loving convicted hearts. There is no room for contention and strife amongst believers.

As followers of Christ our words and our actions should emulate Christ. If we have a disagreement with a brother about a certain verse in the Bible or even doctrine, we should consider the ramifications of a prolonged and heated public argument on a forum, such as how others might be adversely influenced. Discussion is one thing but when the discussion turns heated something is out of whack. “He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now.” 1 John 2:9. In a public setting, such as a Christian forum, we should never allow heated arguments to develop.

So to what may we contribute much of the bitterness and prideful attitudes being displayed today by believers? The very fact that believers are allowing some of the most depraved visual effects to permeate their minds these days is quite revealing. The more we are confronted with evil passing itself off as entertainment the more our minds will become influenced and guided toward darkness. Television and movies are both culprits in guiding believers away from God. The internet has also become a huge influence in the lives of many believers and non-believers alike. Garbage in garbage out as the old saying goes. Although information is plentiful on the net it isn’t all edifying to the saints. We must beware of wolves in sheep’s clothing.

The unbelieving world is always placing Christians under a magnifying glass. It seems what they want more than anything else is to trip us up. The way we handle ourselves in a discussion can affect the non-believer either positively or negatively. As the world watches us they should see Christ in us. But when the world sees us arguing, when they see our debate become so heated and filled with bitterness, that we now look no different than the rest of the world, the rejection of Jesus Christ becomes a whole lot easier. Instead of the possibility of gaining a new brother or sister in Christ, we’ve just tossed them back into the enemy’s camp.

There’s always going to be disagreements along the lines of Bible interpretation and Christian doctrine. All of Christendom, for one reason or another, simply won’t agree. If we are truly born again then we are brothers and sisters in Christ and Jesus is watching our every move. He can’t be pleased with the current trend towards bickering which in most instances ends up in an attitude of bitterness aimed at others in His family.

“And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.”
1 John 3:23. John, twice in this verse, places the emphases on the fact that Jesus gave us a commandment, first that we should believe on His name and secondly we’re to love one another. We would do well to heed all His commandments.

Anytime we are in a discussion with anyone, love must never be replaced with anger. Anger will lead to hate. Jesus’ words come crashing down upon us whenever we forget one of His most basic tenets. “If ye love me, keep my commandments” John 14:15. Love one another.

Nothing constructive can be achieved through all the bickering and anger associated with believers debating different Bible interpretations. It will only lead to bitterness and that’s something no believer should allow into their hearts. Bitterness, hate, strife, confusion are all strongholds where the enemy will certainly take up residence.

As faithful believers we should always be prepared to take loving correction whenever it applies and even rebuke if applicable. But outright bitterness as an approach to one another in what started out as a simple discussion brings reproach on the Church as a whole. Arguing is wrong and divisive, and it might stumble a brother “He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.” 1 John 2:10. Even worse is how this constant arguing will send unbelievers scurrying for cover anywhere but to the side of a Christian. “And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.” Matthew 24:12.

Even in His Church? God forbid!

God bless you all,
Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
All scripture is from the KJV
 

Consequences to Bad Decisions - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com

There are consequences, sometimes overwhelming consequences, when bad decisions are made. Sometimes we ignore or shy away from the really complicated decisions, avoiding them all together if at all possible. It’s hard to always be right when it comes to making decisions. Occasionally we blow it. Sooner or later regret sets in as we’re faced with consequences we never expected.

There may be times when we are afforded the opportunity to change our decision before some horrible outcome materializes. Wouldn’t it be great if there was someone else who would make those difficult decisions in life for us so blunders and regrets might be avoided? Mostly we learn and grow stronger from mistakes but there are many who, as each new opportunity arises, will repeat the same erroneous decisions again and again.

Many of life’s bad decisions can be avoided by studying our Bibles. By making decisions based on God’s word the road ahead pretty much smoothes out in front of us. Through the diligent study and adherence to God’s inerrant word we can avoid making bad decisions.

The lack luster life of a biblically illiterate Christian is evident in how many wrong decisions occur in that individual’s life. But there’s a great deal of godly evidence in the life of a believer who has become committed to studying God’s word. Is it God’s word that holds our attention or the world? “He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.” Matthew 13:22. The cares of this world too often get in the way and God and His word became relegated to the back seat of lives.

Daily we’re faced with the decision of whether or not to ignore God’s word. The more we neglect reading and studying His word the easier it gets to just forget about it all together. “My Bible’s not going anywhere and tomorrow is another day.”

There’s an excellent line from a “Rocky” film that I just love. As Apollo Creed is speaking to Rocky Balboa trying to convince him to get with the program Rocky makes the statement “Tomorrow, we’ll pick it up again tomorrow” and Apollo yells back at Rocky, “There is no tomorrow!” Friends, tomorrow never comes, especially when we are putting off doing something that we now find tedious.

If you find Bible study monotonous or boring you’ve allowed outside interests to burden your thought process. The world has become more important to you than God. This is easy to see happening in a believer’s life when they are avoiding God. The more we avoid God the more He’ll just keep silent. If we aren’t walking with God guess who’ll be there to keep us company? The enemy relishes the opportunity to stumble us. He’s right there waiting to pounce and devour at a moment’s notice. It’s our decision to allow this attack to happen.

The decision to skip a routine of devotional time or to neglect the daily reading of God’s word will have profound effects on the other decisions of the day. Praying, for example, will not be important before we commit ourselves to any new course or action. Eventually our prayers will become less of a priority in our lives. The less relevance we place on prayer the further we’ll move away God. Through prayer a believer speaks to the Creator of the Universe. If we love God with all our heart, speaking to Him will become our highest priority.

Witnessing becomes almost a non-event when Bible study is forfeited for other more appealing activities. Who can be an effective witness without sufficient knowledge of God’s word? Questions will arise from nonbelievers that will confuse and even cause doubt in the mind of biblically illiterate Christians. And doubt can inevitably lead the believer to avoid witnessing altogether.

When you wake up and spend a little time in prayer and devotion to God the rest of that day’s decisions are then made with a completely different attitude. Always seek God’s council first. A godly decision that is based solely on God’s will, not our own selfish, wicked hearts, will be no match for the enemy. But the ill effects of godless decisions can cause profound consequences.

Reading and basking in God’s word can be as stream of living water rushing through our souls. Believers are empowered as we read and study His word. Through our diligent study of His word God lays more discernment upon us. Glimpses into who He is are as nuggets and pearls stored up in a believer’s heart.

Bible study becomes very enlightening as our desire to learn more of what God’s word says. But if the desire isn’t there the occasions to study will cease to materialize. Sometimes it takes a little motivation to get started, but once you’ve committed to a routine of study you’ll begin to progress and the more you learn the more you’ll want to know. You’ll never know it all but being grounded in God’s word becomes evident in a believers life. As you dig deeper you’ll be given more knowledge as a reward for your diligence.

Without biblical knowledge believers are as logs floating on an ocean filled with many misleading currents. They may find themselves drifting from one current to another void of any real direction. When believers allow themselves to be “current driven” or “guided” without knowing where they are heading they may not be aware, until it’s too late, who’s doing the guiding.

The enemy takes great delight in guiding believers off course. Satan will take advantage of believers who are ignorant of God’s word. Pushing the warm fuzzies of the current trendy alternatives to a real Christ centered biblically based message is Satan’s endgame strategy. Those who refuse to study or who deny the truth of God’s word become easy prey for the enemy, these folks will believe anything but the truth.

This life is a never ending assortment of decisions. Read my Bible today, don’t read my Bible, go to the movies, don’t read my Bible, watch television don’t read my Bible, begin my day reading my Bible, begin my day in an argument with my spouse, and on it goes. It’s your decision and it must be made daily.

There’s another decision, though, that only needs to be made once. The most important decision to ever confront humanity is the decision to follow Christ. Jesus is the Messiah of the world, the Creator of the universe, the propitiation for our sins. “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” 1 John 1:10.

“Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.” Joel 3:14. Man does indeed stand in the valley of decision, but it is God who does the deciding, not man. It is a valley of judgment–and we should decide for Jesus right now so we never stand in this valley of decision. Where do you stand?

Reading the Bible is awe inspiriting, and the most worthwhile and incredibly fulfilling journey that a believer can take. To be completely forthright though, the only way to actually grasp much of the nuances of God’s word is to become a believer and then read His word with a new heart and love for God. Paul the Apostle refers to the Gospel message as foolishness to those who are perishing. “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness;” 1 Corinthians 1:18a. Who is Paul speaking about? All those who will be standing in the valley of decision at the end.

We aren’t saved by reading the Bible, but by reading it after we are saved we are given direction for this life. God’s direction is the only correct path to walk.

If you’re reading this commentary today and you’re not a born again believer in Christ you were guided here by the Holy Spirit to read this message.

In God’s economy everything happens for a reason. The Holy Spirit is beckoning you to believe in the One who God the Father sent. That’s Jesus Christ, our Lord, the Messiah of Israel, and the Savior of the world. We have been given an incredible gift, a free gift from God Almighty. God’s gift to us (which means everyone) was the life of His only begotten Son who died in our stead. He took our sins upon Himself, died, was buried, and rose again on the third day all according to the scriptures. Whose scriptures? God’s scriptures.

You can believe and accept God’s free gift of salvation today and be assured of your place in Heaven for eternity, or you can make a bad decision by choosing to ignore the Holy Spirit’s message and go your way. Before you close this page and relegate it to obscurity, please give these last few words some serious thought.

Remember earlier in this commentary I spoke about the regret from the consequences of bad decision making? Think about this, you may never have the opportunity to say yes to Jesus again. Your life could end in a heartbeat before you reach the door.

If you choose to ignore God’s Holy Spirit today and then die in that lost state, your final decision in this life will result in the most horrible regret you could ever imagine. Unlike a decision that can be changed and the regret of a bad decision avoided, this ultimate decision of yours will fill you with a regret that will last for eternity. You will have just afforded yourself the same horrifying, awful, and dreadful eternal reality that so many before you have done. Hell will not be a huge kegger in the park with your buddies. The reality of Hell will be fully realized the instant you die as the result of your final bad decision.

So please, take a moment and come to the good and correct decision, the decision that will place you in Jesus’ loving hands for eternity. Say yes to Jesus now! You won’t regret that decision.

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
All scripture is from the KJV
 

Giving Up - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com

“Rejoice the soul of thy servant: for unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul. For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee. Give ear, O LORD, unto my prayer; and attend to the voice of my supplications. In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee: for thou wilt answer me.” Psalm 86:4-7. Do you, my brethren, believe God’s mercy is plenteous, and that He is ready to forgive?

Because I had the audacity to suggest in a commentary that Christians participate in a nationwide prayer vigil. My brethren felt the need to rebuke me, first for suggesting that God just might be willing and able to heal our land and then for suggesting our nation is worth healing. I thought that there were many others with the same mindset as me. Although there were a few who agreed with me, clearly the majority of responders to my commentary, “A Prayer for Change”, were decidedly against prayer in any form that would focus on our nation, or its leadership.

Apparently a good portion of my readers feel God is hard at work laying judgment traps for the rebellious to fall into, which means He’s just too busy or He doesn’t care to hear our prayers for healing. I believe America may very well be under some form of God’s judgment, but I will never believe He’s not interested in hearing from His children, or that He’s unwilling to stay His judgment as He hears from more and more of us.

God expects to hear from those who belong to Him. I hate using the following term and I will avoid it at any cost, but I’m going to use it here because it seems most appropriate on this occasion. Stop putting “God into a box”. Stop it. God is bigger than any box you and I will ever imagine and He can do anything He wishes. If God wants to heal America or any other country for that matter because He’s heard from His Children how arrogant is it of us to say He won’t or He can’t?

Interestingly there are some Christian commentators that are suggesting we believers should not pray for America, “Its glory days have ended” they say. “It’s foolishness to pray for this nation, God has condemned America.” One such commentator says “There are only two kinds of believers who want to save our country. Those who subscribe to Dominion, or Kingdom Now, theology, and those who don’t really believe the Lord is coming back and don’t want to lose the lifestyle they enjoy here. They are amillennialist who think things are always going to be the way they’ve been.”

I believe there’s at least a third group. I for one know full well that God’s word will be fulfilled and that at any moment He may remove His Church from planet earth. But until then believers are told to occupy until He comes. That means we continue to spread the Gospel of Christ while we pray for God’s blessings to continue. I don’t believe that the Church has replaced Israel, but that the Church has its own distinctive place in God’s plan.

Life as a believer will be much better if we are free to go about our Father business. That commentator I mentioned has no idea what life will be like in America just prior to the Rapture. Why? Because America isn’t in biblical prophecy. All he can do is assume this or that will happen to America. Besides that, Paul tells us to “pray without ceasing” 1 Thessalonians 5:17. I don’t see where Paul or any other New Testament writer tells us not to pray for God blessing on our Nation.

Many, including myself, believe God may be judging America by allowing a socialist government to come into power for reasons of chastisement. Why? As I mentioned in that commentary Americans, by and large, have turned their collective backs on God. But I’ve never suggested giving up, nor will I.

Be assured God is not sitting back waiting for America to implode. No, He’s patiently waiting to hear from His children, all His children. He expects His children to stand firm on their faith in Jesus Christ, no matter in what direction this nation heads. From what I know of American history this nation has been fraught with evil demonic forces trying desperately to disrupt its growth and morality while adding massive amounts of violence into the mix from its inception. America has always been at odds with other nations as well as the discontent from within itself. Throughout the past two centuries Americans have fought and bickered amongst ourselves. Somehow we always come through it and for the most part unscathed. Could the reason be because of the unfettered prayers of God’s children?

It seems like World Wars I and II were catalysts in bringing Americans together. Then we had lesser wars that seemingly tore us apart. America is certainly a diverse nation, made up of a great ethnic and religious hodgepodge, and of course we have our share of sociopaths (people who are affected with a personality disorder marked by aggressive, violent, antisocial thought and behavior and a lack of remorse or empathy) thrown in for bad measure. We see a lot of those people currently exploding onto the scene committing horrible atrocities. Then of course there are the sociopaths running most world governments including that of the United States.

Many of my brethren complain that by my suggestion that we continue praying for this great nation, which they believe is completely doomed, that I am giving false hope to my more gullible brethren. “What an imbecile you are Ron. You’re like Nebuchadnezzar’s grandson Belshazzar who couldn’t see the attack coming on Babylon until the writing showed up on the wall”. Perhaps they’re right, so shoot me for being a firm believer in the power of prayer. I sure don’t see any reason to just give in or give up. I will not, nor should any Christian give in to apathy.

I’m not asking my brethren to take up arms and fight this new evil that has taken over our government. All I’m saying is at least give God the benefit of the doubt and a chance to fight for His children and bless them.

It’s becoming apparent that the hotly debated topic of America once being a Christian nation is gaining steam. It’s obvious that some American’s no longer wish the U.S. to be known as a Christian nation, nor do they want to acknowledge that this country was ever a Christian nation. We see Christians torn apart and extremely divided by what they have been force fed from the media as well as many of our Christian pulpits.

I heard from a pastor recently that the tax exempt status is something the government of the United States has graciously bestowed on the Church. I’d be very careful. The powers to be aren’t going to give anything without wanting something in return. Churches must maintain their anonymity so the IRS doesn’t take away their coveted tax exempt status (501) (C) (3). Wouldn’t it be better to go ahead and pay the taxes instead of being forced to water down God’s word? Pay the taxes and tell the truth. And let’s keep God’s truth and our American history visible and accessible to all.

We can see a hug groundswell of dissention in the ranks these days. American s, Republicans, Independents, and others are becoming more and more sure they made a massive mistake in placing these particular Democrats in charge of this country. Americans are now becoming keenly aware that their Democratic super majority run government isn’t even close to enacting the will of the people. Nobody in their right mind really ever wanted a gigantic super government structure taking over all aspects of our personal lives.

It’s the power of prayer which is currently changing the political landscape of our country. States, one by one are refusing to allow same sex marriages, and many States are turning against the Dem/Fed government. Massachusetts just voted into office a Republican Senator where a Democrat sat for the last 47 years, people are waking up and praying for this nation and God is listening. New Jersey and Virginia have also made the change over to Republican after many years of Democratic control.

We must be careful in this country, we must be fully aware of a politician’s past voting record. We shouldn’t believe everything we hear from our elected officials, whether they be Democrat or Republican. Both political party’s have their hands in the till so to speak. It becomes kind of a crap shoot if we aren’t familiar with a politician’s position on the issues prior to election day. Shame on us for not knowing who we voted for until he/she takes office.

There is much misleading information being presented to the public these days, but lately it seems many are turning their backs on the purveyors of lies and seeking truth from outside the normal arena of news sound bites. This practice of misleading the masses has been a growing threat to Christianity and is doing great damage to an America that once was the beacon of hope to many other nations.

God will not interfere in our government if we, His children, see no need to pray for Him to intervene in our affairs. He’ll simply comply with our desire to go it alone. Personally I like having Him along. After all He’s the one who gives us the ability to bear up under whatever evil is forced upon us. Even by this Christ rejecting government we are currently strapped with.

There are, of course, many who stand on the inerrancy of God’s word while “rightly dividing the word of truth” 2 Timothy 2:15b. They are those who are speaking out against the evil in this land, they have little fear of the Federal government snatching away their tax exempt status because they don’t claim it. They firmly stand against evil such as the man who currently occupies the Oval Office, and against all those other liars and sadists in his administration. These fearless believers include lay men and women, pastors, evangelist, and others who will surely be remembered in the Kingdom of Heaven for standing firm on God’s word.

America is at a crossroads. If Obama and company are allowed to continue to have their way, America will cease to be a sovereign nation made up of freedom loving, God fearing people. I know many don’t see it yet, but they will very soon now. Unless we stop the advancement of radical socialism from taking root there will no longer be an America to save. The power that’s wielded through prayer is, in many cases, underestimated. But there is power, great power when we invoke God’s help. “What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?” Romans 8:31. When we stand with God, God stands with us.

Jesus is the Messiah of the Jews and the Gentiles, the Savior of the world. Christ overshadows all human endeavors. But human pride blinds men’s eyes and many can’t, or won’t, see the truth. You who bashed me because of my suggestion that Christians pray for their nation are indeed not seeing the whole picture. Jesus is among us and hears our prayers. I’ll leave the future of America in Jesus’ capable hands as I continue to pray for America. Whether or not we should pray that America is taken back out of the hands of the man who, more than anything else, wants to see her converted to a socialistic, totalitarian, dictatorial, czar run, Muslim country is the question.

I don’t care how many of my brethren write and tell me how ignorant I am or how biblically uninformed I am. I serve an awesome God who can and will do great things if we will only believe. But that’s the rub isn’t it. Believing God will continue to bless our nation is what many abhor. “What do you mean Ron?” Just this, many of my brethren are so fixated on the Rapture that they want to see the destruction of America happen, believing this will usher in the snatching away of the saints. That scenario is not biblical and may very well result in some horrible Christian persecution through apathy inside Christ’s Church.

We in America may see the elimination of our freedoms. We may witness the rise of socialism. America’s Christians may be persecuted to the point we currently witness in other nations. We may be forced underground to live and to worship our Lord Jesus Christ. Then again Jesus may take us home tomorrow. Nobody really knows what America will be like just before the Rapture happens, so why not keep God in the loop?

As long as I’m alive and kicking I’ll be praying that America’s liberties remain intact. I pray that God continues to bless His people and this great nation so we may continue with His commandment of spreading the Gospel unimpeded.

Patrick Henry said “Give me liberty or give me death” and many of my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ feel the same way. We don’t want to be here if America is going to go through the change Obama has planned. Like I said previously, we are told to occupy ‘til He comes and so we shall, but I can promise you this, we are going to need prayer and lots of it.

To succumb to an “I give up attitude” is to proclaim the enemy has won the battle. If your attitude is to surrender then you might want to re-examine your faith–held–belief that God is in control. Those of us who are actually born again aren’t going to surrender, ever. Why? Because we know who’s in charge and that He fights our battles.

If you are one of those who wrote condemning me or chiding me for praying for my country, then all I can say is stay out of my way. You give up if that’s your mantra. I’ll continue to call on God to withstand the enemy through prayer until I’m taken out of the way. I know God is not going to give up on His children, but I also know that if we give up on Him and His awesome ability to make changes then we should be prepared to accept the consequences. Without God in the mix our time remaining on earth will be hell.

Is America being judged? Maybe. Can we as God’s children do anything to abate God’s judgment? Possibly. Why not pray about it? “...then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land” 2 Chronicles 7:14b. He stayed His mighty hand against the city of Nineveh why not the US?

What do ya say? “Pray” or “Give Up”? As for me and my family we will continue to PRAY God’s intervention and healing for the land of the free and the home of the brave.

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
All scripture is from the KJV

Saved, and I Know it - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com

How? How do I know I’m saved? That’s a question I receive from time to time and which is almost always followed with the statement “I want to know for sure I’m saved”. Every believer wants to be assured of their eternal salvation. Even those who believe in another god apart from the God of the Bible. Hey, even atheists want to be sure of what they’ve placed their faith in. All believers in Christ should know that there is no other God than the God of the Bible. And as far as atheists are concerned, well, they’ve placed their faith in man. Of course, beliefs in other gods or no God at all are both huge errors that by witnessing we hope to rectify.

