You Have the Chance to Know Truth.

 Do you believe that the dead communicate with us? Do you go through your day and perhaps see a symbol of something you shared with a dead loved one and believe they are communicating with you through that symbol. Perhaps you believe it's just their way of saying hello, or that they are there to comfort you, that they know what's going on in your life and they are there with you in some way?  I don't know about you but I've seen many memes online that are created with that very sentiment. The sentiment being that the dead loved one is still alive just in another realm. The realm of choice being - heaven, that better place most people seem to want to someday go to when they die. 

Did you know that spiritualism is basically considered communicating with the dead? I personally do not know of anyone who uses a Medium to call on the dead for them. I DO know a lot of people who believe they receive communications of sorts from their dead loved ones.  I say communication of some sort because I don't know anyone who says they talk to their dead loved ones in a literal sense. Sure, they may talk to them, but not with them as if having a real conversation with the dead loved one talking back to them. Still, they believe their dead loved one is listening, that their dead loved one knows this, that and the other thing about them and their life.

What's my point here? My point is, while spiritualism in the sense of people holding seances and trying to communicate with the dead through mediums isn't all the rage in our day and age, it still exists in many various forms, and in the many beliefs of the majority of people. 

Spiritualism- lies upon the foundation of the immortality of the soul- and the immortality of the soul is the concept of eternal life- that we go from losing our physical body to living in a spirit body INSTANTLY upon death.  Don't get me wrong here, I BELIEVE IN ETERNAL LIFE, just not in this sense.

While you may refuse to be called a Spiritualist based upon the fact you don't go to a medium to converse with the dead, you STILL believe as they believe- that the dead are alive, just not alive in their former bodies. You are by default, a Spiritualist, believing in the immortality of the soul, a concept not found in the Bible.

How can our Bible tell us plainly that the dead know nothing, and then people insist they do, that in fact, the dead know everything.  How can our Bible tell us death is a sleep and then people insist the dead are awake and very active in their new awake state most likely not needing any sleep whatsoever? How can our Bible tell us that when Jesus Christ returns the dead that are His will rise to meet Him in the air and people believe they are already with Jesus and have been since their deaths? How can our Bible tell us Jesus remained in the tomb - not rising in any spirit form instantly upon death and yet, people still believe death means instant spirit life- a life Jesus wasn't given instantly upon His death?  

People are deceived. Most are NOT deceived intentionally. They've been given this tradition of man through their churches, through the faith their parents have passed down, through stories on tv, and in books. They believe it because people have used near death (obviously NOT true death) experiences to convince them of this fallacy. Anyone who has ever had a truly horrifying nightmare of crazy convoluted things, or seeing their dead loved ones in the dreams and such can attest to their minds giving them these nightmares, these dream, and yes, some of those dreams have felt extremely real to us. The dreams don't convince anyone that dream images are real, yet people allow people who have NOT truly died to convince them by telling them things they've seen in the near death state.  

As a rule most people who believe in instant heaven upon death are good hearted, well intentioned, loving, kind, wonderful, sincere people. They simply want to imagine those they love who have died are in a better place. They simply want to feel connected to them still because it's so devastatingly heartbreaking to lose their presence in their life. 

The thing is, Satan's first lie to mankind was that they wouldn't die. And guess what, all those who believe in instant heaven after death are believing that lie. 

People can received immense comfort in the Biblical truth of death being a sleep. A sleep. Think about the last time you slept. What happened while you were sleeping? Were you aware of things going on while you slept? Sleep cuts us off from all knowledge, from all interaction. We don't know what's happening while we sleep. We aren't feeling in a conscious way of knowing, while we are sleeping. We have to wake up to become aware again. Death is the best, dreamless sleep ever and when Adam and Eve died and entered death's sleep they lost all knowledge of the thousands of years that have passed since then. The next thing they are going to know is Christ's Returning and calling them from their graves- their dead/sleeping state. Jesus waking them up! How glorious! There was no death awareness, they haven't spent thousands of years watching humanities horrors. For if dead loved ones can see us and comfort us and so on, they can also witness all the trials and tribulations we go through- what heartbreak! 

 Unfortunately people have their eyes glazed over by Satan and are spiritually blind unable to search out the truth of God's word, because they choose to believe the lies and traditions handed down by man. They refuse to listen to common sense, logical reasoning, sound exegesis, clinging instead to their misguided beliefs. These beliefs may very well keep them forever blind to the truth only to recognize it when it is too late to change, too late to accept truth. The scales will fall from their eyes too late when they hear the words of our Lord telling them to get away from Him, that He doesn't know them. He won't know them because they never chose to know the real Him from His word. They will have believed in a false messiah perpetrated by the churches they go to, encouraged by ministers and preachers likewise deluded. The Bible they claim to believe will have been falsely read, falsely interpreted, and they will have been deceived. God is reaching out to all who would truly be His! There will not be a single person lost who didn't turn their back on God's truth when it was offered to them. Not a single person will be able to refute Jesus' claim that He never knew them, they'll know in that moment where and when they rejected Him knowingly, willingly choosing not to follow Him and His truth. They might cry out they were deceived and not to blame, but they'll know they made the choice from their heart and that heart wasn't right with God. 

Don't follow Satan through deception, don't follow Satan unwittingly, you have a chance to know truth.

Please LORD, please, we would KNOW YOU and BE KNOWN BY YOU! PLEASE! Let all the scales on our eyes fall away and let us see Your truth and LIVE in Your truth- by You, for You! Please! We don't want to be deceived, please!  All through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior!!!!!!! Right NOW and FOREVER!!!!!!! AMEN!

*******

CHAPTER XIII. THE BEAST WITH TWO HORNS

continued… ((Note- when this was written in the late 1890's Spiritual Mediums and seances and the like were all the rage. Spiritualism since then has taken on a great disguise as noted in the section above))

The foundation of Spiritualism is the doctrine of the immortality of the soul. 

And as nearly all professed Christians regard that as one of the leading doctrines of Revelation, and inasmuch as they had no direct proof for it in the Scriptures, and Spiritualism proposed to demonstrate that it is true, it was easy to foresee that a compromise between the parties would not be difficult to effect. And the consequence is just what was anticipated. Tens and hundreds of thousands of members of all the leading denominations, who would yet be unwilling to be known as Spiritualists, are following it. 

Many hold social circles, where neighbors meet to converse with their supposed friends, and where mediums are developed. These parties suppose that their conduct is innocent; but they do not consult the word of God in regard to the nature of Spiritualism. They take it for granted that it is the spirits of

their lost friends with whom they hold converse, and are unwilling to be aroused from their delusion. If they would turn to the Bible they would learn better. This work is well characterized by the prophet of God, in these words:-- 

"And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter; should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead? To the law and to the testimony; if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them." Isa. 8:19, 20. 

Shall men turn away from the word of God, to seek knowledge of the dead? Shall a living man go to inquire of the dead? That is done in these days, but the Scriptures utterly condemn the practice. 

Thus the Lord said to the children of Israel:--

"There shall not be found among you anyone 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." Deut. 18:10, 11.

A necromancer, literally, and as the original plainly reads, is one who inquires of the dead. The Lord said to his people that they should not learn to do after the abominations of the nations that dwell in the land of Canaan. He then enumerated the prohibited works, as here quoted, and added:--

"For all that do these things are an abomination unto the Lord; and because of these abominations the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee." Verse 12.

The Lord declares that inquiring of the dead is an abomination in his sight; but this practice is the very life and front of Spiritualism. But it has been argued that this law was for Israel, and for no other people, and cannot bind us. But mark this: The Lord did not say that these things were the abominations of Israel. They were the abominable practices of the nations in Canaan, whom the Lord drove out before Israel. And he said it was because of these wicked practices that he destroyed them out of the land. "For," said he, "all that do these things are an abomination to the Lord." And the folly as well as the wickedness of this practice is shown in the Bible, which plainly declares that "the dead know not anything." Eccl. 9:5.

