Entertaining Moloch

Entertaining Moloch

8/3/15

Most people who have read the Bible probably do not recall this entity that is mentioned.  Yes, you saw correctly most have not heard of this entity but to those who have studied the Bible might have reached the point to where Moloch was mentioned and the significance of its presence within Israel.  Moloch may have been popular during ancient times, but it is important to understand that its false presence is still prevalent in today’s world.  What needs to be understood is that Moloch and its aura has captivated a worldwide audience as a safe haven for choices that humans make, and while the presentation of Moloch may be a little different from ancient times the acts towards Moloch today are vitally identical.  It also important to note that because of our choices today, the same results shall occur within our governing bodies that support Moloch and its requirements.

In no way am I bashing those people who claim to read the Bible; however, I do question their habits for there is a difference between reading and studying and it is through this difference that raises my level of concern.  I have to admit that I had to place myself into this reading category for the majority of my life.  I was an avid reader of the Bible and then a point in my life came where I did not wish to read it any longer, thus exacerbating the issue between the two concepts. 

When I reached this point in my life I just stopped reading the Bible and it was easy for me to do so.  Even though I was born and raised in church and the Bible was the essential book that was the centerpiece of my family, I chose to just read it on a daily level, or a few times a week.  Then, after a while reading the Bible became a burden to me so I slowed down even further until I stopped completely.  Reading the Bible kept my mind guilt-free yet starved my heart from the direct source of spiritual life within my life.  It was easy to stop reading the Bible because reading a source is superficial in stature and one shall deem the contents of that book as such; treat it with a grain of salt if one wishes to put it this way.  I treated it as a duty or a requirement instead of a direct communication tool that would provide me protection from this world and during this time, I really did not care to understand the difference either.

Studying a book or diving into its subject compels a person to research more about the topic that they are studying.  Readingskims the surface and is usually at a faster pace with no conviction represented by the reader.  Studying breaks down each word, phrase and sentence in order to draw out the entire meaning of the sentence, paragraph or chapter.  It takes longer to study a book because the mind inquires for further information on each subject mentioned, thus creating a heart’s desire to know every detail of the subject.  Reading the Bible falls into this same category and should warrant our complete attention instead of performing a religious ritual on a scheduled timeframe.

When I came to this conclusion and the difference between reading and studying the Bible I felt so stupid.  For all my life, I watched my dad study the Word of God every day.  I heard him tell me about how Paw Paw used to spend hours at a time studying the Word and then I had the opportunity to watch Yanyad take notes after notes on the passages that he would study. All of these examples in my life and I did not have the decency to think that there was a difference between the two words reading and studying; especially since reading was the exact way that I “studied” in high school and the first part of my college years.  This example alone should have triggered this difference, but it laid dormant for decades.

Now, I study the Word of God as often as I can, sometimes even more than once a day.  I find myself constantly trying to figure out settings that occurred in the Bible and place them on a human level; the Bible is all about humans and the lives that they lived, either for God or against God.  When I began to study the Bible it became a living word to my life and it brought into my heart a hunger to know more about God and how He operates.  Studying the Bible also places a person into another category, a category which throws away biased opinions and interpretations, thus creating the perfect and stable truths that we need to survive against the world.

I have to admit that I did not know anything about Moloch until a year ago, yet its (his) name has been in Leviticus ever since it was written many millennia ago.  The mention of his name brings into light a curiosity to me now, one that after I really read the passage, with open spiritual eyes and heart, and I began to study the passage, looked it up online and gathered more information about his presence.  I found out that he was a god that was very popular during the times of the Ammonites and was a principle god of their culture.  Moloch was worshiped by the Canaanites, Phoenicians and other cultures of North Africa and the Levant. Interesting note here in that one should look up the area of the Levant and of Phoenicia and see which modern peoples are associated with this area.  Moloch is a Semitic root word that means “king”, which should also serve as an interesting study.

We all have heard about the antics that the Israelites performed while Moses was on the mountaintop with God.  There are detailed accounts of how they were dancing around the golden calf idol that they had made.  It was a total party and celebration to them and nothing was held back during this worship service.  With all of the participation that was ongoing it would not have been hard to understand that something was going on as Moses came down from the mountain.  One can imagine that at first Moses thought that the people were celebrating God and His mercies that they had beheld but as Moses came closer to their celebrations he quickly understood that the partying going on was nothing but a drunken spiritual and physical orgy to a melted down and reshaped piece of metal.

The setting that is presented in this story is one of pure happiness and a party style atmosphere.  The people that are participating in this ritual are having a blast and are not concerned with how they are appearing to anyone else but themselves.  Their actions tell a story of contentment and acceptance to what the golden calf represents and it opens the door for further rebellion to be accepted in their futures.  It is easy for us to compare this type of setting to today’s party type atmospheres but the mention of Moloch and his commands present another whole setting which is far more inclusive, invasive and dangerous.

Moloch was a principle god of the tribes that I mentioned above and he was important enough that his worship required a little bit more than dancing hysterically around his image.  His commands also included a higher level of status which included specific acts by those who saw him as their god.  The level of worship and commitment to Moloch was set at a higher standard as well which we will observe in a moment.  This example is the prime reason as to why God states that He wants no other gods before Him, for when we do place anything above Him it can cause us to commit terrible acts in the name of that god.  It does not matter what the god may be, placing something else or someone else above God is a mortal act for both the person granting the access and for the recipient of the act.

Moloch required a bit more attention than other gods, in that he wished to have a “personal relationship” with his subjects.  The people who “led” these services for Moloch said that the people wee responsible to give up their children in order to obtain a certain level in Moloch’s realm.  By giving up, they meant that the parents would voluntarily give their children to Moloch in the form of a sacrifice, a human sacrifice.  And since there are tablets that have been preserved that show parents giving their children to Moloch for sacrifice it can be accepted that this practice was real and it was performed in a genuine manner by these people.  The parents voluntarily chose to sacrifice their own children in order to make their presence known to Moloch and the government of these people approved of these acts of murder.