Let’s take a look at how God looks at His salvation plan which is available to everyone. When did God first start dealing with you? “According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:” Ephesians 1:4. God chose us “the elect” before the foundation of the world. That’s when God began dealing with each and every one of us. Believers are God’s “elect”. “Ye have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you” John 15:16. God has moved us into the position of a believer. How did He do that? Keep reading.

God’s offer of salvation is given to everyone (John 3:16, 3:36, 5:24, Romans 10:9, 13.), but the lost “choose” to remain lost. I want to make that statement as plain as I can. It’s a choice of ours to either believe or not. “But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
2 Thessalonians 2:13, 14.

God draws us to hear the Gospel, “he called you by our gospel”. If when we hear it we believe “the truth”, this moves us into the position of being God’s “elect”. On the other hand, many of those who God draws to hear His Gospel (and He draws everyone) refuse to believe, they are lost because they refused to believe His truth. Either way God chose us to come and hear His word. How do you know you have been “elected” by God to Salvation? By your response to His Gospel that He drew you to hear. Did you all get that? God is the initiator of our being drawn. He does the drawing. “Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father” 1 Peter 1:2, only means you heard the truth of the Gospel and you believed. We either respond in the affirmative or the negative but everyone is drawn to hear. The “elect” hear and believe. It’s a simple yes answer.

I’m not actually attempting to get into arguments with the Calvinists here. I don’t believe there’s any reason for those who diligently study their Bibles to come away with such a huge misunderstanding when it comes to foreknowledge, predestination, and the elect. So as far as I’m concerned, there should be no debate of whether or not some of us are predestined to be saved and others aren’t. Yes there are those who are God’s elect, and there are many who are not God’s elect. Why? God has made it abundantly clear that everyone is invited into his family (John 3:16). It’s just that some choose to turn down his invitation, and God knows who they are and He knew them, and their choice, before the foundation of the world. Yes there are many arrogant and foolish people who after receiving the truth, “their invitation”, refuse to say “Yes, I believe”. Some of these foolish people actually become so belligerent with God that they begin to blaspheme Him and spew hateful words at Him as they willfully return His invitation. In other words their refusal often times contains more than just a no thank you God. Hence these foolish, arrogant, belligerent people remain in their sins, thus they are not His elect, but they are perishing.

But what of those who’ve said yes to God? Those who’ve heard His Gospel message and believed. Those are who God calls His “elect”. What is it that gives them their sense of security? It’s simple. All those who’ve heard the Gospel and believed are immediately sealed with the Holy Spirit, and that’s a promise from God. Those of us who are sealed with God’s Holy Spirit are no longer under the power of the enemy.

So we learn that all believers fall under the banner of the “elect” of God. But all believers don’t feel the same way about their salvation. Some bask in the assurance of God’s gift of salvation and go about their lives seemingly fearless, almost as though they can’t be bothered about any attack from the enemy. These folks fully grasp the truth. When they are attacked their faith is so strong that they’ve learned how to overcome the enemy. These people know God will fight the battle.

Others, once justified, don’t give their salvation much thought at all. After their conversion there’s nothing else that brings out any signs that they were ever justified. Thus the enemy doesn’t see much reason in attacking them. After all, they probably aren’t doing any witnessing and they show little to no concern in producing and living a fruit filled Christian life.

Then there are the worry warts; those who think they’ve lost their salvation for some sin they committed after becoming a believer. These are the folks who listen to the false teachings of those who contradict God and teach that you can lose your salvation. Until they learn to listen to God instead of the naysayers they’ll be miserable. Many live a useless Christian life unable to break away from the condemnation of the enemy. Condemnation is laid on believers by Satan and his followers and sometimes by the brethren who’ve misinterpreted their Bibles, but never by the Holy Spirit.

This next group are the born again believers who cannot seem to grasp the fact that even though they feel they’re born again, there’s a nagging suspicion which tugs at their heart telling them they aren’t really saved at all. “Yes, I believe that Jesus is the Son of God, that He died on the cross for my sins, and that He arose three days later and sits at the right hand of God. I’ve repented of my sins and asked Him to rule and reign in my heart. And I believe that with all my heart. But, I still have doubts now and then about my salvation. Why?” That “but” is a security killer.

All believers go through ups and downs in their walk with the Lord. Doubting one’s salvation from time to time can eventually strip a believer of his/her joy, In some believers lives doubt seems to be a frequent, sometimes habitual occurrence. In some cases it’s a quick downer and the believer is back up and walking in fellowship with the Lord. With others the downer last through their entire Christian walk because they’ve never learned how to overcome the enemy's attacks. (Read Ephesians 6 for your allotment of armor).

Here’s what I see happening to these folks. They are allowing Satan to plant in their mind, a pattern of guilt and fear. Through his prodding he’s convinced them to question their salvation. It’s amazing to me just how many believers write and tell me they doubt their salvation. Satan is very good at stealing the joy we have in Christ. By placing doubt in our mind he’s gotten us to doubt even our own beliefs, our own faith, and our security in Christ.

Everyone reading this commentary must understand at least this one part. When we neglect God’s word we become most vulnerable to the enemy’s attacks. But when we take on a daily routine of Bible reading and study we remain much more secure and avoid those horrible darts of self defeat. Just a few paragraphs each day will do wonders in fighting off those enemy darts. Read more if you can of course, but even a page or two a day will help. Always pray for guidance from the Holy Spirit before you begin your Bible reading. Do this in the morning and you have put on the armor of God to help you through the entire day.

Believers have the Holy Spirit sealed within them. If we weren’t sealed with God’s Holy Spirit we would have plenty to worry about. This seal gives us the ability to rest in the knowledge that we are completely secure in God’s hands and that we have no reason to doubt our salvation, or fear our eternal destination. “Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” Luke 12:32. Remember my brethren, God delights in keeping His promises, and He promises to keep you in His hands.

If we continue to allow the enemy to place doubt in our minds we will, sooner or later, feel we’ve lost our salvation, or at the least live a miserable Christian life. This is the enemy’s purpose when it comes to believers, and he’s perfected his craft to nth degree. Understand, Satan can’t do anything to those who believe. He has no power over us unless we allow him that power. Why? Because we belong to Christ. We are living in Christ. We are God’s “elect”. We are completely secure when it comes to our salvation. All the elect will go to Heaven either in the Rapture of the Church or by passing from this life through death.

If you are worried about whether or not you’ve lost your salvation, or that you might lose it, you’ll be of no effect as a witness for God. That’s where Satan hopes you’ll end up, and that’s the purpose for the doubt, the condemnation, the guilt he bombards us with every day hoping to catch at least some of us in his snare. The emails I receive indicate that he’s been very successful. Think about it, if we don’t or won’t witness to others about the good news of Jesus the Messiah, Satan will keep those souls in his camp. Oh sure you’re still saved but what about the person who gets overlooked when it comes to being witnessed to, all because of your fear and preoccupation with losing your salvation?

Don’t fall for the enemy’s lies. That’s all they are. Satan is the father of all lies. And all those who tell you a born again believer can lose their salvation, for whatever reason, are doing Satan’s work for him, whether they know it or not. Don’t listen to them. Just keep reading your Bibles and studying. Allow the Holy Spirit of God to dwell in your mind and teach you God’s word. He’s a much better teacher than those who only want to bring you under condemnation. “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:1.

Saved! And I know it! If you’re born again claim your security and stop allowing the enemy a foothold. “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:7.

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
All scripture is from the KJV
 

I Pledge Allegiance - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com

At some point in everyone’s life there has been a pledge made to someone or something. For example, here in America most of us as we were growing up recited the pledge of allegiance to the flag of the United States of America every weekday in school. For those of you reading this commentary in other countries our pledge goes like this “I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” Most of the very young probably haven’t a clue as to what they are actually saying or what that allegiance refers to. But as adults we know that if we recite that pledge above we are aligning ourselves with the laws and rules that govern this country. Basically we are placing ourselves, quite willingly, under that professed allegiance.

We can refuse to recite that pledge if we so desire. No one will do anything to you for your refusal to pledge allegiance to the flag. There is absolutely no punishment forthcoming because of a steadfast refusal to pledge your allegiance to the U.S. The Gestapo will not be knocking on your door at 2:00 am and hauling you off to some concentration camp. There’ll be no fines, no imprisonment, and no condemnation of any kind for refusing to stand and recite the pledge of allegiance to our flag.

Interestingly, there is coming a time when Americans along with the rest of the world will become united in a new pledge of allegiance. And this pledge, one that many believe is coerced, will be to a certain person who will come onto the scene in the not so distant future. This person will demand that every human bow down and worship his image as god. If they refuse there will be severe consequences attached to that refusal. Those consequences will very likely include a detachment of one’s head from the rest of their body. “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.” Revelation 13:15.

“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:” Revelation 13:16. Many people are confused when it comes to this verse. The word in the Greek for causeth is “poieō” and it is the same Greek word used in verse 15, but in this context it has a different meaning. Here it simply means “to continue in”. There’s no coercion involved with taking the mark of the beast. It’s only a continuation of verse 15. The damage has already been done. Those who’ve bowed down and worshiped the image of the beast do so willingly and then they take the mark of the beast, also quite willingly. In other words, their pledge to worship the beast will not come as a surprise or through some false pretence; those who do so will know exactly what the ramifications of pledging themselves to the beast will be. They’ll believe he’s god and they will worship him as such.

During the Tribulation period multitudes of people will be fully engulfed in the lie. “And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” 2 Thessalonians 2:11, 12. They will willingly worship the beast as their god. Still, a few will not fall under this delusion but if they are discovered without his mark they will be killed for not submitting. Obviously the great delusion sent by God will not affect everyone because the Bible talks about the Tribulation saints. But even many of those who know the truth may be so full of fear that they worship the beast to keep their heads from being detached from their bodies, and thereby receive his mark and the same condemnation as those who do so willingly.

When we as believers give ourselves to Jesus Christ He becomes a part of us and what we’ve actually done is we’ve pledged ourselves to Him. That means we belong to Him and no one else. This allegiance to Christ is so binding that nothing outside of Christ can touch us, that is our spirit, from then on. Yes, these bodies can be killed but no one can touch our spirit.

Similarly, once those who bow down to this coming world leaders image and pledge themselves to him, they will belong to him for the remainder of their earthly lives. And their eternal destination will be shared with this false god. He demands allegiance to him and him alone and all who submit become bound to him, nothing can change that ownership. Those of you reading this commentary who don’t belong to Christ will be left here on earth after the Church is removed. Something else you might want to consider is this, if you’re not a born again believer in Christ right now, you are already dwelling in the enemy’s camp. Whether you bow down to him or not if you die during that time without Jesus as your savior you’re still condemned to Hell.

Of course, everyone should know by now that I am writing of the anti-Christ, the man of perdition. The pledge made that this man demands by those left behind will be a final act of rebellion to God. I can’t overstate the point I’m making here. To become a servant to the anti-Christ one must willingly submit to him by pledging themselves to him. It won’t be by accident that that pledge is made. It won’t be done out of an acceptance of some government enforced embedded chip program placed under the skin of the populace. Pledging allegiance to the anti-Christ will be done willingly and with complete knowledge of what that allegiance means.

I’m not saying that this chip program won’t be in some way the vehicle that the anti-Christ uses as his mark when he’s ready, but that they who accept it will do so willingly. This will not be a concern to those who are in Christ because this will not happen until after the Rapture of the church. I don’t think anyone can actually pin down what form this mark will take, only that it will be a sign of allegiance. What's really important is that the condemning factor will be making the pledge of allegiance to the image of the beast; then the mark will be placed on them as a proof of that pledge.

After the great and terrible totalitarian rulers of the 20th Century (Lenin, Stalin, Hitler, Mao), it isn’t hard to imagine a dominating world leader demanding a declaration of allegiance, tantamount to worshipping him (Obama?). Here we are in the 21st Century and we’re seeing signs that the whole world is searching for a true leader, a world leader, basically a messiah figure to usher in a euphoric sense of nirvana. In the past year how many times have we heard Obama referred to as the “messiah” or the “one”? And as a “professed Christian” how many times have we heard him rebuke those who place those names on him? Not once.

The fact is, this world leader, whoever he is, is very close to being revealed and some of you reading this commentary have no protection from his influence and the “lie” that’s on the horizon. That fact alone should be terrifying. It won’t be much longer before some of you will find yourselves living under the rule of a one world government and its dictatorial god.

There is a sense of fear even among evangelical Christians that they may soon be coerced into receiving the mark of the beast. Many of my fellow brethren are actually promoting this fear. Why? Because they lack a full understanding of what it means to be a part of Christ’s Church. We believers can’t pledge allegiance to the anti-Christ because when this usurper is finally revealed and demanding all to bow to his image, the Church will no longer be on planet earth. At some point after the church is removed he will demand all those remaining to worship him and then take his mark. And as I said before those who do worship the beast will do so quite willingly.

For believers there’s nothing to fear from this man. But for those who are left behind? There’s plenty for them to be fearful of. As God sends the great delusion onto the populace of the world the majority remaining will not be interested in the truth of the Gospel. The reason for the delusion is that they have rejected God’s free gift of salvation through His only begotten Son.

Some people will become believers during the Great Tribulation period. All Jews who are still alive during the last half of the tribulation period will be saved. They will finally have their blindness cured and they will recognize their Messiah, Jesus. But, unfortunately most of them will be martyred for their faith as they make their stand for Jesus. “And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them” Revelation 13:7. This verse is proof that there will be believers on earth during the Great Tribulation. Some people will, somehow, dodge all the bullets and scimitars and while keeping hold of their heads and refusing to bow down to the image of the beast and take his mark, they may actually survive that horrible period of time and go into the millennium unsaved. But most will willingly condemn themselves to Hell.

For all those who bow their knee and worship the beast and then take his mark their destiny will be set in stone. Equate bowing to this beast in a posture of worship and taking of his mark to jumping out of a plane at 30,000 ft. without a parachute. No matter how much you might regret that jump you’ll never recover from it and the regret will last for an eternity. My advice is, never bow the knee to the beast, and never accept his mark. Better yet place your faith and trust in Jesus Christ right now before it’s too late.

When the tribulation period begins the Church will no longer be present and the Holy Spirit will be in a different capacity then He is now. Because we’re told that there are saints on earth during the Great Tribulation we know that the Holy Spirit must still be here but His primary job classification will change slightly. Every person who becomes a follower of Jesus Christ during the tribulation period will be responsible for keeping themselves saved. Unlike those of us who are currently born again, those who are saved during the tribulation will not be sealed with the Holy Spirit.

The tribulation saints are going to go through perilous times, thus these saints might be persuaded to take the mark of the beast just so they can buy and sell. If they do they will lose their salvation. “And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:” Revelation 14:9, 10.

What I’m getting at here is just this. Why wait? Do you really want to experience life during the tribulation period? The chance of becoming a believer and remaining a believer during that time will be slim. If you’re a holdout to the truth, it isn’t too late to accept Christ as your Savior. If you know someone who is going through a phase of rebellion to God, please pass this commentary on to them. We must at least try to convince the lost in these last days that life during the last three and one half years of the tribulation period is going to be so horrific they most certainly won’t want to be a part of it. But if they wait much longer they may wake up some morning in the middle of Hell on earth.

Spreading the Gospel of Christ is essential for every believer, especially now that we can see the end approaching. Jesus tells us that there’s an end coming and that we should all be working. “I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.” John 9:4. By adding the phrase when no man can work, Jesus is saying all of us must be about our Fathers business while it is day. That night is almost upon us. Therefore continue to spread His Gospel while it is day.

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
All scripture is from the KJV
 

False Teachers – Damnable Heresies – Apostasy - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com

“But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.” 2 Peter 2:1-3.

I was listening to a radio call in program the other day when a man came on and asked the radio host if he knew anything about a new offer by a college to teach anyone how to become a biblical prophet for a mere $4,000 dollars. In other words they will sell you the gift of prophecy. “And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money, Saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost. But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money.” Acts 8:18-20.

The gifts given us by God through His Holy Spirit can’t be bought as Simon found out. They are a gift and they are given to whomever He chooses.

“But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:” 1 Corinthians 12:7-10.

Paul tells us that we’re each given a gift, but that those gifts vary. Not everyone is given the gift of healing. Similarly, not everyone is given the gift of prophecy. You can pay one million dollars to become a biblical prophet but if the Holy Spirit hasn’t given you that gift then you’ve just wasted a million bucks. The people that promote this type of heresy are false teachers and the Bible says they will abound in the end times.

We’re also told in the Bible that in the end times the Church will go into a massive and destructive stance of overwhelming apostasy. In my estimation, most of the Church today hasn’t a clue as to what’s happening or that the apostasy is here. The most pervasive and gross attacks on the Christian Church today will come from within the church body itself. False teachers are rarely attacking the Church from the outside. More than anything else the false teachers are standing behind the pulpits.

People know the truth from reading the scriptures yet teach false doctrines for the purpose of promoting themselves and for obtaining financial gain from their followers. “And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you:” These folks either don’t care or don’t understand that they are receiving their reward now in this life. “And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness...” 2 Peter 2:13.

“Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.” Jude 1:11. There is no greater curse on the earth than empty, vain religion; “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud..., unholy..., lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.” 2 Timothy 3:1, 2, 4b, 5. Many Christians are afraid of secular humanism or atheism or the world. But false teaching is far more dangerous, and sends more people to hell than anything else. These who teach thusly are going the way of Cain, ungodly, greedy, and finally apostasy.

False teachers twist scripture like nothing we’ve ever seen before and all to fit their own fancies. Evangelists have appeared on the national scene many of who the uninformed simple minded folks swoon over because of their appeal and charisma. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.” And by the sheer number of email responses I receive from folks who have been taught false doctrine, there must be a great amount of these preachers on the scene today.

I receive letters from folks who tell me the Trinity is a false teaching because the word Trinity isn’t in the Bible. Next they’ll complain because I equate Jesus to God because (they say) everyone knows Jesus isn’t God, even Jesus Himself never said He was God. They continue with the following lie, if you aren’t baptized you’re not saved. Others say if you can’t speak in tongues you’re not saved. Here’s one that really gets me. If you worship on Sunday you’ve taken the mark of the beast. Then of course there are always those who condemn me for teaching on the Rapture of the Church which they see as heresy, and on and on it goes. What in the world are these people being taught? And what does the person who’s teaching them this tripe hope to gain?

God, in His word, isn’t condemning those who honestly misinterpret a verse or make a mistake, but who are open to correction. He’s speaking about blatant and persistent false representation of His word. Lying for the purpose of fulfilling one’s own agenda, such as monetary gain, that’s the heretical teaching God hates.

Heresy is akin to leaven; it only takes a small amount to infect the whole bunch. Heresy spreads beginning from a small misrepresentation and almost without notice this lie begins to grow, and before long it has infested the whole congregation. Then some of those lie polluted people leave that congregation for another and they take the lies they’ve been taught with them. Within a very short period of time the Christian Church becomes replete with heretical teachings and false doctrines.

A friend of mine recently told me of a book he is reading where the author gives all authority for the interpretation of scriptures to the Catholic Church. How many people are going to read this same book and be swayed by the author’s un-biblical arguments? This is just one instance of leading people astray. How many Christians and non-Christians read the Da Vinci Codes and were swayed by Dan Browns attempt at fiction? Millions. Then the movie did it’s best to give credence to this same heresy. The same can be said for the book entitled “The Shack”. A book of fiction, yes, but with horrible misrepresentations of God, and the simple minded are led astray.

These are the times Jesus speaks about “And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.” Matthew 24:4. How many today are following Jesus admonition? By what I see going on in the media and different ministries, not many.

Peter tells us that such teachings are “damnable heresies”. What does damnable mean? The Greek word used here is “apōleia” Which is explained in my concordance as the destruction which consists of eternal misery in Hell. People who teach others heresies are on a one way trip to Hell.

Can you just imagine the snowball effect associated with the promotion of a heresy? Here’s an example to consider, Joseph Smith claimed he was visited by an angel named Moroni. This angel told him that he was giving Smith a new gospel because the original had become corrupt. “I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.” Galatians 1:6-9. Paul repeats the condemnation twice, “let him be accursed”. I’ve noticed in the scriptures that anytime something is reiterated twice it carries much more weight.

Joseph Smith was certainly accursed; he soon became involved in a shootout in which he died a horrible bloody death. And of course he is in Sheol awaiting his turn to appear before the White Throne Judgment Seat of God which occurs at the end of the thousand year reign of Christ here on earth.

How severe will Joseph Smiths punishment be? Well he started off with a handful of converts to Mormonism leading people away from the true Gospel and over the years the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has grown into a huge conglomerate, a false religion of which millions of followers are already condemned to Hell. Joseph Smith is responsible for the condemnation of millions of simple minded people who are all perishing because of his false teaching. How severe will his punishment be? We mere humans would probably consider Smiths punishment extreme. But through his own actions Smith condemned himself.

Another man who is awaiting his turn before the White Throne Judgment seat of God and who is even today continually adding more and more severe condemnation to himself is Charles Russell. Russell was the first president of the Jehovah’s Witnesses. Russell originally denied the doctrine of Hell, and would go on to reject nearly every other Christian doctrine, as well as add many physically and spiritually dangerous doctrines of his own making. Many of these unique and bizarre teachings were to be found in his six volume series titled, Studies in the Scriptures.