But one replies: If the dead know not anything, as, indeed, the Bible plainly says, what can be the harm of inquiring of them, seeing they cannot hear or know what is said? But the facts of Spiritualism abundantly prove that somebody or something hears and answers the inquiries. The scripture under investigation (Rev. 13:13, 14) says that these miracles are wrought to deceive; and one part of the deception is this, that the spirits consulted profess to be our dead friends, when they are not. God has stored the treasures of knowledge in his word--in the law and in the testimony. They who neglect this word, and seek knowledge from forbidden sources, must expect to be deceived. Jesus, speaking of the last days, the days preceding his second coming, says:--

"There shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect." Matt. 24:24.

They profess to be Christs, sent of God; but they are not. They profess to be prophets, commissioned of God to speak to the world, and to instruct mankind concerning the future, but they are not. They are living spirits, the angels of the adversary, Satan. Compare Matt. 25:41; 2 Peter 2:4; Jude 6.

Mat 25:41  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

2Pe 2:4  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

Jud 1:6  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.

But again it is asked, How can we be deceived? We have heard the familiar tones of the voices of our friends, and some have beheld their very faces. They must be what they profess to be. But this reasoning is not good. All Spiritualists confess that spirits have not material forms nor visible faces. They say that these are materialized for the occasion. And if they have power to assume forms which do not properly belong to the nature of a spirit, they can certainly assume one form as readily as

another, and can personate whom they will. And that they do so we are well assured. The apostle says that Satan is transformed into an angel of light. And if he can assume the form and appearance of an angel of light, it is no marvel that his ministers profess to be the ministers of righteousness; that his angels assume to be Christs and prophets. 2 Cor. 11:14, 15.

2Co 11:14  And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 

2Co 11:15  Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

To be continued…

The Book of Daniel Chapter 1 Pt 1

 I went to a series of Prophecy Lectures that were being given at a nearby church in 1982.  I don't have access to the actual material given back then, but there are other studies with a lot of the same information.  The study we are going to go through is more in-depth. We are living now, 42 years after the last known end time prophecy was fulfilled. There are more end time prophecies that have to be fulfilled and the majority of those it appears will happen very rapidly extremely close to our Lord returning. You read those words and what do you think about them? I hope they arouse your curiosity and don't dissuade you from seeking truth. The above facts can be proven, pray for God's guidance, God's grace, God's mercy, pray for the Holy Spirit to be your guide through all of these studies.  Please, open your Bible - whether an actual book of paper, or an online Bible, it doesn't matter- open your Bible and with a prayerful heart begin to study. 

Remember there are going to be blanks for you to fill in by reading from your Bibles- this is to reinforce what you are studying, giving you a real opportunity to look for yourself upon God's word, and not just read something I've put here for you to read.

Daniel Chapter 1

Let’s begin with a bit of historical background on the book of Daniel. The book of Daniel was written by Daniel Himself that cannot be disputed. Ezekiel, a prophet and a contemporary of Daniels has this to say--

READ Ezekiel 14:19, 20. "… though Noah, 1______, and Job were in it, as I live, saith the Lord God, they shall deliver neither son nor daughter; they shall but deliver their own souls by their righteousness."

Daniel is ranked up there with who? Noah and Job, two very important Biblical figures.

Ezekiel also has this to say of Daniel--

READ Ezekiel 28:3 "Behold, thou art wiser than 2______; there is no secret that they can hide from thee."

And even Jesus recognized Daniel and did so recognizing him as a prophet of God. 

READ Matthew 24:15, 16. "When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by 3_______ ___ ________, stand in the holy place (whoso readeth, let him understand), then let them which be in Judea flee into the mountains."

(The following may read as if you are a Bible scholar, or serious student who knows Biblical history- dates and whatnot. If you do not have this education, I don't, then you may have to pause and look up some facts if you don't want to just accept them as truth. Don't hesitate to do so now, or any time in the future of this study, research.) 

What we know of Daniel begins when he is taken captive in the first year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzer (Babylonian King). The first year that began the seventy years of enslavement, 606 BC when Habakkuk and Jeremiah were giving their prophecies. A short while after that Ezekiel began his prophesizing and then Obadiah, both finishing their prophetic work long before the end of Daniel’s prophesizing.

Three prophets went after Daniel—Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi. Both Haggai and Zechariah briefly prophesized in 520-518 BC and then Malachi for a short while in 397 BC. All Biblical history, documented well.

Jeremiah wrote the following prediction--

READ Jeremiah 25:11 -And this whole land shall be a 4___________, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.

70 years of captivity was predicted and 70 years of captivity there were.

Daniel was taken captive during that time and at his peak he saw the kingdom decline and even go into other hands. Daniel was given by God knowledge which surpasses any man could have given him. He was honored and loved of God and his words are available to us today to study and learn much from.

He reveals history many centuries into the future to the end of all time. He offers us an account of the timeline of the coming of the Messiah as well. The prophecies of Daniel are amazing as you’ll soon discover.

Historical data tells us that Daniel is supposed to have died at Susa in Persia (today’s Iran), about the year 530 BC, at about 94 years old.

Let us begin--CHAPTER -- I

READ Daniel 1: 1 - In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto 5__________, and besieged it. 2. And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with part of the vessels of the house of God: which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his god; and he brought the vessels into the treasure-house of his god.

Starting with an historical background, he states that Jehoiakim was the king of Judah at the time, that Nebuchadnezzer was king of Babylon and that Nebuchadnezzer besieged Jehoiakim’s reign. He also tells us that it was 3 years into the reign of Jehoiakim and that Jehoiakim was given into Nebuchadnezzar’s hands. Nebuchanezzer took some of the sacred vessels from the house of God into Shinar, the country of Babylon.

READ Genesis 10:10 ‘And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.’

Jerusalem’s capture was predicted by Jeremiah, and accomplished, in 606 BC.

READ Jeremiah 25:8-11-- Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Because ye have not heard my words, Behold, I will send and take all the families of the north, saith the LORD, and Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will bring them against this land, and against the inhabitants thereof, and against all these nations round about, and will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, and an hissing, and perpetual desolations. Moreover I will take from them the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the sound of the millstones, and the light of the candle. And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.

Jeremiah places this captivity in the fourth year of Jehoiakim, Daniel is in the third. This seeming discrepancy is explained by the fact that Nebuchadnezzar set out on his expedition near the close of the third year of Jehoiakim, from which point Daniel reckons. But he did not fully capture Jerusalem till about the ninth month of the year following; and from this year Jeremiah reckons. (Prideaux, Vol. I, pp. 99, 100 -https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Old_and_New_Testament_Connected_in_t/dvKBrDj1bnAC?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=%22fourth%20year%20of%20Jehoiakim%22)

Jehoiakim humbled himself and was allowed to remain as ruler in Jerusalem, tributary to the king of Babylon. This was the first time Jerusalem was taken by Nebuchadnezzar. 

Twice after that because the people revolted, it had to be recaptured by the same king, being dealt with more harshly each succeeding time. Of these subsequent overthrows, the first was under Jehoiachin, son of Jehoiakim in 599 BC when all the sacred vessels were either taken or destroyed and the best of the people along with the king were led into captivity. The second was under Zedekiah, when the city fought the most formidable fight for control except that by Titus, in 70 AD. During the two year siege the city dwellers had to endure the horrors of extreme famine. The king attempting to escape from the city along with his garrison, were captured by the Chaldeans. The sons of the king were slain before him. His eyes were put out, and he was taken to Babylon; and fulfilled was the prediction of Ezekiel who declared that he should be carried to Babylon, and die there, but yet should not see the place.

READ Ezekiel 12:13 - ‘My net also will I spread upon him, and he shall be taken in my snare: and I will bring him to Babylon to the land of the Chaldeans; yet shall he not see it, though he shall die there.’

The city and temple were at this time completely destroyed, the entire population of the city and country, with the exception of few, were carried captive to Babylon, 588 BC.

