DON’T Overemphasize Demons and DON’T Worship Angels
Some ministers & Christians speak as if there’s a demon behind every bush. The problem with this is that they’re putting so much emphasis on a defeated foe that it becomes a veritable testimony to the devil & his filthy spirits. In essence, they’re praising the kingdom of darkness (!). But notice what the Bible says about our enemy:
And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he [Christ] made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.
Colossians 2:15
The Mighty Christ disarmed the kingdom of darkness, by making “a public spectacle” of these fallen angels through his death and resurrection. The phrase “a public spectacle” is likely figurative, but it literally refers to a victory parade where a conquering army would parade their defeated enemies through the streets to the cheers & jeers of the exuberant crowds. God’s Word is telling us that this is essentially what happened to the devil & his loser minions through the Messiah’s death & resurrection. Notice how another translation puts it:
He stripped the rulers and authorities [of their power] and made a public spectacle of them as he celebrated his victory in Christ.
Colossians 2:15 (God’s Word)
Get ahold of the fact that Satan & his wicked spirits are stripped of their authority and power when it comes to spiritually-regenerated believers. If you’re a reborn follower of Christ this means YOU. We should only speak of the kingdom of darkness in terms of their defeat. We must not speak as if we’re testifying to the great things the enemy is doing, but rather proclaim them to be defeated foes because that’s what the Word of God says they are! Since Christ already won the victory we must not fight as if we’re fighting the battle over again; instead, we simply enforce the victory.
As far as there being “a demon behind every bush,” keep in mind that the devil was only able to mislead about one-third of the angels (Revelation 12:3-4). Yes, the Bible describes Satan as the “god of this world” and so his minions are causing havoc on the Earth (2 Corinthians 4:4), BUT they’re stripped of their authority and power when it comes to believers who are born-again of the seed of Christ. ‘Seed’ is “sperm” in the Greek and therefore believers are born of the sperm of Christ, spiritually speaking (1 John 3:9)! As such, we’re co-heirs with Christ through spiritual rebirth (Romans 8:17)!
It’s imperative that you get a hold of this if you want to walk in victory. We are “more than conquerors” through the Mighty Conqueror (Romans 8:37)! Jesus already did the hard part—defeating the enemy—all we have to do is “fight the good fight of faith” by conducting spiritual warfare and standing in faith (1 Timothy 6:12). “Spiritual warfare,” by the way, simply means overcoming demonic attacks via the spiritual tools that God has provided us. You’ve been given authority and power to overcome all the power of the enemy (Luke 10:19). ‘Authority’ means the right to rule whereas ‘power’ means the ability to rule. You have both over the kingdom of darkness. Speak like it; act like it!
The New Testament declares that “greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4). The Holy Spirit (God) who is in you is greater than the defeated one who’s in the world; that is, the devil & his filthy spirits. Make this your confession and testimony. Say: “Greater is God, who’s in me through the Holy Spirit, than the devil & his wicked minions who are in the world!” Remember, words have the power of life and death (Proverbs 18:21). Speak life, not death!
We Have ’em Outnumbered!
There will always be believers foolishly misled by “deceitful spirits and the teachings of demons” (1 Timothy 4:1). This is unfortunately true, but it doesn’t have to be YOU. That’s why grasping what the Bible says about angels is so important; and that’s why this site features so many articles on angels, whether in league with the Lord or in rebellion against the kingdom of light. The body of Christ worldwide needs to grasp the angels of God in our midst. There are also evil spirits and there is a devil, but we have ’em out-powered and out-numbered! Remember, Lucifer only misled a fraction of the angels to join in his asinine insurgence.
Consider the example of Elisha & his assistant when the king of Aram sent an army with horses & chariots to capture the prophet in Dothan. The king’s forces surrounded the city at night and look what happened the next morning:
When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. “Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?” the servant asked.
16 “Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”
17 And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
2 Kings 6:15-17
The servant’s eyes were opened to see in the spiritual realm and he thus saw the hills full of angelic horses and chariots of fire. With these invisible angelic legions on their side, Elisha & his servant had the imposing Arameans outnumbered!
Twelve Legions of Angels
Or consider Jesus’ words to Peter in the Garden of Gethsemane where he was threatened with arrest after Judas’ betrayal. Peter tried to defend the Lord with his sword, but Jesus stopped him saying, “Are you not aware that I can call on My Father, and He will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?” (Matthew 26:53).
Jesus had to submit to this unjust arrest because it was God’s will and it corresponded to prophecy, but he said it was within his authority to pray for the assistance of twelve legions of angels, if necessary. A Roman legion at the time of Christ amounted to 5,120 soldiers; so twelve legions of angels would be about 61,500 angels. Just keep in mind that Jesus said “more than” twelve legions of angels.
“Those who are with us are more than those who are with them”
Remember Elisha’s assuring words to his servant: “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” This is a fact; get ahold of it!
On top of this, the Bible emphatically declares—as noted above—that “the one who is in you [the Holy Spirit] is greater than the one who is in the world [the devil and his loser followers]” (1 John 4:4). Let’s get excited about the good spirits of God, including the Holy Spirit who’s in us, and not be so concerned about the defeated filthy spirits.
The bottom line is this: There are angels working for us and they outnumber the demons working against us, but let’s not get out of balance by overemphasizing either or, worse, allow ourselves to be seduced into the “worship of angels” (Colossians 2:18).
Cults Tend to Start With Some Kind of Angelic Visitation
If you’ve ever studied cults or false religions you know that many of them started with an angelic visitation. A good example is Mormonism with the angel Moroni, who started visiting Joseph Smith in the early 1800s. While this “Moroni” was an angel, he was obviously a fallen angel.
Another good example is Islam, which originated when Muhammad was visited by an angel masquerading as Gabriel in a cave near Mecca. Again, this was a fallen angel.
Needless to say, let’s keep our eyes on the LORD, the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2) and not get sidetracked by an unhealthy overemphasis on angels, fallen or otherwise. Amen?
Be Aware of Angels and Partake of their Services, but DON’T Worship Them
Because angels are supernatural beings they’re fascinating creatures and we should appreciate them and take advantage of their services, but we must not entertain any temptation to worship them. ‘Worship’ is proskuneó (pros-koo-NAY-oh) in the Greek, which literally means “to acknowledge and adore by kissing the ground in prostration.” The apostle John was tempted to do this twice with an angel while he was receiving the revelation of Jesus Christ imprisoned on the Island of Patmos. Notice what this angel says to John on these occasions:
So I fell at his feet to worship to him. But he told me, “Do not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who rely on the testimony of Jesus. Worship God!”
Revelation 19:10
But he said to me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your fellow prophets and with all who keep the words of this scroll. Worship God!”
Revelation 22:9
It’s important to understand this because the Bible warns us that the worship of angels stems from an “unspiritual mind” and it is a key element of those who try to mislead believers (Colossians 2:18). Cults thus put undue emphasis on either heavenly angels or fallen spirits. Do not be misled by these false teachers. Let your worship be reserved for God alone, as this particular angel instructed John.
These verses, by the way, explain why angels so seldom make themselves visible to people and, when they do, they often masquerade as humans (Hebrews 13:2). This also might explain the rather generic descriptions of angels in the Bible, at least “common angels” anyway. It’s just too tempting for us in our current state to be so awed by celestial beings that we naturally respond with worship, as John does above. If this great apostle was inclined to worship an angel who appeared to him, how much more so believers of lower stature?
The angel’s responses show that these spiritual beings are adamant about our attention being focused on the Lord, their ‘employer,’ not them. They prefer to stay in the background and let the Mighty Christ have the throne. As created beings, they know their rightful place and their purpose: To worship and serve the Creator, not be worshipped themselves.
Lastly, notice how this heavenly angel described himself in each of his responses to John: He said “I am a fellow servant with you”. We must get ahold of this fact: Angels are “ministering spirits”—serving spirits—sent by God (their ‘Boss’) to serve people (Hebrews 1:14). People, by contrast, do not serve angels; they serve us. In fact, we are mandated to judge angels one day, which is addressed in this article (just scroll down to the section How Exactly Will We “Judge Angels”?).
Focus on the Victor, the LORD, Not the Loser
The reason this article is important is because I don’t want anyone to take the several articles on angels on this site, whether godly angels or fallen angels, and get off balance, particularly the info on spiritual warfare. Let me give an example of what I mean: A pastor got in the habit of opening his services with the statement “Satan, I bind you in the name of Jesus.” The problem with this is that the very first words out of his mouth were directed toward the ultimate loser. Why not rather open the services praising God? Like: “Praise the LORD!! God is good, amen?” To which the believers would respond with a hearty “Amen!!” Doing this would send the enemy fleeing in terror more so than a verbal “Satan, I bind you.”
Consider a pitch black room: How do you remove the darkness? Do you enter the room and rebuke the darkness? No, you simply turn on the lights. It’s the same principle in the spirit. Instead of ranting & raving against the devil and his defeated minions “turn on the lights” by praising the Victor, the LORD. Praise ushers in God’s manifest presence and, when the LORD arrives on the scene, the enemy flees. This can be observed in this psalm:
1 I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart;
I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.
2 I will be glad and rejoice in you;
I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High.
3 My enemies turn back;
they stumble and perish before you.
Psalm 9:1-3
In the first two verses David focuses on thanking & praising the Most High and thus, in the third verse, his enemies turn back, stumbling and perishing before God’s mighty presence.
For details on the importance of praise & worship as a spiritual weapon against the enemy see this article (scroll way down to the section Draw Near to God, particularly the part on Hallowed be Your Name).
This article was edited from Chapter 2 of ANGELS, which is available for a special low price here (345 pages). Or pick up the eBook version for just $2.99!
Related Topics:
ANGELS — What Are They? What’s Their Purpose?
Evil Spirits (Demons) — What Are They? What’s Their Purpose?
Satan (the Devil) — Liar, Slanderer, Thief, Murderer
Demonic Spirits — How to Deflect Them
How to Enlist the Help of Angels
Why do Unclean Spirits seek out Dry Places?
Why is this World so Messed Up?
REDEMPTION — God’s Plan of Liberation for Humanity & Creation
Don’t Provoke Angels!
The Scriptures offer evidence that angels are assigned to each person (Psalm 91:11 & Matthew 18:10) for the purpose of serving us in the sense of waiting on tables (Hebrews 1:14). How exactly does this work or not work? It must be understood that Angels respond to the voice of God’s Word:
Bless the LORD, O you his angels,
you mighty ones who do his word,
obeying the voice of his word!
Psalm 103:20 (ESV)
God’s written Word has no voice unless we speak it. When the Holy Spirit conveys a word to you in your spirit — whether you discern it as an impression, desire or inner voice — it also has no voice unless you speak it. Even if a New Testament prophet speaks a divine word over you and it’s confirmed in your spirit, that word has no ongoing voice in your life unless you agree with it and declare it. Whatever the case, when we speak the promises of God in faith we give voice to God’s Word and this releases the angels to assist in carrying out whatever miracle for which we’re believing. This is their very purpose — “to serve those who will inherit salvation,” i.e. people (Hebrews 1:14).
However, if you don’t speak according to God’s Word then your angels cannot obey the voice of the Word because you’re not giving voice to it. They are thus hindered—prevented—from fulfilling their purpose and you won’t partake of their benefit.
Failing to voice God’s Word in faith will tie-up your angels, so to speak, and prevent them from fulfilling their God-given mandate to serve you. In the vacuum, wicked spirits naturally have more liberty of movement to harass and oppress.
This is bad enough, but it would be worse to vex the angels assigned to you—that is, annoy and provoke them. How do you provoke angels? Through a stubborn spirit of unbelief and the corresponding words & actions. A good example of this can be observed when the archangel Gabriel appeared to Zechariah to inform him of his wife’s pregnancy and their forthcoming Nazarite son, John the Baptist:
Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. 13 But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. 14 He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, 15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. 16 He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
18 Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.”
19 The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. 20 And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.”
Luke 1:11-20
It’s understandable that the sudden appearance of a supernatural being “startled” Zechariah and so he was “gripped with fear.” However, after Gabriel conveyed his wonderful message Zechariah responded in unbelief, doubting that he & Elizabeth could have a baby due to their age. This offended Gabriel and so he strikes Zechariah dumb for nine months until the baby was ready to be birthed (verses 57-64). Why was Gabriel so irked? Because he was astounded by Zechariah’s unbelief in response to the supernatural appearance of a ruling angel who regularly stood in the very presence of the Almighty.
This is evidence that our negative actions—persistent unbelief or sin—can provoke angels, resulting in some type of penalty or discipline. It goes without saying that we should respond in faith to God’s Word, wherever it comes from, and not react with doubt and unbelief!
Why do you think Gabriel struck Zechariah dumb? Because “the tongue has the power of life and death” (Proverbs 18:21). If Zechariah continued to speak his unbelief it would’ve prevented the miracle of John’s birth from taking place! Thus Gabriel silenced his tongue until John was born.
Mary, by contrast, did not respond in unbelief to Gabriel’s message regarding her miraculous pregnancy and the coming Messiah:
The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”
34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. 37 For no word from God will ever fail.”
38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.
Luke 1:28-38
Mary’s question was a legitimate one and not unbelief in light of the fact that she was a virgin. After Gabriel explained how the miracle would take place she humbly responds in faith: “I am the Lord’s servant. May your word to me be fulfilled.”
She wasted no time in visiting Elizabeth where she ecstatically proclaimed: “the Mighty One has done great things for me” (verse 49). Mary spoke of her miracle in the past tense even though there was zero physical evidence of her supernatural pregnancy at this point, which shows faith.
So Zachariah vexed an angel through stubborn unbelief and thus suffered humiliating dumbness for nine months whereas Mary responded in faith and was blessed. Take heed.
Don’t Provoke The Angel of the LORD
We are responsible for the words we speak and what we believe in our hearts—our thought life—including the words we speak & believe over other people. Combined with the force of belief, our words have power, both positive and negative. Why do you think Christ said: “For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matthew 12:37)?