This setting seems so vulgar and grotesque that one would never believe that a person would stoop so low that they would willingly give up their child to an object that does not exist any further than the metal, wood, clay or any other type of shape that has been made by mankind.  Yet, even today we have some examples that are readily accepted that serve as the same foundations as what Moloch “wanted” as a requirement for his services.

Think about this for a moment, there were people who had sex, get pregnant, deliver the child and at some point when the child was very young offer it’s life up to Moloch, never to see this child again.  In the book of Genesis, God states that it is mankind’s responsibility to replenish the earth and to bring forth their own kind after each other.  No where does it state in God’s Word that the act of human reproduction be molested in such a manner to produce children for any type of sacrifice.  God gives us this example when He tested Abraham with Isaac, because God knew that a human / human originated sacrifice.  This “practice” also takes the intimacy of two people becoming one and places it into a casual setting in order to satisfy another’s feelings or wants; in this case, a god that has no life beyond the visual object that is before the human eye.  Does this type of foundational setting sound familiar to anyone, and could anyone see where it can lead?

Also, this child would not be just thrown into a fire and sent burning in a small ceremony.  No, the child had to be a literal sacrifice which means that a true ceremony had to be correctly performed in order for the sacrifice to be accepted by Moloch. No where does the Bible mention that the governments of those who worshiped Moloch and participated in his requirements forbade this type of practice.  Instead, God gives the command that no one should participate in such an activity and to completely stay away from it.  And for those who did participate or agreed to host such an event, He promised to personally end their lives as soon as possible.  This proves that God chooses life at all costs and it also sets into motion the choices that humans are granted and to live with the consequences of such choices on the same hand.

It is not too hard to understand that the same types of practices are in play within the current world today.  Even though people do not publicly celebrate this practice and receive funds in order to provide such programs; oh, wait a minute, yes they do and yes, there are programs today all granted in the name of choice according to this setting.  Instead of the god Moloch being served it is the person who is aborting the baby that is being served.  The procedure itself is presented as a glorious setting and one that should be demanded whenever a person deems it is necessary, without question, recourse or remorse.  During the days of the Ammonites, the setting of a sacrifice was a great event and the parents honored for their participation, similarly as the tearing apart of the child is today.

With the apparent ancient government approval of this practice to Moloch, it would be reasonably concerning to the “modern and enlightened” mind to comprehend such a quota being raised today.  However, when we look at all of the options granted to people these days it does not take too much searching for such a plan of support coming from government levels.  There are not only agencies that provide such destruction but they celebrate in the lie that the baby is not alive by selling its living tissues to other agencies for profit.  Now, if you place this practice in line with the activities towards Moloch, is there a comparison?  Oh yes, in that the parents of the sacrificed child would supposedly receive a blessing or elevated status for their reward; a profit.

I find it fascinating that God would even have to mention this type of activity to Israel, but because Israel is made up of people, God had to warn them.  And, keeping in line with being human it was not too much longer until Israel began worshiping Moloch and they too participated in the child sacrifices.  Doesn’t it seem kind of far-fetched that a nation created and established by God would even entertain this type of idolatry?  What about this country?  Even though our name was not mentioned in the Bible our land was established by God for the protection of His people and it is through our own choices that we have made this land an abomination to His establishment.

In the book of Leviticus, God is very specific in His instructions concerning the god Moloch and how the children of Israel should stay away from any participation in this worship.  It means that Israel had contact with its neighbors and was accepted for a time within their communities, so much so that Israel became interested in Moloch.  God also was very specific about what He would do to the people that chose to participate in this worship, and it was not too much longer until Israel was completely destroyed by the same people that they once associated with on a regular basis.  When God is specific and then His children do not obey, God will reach a point and He will have to say it is enough.

Today, our nation and its leaders had an opportunity to shut down one of the publicly funded programs that participate in such a manner.  This company funds thousands of abortions each day and helps women sacrifice their babies in order to preserve their sexual status.  The majority of the women that have abortions are strictly elective and have no ties to anyone except the sexual contact with the partner at the time; a pattern that is far too common when dealing with human choices.  As expected the government leaders struck down a bill to defund this company, once again refusing to regulate this practice and send another signaling slap in the face to God.  It is all in the name of choice and as long as humans fail to ignore the realities of their choices and how important each one of our choices are, this trend shall continue until God says “enough”.  But remember, we have examples of what occurs when God says “enough” and when it hits the fan, do not blame anyone else but ourselves; yet, I have a feeling we will continue to “set” the trend by lying to ourselves of exactly why things were destroyed.

We have once again proven that humans who do not study history and understand its complete contents are doomed to repeat the same history again.  America deems herself to be the greatest country that ever existed and she is absolutely correct.  God ordained this land to be a haven for life and for a while that truth was proclaimed to the entire world.  Now, self indulgences are the rule of the day and we can offend no one, except God.  That is our choice and God shall give us every opportunity to change that choice and to turn back into His direction but there is a limit and it is very obvious, to those who are studying and watching, that this time is at an end.  I do not know how many days of entertaining Moloch we have left, but know this please, when God strikes He will do it just as we have proudly and staunchly slapped Him in the face.  His judgment will be huge and mind boggling with the just and unjust included in the devastation.  And when the devastation can be totally measured and it is time for the restoration process to begin, maybe, just maybe we will get the process correct this time.

DLB

Feeling Comfortable

Feeling Comfortable

8/2/15

Luxury is just that, a luxury.  It is a condition that everyone wishes they could be in at all times of their life, yet the majority of us while we have everything that we need to survive we are still left out of the luxurious category.  This pattern can be witnessed throughout the world as well; it can even reach the point of the haves versus the have-nots.  This standard also applies to the Church as well but in a different confine, one that determines eternal life with God or eternal damnation with the god of this world.  The Church should never feel comfortable with what the world is selling and should be prepared at all times for those tricks have come and those that are forthcoming.

There is no question that our nation has been the most blessed nation that has ever graced the face of the earth.  These blessings are strictly due to God and through His generosity and not many of us living within this country have been without this true substance of life.  This country was not always in this good of shape, for many of the first decades of our existence we did not know if we would survive as a people much less as a nation.  It was our first fathers who dedicated this land for His usage, not men.  It was these same people who faced starvation and seemingly insurmountable circumstances, but even when the hope of their existence was torn to shreds, they continued the fight and won the day with prayer and fasting for their God and their new country.  It was not their ingenious ideas that kept them together; it was the rough edges of survival with God as their witness that propelled them to survival.