Had the Israelites been faithful to God and kept his Sabbath, Jerusalem would have stood forever. READ Jeremiah 17:24-27 And it shall come to pass, if ye diligently 6_______ unto me, saith the LORD, to bring in no burden through the gates of this city on the 7________ day, but 8_______ the sabbath day, to do no work therein; Then shall there enter into the gates of this city kings and princes sitting upon the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they, and their princes, the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: and this city shall remain forever. And they shall come from the cities of Judah, and from the places about Jerusalem, and from the land of Benjamin, and from the plain, and from the mountains, and from the south, bringing burnt offerings, and sacrifices, and meat offerings, and incense, and bringing sacrifices of praise, unto the house of the 9 _____.  But if ye will not hearken unto me to hallow the sabbath day, and not to bear a burden, even entering in at the gates of Jerusalem on the sabbath day; then will I kindle a fire in the gates thereof, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall not be quenched.

TO BE CONTINUED…

Satan Lies, Do You Believe Him?

 If dying isn't a punishment, but just a prelude to an instant eternal reward then why is dying at all such a big deal- other than the fact we leave behind people who love and miss us?

Death is not something we were intended to experience (death in all of its forms). God told the first couple that they would die if they disobeyed him. If death wasn't something detrimental, why would it be used as a punishment? 

Satan lied and said we wouldn't really die and guess what, the majority of people believe him. That death is an end and not just a continuance of life is Biblical truth, God's truth.

The words- 'The living know that they shall die, but the dead know not anything- Eccl 9:5) It is RIGHT THERE IN GOD'S WORD.  I'm alive, I know I'll die… is that true? YES. Ergo 'the dead know not anything' must be true! If I KNOW not anything once I'm dead as the Bible says, then am I in heaven knowing things? NO!

Death- when we have a complete and utter end of our life- we think no more, we do nothing, we do not have a single thought after we die completely. I'm adding completely because a lot of people say they die when their life is interrupted temporarily - for medical reasons their hearts stop, their breathing stops but they are brought back to a living state. They say they died, but the truth is, they couldn't have died unless there is no coming back- without a miracle that is such as Lazarus. We have a lot of people who are considered brain dead all higher function ended, and so we believe what? All their ability to think is gone. There is no sense even trying to keep them alive because there is nothing of their brain to continue on giving them the thoughts they need to be considered living. We pull plugs, we take them off machines, we let them go- they are dead?

People have been deceived tragically and they don't even care when its pointed out to them. They don't want their cherished beliefs to end, they love those beliefs more than they love truth. They don't like those who bring them truth, they call them liars. They hold on so tightly to those beliefs nothing else matters to them.

Right now it may not seem like such a big deal, we say let them believe in their lies it hurts no one. They say everyone believes differently and God will sort it all out. 

God has given us HIS WORD. God has given us HIS TRUTH. If we ignore His word and His truth do you think will be rewarded for that? If He has sorted it out already and we have access to the sorted out truth right now, do you truly believe that we aren't supposed to know that truth?

I'm waiting for my Savior to return and ONLY when that happens will those who are dead right now be raised up from the dead and given their thoughts back at the same time they are given their immortal bodies. This is salvation, this is our reward, this is our eternal life that Jesus is preparing for those who love Him. 

Ask yourself this question-  if you believed Lazarus was raised from the dead then you have to believe that Jesus took Lazarus out of heaven and put him back on earth, why in the world would Jesus EVER DO THAT?! Wouldn't it have been better for Jesus to have Lazarus come back in his spirit form and tell everyone how wonderful heaven is?  Life immediately after death is NOT REAL! It's a lie!

The danger in believing lies is we no longer are believing truth and Jesus is the way, the truth, the life! 

Jesus left His disciples, His apostles on earth and before leaving He did not reassure them by telling them not to worry, they'd see Him in a little bit when they die, He NEVER said that! He told them that HE WOULD RETURN and that was what their hope would be, in the return of JESUS!

Satan has GRAND delusions planned for the very end times and those delusions are going to include in a huge way the belief in going right to heaven after death and living on. Don't be surprised if Satan's evil demons impersonate your loved ones who have died, what better way than to do that to get you to hold fast to the lies of Satan? The evil spirits will be able to impersonate our loved ones perfectly because they know all the secret things of our lives, just as God's angels, our guardian angels know all our lives every bit of it, every sin and every praise we've given to God- they know it all. How easy it is going to be to cement the lie into the hearts of people who have rejected the truth. They are going to use the evil spirit impersonated loved ones to cry out that they were right, that they are the ones with the truth, but it is ALL just a huge  deception of Satan's. Satan's net is ENORMOUS and he's filling it up with most of the earth's population, filling it up with his lies, his deceptions!

SEEK the truth please! I IMPLORE YOU! If you are reading this and you want the truth of the LORD seek it! Please! Don't believe my words, believe GOD'S words!

All through Jesus Christ our LORD, our SAVIOR now and forever!!!!!!! AMEN!

(Excerpt)

MAN IN PRISON

It is written in the Scriptures that "we must needs die." 2 Sam. 14:14. But this necessity was not according to God's original purpose or arrangement. God is the God of life. He has no pleasure in the death of any of His creatures. Eze. 18:23, 31, 32.

Eze 18:23  Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his ways, and live?

Eze 18:31  Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel? 

Eze 18:32  For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord GOD: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye. 

He pronounced the sentence of death on Adam, but He had warned him against incurring the guilt that would certainly bring it; He peremptorily forbade his pursuing a course that would result in death. Gen. 2:16, 17. 

Gen 2:16  And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 

Gen 2:17  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.

That the Lord loved man, and had a strong desire that he should live and not die, is shown in the wonderful provision He made to recover man from death. "Sin entered into the world, and death by sin." Rom. 5:12. And "he that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning." 1 John 3:8. By his deception and falsehood he led our first parents to sin; but as death inevitably follows sin, he who introduced sin introduced death. Therefore also it is said that he that had power of death is the devil. Heb. 2:14

Concerning the children of Rachel, the Lord promised that they should come again from the land of the enemy. Jer. 31:16. These children were cruelly put to death. See Matt. 2:16-18. Paul says that death is the last enemy. 1 Cor. 15:26. It is the last enemy, for when death overtakes us, no other enemy can reach us. Life is the first and the greatest of all blessings; so death is the greatest and last of all evils. 

They were under the power of death, under the dominion of Satan, for Satan, in introducing sin and death, opened the gates of the grave, that great prison house of mankind.

Sheol, the place of all the dead, is always spoken of as a realm of darkness, gloominess, and terrors; its inhabitants have neither light nor knowledge; all their hopes, their fears, their joys, their sorrows, their thoughts have perished. Let us hear the word of the Lord on this subject:- 

"For the living know that they shall die; but the dead know not anything, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished." Eccl. 9:5, 6. "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest." Verse 10.  

Job, speaking of the condition of those who fall under the power of death, says: "Thou changest his countenance, and sendest him away. His sons come to honor, and he knoweth it not; and they are brought low, but he perceiveth it not of them." Job 14:20, 21. The Psalmist gives a striking illustration of the realms of death, as follows: "Wilt Thou show wonders to the dead? shall the dead arise and praise Thee? shall Thy loving-kindness be declared in the grave? or Thy faithfulness in destruction? shall Thy wonders be known in the dark? and Thy righteousness in the land of forgetfulness? "Ps. 88:10-12. And again; "His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish" Ps. 146:4. And it is not merely their knowledge and thoughts of, and interest in, temporal things that have perished; they have lost their knowledge of God and their power to praise Him. "For in death there is no remembrance of Thee; in the grave who shall give Thee thanks?" Ps. 6:5. This does not refer to the grave as we consider that term; it speaks of sheol, the place of the dead in general; as Lange says, it refers to that place in which the soul of Christ was not left. Compare Ps. 16:10 and Acts 2:27, 31. We read again; "The dead praise not the Lord, neither any that go down into silence." Ps. 115:17. And yet again, where the contrast between the condition and the power of the dead and the living is shown in the most emphatic terms: "For the grave cannot praise Thee, death cannot celebrate Thee; they that go down into the pit cannot hope for Thy truth. The living, the living, he shall praise Thee, as I do this day." Isa. 38:18, 19. 