Speaking of Jesus Christ, we must be careful to not provoke The Angel of the LORD through unrepentant rebellion. Consider the following example where the LORD addresses the Israelites after their deliverance from bondage in Egypt on their way to the Promised Land of Canaan:
“See, I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared. 21 Pay attention to him and listen to what he says. Do not rebel against him; he will not forgive your rebellion, since my Name is in him. 22 If you listen carefully to what he says and do all that I say, I will be an enemy to your enemies and will oppose those who oppose you. 23 My angel will go ahead of you and bring you into the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites and Jebusites, and I will wipe them out.”
Exodus 23:20-23
As you can see, a mighty “angel” was assigned to the Israelites to:
- Guard the Israelites along their way (verse 20).
- Give instructions from the LORD (verses 21-22).
- Go ahead of them (verse 23).
- Lead them into the Promised Land (verses 20 & 23).
Who is this angel? The Hebrew word for “angel” is malak (mal-AWK), which simply means “a messenger, supernatural or human.” The word appears over two hundred times in the Old Testament and most often refers to supernatural messengers (Genesis 19:1) while sometimes referring to human ones (Genesis 32:3,6 & Isaiah 30:4).
Malak is used several times in reference to “The Angel of the LORD,” the pre-incarnate Christ. A good example is when The Angel of the LORD appeared to meek Gideon (Judges 6:11,14). That linking article shows that this was no ordinary angel, but rather God, the Son, and how a whole chapter of the Bible is devoted to proving that Christ is vastly superior to angels (Hebrews 1).
So what about this “angel” that went ahead of the Israelites and led them into the Promised Land? Was it a conventional angel or The Angel of the LORD, the pre-incarnate Christ? The latter. Here’s the evidence:
- The LORD said that His name—YHWH—was “in him” (verse 21). “In him” is one word in the Hebrew, qereb (KEH-reb), meaning in the “midst” or “within.” In other words, God’s name is intrinsically linked to this specific messenger and there’s only one “angel” (malak) in the Bible with this particular honor, The Angel of the LORD.
- The statement that this “angel” would “not forgive” their rebellion (verse 21) obviously meant not forgiving those who were incorrigibly rebellious. How do we know this? Because the LORD always forgives the humbly repentant (1 John 1:9, Psalm 32:5 & Proverbs 28:13). So this Angel had the capacity to forgive or not forgive sin, which is a divine quality. Conventional angels, by contrast, are mandated to serve people in the sense of waiting on their tables, so to speak; they don’t have the authority to forgive or not forgive sin.
- This “angel” is mandated to lead the Israelites into their Promised Land (verses 20 & 23) and, in the New Covenant, the Holy Spirit is the one who leads believers, not angels. Angels serve The Holy Spirit is, of course, the “Spirit of Christ” (Romans 8:9). Just as The Angel of the LORD led the Israelites into their earthly Promised Land so the Spirit of Christ leads New Covenant believers into their earthly “promised land” (I say earthly “promised land” to distinguish it from our eternal Promised Land, which is the “new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness” – 2 Peter 3:13). We’ll look at this further at the end of this article, but more so in this article (the last two sections).
- The key to victory in the forthcoming takeover of Canaan would not be the Hebrews’ military might, but rather the presence of The Angel of the LORD, who is Christ, along with the Israelites’ obedience. Just the same, believers in the New Testament do not conquer their “promised land” by their own might, but rather through the power of Christ and our compliance (Philippians 4:13). I add “and our compliance” because a covenant is an agreement or contract between two parties where each party has terms to fulfill. In our case, believers are obligated to believe (that is, walk in faith) and endure on the foundation of love—love for God and love for people as we love ourselves. This is “Faith working through love.” We’ll go over these things in this article (in the section The New Covenant is Superior to the Old Covenant).
“Do Not Rebel Against Him”
With the understanding that this “angel” is The Angel of the LORD—the pre-incarnate Christ—God instructed the Israelites to listen to what he said and not rebel against him (verse 21). The King James Version phrases this as “provoke him not” whereas the New King James Version says “do not provoke him.” The Hebrew word for “provoke” is marar (maw-RAR), which is used 13 times in the Old Testament and means to make bitter, grieve, provoke, enrage or vex.
What can we get from this? Rebellion against the Angel’s divine messages would provoke him—grieve him, vex him, enrage him. He would not forgive obstinate rebellion and hence the guilty Hebrews would have to suffer the corresponding punishment. And what is the wages of unrepentant sin? Death (Romans 6:23 & James 1:14-15).
Unfortunately, the Israelites foolishly provoked The Angel through their incorrigible rebellion and suffered accordingly.
Bear in mind that it was God’s express will for them to escape slavery in Egypt and inherit the Promised Land (Exodus 3:8,17 & 13:5). In fact, The Angel of the LORD was commissioned to fulfill this, but success hinged on the Israelites’ faithfulness (Exodus 23:20-23). Sadly, the Hebrews kept rebelling with their persistent spirit of unbelief.
A good example is when twelve spies explored the Promised Land in preparation to conquer it and ten of them came back with a negative report that contradicted God’s will. Joshua and Caleb were the only two who were faithful to the LORD’s Word (Numbers 13-14). The negative report spread and thus the Israelites said in unison: “If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this wilderness! Why is the LORD bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt?” (Numbers 14:2-3).
Notice God’s response:
“As surely as I live, declares the LORD, I will do to you the very thing I heard you say: 29 In this wilderness your bodies will fall—every one of you twenty years old or more who was counted in the census and who has grumbled against me. 30 Not one of you will enter the land I swore with uplifted hand to make your home, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.”
Numbers 14:28-30
The disobedient Israelites were punished according to their own unbelieving words. They said they would die in the desert and thus it would be so over the course of the next forty years, starting with the immediate deaths of the ten unfaithful spies via plague (verses 36-37). Thankfully, the LORD did not hold those under 20 years of age accountable. The only two older than 19 (at the time) to enter the Promised Land four decades later were Joshua and Caleb because they walked in obedience to God’s Word and did not provoke The Angel of the LORD who was leading them to Canaan.
I want to stress: It was God’s will for all of them to live and inherit the Promised Land. But they stubbornly and stupidly opposed God’s will by believing a negative report and used the power of their tongues to voice words of unbelief. So the LORD gave to them accordingly. They said “We’re going to die in the desert” and that’s exactly what happened. What you say and believe is what you get.
It’s important to drive this home: Our words have the power of life and death (Proverbs 18:21). (See this article for further insights). Make sure you speak life and not death. Make sure you speak according to God’s will and not against it because otherwise you risk hindering heavenly angels from servicing you and consequently opening the door for fallen angels to attack. Even worse, those who walk in exceptional unbelief and incorrigible rebellion risk vexing their angels and even provoking the Mighty Christ.
For anyone who finds this incredulous, please consider that…
What Happened to the Israelites Are Examples for Us
Are these Old Testament events applicable to us today? And, if so, how? Assuming you’re a New Covenant believer, notice what the New Testament says in this regard:
Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. 7 Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: “The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.” 8 We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did—and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died. 9 We should not test Christ, as some of them did—and were killed by snakes. 10 And do not grumble, as some of them did—and were killed by the destroying angel.
11 These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come.
1 Corinthians 10:6-11
As you can see, what happened to the Israelites in the Old Testament was chronicled as sobering “examples” and “warnings” for us—New Covenant believers—so that we would not foolishly walk in the same transgressions and suffer accordingly. Four sins and the corresponding occasions are named:
- Idolatry: This means worshiping something above the LORD, which doesn’t have to be a literal idol; it could be something like mammon (money). Paul got this example from Exodus 32 where the Israelites—barely out of Egypt—fell into gross idol worship.
- Sexual immorality: This includes all forms of sexual sin—fornication, adultery, homosexuality and so forth. This also refers to what took place in Exodus 32. The figure of 23,000 deaths is a combination of the 3000 killed by the Levites at Sinai for instigating the mass orgy (verse 28) and the participators who died from the subsequent plague (verse 35).
- Testing Christ: This refers to questioning the goodness and plan of the Almighty, who created us, leads us, protects us and provides for us. This example comes from Numbers 21:4-9 where the Israelites became impatient and frustrated due to Moses’ circuitous route to the Promised Land where they proceeded to speak “against God and against Moses” (verses 5 & 7). Thus the LORD sent venomous snakes against the rebels and killed them (verse 6). The only way those bitten could live was to look at a snake on a pole made by Moses at the LORD’s instructions, which foreshadowed Jesus’ death on the cross.*
* Why would Christ be pictured as a snake on the cross? Because, although Jesus didn’t sin, he was made “sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21 NASB).
Two significant things bear noting from this account: First, the attacking snakes were types of the devil & filthy spirits. How’s this apply to us? Simple: Unbelief and the corresponding disobedience hinders protective angels and looses evil spirits (“snakes”). Secondly, Paul by the Spirit says that the Israelites tested “Christ” whereas the Old Testament account in Numbers specifically says they spoke against “God” and the “LORD” (verses 4 & 7). You see, Christ is the LORD, albeit the Son, not the Father. The Israelites were speaking against The Angel of the LORD whose job was to lead them through the wilderness and into the Promised Land. Thus the Israelites “spoke against the LORD,” which “tested Christ.” Chew on that.
- Grumbling: This means complaining — murmuring and muttering in smoldering discontent — which includes complaining against God’s will, his Word and his leading, not to mention his God-anointed servant-leaders, like Moses & Aaron were to the Israelites. Paul says that those who obstinately grumbled were “killed by the destroying angel.” This refers to Numbers 16 where Korah, Dathan & Abiram and their 250 followers grumbled against the LORD and his chosen leaders (verse 11). It also includes the thousands of Israelites who grumbled the day after these rebels were slain by the LORD, which brought about the death of 14,700 more Israelites. These complaining rebels “were killed by the destroying angel”!!
Do you want to be slain by the destroying angel? Of course you don’t. So don’t grumble against the LORD, his Word, his will or his anointed servant-leaders. For anyone who would argue that this doesn’t apply to New Testament believers and our assemblies, the above passage plainly says otherwise.
This doesn’t mean, of course, that you should tolerate abuse from ministers (abuse is the misuse of power). In the case of Numbers 16 Moses & Aaron were not guilty of abuse. As a matter of fact, Moses was the humblest, godliest man on the face of the Earth at the time (see Numbers 12:3-8), which is in contrast to some modern arrogant “ministers” (‘minister,’ by the way, means “servant”). If you have legitimate evidence of abuse by spiritual leaders, pray about it and confront the person as led of the Spirit, as humbly as possible. If the person is unrepentant then get one or two witnesses for support in a follow-up confrontation. Christ Himself instructed us to do this (Matthew 18:15-17). If the “minister” remains obstinate about his/her abuse then do what the Messiah adamantly instructed: “Leave them; they are blind guides” (Matthew 15:14).
More on the Application of 1 Corinthians 10:6-11
Needless to say, 1 Corinthians 10:6-11 is a sobering passage and we need to regularly examine ourselves to see if we’re honestly in the faith and repent as necessary (2 Corinthians 13:5).
The four transgressions listed—idolatry, sexual immorality, testing God and grumbling—are common sins (1 Corinthians 10:13). All believers miss it now & then and anyone who says they don’t is a liar (1 John 1:8). But servant-leaders are supposed to be spiritually mature and therefore freed-up from the bigger sins (1 Timothy 3:1-7). After all, if they aren’t free from sin how can they help others walk free?
Regardless, all believers must learn to daily “put off the old self”—the flesh—and “put on the new self” (Ephesians 4:22-24). This is a process that requires “keeping with repentance,” meaning humbly ’fessing up when you miss it, which keeps God’s grace and forgiveness flowing in your life (1 John 1:9). Theologians refer to this process as sanctification, which means purification. It’s a purification of the mind that naturally occurs as believers grow spiritually.
The last two sins listed—testing Christ and grumbling—are applicable to the topic of angels, which is why we’re addressing this passage:
Testing Christ. Believers commit this sin when they speak against the LORD, his Word or his genuine servant-leaders. This automatically ties-up angels because angels only obey the voice of God’s Word. If believers are speaking against God’s Word, angels have nothing upon which to act. Instead, evil spirits—“snakes”—will be released to kill, steal and destroy (John 10:10). If you don’t want this happening in your life then don’t speak against God’s Word, his will or his genuine servant-leaders.
Grumbling. Amazingly, Korah and his fellow rebels grumbled against the LORD and Moses for delivering them from the bondage of Egypt (!), which they outrageously referred to as “a land flowing with milk and honey” (Numbers 16:12-13). I say “outrageously” because this was how God described the Promised Land he wanted to give the Israelites (Exodus 3:8). They also complained about being taken from Egypt to be killed in the desert. After Korah & his rebels were judged and wiped off the face of the Earth, thousands of Israelites complained about it and thus 14,700 were killed by “the destroying angel” via a plague that came out from the LORD (Numbers 16:46). The Bible applies this Old Testament account to New Testament believers. Needless to say, if you don’t want to be “killed by the destroying angel” then don’t be a grumbler.
But this leaves us with a question…
Who Is “the Destroying Angel”?
Believe it or not, the “destroying angel” refers to the LORD, the Son—The Angel of the LORD. If you find this incredulous, allow the Scriptures to prove it to you beyond any shadow of doubt.
Let’s start by revisiting the verse in question:
And do not grumble, as some of them did—and were killed by the destroying angel.
1 Corinthians 10:10
As detailed above, Paul is referring to the events of Numbers 16. On this occasion three sets of rebels were killed:
- Korah, Dathan & Abiram, their families and Korah’s men: They were killed when the Earth opened up beneath them and swallowed them alive (Numbers 16:25-34). Moses specified that it was “the LORD” who did this (verse 30).
- The 250 community leaders who supported Korah’s rebellion and offered incense: They were killed when “fire came out from the LORD and consumed them” (Numbers 16:35).
- The 14,700 Israelites who complained against Moses and Aaron because the LORD slew the rebels en masse. They were killed when wrath came out from “the LORD” in the form of a plague (Numbers 16:41-50). Many more would’ve died if atonement hadn’t been made through Moses and Aaron.