Over time their ideas and thoughts about God waned and they allowed certain habits to encircle their lives which clouded their vision that God had given them.  As any human would react, their steadfastness and success in their new land gave them a confidence that soon crept into a sense of accomplishment, slowly turning into a hedged mount of pride that grew until it swallowed them whole.  God’s laws were interpreted s strict guidelines that should be executed without hesitation, just as comfortability had grown into an everyday living condition.  God’s stability was mistaken for human pride and gloating of personal gain became the norm for the graceful few.  Was not this the exact reason why they left England to come to this land?  Was it not for religious freedom and for a place to prepare for the arrival of the many who wish to worship God in like manner?

The Church of the day had become comfortable in dealing out God’s law with a harsh hand and severing any ties of true servitude to God, all the while destroying the image of Christ to which they should have been setting for the native inhabitants and for their kin alike.  It is evident from the actions of the Church in those years after the first landings that their priorities had shifted due to the blessings that God had bestowed upon them.  Their comfortability had cost them the vision that their leaders once dreamt about and made possible through the courage given to them by God.

How many of us understand that the blessings of God are a Kingdom Principle that God loves to commit to His people?  Do we also know that it is through these blessings that we are obligated to give to others and to show them and to tell them about where those blessings came?  I do not believe that we do understand this principle and I also believe that God is about ready to take back over the nation that He established as a refuge for people and to hit the reset button.  We should have no problem identifying the same wicked spirit in our nation today, and I am sad to say that through the misgivings of the Church, she has fallen into this mire as well; all by her own choices, just as the early first fathers did.  In no circumstance should the Church feel comfortable with her surroundings, nor should she ever give into the ways of the world.

It is a known fact that when a person, group, state or nation becomes comfortable with a situation fear and guilt automatically leave.  All of us have experienced this feeling and I mean ALL of us.  There was one point in my life that I told a lie and then had to tell another in order to cover the first one up.  I found that the pattern of covering up became a large issue for me and it took time for me to remember everything that I said to those people because if I was ever questioned about the lie, I had to remember exactly what I said to each person.  I had always been told to tell the truth at all times and that if I did this and kept this principle that I would never have to fend off accusations when deliberately questioned.  My comfortability and cool continued to play the role that was necessary to maintain the lie and after a while I had come to the realization that this situation would take care of itself and the truth did not need to be told; however, the luxury of not telling the truth had run its course and I was taking a huge fall.

This setting in my life came to a head when I could no longer figure out what to say to those who continued to bring up the subject.  My comfortability of lying had come to an end and I had no other option but to tell the truth and break the vicious cycle that I had personally created.  What bugged me the most was the fact that a good portion of the people that I was acquainted with at the time asked me about that situation, even people who never talked to be was asking about it; I was over it and wanted it to stop.  It did stop but not until my fall had been complete.  I was embarrassed to step out of my house let alone my room.  It took me a while to figure out that my choices in that one specific situation were wrong and that I had only compounded the situation by not coming forward with the truth earlier, better yet I should have never told the lie in the first place.

Why am I giving this type of example for being comfortable?  Well, it is exactly what the Church is doing to herself by accepting the lies of the world.  In accepting these lies she has now begun to believe in these lies just as those people did at first when I told them a lie.  Lies tend to be exaggerations which only can grow over time.  See, lies can never be ordinary or average, they must contain certain items which make them attractive and it is through those actions that the deceit is laid out and it grows from that point onwards.  A lie becomes enthralling with its mystique and will invade the mind and heart with exact diligence.  It will fester until the right time for it to appear and then breed new lies as it exposes itself from within.  This process is the exact reason as to why the Church is in the shape that she is in today and the exact reason as to why God must judge this nation for rejecting the Word of god as His authoritative and infallible truth for our lives.

There are many issues that the leaders of the Church have disagreed with for centuries.  It is time that we forget our personal differences and hang-ups and begin to preach the Word of God once again.  It is evident that the lies that the Church has been fed have taken a hold within the heart of her existence.  It is also evident that these lies have festered and bred within her and are now being poured out as a symbolic gesture to the one who instilled those lies within her in the first place.  This country was founded in order to serve as a safe haven for those who wanted to seek God, it was also founded as a safe haven for God’s chosen people who were about to be slaughtered by many nations across this globe. 

We have taken this authority from God and have perverted it for our own indulgences, beginning with the throngs of the Medieval Church and all of the wickedness she spewed upon people.  The Church was in no greater a comfort zone during this time for she had complete control over the land and sea but somehow could not proclaim the message of God as she was commanded to do by her groom.  And it is at this point that the modern Church is being portrayed and it is this same type of message that she is sending out to the people.  Follow me and all will be ok, accept the world’s standards and everything will be good, run free with your ideas and keep your ambitions flowing freely all without any hindrance through personal interpretations of the Bible.

These actions of the Church are a prime example that she has totally forgotten what her status is and what type of example she is to be setting.  The lies that she had bought from the world have infiltrated her heart so much that her speech is filled with death and destruction.  Her eyes have become so blinded with worldly standards that she cannot see the impending doom of this country.  Her mind and hearts are so silent that she cannot hear the truth message of God to warn His people to change their ways before destruction comes like never witnessed before.  Her comfortability in the world has set the stage for her demise so that God’s Kingdom can once again be pushed forward.  She has lost the concept of Kingdom and that those two kingdoms shall never mix.  Her leadership of this nation has been completely marred by lustful gains through power and greed, which secludes the spiritual communication with God and promotes individualistic hedonism that enhances her indulgence with the world.

These lies have been generated through the belief that the Church can mix with the world.  This belief has been acted upon due to the doubting of God’s Word and not fully understanding as to why God’s Word says to do things and not to do things.  God’s Laws were designed to keep a person or nation from the world, to separate them from the world not to be included in the worldly governances.  The comfortability of the Church has been shown to the world through its own mistakes and choices.  She was never created to be a comfort zone with the world but to fight the world and the lies that its kingdom brings.  The Church is at war with the world, not at a sloppy sex convention session with it.