It was not in the order of God that man should come to such a condition as that described by these texts, or descend to such a state of darkness, gloom, and forgetfulness. It was all the work of the enemy, whose object it was to mar the perfect work of the Creator. Man in the grave is represented as being shut up in its darkness and gloom, as prisoners are shut up in a prison or dungeon. "There the prisoners rest together." Job. 3:18. 

Speaking of punishing the kings and high ones of the earth, the Lord says: "And they shall be gathered together as prisoners are gathered in the pit [or dungeon], and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be visited." Isa. 24:22. Such is the condition of all who go into the grave. 

But many, in all sincerity, believe that only a part of man dies; that a part of him returns to dust, and another part evades the penalty, and continues to live somewhere else, or in some other condition. Of this we find no intimation in the law, nor in the penalty,  nor in the sentence pronounced upon the sin. "The wages of sin is death." "The soul that sinneth, it shall die." Rom. 6:23; Eze. 18:4. This being so, the whole question turns on this point, as to how much of man, or what part of man, committed the sin.

All that sinned must die. Recognizing the fact that man is constituted of parts, we cannot say that a part of  him sinned, and a part did not sin. 

While it is true that the wages of sin is death, it cannot be true that the real man, the truly responsible part of man, does not die.

If any part escapes the penalty, it ought to be that part which is the least responsible. But the Scriptures do not countenance such a theory. They, indeed, teach that man is constituted of different parts, but it takes the different parts to constitute the man. The man-the whole man-was involved in the sin, in the fall, and the whole man must suffer the penalty. 

No other doctrine than this is consistent with the scriptures we have quoted. In death there is no remembrance of God, no thanksgiving to Him. Death is the land of darkness and forgetfulness. In sheol there is no device, no knowledge, no affections. When man dies, his thoughts perish. All this we have read in plain terms in the Bible, and we must either believe it or deny it. Which will we do? 

It is this fact which makes the doctrine of the resurrection of such immense importance. Says Paul: "But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen; and if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain; . . . for if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised; and if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable." 1 Cor. 15:13-19.

Here it is plainly shown that without a resurrection we have no hope beyond this life; and, with out a resurrection, they who are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. This is not according to the most popular view, that the dead are already in glory, which makes their salvation and happiness independent of the resurrection.

And again the apostle says, in verse 32:- "If after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what doth it profit me? If the dead are not raised, let us eat and drink; for tomorrow we die."

On this text Dr. Clarke makes a very appropriate and truthful comment, as follows:- "What the apostle says here is a regular and legitimate conclusion from the doctrine that there is no resurrection; for if there be no resurrection, then there can be no judgment-no future state or rewards and punishments; why, therefore, should we bear crosses, and keep ourselves under continual discipline? Let us eat and drink, take all the pleasure we can, for tomorrow we die; and that is the end of us forever." In this Dr. Clarke is quite correct. It is, indeed, the legitimate conclusion from the doctrine that there is no resurrection, but it is not the legitimate conclusion from that doctrine according to the more popular view that the dead are already saved in heaven, and glorified without the resurrection. According to the Scriptures man is truly in prison.

Angels: Their Nature and Ministry-  (Excerpt - for continuing study) Revised by J.H. Waggoner.  1891 by Pacific Press Publishing Co.)

Satan- The God of This World (2 Cor. 4:4)

 (Excerpt)

(Satan-) HE GAINS POSSESSION OF THE EARTH

Satan, having lost his place in heaven, seemed to have been inspired with the determination to do all the mischief that he could. Man had been created and put in possession of the earth: "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth." Gen. 1:26. "The heaven, even the heavens, are the the Lord's; but the earth hath He given to the children of men." Ps.115:16. God made man to possess and rule over the earth. It was his to occupy and enjoy. He himself was made of the earth; his destiny was linked with that of the earth. Satan, as the result shows, had a design upon both man and his possession.

Did Satan have anything to do with the fall of man? The Scriptures plainly show that he did. In Rev. 12:9 the prophet speaks of "that old serpent, called the devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world." If he deceiveth the whole world, he must have deceived our parents in the beginning. John says: "He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning." 1 John 3:8. In verse 12 he says that Cain "was of that wicked one, and slew his brother."

Then that wicked one was in the world in the days of Cain, and instigated him to kill his brother. "That old serpent" which deceiveth the whole world, deceived Eve. He lied to her, and made her believe that it was for her good to eat of the fruit that they were commanded not to eat. Says Paul, "The woman being deceived was in the transgression." 1 Tim. 2:14. She did not do this deed willfully, but she was deceived. "And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat." Gen. 3:13. To argue that it was simply the reptile that did all this is absurd. But when we understand that Satan was there with all his cunning, and used the serpent as his medium to deceive Eve, all is rational and harmonious. And this shows the truthfulness of the saying of Jesus, that the devil was a liar from the beginning. ((Our beginning))

We must not lose sight of the fact that God did not bestow upon man unlimited control of the earth. He did not resign his own right and authority as proprietor of the earth, but constituted man ruler under his directions. Man was the creature, the servant of God. He was appointed to subdue the earth and bring it all into the condition of the garden of Eden. Gen. 1:28; 2:8. God was his Benefactor, his Counselor, his Sovereign. He crowned man with glory and honor (Ps. 8:3-8), and gave him a right to the tree of life (Gen. 2:9, 16, 17). This was given to perpetuate his life, that he might live forever. Gen. 3:22, 23. Notice what man lost by his transgression:-

1. He lost his life. "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." "For the wages of sin is death." Rorn. 5:12; 6:23. Death came as the result of sin. If man had not sinned, he would have lived forever. "And the Lord God said, . . . and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever: therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden." Gen. 3:22, 23.

The loss of life involves the loss of everything. We may lose many things in life, but when our life is lost, we have no more to lose. Life is the greatest of all gifts and blessings, for all other blessings are comprised in it and dependent upon it. In giving Adam the tree of life in the garden in which he was placed, God made provision for the perpetuation of his life; he might "eat and live forever," By sinning he lost this privilege. 

2. He lost his dominion over the earth. Adam and his posterity did not retain that dominion which was given to him in the beginning. In the beginning every beast, and the fowls, and the fishes, were under his sway. After the fall they became wild, and in many cases became the enemies and destroyers of man. And man became the enemy of his fellow-man. Discord and strife seemed to enter into the hearts of all creatures. Everything became changed from the original arrangement. And the Lord placed a curse upon the earth-upon the dominion which he had given to man. Instead of flowers and pleasant fruits, thorns and thistles sprang up spontaneously, to add to his cares and sorrows. Why was this? In order that we may understand why a curse was placed upon the earth, we raise the inquiry, When man sinned, did the Lord God take back to himself the dominion which he had bestowed upon him? It is true, as was said, that when man sinned he lost everything, but did the Lord withdraw the dominion that he had given him? We do not read that he did. Indeed, we do not believe that he would have put it under a curse if he had taken back to himself all the right with which he had invested man at the beginning. What, then, was the exact nature of the change that took place? Let us examine some facts presented in the New Testament. We have seen that man, in the beginning, turned from his kind Creator, disobeyed His direct commandment, believed the falsehoods of his enemy, and did just what Satan wished him to do. The woman was beguiled to disobey, and the man joined her in disobedience. Now hear the testimony of the Scriptures: 

"Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey?" Rom. 6:16.

Again: "For of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage." 2 Peter 2:19. 