According to the account itself, who killed the grumbling rebels? The LORD Himself through 1. the Earth opening up, 2. fire and 3. plague. There is no mention of a conventional angel in Numbers 16 carrying out these just executions. Thus when Paul says they were “killed by the destroying angel” in 1 Corinthians 10:10 he was referring to the LORD.
I should point out that the Greek word for ‘angel’ does not actually appear in 1 Corinthians 10:10, which is why some versions read like so:
Nor grumble, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer.
1 Corinthians 10:10 (NASB)
The King James Version also translates it this way.
“The destroying angel” (in the NIV) or “the destroyer” (in the NASB and KJV) is just one word in the Greek, olothreutés (ol-oth-ryoo-TACE), which only appears this single time in Scripture. The word stems from the noun olethros (OL-eth-ros), which means “ruin, doom, destruction, death.” Olethros can refer to physical death, but Paul also used it in reference to human damnation:
…This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. 8 He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will be punished with everlasting destruction (olethros) and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might
2 Thessalonians 1:7-9
This refers to the fate of unredeemed people who refuse Christ as LORD. Since they reject the Redeemer and His gracious gift of eternal life they must justly suffer the wages of sin, which is death (Romans 6:23). This passage describes their fate as “everlasting destruction,” meaning destruction that lasts forever with no hope of resurrection. John described it as “the second death,” the result of being discarded in the lake of fire, which is God’s garbage dump (Revelation 20:11-15).
Notice that the above passage—2 Thessalonians 1:7-9—clearly shows “the Lord Jesus” as the one who issues out this destruction. Father God doesn’t do it because he “lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see” (1 Timothy 6:16). The heavenly Father speaks to people through the Son. He creates through the Son. In fact everything seen and unseen has been made by the Son (Hebrews 1:2 & Colossians 1:16). This explains why Christ has the authority to destroy, if necessary. Why? Because He’s the One who created in the first place. If you legally build a structure on your property the only one who has the authority to destroy it is you. It’s the same principle here. We’ll talk about this more in a moment.
With all this in mind, let’s return to 1 Corinthians 10:10. Paul said that the grumbling rebels put to death in Numbers 16 were killed by “the destroying angel” or “the destroyer.” Who is this destroyer? It’s the LORD Himself, the Son. We know this because, as noted above, the account three times attributes the just executions of the rebels to the LORD. No other being is mentioned as their destroyer, except the LORD, who performed the executions through 1. the Earth opening up, 2. fire and 3. plague.
Believers Are “Saved” From the LORD’s Wrath
Christians are said to be “saved,” but saved from what? Many believers don’t realize this but we are actually saved from God’s wrath. In other words, we are saved from God Himself. This is plainly observed in John’s solemn declaration: “Whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them” (John 3:36). Here’s further evidence:
But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed.
Romans 2:5
Since we have now been justified by his [Jesus’] blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him?
Romans 5:9
Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.
1 Thessalonians 1:10
For God did not appoint us to suffer [his] wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Thessalonians 5:9
As you can see, Christians are saved from God’s wrath which, according to Romans 2:5 above, will be executed on the Day of Judgment, referred to as “the day of God’s wrath.” *
* Many people will experience God’s wrath poured out on this Earth during the coming Tribulation, but the vast majority of unsaved humanity will not experience his wrath until their Judgment Day (Revelation 20:11-15).
Yet, what exactly is God’s wrath? In the Old Testament anyone who incurred God’s wrath was to suffer destruction at his hands (see, for example, Psalm 106:23 and Ezekiel 20:13). In the same way, when God’s wrath is poured out on Judgment Day, whoever’s name is not found written in the book of life will suffer destruction at his hands.
This explains why Hebrews 10:31 says “It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” The context of this text is human damnation, as verified by verses 26-27:
If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, 27 but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.
Hebrews 10:26-27
This is reminiscent of the way the 250 followers of Korah were justly executed by the LORD, i.e. the Son:
And fire came out from the LORD and consumed the 250 men who were offering the incense.
Numbers 16:35
So, when Hebrews 10:31 says “It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God,” who’s “hands” is it talking about? Not the Father, but the Son.
Now let’s revisit three of the verses cited above:
Since we have now been justified by his [Jesus’] blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him?
Romans 5:9
Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.
1 Thessalonians 1:10
For God did not appoint us to suffer [his] wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Thessalonians 5:9
Observe how these verses specify that it’s the Lord Jesus Christ who saves us from Father God’s wrath. With this in mind, consider this passage:
There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy.
James 4:12
You see, the LORD is either going to save people or destroy them based on how they respond to his gracious offer of forgiveness and eternal life (Acts 20:21). In light of this, ponder something Jesus said:
“Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”
Matthew 10:28
The Greek word for ‘hell’ here is Gehenna (GHEH-en-nah), which literally referred to the Valley of Hinnom (HIN-om), a constantly smoking trash dump outside the SW walls of Jerusalem where garbage was eradicated. Jesus was simply using Gehenna as a figure for the lake of fire. Note what he says will happen to unrepentant rebels cast into the lake of fire: “the One” will destroy both soul and body. Who is “the One” who will destroy them? The LORD, of course, but more specifically the Son. In other words, Jesus was warning his listeners of what he himself would do to the willingly irredeemable on Judgment Day.
“Kiss the Son, Lest… You Perish in the Way”
What we’re talking about is clearly observed in this Old Testament passage:
10 Therefore, you kings, be wise;
be warned, you rulers of the earth.
11 Serve the LORD with fear,
And rejoice with trembling.
12 Kiss the Son, lest He be angry,
And you perish in the way,
When His wrath is kindled but a little.
Blessed are all those
who put their trust in Him.
Psalm 2:10-12 (NIV/NASB*)
* Verse 10 is from the NIV whereas verses 11-12 are from the NASB.
The passage is speaking to “kings” or “rulers of the earth”—encouraging them to “serve the LORD with fear.” This is referring to Yahweh but, more specifically, the Son.
World leaders—and all people by extension—are instructed to “kiss the Son,” which simply means to honor him, i.e. worship him. This includes putting your trust in Him. The first part of verse 12 says that those who refuse to do so risk angering the Son and thus they will “perish in the way.”
You see, Christ is our Creator—the “Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and to destroy” (James 4:12)—and he will save or destroy based on our response to His graciousness. In our case, this means his gracious offer of eternal life that is received through repentance and faith (Acts 20:21). Only the stupidest of fools would reject such an awesome free gift and continue on the path of certain death.
There’s nothing morally or judicially wrong with the fact that the Lord is going to irreversibly destroy sinful people who reject his gift of eternal life. How so? Because the Bible repeatedly makes it clear that the wages of sin is death and, furthermore, our Creator—Christ—has made sure that every human heart instinctively realizes this (Romans 1:32). Thus, people who reject redemption through Christ in favor of living a sinful lifestyle are indeed choosing the wages of their actions, death (whether choosing it consciously or subconsciously). And Yeshua will unenthusiastically accommodate them because he respects their freewill. The LORD alone is the ultimate authority and giver of life and therefore he has the authority and right to take life away—if he must.
Justice, after all, demands the execution of the penalty of the law. In this case the penalty of the law is death—eternal death—death with no hope of resurrection. As noted earlier, Paul referred to this sentence as “everlasting destruction” in 2 Thessalonians 1:9. Its execution is necessary in order that God may be just. A government that never calls offenders of the law to account is contemptible and wicked. The biblical doctrine of eternal punishment is our assurance that God is essentially and unchangingly holy and just. (Please note that I said “eternal punishment” and not “eternal punishing”).
See this article for scriptural details on human damnation.
Examples of The Angel of the LORD Destroying
With the understanding that 1. Christ is The Angel of the LORD and 2. that he has the authority to justly destroy anything he creates, if necessary, let’s examine a couple examples of this from the Old Testament.
This first example concerns the LORD destroying the firstborn males of Egypt in order to provoke Pharaoh to let the Israelites go free; Moses is speaking to the elders of Israel:
“When the LORD goes through the land to strike down the Egyptians, he will see the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe and will pass over that doorway, and he will not permit the destroyer to enter your houses and strike you down.”
24 “Obey these instructions as a lasting ordinance for you and your descendants. 25 When you enter the land that the LORD will give you as he promised, observe this ceremony. 26 And when your children ask you, ‘What does this ceremony mean to you?’ 27 then tell them, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice to the LORD, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when he struck down the Egyptians.’ ”
Exodus 12:23-27
Observe that it’s the LORD Himself who was going to pass through Egypt; and the final verse specifies that it is the LORD who would strike down the Egyptians, i.e. slay all the firstborn males. But verse 23 specifies further that it is “the destroyer” who would actually smite them. While I suppose this “destroyer” could be an archangel, like Michael (the chief angel who enforces law and judgment, as covered in this article), it’s more likely the pre-incarnate Christ—The Angel of the LORD—in light of the specificity of verse 27.
A passage in the Psalms sheds additional light:
42 They [the Israelites] did not remember his
[God’s] power—
the day he redeemed them from the oppressor,
43 the day he displayed his signs in Egypt,
his wonders in the region of Zoan.
44 He turned their river into blood;
they could not drink from their streams.
45 He sent swarms of flies that devoured them,
and frogs that devastated them.
46 He gave their crops to the grasshopper,
their produce to the locust.
47 He destroyed their vines with hail
and their sycamore-figs with sleet.
48 He gave over their cattle to the hail,
their livestock to bolts of lightning.
49 He unleashed against them his hot anger,
his wrath, indignation and hostility—
a band of destroying angels.
50 He prepared a path for his anger;
he did not spare them from death
but gave them over to the plague.
51 He struck down all the firstborn of Egypt,
the firstfruits of manhood in the tents of Ham.
52 But he brought his people out like a flock;
he led them like sheep through the wilderness.
Psalm 78:42-52
This is a brief, poetic account of the ten plagues of Egypt, which occurred after the pharaoh refused to let the Israelites go. As you can see, it was the LORD Himself—the pre-incarnate Christ—who executed the ten plagues, but verse 49 shows that he had the assistance of “a band of destroying angels” to carry out at least some of these judgments; the text doesn’t specify which ones.
As far as the execution of the firstborn is concerned, however, Exodus 12:23 above doesn’t say that the LORD used angels (plural) to accomplish this, just that he would release “the destroyer” (singular) to do so. Since Exodus 12:27 cites the LORD as the One who struck down the firstborn we may conclude that the pre-incarnate Christ—The Angel of the LORD—is this “destroyer.”
Offering support is this passage, which concerns God’s judgment on Israel after David arrogantly took a census of his fighting men:
Before David got up the next morning, the word of the LORD had come to Gad the prophet, David’s seer: 12 “Go and tell David, ‘This is what the LORD says: I am giving you three options. Choose one of them for me to carry out against you.’ ”
13 So Gad went to David and said to him, “Shall there come on you three years of famine in your land? Or three months of fleeing from your enemies while they pursue you? Or three days of plague in your land? Now then, think it over and decide how I should answer the one who sent me.”
14 David said to Gad, “I am in deep distress. Let us fall into the hands of the LORD, for his mercy is great; but do not let me fall into human hands.”
15 So the LORD sent a plague on Israel from that morning until the end of the time designated, and seventy thousand of the people from Dan to Beersheba died. 16 When the angel stretched out his hand to destroy Jerusalem, the LORD relented concerning the disaster and said to the angel who was afflicting the people, “Enough! Withdraw your hand.” The angel of the Lord was then at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.
2 Samuel 24:11-16
God offered King David three options as punishment for his sin: 1. three years of famine in Israel, 2. three months of Israel being defeated by their enemies or 3. three days of plague. David chose the last one, likely because it involved the shortest length of judgment, but also because suffering plague would be a case of falling “into the hands of the LORD” and David was familiar with God’s great mercy, which was preferable to falling “into human hands” (verse 14). Note that David attributes the ensuing plague to the LORD Himself.
The next verse specifies that it is “the LORD”—Yahweh—who sends the plague on Israel, which kills 70,000 Hebrews. Verse 16 then shows the LORD preventing The Angel of the LORD from destroying Jerusalem by commanding him: “Enough! Withdraw your hand.” As noted earlier, the Angel of the LORD is the pre-incarnate Christ.
If this is so, how do we explain that the LORD talks to The Angel of the LORD as a separate person? Simple, it’s evidence of what theologians call “the Trinity”: Father God instructed the Son to withhold his hand from destroying the capital city and the Son complied. This is in harmony with what Jesus testified—He only does what the Father commands (John 8:29 & 15:10).
This isn’t something peculiar to 2 Samuel 24:16 as we observe the same thing in other passages, like this one:
That night the angel of the Lord went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up the next morning—there were all the dead bodies!
2 Kings 19:35
And this one:
Then the angel of the LORD said, “LORD Almighty, how long will you withhold mercy from Jerusalem and from the towns of Judah, which you have been angry with these seventy years?” 13 So the LORD spoke kind and comforting words to the angel who talked with me.
Zechariah 1:12-13
This passage shows that both “the angel of the LORD” and Father God were present at the same time. Since we know Christ is The Angel of the LORD this text is simply depicting two persons of the Trinity talking to each other. This explains, by the way, why God refers to Himself in the plural in the creation account:
Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness…”
Genesis 1:26
And the Lord God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.”
Genesis 3:22
This plurality doesn’t indicate the false notion of polytheism, however, because the Bible emphasizes that God is one (Deuteronomy 6:4 & Isaiah 45:5,6,18). Rather, it’s an indication of one God in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19 & 2 Corinthians 13:14).
In any case, The Angel of the LORD who was about to “destroy Jerusalem,” as detailed in 2 Samuel 24:16, is the same Angel the Israelites were warned not to provoke in Exodus 23:21—the mighty pre-incarnate Christ.