The lies that have infiltrated the Church are so vast that she now is beginning to fight within her own existence.  The humiliating part of this fact is that she does not even recognize that it is occurring even though it continues to grow every day.  She blindly combats this conflict with further acceptance of the world’s standards, thinking that if she complies with the world that her problems will go away.  The only “problem” with that logic is that she was created to show people how to be separated from the world not accepted by the world and until this fact is understood, her “problems” shall only increase until an implosion occurs.

Why is it so important for the Church to do her job correctly?  For it is her alone that stands in the way of a corrupt and evil ruler that has only one mission and that is to make sure that each and every person in existence dies in their sins and spends eternity away from God.  It is the Church that is to believe that the Word of God is incorruptible and full of wisdom and truth, not some book that can be interpreted any way that a human wishes to do it, yet she has accepted these interpretations as “the gospel” just as the kingdom ruler of the earth wishes.  If the Church is becoming so popular amongst the world then why are her attendance numbers not dramatically increasing?  Even 0-16 football teams have sold out crowds for many of their games, for they too are comfortable that their destination is safe.

It is time that the Church awakens from her slumber and realize that the lies that she has allowed into her spirit represents nothing but death, both to her and to the people that she is supposed to be witnessing to.  The examples that she is setting cannot be kosher with the world, for the world cannot coexist with God, ever!  The world has set into motion a series of destructive motives that are now in motion and unless we stop this motion now, further damage shall be allowed to occur.  There are prophecies out there that predict a grave destruction of this country, ones that are going to be fulfilled SOON.  Whoever reads this article needs to know that the Church is not doing her job and that many of her cells are promoting a lying agenda about how one can be comfortable with the world and with God at the same time.  THIS IS A LIE!!! 

God is once again tugging on our hearts to repent and to listen to His voice.  It is imperative that we stop and be still long enough to hear what He is saying.  He wants to guide our lives in such a manner that everything that we do represents His true spirit and love for His people.  It is not His will that anyone should die and face His judgment unprepared.  Enough judgment is about to come to this nation just as it did to Israel in 732 BC and it shall not be pretty.  Church it is time we shake off the lies from our hearts and WAKE UP, so that we may start truly completing the mission that our groom commanded us to do. 

We have given up enough ground and it is time to reclaim what this land was originally blessed to complete; what is pathetic is that we do not seem to care which ground we have given up on either.  God asks you to search your hearts and to ask Him to find the lies that we have hidden deep within and to take them from our lives so that we may see what His Word means to our lives.  The only way that this can be obtained is to forsake our own lying, selfish ways and turn back to God and place Him number 1 in our lives again.  Repent and allow God to restore your life as it was meant upon our creation and when this occurs, we can begin to rebuild this nation again.  And when we lose this self gratification status, I guarantee that God will light a holy fire within the hearts of the Church so bright and hot that there shall be no comfortability status for the world.

DLB

Talk to the Samaritans

Talk to the Samaritans

7/28/15

Why would this topic be of any importance to our personal lives?  Do we even know that it is of great importance even in today’s society?  Both of these questions need to be addressed and answered according to what Jesus would have done and how the answers should be a direct pattern through our lives.  The phrase of Jesus’ love is quite useful in this context and will be presented in such a manner in which we do need to live on a continual basis.  The topic defines our mission that Christ gave to us and also sets into motion the process of getting out of our comfort zones and going into a dying world.

There have been many times in my life that I have followed the strict lines that I believed were true and while many of these lines have kept me out of trouble there have been times where my actions have actually hurt myself, the people involved or both.  I have mentioned before about a time in my life when I was in high school and there was a girl that liked me and I was so willing to reciprocate the same feelings for her.  After a while dancing around the subject we finally went out one evening and had a good time until I opened my mouth about denominations.  It was own stupidity that led to this disastrous conversation and as soon as the words left my mouth, the date was “over” in her opinion; and rightly so.

The things that I thought were correct and unshakable turned out to be the foundation of the end of what could have been a beautiful relationship before it had the chance to begin.  My hard line antics demeaned some of her beliefs and it turned her off completely, especially since I had no biblical proof to support my position.  Both of us came from a Christian home and both of us understood that being a Christian was important and that everyone needed Christ as their savior, but it was my legalistic language that cut her deeply and nothing was left for us to talk about.  My “intelligence” came through that evening and my wisdom was squelched completely.  And as I look back on that scene, I realize that I was so wrong for not listening to her side of things, I only took into consideration of my thinking and not hers.

A few days ago our neighbors went on a short canoe trip down one of the rivers that flow through our town.  It is summer time here in Colorado and this means that the rivers are usually higher than normal because of the snow melt coming off the mountains.  Anyone who lives around rivers or other bodies of water should know that when water levels are high or they are changing it can present some dangerous conditions to humans, animals, and the environment.  The main goal of this specific canoe trip was to help out the environment out by slowly moving alongside the banks of the river and to carefully pick up trash and dispose of it properly.  The couple has done this plenty of times before and in much higher water conditions, yet for whatever reason that day would be a little different.

As they were paddling along and trying to complete the task at hand, something went array and they quickly came into trouble. The canoe pierced the water at the right time and angle and it completely capsized throwing both of them into the water and stuck in a world of hurt.  They both were thrown into the water and with the normal fast current of a high river they were plunged underneath the water.  The gentleman was tossed back and forth under water while his body was striking against rocks as he struggled to stay afloat.  The lady was completely submerged two times with one of those times having hit her head squarely on a huge rock.  It was a scene that every person who has anything to with water fears.  Oh, the thoughts that went through their minds as they were struggling to stay alive and calling for help, but no one answered them.

Yes, no one answered them, but that does not mean that no one was around to hear their cries for help or who witnessed what was transpiring.  After the safety of both of their lives was secured, they reached the bank of the river and sat there for a moment making sure that they were not badly damaged.  They watched as all of their supplies, identification, tools and their canoe flowed down the river all the while realizing that there was nothing they personally could do; just thankful to be alive. 