For the year 2000, the Watchtower Society claimed a worldwide membership of over six million (about one million U.S.) in more than 91,000 congregations in 235 countries speaking 340 languages, and takes in approximately 300,000 new members each year (288,907 in 2000). Charles Russell no longer denies the doctrine of Hell; he has since learned that Hell is a real place. What kind of severe punishment will Russell endure? God knows.

“Denying the Lord that bought them” Peter continues with his explanation of the false teachers and what they can expect as punishment. But what constitutes false teaching? Anything that adds to, or takes away from, or that runs contrary to God’s inerrant word.

When men and women stand before an audience, and deceive that audience for the explicit purpose of monetary gain or some other agenda or write books for the same purpose, those folks are void of conscience. They are reaping their reward here on earth. They should do everything they can to live the happiest life they can because when all is said and done and they leave planet earth for their eternal destination, the fun and games will be over.

“Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.” Matthew 7:15. Wolves in sheep’s clothing? In other words they will look like you and I. They will speak words that seem to be so true. They will give great advice and lecture on current societal problems which will make all the sense in the world. But their motives will be selfish. Many will follow their evil ways. They will begin to behave in bazaar manners but they will be recognized as leaders in the Christian evangelical movement. Beware!

Some of these wolves will be debased sexually and after they’ve deceived many their dark secrets will be revealed, but it will be too late for they will have influenced many of the weak minded and biblically unstudied masses. People, this is going on right now in many Christian churches and it needs to be nipped in the bud. We need to make a stand against anyone who stands against Christ in any way. We need to remove leaders who don’t actually believe what they teach, and all who teach false doctrines.

And just how do we know they are teaching falsehoods? We study our Bibles and we learn the scriptures for ourselves. This way no church leader or any other Bible teacher can deceive us with words of deception. If this were the case those who teach false doctrines wouldn’t make it past a sentence or two before someone in the congregation would stand up and call them on the lie they are proclaiming.

The rub is we must study our Bibles otherwise I can promise you, you will be deceived. Whether intentionally or not, false doctrine will creep into your congregation when the flock hasn’t the biblical knowledge needed to confront those heresies. “For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.” Acts 20:29, 30.

We are held responsible to know the truth, each one of us individually. We are to work out our own salvation as Paul tells us “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.” Philippians 2:12. Paul means to put forth real effort into our Christians lives. This is not to work our salvation in the sense of accomplishing it, but to work out our salvation - to see it evident in every area of our lives, and to activate this salvation God freely gave us. The believer must know God’s word so as not to be led astray.

Only those foolish enough to believe every word someone tells them are foolish enough to be led like sheep to the slaughter. Don’t allow this to happen to your family or to your congregation; don’t allow deceptions and false doctrine to ruin your life and your eternal destiny. Continue to study God’s word, and stay alert.

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
All scripture is from the KJV
 

GOD CAME – Let’s Celebrate - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com

“Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.” Hebrews 10:7.

This time of year brings great joy to folks all over the world and from just about every walk of life. Admittedly we’ve entered a very festive season, but few recognize the real reason behind all the festivities. As strange as it may seem many folks have no clue that Christmas is a birthday celebration. Christian’s especially enjoy this time of the year because we know whose birth we’re celebrating.

2,000 years ago God came. He entered His Creation and became a man, the man Jesus Christ. The Bible declares it; that should be enough evidence for anyone to believe it, and many do. But many disregard what the Bible says about the birth of the Savior of the world. Hey it’s a holiday, that’s good enough.

God went from being spirit to being a flesh and blood man. A perfect God became a perfect man. “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14. Jesus is our Messiah, our perfect God, and our Great Savior, and Redeemer. He’s the Creator of the entire universe. He came to set us free.

Most have either heard or read the account of Jesus’ birth. Jesus began His earthly life as an infant. He was born in a manger and His birth was heralded by an angel. “And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:9-11.

Undoubtedly great joy and celebration erupted in Heaven when the little baby Jesus cried His very first cry proclaiming the beginning of His human life. And here on earth that very night a whole host of angels appeared before those lowly shepherds “And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” Luke 2:13, 14. Peace on earth? It won’t be long now.

God came as a propitiation for our sins. Those sins began four thousand years before Christ’s birth and they have continued for 2,000 years after His death, burial, and resurrection. Even though sin abounds today there is salvation, there is forgiveness, and there is hope for all who have sinned. And all have sinned. I guess that means there’s hope for some us, right? No, it means there’s hope for everyone. The angel that appeared to the shepherds that night told them that there would be great joy for all people, all people. We are all invited to accept the free gift that God gave to the world that night. When baby Jesus grew into manhood He became the sin offering for all of mankind, “for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself.” Hebrews 7:27b

Trying to explain to the lost that God came and that He died on a cross for the sins of the entire world can be an arduous task. Why? Because preaching the cross and Christ crucified is foolishness to most people. “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.” 1 Corinthians 1:18. They either refuse to believe in a God of the universe, or they believe in God but refuse to believe He could die, let alone die for the sins of man. But He did. “And you know that Jesus came to take away our sins, for there is no sin in him.” 1 John 3:5.

Even before Jesus became a full grown man He knew He had an eternal plan to accomplish. That plan was conceived between Father and Son before the foundation of the world and accomplished on an old wooden cross. Jesus’ death was not a tragedy, it was an achievement. Although God the Father and God the Son both knew few would enter through the narrow gate they still went ahead with their plan.

God knew from the beginning that man would fail the test of following His commands to the letter, and was fully aware of what He would need to do to move His children back into a right relationship with Himself. “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8.

The Pharisees of Jesus’ time believed they could obtain eternal life because of their strict adherence to the scriptures, but Jesus told them “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.” John 5:39. Sadly, many today have the same mindset as those Pharisees of old.

Preachers have been pounding the tops of pulpits for years trying to get the Gospel message out to a rebellious people so they might grasp the truth. Many have succeeded in their attempts, but many more have not. Rebellion is a difficult thing to counter. Moms and dads know this all too well. Children begin to rebel almost from birth. “No” becomes their favorite word in many cases. Whether or not you’d like to admit it folks, that’s rebellion. That’s what God sees in His children, but that’s what He overlooks once we’ve heard the Gospel and believed.

Each year the unbelieving world seek to change the name of this particular season to “winter festival” or some other non-biblical name, anything to take the emphases off Christ and His birth. All those who wish to eliminate Christmas from the season and change the name and the meaning of the 25th of December to “happy holidays” will soon get their wish. Here comes Santa Claus will be the only reference to this particular day in the not so distant future. After the Rapture of the Church there will be no further resistance to changing the name of the season. But there will be nothing to ho, ho, ho about either.

Call it what you will, God came to replace death with life. “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” John 10:10. There’s no denying the facts for those of us whose blinders have been removed. Believers could no more deny Christ or the fact that He came than deny the sun shines every day.

But for many lost souls denying Christ is prominent, many times in the forefront of their minds and at this time of year the denial becomes even more extreme. Some of those who deny Christ become abusive and lash out at any reference to God and Jesus during the Christmas season.

But all the denial in the world doesn’t change the facts, God came. The Bible contains many scriptures about the Christ child and His arrival. Go ahead deny the Bible that’s easy, but you must deny truth at the same time. The Bible is true and complete; all of life’s questions can be answered from the Bible. As I’ve stated in previous commentaries the Bible was written as a history lesson in advance. That’s how God authenticates His word.

Reading and studying the Bible brings comfort in the form of truth. The Bible is God speaking to us and His words comfort our soul. This time of year can be especially comforting as we celebrate the birth of our Savior and King, our Messiah, Jesus.

Many people refuse to believe that God came because of what they’ve been taught; a lie that has been handed down from generation to generation is still a lie. People become convinced there is no God and then they choose to remain in their unbelief. Some when they are presented with the truth believe, but many more don’t. However, nothing can stop the forward progress of God’s advancing Kingdom, whether we run into unbelief or rebellion of any kind, God will not be stopped. He’s proved this time and again.

Those who reject the true fact that God came are in for a surprise of enormous proportions. It’s not going to be a pleasant surprise of course, but most certainly enormous. You see, all those who continue in unbelief continue to belong to Satan and they are condemned. God has made it plain that to reject His truth is to stand against Him. All who reject the truth announced throughout the scriptures of the birth, ministry, death, burial, and resurrection of the Messiah of the world are only following their father the devil.

God came, and Jesus is God. This biblical truth is disparaged by various religions as well as the Christian cults. In their case condemnation reigns supreme. But that condemnation can be avoided. How? “...Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved ...” Acts 16:31a. By believing that Jesus is who He says He is, earth’s populace can avoid condemnation. But many just flat out refuse to believe, thus they remain Satan’s property.

Jesus Christ is the Messiah that came, a descendant from the tribe of Judah, to proclaim salvation to the Jews. The Jews, many still in rebellion to this day, rejected their Messiah. The Gentiles, on the other hand, were excited about their Messiah and embraced Him with open arms and the Church was born. Many Jews heard the Apostles preaching and believed and joined the body of Christ. Many more did not. And to this day have not.

The Church is God’s creation and He had it in His mind to send His Son to begin the Church at a specific time. Yet many still don’t get it, so we pray for them, family members and friends. We pray that the scales that cover their eyes would melt away just as they did from our own, and the truth would become crystal clear.

All those who believe God came, will, one day soon, accompany Him to Heaven. All those who don’t believe will remain behind and life will be very different here for them once the Church is removed. Even though God came and died for all men He’s willing to allow men their freedom and their choice. He’s willing to refrain from interfering with man’s decision of where to spend eternity. You see, it really isn’t sin that sends people to Hell. No, it’s the refusal of God’s free gift of salvation. Jesus paid the price for the sins of the world. All we must do is believe in the Gospel of Christ.

Rebellion is rebellion, some get over it but we are all born with it. Some never get past that childish rebellious nature of saying “NO” so they can come to the truth of the Gospel. If you’re reading this commentary and you’re at a point in your life where you are beginning to feel a tugging on your heart that something is amiss in your life, then you might want to heed these words. The Holy Spirit of God is doing the tugging/drawing and if you’ll let Him He’ll help you remove those old stubborn scales covering your eyes and toss away that infantile rebellion you’ve been clinging onto for all these years.

Well, that’s it, that’s the whole shebang, the whole enchilada. It’s really that simple. God came, showed up here on earth as a little baby boy, grew to manhood, still fully God and fully man. If you believe that fact, if you believe Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, the Savior of the world, and the propitiation for our sins you will no longer be under condemnation, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:1.

Christmas is so much more than ho, ho, ho. “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6.

A Gift Idea:
We are given a perfect opportunity to explain the Gospel to folks who at other times of the year may not be in the frame of mind to hear it. Christmas is a time of joy and many feel the need to give and so why not give the gift that keeps on giving. Give them this gift. Give them the message of the Gospel of Christ.

Merry Christmas, and God bless you all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
All scripture is from the KJV

Homosexual Bishops - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com

The Episcopal Church has once again committed heresy. Not only have they named a woman as bishop, but she is a lesbian. What does the Bible teach on such things? “A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober of good behavior, given to hospitality, apt to teach;” 1 Timothy 3:2. Blameless means that a bishop must be without reproach and living a godly lifestyle to the best of his ability.

We read throughout scripture that homosexuality is condemned by God, so a homosexual is not without reproach. They are making no attempt to live a godly life. According to Paul, when held to just the first adjective in the above verse a homosexual/lesbian would be automatically disqualified from such a position as bishop in the church.

The next qualification for a bishop is he must be the husband of one wife. This is something that is impossible for a woman and not likely in a homosexual.

Let’s look at what it means to be vigilant and sober. From the Greek words we get the following definitions. “of a sound mind, sane, in one's senses, curbing one's desires and impulses, self-controlled, temperate”. Hmm, sound mind, sane, curbing one’s desires and impulses, need I go on? This description just doesn’t fit as we observe the lifestyle of a homosexual. Anyone living such a lifestyle certainly is not of a sound mind.

How about of good behavior? God refers to homosexuality as an abomination. If they are involved in that abomination their behavior is anything but good. I’m sure Homosexuals can be hospitable; hospitality isn’t difficult, anyone can do it. But would you want to be invited to the home of a homosexual knowing that in their home they practice what God explicitly abhors?

Apt to teach? My last question concerning the above verse is, what are homosexual Bishops going to teach? Are they apt to teach their flocks that their lifestyle is perfectly normal and that it should be condoned as such? Are they going to explain away the verses in the Bible which teach against homosexuality as nonsensical, out dated, unreliable, or maybe they’ll just exclaim that that was then and this is now.

We can see by the above verse that placing a homosexual in the position of a Bishop is not acceptable to God. It is doubly wrong for a lesbian woman since a Bishop needs to be a man. In Leviticus 18 God admonishes His people “the Hebrews” to abstain from all forms of evil. This whole chapter is devoted to sexual perversions that God considers abominations. He continues to explain that even the land, in which He was giving to the Hebrews, was defiled because of the evil sexual practices of the previous inhabitants. “Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things: for in all these the nations are defiled which I cast out before you: And the land is defiled...” Leviticus 18:24, 25. God tells His people that even the land where these abominable sexual practices were taking place was defiled. Another word for defiled is ruined.

Many unbelievers, as well as folks who only profess to be Christian, remain unopposed to homosexuality. They believe the lie that homosexuality is a normal lifestyle and that people are born that way. But God says differently, thus, the land is becoming more and more defiled.

I realize that many Christian Churches have minor to extreme doctrinal problems, but to place a homosexual in the position of Bishop is way beyond potentially problematic. Many in the Episcopal Church exited after a homosexual man was appointed as Bishop, but now they’ve only added to their own perversions by placing a lesbian in the same capacity. Man condones what God abhors.

This is clearly an act of rebellion against God. For the life of me I will never understand how people who claim to follow Jesus and revere Him as Messiah and Savior of the world could purposely turn against God’s inerrant word and promote such a completely heretical doctrine as this organization has done. When God in His word speaks of apostasy, this is exactly what He’s talking about. “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?” 2 Corinthians 13:5. Where we see God rejecting people become the elders of the church apostasy abounds.

As believers we are told to abstain from all appearances of evil. Homosexuality, to the sane mind, is inherently evil. It is clearly a satanic seduced lie. Satan has convinced many in the church that homosexuality can be practiced and even condoned as a perfectly normal lifestyle. God would never condone homosexuality as such. This, folks is pure insanity, it’s not natural yet now we see that man has changed this abomination into a completely normal “alternative lifestyle”.

How can God’s word be so ignored even in the Anglican Church? The very fact that people are leaving this church in droves must tell them something. The people don’t agree with the foolishness of the hierarchy of this Church, and it’s not bigotry, the abandonment of this rogue church by their body is simply Christians standing on God’s inerrant word.

Can a homosexual be a believer? Can they live this God professed abdominal lifestyle all their adult lives and actually claim to know Jesus intimately? How can they live a life as a homosexual, which is in direct opposition to God, and still claim to be one of His children? Is it because Leviticus is in the Old Testament and thus it can be ignored? Okay take the Old Testament and toss it out the window if you wish. Now all we have is the New Testament.

“Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, (homosexuals) nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God,” 1 Corinthians 6:9, 10.

That’s in the New Testament? Yeah, and so is this, “Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.” Romans 1:25-27. These verses are referred to by Barack H. Obama as obscure. Obscure means difficult to understand. Wow, and that man was elected our president?

God’s word is God’s word Old Testament or New and we either believe it or we don’t, but why claim a relationship with God if you don’t agree with what He’s given us as guidelines to live by? In the above verses as well as others in chapter 1 of Romans Paul is telling us that God is giving these people who have ignored Him over to this vile lifestyle. How do we ignore God? By reinterpreting the Bible to fit our on sinful lifestyle. People do this because they would rather live in their sins than to live as God says.

No people, God is not happy with homosexuality or any other sin for that matter. And He certainly doesn’t want people who are blatantly and openly claiming to live such a lifestyle as the abomination of homosexuality to be in a position as a teaching authority in His Church.

As born again believers we are to leave our old sinful lifestyle behind and strive to do God’s will. It will never be His will to remain in our previous state of rebellion. Homosexuality is a state of rebellion. Born again believers in Christ would certainly leave that lifestyle behind. Those who refuse to leave that lifestyle should re-examine their salvation position.

Here’s an example of how foolish it would be to place such a person who is the antithesis of a person God would want in a position of leadership in a Christian Church. Let’s say the Southern Baptist Association of America placed an atheist in the position of president over their whole organization. What could the Church be taught by an atheist? How much damage would be done by such a person while being seated in that high official capacity? Don’t tell me that he/she might become a believer while in that position. The damage, exacted by such a person, on the brethren, would be catastrophic. It just can’t happen, not that it shouldn’t happen, but it can’t.

“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; And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness as they that count it pleasure to riot in the day time. Spots they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you; Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children: Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray...” 2 Peter 2:12-15.

The Apostle Peter is speaking about people who live in direct opposition to God and bask in their rebellious corrupted lives. Their minds are only on evil continually. Is this the person you want as the leader of your Christian Church? These people have no understanding of God’s word they are wholly following Satan not Christ. And this enemy of Christianity (Satan) has thoroughly seared the senses of these deceived and foolish souls.

For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.” 1 Peter 2:25. Peter tells us that Jesus our Messiah and Savior is the Shepherd and Bishop of our souls, are we to place a homosexually deviant person in a position where he/she will assume the posture of a shepherd of a flock? A flock that supposedly belongs to Christ? What truths will they teach their flocks? Or should I say, what lies will they teach their flock as they stand in defiance to their Messiah? How can a homosexual uphold the whole counsel of God and blatantly live a life that is contrary to God’s word? A person such as this can do nothing but lead others astray.

If you’re a Christian believer reading this commentary and you approve of homosexuality as a normal lifestyle then you are apostate. If your church condones this activity as normal your church is apostate. Either way you’re outside of God’s precepts and commandments.

“All scripture is God breathed...” 2 Timothy 3:16a. So where in God’s word does He condone sin? Any sin? He doesn’t and that’s why the Bible is disparaged when it comes to homosexuality. That’s why many countries, including the United States of America, have enacted legislation that prohibits preaching homosexuality as a sin. And that depraved mind is what has caused God to abandon those individuals to that lifestyle. Don’t believe me, do the research for yourself.

“Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:” Romans 1:24. God not only doesn’t condone the sin of homosexuality but He actually uses it as a judgment on those who’ve turned what they once knew as the truth into a lie. This is exactly the position of the current Episcopal Church of the United States. God, because of their Bible knowledge and because of their arrogance in ignoring His commandments, has given them up to uncleanness and He’s allowed them to dishonour their own bodies with the vilest of affections. In other words while they remain in their disobedience they will continue to be judged, and homosexuality will abound.

As we read the news, almost every day there’s another article about another Christian organization going apostate. Brethren be ever so watchful that these abominations don’t take root in your Church lest ye to are judged. “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.” Romans 1:18, 19. God is the revealer of truth. He doesn’t change, He can’t learn, it’s against His own nature to lie, and He can’t defy His own laws. From eternity past to eternity future God will never condone such an abomination as homosexuality. That’s a promise.

The Anglican Church will be held responsible by God for their condoning of such behavior. “Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.” Romans 1:32. Condoning this insanity is no different in God’s eye than participating in the abomination itself. All believers should give that serious thought.

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
All scripture is from the KJV

My God Won’t Send Me to Hell! - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com

“But where are thy gods that thou hast made thee?” Jeremiah 2:28a. Clearly many people create their own god–one which will conveniently suit their personal needs. Basically what they’re creating for themselves is a designer god. “My god won’t send me to Hell!” Here we go.

Why would a loving God, a God who is described as pure love, condemn any of his children to Hell? This is very a common question especially among those who don’t believe the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, or who have little to no Bible knowledge. Believe it or not even Christians ask this question, and few are able to give a sound, Biblical answer.

A common statement from non-believers is “My god would never send anyone to Hell, he’s a loving god. Only an evil god would create people and then send them to Hell.” Good point, but since these folks are non-believers their god is Satan. And his main modus operandi is to convince man that he is god and that he would never send anyone to Hell. Well he certainly isn’t God, but he is very efficient and persuasive when it comes to promoting his lies. After all he’s been at it for 6,000 years give or take a year or so.

What I tell these folks is that my God wouldn’t send any human being to Hell either. Now this really throws them for a loop and even some of my readers might be scratching their heads right about now.

Here’s what I tell these doubters. Since I’m a believer “In Christ” my God is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. My God is the God of the Old Testament and of the New. My God is the Lord Jesus Christ, God Almighty, Creator of the universe and everything in it. There is no other God. Now they’re saying “Well, your God sends people to Hell; He’s not my god. The God of the Old Testament was a horrible and gruesome God full of hate for the very people He created.”

So, what do we tell a person such as this? They don’t want anything to do with the God of the Bible because they assume He sends people to Hell. They’ve made up their own god, thanks to Satan, to associate with and to accommodate them in this life. Then they classify and condemn God, God Almighty, the one and only true God, as evil, unloving, and uncaring.

