False Prophets in Your Neighborhood

When you look around the area you live in most people do not think of there being false prophets in their neighborhood.  They are not a crazy man with a long beard and dressed in sackcloth yelling at the top of his voice some lie of Satan.  False prophets are very distinguished and respected people in our communities.

A biblical prophet is not a person who tells what the future hold.  Although they can do that, a prophet simply is someone who communicates the message of God.  A prophet speaks the message which God has given to him for others to hear.  A good example is a preacher.

A preacher stands up before the people to speak forth what God has directed to be given to a congregation for that week.  He is to speak for God to the people so that they might know better what God desires of them.  His words are not to be his opinion, but the opinion of God as confirmed by Scripture.

A false prophet will give false messages from God.  There are many pastors and priest in churches around the world who are false prophets.  They tell falsely a message from God such as good works will save you, there is no Hell, all people will go to Heaven, and the Bible is not the inerrant word of God.

There are false prophets not only in the pulpits and everywhere else in the world.  Anyone who speaks against what is written in the Bible is a false prophet.  Teachers, politicians, and even your next door neighbor could be giving false prophecies.

The only method of confirming if a person is a false prophet or not is to compare their words to the words of Scripture. 

"For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables." 2 Timothy 4:3-4

Photo Credit: Priest in Union by Danny Hammontree

Who is Telling You the Truth?

I think one of the most destructive things a Christian can do is to believe what others say and never check it out. We are so lazy that when a preacher gives a sermon we just nod our heads and believe him.  I have heard good, Bible-believing preachers say nonbiblical 'truths' or use Scripture out of context.  Every Christian is human and can make mistakes, and every Christian has a sin nature and can deceive others. 

Many times people will say something that sounds deep but is actually pretty shallow.  For example:

   "I have hope in hope."

   "When you care what is outside, what is inside cares for you."

   "No matter where you go, there you are."

And quotes that are simply unbiblical:

   "God helps those who help themselves."

   "God wants me to be happy."

   "We are all God's children."

   "Cleanliness is next to Godliness."

   "God won't give you more than you can handle."

   "When you die, God gains another angel."

What do you do when you hear something said about God and His Word?  Do you just accept it as true?  That is the road to deception and death.  Never take what a pastor, friend, Bible teacher or famous Christian has to say at face value.  Never believe what I say in this post, this blog or in real life without making sure it is scriptural.

The Bible is the only source of God's truth that we have to compare 'truths' told to us by others.  If anything is counter to scripture it is not of God.  Some things the Bible is silent on, but that does not mean it is right or wrong. 

The unbiblical quotes I gave, you might think come for the Bible or sound like they are Biblical.  Do not trust what I have said about them.  Check it out yourself.  Do not put your life in danger and accept what I or anyone else says.

"Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true." Acts 17:11

Photo Credit: Chruch (Portfolio) by Jake Guild

Are Your Sins Unforgivable?

Before the fall of man, Adam walked with God every day. They were face to face and talking about anything and everything either of them desired.  There was nothing separating Adam from God because he was pure and righteous.  Man's heart was clean and contained no sin.

After man fell, sin separated man and God.  God even put Cherubim, the most powerful angels created, to stand guard at the entrance to the garden of Eden so that man could not reenter.  Man was cast out from where Adam had enjoyed being in the presence of God.

Years later Moses built the Tabernacle where the presence of God would reside with His people, the nation of Israel.  The Tabernacle had two rooms with a curtain separating the two rooms.  Behind the curtains was the Holy of Holies where the Mercy Seat was found sitting on top of the Ark of the Covenant.  This was the throne of the presence of God.  The curtain had Cherubim sewn on it to prevent anyone from entering or seeing where the presence of God resided.  Once a year the High Priest was permitted to enter that most holy place.

The Solomon's Temple and Herod's Temple also had curtains with Cherubim sewn on them.  The cherubim from the times of the fall of man to Herod's Temple protected the Holiest place on earth.  It was not until sin was conquered so that man could once again be pure and righteous that those Cherubim were finally removed and man could gain access to the presence of God.  When Jesus died those curtains were torn from top to bottom, from Heaven to Earth to show that God once again was available to man.

Are you too wicked for God to accept you?  Have you done anything so evil that God could never allow you into His presence?   People who think that God could never forgive them, are calling God a liar.

"for "Whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved."  Romans 10:13

The word whoever means everyone including you.  There is nothing stopping you from going to God. He invites everyone into His presence to repent of their sins and accept the pardon given by the death of Jesus Christ.  The sacrifice of Jesus removes even the most heinous of sins.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16

Following the King

A king is the leader of his people.  He leads the nation and the people follow him, one way or another.  The king and his people are joined together so that the path the king takes, the people take as well.  This is even true of Jesus and the Jewish people.  He is their rightful king even if they did not recognize him as such.

For the last two thousand years, the Jewish nation has been following King Jesus.  This might seem ridiculous at first since they still do not see Jesus as their Messiah and king, but they have taken the same path that Jesus was on.

Jesus became an outcast and an object of scorn.  He was falsely accused of crimes he never committed. Jesus was robbed of any dignity, and seen as a pariah that required being permanently silenced.  All he had was taken from him so that when he died on the cross he hung there naked.  He was mocked, abused, tortured and finally murdered. 

For the last two thousand years, the Jews have followed that same path.  Their lives have been filled with scorn and hatred from the world.  They have been robbed time and again of all they owned.  The Catholic Church gained much of its lands by false accusation against the Jews and then confiscating synagogues and homes after killing or chasing away the Jews of the area.  They have been tortured, imprisoned, and murdered for two thousand years.  The Holocaust is just one event of the world trying to eradicate the Jews from the earth.