After a few moments passed, the man of the couple went over to the group of people that were standing there and had watched the entire event unfold.  I would not make mention of this on normal settings but it the specific group which brings into play here the details of the two biblical stories above.  I do not know where this group of young men and their leaders are from but the Boy Scout troop that stood there and did nothing while our neighbors fought for their lives served as the perfect participants for both of the examples above.  Boy Scouts are trained in survival skills and to help those people who are trapped or in need of added assistance, yet they and their leaders stood there and did not move.

When the man approached them and then questioned them about their lack of help, their response was classic and so fitting for the examples of this article, which were as follows: “there was nothing we could have done”.  When asked if they understood the courtesies of river life, their answer did not vary and the exact same words came forth.  Ones who are supposed to be friendly in time of need and those who were familiar with the settings as another did absolutely nothing.  Their intelligence took over and they kept to their present line and stayed behind it.

The first biblical setting of this article that God is sharing with us is the story of the Good Samaritan.  Many of us are familiar with this story and how all of the participants play their roles that lead up to the injured man being helped and eventually recovers.  But when one dissects the story completely it becomes very interesting to witness exactly what transpired and how this setting actually plays out in today’s world.  The wisdom of Jesus’ parable here rings so loud and true and commands the thinking of those who say the Bible is only a bunch of ancient stories that are not relevant today.  I understand that there are many aspects to this parable, but I am only going to dealing with one small, yet huge, aspect of it.

The first part of the parable states that a man was walking along the road when he is mugged, robbed and severely beaten.  The second part deals with people that are passing bye the injured man and simply do nothing about the man, they do not care even though they see that he is badly in need of help; in fact, one even goes to the other side of the street, making sure he has nothing to do with him.  The third portion of the story is what God wants us to think about here and that is the actions of the Samaritan.

It is clear that the two others that passed bye the man had no intentions of helping him, nor were they even concerned about his overall condition; their actions say that they care more about their own selves than their friends, neighbors or general population.  Does this type of human participation ring any bells?  It should, because we notice it every day, or ignore it I should state.  Jesus plants a negative condition when He introduces the Samaritan into the story.  Jews did not like the Samaritans and many of them would do exactly what one of the people did in this story which was to cross to the other side of the path in order to not be close to them.  Yet it was the actions of the Samaritan that Jesus wanted His disciples and anyone else listening to understand and how important it was to include all sides of the equation when dealing with humans.

Jesus made it clear that humans have a choice to act or to react when a situation develops and through this parable He demonstrates this truth.  Logically speaking it would seem normal for a like minded person or one that follows the same ideas and beliefs to help one out in time of need, like a team.  Also on the logically speaking card, one would expect an enemy to turn away and not help their enemy when the opportunity presented itself.  But Jesus throws everyone for a loop when He states that it was the Samaritan who helped the injured man by tending to his wounds, carrying him to a place of shelter and then paid for his entire recovery period; this defies logic and how a normal human setting would play out.

It was the fellow compatriots who had the intelligence to recognize a situation and choose to keep their own lines and to ignore the potential.  It was the Samaritan who had the wisdom enough to understand what had occurred and did something to correct it by crossing the belief system and changing public opinion and recognized battle lines.  It is through this parable that Jesus teaches us not to be drawn solely on debatable lines but to engage those who differ from you in order to obtain personal information and to establish a relationship instead of hard boundaries that only cause reactions when approached.  The Samaritan was standing his ground by giving us the example of kindness and the willingness to put away differences so that the true meaning of life can be demonstrated.

The second example within the Bible that is going to be used again deals with a Samaritan woman.  The beliefs of both sides are clearly the same and it is soon demonstrated that neither side is willing to back down from their position, until God steps in and changes everything.  Here Jesus is in direct contact with this woman who has come up to get water.  Jesus looks at her and then strikes up a conversation with her, which must have totally shocked the woman.  The conversation begins to turn a bit when Jesus makes statements about her husband and then reveals specific details about her that no one else in the Jewish community would know.

The point here is that Jesus was willing to cross over the boundary lines and talk with the Samaritan woman, who was considered to be an enemy and dirty to the Jewish people.  The lines had been established and were hard and defined, so much so that if Jews were witnessed associating with Samaritans they could be subject to a shunning process and possibly kicked out of their community in disgrace.  What torches and flames the fires of Jesus’ disciples is that first of all Jesus talks to this woman by himself when they are not around and secondly it goes totally contrary to their customs that it could get them into trouble.  It is the exact same setting as the Good Samaritan story but instead of being a parable it occurs in real life.

The disciples display their intelligence in the way they act after the woman temporarily departs, and it is through their intellect that they continue to divide and conquer with their community status.  It is Jesus who demonstrates wisdom by crossing over the established boundaries to reach out to the woman and to share with her the truth about life and about God.  Even though the characters in both stories are reversed the same conclusions occur where people cross over to other visible sides in order to help others in need.

How do these examples fit into today’s societal thinking?  In western societies have degrees along with critical thinking skills are a must if one is to be classified within the “educated” realm.  When students are subjected to professors and instructors that claim that the way they think is the only correct way, then that type of influence and defined border is established within the student’s atmosphere.  This type of attitude generates with many people and then is campaigned throughout the many avenues of communication that is available every moment of the day or night. 

Every sector from entertainment business to the nightly newscasts is filled with one way of thinking only message.  Almost every segment of information that is readily available provides a certain method and way of thinking and then it is taught that if someone believes differently then they are lower in intelligence and should not be taken seriously.  While many do not believe that this type of example and reality are being presented, it is not hard to draw a conclusion if one truly sits and listens to what is being conveyed.  It is this type of intelligence that is bringing our society to its knees and it is not to pray but to prey instead.

We are teaching our children to involuntarily place intelligence as the forefront of their thinking instead of showing them how wisdom works.  If the battle lines are drawn early enough the job of maintaining those lines will become easier as time moves along.  This type of belief and teaching promotes a one method society without any variances in human conduct allowed, and if any do occur then mockery and shaming immediately is called in to “restore order”.  This type of living only provides division and hurt within friends, a family, a state or nation and will serve as a foundational piece of stone that is sure to crush the human will and spirit.