To obtain a little knowledge can be useful but sometimes a little knowledge of the Bible can be dangerous, even destructive. This is exactly how cults get started. People try reading the Bible without any discernment from God and they usually begin in the Old Testament and find scriptures where God condemned whole cities. Or they read where God would command his people to go into a particular city and kill all inhabitants. But because they don’t understand what God was doing in those instances they look at God as an evil and maniacal God, completely out of control, and certainly without love.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16. Arguably the most quoted verse in the entire Bible. If God loves the whole world why does He condemn some people to Hell? How can this presumed hateful God of the Old Testament be the same God of the New Testament?

There are many picture types of Jesus Christ in the Old Testament; Bible teachers will claim Jesus Christ is on every page. Jesus said, “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.” John 5:39. When Jesus made that statement to the Pharisees the only scriptures in their possession were what we call the Old Testament. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:1.

Clearly Jesus the Messiah is the God of the Old and New Testament. The writer of Hebrews tells us “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.” Hebrews 13:8. So God never changes and since Jesus is God and always has been He must be the same God, Old Testament and New.

How can that be? Jesus is very loving when we read about Him in the New Testament. Jesus never changes He was as loving before the foundation of the world, when He and the Father came up with the plan to save their Creation from destruction, as He is today.

Now that we’ve established that Jesus Christ is the God of the Old and New Testaments let’s get back to the question at hand. Why does God send people to Hell? The simple answer is He doesn’t.

“Wait a minute, you’ve told me that if I don’t accept Jesus Christ as my Savior, if I don’t believe He died for my sins and repent then I will go to Hell when I die.” Yep, that’s what the Bible tells us. “Well I’m not going to believe in who you call your God so why am I going to Hell if your God doesn’t send me there?”

Wow, you’ve just about got it. God, in His word, gave us the keys to entering Heaven. “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” John 14:6. God Almighty tells us that only through Him (Jesus Christ) may we enter Heaven, and that any other means of getting there which we perceive is a possibility is actually just foolishness. “My god would never send anyone to Hell!” Nor would mine, but the question remains, who’s your god?

You don’t want to believe the truth so you’ve made up your own personal god who won’t send you to Hell no matter how you live your life. This is exactly what Satan promotes. You might want to rethink placing your faith in some nonexistent god. Here’s what has happened, you’ve accepted the following lie from the enemy. “God will never send me to Hell, I’m a good person” While it’s true that God doesn’t send people to Hell, we can see the lie of the enemy in that statement, “I’m a good person”. “And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.” Mark 10:18.

People who want to believe they can get to Heaven just by being good are horribly deceived. Many people live an exemplary life and are convinced they’re going to Heaven because of how they’ve lived, how generous they are, how loving they are, how respected they are. The cults will confirm this same lie just to get you into their fold. But it’s all still a lie, and a very destructive one at that.

Being sent to Hell only comes from one entity, you. You are the only one that is responsible for your eternal destination. God made it easy. “...believe on him whom he hath sent.” John 6:29b. It’s not very difficult, it only takes faith. But then again so does belief in your designer god, or no god. If you think you can get to Heaven by being good and nothing else, that my friend, still takes faith, albeit your faith is in a lie.

Many have said they just don’t believe this salvation thing can be that easy, there must be more to it than that. They just can’t get their minds around the fact that God had to die a horrible death on some old cross so the rest of us could go to Heaven instead of Hell. That unbelief is the condemnation that people just don’t understand. A hardened heart will never get it, and Satan is diligent in his efforts to keep you in that state of mind.

God made it easy for His creation to believe and be saved. But it was not easy for Him. He had to stand by and watch as man spit, beat, and humiliated His Son. Then surely the tears flowed as He watched man drive spikes into the hands and feet of His only begotten Son when they placed Him on that cross. God’s creation was instrumental in placing Jesus the Christ on that cross. “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8.

Nope, it couldn’t have been easy for God. Yet, He loved us so much He was willing to watch from the sideline as His Son died. Now the awesome part is God (the Lord Jesus Christ) arose from the grave three days later. That accomplishment (prophesied throughout Old Testament Scriptures) is what it took to redeem mankind in God’s eyes. The only thing we must do to be redeemed (saved) is to believe that He did what He said He did. “...Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved...,” Acts 16:31. Yes, it must have been hard for God and we may never understand just how hard but God doesn’t ask us to attempt to understand His pain. He only asks us to believe.

People, you can believe in Jesus Christ as your Savior or choose not to believe, but you can’t blame God for sending you to Hell. He did His very loving part in sending His Son Jesus our Messiah to die for our sins. Jesus Christ is our Redeemer and we must do our part, and accept that fact as truth. God’s free gift of everlasting life is not costly; His free gift of salvation is not a hindrance. He did all the work. We get to enjoy all the benefits of eternal life without paying a cent, or being nailed to the old rugged cross ourselves, which, by the way, should have been our punishment not Jesus’.

You may be steadfast in your unbelief but that rebellious attitude will not diminish the fact that Jesus Christ died for the sins of the world. My God, Jesus the Christ, will not send you to Hell. Only your unbelief can do that. God made Hell for Satan and his minions of evil, it was not meant for mankind. But it’s there and wide open to anyone who chooses to follow Satan and enter that realm for eternity. Satan and all those angels that fell from grace with him prefer Hell. By the way, there’s no truth to annihilation, and there isn’t any truth to the Catholic concept of purgatory, both of those doctrines are unbiblical.

You’ve made your choice to continue in your rebellion to God, to live your life in unbelief and spend eternity in Hell. Remember this, when you die in that state of mind there’s no going back on that decision. There will be no reprieve from the governor, or the president or any other earthly leader. There will be no commutation of your sentence or any time off for good behavior. Once you’re there, you’re there for eternity.

If you’re not a believer today, right this minute, God says you’re already condemned. “...he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” John 3:18b. God’s not condemning anyone to Hell with this statement. He is, though, making it quite obvious what the consequences are in rejecting His free gift of salvation. Those who are condemned are so destined because of their unbelief. Consequently, those folks are sending themselves to Hell because of their own foolish rebellion. “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.” 1 Corinthians 1:18.

This foolishness doesn’t need to last. You can come out of that lost state and believe the truth. Your life doesn’t need to end in rebellion. Just say yes to Jesus Christ right now. Become born again. Place your faith and your trust, even your very lives, completely in His hands. If you would still rather not believe in the God who saves instead of the god who destroys then your destination is already set, Hell it is. My advice–choose life.

So go ahead, you keep your god, because he won’t send anyone to Hell and I’ll stay with the one true God, Jesus Christ, who similarly will never send anyone to Hell, but who will allow you to make your own decision as to where you would like to spend eternity. I can tell you this, only one of us is right. Are you willing to stake your eternal existence on a god which the enemy planted in your brain and who is completely nonexistent? Eternity is a very long time, without end.

The last thing Satan wants is for you to believe in the God of the Bible. He’s working overtime trying to get you to see things his way. He uses many deceptive devises. He convinces men who’ve hardened their hearts against the God of the Bible to promote his schemes and many are more than willing to do so. He wants you to either believe in a god that doesn’t really exist or, better yet, no God at all. Either way you lose.

Choose Christ and live.

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
All scripture is from the KJV

And the Bible’s Attacked Again - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com

“For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.” 1 Peter 1:24-25 Peter is placing his emphasis here on the fact that, unlike men’s lives, God’s word is eternal.

The new “hate crimes” bill passed in congress and signed into law by Obama is just another attack on the Bible. You say “How is that possible Ron”? For those of you who aren’t already aware of the agenda behind such a bill I’ll tell you. Homosexuality and the promotion of same are behind this bill. This bill effectively levy’s strict punishment upon anyone who speaks against homosexuality. Well guess what? God speaks against homosexuality as well as all sin. So, this is just another attempt to rid us of the Book that can and has changed lives.

Interesting isn’t it? The word of God has endured for thousands of years and yet the naysayers continue with their attacks. They’re always around to contradict God’s word. Much too frequently for my liking. There isn’t one day that passes without reading somewhere that someone is telling us the Bible is a bunch of fanciful stories for entertainment purposes alone. It’s not to be read as God’s word, after all it was written by men and we all know where that will get us. It’s just a bunch of hooey.

They come and go, don’t they? Who are they anyway these foolish people who won’t believe the truth? Even though the Bible has endured for thousands of years people still can’t, or won’t grasp the significance of such a humanly impossible accomplishment.

Think about it, here we have men writing what God has given them to write down and for the most part these men did not know each other. Yet as you read through the Bible as a believer you will shortly come to realize hat it is God’s inspired work. There’s no doubt He’s the author; we find its one integrated design from cover to cover. Only the Holy Spirit could have supernaturally accomplished such a feat.

How do we explain to the unbeliever that the Bible is true? Well how about telling them how long it has endured and then ask them if they know of any of man’s works that have endured as long. Just in case they come up with something like the writing of Plato or Homer’s Odyssey or Iliad, let them know that they aren’t even close to the long standing presence of the scriptures. No other writings will stand up to the test of time especially after what the Bible had to endure to stay around ‘til today.

When we come to the realization that the Bible has been the object of such persecution it’s a wonder, no it’s a miracle it’s still with us. The Bible has been the most bitterly hated book in all history. For the last two thousand years man’s hatred of the Bible has been persistent. Man with all his knowledge has been determined to rid the world of such a horrendous influence corrupting the minds of men. Every possible effort has been made to undermine faith in the inspiration and authority of the Bible, and innumerable enterprises have been undertaken with determination to consign it to oblivion. Yet it remains the most beloved book of all time. Just how is that possible? Could it be that the Bible is supernaturally protected?

Supernaturally is the only explanation, God wants His word available to all people. Some countries just can’t comprehend and refuse to even allow it to be a part of their society. Imperial edicts of past rulers have been issued to the effect that every known copy of the Bible should be destroyed, and when this measure failed to exterminate and annihilate God’s Word, commands were given that every person found with a copy of the Scriptures in his possession should be put to death. Hoards of Christians were put to death for their disobedience in not relinquishing their Bibles. The very fact that the Bible has been so singled out for such relentless persecution causes us to wonder at such a unique phenomenon.

Saudi Arabia is one of those countries in the Middle East that will not allow the Bible into their country and the punishments for disregarding this edict are severe. Don’t let that discourage you; many people put their lives on the line to get the word of God into the hands of those who seek His truth. Some are successful in their distribution attempts, others aren’t. God rewards the diligent, successful or not.

Why does the Bible receive such treatment? Well it’s really quite simple. The scriptures convict men of their guilt and condemn them for their sins. We see groups of people today that are determined to either eliminate the Bible all together or at the very least they want to change the wording to fit today’s advanced civilizations. The concentrated efforts of the Emergent church, and the contemplative spirituality crowd, are focused on ridding mankind of this book of antiquities which they say is full of myths, but they will utterly fail. God is in charge and unless He says “That’s it, my word is gone”, then it will remain completely intact.

It is humanly as well as supernaturally impossible to rid the world of God’s inerrant word. Every engine of destruction has been hurled at it to destroy God’s word yet the Bible stands firm and resolute. Is there an army defending the Bible? Is there a King defending God’s holy word? I say yes. An army of angelic hosts defend it against the powers of darkness. Our King the Lord Jesus holds sway over His word and no supernatural demonic creatures of evil will prevail against it.

It seems that in just about every field of academia there stands a huge throng of individuals ready to condemn the most important and influential book of all time. Only a relatively small amount of these folks actually honor or revere the Bible. The cities of the ancients were lighted with bonfires made of Bibles, and for centuries only those in hiding dared to read it. How then, can we account for the survival of the Bible in the face of such bitter persecution? The only solution is to be found in the promise of God. “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.” Matthew 24:35.

During the first three centuries AD the Roman Emperors tried desperately to destroy any and all vestiges of God’s Word. One of them, named Diocletian, believed that he had succeeded. He had so many Christians put to death and so many Bibles destroyed, that when the lovers of the Bible remained quiet and stayed in hiding, he was sure he had ended the Christian religion and destroyed their God.

Diocletian was so ecstatic at his victory over those hard headed Christians that he ordered a medal to be struck inscribed with the words, “The Christian religion is destroyed and the worship of the gods restored.” But Diocletian was wrong and the Bible and Christianity are both thriving today. And we all know where Diocletian is spending eternity.

Missionaries and Bible smugglers have just about covered the globe with Bibles in almost every language. To this very day Bibles are being supplied either openly or in secret to just about every country the world over. It can’t be stopped by man, and it won’t be slowed by the forces of evil. God is behind this venture.

The Roman Catholic Church played its part in attempting to rid the world of the word of God to the point that if you were found with a Bible you were tortured and killed. That persecution ended with the Reformation at the close of the sixteenth century and the Word of God was again given to the masses in their own language. Bibles today are plentiful here in America; even secular bookstores carry the Bible. Why? Because the Bible has been, and remains to this day, the bestselling book of all time.

Whether for profit or for God, the Bible is being distributed. Does Jesus care whether or not His word is distributed through secular bookstores? “And John answered and said, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name; and we forbad him, because he followeth not with us. And Jesus said unto him, Forbid him not: for he that is not against us is for us.” Luke 9:49, 50. God will use whatever means He wishes to get His word out.

What do we see happening today, attempting to dismiss the Bible as foolishness? Evolution. Scientists claim there is no god; that we evolved from pond scum millions, or is it billions, of years ago. They change it so often I’m never sure any more. So what good is the Bible if we weren’t created by a god? Since we evolved the Bible is useless. Oh sure there’s a few profound quips that might be useful but for the most part it’s just a very irritating and defamatory book. It ridicules our lifestyle and promotes nonsensical ideas of love and hope. It’s just foolishness and it’s not needed here in the enlightened 21st century.

The lie of evolution has been grossly and satanically fed to the world’s populace for many years now. Just after this commentary is posted to the internet I will begin to receive many emails from the brethren. They will attempt to prove me wrong in my estimation of evolution. Again, more attacks on the Bible, from those who profess to believe.

Every day the Bible comes under attacked and from many different directions, and what is accomplished with these attacks? Nothing, God won’t let His word become of no effect. He knows how much we need it. And like I said, until He’s ready for it to disappear no attack will ever remove His word from our lives. The Bible has been horribly mistreated. It has been burned, thrown into the ocean and drowned, locked away, ripped out of our hands, and torn to pieces, yet never destroyed. God’s word endures; God’s word is power.

All the attacks on the Bible are of a satanic nature, and all of the attacks will enviably fail. There will come a time when God’s word will seemingly disappear from the land. All those who’ve ignored it or tried to eliminate it so as not to be confronted with the truth, as well as those who’ve read it but disparaged it, will all regret their foolishness one day soon.

The souls of those who are foolish enough to dismiss the Bible as hooey and who have placed their faith in man instead of God will also endure forever, but in a place of torment Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. Mark 9:48. Paul says “But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks (Gentiles) foolishness;” 1 Corinthians 1:23.

Now after all I’ve just written about God’s word being indestructible this part of my commentary may seem a little confusing to some of you. “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD: And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it.” Amos 8:11, 12.

God’s word will endure forever; we know that from Peter’s proclamation in the 25th verse in the first chapter of his first epistle. But God tells us those who’ve rejected His word, will, in the last days, seek it, but they won’t be able to find it; God is going to keep it from them. There will be a famine for His word (similar to a famine of food or water and just as necessary) all because of the rebellious nature of those who’ve been left behind.

There are always consequences to our foolishness. In the case of those who are perishing the consequences will be severe. Pick up your Bible before it’s too late. Study God’s inerrant word. Trust in the Lord and His word and accept the truth. Or, ignore God’s word at your own peril.

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
All scripture is from the KJV

Chicken Feathers - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com

“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths,” Proverbs 3:5, 6. This proverb is so important to every one of us. Something my wife and I experienced recently brought this scripture verse to mind. The following is the saga of some trials the Graham family of Missouri have been experiencing of late. We’ve learned many humbling lessons through this experience. Especially, we’ve learned to lean on Christ more and we have come to fully understand the importance of a church family. “For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat...” Matthew 25:35.

About 8 weeks ago my wife had an accident. She broke her right ankle bone, both bones in her right wrist, and dislocated her right knee cap. She messed up the right side of her body pretty good. No, she didn’t fall off the roof of the house, and no, she wasn’t bungee jumping. I must admit that those two scenarios sound better than falling down in the chicken coop on a bed of straw and chicken poop while reaching for a chicken feather she thought would make a nice addition to the collection of five million chicken feathers she already has stored up in our spare bedroom.

I have a couple of reasons why I’m writing about my wife’s accident. Firstly, my wife ministers to many people online through a Christian forum and she also edits my commentaries. It may seem to some that this current set of circumstances could be an attack by the enemy. The enemy knows that if my editor was laid up and unable to render my commentaries readable I may just decide to give up and not write them at all. Not to mention disrupting her work with the folks who seek spiritual as well as biblical help from her on the forum.

Through this whole ordeal Mrs. Graham has had the best attitude I’ve ever seen in any person who has gone through what she has. Why do you suppose that is? Well I’ll tell you why. “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart” this is her attitude towards Jesus. She loves Him with all her heart and has turned her life over to Him. As such, nothing like a few broken bones can deter her from the tasks at hand. She still has daily contact with her Christian forum group and she still edits my commentaries, all left handed I might add. She’s right handed. Okay, household chores are out, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel; she is getting better. In the meantime, our daughter and I pitch in and do all the chores. I’ve now learned how to operate the dials on the washer and dryer, and can even cook a mean batch of biscuits and gravy. Did I mention she has no trouble doling out orders from the couch?

What I’m getting at is even if the enemy throws us a curve we can adjust and continue to meet life’s challenges if we are living for Christ. He will see us through any situation and mishap. But we must truly trust Him to see us through. I can’t imagine how folks who have rejected Jesus as their savior ever cope or expect to cope with tragic circumstances when they arise, and they will arise.

I’m not trying to imply that the enemy had anything to do with my wife’s accident, but only that some might feel he should take the blame. To us it was just a very simple fall that resulted in some major breakages. We live in a rural area of Missouri so she had to be air lifted out to a hospital that had an orthopedic surgeon on staff. At least she finally got to ride in a helicopter and while in that helicopter she sang “I’ll Fly Away” all the way to the hospital. Knowing Jesus and trusting Him helps us find the positive side of even the most horrendous situations. The rub is we must truly trust Him. Do you truly trust the Lord Jesus?

Interestingly, while we were waiting for the ambulance to come and take her to our neighbor’s cow pasture where the helicopter could land, she had no pain and she was in great spirits. Some of our neighbors had gathered around the chicken coop for moral support and to keep the chickens from roosting on her. But seriously, it was the Holy Spirit of God who watched over her and gave her the comfort and even joy at a time when she should have been in extreme agony.

Even if it was the enemy who was doing the attacking there was no fear in her because her heart is set on Jesus. Even the thought of this being an attack from Satan hadn’t come to mind and wouldn’t have except for a call-in radio program we listen to where a woman had a similar experience and some of the folks where she attends Church told her she had been satanically attacked.

But we know that with God on our side nothing the enemy does can really harm us. Oh sure, we can go through some difficulties and bad times that may seem impossible to cope with, and they may well be satanic. The word of God always has an answer “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:7. He will flee when we pay him no mind. That, my brethren, is exactly what we all should be doing. Satanic attacks are going to become more frequent and fierce in these last days as the minions of evil realize their time is short.

Imagine the little power Satan would wield if we all ignored him and resisted his foolish, lying snares. He’d be as powerful as a wet noodle. I know that life has its many pitfalls and Christians are under constant attack from our enemy; I’m not making light of any trials that others may be going through. But harmful as pitfalls can be, and seemingly impossible to avoid, they are avoidable.

Many times we get ourselves into situations that we shouldn’t have. It might even be while flirting with sin that we slip into one of the enemies pitfalls. If that be the case you may find yourself paying man’s price for your short comings, but God will always forgive the repentant sinner. There may be much misery associated with the price we pay because of the foolish things we do. Once we repent there may still be consequences to pay, but through all those hard times God is with us and He will see us through even the hardest of times, if we trust Him.

God’s power is what we must enlist as we claim the name of Jesus for protection. That protection focuses against powers and principalities, against the powers of the prince of the air. God’s power is all we need, and actually it’s all that can ward off the evil and satanic attacks of the enemy.

The second thing that can set in is depression. In the case of my wife she has plenty to do. Even though she’s in this disabled condition she constantly keeps her mind on God and His will. There are many who after such a severe accident can and do fall into great despair and depression, many for the simple reason that they exclude God from their lives. Others because they’ve not completely turned their lives over to God, there are still areas of their lives they hold onto not willing to let go. Some try and deal with the enemy themselves which is impossible. Supernatural battles are fought solely by supernatural beings. Believers must rely completely on God to fight all supernatural battles.

Still others live alone and sometimes there’s no comfort from loved ones and worse yet no help at all. Many times in cases like this it’s God who’s blamed for the misery they’re experiencing. If we can be of help to others while they are going through a trial we should do all we can to commit to them our services. So many little things we do for one another show God’s love. When the doctor took the cast off my wife’s leg he replaced it with what they call a boot. It actually looks like something out of Star Wars. Every couple of days I would take that boot off and wash her leg and then rub body lotion over that area. This just thrilled my wife. Imagine the little things done through God’s love that can bring peace, and even faith, to another.

My wife is on the mend and the doctor says probably another three weeks of couch-sitting will do the trick. I must admit she is getting cabin fever. She can hardly wait to get back out to the chicken coop and continue her search for that elusive perfect chicken feather.