Is it possible, or even likely, that Christ utilized the services of “destroying angels” to carry out the just destruction in question? Yes. But this does not make him any less “the destroyer” as the angels who assisted him wouldn’t destroy anything without his authorization. Speaking of which…
The LORD Utilized the Help of Destroying Angels
Let’s go back to Psalm 78:
He [God] unleashed against them his hot anger,
his wrath, indignation and hostility—
a band of destroying angels.
Psalm 78:49
What we see here is the LORD utilizing the services of angels to carry out his wrath on those judged; in this case, the destruction of Egypt through the various plagues. Examples of this can be observed in both the Old and New Testaments. Let’s look at an example from each…
Just before the obliteration of Sodom & Gomorrah three “men” appeared to Abraham with one turning out to be the LORD, the pre-incarnate Christ (Genesis 18:1-3,10). The LORD informed Abraham of his intentions of destroying these wicked cities because “the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous” (verse 20).
The two “men” who accompanied the LORD then left for Sodom while Abraham spoke to the LORD on behalf of the two cities (verses 22-33). Christ agreed to not destroy Sodom & Gomorrah if ten righteous people could be found there; unfortunately, this wasn’t the case and the cities were doomed.
The two men who went to Sodom were angels masquerading as men (Hebrews 13:2). They went to the city to get Lot and his family out of the city before its destruction. We observe the wickedness of Sodom when men from every part of the city surrounded Lot’s house in order to have perverted “sex” with Lot’s two guests (Genesis 19:4-5). These angelic visitors were likely exceptional looking and word spread around town, stirring up degenerate lust in the male populace.
This was certain proof for God’s angelic spies that the cities were wicked enough to incur judgment so they instructed Lot to get his family members and flee the city. They said:
“…we are going to destroy this place. The outcry to the LORD against its people is so great that he has sent us to destroy it.”
Genesis 19:13
While verse 29 says that “God destroyed the cities on the plain” he obviously enlisted two destroying angels to carry out the judgment.
Interestingly, when Lot hesitated escaping the area, the angels “grasped his hand and the hands of his wife and of his two daughters and led them safely out of the city, for the Lord was merciful to them” (verse 16). I point this out to show that these angels carried out their God-given mandate—to serve those who are to inherit salvation (Hebrews 1:14).
In the New Testament there’s the example of Herod Agrippa, who unjustly arrested many Christians and even had James the son of Zebedee executed (Acts 12:1-5). God is merciful and therefore showed Herod much patience even though he was severely persecuting His church. But when Herod imprisoned Peter and put James to death his days were numbered and he was dangerously nearing the limit of God’s tolerance (1 Thessalonians 2:15-16).
Unfortunately, Herod chose to repeatedly spurn God’s awesome grace and so the Lord withdrew his mercy and decisively executed stern judgment at a political speech where Herod accepted praise due only to the Almighty and thus “an angel of the Lord struck him down” (Acts 12:21-23). What happened? Herod’s pomp and unjust acts reached the limit of God’s tolerance and thus judgment fell. The LORD utilized the services of an angel to carry out his judgment, which was death, the wages of sin.
This occurred in the New Testament era and this is our LORD whom Jesus and Paul said we should emulate (Matthew 5:48 & Ephesians 5:1). Chew on that.
Christ the Destroyer?
I realize that some reading this might be having a hard time wrapping their heads around the idea that Christ is both savior and destroyer. This is the result of years of religious indoctrination where Jesus has been made out to be little more than a harmless smiley guy who walks around in a white dress. It’s the “Gentle Jesus, Meek and Mild” syndrome,* which is a thoroughly unbalanced perception. Sure, Jesus has a gentle, merciful and loving side and we’re astronomically blessed because of it. But God’s Word offers us a three-dimensional perspective.
* Gentle Jesus, Meek and Mild was a sacred poem/hymn written by Charles Wesley and published in 1742.
Here are examples of the heavier side of Christ: He was brilliant in argumentation during his earthly ministry (Matthew 22:15-22) and astonished his enemies (Luke 20:26) to the point that “no one dared ask him anymore questions” (Mark 12:34). He was utterly dynamic, exuding life to the full (John 14:6 & 10:10). He was authoritative (not authoritarian), bold, outspoken and had no qualms about offending pompous people who were deserving of correction (Matthew 7:28-29, Luke 11:37-54 & Matthew 15:1-20 & 18:7). He radically cleansed the Temple of carnal fools twice—yelling, throwing over tables, scattering money and whirling a whip—which amazed the onlookers and struck fear in the hearts of religionists (Mark 11:15-18 & John 2:13-17). Christ was courageous, astonishing, amazing, authoritative and even frightening (Matthew 7:28-29 & 14:26; Mark 1:27, 2:10-12, 4:37-41 & 7:37; Luke 5:8-11, 7:14-16, 20:20-26 & 20:40).
And, yes, Christ is also the destroyer for those who reject him as savior:
There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and to destroy;
James 4:12 (NASB)
Now someone might object on the grounds that Christ’s purpose in the New Covenant is to give life to the full, not kill and destroy, which is the Enemy’s modus operandi (John 10:10). While this is true, it doesn’t negate the above passage, which shows that the Mighty Christ is both Savior of the humbly repentant and Destroyer of the incorrigibly rebellious. We must be balanced in our studies. “Scripture interprets Scripture” is a hermeneutical rule for a reason. People who disregard it become unbalanced and thus fall into error or, at least, limit their perception of reality.
Besides, there’s a vast difference between the Mighty LORD justly destroying the worthless wicked (who will simply reap the wages of their unrepentant sin) and the devil & filthy spirits who destroy people indiscriminately, including unjustly attacking the righteous, like Satan did with Job (Job 1-2).
Angels Are Assigned to You to Help You Enter Your “Promised Land”
I’ve heard Christians speak of the Promised Land as a type of eternal life in the new Heavens and new Earth (typically referred to as “Heaven”). This is true, as far as our eternal “Promised Land” is concerned. Even the Old Covenant saints had an eternal Promised Land for which they longed (Hebrews 11:10,16). Yet, just as the Hebrews had an earthly Promised Land, so believers have an earthly “Promised Land,” but it’s not some literal piece of real estate, as the land of Canaan was for the Hebrews. For the believer, the Israelite’s Promised Land is a type of walking in our promised blessings in general and, more specifically, fulfilling whatever mission or dream the Lord gives you. In short, the Promised Land is a type of your inheritance during your temporal life on this Earth. Let’s consider a few examples of 1. promised blessings in general and 2. fulfilling the mission God gives you.
The New Testament promises healing for believers (1 Peter 2:24 & James 5:14-15). In 2013 my left knee swelled up and became stiff. It was difficult to merely get up and walk across the room. The problem required surgery, but I decided to stand on the healing promises of my covenant. It took faith & persistence but, after a few months, the healing fully manifested and I’ve been lovin’ it ever since—jogging five times a week, enjoying long daily walks and even skiing in the winter.
That same year, our semi-flat roof over our upstairs bedroom was heavily leaking and needed serious repairs. Standing on the promise of God’s provision (Philippians 4:19), Carol & I spoke in faith over the roof on a daily basis. After several weeks of faith & persistence (Hebrews 6:12) the means came to not only fix the roof, but replace it entirely, plus receive a new ceiling for the entire upstairs! God does “immeasurably more than all we can ask or imagine” (Ephesians 3:20)!
As far as the Promised Land of fulfilling one’s God-given dream is concerned, I had taught at numerous local churches for several years and eventually graduated Bible college. Carol & I sought the Lord and were led to start a non-sectarian ministry that focused on teaching God’s Word through books, websites, videos, social media, newsletters, sermons and other mediums. We knew it was the Lord’s will so we stuck to our guns in faith & perseverance—despite gossipy opposition from so-called “Christians.” And here we are with a dozen books out and two websites, reaching the world with the life-changing truths of God’s awesome Word.
These are real-life examples of New Covenant believers walking in their earthly Promised Land. Every believer is called to do this, but you must put off the flesh, seek the LORD and learn to walk in faith & patience, not to mention DON’T provoke angels or The Angel of the LORD through a grumbling spirit that opposes God and his will (not to mention the other sins listed earlier). Rather loose angels to assist you in your service by giving voice to God’s Word.
For details on the blessings of our covenant and how to walk in them see this article.
This article was edited from chapter 8 of…
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Related Topics:
ANGELS — What Are They? What’s Their Purpose?
Evil Spirits (Demons) — What Are They? What’s Their Purpose?
Satan (the Devil) — Liar, Slanderer, Thief, Murderer
Demonic Spirits — How to Deflect Them
How to Enlist the Help of Angels
Why do Unclean Spirits seek out Dry Places?
Why is this World so Messed Up?
REDEMPTION — God’s Plan of Liberation for Humanity & Creation
All Nations Deceived by the Global Régime’s SORCERY (PHARMA)
The current drug injection mandates that we are seeing are authoritarian, fascist and evil. Even if a person is not conspiracy-minded, something in his/her soul has to be telling them something isn’t right with any of this.
The book of Revelation goes into detail about the future 7-year Tribulation that will come upon the Earth (Revelation 6-19) wherein a one-world government will come into power led by the Antichrist. This diabolic global cabal is figuratively called ‘Babylon’ in the text. Notice what is said about this satanic one-world régime:
“for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.”
Revelation 18:23b KJV
The Greek word for ‘sorceries’ is pharmakeia (far-ma-KIH-ya), which is where we get the English words pharmaceuticals (drugs) and pharmacy. Follow the money — the politicos & Big Pharma are getting powerful and filthy rich via the injections & boosters. It’s really all about Big Pharma making billions & laundering it back to the political elite and the great power over the people thereof (it also solves what they consider the population problem). The masses are deceived because they listen to their lies, which are supported by the lamestream media. People in positions of influence are bought.
I’m not suggesting that we’re currently in the timeframe of Revelation, but everything sure points to a dress rehearsal to that troubling near-future period.
For those who question the depopulation angle, research it.
What about the repetitive advice to “Trust the science”? The lab workers at the institute in China were scientists. What they were doing in modifying SARS viruses to make them more lethal and contagious was science. So when politicos say to “trust the science,” forgive me if I don’t share the same blind allegiance. Fraudci, NObama and the wife of Gates visited the lab in 2015 and gave it millions of taxpayers’ dollars. This lab is where the disease ‘accidentally’ escaped into the world 4.5 years later. (Was this really an accident or, more precisely, a bioweapon released by the international cabal for their diabolic purposes?) This paved the way for the injection and draconian mandates for a disease with over 99% recovery rate. Even in today’s upside-down world 2 + 2 = 4.
How can people possibly trust something that the powers that be have to bribe and threaten citizens to take? What happened to the Lib mantra “My body, my choice”? Everything is so glaringly orchestrated it’s embarrassing, which shows how “deceived” the masses are. Just because the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) has put its stamp of approval on it doesn’t mean much. Every drug that has been recalled by the FDA was first “proven to be safe and effective” by the FDA. It doesn’t help that the FDA wants to seal-up data on the dubious vaccines for 75 years at which point most people who got the actual injection (as opposed to harmless saline) will be long gone.
There are a slew of other questions for anyone who has the ability to think: Why are the companies that make the experimental vaccine immune from liability? Who in their right mind takes a drug from a company that has no responsibility for the outcome? Who would encourage others to get it, especially loved ones? Why are politicians & their staffs exempt? Why are postal workers who go from house to house exempt? Why were the so-called COVID death stats grossly exaggerated? Need I go on?
For anyone who thinks the jab is good and innocuous, see this sobering testimony from a funeral director in England. The glaring truth is being intentionally suppressed (Romans 1:18) as the political elite sell their narrative — their lie — to the masses!
If you were pressured into getting the shot (at the threat of the loss of your job, etc.) and you’re concerned about damaging effects, no worries, you can receive a healing from the Lord. However, I strongly suggest not getting the additional dubious shots that tyrannical governments want to perpetually force on citizens (for reasons noted in Matthew 4:7).
Related Topics:
Drug Obsession (Idolatry) is of the Flesh
(Pseudo) Science is the “New God” and Dubious Scientists are the “New Gods”
Is Name-Calling Ever Appropriate?
Understanding the Religion of LIEberalism
Understanding “the Right” and “the Left” from a Biblical Perspective
Can Christians Listen to Music other than Praise & Worship?
There’s the position that, since God inhabits the praises of His people (Psalm 22:3 KJV), believers should only listen to Praise & Worship music. This argument is rooted in the idea that music is sound and sound creates an atmosphere, which naturally affects the listener, whether positively, negatively or anything in between. Hence, we should be conscious of the atmosphere we allow because it will determine what’s planted in the heart; and whatever is in our hearts is what will naturally come out in word or practice (Mark 7:14-23). Since things get planted in one’s heart through 1. what you see, 2. what you hear and 3. the company you keep, it’s important to discipline what you allow your eyes to see, your ears to hear and the people with whom you spend time.
Everything in the above paragraph is true and healthy, except for one thing — the word ‘only’ in the statement “believers should only listen to Praise & Worship music” (although they certainly can if they choose to do so). For one thing, there are songs featured in the Bible besides Praise & Worship, which I’ll share momentarily. Secondly, the idea that Christians should only listen to Praise & Worship music can easily become an eye-rolling rule that fuels legalistic arrogance, which prompts the individual to carnally judge & condemn those who don’t abide by it 100%. Behavior like this indicates the spiritual disease of legalism (keep in mind that the root word for legalism is legal, which shows that legalism is all about manmade rules and the religious arrogance & corruption thereof; see Colossians 2:20-23).
Now let’s go into a little more detail so that we can “eat the meat and spit out the bones” concerning what is said in the opening paragraph, keeping in mind that we’re to “test all things, holding on to the good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21)…
It is true that praise naturally attracts God’s presence because it is in accordance with the law of respect: What you respect moves toward you while what you don’t respect moves away from you. Meanwhile worship is adoration or awe, and is the response to being in God’s presence. More succinctly, praise attracts the Lord’s manifest presence while worship — adoration — is the natural response to being in God’s presence. This is verified by Psalm 95:1-7 and Psalm 100. Thus the New Testament encourages believers…
Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name.