What would have happened if the Good Samaritan stayed on his side of the street?  What would have occurred if Jesus had not spoken with the Samaritan woman at the well?  Intelligence would have taken over and wisdom would have been pushed aside as the order of the day.  There is a reason that the word intelligent or intelligence is only mentioned 1 time in the Bible; it was being used as a method of gathering information against an enemy.  And there is a reason as to why the word wisdom is used numerous times throughout the entire Word of God.  There is a huge difference in those two words and their usage can mean either eternal life or eternal death.

Church, we need to take a step back and see where we have drawn our boundaries and try and think of when we crossed those lines last in order to show people and to tell people of the good news of the Gospel of Christ.  It is our responsibility to understand that while it is important for us to have an intelligent mind it is even more important to have a wise heart.  It is through intelligent means that we accept those people who believe differently than we do into our lives but it is through the wisdom of our heart that we show them God and His ways and to teach them that there is abundant life when separated from the world. 

We can no longer rely upon the intellectual percentages and charts that come common each day to predict an outcome, we instead need to factor into account the wisdom of helping others as Jesus did; totally and completely through the pure love that comes from God.  Talking with the Samaritans goes a lot further than analyzing the situation, making a conclusion and then isolating those who disagree.  This comprehension defines separation of humanity and sets into motion the total destruction of the society in which this attitude formulates.  God is also not in the business of making any person feel stupid or like an underclassman, He wants only freedom for His people and unless we choose to use this type of wisdom we will never have the chance to fulfill the mission that we were commanded to complete.  Intelligence will teach you to read, but wisdom will show you how to study and the human represents the details; which method will the human be understood more?  God places His wisdom into our hearts in manners that we can understand and relate to, for if He decided to show us some of His elevated intelligence, our finite minds would literally crumble.  God is a loving and caring God and He wants everyone to know His ways, but if we draw intellectual lines, we cannot complete the mission that His Son set before us.

DLB

Debt

Debt

7/27/15

It seems like each week our society is bombarded with a topic that concerns all of us and the last few weeks of international news about debt has not been left out.  Debt is an issue that either represents a good quality in our lives or if reflects an ugly setting to which dampers our existence.  In western society we have become accustomed to living with this yoke and in some cases, with frequent and increasing numbers, began to ignore this issue.  It is just not corporate or national debt that this attitude is being presented, the spiritual, personal debt that we are ignoring.  It is this debt that will not just cost us in the short time we are on this earth, but it will continue for eternity unless we accept the only way to remove this debt from our existence.

Anyone remember what occurred back in September 2008?  Anyone remember what financial institutions went belly up and how much it damaged our economy and set the world back a few steps?  Does anyone remember what the significance of 2008 was, in the realm of the world and especially Jewish and American history?  Many of us would probably have to look these events up to get a grasp on what transpired during that year and it is sad that the majority of the people, especially the younger generations, are not being properly fed spiritually to understand what is actually going on today.  More specifically, the Church is not being fed according to what is going on today and what is unfolding before our eyes; and we are about to pay for this blindness and arrogance very soon, and it all relates to the debt that we owe and how we are deliberately ignoring it.

On a global scale, we as a society have used our wealth and financial status as a foundation for supremacy across the world. When any country is asked about the USA one of the immediate responses will certainly be about the wealth status and how gross it has become.  During WWII one of the popular qualms that the British had about the Americans was that they were paid too much, so this concept is not something new to the world.  Yet with all of this wealth that courses our country’s veins we have found ourselves to be in tremendous debt.  We continue to lend money to other nations of the world but we cannot pay our own domestic bills, so much so that our global credit rating has been threatened to be cut and then was ignored long enough that it was cut.  We have no excuse concerning this issue because we as a nation have continually ignored the warning signs and have proceeded to do it our way without thinking of changing.

With our global status, we have also used our wealth to dictate what can and cannot be deemed necessary for other countries when it comes to their business.  Yes, our country should provide a standard of freedom that stands above all other nations but we do not have the authority to cut off funds of other countries when our own debt undermines and precedes our own inner lifestyles.  Recently Russia has begun its move to annex parts of Ukraine and to bring back a portion of its old empire.  The West, including the USA, immediately kicked out the Russians from the global financial powers league and then placed sanctions upon them to punish their acts.  Russia cannot but consider this act by the West as a hostile step and only pushes forward what has already been written within the Bible.

Italy and Portugal represent another side of the financial debt issue and now we have Greece who is on the verge of total collapse because of their financial issues.  Europe is not isolated in this respect for it was just announced the other day thatPuerto Rico is in the same boat.  All of these “crises” did not occur overnight, they all grew into the problems that are now public.  What started out as a small issue has become a governing nightmare which threatens the world economy; which, by the way, has been written about in the Bible as well. 

What I find so amazing is that when I read about these situations and study who these countries actually blame for their problems that I realize none of them actually blame themselves as a group, but place blame on others who oppose their specific ideas.  It is so hilariously sad that anyone behaves in such a manner, but even our country, and it’s politically charged supporters, are doing the exact same thing.  Societies around the world have totally abandoned a good faith basis for doing business and have done as much as they could for as cheaply as possible only to want the best in return, then pay for it, maybe, later.  Even the upstart economies around the world are reaping these debt issues from other countries and it is posing a huge collapse that will reach its climax soon.

So besides the point that our nation and other nations around the world how does this type of definition of endless debt play in our lives?  It all begins in the Garden of Eden with how we were created, then through our choices how our lives became instantaneously in debt.  When we were created we were done so in a perfect and pure state, it is hard to imagine this type of living but at one time two people were perfect in all ways.  After sin entered into our lives we needed rescuing and so the process of debt began to increase; almost immediately it was endless and there was no way that we could adequately pay this debt, in other words, we needed a divine way out.

As with the global debt issues, our lives have steadily increased in stature and we became comfortable with the settings around us.  Our physical creditors were freely handing out money and we greedily accepted it without having any intention to properly pay it back.  While this type of personal debt issues has been relatively hidden from public view it is still there and it has grown exponentially over the last few years towards a decade now.  Yet, we continue to play and spend blindly racking up debt and relying on other humans to ensure that our economy stays stable enough to provide us with suitable means to pay our debt; once again an example of blaming someone else for our problems but this time on a personal level instead of a global one; another example of a truth that has been written about in the Bible.