They obeyed Satan and became his servants; they were overcome by him, and therefore they were his bond servants. He was the means of their losing their lives, for he had the power of death. Heb. 2:14. When they died, they went into sheol, "the land of the enemy." Jer. 31:15, 16; 1 Cor. 15:26. And he was surely the means of their losing the dominion of the earth, for it was lost by sin. It is evident that Satan gained dominion over man and over the earth; that man, in becoming the bond servant of Satan, let his dominion pass into the hands of his new master. The Lord did not at once destroy Satan for his sin, nor did He at once execute the sentence of death upon man, nor did He take back from the usurper the dominion that was given to Adam, of which he had been defrauded, but He put a curse upon it, and reserved further changes till after the judgment shall pass upon all offenses-until the seed of the woman shall bruise the head of the serpent. Here we will notice again some of the titles that are applied to Satan. He is called "the God of this world." 2 Cor. 4:4. Jesus Himself calls him "the prince of the world." John 14:30. Paul, speaking of the foes with whom we have to contend, says: "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world." Eph. 6:12.

Is it indeed so that Satan is the god, the prince, the ruler of this world? So the Scriptures surely teach. And we have yet more testimony to the same point, and if possible more decisive. Consider the temptation of the Saviour. His adversary is called the tempter, and the devil, but Jesus addressed him as Satan. The devil is a title, but Satan is a proper name. It was not an imaginary being that tempted Him, nor was it the mere impressions or imaginations of His own mind, or the promptings of His passions. All such theories and speculations are but the suggestions of the enemy himself; to enable him to conceal his person and his character. Jesus, having fasted forty days, became hungry. The devil said to Him, "If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread." The tempter appealed to His appetite, made keen by His long fasting, and challenged Him to prove that He was the Son of God. But Jesus refused to gratify his caviling spirit, giving us an example, that we should not bow to the suggestions of Satan, either to meet our own wants or to prove our calling of God. Our relationship to our Heavenly Father should be borne in humility, giving no place to spiritual pride. Jesus quoted that scripture which leads to dependence upon the word of God. But Satan was not to be baffled thus; he, too, quoted the Scripture. But in this another lesson is given us,-not to believe everyone who quotes the Scriptures. Satan quoted the Scriptures correctly, but he misapplied them. The text he quoted has no reference to such an occasion. By reading Psalms 91, anyone can see that it refers to the future time of trouble, when the plagues of God's wrath shall be poured out upon the earth. See Revelation 16. But here Jesus met him with a scripture that is of universal application, and applied especially at that time: "Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God." A fitting rebuke to the tempter was contained in these words. Again the devil took him up into an exceeding high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of this world, and the glory of them. A magnificent sight, that has always proved so captivating to the men of this world! "And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine." Matt. 4:1-10; Luke 4:1-13. 

Now it is written that "the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace." Ps. 37:11; Matt. 5:5. But they can never delight themselves in the abundance of peace in the present sinful state of the world. Jesus said, "In the world ye shall have tribulation." Great changes must take place before Ps. 37:11 can be fulfilled. "The righteous shall be recompensed in the earth," but not until the curse is removed, and the design of the original gift to Adam is fulfilled. The promise that he should be the heir of the world was made to Abraham and his seed (Gen. 12:1-7, etc.; Rom. 4:13); and that seed was Christ (Gal. 3:16); and the heir is to be the Redeemer of both man and his inheritance, according to the Scriptures. But redemption could only be wrought by the power of His blood; His life was the precious price He was to pay to purchase man from his bondage. But Satan set before Him an easier method of getting possession of the dominion. It had been committed to him, and he gave it to whomsoever he would, and he would give it to Jesus if He would bow down to him. But many make this reply: Satan told a falsehood; he had nothing to give; nothing had been committed to him; neither the kingdoms of the world nor the glory of them were in his power. But if that was so, the Saviour surely knew it. And if He knew that the devil possessed nothing-that he had no power to confer any dominion or glory-then wherein was He tempted? If Satan had them to give, if Jesus could have obtained the dominion of the earth without the dreadful alternative of dying, it would surely be a temptation. If He knew that Satan had no power to fulfill his promise, that his words were an idle boast, there could not possibly be any temptation in the case. But the sacred record sets it down as a temptation, and we believe that it was. To Adam it was given in the beginning; Satan obtained supremacy over man; he took all the title that Adam held, which was but a limited power. The possessor of that power could go no further than God sees fit to permit. By overcoming man, Satan became the prince, or god, of this world.

And this is yet more clearly proved in Rev. 11:14-18. The third woe comes upon the earth when the seventh angel's trumpet is sounded. This is the last of the trumpets, and closes up this dispensation. Under this trumpet it is said: "The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ." We are accustomed to recognize the Scripture fact that the Father is to bestow the dominion, the kingdom, upon his Son, Jesus Christ. But this text shows that they become the kingdoms of our Lord, as well as of His Christ. Again, the elders, worshiping him who sits upon the throne, say: "We give Thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because Thou hast taken to Thee Thy great power, and hast reigned." The next verse shows that this is when the time has come to judge the dead and to give reward to all the servants of God. What power but that once conferred upon Adam could the great God take to Himself, and give to His Christ, just before the close of this dispensation? How can the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, except by our Lord dispossessing the great usurper, and taking back to Himself the dominion of the earth? Then He confers it upon the second Adam, who redeems it, removes the curse, and restores man to his own inheritance; in a word, recovers from the enemy all that was lost by the first Adam.

In regard to the present condition of the world, John says: "And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness." 1 John 5:19. On this text Dr. Adam Clarke comments as follows:-  

"Lieth in the wicked one,-is embraced in the arms of the devil, where it lies fast asleep, and carnally secure, deriving its heat and power from its infernal fosterer. What a truly awful state! And do not the actions, the tempers, propensities, opinions, and maxims of all worldly men prove and illustrate this? 'In this short expression,' says Mr. Wesley, 'the horrible state of the world is painted in the most lively colors, a comment of which we have in the actions, conversations, contracts, quarrels, and friendships of worldly men. Yes, their actions are opposed to the law of God; their conversation, shallow, simulous, and false; their contracts, forced, interested, and deceitful; their quarrels, puerile, ridiculous, and ferocious; and their friendships, hollow, insincere, capricious, and fickle:-all, all the effect of their lying in the arms of the wicked one; for thus they become instinct with his own spirit and because they are of their father, therefore his lusts will they do."

This is a truthful representation of the world in the aggregate. The children of God in this world are so few that they only form an exception to the general rule. They are not of the world, but are chosen out of the world. Of them Jesus said: "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. This is conclusive proof that the world is now under the control of

Satan, serving him. If God ruled in this world, to be a child of God would be to do as the world does. But the truth is, this whole world is in rebellion against God, and is serving Satan, God's great enemy. Hence James says: "Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God." James 4:4. For a season God permits this in His long-suffering and mercy; in His longsuffering He permits the wicked to fill up the cup of their iniquity; in His mercy he delays the judgments until His elect are prepared for an abundant entrance into His everlasting kingdom. Satan accomplished his purpose when he approached the holy pair in Eden: he destroyed their happiness; ruined an almost countless multitude of their posterity; instilled his own spirit into the hearts of their children; spread crime and bloodshed everywhere; and gained to himself a possession on the earth. But he could not foresee that the Son of God, against whom he had rebelled, would even give His life to purchase all to Himself, and work such a triumph over the enemy of all righteousness as would cause every creature in the universe to rejoice in his destruction. When that day comes, may we be of those who shall join in the triumph of the Lamb of God.

Angels: Their Nature and Ministry-  (Excerpt - for continuing study) Revised by J.H. Waggoner.  1891 by Pacific Press Publishing Co.)

AMEN. Please, Lord, we would be Yours! Search our hearts and see if there is any wickedness in them and lead us in the way everlasting! Please! Create a clean heart in us! Satan would destroy us and make us his, please…please, keep us from Evil… ALL by JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD AND SAVIOR! ALL THROUGH JESUS' RIGHTEOUSNESS! YOURS IS THE POWER, THE GLORY, THE HONOR, THE PRAISE, THE THANKSGIVING! ALL TO YOU FATHER, ALL TO YOU! AMEN!

You Don't Have to Understand.

 You do NOT war with yourself. You are warring against unseen entities. Yes, I suppose someone might read that and think I'm looney tunes. It's true though. Life isn't easy for any of us, not a single human being has an easy life- not the richest, not the healthiest, not the most beautiful, not the most popular, not the smartest, not the nicest, and so on. We can't have an easy life because that's just not how Satan works.