The next part of the Graham saga is a little more difficult to explain. I’ve been enduring a lot of medical problems and the specialists can’t seem to put their finger on the cause of all my ills. The muscles around my eyes are very weak and it’s difficult to hold my eyes open. Severe headaches are an everyday occurrence and I’m almost always dizzy or light headed. It’s not the spinning kind of dizzy but the off-balance dizziness one might feel when one has an inner ear infection. I’ve had two brain scans and every blood test you can think of, and still no answers.

High blood pressure, enlarged prostate, and a sphincter muscle in my stomach that’s giving me fits all add to my inability to work efficaciously on my wife’s honey-do list. Many of the things I once was able to do I just can’t do any more. But the interesting thing is I can still type my commentaries. Every week I write two or three commentaries to stay ahead just in case something happens that slows me down or brings me to a halt.

We both have had people from all over the country and even folks in other countries praying for God’s hand to heal us and comfort us and make all these medical problems go away. I’m sure God hears every prayer and in His time He’ll reveal His will. Some families from our Church have been very Christ-like in their response and outpouring of love during this crisis. We know that it is more blessed to give than receive, and that’s another lesson we’re learning – how to receive. In order for there to be a giver, there must be a receiver. It has always been easier for me to give, but I am learning that sometimes I must receive. That is humbling.

Why does God allow bad things to happen to His children? Through all the mishaps and miseries we’re going through we’ve never once thought of blaming God. We both know God is in charge and it’s our love for God and our faith in Him that gets us through day after day, and we thank Him for that faithfulness. “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18.

That’s the truth. Only by knowing God are we able to maintain some semblance of sanity through all this. I don’t know why all this happened, especially all at the same time, but it did. Praise God we have a relationship with Him that supersedes all misfortunes that can be thrown at us either by our own foolishness or by the enemy. We are in God’s hands and as His children we are completely safe and secure. This is the attitude which binds us to God, our faith in Him to do what He promises to do. As believers we can take stock in the fact that God is true to His word; He means what He says. The Graham family knows that truth and that’s what has sustained us through these trials and tribulations. We have learned to look for opportunities to serve Christ and not wallow in some kind of self pity.

If you’re reading this commentary today and you don’t know the only begotten Son of God, or if you’re out of fellowship with Him because of some sin in your life that you haven’t repented from, then all I can say is hesitation is a killer, a killer of joy, the joy of the Lord. Christ is more than eager for you to have fellowship with Him. Get into that fellowship before it’s too late.

There will be times when we all perceive our trials as so big that we just can’t see any way out. That is when it’s time to turn it all over to God. God is, and since He is, He can be that comfort you’re searching for in a world of madness and disappointments. Let God in. Let Him have control of your life and those trials will begin to disappear and at the very least seem un-intrusive. You’ve given them to Him to handle. He’ll deal with them in His way and in His time. Believing that He deals with our trials can give you great peace of mind; unbelief only leads to more misery.

If you’re not a believer today and your reading this commentary there’s a reason you’re doing so. Know this, Jesus is standing at the door of your heart and He’s knocking. And if you will only open that door and let Him in He will come in and He’ll stay with you. Shortly, you too will begin to know the peace that my wife and I have through Jesus Christ our Lord.

One last thing, my wife has no insurance. The hospital bill was astronomical for a couple living on a fixed income. The doctor’s bills and associated bills that followed would also have been very intimidating to anyone who doesn’t understand the peace of Jesus Christ. My wife and I never had a moment’s fear or concern for our lack of funds to take care of our obligations, only peace through the whole ordeal. That peace can only come through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. In our case He’s working it out. Both the Hospital and the doctor whose care my wife is still under are allowing us to pay small monthly payments as we do our best to take care of our responsibilities.

What I’m trying to say is just this, if you are not a believer, if you don’t have a relationship with Jesus the Christ (you don’t know Him and He doesn’t know you) you will never understand the peace I’m trying to convey in this commentary. There’s still time to get your life right with God. Place your faith and trust in Jesus Christ today. Just say “Yes Lord Jesus, I believe in your death, burial, and resurrection and that you died for me, for my sins, I’m sorry I’m a sinner, please change me Lord Jesus”.

You’ll be eternally grateful you said that prayer. That’s a promise.

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
All scripture is from the KJV
 

Is Obama a Muslim? - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com

What could that possibly mean for America today? What’s wrong with a Muslim president? Keep reading.

“I will convey our deep appreciation of the Islamic faith which has done so much over the centuries to shape the world...a great and celebrated culture...I know civilization's debt to Islam...that carried the light of learning through so many centuries paving the way for Europe's renaissance and enlightenment...US has been enriched by Muslim Americans....” Barack H. Obama

What have the Muslims done in America that has afforded them so much acclaim by a sitting president? Why does the president of the United States of America dote on the Muslims as though they were the answer to all of life’s problems? It’s as though he believes the Muslims have the answer to just how to find the way the truth and the life.

Here are a few Muslim contributions of late. One American Muslim, Major Nidal Malik Hasan who was just practicing his religion, saw fit to practice it recently by murdering 13 Americans and wounding another 29 who were going about their daily routine just doing their duty, not off in a foreign country fighting to preserve our freedoms, but just going about their business on a military base right here in the safety and security of the good ‘ol USA.

Others who saw fit to practice their Muslim religion here in America were 19 Arabs who murdered 3000 innocents on September 11, 2001, a tragedy of enormous proportions causing a few billion dollars worth of damage. Obama overtly praises and glorifies this religion–which he campaigns for and sees it to be his duty as President to continue forging its Ummah (domination) into America.

Those of you who take the name of Christ and who’ve proclaimed His gospel to the lost of this world and yet voted for Obama should be thoroughly ashamed of yourselves. America is fought for land. For hundreds of years men and women have been fighting and dying to preserve our way of life, and in the blink of an eye many of you who call yourselves Christian gave our rights away to the Muslims who have only one desire and that is world domination. All of you Obama supporters just gave the Muslims a huge leg up. We may, very soon now, find out, up front and personal what life as a Muslim is all about.

You see Muslims won’t accept anything less than total adherence to their religion. If you decide to abstain from becoming a Muslim you’ll no longer have any worries, you’ll have no pains in your body, and you’ll never again be commanded to pay taxes. Sounds too good to be true doesn’t it. You might ask, “What’s wrong with that Ron, no more taxes, no pain, no worries, I say bring it on” Yes life will be grand. Oops, did I forget to mention that the reason you’ll lack pain and suffering is that you’ll no longer have a head attached to your body? It is written in their Koran that if you choose not to become a Muslim you must forfeit something near and dear to you – your head.

All of the above leads many to ask me the question, “Is Obama God’s judgment on America?” Let’s look at some pertinent information concerning our commander in chief. Has Obama actually paid his lawyers $1.7 million so far to keep his birth, college, and travel records confidential? I’ve read this many times on different news agency websites. If so, why? If you are like me you’d probably like to know the whole truth. Some day the truth will be revealed. That day may well be after Obama has left office, or maybe God’s judgment is that he never leaves office. Maybe we will have one Obama after another here in the new land of Allah.

If the truth be found that Obama was born in Kenya then he will have violated Article II Section 1 Paragraph 5 of the Constitution which states: “No person except a natural born citizen, or a citizen of the United States, at the time of the adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the office of President; neither shall any person be eligible to that office who shall not have attained to the age of thirty five years, and been fourteen Years a resident within the United States.” Thus he will have set a new precedence for holding the office of President here in the US. From that point on it will be a simple process for those constitution hating lawyers to convince an ignorant citizenry that anyone no matter where they were born in the world can be President of the United States of America. Wouldn’t that send a message heard round the world?

There has been no proof of a real birth certificate for Obama as to where he was born. Only that he was alive when he reached Hawaii with his mom and dad. It’s a statement of live birth, that’s it. No information on the time of delivery, or the doctor that delivered him. What his weight and his length were at birth or even a foot print that is usually present on hospital birth forms. It was not an actual birth certificate but that fact will never be proven because of who is behind this man.

Interestingly, a video that circulated for a while on the internet during Obama’s campaign for president, which has now been removed, included Obama’s grandmother making the statement that she was at BHO’s birth in Kenya. Funny how things like this seem to disappear at the most inopportune moments. Of course it was quite opportune for Obama.

Our constitution has been trampled on for some time now but Obama and company are doing more than treading on it. They are actually disregarding and discarding the US Constitution for their own set of rules and regulations. It’s a new world we live in and a new country, that’s for sure. We should be getting used to the new rules. Here’s a new one that was just signed into law by the our could be Kenyan president, it’s no longer okay to preach from certain portions of the word of God because they are accusatory in nature and you will be arrested for being hateful to your fellow Americans.

This is nothing new. Other countries have already enacted such legislation and have actually sent ministers to jail for disobeying their new law. America the beautiful ain’t so beautiful anymore is it? A country that was once a joy to be a resident of, or a native of, or even a visitor to is now growing into a nation of ugly. You disagree? Just keep watching the up and coming events as they unfold. You will become more and more convinced that even ugly hardly describes the new US.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, nothing derogatory sticks to this guy. He walks around spouting off “in error” about whatever subject he pleases and the ignorant masses still just swoon over him as though he’s perfect. The scales on people’s eyes are so heavy I doubt they’ll ever see the truth. As long as Obama allows Satan to control his every move masses will follow him right straight down that path that leads to destruction.

No real birth certificate? Who cares? Obama is doing great and wonderful things for this country and for the whole world. Abortion? He’s added to the abortion debate by opening up US funding for abortions worldwide, that’s a pretty big one. Homosexuality? He’s filled his cabinet with homosexuals and all sorts of perverts, go figure. Debt? He added trillions of dollars to the US debt, that’s no big deal we’ll just print more money to cover all that. Surely he wouldn’t put that burden on the American taxpayers that voted for him or their children, would he?

Talk about big government. Our government is now in the automotive business, the banking business, the health care business, besides being embedded in about a jillion other aspects of our meager lives. Have any of you reading this commentary ever asked yourself why? Why is Obama so hell bent on taking over everything he can? What does he want to achieve for his troubles?

Where is the accountability for the Obama administration’s shenanigans? There is none. He’s not responsible to anyone. He’s certainly not responsible to the American populace, not even to those who blew it big time by casting their vote for him. Obama is King of America and there is nothing that can be done to him by his subjects. You think he can be impeached? Not with Congress behind him. He controls both houses and that means he controls America. He’s the commander in chief which means he controls the US military which is the most powerful fighting force on earth. To those of you who think Obama is a weakling and naïve, he’s also the most powerful man on the face of this round orb and with the supernatural satanic and maniacal entities pulling his strings, well folks America is in big trouble. God’s judgment? Possibly.

“Ron, you’re not telling us anything we don’t already know. We’ve heard all this before; it’s old news to us. So what are you getting at?” Just this, now pay attention. In the book of Jonah we read about the city of Nineveh, a Gentile city, and the final chance they were given by God to straighten up. God sent the Gentiles at Nineveh a warning by the mouth of Jonah. “And Jonah began to enter into the city..., and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.” Jonah 3:4. America has been warned for years. We’ve had our Jonah’s warning.

Who sits in the highest office of this land doing everything he can to destroy our way of life? That’s correct, Barack Hussein Obama, who, in my view is a Muslim. We must believe that God puts those of His choosing in positions of power, and for what reasons we don’t always know. It’s God’s plan and He doesn’t always let us in on the details but He does expect us to see the writing on the wall so to speak. To me it’s plain as day.

Many of you have emailed me asking why God doesn’t judge America. Then in the next sentence you complain about Obama being made president and seemingly destroying our way of life, our freedoms. So I write more commentaries with my thoughts on God’s word and how it may pertain to us here in America today.

I believe Obama is here in the capacity of President of the United States of America for one reason and one reason only. He’s here to deliver a form of judgment from God. Oh boy, please, don’t start writing me yet. Finish reading, then if you think I’m nuts go ahead and hit me with everything you’ve got.

This nation was an experiment; God used the United States of America to be a beacon of light, one of hope to the rest of the world. America sent out missionary teams by the thousands all across the globe. For what? To preach the gospel of Christ to all nations. This we did for years. As a nation we had our ups and downs but for the most part we thrived because of God’s awesome blessings.

Well guess what America sends out across the globe now? Pornography. That’s right, that’s our big export now. Do you actually think God is pleased with the way we spread “filth” to the rest of the world? Not hardly. America has turned its collective backs on God. God will not be mocked. America was His experiment as a shining light on a hill to a dark and depraved world. Obama is here for a reason.

God is not pleased with America and in a short while we’ll be toast if we don’t turn from our evil ways and repent. If Obama is actually God’s plan for our destruction or downfall, whichever comes first, He may have included a little more time for us to realize the consequences of our past actions. Maybe, but don’t count on it. We need to repent now.

Many of my brethren are expecting judgment to come, but judgment is here. “Wait a minute Ron, we thought God’s judgment would come in the form of a storm or pestilence or an earthquake. You know Ron, something we can get the government to take care of for us”

God sent us a man seemingly bent on destroying America which might just be exactly what we deserve. Now is the time to turn back to God or the punishment will only get worse. We must stop relying on the government for all our needs and turn once again to the creator of the Universe. God deserves our respect and our devotion, not our distain. He will not be ignored.

Nineveh had 40 days until they were to be totally destroyed. But God stayed His mighty hand. Why? Because from the king down to the least of the Ninevites all repented of their sins, all their evil ways, and God spared them. Now this action on God’s part infuriated Jonah. He was at his wits end because he wanted Nineveh to be obliterated.

Obama won’t be happy either unless his agenda is met, fully and without delay. But America’s judgment is not up to Obama it’s up to God and it depends on the American people whether or not they will recognize what their God is doing to get their attention. With Obama continuing in office I see the judgment becoming worse not lessening.

We as believers should never stop praying for God to continue to bless us and to lift His judgment from our land. As His children He expects to hear from each and every one of us on this subject. We need to pray for our nation and for our leaders because God expects it; to not do so would be the same as giving up, throwing up our hands in defeat.

America was once a God-fearing nation, but that fear (respect) has been replaced by apathy and ignorance. The judgment that God has sent is not pleasant as most of us have noticed by now. The judgment may remain for quite a while, and even get worse. Unlike the Ninevites, America may choose to just say “Oh well Obama will figure it all out, after all that’s why we elected him president”. But Obama isn’t looking for repentance from the people of America, he’s looking for adoration, a following if you will, right down that path to destruction.

Ignore God and His timely judgment at your own peril. Perhaps America will go the way of the dodo bird. The balls in your court America, what’ll it be folks?

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
All scripture is from the KJV
 

“I’m one of them” - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com

In a recent speech Obama admitted that he is a Muslim. What could that possibly mean for America today? What’s wrong with a Muslim president? Keep reading.

Obama admits he is a Muslim, “I'm one of them.” “I will convey our deep appreciation of the Islamic faith which has done so much over the centuries to shape the world...a great and celebrated culture...I know civilization's debt to Islam...that carried the light of learning through so many centuries paving the way for Europe's renaissance and enlightenment...US has been enriched by Muslim Americans....” Source: Obama admits he is a Muslim – Caryl Productions

How? Where? When? What have the Muslims done in America that has afforded them so much acclaim by a sitting president? Why does the president of the United States of America dote on the Muslims as though they were the answer to all of life’s problems? It’s as though he believes the Muslims have the answer to just how to find the way the truth and the life.

I’m one of them? One American Muslim, Major Nidal Malik Hasan who was just practicing his religion, saw fit to practice it recently by murdering 13 Americans and wounding another 29 who were going about their daily routine just doing their duty, not off in a foreign country fighting to preserve our freedoms, but just going about their business on a military base right here in the safety and security of the good ‘ol USA.

Others who saw fit to practice their Muslim religion here in America were 19 Arabs who murdered 3000 innocents on September 11, 2001, a tragedy of enormous proportions causing a few billion dollars worth of damage. Obama overtly praises and glorifies this religion–his religion–which he campaigns for and sees it to be his duty as President to continue forging its Ummah (domination) into America.

Those of you who take the name of Christ and who’ve proclaimed His gospel to the lost of this world and yet voted for Obama should be thoroughly ashamed of yourselves. America is fought for land. For hundreds of years men and women have been fighting and dying to preserve our way of life, and in the blink of an eye many of you who call yourselves Christian gave our rights away to the Muslims who have only one desire and that is world domination. All of you Obama supporters just gave the Muslims a huge leg up. We may, very soon now, find out, up front and personal what life as a Muslim is all about.

You see Muslims won’t accept anything less than total adherence to their religion. If you decide to abstain from becoming a Muslim you’ll no longer have any worries, you’ll have no pains in your body, and you’ll never again be commanded to pay taxes. Sounds too good to be true doesn’t it. You might ask, “What’s wrong with that Ron, no more taxes, no pain, no worries, I say bring it on” Yes life will be grand. Oops, did I forget to mention that the reason you’ll lack pain and suffering is that you’ll no longer have a head attached to your body? It is written in their Koran that if you choose not to become a Muslim you must forfeit something near and dear to you – your head.

All of the above leads many to ask me the question, “Is Obama God’s judgment on America?” Let’s look at some pertinent information concerning our commander in chief. Has Obama actually paid his lawyers $1.7 million so far to keep his birth, college, and travel records confidential? I’ve read this many times on different news agency websites. If so, why? If you are like me you’d probably like to know the whole truth. Some day the truth will be revealed. That day may well be after Obama has left office, or maybe God’s judgment is that he never leaves office. Maybe we will have one Obama after another here in the new land of Allah.

If the truth be told that Obama was born in Kenya then he will have violated Article II Section 1 Paragraph 5 of the Constitution which states: “No person except a natural born citizen, or a citizen of the United States, at the time of the adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the office of President; neither shall any person be eligible to that office who shall not have attained to the age of thirty five years, and been fourteen Years a resident within the United States.” Thus he will have set a new precedence for holding the office of President here in the US. From that point on it will be a simple process for those constitution hating lawyers to convince an ignorant citizenry that anyone no matter where they were born in the world can be President of the United States of America. Wouldn’t that send a message heard round the world?

There has been no proof of a real birth certificate for Obama as to where he was born. Only that he was alive when he reached Hawaii with his mom and dad. It’s a statement of live birth, that’s it. No information on the time of delivery, or the doctor that delivered him. What his weight and his length were at birth or even a foot print that is usually present on hospital birth forms. It was not an actual birth certificate but that fact will never be proven because of who is behind this man.

Interestingly, a video that circulated for a while on the internet during Obama’s campaign for president, which has now been pulled, included Obama’s grandmother making the statement that she was at BHO’s birth in Kenya. Funny how things like this seem to disappear at the most inopportune moments. Of course it was quite opportune for Obama.

Our constitution has been trampled on for some time now but Obama and company are doing more than treading on it, they are actually discarding it for their own set of rules and regulations. It’s a new world we live in and a new country, that’s for sure. We should be getting used to the new rules. Here’s a new one that was just signed into law by the Kenyan, it’s no longer okay to preach from certain portions of the word of God because they are accusatory in nature and you will be arrested for being hateful to your fellow Americans.

This is nothing new. Other countries have already enacted such legislation and have actually sent ministers to jail for disobeying their new law. America the beautiful ain’t so beautiful anymore is it? A country that was once a joy to be a resident of, or a native of, or even a visitor to is now growing into a nation of ugly. You disagree? Just keep watching the up and coming events as they unfold. You will become more and more convinced that even ugly hardly describes the new US.

One thing about Obama is he’s not prejudice, I don’t believe he likes anyone. How can you say that Ron? It’s simple, Satan has indwelt Obama and Satan hates all humans. Go ahead and disagree with me, send me your condescending emails, tell me how I can’t be a believer if I say the things I say about Obama. Then we’ll all set back and play the wait and see game.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, nothing derogatory sticks to this guy. He walks around spouting off “in error” about whatever subject he pleases and the ignorant masses still just swoon over him as though he’s perfect. The scales on people’s eyes are so heavy I doubt they’ll ever see the truth. As long as Obama allows Satan to control his every move masses will follow him right straight down that path that leads to destruction.

No real birth certificate? Who cares? Obama is doing great and wonderful things for this country and for the whole world. Abortion? He’s added to the abortion debate by opening up US funding for abortions worldwide, that’s a pretty big one. Homosexuality? He’s filled his cabinet with homosexuals and all sorts of perverts, go figure. Debt? He added trillions of dollars to the US debt, that’s no big deal we’ll just print more money to cover all that. Surely he wouldn’t put that burden on the American taxpayers that voted for him or their children, would he?

Talk about big government. Our government is now in the automotive business, the banking business, the health care business, besides being embedded in about a jillion other aspects of our meager lives. Have any of you reading this commentary ever asked yourself why? Why is Obama so hell bent on taking over everything he can? What does he want to achieve for his troubles?

Where is the accountability for the Obama administration’s shenanigans? There is none. He’s not responsible to anyone. He’s certainly not responsible to the American populace, not even to those who blew it big time by casting their vote for him. Obama is King of America and there is nothing that can be done to him by his subjects. You think he can be impeached? Not with Congress behind him. He controls both houses and that means he controls America. He’s the commander in chief which means he controls the US military which is the most powerful fighting force on earth. To those of you who think Obama is a weakling and naïve, he’s also the most powerful man on the face of this round orb and with the supernatural satanic and maniacal entities pulling his strings, well folks America is in big trouble. God’s judgment? Possibly.