The physical debt that we inherit is of course death which no one escapes this result.  But if that is the only death and process that our enemy needs, why are our inner lives threatened so much by the same enemy?  It is because we have an inner being that is a part of us that knows no time yet is alive and well that completes our creative definition.  It is this portion that we rely upon to keep us in close contact with our Creator and the vital link to our eternal status.  It is through this physical debt that we have a tendency to allow our communication link to our Creator lapse and create a spiritual debt that eventually separates us from God.

How can we tell that our spiritual debt is being ignored?  There is an old truth that has been made popular that defines this setting and gives us proof of such separation can exist.  The saying is as follows: if your horizontal relationships are not lined up, your vertical relationship will automatically not be lined up.  This is a simple yet powerful truth and it has become obvious that we are ignoring this truth on both levels.  It also puts the two kingdoms into perspective and how they are separate and cannot mix, because if one is placed first then the other has to be second, on every level.  What makes this comparison valid is that it is our choice as to which kingdom we put first in our lives, and whichever kingdom is first will be advanced and the other pushed backwards.

It does not take too much searching to find that our societies are doing their best to align themselves with the horizontal kingdom instead of the vertical Kingdom.  It also explains why the world is in the shape that it is in and will continue to grow worse as the minutes pass bye.  If the world’s societies are in this condition it is safe to say that the people who make up these societies are living in the same manner, which if they do not understand the concepts of these two kingdoms then they shall see no problem with the direction that we are headed and living.  In doing such, we are increasing our spiritual debt and ignoring the fact that we need forgiveness of that debt.  We are also, and more importantly, forgetting that we even have a spiritual debt which further speeds up our separation from our Creator and thus places us into an eternal voided state from Him which is EXACTLY what our enemy wants.

Until we recognize that our spiritual debt is exponentially increasing each day, our lives will continue to reap the earthly benefits that are coming upon us.  Each blessing that we have been associated with comes from God, NOT the earth.  It is plain to see that we care nothing about God any longer so why would we expect His blessings to be continually poured out on our lives?  We as a collective nation have turned our backs on God and His ways are no longer important in our lives, this is our choice.  On an individual level, the same rules apply and if our nations and societies have turned away then we as individuals have turned away as well.  This means that we are currently on track to forget and to ignore our spiritual debt and to totally go it on our own; just as we have with our societal debt.

What great conflict this situation brings to our lives.  There is no question that humans like to do things right the first time and to have the issues in their lives taken care of before the day ends.  However, we are witnessing a change in this behavior with our increased debt levels, on both the national and individual levels.  Throw this into line with the spiritual debt and we are sunk unless we turn back to God.  It is vital that we once again recognize our spiritual debt that we owe and how important it is to be eternally covered in this area.  There is no way possible that our lives can cover this debt, nor is there any action that we can do to cover this debt, only God and His Son Jesus can guarantee us this eternal covering.  We need to fear the truth about our lives and what it means to be eternally separated from God.

The way I see things is that God has never had to apologize for any of His actions or Words, so that means it is strictly up to us to make this choice to decrease this spiritual debt or to increase it.  It is easy to recognize that the modern day Church has fallen into the same selfish patterns that the Middle Ages Church fell into and it does not look like she has any plans to change course either.  There should be no surprises as to why this spiritual debt is increasing nor should any question arise as to why our societies are falling apart.  It is easy to understand why the Satanic Church is able to create and to place a demonic figure wherever they wish while the engraved monuments of the 10 Commandments are being torn down.  If the societies of the world are performing these acts then the individuals of these societies are doing the exact same acts on their level as well.

All my life I have been taught the Word of God and how important it must be in our lives.  I have to admit that not all of my life I tended to God’s Word as a light to path and there were other times that I only chose to have God’s Word in my heart for troubled times.  I have come to realize that His Word is absolute truth and when I place His Word first in my life, my entire life changes.  I also can tell when I have allowed His Word not to be fed into my world, for I miss that connection and I long for that comfort and peace.  The world shall not give you anything like what God can give you, nor can it take away your physical and spiritual debt, it is all your choice.

Church, shame on you for allowing your spiritual debt to be increased through your love for the world and the standards of acceptance instead of separation.  You are not acting like a true bride, but a harlot looking for simple gratitude or small payment instead of eternal covenant.  God cannot allow this to continue for very much longer for there will come a time that we reach the point where He must say “enough”.  God is asking all of us to stop increasing our spiritual death, on the individual level and on the societal level.  It is amazing how much our debt is covered when we turn to Him and it is just as amazing of how rapidly our debt increases when we turn away from Him as well.

It is important that we get out of debt and to stay out of debt from the world’s standards.  Our physical debt is being increased at a pace that our human minds cannot conceive the same goes for our spiritual debt as well.  Both debts are endless and unless we stop our current living patterns we shall not see the end of our troubles, only harder and deeper troubles that will collapse both our physical and spiritual lives.  We are very close to this becoming reality people, and the time for change, godly change is now!

God loves us so very much and it is His desire to see us live debt free!!  Our physical debt shall never be taken from us but our spiritual debt can be covered eternally.  It is a simple process of repentance and then allowing God to restore us through His covering.  The only way that we can have this debt protection is if we accept God’s ways back into our lives and live them each and every day to the best of our abilities.  We are not perfect by any means nor shall we ever be perfect, until God calls us to His residence, but that calling shall never occur if our debt is not covered.

DLB

What Is Wrong With The World?

What Is Wrong With This World?

7/25/15

This is a popular question that I personally have heard numerous times.  Many people stumble over this question even though the answer to it is plain as day.  The answer can prove taxing too many and to some, they shall never believe the answer.  The world is under a ruler and everything revolves around this ruler so he dictates what occurs; easily I might add since he has been unabated for millennia.  There is a way to stop the world from grabbing a hold of your heart and it requires one simple step.  God is the answer for this world and His ways are proof that the answer works.