Principalities. Powers. Rulers  of Darkness. Spiritual Wickedness.

Eph 6:12  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. 

Doubts, fears, trepidations, anxiety, worry, stress - these terms are commonly used because they fill our lives. Just when you think things are on an even keel, that you have a handle on things, that you're dealing well with the everyday little mishaps of life-- right then -- along comes a very large thing that doesn't even have a handle for you to grab. Like a large bowling ball it strikes you, its human bowling pin, and knocks you over and boy do you wobble a bit as you're falling. This isn't an uncommon occurrence, in fact, it's what we call … LIFE. Yet, we chalk up all this LIFE- the ups, the downs, the sideways, backwards and so ons and so forths- to just LIFE as if it has no other real explanation.  It does have an explanation though.  Satan would have us believe it's just our lack of ability to handle LIFE well that makes us so volatile. That our particular mental short comings (through no fault of our own but rather the genetic short straw we drew) is the reason we can't get a grip on dealing with LIFE without constantly exploding- into tears, or anger, or well you name your particular explosive trait. I know I say I'm just not built that way, I just didn't get whatever it is that makes life easy for others.  (Yeah, I'm under the misconception life is easy for others- which isn't really a misconception- but rather a skewed view) You see, various things in life are easy for some, hard for others. Just because the majority find one thing easy, doesn't mean the minority is screwed up, it just means they find something else easy. Alright, we're going off on too many tangents here- time to reign it in. 

We are being attacked constantly. Every single weakness we possess is being exploited. Satan will harass us endlessly -each of us in our own personal ways. Satan has a tailormade plan for each of us that will keep us under His control. When we veer away from his plan, when we leave His control, he doesn't like that one bit and will attack us that much harder.  

Believing in the REALITY of Satan and his demons allows us to comprehend that WE NEED someone who can fight Satan and the demons for us. 

The truth is… it's our ETERNAL LIFE that is at stake here. 

We are allowed to be Satan assaulted, and that old popular saying…. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger … is true. Or rather… what doesn't kill you has the potential to make you stronger. And by stronger, it's a stronger faith I'm talking about. 

We won't understand- Satan wants us confused, completely and utterly confused by why we have to go through the things we do that make LIFE hard. He wants us to use that confusion to place blame on God for not letting us understand, to get us to despair. We won't understand, but we can admit to that lack of understanding and acknowledge God as being in ultimate control. We are thinking the next moment, day, month, year…. God has eternity on His mind, he has a much better grip on things.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and LEAN NOT unto your OWN UNDERSTANDING. Proverbs 3:5

He tells us right there! Don't do it! DO NOT LEAN UNTO OUR OWN UNDERSTANDING!

But…but…but…. BUT NOTHING! Don't do it! Understand that YOU DON'T HAVE TO UNDERSTAND!

Why aren't we to lean to our own understanding? Because it's very faulty. We don't have the big picture- we don't know how that particular trial in our life is going to increase our faith, we don't know when we're going to need the strength of having survived something horrible for our future, we just don't know. If we TRUST we are in God's control with all our heart then we have a reason for getting through all of the horrors of life, all of them. Even if we are facing death through disease or (insert death producing ailment here), and only have a short while left to live- it is for a reason we don't have to understand, we just don't.

Satan and his evil demons will torment all of us- you don't have to believe in them for them to torment you, you do have to believe in God and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ if you want to be kept from the evil they will use on you to steal your eternal life. Then again, if you don't believe they are stealing your eternal life, because they aren't real to do so- and then it turns out eternal life is a reality -you've lost it. 

The truth is that no matter what anyone in the entire world has said, is saying, or will say…  only those with faith to believe there is an eternal life can have that eternal life through JESUS CHRIST. You definitely won't have eternal life if you don't accept Jesus Christ as Your savior, now and forever! 

(Excerpt)

THE DEVIL AND HIS ANGELS

Properly speaking, there is but one devil, though some translations of the Scriptures would make it appear that there are many. This name is from the Greek, Diabolos. The LXX., the translators of the Old Testament into Greek, uniformly used Diabolos for the Hebrew name, Satan. It signifies adversary. Of Diabolus, Liddell and Scott give the definition, "the slanderer, the devil." Schrevelius defines it, "a slanderer, the devil, Satan."

In Rev. 12:9, 10, "That old serpent, called the devil, and Satan," is also called the "accuser of our brethren." Satan was the adversary and accuser, or slanderer, of Job. See Job 1. And as the serpent he falsely accused God of withholding benefits from Adam and Eve to which they were justly entitled, whereby he deceived them to their ruin. Gen. 3:1-6. Well did the Saviour say of the devil: "He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him." John 8:44.

It has been shown that Satan, also called Lucifer, was once a very exalted being in heaven, one of the cherubim, whose place was at the very throne of the Most High. When he rebelled and fell, he did not go alone. He led others with him in his rebellion, and with him they were cast out of heaven. Thus Peter says: "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," etc. 2 Peter 2:4.

And Jude says: "And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day." Jude 6.

Of the judgment of these fallen ones Paul speaks thus: "Know ye not that we shall judge angels?" 1 Cor. 6:3. The saints shall judge the world-the wicked world-and the fallen angels, the demons or evil spirits who have been the instigators of sin in the world, shall be judged at the same time and by the same judges.

But Satan was the chief, the leader of the rebellious ones. He originated the war against the government of God. He was higher in rank and mightier in power than they, and it was by his superior wisdom and influence that he led so many away from their allegiance to the Most High. And, therefore, names and titles are given to him which are never given to them. While they are uniformly called demons (in the New Testament), he is called the devil, Satan, Apollyon, Diabolus, etc. Because he is their leader and they have given themselves to follow him in his works of inquiry, our Saviour speaks of them together, as the devil and his angels. Matt. 25:41. The same is found in Rev. 12:7-9: "And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels." "He was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him." This identifies the dragon as Satan. In Matt. 9:34 he is called the "prince of the demons;" in Eph. 2:2, "the prince of the power of the air;" and in 2 Cor.4:4, "The god of this world." Jesus also refers to him as "the prince of this world."

A certain writer has well said: "Daimon , in the New Testament, always means an evil spirit, who is under Satan's control, a demon. The word Satan means an adversary, an opposer; it is never found in the plural number, so that the sacred writers acknowledge but one being of that name." But the demons are many, even legions. See Luke 8:26-30. These are Satan's servants, his emissaries to carry on his work in all parts of the world. Against all these Paul warns us, as

follows: "Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." Eph. 6:11, 12. Not against the rulers of this world, but against the rulers of the darkness of this world.

We are accustomed to place too low an estimate on the majesty and power of Satan and his angels, making them like unto ourselves, or even lower. This is wrong. We naturally stand in awe of the mighty men of earth, such as a great king or a mighty warrior, but what are they compared with the devil and his angels. These are the enemies with whom we have to contend; so we ought to be acquainted with their character, and thus be better prepared to resist them.

But, mighty as they are, the angels who remained faithful to God have all the power of heaven on their side. The Psalmist says that these "angels excel in strength." Ps. 103:20. They are our helpers, our defenders against the powers of darkness. If we trust in God, and are faithful to the trust he has committed to us, we need not fear. For says Paul: "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." Rom. 8:38, 39.

Angels: Their Nature and Ministry-  (Excerpt - for continuing study) Revised by J.H. Waggoner.  1891 by Pacific Press Publishing Co.)

Jesus Will Return and Receive Me Unto Him.

 Joh 14:3  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.

If Jesus goes to prepare a place for us….. HE WILL COME AGAIN AND RECEIVE US TO HIM so WHERE HE IS WE WILL BE.

Has Jesus come again to receive us to Him?  

NO! A resounding NO! Jesus has NOT returned again. All those places He is preparing for us will be ours when He RETURNS for us and not a moment before. 