“Ron, you’re not telling us anything we don’t already know. We’ve heard all this before; it’s old news to us. So what are you getting at?” Just this, now pay attention. In the book of Jonah we read about the city of Nineveh, a Gentile city, and the final chance they were given by God to straighten up. God sent the Gentiles at Nineveh a warning by the mouth of Jonah. “And Jonah began to enter into the city..., and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.” Jonah 3:4. America has been warned for years now, we’ve had our Jonah’s warning.

Who sits in the highest office of this land doing everything he can to destroy our way of life? That’s correct, Barack Hussein Obama, a Muslim. We must believe that God puts those of His choosing in positions of power, and for what reasons we don’t always know. It’s God’s plan and He doesn’t always let us in on the details but He does expect us to see the writing on the wall so to speak. To me it’s plain as day.

Many of you have emailed me asking why God doesn’t judge America. Then in the next sentence you complain about Obama being made president and seemingly destroying our way of life, our freedoms. So I write more commentaries with my thoughts on God’s word and how it may pertain to us here in America today.

I believe Obama is here in the capacity of President of the United States of America for one reason and one reason only. He’s here to deliver a form of judgment from God. Oh boy, please, don’t start writing me yet. Finish reading, then if you think I’m nuts go ahead and hit me with everything you’ve got.

This nation was an experiment; God used the United States of America to be a beacon of light, one of hope to the rest of the world. America sent out missionary teams by the thousands all across the globe. For what? To preach the gospel of Christ to all nations. This we did for years. As a nation we had our ups and downs but for the most part we thrived because of God’s awesome blessings.

Well guess what America sends out across the globe now? Pornography. That’s right, that’s our big export now. Do you actually think God is pleased with the way we spread “filth” to the rest of the world? Not hardly. America has turned its collective backs on God. God will not be mocked. America was His experiment as a shining light on a hill to a dark and depraved world. Obama is here for a reason.

God is not pleased with America and in a short while we’ll be toast if we don’t turn from our evil ways and repent. If Obama is actually God’s plan for our destruction or downfall, whichever comes first, He may have included a little more time for us to realize the consequences of our past actions. Maybe, but don’t count on it.

Many of my brethren are expecting judgment to come, but judgment is here. “Wait a minute Ron, we thought God’s judgment would come in the form of a storm or pestilence or an earthquake. You know Ron, something we can get the government to take care of for us”

God sent us an evil man which is exactly what we deserved. Now we must turn back to God or the punishment will only get worse. We must stop relying on the government for all our needs and turn once again to the creator of the Universe. God deserves our respect and our devotion, not our distain. He will not be ignored.

Nineveh had 40 days until they were to be totally destroyed. But God stayed His mighty hand. Why? Because from the king down to the least of the Ninevites all repented of their sins, all their evil ways, and God spared them. Now this action on God’s part infuriated Jonah. He was at his wits end because he wanted Nineveh to be obliterated.

Obama won’t be happy either unless his agenda is met, fully and without delay. But America’s judgment is not up to Obama it’s up to God and it depends on the American people whether or not they will recognize what their God is doing to get their attention. With Obama continuing in office I see the judgment becoming worse not lessening.

We as believers should never stop praying for God to continue to bless us and to lift His judgment from our land. As His children He expects to hear from each and every one of us on this subject. We need to pray for our nation and for our leaders because God expects it; to not do so would be the same as giving up, throwing up our hand in defeat.

America was once a God-fearing nation, but that fear (respect) has been replaced by apathy. The judgment that God has sent is not pleasant as most of us have noticed by now. The judgment may remain for quite a while, and even get worse. Unlike the Ninevites, America may choose to just say “Oh well Obama will figure it all out, after all that’s why we elected him president”. But Obama isn’t looking for repentance from the people of America, he’s looking for adoration, a following if you will, right down that path to destruction.

Ignore God and His timely judgment at your own peril. Perhaps America will go the way of the dodo bird. The balls in your court America, what’ll it be folks?

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
 

Does God Care - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com

“No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.” John 16:27.

Of course God loves all His children. The question we sometimes ask is who are God’s children? Those who are His enjoy an awesome relationship with Him. What God wants for each of His children is for them to understand His perfect will. But that can’t possibly happen if we are living a lifestyle that is contrary to what God’s word says. Why would anyone expect God to condone what His word specifically condemns?

Sometimes it seems as though Christians, when they read God’s word, aren’t convinced it’s God speaking to them. I imagine it’s because they don’t see God’s lips moving as they’re reading along. So they find His word, in many cases, to be unbelievable. “Just too tough to believe God actually breathed those words”. “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, (Greek word “theopneustos” meaning God breathed) and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:”
2 Timothy 3:16.

What God delights in is to see His children filled with the joy of the Lord, His joy. But many want a different joy, sinister, an evil; something God never intended His children to experience. The Bible gives us insight into God’s attributes and what He expects from those who’ve taken His name. But what we find is God’s word being ignored, even by many in the Church.

“It’s time to shelve the Bible. There are new and exciting alternatives to what people believe to be God’s word so we don’t really need that fuddy-duddy old book any more. It just doesn’t fit in our society. Our civilization has grown and advanced. That old book might have sufficed back in the stone age but it was certainly never meant for the 21st century.”

Here’s an excellent example of how the Bible is not taken seriously these days. Failed marriages in the Church are as commonplace as in the world. Many Christians today don’t know the word of God and don’t care to know it. The Bible makes it clear that God hates divorce. He hated it from the beginning when He created man and woman and He hated it when the “Word became flesh and dwelt among us” John 1:14. He hated divorce when the Apostles were preaching and teaching, and He hates it today.

Too many people today seem to think that God has lowered His standards. They have a “that was then and this is now” type of mentality. The truth is, these people are trying to conform God to man in order to justify their own sin. You may think I’m painting with a broad brush but it seems to me that Christians today are conforming to the world instead of to Christ.

The problem, as I see it, is many Christians have determined to ignore God’s word as it relates to certain areas of their lives. It’s as though they live in a dream world made up of their own ideas overlapping or superseding what God’s word says. Even many little “man invented quips” supersede God’s word, and become the norm. God’s word is relegated to a position of insignificance. That’s just pathetic.

People “think” they know God’s heart better than He does. They will makeup what they “feel” should be God’s response to certain circumstances that have arisen in their lives. They circumvent God’s word so their minds won’t be tortured with guilt. Many will go as far as to design their own personal god. They place their own feelings and ideas of right and wrong into the caricature of their personally designed god, in this way they’ve eliminated the restrictions and regulations of the one true God of the Bible. Although they believe their invented god is the God of the Bible He’s actually just a figment of their multimedia driven imaginations.

“If ye will not hear, and if ye will not lay it to heart, to give glory unto my name, saith the LORD of hosts, I will even send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings: yea, I have cursed them already, because ye do not lay it to heart.” Malachi 2:2.

God has been falsely and horribly portrayed through so many media outlets that people actually believe the many false representations portrayed as the god seen in the movies. We’ve all seen the different actor’s playing the part of God in movies and on TV sitcoms. Actors attempt to portray a version of God each adding his or her own entertaining perspectives on what they feel best represents God. Then, although it’s impossible for any human to ever play God and get it right, many people will accept their favorite actor’s portrayal of God. Morgan Freeman is a good actor but he shines a horrible light on the one true God.

People begin to pick and choose the god they want from what they’ve seen on the big screen. Some of those movie gods would let us get away with anything. These are the only kind of god’s people want when they wish to live a lifestyle that is contrary to the true words of the Creator God of the universe. In their minds they’re doing fine because their “self designed god” is behind them 100 percent.

My wife had an occasion to exchange emails with another believer who was convinced that God looked the way many different artists have portrayed Him over the years. Tragically, those paintings were all she had and all she knew as God. Let me ask you, did she really know God? Does the Sistine chapel actually display any likeness to God on its ceiling, or is that painting a figment of Michelangelo’s creative imagination?

Our minds can play some amazing games with how and what we believe. We can motivate our minds to accept anything we want so long as it corresponds with our desires. Our desires can be overpowering most of the time, and if we have little biblical knowledge to draw from there’s no limit to how far away from truth our desires will lead us. We’ve all seen the shipwrecks of people’s lives who thought they were sailing along pleasantly going about their business only to end up beaten and broken by the rocky, stormy seas along the shores of their lives. Their lives then become garbage heaps, full of pain and misery and they don’t understand why. Ultimately most blame the God of all creation for their misery. Why not blame the actor who deceived them by giving them their specially designed multimedia god?

Another example of how God’s word is ignored even in the Church can be attributed to the lust of the flesh. “For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.” Galatians 5:17. This is another huge problem that plays havoc with our minds. Old or young many today, because of the immorality shoved down their throats through what Hollywood calls entertainment, can no longer determine the difference between genuine love and lust. “But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.” James 1:14. So, many marriages end up in disaster even though they began with what the couple thought was love. Lust is never fulfilling; even when it is satisfied for a moment it’s never lasting and certainly is no substitute for true faithful love.

With faithful attentive love, our relationship with our spouse will have some great accompaniments. For example, along with our love and the togetherness we share there is also a fulfillment for the need of compassion, companionship, devotion, honor, trust and respect. These are all human desires that are fulfilled when we truly love our spouse. There must be a true desire to give of one’s self wholly to a spouse if a marriage is going to last a lifetime.

According to the one true God of the Bible, marriage between one man and one woman is the only sanctioned and acceptable marriage He will accept. Entered into correctly with the right motives marriage will last a lifetime.

You know and I know that much of what’s happening around this nation of ours stems from a direct result of the influence of secular humanism. From our government run public schools to the disasters in our Christian churches the evil influence flourishes. As rules are relaxed, morals are relaxed and what was an evil and untouchable taboo in decades past is now, among many, looked upon as quite normal.

Christians, through God’s word, are given guidelines to live by. Over time those guidelines have become less and less intrusive in the Christians life because, for many, they’re now looked upon as foolishness or they’ve given up on the Bible. “God’s rules are outdated and old fashioned and nobody lives that way today”. This is all because we’ve been re-programmed to accept what God says as unacceptable.

Also, many Christians see what they’ve been “missing out” on by watching television programming such as soap operas and late night movies which make sin look like fun. When the Bible says such things are sin and that we aren’t to condone or participate in activities that would be considered by God as sinful, then we must follow what the Bible says. Many of those sinful things we see the “world” obsessed with have begun to look very inviting. They’re better known as temptations, something Satan is very good at developing.

“There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13.

This worldly influence invades our Churches and every corner of our lives. It’s just a lot easier to ignore some parts of the Bible so we can enjoy the simple pleasures the rest of the world enjoys. This way we can be happy and much more content in our Christian walk. It’s easy to ignore the Bible, just stop reading it. Oh, and we better find a church where the pastor knows how to tickle our ears because we certainly don’t want to be offended by him bringing up those old outdated taboos (sins). This shouldn’t be too difficult these days. “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23.

All that I’ve mentioned so far brings up a question asked frequently. “Why is it that God doesn’t seem to be very involved in my life? It seems to me that God just doesn’t care.”

Men and God have been at odds for thousands of years. Man, for the most part, just can’t get his mind around what God’s word says is the truth. Therefore man makes up his own truth, teaching that man’s truth is correct and God’s word is, well, fantasy.

Secular teaching in America has actually pitted man against God and has brought our nation to a point where our society is now made up of mostly unbelieving secular humanist devoted to man’s opinions. This kind of teaching is so prevalent that there now remains very few die hard believers devoted to God. Secular man looks at these die hard holdouts to God’s truth as strange, flat earth, morons completely devoid of common sense.

“These holdouts to our truth of evolution are killing this planet. They worship a nonexistent God, how can they possibly compare a nonexistent God to man’s intelligence? Where is their God? From the beginning of man’s existence they’ve been searching for some form of a god, so where is he?”

“Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.”
2 Peter 3:3, 4.

Why doesn’t God care?

Many of my brethren disparage the Bible and wonder why God is seemingly ignoring them, their lives are a mess. And continually the question is asked, “Why doesn’t God intervene in my life? Why doesn’t God care?” “I don’t bother with the Bible in its entirety, for me it’s just the New Testament that has some relevant ideas. After all everyone knows the Bible was written by men.”

If you don’t take God’s word seriously and if you don’t believe the Bible in its entirety is God’s word, then your god is not the God of the Bible and you are relying on a false god to intervene in your life. Believers who don’t believe the book of Genesis which contains the creation explanation must also dismiss the book of Exodus and the fact that God wrote in stone using His own finger: “For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested... And he gave unto Moses...two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God,” Exodus 31:17, 18. At this point those who misinterpret the book of Genesis must feel God has lied.

I will never understand my brethren who tell me that man has discovered the age of the earth to be billions of years old, even though they know God says He created the whole universe in six literal 24 hour days approximately 6000 years ago. Why do Christians believe man over God and then turn around and make the statement “God doesn’t care about me. If He did then why won’t he fix my messed up life?” To me it’s a no brainer. To God it’s a no brainer. When we oppose God in our personal lives and circumvent His word for man’s presuppositions there will be unpleasant consequences.

God will not be mocked. “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting,” Galatians 6:7, 8. All God asks of His Children is that we believe He is who He says He is and that we believe He speaks to us through His inerrant word. Isn’t it interesting that God only asks us to believe, but belief in man’s “discoveries” are demanded of us.

Christians claim to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ but how is that so if they continually mock God through their unbelief of the literality of His word? Are they not deceiving themselves? Who among us would ever call God a liar to His face? But isn’t that exactly what some are doing by placing what man has said above that of what God says. Think about it. Even if there is uncertainty in your mind, when it comes to a debate between what God says and what man says, it would benefit you greatly to always side with God. “Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:” 1 Peter 1:8.

Believe God, you’ll be glad you did.

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
All scripture is from the KJV

Perplexity, Despair, and Hope - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com

“And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;” Luke 21:25.

These days are certainly bewildering. It just keeps getting better doesn’t it? Everyone reading this commentary is certainly aware of all the distressing news now hitting us between the eyes. One might call this current round of events mystifying to say the least. Which of us would have ever dreamed that America would someday give up her sovereignty or make it illegal to preach from the Bible? It probably even baffles the mind of even the staunchest of pessimists. Many who consider themselves patriots are watching all this happen yet for the most part are in denial. It just can’t happen to America.

“Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken,” Luke 21:26. Men and women are going to be witnessing some very strange occurrences going on in these last days. As everyone knows men’s hearts fail them all the time, but what the Bible says is going to be much more severe and with a much greater frequency rate. Men will be confused, and confounded, and their minds will be overwhelmed by the crazy things they witness that just aren’t normal, at least not the normal they’ve been accustomed to.

Living and growing up in America today, is there any reason to be in despair? How does a sixty-ish year old man who grew up in the fifties and who became accustomed, as a young man living in America, to all the freedoms this country had to offer, possibly get used to a totalitarian government taking over his once free country?

Soon this middle-age man will be moving into a mode of a well deserved retirement and possibly even slowing down a bit. Looking at the events of the day, would this gentleman have any reason to despair? The destruction of the United States of America is at hand and even the bravest of hearts can turn to despair when they see something that was at one time so fine, turned into to something so dreadful it makes true patriots ill.

I wonder sometimes how people cope with current events. How many may be in the midst of or even totally engulfed with a deep feeling of despair these days. Is there any light at the end of the tunnel? Some may have thoroughly lost hope. But what is it that they’ve lost hope in? Is it that they see no way out of the current worldwide economic crises? Perhaps they despair over the state of moral decay in America today. Although many didn’t see it coming, and even more still don’t see it, socialism has been thrust upon us. Even many believers seem to be at the end of their ropes. Despair seems to be the flavor of the day. Those who are lost and perishing have no real hope and so perplexity and despair can certainly set in and devastate men’s lives.

What then, should we despair at all the insanity currently permeating our land? Absolutely not. “Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;” Romans 12:12. I once heard it said that to despair is to turn one’s back on God. The definition of despair is: a profound feeling of hopelessness. Anguish, gloom, depression, despondency, desolation, and misery are but a few of the synonyms that go along with this same definition. As believers an attitude of despair certainly doesn’t befit us.

We are secure in our life in Christ. The kind of hope believers have in Christ gives us a sense of security that covers us like a safety blanket. As we see the destruction of America coming down the road our anticipation grows for the soon return of our Lord and savior Jesus the Christ. We are mocked and ridiculed by the unbeliever, but we are undeterred.

Many people have placed their hope for the future in a man. Their kind of hope is of no avail. Man will always fail to hold up his end. Sooner or later, no matter who the man is, there will be disillusionment. One man has been thrust upon us, seemingly bestowed with a supernatural power to influence the weak minded to follow him and his foolishness. Thus it will take much longer for those individuals to see the fallibility of such a man. Sadly many of these weak minded souls will never see the truth. A huge number of Americans are so completely blinded by this man that it seems he’s placed a hypnotic trance over them. After all these months they still don’t see the idiocy of his mindset.

Can you remember watching all the hysterical wailing by both men and women as Obama won the presidential election? If you’ve forgotten the insanity and would like to be reminded just Google it or do a search of YouTube. There are plenty of videos that will remind the masses of just how much influence this man wields over the weak minded. Has Obama told the truth or fulfilled even one of his campaign promises? Only to the homosexual community. Come on people, talk about disillusionment. It’s time for those of you who voted for him to open your eyes to the truth. There is absolutely no hope for the future of American, or the world for that matter, with Obama at the helm.

Soon, if not already, you who voted for Obama will come to the realization that you’ve made a huge mistake. When this happens, you may well be overcome with despair, knowing you’ve helped with the destruction of America.

“Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time” 1 John 2:18. Obama is certainly one of them, anti-Christ that is. Everything he does is in direct opposition to God, that’s anti-Christ. That, my brethren, is what the Apostle John is referring to in his epistle to the church. He speaks of the spirit of anti-Christ. Obama is filled with the spirit of anti Jesus Christ. We can see it in all his works and attitudes. Unless you are born again his agenda will be difficult to comprehend. You who voted for this man be on your guard, because as you begin to realize how evil he is despair may well overcome you, especially as you realize how terribly deceived you’ve been.

Having lived in a country of many freedoms, most assumed it would remain forever as a free nation. Christians figured it would remain so at least until the rapture of the Church. The completely open satanic nature of this man will turn out to be a tragedy for America. Those who believe in him, those who’ve placed their trust and even their lives in his hands, are being lulled into a condition of passivity and false prosperity of political rhetoric and lies about our improving economic conditions. The awakening that hits them will be severe and painful. Many will think peace and safety but it will all be empty lies. When those weak minded individuals finally realize they’ve been duped it may well be too late.

Newsflash:

Our freedoms are very quickly eroding. Some are already gone and unless the Rapture happens within the next year or so everyone will feel the wrath of Obama’s changes firsthand. This ultimate change thrust upon America will remove all our freedoms; we the people will have little or no remaining rights. Despair will set in on a huge scale and many nonbelievers may very well despair unto death. “Men's hearts failing them for fear” Luke 21:26a. Many of my brethren can’t or won’t even consider the possibility of the coming persecution affecting the Church. Little do they know it’s already here. 

Let’s travel back in time a couple thousand years and take a look at how the believers of the first century Church were treated. They were persecuted and martyred for their steadfast faith in Jesus the Christ. “Yes Ron, but that was back in the days when knowledge and wisdom were sorely lacking. Men feared the unknown. People had a fear of Christians and their beliefs”. Fine, let’s move forward in time now a few hundred years. What was happening to the believers of that era? How were they treated at the hands of folks who were a little more enlightened than, say, the first century persecutors? More persecution and more martyrdom. Do the research for yourself and you’ll find that from the early church’s history right up until our present day there have been literally millions upon millions of Christians killed, martyred for their faith in Jesus Christ.

“Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you;” John 15:20. Why, in the name of God, do so many of my brethren in the United States at least, feel they are exempt from such an end? Personally, I see the church in the good ol’ U.S. of A., especially in these last days, as quite arrogant. To think for a moment that in this day and age Christians can’t possibly be martyred if they live in the U.S. is to ignore the truth of the scriptures. All born again believers are God’s children. Even though millions of believers have perished under the sword in the past two thousand years, and thousands of believers are being put to death today in many different countries around the world, the church in America is immune to such treatment. That type of persecution can never happen in America. Not in the land of the free and the home of the brave. Correct?

Well, guess what? No born again believer, who stands up for their Lord and vocally proclaims the message of the cross and does not cower, will be exempt from the persecution that’s on the way. Satan delights in stealing the joy of the brethren, we all know that to be true, he’s even more delighted when he can convince the unbelieving masses that those who follow Jesus Christ are evil and a detriment to any normal and progressive society. When he can get people to see his lies as the truth he can convince them of anything. The first thing he’ll want to do is to get rid of the stone walls (believers) that inhibit his unfettered advance. That means he needs to turn perfectly decent law abiding people into animals on the prowl to persecute the Church, and if possible remove those arrogant Christians from existence.