Hebrews 13:5
Since relationship with God is the heart of Christianity it’s essential that believers grow in the realm of Praise & Worship.
However, while Praise & Worship is indeed spiritual, it isn’t the only God-approved music out there. Praise & Worship is its own genre and is made specifically for Christian devotion. Again, praise ushers in God’s presence while worship/adoration is the response to being in God’s presence. This explains why I spend more time listening to Praise & Worship than any other style of music, by far. It facilitates a spiritual atmosphere. It also explains why it’s the predominant kind of music you’ll experience at Christian assemblies and fittingly so. But let’s not be ignorant and suggest that this is the only kind of musical style that Christians can listen to or the only genre that is approved of God.
For biblical proof, consider the songs we observe in the Bible, like the Psalms, which consist of the lyrics to actual songs. These songs, as well as poetry in the Bible, don’t only feature Praise & Worship. They also include emotional (brutally honest) venting (Psalm 55 & 69), overt romance (Song of Songs), humble confession (Psalm 51), historical accounts ( Psalm 107), prophecy (Psalm 22), laments (book of Lamentations), evangelism (Psalm 78) and even fantasy elements (Judges 9:8-15). The longest song in the Bible is Solomon’s Song of Songs and it’s a love story that doesn’t even mention God. It’s called the Song of Songs because it was Solomon’s best song, his ‘hit.’ What’s this tell us? 1. Not every song we enjoy has to involve Praise & Worship and 2. not every song that doesn’t mention God is automatically “of the devil,” including love songs.
Another thing that these examples of songs & poetry in the Bible reveal is that artistic works don’t have to be one-dimensional. For instance, while Psalm 105 is a historical account, it also includes a little praise. While Psalm 69 is largely cathartic and melancholy, it likewise features a bit o’ praise and a hopeful confession of faith.
Of course the genre of Praise & Worship is limited in its topical scope. It’s naturally focuses on praising & worshiping the LORD, which means that this particular style of music omits a lot of important truths chronicled in the Bible. For instance, generally speaking, Praise & Worship doesn’t detail the sobering prophecies chronicled in Revelation & elsewhere or the importance of spiritual warfare or the horrors of divine judgment or the historical truths of our spiritual forefathers & foremothers (that is, the good, the bad and the ugly of their lives). By contrast, other styles of music, like forms of Rock and Metal, can address all of these things and much more, not to mention be very frank about it.
For those who argue that Rock, Metal and other styles are “secular” and “non-Christian” or, worse, intrinsically evil, it depends on the heart behind the music, which includes the lyrics. Please understand that no form of art, including music, is evil in and of itself, although a person may personally regard it as evil due to a weak conscience, even though it’s not (Romans 14:14). (You can read details about a weak conscience here, just scroll down to the final section). Art is merely a tool for the artist to engage people and usually convey a message, whether intended or not. Nor is soft music inherently good and loud music automatically bad. Doesn’t the Bible say “praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals” (Psalm 150:5)? Does that sound remotely soft? No, it’s loud & heavy!
This doesn’t mean you have to like loud, heavy music. If you prefer music of the soft variety, that’s fine. If you only prefer Praise & Worship, that’s fine too. Art is always a matter of taste. I don’t like Country music, generally speaking (although I do like Western music); neither am I a fan of Rap. Yet this doesn’t compel me to judge & denounce all Country music and all Rap as “of the devil” or however you want to put it.
So, please, let’s drop this notion that Praise & Worship is the only God-approved music. It isn’t. This is a quaint religious idea that’s simply not biblical. The LORD is not one-dimensional and it’s healthy to imitate that quality (Ephesians 5:1).
Let’s also be careful to not idealize (or idolize) people involved in creating or performing Praise & Worship as if it automatically makes them God Jr. While I’m sure most people involved with creating or performing Praise & Worship are genuine believers and mighty men & women of God, it’s not always the case.
For instance, a worship leader I knew at an assembly a dozen years ago was very talented as a singer & piano player and effectively led the congregation in Praise & Worship. This wasn’t some spring chicken; he was in his late 30s. Today this man is one the most contentious people I know and publicly claims the Holy Scriptures were written by the devil (!). Wow, I thought he was a man of God who led congregations in Praise & Worship; obviously not. I guess he was putting on an act, which is what ‘hypocrite‘ literally means.
I also know a virtuoso guitar player who plays in the Praise & Worship band of the assembly down the street. He’s an outstanding guitar player, but he’s also the worst gossip/slanderer my wife & I have ever met. No kidding.
Why is this necessary to point out? Because the impression you’ll get in Christian circles is that musicians involved in Praise & Worship are nigh celestial while believers involved in other styles of music are lesser at best and “of the devil” at worst. I can tell you from experience that it’s much easier to preach to the choir of fellow Christians than it is to try to reach those on the fringe or the outside. So, please, let’s give some respect to those in our midst who function outside the conventional Praise & Worship circuit.
Keep in mind that everything we do – including the music we listen to – must be done with moderation lest it become a hindrance in our lives, an “idol” if you will (Hebrews 12:1-2). That includes collecting & listening to various forms of music and keeping up with the myriad artists, including Praise & Worship.
Close
This article is a humble correction to those who are inclined to get on a religious high horse by negatively judging & denouncing anything and everything outside the standard category of Praise & Worship, not to mention anything not stamped ‘safe’ by their pastor or Christian outlet. While I’m sure these types are sincere believers loved of the Lord, they’ve fallen prey to a spirit of religiosity on this front, which has made them one-dimensional and this can hinder the spread of the awesome message of Christ.
This legalistic mentality needs reproved because of the flawed spirit it can develop in growing believers. For example, impressionable believers might logically conclude that since Praise & Worship attracts the presence of God then all other forms of music are worthless, like the Bible’s own Song of Songs. They might also think that since music is sound, which creates an atmosphere, and only Praise & Worship attracts the LORD’s presence, then other styles of music — particularly non-Christian music — must automatically attract the kingdom of darkness. While it is true that demons are literally impure spirits and therefore are drawn to that which is impure (unholy), including music that promotes moral filthiness, not every non-Christian song is inherently morally filthy. Some quality songs are neutral. For instance, if you’re out shopping or eating and a song like Sweet Child O’ Mine starts playing on the sound system, you don’t have to run away screaming, “Oh, no, the devil’s coming, the devil’s coming!!!” It’s the same thing if you’re at a sporting event and a song like Eye of the Tiger starts blaring.
I’m of course not encouraging believers to listen to secular music — that’s between the individual and their Maker — I’m just encouraging us not to be religious fools. Personally, I can’t listen to songs that promote sin, satanism or false religion because it hurts my ears too much, if you know what I mean, but not every song that’s non-Christian is automatically evil just like not every painting is intrinsically evil merely because it was made by an unbeliever. It comes down to the content — is it positive, negative or neutral? I encourage growing believers to learn to “guard their hearts as the wellspring of life” (Proverbs 4:23). Be wise about what you allow your eyes to see, your ears to hear and the people you hang around on a regular basis, and how often, because these will determine your atmosphere and therefore what’s planted in your heart. See this article for details.
Related Topics:
Legalism — Understanding its Many Forms
Can a Certain Style of ART be Evil?
FORMS OF ART IN THE BIBLE, including Music, Visual and Performance Art
Praise & Worship—What’s the Difference? Why are they Important?
Is it Ever Okay to Call Someone a “Fool”?
Q&A on Solomon’s SONG OF SONGS
Beauty, Objectification and Lust
Spiritual Growth — The Four Stages
The Lord’s Supper / Communion / Eucharist
The Lord’s Supper is a ceremony to remember — reflect on — (1) Christ’s body, which was broken on the cross for us, and (2) his blood that was shed to seal the New Covenant between God and all those who believe. Here’s the most detailed passage on the topic:
For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
27 So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.
This passage provides all the details believers need to perform this rite and to grasp its significance; you can also read about it in the three synoptic Gospels (e.g. Matthew 26:26-29). The bread represents Christ’s body — which some break in two during the ceremony — and the wine represents his blood.
The apostle Paul pointed out: “For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes” (1 Corinthians 11:26). Thus when believers partake of this ordinance we are not just remembering what Christ did for us in order to reconcile us to God and grant us eternal life, but we are showing it to all who are partaking or observing and thus proclaiming the Lord’s death and resurrection, which is core to the gospel — the “good news” — of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:1-3 & John 3:16).
There are no instructions on how frequently believers should observe this ceremony. I’ve been to fellowships that do it once a week, others that do it once a month and others that do it only at special services. Regardless of how often the assembly decides to do it, we should be conscious of making sure it doesn’t become a meaningless routine.
What if no bread product or wine/grape juice is available, can substitutes be used? Nothing is said about this either so I don’t see why you couldn’t use substitutes if necessary.
More important than the frequency of the ceremony or the precise nature of the elements, is the heart attitude of those who participate, which is revealed in Paul’s statement: “Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves” (1 Corinthians 11:28-29).
You’ll notice that nothing is said in these texts about how participating in the Lord’s Supper is a requirement for salvation, obviously because it’s not (Ephesians 2:8-9 & John 3:16).
Related Topics:
Spiritual Growth — The Four Stages
Spiritual Growth is Like Climbing a Mountain
The Seven Keys to SPIRITUAL GROWTH
Spirituality — How to be Spirit-Controlled Rather than Flesh-Ruled
Legalism — Understanding its Many Forms
Law (Torah) — New Testament Believers are NOT Under the Law
Understanding the Religion of LIEberalism
America’s most famous inventor, Thomas Edison, referred to humanity as “incurably religious.” Thus it comes as no surprise that when people forsake belief in God or some deity/deities, they retain the earmarks of a religious person; it’s just that their ‘god’ becomes the state, pseudoscience, a godless ideology, self, or some combination of these.
We now live in a post-Christian society in Western civilization (including places influenced by Western civilization) where our schools & universities promote forms of so-called progressivism and despise biblical Christianity. Generally speaking, believers in Christ & the Bible are held in contempt as “backwards,” “bigoted” and “uneducated.” As such, whenever ‘progressives’ throw around the word ‘education’ what they really mean is “indoctrinated by Liberal ideology.”
Since they radically oppose Christ, the truth (John 14:6, 8:32 & 17:17), it comes as no surprise that their doctrines, beliefs and practices in general are rooted in lies; in other words, their ideologies by nature “suppress the truth” (Romans 1:18), which explains why I refer to Liberalism as LIEberalism. While I originally coined this term to be amusing, its accuracy is increasingly clear in light of the absurd lies Liberals preach and insist everyone else must accept as truth. For instance, the idea that there are scores of genders (I’ve lost count) or that a man can have his penis surgically removed and not only become a woman, but legitimately compete in female sports; anyone who objects to this or refuses to refer to him with a female pronoun is slandered as a “bigot,” a “transphobe” and even guilty of a “hate crime.”
Whilst Liberals tout themselves as tolerant, they are only tolerant as long as people agree with them or, at least, don’t try to hinder their secular agenda. They exalt “diversity,” but try finding a Conservative on staff who dares to question Lib group think and speaks the biblical truth. For instance, why aren’t Libs celebrating the victory of the first female Prime Minister in Italy? Obviously because she believes in God and supports biblical morality and family.
LIEberalism Is Preached at Colleges
It goes without saying that the more “educated” by secular institutions a person is, the less likely s/he will believe in absolutes, like God, truth and morality. I attended a state university as a devout believer from late 1989 to early 1995 and I could feel the anti-Christ spirit that permeated the classrooms and halls. My faith was challenged on every side on a daily basis, but 1. I maintained my relationship with the Lord and 2. kept anchored in my biblical studies, feeding regularly from God’s Word and sound ministers (Matthew 4:4).
Yet I could readily see how the faith of Christian students would be weakened in such a godless environment, even to the point of falling away from the faith (Hebrews 6:4-9 & 2 Peter 2:21). I’ve known several solid believers who went off to college and left as agnostics or atheists. And yet Christian parents continue to blithefully send their kids off to God-hating Universities and are shocked when they come out as unbelievers. Gee, go figure. (For anyone who says it’s impossible for a believer to lose his/her salvation, see this article).
The vast majority of professors in our schools of (supposedly) higher learning are hardcore atheists and it comes as no surprise that they promote their anti-God “progressivism” when teaching on neutral subjects. For instance, I had a lesbian English teacher in college who constantly attacked the concept of Judeo-Christian values while espousing her “Liberal” idiotology. We were supposed to be learning about the English language, and did, but we also got lectured on the non-morals of what was obviously her religion.
For anyone who objects to my reference to Liberal ideology as “idiotology,” all genuine Christ-followers are called to expose the fruitless deeds of darkness, not passively condone them (Ephesians 5:11). Christ Himself resorted to more extreme language during his earthly ministry when dealing with the religious fascists of the 1st Century, which you can read about here. In Western countries today we are threatened by irreligious fascists and I’ll supply plenty of examples of how their beliefs & practices are outrageously idiotic. The fact that Liberals support demonic-looking transvestites mentoring our little children in public forums tells all. Worse, they’re proud of it because they view it as a badge of their “progressivism” (aka moral regressivism).
At least agnostics honestly admit that they don’t know what the truth is, as far as ultimate reality goes. I was an agnostic throughout my teens. But Atheists claim to know there is no Creator of life & the cosmos, which explains why the Bible plainly refers to hardcore atheists as fools (Psalm 14:1, 53:1 & 10:4). The obvious problem with this is that these are the very people mentoring our youths at college — people whom the Bible openly calls fools. Can this result in anything good?
Recently I checked on the status of some former celebs in the Christian music industry who were held up as mentors in the 80s-90s. The reason I looked them up is because I was reading some old interviews with them wherein they stated how they were going to go to college to get a degree for this or that so they could earn a living. There’s nothing wrong with this, of course, as it’s an understandable goal. The problem is that these Christian icons, who were examples to younger believers and very much respected, would be exposed on a daily basis to the aforementioned atheistic “progressivism” that permeates the halls of secular universities. Would their faith be able to withstand the Christ-rejecting onslaught that I myself experienced? I was disappointed to find out that several of them had become atheists in the process, like Joey “Ojo” Taylor of Undercover and Ian Arkley of Seventh Angel, amongst others.