Believing in the immortality of the soul, that the knowledgeable part of us lives on immediately after death, negates Jesus having to return for us. If there is a system in place where those who are His simply go to Him upon death, then why does He need to return at all? Why can't things just continue on as they are? 

We are told this-

Heb 11:39  And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: 

Heb 11:40  God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect. 

They without us… should not be made perfect.  The they included-  Abel, Moses, Abraham, Noah… etc they were NOT made perfect, and only the perfect can live with God in His heavenly kingdom. We are made perfect in HIM. All those who are God's throughout history did NOT receive the promise.  The promise of another world, this world wasn't their home- they were just pilgrims and strangers here, as are we. We don't belong to this world but we are a part of it and until our Savior returns and receives us to Him, we stay in this world- if alive then upon the world, if dead then in death's sleep. Our bodies decay and the part of us that has knowledge is in death's sleep, while our spirit breath, the essence that gave our bodies life- not thoughts- our physical body life, that returns to God.  In death's sleep we aren't thinking any longer, we aren't able to praise God, we are stored in the grave until our Savior comes for us and calls us from the grave. We have to ask ourselves, who is Jesus calling from the grave to meet Him in the air, if NO ONE is in their grave? 

Do we have knowledge of all the details of how God does things? We don't, we are not God. We were made by God. There are secrets that belong only to Him, not us. 

Deu_29:29  The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.

I know my Savior called death a sleep, I know my Savior said He would return for me- not that I would go to Him when I died, but He would come for me and call me and all those that are His from the graves to meet Him in the air.  Being called from the grave to meet the Lord in the air does not sound like some life after death mystery to unravel. We remain in the grave until we are called to meet Christ in the air upon His return. 

The world of believing in the immortality of the soul, and immediate life after death is not of God it is of the father of lies, Satan. 

How many people has Satan seduced to his evil way through this corrupted, perverted belief? How many people are deceived by Satan and don't even realize it because they refuse to believe the truth? How many are going to tell Christ they are His when Christ returns and He is going to tell them to get away from Him, that He doesn't know them? He won't know them because they've refuse truth only to cherish lies. Satan is a deceiver, and only by seeking truth can we not be deceived.  We are told this- 

Mat_24:24  For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect

It's not possible for the very elect to be deceived, but Satan will deceive ALL those he possibly can, anyway he can. The art of deception is those deceived being unaware of the deception. God won't allow any who seek His truth in all sincerity - to be deceived. 

Help us, Lord, not to fall into the deceptions of Satan that are surrounding us and passing themselves off as Your truth when they are really lies. Please, save us from all evil! Keep us in YOU now and forever, Lord, now and forever! Amen!!!!!!!

(Excerpt)

(The Immortality of the Soul, Is it a Scriptural Doctrine?) 

Continued from yesterday's excerpt…

The coming of the Lord, and the resurrection of the righteous dead, are directly connected by Paul thus:

"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 Thess. 4:16, 17. 

And again: "We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump; for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 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. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?" 1 Cor. 15:51-55.

"Then shall be brought to pass the saying." When?-"At the last trump," certainly; "for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised." When is it that the trump shall sound?- "This we say unto you by the word of the Lord, . . . The Lord himself shall descend from heaven . . . with the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise." "Then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory." Then it is, and not till then, that men shout, "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?" But through belief in the doctrine of the natural immortality of the soul, it is now sought to be made to appear that this "saying" is "brought to pass" when men die! There can be no more direct perversion of the word of God than to represent this saying as being brought to pass when men die. But what does the doctrine of the immortality of the soul care about the perversion of the word of God? 

The first time that that doctrine was ever uttered, it was in direct contradiction of

the express word of the Lord himself. The Lord said, in the event of man's disobedience, "Thou shalt surely die" (Gen. 2:17); and the devil said, "Ye shall not surely die" (Gen. 3:4; Rev. 20:2.) And there is no shadow of reason to expect that the doctrine will, in reality, ever assume any other position. 

It is not alone a perversion of Scripture to so apply the "saying" in question; it is alike a perversion of the plainest principles of reason and experience. For instance, here are death and a saint of God struggling for the mastery. Presently death obtains the mastery. The saint lies lifeless; death has the victory. When he is dead, is that a time to claim victory over death? When he is being lowered into the grave, is that a time to shout the victory over the grave?-Nay, verily. But it is not to be always so. There is One who exclaims, "I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell [the grave] and of death." Rev. 1:18. And when that glorious One "shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel, and with the trump of God, and with power that bursts the bars of the cruel grave and destroys the strength of death, then the saint arises triumphant over death, and "then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory." Then the saint can shout exultingly, "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? "And, "Thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord

Jesus Christ." And thrice thanks, yea, "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," 1 Peter 1:3.

However, it is not alone through the subversion of the doctrine of the resurrection that the doctrine of the immortality of the soul strikes against the coming of the Lord. The issue is directly joined. For by those who believe in the natural immortality of the soul, it is held that those who die in the Lord go straight to heaven; that they go direct to the place where the Lord is; and so they sing,- "Then persevere till death Shall bring thee to thy God; He'll take thee, at thy parting breath, To his divine abode." - Gospel Hymns, No 112.

And obituaries are actually written by them such as the following, which we read not long since in the Christian Cynosure: "Alvah Palmer went to heaven from" a certain place in New York; and then the notice went on to tell when and of what he died, etc. And Dr. Talmage, in relating how a certain saintly woman was "emparadised," tells how the chariot of Elijah was outdone; for there it must have taken some little time to turn out the chariot and hitch up the horses; but here, in this instance, the transition was all made instantaneously, without waiting for either horses or chariot! And all this when a person died! These are only notable

expressions of the common idea of those who believe in the doctrine of the natural immortality of the soul. 

Now, if these things be true,-if it be true that death brings people to God; that men and women go direct to heaven from their homes in this world, and this so instantaneously that there is no time to get ready the chariot of God, as was done when Elijah went without dying at all,-we say if these things be true, then there is literally no place left for the coming of the Lord. It would be simply the height of absurdity to talk about the Lord's coming to this world after people who are not here at all, but are, and have been, for years and hundreds of years, in heaven,-in the very place which he leaves to come here! This is why the doctrine of the coming of the Lord is so neglected, so despised, in fact. Believing this, and there is no need to believe in the coming of the Lord; indeed, it is a palpable inconsistency to believe in it. Believing this, and there is no need to look, or wait, for the coming of the Lord; all there is for such to do is to wait till death shall come and take them; and so death-"the last enemy," "the king of terrors"-is given the place and the office of Him who is our life (Col. 3:4), of Him "that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood."

But this belief is not the "belief of the truth." There is no element of truth, in any form, in the idea of people going to God or to heaven when they die. Christ himself said as plainly as tongue can speak, "Whither I go, ye cannot come." John 13:33. Then when his disciples were troubled because of these words, he told them, in words equally plain, of the event upon which they must place their only hope of being with him where he is, and that event is, "I will come again, and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there ye may be also." John 14:3. And

that word "that" shows positively that that is the only way in which men may ever be with him where he is. Therefore the coming of the Lord is the Christian's hope. And the doctrine of the immortality of the soul, in supplanting, as it certainly does, the doctrine of the coming of the Lord, supplants the Christian's hope. Then when the doctrine of the immortality of the soul sends men to heaven before the end of the world, before the sounding of the last trump, before the time when the Lord himself shall descend from heaven and raise the dead, before he appears in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory, and sends his angels to gather together his elect-we say when the doctrine of the immortality of the soul puts men into heaven before the occurrence of these events, it does it in defiance of the word of Christ, which liveth and abideth forever. Therefore we say it stands proved that the belief of the doctrine of the immortality of the soul is subversive of the doctrine of the second coming of Christ, and, in that, is subversive of the truth of God.

(End excerpt)

Not On Things On Earth

We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. So then death worketh in us, but life in you. 

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

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

For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;  while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.   2Co 4:8-18 

Col 3:2  Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

Luk_12:34  For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Treasures of Earth, Treasures of Heaven.