Knowing this ahead of time can lead believers to despair, but it shouldn’t. We, as Christ’s followers, know where we are going. We know this world is not our home and we should be in a mode of anticipation as we see the end approaching. To despair because of what’s happening before our eyes displays a lack of faith in Christ. This can be caused by a lack of knowledge of God’s word and even a lack of belief in what the Bible tells us will come about in the last days. Believing that God’s word is irrelevant and partly fable or mostly a myth is a real good indication some will end up in very deep depression and despair. Remember to despair is to turn ones back on God. Allegorize the Bible and you will find much to despair about.

The following quote shows up in many of the emails I receive, “I’ve read the end of the Book and God wins.” Yep, I agree God’s plan is being accomplished. God wins in the end as they say. But don’t you see, God won before the foundation of the world. As a matter of fact there was never even a contest. In God’s mind there was no win or lose scenario. God always knew Satan’s destiny. This was no surprise to God. He even placed all the names of His redeemed in the Lambs book of life before the foundation of the world. Nothing surprises God. And no, I’m not a Calvinist.

Believers can take heart in knowing that God knows each of us intimately and is completely aware of whatever our plight is. If we are living happy blessed lives or unhappy lives full of despair God knows where we are and what we are thinking. “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:” Romans 8:16. And I can assure you God isn’t going to take it well when He sees any of His children wallowing in the depths of despair. “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1. God expects us to stand and be strong in the faith and trusting Him and His word. 

If I could convince the brethren to study their Bibles I know that they would become certain that God can take away their despair through His word. Our hope as believers is in Christ, and by reading His word believers can avoid the pitfalls of despair. There’s hope for all believers nestled between the pages of God’s word and you won’t find anything to despair about in the Bible. Yes, our hope is in Christ. We are believers because we believe Jesus died, was buried, and rose again on the third day. That’s our hope, that’s our strength. That’s His promise to His people. Fear is to be nonexistent for the believers as we know for certain where we will spend eternity. “For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.” Romans 8:15.

Day by day as we see this world slipping further and further into the abyss our hope grows exponentially. Nothing in this world can touch the soul of a believer, not even the supernatural evil underworld of malevolent demons. Jesus has given us new life and that life is only accessible through Christ. Oh sure, outside influences bombard our minds and even our subconscious at times. It’s a constant battle with supernatural beings that inhabit other dimensions and that constantly infiltrate our dimension to wreck as much havoc as possible. Try as they might, nothing can touch those who belong to Christ.

If we believers could only grasp just a smidgen of how great and powerful God is and how much bigger He is than the lowly demonic hoard that wants to corrupt us and destroy us, we would never despair again. No matter how far this country slips into the wrong direction. We should never despair about our future since we know our future will be nothing less than awesome, full of joy and peace where God’s will is done for eternity.

“And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.” Romans 8:17. Don’t despair at the coming evil but rejoice in knowing you are a joint-heir of the King. That when you suffer persecution you suffer with Christ.

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:35-39.

His Kingdom is within sight. So shout out your love for Christ if you dare. “I love you Lord Jesus and I’m waiting for Your soon return”. Now, shout it again.

God bless you all,

Ron Graham

twotug@embarqmail.com

All scripture is from the KJV  

Complete Lack of Understanding - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com 

This phrase, “Complete lack of Understanding”, is from a news headline I read recently. It was in reference to this whole idea of global warming, or as your president and others of his like-mindedness refer to it now, “climate change”. Over the past few months, Obama has demonstrated what many perceive as a shallowness of understanding; he seems to be proving his shallowness as he and his administration lead the US into a posture of “government controlled everything”.

When I read that headline something dawned on me. I thought about Obama’s claim of being a Christian, and his claim to taking a pro-life stance, but then I looked at all the devastating and satanic moves he’s made since taking office. I soon came to the conclusion that this man does not lack understanding he lack something much greater.

While looking at his term in office thus far, not just his stance on global warming, I see this man as making a firm stance against the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Just read about what went on in the building where he attended church services for twenty years. Then as president, signing into law the most sweeping agenda for murdering babies in the history of the US, and offering homosexuals equal legal and moral rights as though God would actually encourage such abominations. You might just come away with a sense of how much understanding this man lacks.

I started looking at the fruit this man has produced over the span of his life thus far. I’m no longer somewhat skeptical of Obama’s claim as a Christian, I’m sure he doesn’t know the Savior of the world. Obama has a gaping hole in his understanding of who Jesus Christ is and what it means to be born again. “Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,” Romans 1:22. Why would a born again believer in Christ congratulate the Pope for his pronouncement of five more individuals who the Pope has declared saints? The Bible says we are all saints when we become born again. Only those who don’t know Jesus Christ are able to see anything special in what the Pope did. A Complete lack of Understanding? Hmm.

Obama isn’t lacking in his understanding about what he’s doing as president, he knows exactly what he’s doing. Even some leaders of other countries perceive Obama to be naïve and without understanding. But they too lack understanding, they just don’t understand where Obama is headed and why. If we step back and focus our view on the big picture we can see his agenda is to dismantle every remaining vestige of what Americans once thought of as freedom. “Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart.” Psalms 119:34. David is asking God for understanding as should we all. Is Obama seeking God’s heart? Is he seeking understanding from the creator of the Universe? Does he have any intention of keeping Jesus commandments? Not so you’d notice.

Here’s the problem. America has for the most part become a nation so wrapped up in the luxury of materialism, and degrading immorality that any perceived threat to their comfort zone or their immoral liberalities by anyone in government would bring swift retribution. So our leaders we’re bent on supplying Americans with all the pabulum they could dish out to appease the masses. Then someone came along who had no real answers but was articulate in his speech and charismatic in his demeanor. This man came on the scene with a simple message of change and it was swallowed hook, line, and sinker by the same masses that require pabulum to achieve understanding.

Obama’s real agenda wasn’t actually understood by the pabulum crowd. So in the mind of this heartless man he had fed the masses what they wanted to hear and it was easy. They fell head over heels for a man whose whole life has been devoted to creating a socialistic state. But that pabulum crowd could see only dollar signs and comfort zones being re-established throughout America once again, even if it had to happen at the expense and suffering of others. Obama’s vanity came shinning through. “He that tilleth his land shall be satisfied with bread: but he that followeth vain persons is void of understanding.” Proverbs 12:11. In other words whoever follows Obama has most assuredly checked their brain at the door.

Now here we are 9 months or so into Obama’s presidency and we’ve seen a man who is bent on destroying our republic, bankrupting our economy, and turning the US into a slave state. Mark my words, we will be slaves to the government because we are currently relinquishing every freedom, even our God given freedoms are falling by the wayside just so we Americans can continue to live in what is perceived to be a land of plenty. It’s no longer a land of plenty because our national debt is so high that even Solomon in all his glory couldn’t possibly contemplate paying it off.

America will never be able to withstand four complete years of this man’s narcissism without losing much of what it once stood for. We will cease to be the nation we once were and by the time the opportunity comes around again to vote him out of office it may be four years too late. I wonder sometimes just how many actually see this man for who he really is. I recently received an email from someone who told me that voting in America is completely rigged and it will do no good in the future to vote. If that be the case folks we are doomed. But perhaps that’s just what the enemy wants us to believe so we won’t bother casting a vote at all. In that respect evil would certainly take over our country completely.

To some it may seem Obama hasn’t any common sense. That’s not what I see. I see Obama as a man driven by an external force speeding to accomplish a major change in this country in a very short period of time. Why? Because the force driving Obama knows there is very little time remaining to accomplish his agenda. Satan can also see the handwriting on the wall and he knows the hour is late. I know there are many who look to all those secretive organizations such as the Bilderbergers, the Illuminati, the Council on Foreign Relations and all the rest as being the power behind Obama, and in one sense they may be correct. But there is something even more secretive and sinister behind him and that force is what’s driving Obama as if he were the engineer on a runaway train with no brakes on a downhill slope to destruction. Our destruction is what he wants, no more USA. Think about it. What’s his all fired hurry? It’s almost as though he doesn’t even catch his breath before another act of lunacy is shoved down America’s collective throats.

It’s important for all those who agree with me on this subject to take an active role in the affairs of their government because we can no longer rely on our elected officials to act on our behalf. No matter how insane a measure appears to most of us on the outside, it’s pushed through the house and senate and signed before America has a chance to blink. Or it’s rammed through even though most of America doesn’t want it. Doesn’t all this seem just a little fishy? Does Obama have a complete lack of understanding? Or is Obama’s path set by the evil one? Are Americans in for the most terrifying ride this country has ever seen? “The man that wandereth out of the way of understanding shall remain in the congregation of the dead.” Proverbs 21:16.

There still seems to be a majority of the populace who see this man as their messiah. Some of them, though, are no longer basking in all the good they expected to see accomplished by this man. Some of those Obamaites are far less excited about their false messiah these days. Many have begun to see the truth and are not looking forward to the impending doom on the horizon. The slightly decreasing numbers of Americans that still approve of Obama’s presidency thus far are a real boost to those of us who have known the truth all along.

As believers we are given the strength to withstand whatever the enemy can throw at us, and throw at us he will. And that’s every bit of “ugly” he can muster. Believers won’t go through the wrath that is to come from God during the last half of the tribulation week, but nothing is said about believer’s avoiding persecution. Persecution can come subtly or aggressively but by the look of where this world is headed, especially when Islam becomes as dominate as many suspect and if the Lord tarries, aggressive persecution of the Church will soon be upon us.

“Even so, come, Lord Jesus.” Revelation 22:20b John prays this prayer at the end of the book of Revelation. John put that verse there for us to read and repeat. Every true believer should be repeating it daily. I know we can’t speed up Jesus’ return, but we can let Him know we earnestly desire His soon arrival for His Church. But until then we need to intensify our efforts in spreading the truth of the Gospel of Christ, for the end is in sight.

Complete lack of understanding is certainly an appropriate response to some politicians these days. On the other hand understanding has nothing to do with most of the actions taken by politicians as they sit in their comfortable chairs and allow Obama to destroy our nation. They are scared to death of the evil this man oozes, and that is a fact. Some will stand against Obama, but not for long. Before we know it they’ve changed their attitudes and their votes and begin to side with the rest of the lame-brained chicken hearts we’ve elected to represent us.

There is a real attitude of cowardice that runs rampant in the halls of government these days. Many politicians have been representing their constituents for so long they believe we owe it to them to continue to vote them into office. Then they have no intention of following the consensus of their constituency. They become embedded in their office and enamored with their power and oblivious to the needs of the American people. They only care about how much power and money they will retire with. So they aren’t about to upset the apple cart even if it means bowing to Obama as he bowed to the Saudis.

Obama is evil through and through. He doesn’t care anything about this country. He only cares about what this country can do to elevate him to an even higher level. Obama seeks to be leader of the world and worshipped by all people worldwide, and nothing is going to stand in his way to accomplish his goal. You think Ron’s gone off the deep end don’t you? Well, if you believe differently, if you believe that Obama is on his way to establishing a utopian world for us to enjoy, then just sit back and enjoy your ride to nirvana.

If, on the other hand, you see what I and many others see, that this man is treacherous and not one tiny bit without understanding of exactly where he intends to lead America, you better get to as many as you can with the truth and at least try to convince them of the lateness of the hour and what’s coming. I made the statement earlier that Obama lacks something much greater than understanding; he lacks heart and a conscience. Of course he’s not alone in his lack of these two very important traits but he’s in charge.

Jesus is at the door. There’s a point coming very soon when the very last believer will be acknowledged by God and the door will slam shut as far as the Church is concerned. God the Father will turn to God the Son and say “Go get ‘em Son”. In the twinkling of an eye the Bride of Christ will be rescued out from among the realm of this world’s persecution. At that point all those who were on the fence concerning whether or not to believe in Jesus as their Messiah will be sure they’ve blown it big time. At first their only indication that something went terribly wrong will be that they find the malls of America are never crowed anymore. Mall or Heaven, make your choice, but make it soon.

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
 

Jesus Saves, for Life - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com

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

God entered His creation, and became flesh. “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us...” John 1:14. Jesus is God incarnate.

Jesus is God. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God,” John 1:1. The Apostle John identifies Jesus Christ as the word, and the Word was God. Now that we’ve established Jesus’ credentials we may proceed. In the verse from John 10 Jesus gives believers the wonderful promise of eternal life and eternal security.

God has given mankind a great resource for knowledge and truth. That resource, the Bible, is replete with how man must respond to God’s free gift of salvation in order to be justified in God’s eyes. Let me also say that no man can enter Heaven unless they have responded to God’s free gift of salvation by receiving the Son of God (Jesus the Christ) as their savior.

Over and over again I receive messages from folks who are very concerned that I’m leading people astray because of my stance on the believer’s security. I’m told that “Just because a person believes and becomes a follower of Jesus Christ (a born again believer) doesn’t mean they are completely secure”. I am then inundated with scripture verses that, in their minds, prove beyond the shadow of a doubt that believers can lose our salvation. Losing our salvation is completely contrary to God’s word. If you and I, once we are justified (saved in God’s eyes), can lose our salvation or even walk away from our salvation once we are born again, then God becomes a weak and insignificant God, one who certainly wouldn’t have the power to create the universe let alone save us from our sins.

It simply amazes me that born again believers will dispute God’s word, and at many different levels of understanding. To me it makes no sense, if we are born again, to argue with the one who saved us. After all who’s word is it? It’s not man that we’re disputing and squabbling with when we disagree with the word of God. It’s God Himself. For example, man has come up with many different scenarios as to how the creation of the universe came to be. Man has decided to believe in billions of years for the creation of the universe. They’ve plainly stated and they teach the earth to be billions of years old, and that man evolved from pond scum. In God’s word He tells us how it all happened in six literal, 24 hour days but as man’s “knowledge” has increased over the centuries so has his arrogance. God’s now wrong or the Bible is a myth. Many of my brethren will without any hesitation place their faith in man’s new “discoveries” over God’s word. You may be surprised to find out just how many Christians believe man’s published discoveries over God’s inerrant word when it comes to the age of the universe or the evolution of man.

Actually there is a lot more to that verse in John 10 than initially meets the eye. I’ve read John 10 many times and written about the believer’s security in past commentaries. The part of this particular verse that has eluded many Bible teachers in the past is, “they shall never perish”. I don’t know why Jesus’ words don’t always get all the recognition they should but if you will bear with me you will see how very significant they are.

We’ll need to go back a verse to get the full impact of what Jesus is saying. “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:” John 10:27. Okay, Jesus is speaking about born again believers. The best part of that particular verse is Jesus says “I know them”. God knows us when we become born again “But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God...” Galatians 4:9a. Paul is speaking to the Galatians who are saved as being known of God.

Side note:
I can tell you for certain that if Jesus doesn’t know you, you’re not saved. “And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” Matthew 7:23. The relationship we enjoy with our Lord Jesus is a two way street. We know Him and we are known of Him.

Then Jesus goes on to specifically convey His truth. He says, “I give unto them eternal life.” That should be good enough for anyone who feels the need to argue with God. When we read those words and we are truly born again, we can be certain we are going to spend an eternity with our Lord Jesus. Not to ever be separated from Him such as those who will be spending eternity in Hell. Believers will always be with Him. Jesus will never take away your eternal life if you truly have eternal life.

Jesus says neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. Well, first of all Jesus is God so who would be able to pluck any believer out of His hand? Who would even try to do such a thing? Let’s see, he isn’t a man but Satan would love to take believers away from God. All believers should be keenly aware that that scenario just isn’t possible. This is the part of that whole verse that trips up many Bible teachers. They say, “Yes, we agree that a believer can’t lose their salvation, but they can walk away from it”. Well, not according to the creator of the universe.

Still, they’ll focus their argument on other parts of God’s word. So, Jesus, giving his followers eternal life does little to convince the skeptic of the security of the believer. Their argument continues, “Jesus didn’t say a believer can’t walk away from that eternal life He gave them.” Au contraire my friends, Jesus made it perfectly clear in the very next part of the verse. But just like many others these skeptics skip right over these five little words “and they shall never perish”. Key word? Never.

Those who belong to Him are His sheep and His sheep know His voice “and they shall never perish”. The Greek word that God used here is ou mē translated “never, certainly not, not at all, by no means”. Jesus expresses, purposely for all the doubters, a double negative, strongly expressing a negation. “In no wise” can one of my sheep ever lose or walk away from the eternal life I’ve given them.

You still want to argue with God Almighty? If you insist we’ll keep going, although for the life of me I can’t see why you insist on arguing with God. At any rate let’s proceed. The word Jesus uses for “pluck” as in “neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand” is Harpazo in the Greek. That word may be very familiar to most of you rapture enthusiasts. It means to seize and to carry off by force. So, just who is able to seize the believers “In Christ” (Christ’s sheep) and carry them off, by force no less? What did Jesus say about the importance of even one of His sheep “... if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray? And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray.” Matthew 18:12, 13. Every one of those who have been born from above is as secure as Heaven itself. If it were not so Jesus would have certainly told us.

“My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one.” John 10:29, 30. After Jesus finishes telling us that no man can pluck (Harpazo) those who are born again out of His hands He takes us a step further and seals the whole concept of the believer’s security by proclaiming that all believers are in God the Father’s hands also. And “no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand”. Now we have the skeptic to the believer’s security telling us we can walk away from God the Father and God the Son by escaping out of their hands. God the Father gives all believers to Jesus His Son. Would God give His only begotten Son a bunch of renegades who, at the first chance they get would conspire to escape his clutches? Why? So they can escape that horrible idea of eternal salvation in Heaven with Jesus Christ? Not hardly.

It has always amazed me how the emails come flooding in about how wrong I am. They try and remind me of all the scripture verses that seemingly contradict what I’ve espoused above. Incredibly many people will continually stand adamantly against the believer’s security and they will diligently work at convincing me to do the same. If we will remember that there are no contradictions in God’s word it will help to affirm what I’m trying to explain. Actually all those other verses the skeptics love to point out only add to the whole proof of the believer’s security.

Case in point “He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.” Revelation 3:5. Obviously, if Jesus can blot out the name of a born again believer from the book of life, believers can lose their salvation, right? It’s only a misinterpretation that leads people to conclude Jesus would ever remove a believers name from the book of life.

But if we look at the verse correctly, in context “He who overcomes . . . I will never blot out his name from the book of life.” The “overcomer” mentioned in this letter to Sardis is the believer. John tells us “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world.” Also “Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?” John 5:4, 5. “I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one” 1 John 2:13b. All believers are “overcomers” in that they have been granted victory over the sin and unbelief of the world.

Some people see in Revelation 3:5 God’s pen ready to strike out the name of any Christian who sins. They read into it something like this: “If you mess up and don’t win the victory, then you’re going to lose your salvation! In fact, I will erase your name from the Book of Life!” But this is not what the verse says. Jesus gives the overcomer (believer) a promise here, not a warning.

In His word God never says that He erases a believer’s name from the Book of Life –there is never even a warning that He is contemplating such a thing! The wonderful promise of Revelation 3:5 is that Jesus will not erase one’s name. Speaking to the “overcomers”–all those redeemed by the blood of the Lamb–Jesus gives His word that He will not remove their names. He affirms that once a name is there, it is there forever. This promise is not based on our faithfulness but on the faithfulness of God.

On the other hand “And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.” Revelation 22:19. This verse is another of those verses that these skeptics will trot out to prove me wrong. The problem with this verse is those who would change God’s word are not believers. No truly “born again” believer “In Christ” would ever tamper with His word. No, these are those who are of pseudo-Christian cults and those who hold to very liberal theological beliefs. Many cults and theological liberals claim the name of Christ as their own, but they are not “born again”. Names that aren’t in the Lamb’s book of life can’t possibly be removed.

There are, of course, many other scripture verses that confirm Jesus’ own words. Once a person becomes born again, born from above, born from God they are sealed until the day of redemption. There are no more arguments. If you must argue, take them up with God.

For all of those who read this commentary who aren’t born again, it’s not too late. Speak to the Lord Jesus Christ yourself, and say “Yes Lord, I believe” before time runs out...tick, tick, tick.

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
All scripture is from the KJV
 

For Every Man - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com

“But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.” Hebrews 2:9. No one is excluded from receiving the free gift of salvation. God died on that cross so every human being on this planet could obtain salvation and continue on to a new and awesome Heavenly home. Jesus suffered and died for all humanity.

What stops man from wanting such a home? Pride. That’s it, it’s prideful to reject God’s free gift of salvation. Only by believing in the death, burial, and resurrection of His only begotten Son can we obtain that free gift. Many might disagree with me and say it’s a hardened heart, or ignorance, even self-reliance that keeps man from believing the truth. Pride is what got in Lucifer’s way and it’s been the one thing that has been so prevalent in so many lost souls since the beginning of time. “The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.” Psalm 10:4. Using God’s name as profanity doesn’t count as keeping God in all our thoughts.

To humble one’s self before God requires an abandonment of pride and there are so many who won’t allow that to ever occur in their meager and short existence. So many people actually believe that this world holds the answer to everything–every question, every thought, every experience and there is nothing at the end of one’s life but a cold dark grave. When some folks hear the question, “Are you a believer?” or “Do you have a relationship with Jesus Christ?” their pride is activated and they reject such nonsensical questioning with a prideful “I don’t believe in God” or “I don’t need your God”. This one really saddens me, “I don’t fear your God”. Pride is the culprit and many a lost soul will find this out the hard way. “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.” Proverbs 16:18.