I’m not here to condemn these people; it’s perfectly understandable how they lost their faith given the nature of modern universities. My point is: If secular college can convert seemingly strong Christian celebs like this to the religion of atheism/secular humanism, what about our children whom we sincerely send off to college to get ‘educated’ for the good purpose of earning a good living? They might earn a degree and get a lucrative job, but what of the things of God and eternity? No “education” or job is worth losing reconciliation with the Creator and eternal life!
LIEberalism Has Become the Establishment ‘Religion’
So-called progressivism is now the religion of Western Civilization and is essentially one-in-the-same as liberalism or secular humanism and its current fad “woke-ism.” How is it a religion? It has all the earmarks of one:
- An irrefutable “god” (science or what Liberalism says is science, aka pseudoscience).
- Its own “scripture” (Lib-approved journals & textbooks, as well as pseudoscientific works, like Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring, and basically whatever a hip ‘authority’ says on the topic at hand, like Fraudci and his perpetual lies and contradictions).
- Its own faith-based cosmology (the big bang theory).
- Its own miracles (e.g. the idea that everything originally sprang from nothing, which violates the scientific axiom of biogenesis — that life can only proceed from life).
- Its own beliefs in the supernatural; even many of those claiming to be strict atheists acknowledge what they call extrasensory perception or paranormal activity (studies have shown that Liberals are more likely to believe in paranormal phenomena compared to Conservatives, whether ghosts, talking with the dead, fortunetelling or astrology. Let me put it this way: Is a New Ager or fortune-teller more likely to be a Liberal or a Conservative?).
- Its own “churches” (public schools & colleges) (more on this in a moment).
- Its own “high priests” (godless ‘scientists,’ professors & teachers) (ditto).
- Its own “saints” (corrupt politicians, immoral celebrities and thugs who make the limelight for one reason or another, like George Floyd).
- Its own sacrifices (abortion & infanticide and suicides, as well as fake suicides of its own people when necessary, e.g. Jeffrey Epstein). (As far as suicides go, consider the devout Libs who commit immolation to protest the hoax of “Climate Change”).
- Tithing (to teachers’ unions, tuition and donations/taxes for sacred Leftist causes, like the ambiguous “Climate Change” & the corresponding Paris Agreement/UNFCCC).
- Obeisance for their hallowed leaders, institutions and activist organizations (Obama, Harvard, NOW, Greenpeace, etc.).
- Its applauded virtues (recycling, sexual perversions, mask-wearing, getting the experimental vax & perpetual boosters, etc.).
- Its loathed practices or “sins” (chastity, reading/believing the Bible, sharing the gospel of Christ, converting people from native religions, etc.).
- Its own faith-based explanation of life itself, aka the theory of evolution (after over 160 years of desperate searching they have yet to prove that random mutation & natural selection leads to the creation of a new species).
- Its revered “ancestors” (apes or ape-like beings).
- Its faith-based insistence that humans are created in the likeness of apes rather than the image of God.
This should not be interpreted to mean that all scientists, professors, public school teachers, etc. are godless and frothing at the mouth with evil because this isn’t true in the least. For instance, one of my English teachers at state college was a devout Christian man (unfortunately, he was contrasted by the lesbian English teacher noted earlier). I’m of course speaking in generalities in this article. But let me ask you a relevant question alluded to earlier: Can a genuine believer openly espouse their perspective in an academic environment without being seriously penalized in some way, even losing their job (and I’m not even talking about proselytizing)? We all know the answer. Liberals are only tolerant of their own ideology and those who bend to it, although they’ll exempt anyone who’ll jump in bed with them in their fight against biblical truth, like Muslims. In other words, although Liberalism and Islam are opposing belief systems (religions), they are united in their vehement opposition to Judeo-Christianity.
If you doubt that classrooms are now the top forum for spreading secular humanism & its nuances, consider what John Dunphy said in an article way back in 1983, over forty years ago:
I am convinced that the battle for humankind’s future must be waged and won in the public school classroom by teachers who correctly perceive their role as the proselytizers of a new faith: a religion of humanity that recognizes and respects the spark of what theologians call divinity in every human being. These teachers much embody the same selfless dedication as the most rabid fundamentalist preachers, for they will be ministers of another sort, utilizing a classroom instead of a pulpit to convey humanist values in whatever subject they teach, regardless of educational level — preschool, day care or large state university. The classroom must and will become an arena of conflict between the old and the new — the rotting corpse of Christianity, together with all its adjacent evils and misery, and the new faith of humanism, resplendent in its promise of a world in which the never-realized Christian ideal of “love thy neighbor” will finally be achieved.
– “A Religion for a New Age” from the Jan/Feb, 1983, issue of Humanist magazine
Are you starting to see why I refer to Liberalism as the modern state religion? Are you seeing why I refer to it as LIEberalism? It is riddled with falsities and glaring contradictions:
- Homosexuals are “born that way” while child-molesters can be rehabilitated;
- Saving a tree or plant is virtuous, but slaughtering babies by the millions is okay, including allowing ones that survive abortion to die unattended;
- We should eat organic foods and must wear masks to hinder the spread of ailments, but the possibility of spreading a gross disease via casual sex or perverse sex is an unalienable right;
- Sexual activity is merely genetic & all-for-fun and has zero sacred purpose or moral consequence, but the slightest hint of sexual harassment against a female is diabolical (speaking as someone who’s wholly against sexual harassment);
- Druid-like reverence of the Earth is praiseworthy and progressive, but biblical worship of the Almighty is superstitious and backwards;
- Liberalism claims to wholly support feminism, yet curiously advocates & commends biologically male transsexuals competing (and winning) against biological females in women’s competitions;
- It’s perfectly okay if primitive peoples from Asia settle in the Americas, i.e. AmerIndians, but not technologically-advanced people from Europe.
- The current fad of “wokeness” is a state of awareness achieved by those dumb enough to find injustice in everything except their own behavior, e.g. the lawless thugs of BLM and ANTIFA, who love Burning/Looting/Murdering whole blocks of cities (always the less wealthier sections).
The Bible reveals that when a society forsakes God and common sense wisdom, they are given over to a “reprobate mind” wherein what is good becomes evil and what is evil becomes good (Romans 1:28 & Isaiah 5:20). It’s an upside down world and explains the Bible’s description of their glaring absurdities: “At the beginning their words are folly; at the end they are wicked madness” (Ecclesiastes 10:13).
This explains the response of Democrat “leaders” in present-day America to the consequences of their bad policies and corruptions. They say with a straight face that:
- mass destruction through violent rioting & looting is merely protesting;
- heart attacks (from being forced to get the experimental vax) are healthy;
- gross inflation means a strong economy;
- supply chain breakdowns are perfectly normal;
- empty shelves (due to communistic measures) mean people are buying;
- unvetted people illegally pouring through the Southern border by the millions is just immigration;
- Biden is by far the most popular president ever with 81 millions votes (just not 81 million voters, which you can learn about here).
This is merely a taste of their lies and upside down madness in present-day America.
Without an intentional origin or divine purpose, secularists in the modern era lack a moral compass. Seeing themselves as little more than animals, since their original ancestor is Cha-Ka, they tend to veer toward hedonism or some form of immorality to find fulfillment and even identity. Others glorify the State — or its corresponding ideals — and serve accordingly to find purpose. Others succumb to a disillusioned life of “quiet desperation,” as Henry David Thoreau put it, and are usually assuaged by an excess of “meds.”
Christ said “You will know them by their fruits,” referring to people who falsely speak for God (Matthew 7:15-23). This would include people who claim to understand and represent the truth or ultimate reality. (Remember, Christ said he was “the truth” in John 14:6 and ‘truth’ in the Greek is alétheia, which means “reality” or “the way it really is”). What is the fruit of the Liberal intelligentsia who in essence worship (pseudo)science and their religion is “progressivism”? Answer: Things like godless Marxism (Socialism/Communism), gross slander, brazen voting fraud, arrogance, condescension, hypocrisy, sexual immorality and sexual perversion.
Why is hedonism and sexual immorality rampant on secular campuses? Why is it that whenever you visit a college town you’ll see overt evidence of homosexuality, but hardly ever in other areas? Answer: Because that’s what is preached & commended at these schools of supposed higher learning despite the facts that the practice of homosexuality results in a much higher rate of STDs, mental illness, drug use and suicide or suicide attempts. Of course those who choose the homosexual lifestyle are to be tolerated and respected as fellow human beings who have the right to make choices about their lives, whether positive or negative, just like we tolerate obese overeaters, smokers, drinkers, drug addicts and so on. However, this doesn’t mean that homosexuality should be promoted and celebrated since that would be asinine in light of the facts that support its all-around unhealthiness.
LIEberals Support Pseudoscience
The sneering scientific sophistication of Liberals is merely a pretense. They actually hate real science and flee from it screaming like vampires responding to holy water. Here are some examples of genuine science:
- unborn babies are sentient human beings with a beating heart;
- males who foolishly have their penis chopped off and take female hormones are not females and this is proven by their DNA;
- the AIDS virus does discriminate;
- there is such a thing as IQ;
- the sexes have differing abilities in different areas (e.g. math, science and gymnastics);
- non-life cannot create life;
- and nuclear power is actually not very dangerous.
Meanwhile Christians are pro-common sense and anti-false science (again, I’m speaking in generalities; there are, admittedly, people who claim to be Christians who are unfortunately corrupted by legalism). For instance, the scientific principle that only life can create life — biogenesis — obviously points to a Creator. Believers in Christ naturally question questionable “science” regardless of how popular it might be in Liberal circles.
When it comes to science, some good questions include: What specific topic is being addressed? And is the ‘science’ thereof reliable or dubious? For instance, climate alarmists have a long history of false predictions supposedly based on ‘science.’ The current “Climate Change” hysteria is actually a Leftwing agenda and politically motivated. As such, the scientists they use to support their position are basically ‘yes men’ and ‘yes women’ because their jobs and funding depend on agreeing with the false narrative, as well as backing it up with supposed evidence. See these videos for insights: My Gift To Climate Alarmists, Are We Doomed? And Climate Scam No Longer Needed.
We must understand that the Bible is a theological work and not a scientific one. It shares some info that’s applicable to the sciences in a general sense, but often requires further study on part of the one seeking knowledge. For instance, the Bible is not an astronomy book, but it does support the basic idea that the Earth is a spherical body suspended in the empty space of the Universe, which disproves the idea of a flat Earth (Isaiah 40:22 & Job 26:7). The Scriptures teach that the Universe constantly “pours forth speech” and “displays knowledge” to “all the Earth” (Psalm 19:1-4); the apostle Paul backed this up by the Spirit in different words (Romans 1:19-20). So the LORD knew we’d acquire important details through our astronomical observations and studies.
Or consider the human brain. The Bible tells us a lot about the human mind, but it doesn’t give us details about the physical brain or brain surgery. We naturally obtain knowledge of the latter through specific studies.
We have to get away from this modern-day notion that scientists are infallible gods. Just because they say something is so doesn’t necessarily mean it is. Christ said to be “wise as serpents” not gullible as idiots (Matthew 10:16). For one thing, scientists are not God. For another, scientists disagree all the time based on the data they acknowledge and the agenda behind their work. Thirdly, scientists are perfectly capable of presenting data in a skewed way to back-up their case for decidedly selfish reasons, like apprehending funding or keeping their job. This explains the saying: 97% of “scientists” agree with whoever funds them. After all, being a scientist doesn’t make one immune to being a liar. As for those scientists who say there is no God, however smart they might be, the Bible says they’re fools in no uncertain terms (Psalm 53:1 & Psalm 10:4).
True science is the study of any aspect of God’s physical creation. When people worship science above God it becomes an ‘idol’ and devolves into pseudoscience. In the end, are you trusting in science (the creation) or God (the Creator) to give your life meaning and salvation?
Close
The religion of LIEberalism has several sects and the corresponding names — atheism, secular humanism, progressivism, liberalism, LGBTQ, wokeism, Marxism (Socialism/Communism), etc.; there are nuances, of course, but it all comes down to people united in “suppressing the truth,” which means they suppress reality (Romans 1:18). Why are they obsessed with suppressing the truth? Because they’re children of the lie who “follow the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient” (Ephesians 2:2). This spirit is satan, “the father of lies” (John 8:44), “who leads the whole world astray” (Revelation 12:9); in other words “the whole world is under the control of the evil one,” this father of lies (1 John 5:19). When you grasp this, you start to see why unbelievers are so vulnerable to believing and walking in glaring lies and gross error. It helps with compassion. And it explains why teachers & professors in Western nations are instructing our youth about hundreds of genders and why mommy has a penis rather than focusing on reading, writing, arithmetic and legitimate science & history.
So what’s the answer? The only answer to lies & error is truth, which explains why Christ said “the truth shall set you free” (John 8:31-32). This reveals the purpose of this article — to confront the suppressing lies of the religion of LIEberalism with basic truths. It’s the starting point for setting people free of this godless religion. Rather than being “mean” and “bigoted,” I’m just sharing common sense data & truths in a concerned, honest manner. It’s called tough love. Christ did the same and the world hated him for it (John 7:7 & John 3:20). Thankfully the Lord followed up with “But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light” (John 3:21). This process of getting set free from the lies/error promoted by LIEberals starts with receiving from legitimate sources of truth and accepting the awesome message of Christ.
Anyone reading this who has been caught in the web of LIEberalism and the pseudoscience thereof, the LORD is calling you out of darkness and bondage, just as God called me & millions of others out of darkness and bondage. As Paul exhorted: “We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God” (2 Corinthians 5:17-21). Here’s how to reconcile…
16For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life… 36Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life. Whoever rejects the Son will not see life. Instead, the wrath of God remains on him.
John 3:16,36 (BSB)
9…if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10For with your heart you believe and are justified, and with your mouth you confess and are saved.