When I was a child the anticipation of Christmas was palpable. Everything changed right after Thanksgiving. Decorations came out of the closets that had been stored away for ten and a half months and things just seemed a bit more exciting than they had even the day before.

Christmas was coming! To me Christmas meant the Sears Wish Book Catalog. Does that sound sad? It probably does, it should.

Yes, I grew up learning all the standard Christmas songs which included 'Away In the Manger', 'Silent Night', 'O Come All Ye Faithful', 'Little Drummer Boy.'  These songs told the tale of a baby, a very special baby who was born on Christmas Day. However, I also grew up with songs such as 'Santa Claus Is Coming to Town', 'Jingle Bells', 'Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,' and so on and so forth. Being a child, and I think perhaps a typical child, I focused on the Santa Claus is coming to town bit and the idea of getting presents, lots of presents even if lots meant five or six, that was a lot, plus there was that stocking stuffed with candy and toys as well. We anticipated that toy catalog and we were allowed to pick out anything and everything we wanted knowing all the while we weren't likely to get most of the things, but even if we would get just one thing we were happy.

Christmas and getting gifts, Christmas and all the fancy eating! The cookies, the candy, the pies, coffee cakes, yes, this was what made Christmas special to me.  Christmas and visiting relatives for more candy, food, and favorite sodas. My lack of focus on the birth of Christ wasn't my parents fault, they took us to church, they told us the importance of gift giving, not just receiving, but my personal penchant towards selfishness kept me more self-absorbed than self-less. My treasures were not in heaven, they were wrapped in pretty paper and tied with fancy bows under the Christmas tree.

Gift getting, treasure accumulation this was all a part of my life and my happiness. I'm not proud of it at all, but it's the truth.  Putting my treasures in heaven didn't come easy and truthfully it is something I think about even to this day.

I sit here in my living room surrounded by my Christmas treasures- mostly lots of snowmen that I've collected throughout the years, but many other things as well and I know I'd be very sad to lose any of it. I have two china cabinets and only one holds china, the other is my curio cabinet with more treasures I possess. Again, treasures I wouldn't want to lose. I like to think if I lost all my earthly treasures I'd be fine, and maybe I would be, I hope I would be, by the grace of God I would be.

I'm blessed beyond measure in the earthly treasure department, but I have to wonder how my heavenly treasure storehouse fares. Treasures such as wisdom and understanding- they are heavenly treasures that are distributed to us to use on earth.

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

Col 2:3  In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 

All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hid in the mystery of God, the Father and Christ.

Treasures of wisdom and knowledge.  Today I would circle these treasures were they offered in a catalog, but not as a child and not as an adult for many years. Treasures of the heavenly, treasure greater than precious gems.

Pro 16:16  How much better is it to get wisdom than gold! and to get understanding rather to be chosen than silver! 

Imagine… wisdom better than gold! Understanding better than silver!

It truly makes sense when we are told this…

Mat 6:19  Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 

Mat 6:20  But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 

Mat 6:21  For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. 

The only treasures that cannot be taken from us, or destroyed in some manner are heavenly treasures! Think about it for a moment. All our earthly treasures are subject to being stolen. All our earthly treasures can be destroyed, few treasures survive a fire as most people who live through house fires will tell you.  If we make people our treasures they too can be taken from us, but our faith in our heavenly Father allows us to comprehend that one day we may see our loved ones again - the great resurrection day when Christ returns for us and the dead in Christ are raised to meet Him in the air- we too will raise to meet the Lord in the air in that day and we will see all those we loved who died in the love of Christ. Losing the treasure of loved ones is a temporary loss because we place their safe keeping with our Heavenly Father.  They become a treasure  kept safe in the heavenly promise of a future resurrection.

Listen to these words of admonition-

Jas 5:1  Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. 

Jas 5:2  Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten. 

Jas 5:3  Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days. 

Obviously earthly treasures are not to be desired, though because we live in a Satan ruled world filled with his evil we are inclined towards earthly treasures. We are inclined to believe we are successful when we have earthly treasures, the more the better. We are inclined to believe we are successful when we can give others earthly treasures. We are inclined to label ourselves and others a success when we can enjoy the supposed good things life has to offer. Our bent is towards earthly treasures and it starts at a very young age.

More on all of this tomorrow by the grace of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!

May we learn more of the heavenly treasure especially at a time we are inclined to want to receive and even give earthly treasures.

Jesus, Our Ladder

Gen 28:17  And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven. 

Jacob was in fear, in complete awe, overwhelmed with the reality of the majesty of the place where He was.  The House of God- the Gate of Heaven. His spiritual eyes were opened, he was allowed to see beyond the temporal realm, the tangible existence. The vision given to him left him in complete and utter astonishment, shock flowed through him, he'd been gifted with insight into Heaven and the house of God.

A ladder.

Jacob dreamed but it wasn't an ordinary dream at all. This dream was based in reality.

Gen 28:12  And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. 

Gen 28:13  And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; 

Gen 28:14  And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. 

Gen 28:15  And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of. 

Gen 28:16  And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not. 

From heaven the LORD called to Jacob and renewed the same promise He gave to Abraham and Isaac. The LORD told Jacob He was with him.

The LORD was in this place Jacob said, and he didn't even know it.

How often is the LORD with us and we aren't fully comprehending of that fact? Can we push the LORD away from us? Yes. Can we park GOD at the door to our personal dens of iniquity carefully setting Him aside and hiding Him behind a closed and locked, often times barred door? Yes. On the other hand, we can cry out in the depths of despair at our own sinfulness and the LORD will answer. The supernatural super hero able to break through any and all things that would try and stand between Him and a truly repentant sinner.

Jacob was a supplanter, a deceiver… He obeyed the voice of his mother who instructed him to take the blessing of a dying Isaac who favored the oldest son over the younger. Jacob could have said no to his mother's scheming plan to steal away Esau's blessing. He didn't say no, he didn't gently remind his mother that deception was not a good thing, stealing was not a good thing, that they needed to repent of her plan. The wheels were in motion and Jacob did all that his mother instructed in order to fool the semi-senile, surely all but completely blind, Isaac. The truth that Isaac hadn't aged gracefully- keeping his senses clear to the end of his life- but was caught up in the intense deterioration that can occur in extreme old age was a fact. That he could be fooled by fur placed on arms and the scent of clothes was understandable. Jacob had to be all but trembling in fear of being caught as he wore the furry arm bands and brought the stew to his father. Yes, Jacob was caught up in deception to obtain something that didn't belong to him.

After completing the deception he was told to leave, his brother's anger against him was so great that the fear of his being murdered was very real. Told to leave the only home he'd ever known, thrust out on the heels of his deception, Jacob was being sent off to a new life one without his mother as his defender, or his father, or most gratefully at this point, his brother.

On his way to his uncle's, Jacob fell asleep that first night with stones for pillows and he dreamed the dream already discussed.

Running away after stealing what belonged to his brother, Jacob was given a dream and the blessing of Isaac was shown to be very real, even placed upon a deceiver.

The LORD was with Jacob. Jacob witnessed the truth of a ladder, a way from one realm to another. Jacob saw the way made for heaven and earth to unite and what a blessing it was for him to know that God allowed that way to be made for mankind.  The occupants of heaven- angels- would descend and ascend on that ladder, going to the aid of those in need where God sent them.

Jesus is that way, Jesus is the ladder, without Him and the sacrifice He was going to make, there wouldn't have existed a ladder in a dream for Jacob. Heaven and earth are united through the Savior. This is truth. There is but ONE ladder and that is Christ.

Joh 1:51  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. 

Let us see heaven open and know that Jesus has made the way possible for us to receive the heavenly blessing, the hope that in all He will be with us. The angels of God will help us in our need, sustaining us in Christ through all things. There is hope. Heaven is our hope, heaven is what our Lord took on flesh and dwelt among us, suffering and dying so we could have that hope of being united with Him in all His glory! Our treasures surely are in heaven, let us keep them there, let us know they await us - salvation through the LORD JESUS CHRIST NOW AND FOREVER!!!!!!! 

Amen.