We read in the book of Hebrews that Jesus tasted death for every man. That means everybody that ever lived or ever will live has been covered by the blood of Christ. In the past, before Jesus’ First Advent, if folks believed in the coming Messiah and were faithful to God, when they died their souls were sent to Abraham’s bosom. After Jesus died all who profess their faith in Him go directly to Heaven. But the one thing they all have in common is that they all, at some point, dropped that prideful attitude and humbled themselves before God. Alas, Jesus tells us many will never lose that prideful attitude. “Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” Matthew 7:14. They not only can’t find it but pride keeps them from seeking the truth.

Many will hold to the two big lies of Satan, “Yea, hath God said”, and “Ye shall not surely die” Genesis 3:1, 4. And they will remain in that state of condemnation. They will never give up the pride that holds them captive like zoo animals in cages. Jesus died for the express purpose of saving all the lost from an eternity in Hell. All are given the same opportunity to believe and repent. “Therefore pride compasseth them about as a chain,” Psalm 73:6a.

Have you ever wondered how God could possibly love a person whose whole life is or has been devoted to sin? He can, and He does. A person who has never acknowledged God’s grace or His love but who has taken advantage of every good gift which can only come from God is still loved by God. God knows how the evil one works and He knows the influence Satan has on you and me. That’s why He made the following promise “For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." Hebrews 13:5b. God does not love you and me more than He loves the lost. The lost have access to that same promise and can, with a little faith and a changed attitude toward submission, obtain that same promise immediately.

God loved us from before the creation of the earth, “According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world” Ephesians 1:4. Until we breathe our last breath God will remain true to His word. He will love us and He will continue steadfast in His attempt to convince every unbelieving person on earth of the truth of who He is. And His free gift of salvation is continually offered to everyone.

When the end comes, as we know it will very soon now, all who believe death is the end of all things will be greatly surprised; death is in no way the end. Death is just an excursion into a whole new realm. It’s the end of life on earth yes, but not the end of our existence. It is the end of all earthly problems, worries, materialism, bank accounts, favorite cars, love affairs, and everything else worldly. All earthly treasures which we built up over a lifetime are instantaneously someone else’s at death. As followers of Jesus Christ we know our earthly gains won’t come close to our heavenly rewards. But for the lost, they not only lose everything they had acquired while alive, but they lose their souls to an eternity in Hell. A double whammy you might say. But the latter is so much worse than the first.

Did you know that at the exact moment that death grabs the unbeliever he/she suddenly believes in Jesus? It’s no joke; they are believers at the nanosecond they die. They instantly become keenly aware that Jesus the Christ is God Almighty even though they wouldn’t believe it while they were alive. But it’s too late for the unbeliever. They had their chance to accept the free gift of salvation while they were alive. But all their thoughts went to accumulating a house and garage full of material wealth, never a thought to their eternal destination.

Imagine the hopeless feeling of those who remain in rebellion to God ‘til death as their eyes close for the last time. Everything they did and everything they possessed will come into view and they will scream with all their spirit “Lord, Lord”. “Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord... ‘And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” Matthew 7:22a, 23. As we can plainly see their screams will be to no avail.

As Solomon aptly penned after a lifetime of acquiring a world of wealth, and trying just about every perversion known to man, he came to the conclusion “Vanity, all is vanity”. Those who die without Christ will come to the same conclusion as Solomon. They’ll utter the following sorrowful words “I chose poorly” because they will quickly realize they can never return from their now eternal hellish home. Even the nicest, kindest person we know is destined for Hell if they haven’t believed in the “One” God sent, Jesus the Christ.

Facing an eternity in Hell is a horrible thought. It’s nothing to make light of. I can’t imagine any of my brethren wishing anyone that type of eternal existence. If they do they don’t understand the full concept of Hell. All of the brethren have a great opportunity to share Jesus with the lost, to explain the difference between an eternity in Heaven and an eternity in Hell. Death isn’t on the minds of most folks; most give no thought whatsoever to where they will remain for eternity. The Great Commission given to all the saints is that we deliver the truth of the Gospel of Christ to the lost. Basically, as we go about informing them of their choices, we enlighten them as to the specific differences between Heaven and Hell. This may motivate them to have a change of mind, and hopefully they will make the smart decision.

As believers we see the end approaching more and more rapidly with every passing day. But the lost don’t see anything different from day to day except maybe their retirement portfolios declining. Is there a believer who hasn’t thought about Hell? Probably not. No matter how much we think about it we never see it as a huge kegger in the park, but that’s how so many of the lost souls of this world see Hell. “Well, I’ll be with friends” goes the old joke. “No, you won’t” should be our response and we should never laugh at that sorry quip. We should be as serious as the grave when we proclaim the truth about Hell. It’s terrible, painful, sorrowful, extremely hot, and completely void of the existence of God. No one will want to stay there after they realize where they are. But they will have no choice, once there Hell will be their domain for eternity.

Atheists and the rest of the unbelievers don’t understand that they are never out of the presence of God while they are alive on this earth. God is everywhere and He sees everything we do. Every believer rejoices in the fact that God is always with us, but unbelievers want nothing to do with God. At their death they will get their wish, but not while they are alive. Whether they like it or not God is ever present in all our lives. But God will not be in Hell; that’s what makes it Hell, it is void of God. All God’s grace, and His mercy, and of course His awesome love is present with us. In Hell there will be none of His attributes present. That, my friends, is the indisputable truth.

Salvation by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ is all we need to avoid that horrible place called Hell or Hades. And it’s available to every atheist, agnostic, secular humanist, and all the other nonbelievers out there. It’s even available to all those who are wrapped up in Christian cults such as the Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and all the rest of the false religions floating around these days.

Islam, the fastest growing religion today, has 1.5 billion followers, and yet they are all perishing if they continue in their unbelief. Jesus wants to be their Savior the same as He wants to be yours and mine. All can come to Jesus for salvation while they are still alive, because He died for everybody. But God will not accept any excuses and there will no doubt be many. Let me put it another way, the fact that you were sold a bill of goods by some false teacher or a lying prophet is no excuse for rejecting the truth of the Gospel. The lie you were fed will most certainly affect your final eternal destination. And once you’re there, you’re there for good. The foolish people who have been captivated and sucked into these false religions and cults have had every opportunity to seek and find the truth. They can reject the falsehoods that they’ve been taught and embrace the truth of the scriptures. But they better do it soon.

Have you been deceived? Will you believe the truth? Only you can answer those questions. Salvation is personal and it’s for everyone, but it only comes from the one true God. Lord Jesus the Christ.

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
All scripture is from the KJV
 

A Prayer for Change - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com

“For my love they are my adversaries: but I give myself unto prayer. And they have rewarded me evil for good, and hatred for my love. Set thou a wicked man over him: and let Satan stand at his right hand. When he shall be judged, let him be condemned: and let his prayer become sin. Let his days be few; and let another take his office,” Psalm 109:4-8. King David had enemies, and David’s enemies were also enemies of God. Psalm 109 is David’s prayer against an un-named enemy and it could have been Saul, Absalom, or a nation. In the same way, Christians have an enemy and our enemy is God’s enemy. Our government is filled with people who follow Satan and just like their leader they too are bent on destroying those who are called by God’s name, and believers need to humbly pray for God’s intervention.

“Father in Heaven, our present leadership in this country is bent on destroying all vestiges of freedom. The man who occupies the Oval Office is undoubtedly being led by Satan. Let his days in office be few, and let another, a godly man take the reins of leadership. We make amends O Lord, we repent of our past sins and though they are many it is with earnest and heavy hearts that we ask You, O Lord, to act upon our prayers today. We pray for the healing of our land and for Your intervention in all our lives and in our human system of governance. We ask You, Father, to bless our land with change, but with Your change, Lord, not man’s notion of how life should be. We pray that our hearts and minds would be devoted to You, O God. We pray for a godly leadership in this country. Please Father allow a godly man to assume the office of President of the United States of America, a man who would lead us in accordance to Your will, a man who would pray with us “Thy will be done”. We pray, Father, that You would place a man over us who will make it his goal to stand up for our Lord Jesus Christ in all circumstances. Father this is our heartfelt appeal to you, and as always through the precious name of our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ we pray. Amen.”

The above scripture verse was sent to me a few weeks ago. I thought, “How appropriate it would be to build a prayer around that verse asking God for the restoration of our country and for the presidency with that verse”. Many of you share my concerns for this country and I know you’re praying that same prayer or at least one very similar. Believers must focus on prayer especially since we are surrounded by overwhelming proof we are in the last days here on earth. We must be serious in our convictions so that God will hear our prayers and send relief from the evil that currently holds sway over us. If we mindlessly mouth prayers without a fully convicted heart then God may well respond in kind. I say shame on us if we water down our prayers. In the end we’ll get what we deserve. We may already be receiving our due.

Analysts will claim the worldwide recession is over and everything is getting better, then they turn around and the very next day it’s that same old tired doom and gloom hitting us smack between the eyes. We may not be able to trust analysts anymore than we can trust the wind to cease blowing from the south. But we can trust the word of God, and we can discern the signs of the times. How many warnings are we given throughout God’s word that present us with a nice clear picture of what to expect in the very near future? If God’s children would actually believe His written word and study it diligently we wouldn’t be in the mess we’re in today. Every believer should be keenly aware of the evil facing us on a daily basis. Instead of our continuing decent down that slippery slope we might just be seeing a more positive perspective confronting us. Sadly we are not only on a slippery slope, but we’re rapidly picking up speed.

We’ve all made mistakes in the past and we will no doubt make new ones in the future, but one thing we can resolve to do right now is to refuse to make the same mistakes twice. Electing evil people over and over again to run our government can only be classified as a huge mistake. Accountability in government is the responsibility of all Americans.

Patriotism and loyalty to one’s country is all well and good, even necessary, but for the believer it is essential to be completely devoted to Jesus Christ. Many of our fellow citizens have put their lives on the line for their country and many have died for that cause so their families as well as their countrymen can live in peace and safety. Freedom is costly, and anytime a patriot loses his or her life for the cause of freedom we who remain should do all we can to keep their memory alive while preserving what they died for.

But preserving our freedom today is quickly becoming an exercise in futility. Freedom is easily distorted and can be eliminated through the apathy of any countries citizenry, and removed by those who would trade freedom for servitude. The most important factor or cause or devotion we can possibly be involved with, is our declaration of love for our savior Jesus Christ, and the promotion of His Gospel. The fact that we have freedom in Christ is the only true freedom we will ever have while we’re occupying these bodies and this land.

Many Christians have been put to death for the cause of Christ; many more will lose their lives in the future so Christ can be preached continually. Without freedom the believers work here on earth would be much more difficult and costly. Because America has been a free country for the last 233 years, the word of God has been spread throughout the world. Jesus has been preached continually and will continue to be so if believers will stand up for their Lord. The only thing that can really stop us is apathy.

We can all see that attitudes are changing in this country with regards to Christianity. Attitudes now center on godlessness and even hatred toward Christians, and those attitudes will be detrimental to our freedom and our ability to spread the word of God unencumbered. In many parts of the country there are police officers that will arrest you for just praying in public or distributing Gospel tracts. Some are being arrested and jailed for preaching on a sidewalk or in a park, and what’s their crime? Proclaiming the message of salvation through Christ our Lord. A decade or so ago sidewalk preaching was just as normal as breathing. “Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.” Matthew 10:16. Believers will need to become ever so crafty with regards to our presentation of the Gospel lest we all be thrown to the lions.

America would be much more conducive to Christians if Christians would take the land back. A good way to do that is to get God involved. “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14. I know this verse is passed around a lot these days and I’ve used it myself in previous commentaries, but listen to your God as He speaks the above verse to you. Can you not see the tears in His eyes as He admonishes his people? Many think this verse was only for the Jews but the Jews were never called by His name. They are Jews, Hebrews, Israelites, Zionists but they were never called by God’s name. Jews aren’t even permitted to speak the name of God. Christians are called by His name, so this verse is for those of us who claim salvation through Christ and Christ alone.

Pray without ceasing. That’s Paul’s admonition to us. We are to be in constant communication with our Father in Heaven. Prayer is so important to our walk with Christ that if His people would just humble themselves, seek His Face, and turn from their wicked ways He would heal their land. South Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia, South America, North America, Greenland, you name it God will restore your land if you will only humble yourselves and turn from your evil ways.

I can only conclude that there must be a huge lack of faith in God, or few believe that the above verse was meant for them. Why? Because our lands are far from experiencing any real healing. I know for a fact that prayers for our country and our leaders here in America are part of the daily devotions for many of my brethren. But here’s an addendum to our prayer life. If we have leaders who are trying to run our country into the ground for some sinister reason, then besides prayer Christians must take some physical action. America’s Christians must stand up for their rights or they will have no rights to stand up for. We must stand against tyranny. In America we can accomplish huge changes through peaceful revolts, just by casting a vote against our elected officials who are bent on turning a blind eye and a closed ear toward our voices.

It’s extremely important that we who are called by God’s name get involved and stay involved with the process of making changes in regards to those who currently lord over us. It’s not necessary to keep the same old tired souls in office term after term. If we’re aware of how our representatives vote on every issue then when we don’t like the way they vote, we tell them so. Then if they continue to vote against our wishes, we must revolt against them with our voice and our vote. If Americans really cared about their future they would make the necessary changes. But it must be important enough to us or we will never get involved. It seems that only when our lives or livelihoods are threatened with disaster that we finally get angry enough to protest.

Currently the majority of our government officials are ungodly. We’ve voted in a majority of democrats and they have taken it upon themselves to make some of the most sweeping evil changes this country as ever seen. The republicans aren’t helping matter as they side with the opposition on issues they shouldn’t. This is how you and I know we need to make changes in our leadership. When the elected leaders no longer listen to their constituents it becomes necessary to eliminate them through our electoral process.

Godly change is what’s needed in America. You and I can, if we all ask God for help, initiate that change confidently. If you are reading this commentary and you think it’s time to get off the stick the first thing you must do is get registered to vote. Then make sure you know where your communities balloting locations are. Mark your calendars with the date of the election and then tell all your family and friends to do the same thing. If our current leadership won’t listen then let’s kick them out of our offices. Remember the offices that house the people we elect belong to us, they are ours and we select who will occupy them.

Across this land there is a satanic deception that many just don’t see. Many people who are eligible to vote don’t, or won’t. Christians would hold the majority vote in America if we would all vote. Those who never vote have no voice in the process. We can effect change if we so desire to do so. But it must be paramount on our minds and we must be resigned to help in forging changes in our government leadership or it will never happen, and the evil that currently permeates our land will continue unabated.

“Let his days be few; and let another take his office.” Psalm 109:8. This prayer of David’s is perfectly pointed at all who would try their hand at destroying our great nation. God stands on the side of the righteous He will not stand with our enemies. We are a nation of believing, caring, giving individuals who know the difference between right and wrong. We currently have the wrong leaders in place; let’s determine, once and for all, to only elect godly men and women to manage our government.

God bless you all,

Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
All scripture is from the KJV

Exclusivity of the Christian Faith - Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com

“But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:” 2 Corinthians 4:3. Its fine to talk about Jesus in Church, but whatever you do don’t mention His name outside the confines of that big white building.

The government of the United States of America along with some very satanic organizations such as the A.C.L.U. has given Christians a new commandment to top all of God’s commandments. Stop promoting Jesus Christ in public, stop mentioning Jesus by name, and displaying your messages pertaining to Jesus Christ in any form outside of a church building. “No more crosses on government run military cemeteries” says the A.C.L.U. “Tear down every remaining vestige relating to Jesus Christ in the public square” is the cry of most of those followers of Satan. “In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them,” 2 Corinthians 4:4. That blindness is spreading far and wide.

The Apostles Peter and John give us the appropriate response to these foolish lost souls. “But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye,” Acts 4:19. Peter and John stood firm on their faith in Christ. More and more many of our elected officials here in the U.S. along with many secular organizations are aligning themselves with our enemy and are becoming quite extreme in their stance against the Church, even suggesting that homeschooling is a form a child abuse. You see, if the government can’t have your children for 6 or 7 hours per day how then can they brainwash them? Clearly, before long, standing firm on the Christian faith will bring the wrath of our new socialist government down upon us.

If the children in public schools mention the name Jesus Christ during class it will bring swift retribution. The ACLU has their moles sticking their dirty little noses into every classroom in the public school system. Oh, and yes, all the false religions are more than welcome in those same public schools. For example, the religion of Islam is welcomed in our government run public schools and in many of those institutions it is encouraged, even promoted right along with secular humanism.

Those of us who belong to Jesus Christ are being forcefully mandated as to when and where we may proclaim the message of Jesus Christ. The spiritually dead have spoken. They want nothing less than the total eradication of the Christian faith. Why? Because of the exclusivity of the Christian faith. The Bible states emphatically there is no other way that one might be saved. No other way to the Father but by the Son. That’s too exclusive and the lost don’t like it.

Yes, Christianity is very exclusive. No other faith claims God died for His creation. Other faiths actually disparage Christians for believing such an outlandish concept. “God dying for humans, that’s utterly ridiculous”. They just can’t wrap their minds around the God of all creation dying. It’s not a concept that comes easy to anyone. But it’s wholly and completely the truth and we as believers should never be ashamed to preach that truth. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth;” Romans 1:16.

Many of my professing brethren don’t agree with the exclusivity part of our faith. I’ve heard Christians actually embrace the fallacy that many paths lead to God. Jesus was quite open in His public statements about this very subject. At times He must have come across as rather arrogant to those unbelievers of His day. Most of the Pharisees, scribes, and lawyers of Jesus’ day never believed what He was saying. To them He was a blasphemer for claiming equality with God Almighty, never realizing He is God Almighty. They were always trying to trip Jesus up to get some dirt on Him so they could condemn Him to death. They were unable to find fault in Him, but nevertheless, prophetically speaking they succeeded.

Jesus continually saw through their deceptive plans and rebuked them. He spent years attempting to get across to those foolish men the fact of who He was. He explained that He is the only way to the Father. Today, there’s not much difference in people’s attitudes, but it seems the spiritual blindness is much worse. The exclusivity of the Christian faith stands as a road block to many. “The foolishness of man perverteth his way: and his heart fretteth against the LORD,” Proverbs 19:3.

Anyone who sees the Bible as just an antiquated, outdated book of obsolete scripture verses, especially out of date for our post modern times, can’t actually grasp the truth of the scriptures. Therefore to those individuals the Bible’s truths remain indiscernible and just plain foolishness.” For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.” 1 Corinthians 1:18.

Yes there are many religions around the world but Christianity holds the top spot for exclusivity. Actually, Christianity isn’t even a religion, it’s a lifestyle and it is so very exclusive that many people hate hearing those two historically famous words that bring hope and joy to Christians, “Jesus Christ”. Jesus, because of His proclamation that there is no other way to the Father but by Him, is being banished from most public arenas. He’s just too exclusive.

The Holy Bible, the awesome word of God, is very direct in what we are to believe. Jesus tells us in His own words that we will only be allowed into the presence of God through Him and Him alone; and as I mentioned previously that truth is way too exclusive for those who are perishing. No one on this planet will ever obtain salvation through any other means, try as they will. God’s word is quite clear on this subject. All those who deny Christ as the propitiation for our sins are in rebellion to God. So when anyone quotes the verse from John (... I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” John 14:6) the rebellious and foolish lost become agitated with us. This is when the name calling begins. Arrogant, bigoted, self absorbed, high minded, exclusive, ignorant, Bible thumping Jesus freaks. Actually believers will wear any title put on them for Jesus’ sake and be worn like a badge of honor.

Why are so many at odds with the truth? Why is the correct path so hated? Jesus tells us that the path that leads people to their own destruction is wide, and well traveled. The truth is not elusive but it does convict the sinner, which is what those who remain in their rebellion to God can’t stand. Unbelievers, sooner or later, will begin to blame Christians for every disruption in their lives. The Christian faith and believers are becoming outcast in countries all across the world. I’m praying right along with many of you who would love to see Christ remove His Church prior to the full exclusion of Christianity from all societies.

There are many Christians today who desire to remain politically correct in their approach to all the false religions being promoted today. They water down the truth or they just skip the truth all together. Many of my brethren won’t believe the truth. Peter, being filled with the Holy Spirit, is quoted in the Book of Acts as saying “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved,” Acts 4:12. Why would Luke place this quote of Peter’s in Acts? Because the Holy Spirit knew there would be those who claim many paths to God.

“Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain,” Exodus 20:7. It’s considered hypocrisy to claim the name of God but act in a way that disgraces Him. Believers who claim the name of Jesus but disparage His words are also hypocrites because they dishonor His Holy Name through their rejection of the exclusivity of Christianity. Those who claim many paths to God and also claim to follow Jesus Christ are actually declaring themselves to be gods; they’ve placed their knowledge and wisdom above God and His word. That’s exactly what Satan did which is what got him banished from Heaven. What makes people think they can usurp God’s word and still be permitted to join Him for eternity?

Again, it’s that old political correctness that distorts the minds of so many. Who do you want to be accountable to? Satan or God our Creator. We can’t have it both ways. When we become believers we cast off the old man, political correctness is out when it comes to the inerrancy of God’s word. We now follow God’s truth which is the antitheses of political correctness. Jesus says “He that is not with me is against me...” Matthew 12