Romans 10:9-10 (BSB)
You can read details about what’s really going on with this crazy world and God’s gracious plan of liberation for humanity & creation here.
Related Topics:
Religion and Christianity — What’s the Difference?Is Name-Calling Ever Appropriate?
Is Name-Calling Ever Appropriate?
Is it Ever Okay to Call Someone a “Fool”?
The Fall of Man (Humanity) and Slavery to Satan
(Pseudo) Science is the “New God” and Dubious Scientists are the “New Gods”
Understanding “the Right” and “the Left” from a Biblical Perspective
The Left’s Unbalanced View of Christ & Christianity
What are the Sources of Truth (Reality)?
The Prophetic LAW OF DOUBLE REFERENCE
The Law of Double Reference is the tendency of Scripture prophecy (2 Peter 1:20) to sometimes refer to two things simultaneously — one relevant to the general time of the prophecy and the other relating to the distant past or far-off future. The first two chapters of Isaiah offer a good example: The prophet jumps from the restoration of Jerusalem to the Millennium and the New Earth and from a warning to the inhabitants of Jerusalem of impending judgment to a warning of God’s Day of Judgment of the entire world (Isaiah 2:12-22). In other words, what was about to happen in Jerusalem was just a foreshadowing of what will happen to the whole Earth. Just as Jerusalem was restored, so the Earth will be restored after God’s reckoning.
Why did the LORD hide prophecies concerning the distant future or past in ones that had a more immediate application? In other words, why is there a “Law of Double Reference” at all? Perhaps because the prophecies of Old Testament prophets had to be 100% accurate. If their words were proven to be false, they were to no longer be regarded as prophets and, in fact, were to be put to death (Deuteronomy 18:20-22). As such, their prophecies of the distant future or past required a more immediate application, not necessarily all the time, but often enough to verify that the prophet was speaking the truth. Another likely reason can be attributed to the proverbial “killing two birds with one stone.”
Now let’s consider several other examples of this “law of double reference”…
The fall of the King of Babylon paralleled with the fall of Lucifer
This double reference can be observed here:
12 How you have fallen from heaven,
morning star, son of the dawn!
You have been cast down to the earth,
you who once laid low the nations!
13 You said in your heart,
“I will ascend to the heavens;
I will raise my throne
above the stars of God;
I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly,
on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon.
14 I will ascend above the tops of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High.”
15 But you are brought down to the realm of the dead,
to the depths of the pit.
16 Those who see you stare at you,
they ponder your fate:
“Is this the man who shook the earth
and made kingdoms tremble,
17 the man who made the world a wilderness,
who overthrew its cities
and would not let his captives go home?”Isaiah 14:12-17
The soon-to-come application of this prophecy applied to the king of Babylon, as shown in verse 4, whereas the far-flung application refers to Lucifer. As such, parts of this prophecy apply specifically to the king of Babylon while other parts obviously refer to satan; and some to both. Put simply, Isaiah prophesies the king’s doom and parallels it with the much earlier fall of Lucifer.
FYI: Assyrian king Sennacherib (suh-NAK-uh-rib) conquered Babylon and hence dubbed himself the King of Babylon.
Observe verses 16-17, which clearly refer to a “man” who “overthrew cities” and “made kingdoms tremble,” thus making “the world a wilderness.” This was true, of course, of the king of Babylon who infamously conquered surrounding nations and sacked Jerusalem in 586 BC, taking the Israelites captive (verse 17). Furthermore, verse 15 shows the end of this man — he would perish and be brought down to “the realm of the dead,” which is Sheol in the Hebrew (corresponding to Hades in the Greek), a term that refers to the “world of the dead” where the dead souls of unregenerate people are stored until their resurrection on the Day of Judgment (Revelation 20:11-15). The “pit” is a synonymous word for Sheol, as shown in the second part of verse 15 (which is an example of synonymous parallelism). Why is this significant? Because Sheol (Hades) applies only to human beings and never to fallen angels. Lucifer was not a “man,” of course, and therefore this part of the prophecy does not apply to him.
Speaking of which, certain parts of this prophecy clearly apply to the devil. For instance, verse 12 shows Lucifer falling from Heaven, which could never be literally true of the king of Babylon. After all, did this infamous king literally fall from Heaven down to the Earth, like the devil? Was he nicknamed “morning star,” aka “Lucifer” (which is how the King James Version and New King James Version translate the Hebrew word for “morning star”)? Furthermore, Jesus partially cites verse 12 as a reference to the devil in Luke 10:18, which is reinforced by Revelation 12:7-10.
Why would the LORD draw a parallel between the king of Babylon and satan with Isaiah’s prophecy? The same reason Jesus rebuked Peter as “Satan” in Matthew 16:23 for being a mouthpiece for the devil’s ungodly agenda. Just as Satan was the spiritual force behind Peter’s rash words, so he was the diabolic authority behind the king’s oppressive reign.
The fall of the King of Tyre paralleled with the fall of Lucifer
Just as Isaiah 14 parallels the fall of Satan with the demise of the king of Babylon, so Ezekiel 28:9-19 parallels Lucifer’s fall with the fate of the king of Tyre, Ithobaal II. Why? Because the devil was the evil spiritual authority who pulled the strings of both of these pagan rulers. With this understanding, Ezekiel 28:12-19 is speaking of either Satan or the king of Tyre, and sometimes both, depending on the verse. Let’s look at the passage:
12 “Son of man, take up a lament concerning the king of Tyre and say to him: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says:
“‘You were the seal of perfection,
full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
13 You were in Eden,
the garden of God;
every precious stone adorned you:
carnelian, chrysolite and emerald,
topaz, onyx and jasper,
lapis lazuli, turquoise and beryl.
Your settings and mountings were made of gold;
on the day you were created they were prepared.
14 You were anointed as a guardian cherub,
for so I ordained you.
You were on the holy mount of God;
you walked among the fiery stones.
15 You were blameless in your ways
from the day you were created
till wickedness was found in you.
16 Through your widespread trade
you were filled with violence,
and you sinned.
So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God,
and I expelled you, guardian cherub,
from among the fiery stones.
17 Your heart became proud
on account of your beauty,
and you corrupted your wisdom
because of your splendor.
So I threw you to the earth;
I made a spectacle of you before kings.
18 By your many sins and dishonest trade
you have desecrated your sanctuaries.
So I made a fire come out from you,
and it consumed you,
and I reduced you to ashes on the ground
in the sight of all who were watching.
19 All the nations who knew you
are appalled at you;
you have come to a horrible end
and will be no more.’”Ezekiel 28:12-19
Verses 12-17 refer to Lucifer and could only be applied to the king of Tyre in a figurative sense. After all, the person addressed is described as “the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty” (verse 12) who dwelled in “Eden, the garden of God” and is plainly called a “guardian cherub” — an angel — in verses 14 and 16. The LORD then throws this archangel to the Earth in disgrace after he’s corrupted by pride due to its beauty and splendor.
Verses 18-19, however, more clearly apply to the earthly king of Tyre because they show his body being “reduced to ashes” in the sight of spectators as he comes to “a horrible end” and is “no more.” Since we know from numerous other passages that Lucifer was not reduced to ashes when he fell to the Earth and didn’t become “no more,” these statements obviously refer to the king and not satan. The latter’s alive and not-well on planet Earth to this day. He dwells in the underworld, the dark spiritual realm that parallels or underpins the Earth and Universe, which you can read about here.
So Isaiah and Ezekiel prophesied the doom of the kings of Babylon and Tyre and paralleled them with the much earlier fall of Lucifer. Where some readers of the Bible have gone wrong is to suggest that every element of these passages apply to satan, even when it’s clear that they don’t. This is where some come up with the idea that Lucifer was reigning on Earth over nations of peoples before his fall and the later supposed judgment on a dubious pre-Adamic race. This is a clear case of unrightly dividing the Scriptures (2 Timothy 2:15). (Anyone interested in reading more about this “pre-Adamic race” can do so here, just scroll down to the appropriate section).
Another interesting Double Reference
So the monumental event of satan’s fall (Luke 10:18) is chronicled in the Old Testament using the kings of Babylon and Tyre as types. The passage in Ezekiel shows that satan was once a “cherub,” an angel (28:14,16).
The New Testament offers a fascinating flashback to satan’s fall from Heaven:
Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on its heads. 4 Its tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth…
7 Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. 8 But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. 9 The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.
Revelation 12:3-4,7-9
This prophecy is actually a double reference and therefore has two applications: It refers to the devil’s last gasp attempt to conquer Heaven during the mid-point of the future seven-year Tribulation (Revelation 6-19), yet it’s also a flashback to his original fall. Verse 4 figuratively indicates that a third of the angels fell with the devil — the “red dragon” — to the Earth. Keep in mind that “stars” are a metaphorical reference to angels (Job 38:7).
The obvious difference between this double reference and the previous examples is that this passage refers solely to heavenly events. As such, there’s no soon-to-come application on Earth as is the case with the other examples.
By the way, the fact that the devil & his filthy spirits will again attempt to conquer Heaven shows that they’re hopelessly incorrigible. They never learn from their mistakes. It’s reminiscent of the saying: “Insanity is doing the same thing over & over again expecting different results.” If this is accurate, Satan & his minions are decidedly insane.
A more obscure example of the Law of Double Reference
While we could look at further obvious examples of the law of double reference, I’ll leave that for you to discover in your studies. Let’s close with an example of an Old Testament verse that you might not think contains a double reference, Proverbs 11:19. Here it is in both the New International Version and the New Revised Standard Version (the NIV is more of a thought-for-thought translation while the NRSV is a literal word-for-word translation:
The truly righteous man attains life,
but he who pursues evil goes to his death.
Proverbs 11:19 (NIV)
Whoever is steadfast in righteousness will live,
but whoever pursues evil will die.
Proverbs 11:19 (NRSV)
The verse is pretty unmistakable: The righteous person will attain life whereas the evil person will ultimately die, which shows that it’s prophetic in a general sense. These are the two polar opposites detailed throughout the Bible — life for the righteous, death for the unrighteous (see Romans 6:23, Matthew 7:13-14, John 3:16, Romans 8:13, Galatians 6:8 & Psalm 145:20).
Some theologians may scoff at applying this verse in the absolute sense; they would argue that the text strictly applies to the Israelites who were subject to the blessings and curses of Old Testament law (Deuteronomy 28). One of the curses of this law was premature death for unrepentant sinfulness (Deuteronomy 28:15-68). Thus these religionists would contend that the text technically refers to earthly death, not eternal death, and only historically to the Israelites subject to the penalties of Old Testament Law.
If this is the case then Proverbs 11:19 has absolutely no relevance to us today. In fact, from the standpoint of our earthly life in this current era — the Church Age — the verse is a lie because many righteous people die prematurely while many evil people live to a ripe old age. The verse therefore has validity to us today only if we regard it in the absolute sense: The righteous will attain everlasting life, whereas the ungodly will perish (John 3:16), i.e. suffer “everlasting destruction (2 Thessalonians 1:9).
This shows that Proverbs 11:19 is actually a double reference: It was applicable in an earthly sense to the Israelites subject to Old Testament Law, but it has always been applicable to all people in an absolute sense. Today, in New Testament times, we can only regard the passage in the absolute sense: Those who choose to pursue evil will ultimately die — they will be eradicated from existence via just execution (Matthew 10:28, Hebrews 10:26-27, James 4:12 & Luke 19:27) — for such is the ultimate wage of sin (Romans 6:23). Whether or not they live a long life on this earth is irrelevant.
Related Topics:
What are the Sources of Truth (Reality)?
Created in the Image of God — What Does it Mean?
Why is this World so Messed Up?
REDEMPTION — God’s Plan of Liberation for Humanity & Creation
Hell (Human Damnation) — Questions and Answer
What Does “Do Not Go Beyond What is Written” Mean in 1 Corinthians 4:6?
Prophets — New Testament and Old Testament (There’s a Difference)
Official Prophets (Ministers) and Independent Prophets (Ministers)
Hermeneutics — Proper Bible Interpretation
Berean Spirit — What is it? How Do You Cultivate It?
Who Wrote the New Testament Books? Who Authorized them as Scripture Canon?
Bible—Is it Full of Contradictions? Does it Promote Slavery, Tyranny and Discrimination?
Sectarianism — What is It? What’s Wrong with It?
Why Is the King of Babylon Paralleled With Satan in Isaiah 14?
12 How you have fallen from heaven,
morning star, son of the dawn!
You have been cast down to the earth,
you who once laid low the nations!
13 You said in your heart,
“I will ascend to the heavens;
I will raise my throne
above the stars of God;
I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly,
on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon.
14 I will ascend above the tops of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High.”
15 But you are brought down to the realm of the dead,
to the depths of the pit.
16 Those who see you stare at you,
they ponder your fate:
“Is this the man who shook the earth
and made kingdoms tremble,
17 the man who made the world a wilderness,
who overthrew its cities
and would not let his captives go home?”Isaiah 14:12-17
“I saw satan fall like lightning from heaven.”
12 “Son of man, take up a lament concerning the king of Tyre and say to him: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says:
“‘You were the seal of perfection,
full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
13 You were in Eden,
the garden of God;
every precious stone adorned you:
carnelian, chrysolite and emerald,
topaz, onyx and jasper,
lapis lazuli, turquoise and beryl.
Your settings and mountings were made of gold;
on the day you were created they were prepared.
14 You were anointed as a guardian cherub,
for so I ordained you.
You were on the holy mount of God;
you walked among the fiery stones.
15 You were blameless in your ways
from the day you were created
till wickedness was found in you.
16 Through your widespread trade
you were filled with violence,
and you sinned.
So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God,
and I expelled you, guardian cherub,
from among the fiery stones.
17 Your heart became proud
on account of your beauty,
and you corrupted your wisdom
because of your splendor.
So I threw you to the earth;
I made a spectacle of you before kings.
18 By your many sins and dishonest trade
you have desecrated your sanctuaries.