After Jesus' death, he was resurrected and after the Holocaust, the Jewish nation was resurrected.  Without knowing it, the Jews have been following the path of their king.  In the near future, they will follow him as their recognized King.  They will follow Jesus into a kingdom of righteousness and peace. 

All who Jesus claims as his people, must follow him.  We all must show the image of Christ in our lives, just as the Jewish nation has shown the image of the suffering messiah for the last two thousand years.  Let us show the image of a God who loves all people and sacrificed all to bring them to himself.

Photo Credit: Crown by Jason Train

A Lonely Christmas

When I was in the Navy, I spent Christmases away from home.  I remember Christmases on a ship in Viet Nam or on a sunny beach in Hawaii.  Hawaii might seem ideal but when you are there and not with family (and freezing in the snow) it can be very lonely.

One of the most joyous holidays is Christmas, but it is also one of the most depressing for many people.  This Christmas many will feel the pain of someone they have lost or simply are not with because of distance.   No one can replace a loved one that is missed, but God does have an answer to the lonely.

"I will be a Father to you, And you shall be My sons and daughters, Says the LORD Almighty."  2 Corinthians 6:18

Have you lost a parent? Even God can not replace that parent but He will be a father to you.  He is a parent who loves and understands your loss.  If you are a Christian He is not just a parent in name but in reality, He is your father.  You have become a member of the family of God.

Your family is not with you?  Here again, no one can replace anyone in your family, but as the family of God, you do have brothers and sisters in the Lord.  While in the Navy, I turned to my Christian family.  My brothers in the lord on ship gave me comfort and acceptance.  We celebrated together the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Missing a parent, a child, a brother or sister?  When you love and miss someone, it can bring pain and loneliness.   The losses we have suffered and the separations we endure can never be completely filled until we meet again in Heaven, but God does have a family that loves you and desires to comfort you.  Your Heavenly Father and Christian brothers and sisters are there to share your loneliness and loss.  They are your family who will comfort and love you.

Photo by Ian Espinosa on Unsplash

Nephilim, As in the Days of Noah

We are in the last days which Jesus talks about in Matthew 24:37-39.  Jesus says 'But as the days of Noah were, so will the coming of the Son of Man be.'  I believe Christ will return in the very near future.  That would mean that these days are like the days of Noah.

In the days of Noah, there were giants on the earth or 'Nephilim'.  They were the offspring of the sons of God and daughters of men.  Sons of God are beings created by God Himself.  Sons of men are people born by way of natural sex between a human man and a human woman.  These sons of God were directly created by God.  They are fallen angels who took (the Hebrew word means to carry away, seize), human women for their own pleasure.  The result was a hybrid of man and demon. Genesis 6:1-4

Daniel 2:43 is talking about the statue of Nebakanezer dreamed of with the head of gold, arm and shoulders of silver, belly and hips of bronze, legs of iron and feet of iron mixed with clay.  In verse 43 Daniel says "as you saw iron mixed with ceramic clay, they will mingle with the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, just as iron does not mix with clay."

Who will mingle with the seed of men?  Apparently not someone human.  I can not say who it is because I do not know.  I believe, just like in the times of Noah, it will be demons again.  When the kingdom of the Anti-Christ comes there will be Nephilim.  I don't think that suddenly demons and men will start having children.  They are probably doing so now and have for a long time.This is all conjecture.  I admit it.  But your Bible is the Word of God and is faithful.  Something unusual and evil is going on.

Today in the world we are making hybrid animals such as a pig which has human blood.  Mice with brains containing some human brain cells.  Animals that glow in the dark because they have jellyfish genes.   Many animals have been crossed genetically with totally different animals and humans. Is it hard to believe that demons, which we know exist, could cross breed with humans?

Remember God is in control and we are on the path to His coming.  The events of today are more like Noah's times than ever before.  Jesus is coming very soon.  Are you ready?  Are you telling others about Jesus before it is too late?

These are the Days of the harvest, but soon it will be too late.  The world is going crazy and more evil every day.  You are the last hope for the people who are in your life.

Jesus: The Alpha and The Omega

When God spoke in Isaiah 44:6 He said He is the first and the last.  In Revelation 22:13 Jesus says "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End."  Alpha is the beginning of the Greek alphabet and omega is the last letter.   My question is 'What is Jesus the beginning and end of?

He was at the beginning of this universe and nothing was created without him.  He will also be around until the end of this universe.  Jesus is eternal.  But it means more than just that.  He is the beginning and the end of history as well.

Jesus came into this world from Heaven and divided time.  All the years of history are referenced to the birth of Jesus.  His birth became the beginning, the alpha of a new age and the end, the omega of the old age.  History is centered around Jesus Christ.

Not only is history centered around Jesus but the life of a Christian is also centered around the day Christ came into their life.  It was on that day that the old life of following the sinful desires of this world ended and the person was born anew to a life of abundant love, joy peace and other blessings of God.  A new day, the beginning of an eternal life lived with Jesus Christ.

The world might not acknowledge Jesus as God and Savior, but their lives are still centered around the day God came into this world almost 2000 years ago.  Christians need to live their lives centered around the day Jesus came into their personal lives.

Every morning make Jesus the Alpha of the Day and every evening the Omega of your day.  The first, the last and every moment in between should be given to Jesus Christ your Lord and Savior.

Photo Credit: Alpha Omega by Thomas Hawk