So I made a fire come out from you,
and it consumed you,
and I reduced you to ashes on the ground
in the sight of all who were watching.
19 All the nations who knew you
are appalled at you;
you have come to a horrible end
and will be no more.’”Ezekiel 28:9-19
And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.Matthew 11:23 (KJV)
“And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted to the heavens? No, you will go down to Hades. For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day.”Matthew 11:23 (NIV)
Related Topics:
The Fall of Man (Humanity) and Slavery to Satan
REDEMPTION — God’s Plan of Liberation for Humanity & Creation
How Old is the Earth? (The Gap Theory vs. Young Earth Creationism, Plus other Theories)
Prophets — New Testament and Old Testament (There’s a Difference)
Are Homosexuals “Born that Way”?
One major defense for homosexuality is that those who have this inclination were “born that way.” In other words, they have a genetic predisposition for the practice. The obvious problem with this line of reasoning is that it suggests that people are in bondage to fleshly desires or whims and must live according to them because, after all, they were “born that way.”
For instance, since I like ice cream and my flesh desires to eat a gallon of ice cream every day, does that mean I have to live that way and suffer the inevitable consequences — obesity and bad health? I’m a 58 year-old married man, if I spot an alluring young woman and I discern my flesh yearning for her, should I act on that whim on the grounds that I was “born that way”? Or take men who have a fleshly penchant for adolescent or preadolescent girls. Does that justify that they should live as ephebophiles or pedophiles? Obviously not. It’s the same thing with a fleshly predisposition for homosexuality.
When I say “fleshly” I’m talking about the sinful nature, which is the evil side of every human being ever born; this carnal nature constantly flashes negative thoughts/desires to one’s mind (Galatians 5:17 & Romans 7:18). Freud called it the “id” (not that I’m a follower of Freud). Each person has the choice to either 1. feed these impulses with their thought life, which naturally increases the desire and ultimately compels him/her to sinful action or 2. reject the impulses by not feeding them and not acting on them (Romans 8:5). This explains what the LORD says:
“Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.”
The problem with modern society is that our celebrities and learning institutions in Western (or Western-influenced) areas have for the most part thrown out the concept of evil or unhealthy desires. Instead they essentially teach that any desire you have is good and should be embraced & acted upon because you were “born that way,” no matter how dubious, unhealthy or perverse. It’s all about doing what “feels good” at the moment, which is the hedonists‘ manifesto. Anyone who doesn’t do this is “repressed” (rolling my eyes).
It’s important that we differentiate between the desires of the sinful nature, which every human being experiences on a regular basis, and the actual embracing & practice of those desires, whether in imagination or deed. To experience a fleshly thought is not a sin because that’s what the sinful nature constantly produces — destructive whims, ideas and desires. Rather it’s the practice of those fleshly inclinations (in thought or action) that is sin. You can learn more about this inner war within every human soul and the biblical model of human nature here.
Liberals today want to reinterpret morality and therefore claim that homosexuality is not sinful. They argue that it’s something to be proudly embraced and lived as a lifestyle. Even more, they encourage the person to identify with the fleshly desire, à la ‘Gay American’ and so on. However the Bible plainly says it’s a sin, both Old Testament and New Testament (1 Corinthians 6:9-11 & Leviticus 18:22). ‘Sin‘ literally means to miss the mark. In other words it’s moral error and the practice of sin (in thought or deed) will lead to destruction in some way, including eternal destruction.
Yet you don’t have to be a Christian or know any verse in the Bible to grasp that homosexuality is wrong. It’s a matter of being honest about the obvious facts of reality. It’s common sense and you don’t need the Bible to tell you one way or another. I don’t mean to be crude, but honestly consider the male and female sex organs. They’re simple to figure out: Tab ‘A’ fits into Slot ‘B.’ Tab ‘A’ doesn’t fit with Tab ‘B’ nor does Slot ‘B’ fit with Slot ‘A.’ It’s common sense. Those who rebel against this glaring natural axiom are rebelling against their Creator and nature itself. They’re embracing a lie.
Thankfully, as the Lord proclaimed, the truth will set you free (John 8:31-32) and thus freedom from any fleshly issue is available for anyone who wants it, even if it’s a life-dominating sin bondage, like homosexuality, drug addiction or porn bondage. You can find details here.
Now let’s get back to the core question as to whether being born with a fleshly inclination for homosexuality justifies the practice of this behavior…
I had a friend from my youth who constantly struggled with alcohol all his life until he passed away earlier this year at the premature age of 53. He obviously had a fleshly predisposition for alcohol consumption. I overindulged in drinking alcohol in my mid-teens simply because, as a reserved youngster, I enjoyed being inebriated and letting loose socially. In short, I enjoyed drinking because I enjoyed the effects of alcohol. Yet I quit the so-called party lifestyle well before I was 20 years-old and have never struggled with the temptation of drunkard-ness since. My friend was born with a fleshly inclination for alcohol while I wasn’t. Yet we both indulged in overdrinking with the difference that I quit before I entered my 20s. What’s my point? We both engaged in this sinful behavior yet only one of us was born with the fleshly predisposition for it. You can relate this to any sinful activity.
Take homosexuality, there are homosexuals who have always been inclined toward that behavior because they were born with a flesh proclivity for this particular sin, but other homosexuals plainly admit that they chose the lifestyle for one reason or another, such as easy sexual gratification, a (misguided) sense of intimacy with others of their gender and freedom from the awkwardness & hassles of romancing the opposite sex; the behavior naturally developed into an addiction, meaning a flesh bondage.
Consider Billy Hayes, who was imprisoned in Turkey from 1970-1975 when he was 23-28 years-old. In his autobiographical account, Midnight Express, he admitting to having a homosexual affair in prison for sexual gratification and a sense of intimacy. After escaping, he was at an airport in Greece preparing to fly home to America wherein he purchased a nudie mag at the book store because, he reasoned, he hadn’t seen a woman for so many years. The point is that he engaged in homosexuality for a period of time in prison, but he wasn’t “born that way” and obviously preferred women as far as sexual attraction goes. When it comes down to it, homosexuality is a sexual behavior and not something necessary for survival, like air, food and water.
Want more proof that not all people who practice homosexuality were born with a flesh inclination for it? If they were all “born that way” then the percentage of homosexuals would remain constant in any given society. But that’s not the case. For instance, homosexuality was rampant in Sodom & Gomorrah (Genesis 19:3-5) and the town of Gibeah in Benjamin (Judges 19:22), the latter of which led to a war between the Benjaminites and the other Hebrew tribes based on — essentially — homosexual rights, which tragically ended with the tribe of Benjamin almost being wiped out (Judges 19-21). Truly, “the wages of sin is death.”
From a biblical standpoint, the rise of homosexuality indicates that a society is in its final stages of decay, which eventually incurs the Creator’s judgment because it’s an intrinsic abomination that defiles the landscape, resulting in the land “vomiting out its inhabitants,” one way or another (Romans 1:18-32, Leviticus 18:22 & 18:28). This has been borne out in societies throughout history, like the Greek and Roman empires.
Basically, as a society decays morally, homosexuality becomes the ‘sin du jour’ and spreads socially because it’s the ‘hip’ thing to do. This is what happened in Sodom & Gomorrah and Gibeah in the Bible. We see it happening today in America with homosexual bastions, such as parts of San Francisco, Provincetown, New York City, Palm Springs, Key West and many others. It was the same with Sodom & Gomorrah 3900 years ago and Gibeah 3000 years ago. Truly, “there is nothing new under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9). This, incidentally, destroys the arrogant argument that homosexuality is something “new” and “progressive.” No, it’s a perverse, unnatural act that is as old as sin.
So not all people who practice homosexuality were born with a fleshly inclination for this behavior. Many were attracted to the perverse lifestyle for reasons already noted. Others were lured into it by a practicing homosexual. Why else do you think homosexuals typically make references to “converting” people? If all homosexuals were “born that way” then no one would have to be converted.
Being the ‘sin du jour’ today, people are being brainwashed into the lifestyle. For instance, a girl I knew was encouraged by her uber-liberal mother to watch the Ellen DeGeneres show since she was a little girl. They watched it religiously on a daily basis wherein the girl was constantly exposed to DeGeneres’ “gay” propaganda. Is it any wonder that, upon reaching adulthood, she ‘came out’ as a lesbian and ‘married’ her lover?
I’m sharing this with compassion about the moral fall of America & modern Western nations in general with the hope of waking people up from the brainwashing of militant homosexuals & their enablers to see freedom through the gospel. God is calling all to repentance & faith (Acts 20:21); this includes people who have a flesh penchant for homosexuality or any other sinful practice.
Being born with a carnal inclination for a certain sin is no defense to justify its practice. If it were then thieves, pathological liars, drunkards, pedophiles and adulterers could claim innocence on the grounds that they were “born that way.” While I hate sin and the fleshly bondage it brings, I don’t hate people. Rather, I want to see them set free and do everything in my power to accomplish this, despite the knee-jerk persecution from Liberals. Speaking of which, some unbelievers will automatically accuse…
‘You’re a Bigot and a Homophobe!’
For those who rashly jump to such a conclusion, please consider this: The Bible plainly teaches that “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). This includes those who practice homosexuality. Like all people, the LORD has lovingly provided a way for them to escape their sin and the wages thereof — death — to reconcile via spiritual rebirth and obtain eternal life.
Is homosexuality wrong in God’s eyes? Yes, but so is fornication, adultery, drunkard-ness, pomposity, hatred, strife, gossip, slander, religious hypocrisy and numerous other sins (see 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 & Galatians 5:19-21). The wages of all sin is death and God wants us to escape it through the gospel, which literally means “good news” because it holds the power to set us free and reconcile us to our Creator (Romans 6:23). You see, there’s no discrimination — the LORD wants all people across the board to be set free from slavery to fleshly bondages. Christianity’s all about freedom: “It is for freedom that Christ has set you free” (Galatians 5:1).
Modern culture has embraced two lies:
- If you disapprove of someone’s lifestyle it automatically means that you fear or hate them;
- to truly love someone you must agree with everything they believe and do.
This is absurd. I don’t approve of practicing alcoholics, addicts and fornicators, but this doesn’t mean I fear or hate them. I actively walk in love toward arrogant people, liars, adulterers and slanderers, but that doesn’t mean I agree with their destructive behaviors. And by “walk in love” I don’t just mean the gentle variety because sometimes “tough love” is in order, which includes sharing the awful truth about the wages of sin — eternal death.
Related Topics:
Homosexuality is a Sin, BUT there’s Freedom through Christ
Spirituality — How to be Spirit-Controlled Rather than Flesh-Ruled
(Pseudo) Science is the “New God” and Dubious Scientists are the “New Gods”
What are the Sources of Truth (Reality)?
Understanding “the Right” and “the Left” from a Biblical Perspective
The Left’s Unbalanced View of Christ & Christianity
Understanding the Religion of LIEberalism
What Is the Year of JUBILEE?
Leviticus 25:10 shows that the Year of Jubilee refers to the 50th year after 7 cycles of 7 years in which the land of Israel and its people gained freedom and celebrated. It was to be a year of:
- Rest for the Hebrews and the soil (25:11). Since the 49th year was already a sabbatical year (25:1-7), this meant the land would have two years of rest.
- All land in Israel was to revert back to the original owner because the original distribution of property was to remain intact (25:10-34 & 27:16-24).
- Every Hebrew who sold himself as a servant due to poverty was to be freed, along with his family (25:39-46). This law had a leveling effect on Israel’s culture by ensuring everyone was guaranteed a chance for a fresh start in their lifetime.
One thing this reveals is that the LORD takes healthy rest very seriously and doesn’t want his children burning out on sowing & reaping in pursuit of mammon. Speaking of which…
Is the Year of Jubilee Applicable to Believers Today?
Can this be applied to believers during the Church Age? Obviously most of us won’t be able to take a sabbatical year off of work, but we can certainly take some time off to rest & refresh in the Lord, whether a couple hours, a day, a weekend or a vacation. We can also forgive those who are morally indebted to us.
During such periods of Jubilee we can sit at the Lord’s feet to rest & refresh, like Mary wisely did while her sister scurried around in a flurry of activity in the name of duty or “working for the Lord” (Luke 10:38-42). Christ plainly pointed out that Mary chose the better option. You can read details here.
We can also look forward to our eternal Jubilee with the LORD in the New Heavens and New Earth, the eternal home of righteousness (2 Peter 3:13).
The spiritual/mental/physical healthiness of taking a ‘Jubilee’ from regular work now & then leads to a final key point to consider…
“Do Not Wear Yourself Out to Get Rich”
When I was in my early 20s I was working for a small company wherein the supervisor suddenly quit and I was offered his job. I was excited because the position offered an impressive salary. I took the job but suddenly found myself running around like a headless chicken and no longer had the time to spend with studying the Scriptures or prayer/meditation, things that were dear to my heart. After a few weeks I went to the remote corner of a dark stockroom and literally wept. I had inadvertently made money my god and was pursuing it at the expense of more important things.
This brings to mind this wise Scripture:
Do not wear yourself out to get rich; be wise enough to restrain yourself.
Proverbs 23:4 (BSB)
This corresponds to what Christ said about how the deceitfulness of wealth — which includes the obsessive pursuit of it — can “choke the word, making it unfruitful” (Mark 4:19). This is what happened to me on this occasion.
Needless to say, we have to be careful not to fall into the mindset of the world where everything revolves around how much you make and the respect/privileges thereof. The world says that if you make under a certain figure you’re in “poverty” and if you make over a certain figure you’re “prosperous,” but this is irrelevant to true prosperity. The Scriptures say that Joseph was prosperous as a slave in Potiphar’s house and when he was in prison (Genesis 39:2-6 & 39:20-23).
Related Topics:
Holidays—Which Ones Should Christians Observe or Not Observe?
Sabbath — What is it? Should Believers Observe It?
Provision, Money and “Prosperity”
The Seven FREEDOMS — Take Hold of ‘Em!
Praise & Worship—What’s the Difference? Why are they Important?