Another movie theater shooting graced our televisions, radios and computer screens the other evening and while the numbers of victims are considerably smaller than the previously recorded theater shooting, the results are the same, people have been injured and some have been sent to their eternal places never to have their status changed.  A while back a couple of students were made famous by shooting up a school here Colorado and ever since that day the number of school shootings across the country has increased, so has the number of shootings, stabbings and other violent crimes as well.  It seems like our world is becoming more violent each week even to the point where my breaking news app does not even go off any longer when these types of situations occur.

This time, the shooting occurred in another part of the country and once again the media and social media are lighting up with so many questions, rants, yells, backings and cursings that one can become overwhelmed within a few minutes just trying to find out a few details about what happened.  Of course all of the sides are going to be heeded and raked over for the next few weeks making sure that every point and every voice is heard before the story eventually shadows itself with the next event to hit the waves.

As we sit, watch and listen to all of the opinions and arguments that will be given over the next few weeks or so, pay close attention to how many people refer to the true answer that everyone is trying to secure.  I can almost guarantee that the true answer will not be given nor will it be brought up, especially from the mainstream media outlets.  This truth that all of us “want” to have is sitting right in front of our noses, yet we continue to ignore it.  We choose to ignore this truth because it draws attention to our actions and who controls the world instead of giving us an excuse or someone else to blame.

The answer lies in one passage in the Bible and it takes place during the life of Christ.  If we want to be like Christ then we must proclaim the truth just as He did while He walked this earth.  The specific passage is located in Matthew Chapter 4.  The setting is when Jesus was being tempted by Satan and it was at this time when Jesus was fasting and was very weak; the perfect time for Satan to appear.  After a few altercations with Jesus, Satan takes Jesus up on a high mountain and makes a huge claim and it is this claim that provides the answer to what is going on in the world and what is wrong with it.  In verse 8 of chapter 4 it states the following: “Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.  And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You fall down and worship me.””

That is a profound and bold statement by Satan but what Jesus does next is even more profound and speaks volumes because it gives the answer that is posed as the topic of this article.  The portion of the verse where Satan is talking he gets very specific by using the singular word “I” in the statement “I will give You these things”.  If one does not have possession of something they could not make that claim and when you are talking with the Son of God, every word that flows out of your mouth that is a lie shall be challenged immediately.  But Jesus does not challenge this statement which means that Satan was actually telling the truth about the kingdoms of the world.  He has control over them, enough control to give them away if he desires.  And here lies the answer to the question that forms the topic of this article.

This proclamation by Satan sets the stage for what is in play concerning God and Satan.  It also defines who is after what territory and who controls what territory.  According to this passage Satan controls the world; it is his kingdom because one cannot get more specific than the word “I”.  This means that he is not in a battle for the world for it is already his.  It also means that his battle cannot be over God for he has already been cast from his position that he held due to the choices that he made.  So, who or what does that leave for him to battle over?  The answer to that question is, you!  The battleground is not the world for it already demonstrates the spirit that controls it.  There is nothing beautiful about the presence that influences the world.  The scenery may be magnificent, but Satan did not create it, God did.  Your life is a gift from God, Satan did not create it, God did.

It is through this passage that we must understand that while we walk in the world it is the job of God’s enemy and our enemy to promote his agenda, not God’s.  It also brings to life why the world is the way it is, because our enemy hates us and he hates everything that God stands for, which includes eternal life.  Satan wants nothing more than to find ways to separate us from God and while he is doing his best to accomplish this feat, God is at His wits end trying to bring His beloved creations back to Him.  God does not want chaos, pain and hurt to rule and dominate our lives, He only desires peace and eternal closeness with His children.

With the participants being addressed in this passage we can confirm that there are only two kingdoms that are present.  If there were a third, it would be logical for that ruler to be represented at this temptation period.  This means that these two kingdoms are at war from the top down, not just over a selected few.  Satan understands the importance of why Jesus was on the earth and he also understands the continuous mission that Jesus gave the Church to complete; the importance of Jesus birth, life, death, and resurrection had to be fulfilled in order for our mission to ring loud and true, all the while providing a violent grace that pushes back all darkness from Satan’s defeated kingdom. 

With all of the hate and anger that is harbored within Satan, the only condition that can be portrayed by his kingdom shall mimic what is in his heart.  It is clear that it is his job to wreak havoc in our lives and it is also clear that we are making his job a lot easier with the choices that we are making.  History is full of mistakes and if we do not begin to comprehend who actually rules this world and why the problems are occurring as they are, we are sunk no matter how hard we try to fix things.  The cry from many people around the world is love and how we should love each other and that God is love.  All of these things and saying are true but if we do not turn back to God the love that we will find will be filled with utter disappointment and destruction.

The progression of the human mind shall be in force because it is a gift from God.  This progression will accompany the world’s philosophy if we do not understand its origins; therefore, unless we separate ourselves from the world completely, the patterns that we are witnessing today shall continue and only increase in number and in ferocity.  The world promotes this chaotic setting and there is but only one way out of it and that is through God alone.

The Bible points out the origins of why the world is in trouble very clearly.  The Bible is the literal Word of God and the primary source of our defense against our eternal enemy.  It is important that we begin to study the Bible more effectively and stop trying to pick and choose its content to satisfy our whimsical ideas, hang-ups and habits.  Take to heart what God has said and what is going on within the world.  The choice is yours to make.  The world shall not change, for its ruler loves its destructive ways and as long as we continue to accept these ways, there will be only one outcome that will be presented and that is death and destruction on all levels.  God is calling His children back to Him and for those who listen to His voice they are guaranteed peace, hope, love and separation from this destructive world and its ruler.  Allow God to restore you in the most utmost manner, for it is His desire to grant this to you.

If we allow God to be #1 in our lives again we will never have to sit and wonder or even ponder the question that defines the topic of this article again, for the truth will be known to all that believe and understand.  But if we choose not to heed this truth then we shall always be baffled at the truth that the world has to offer.  The king of this world said it himself as to what was in play, God loves you, Satan does not.  Keep this truth in your mind as you think about what God has shared with us.  And this passage also serves as the foundation as to why we are told to be separate from the world.

DLB

Results of Human Equality

Results of Human Equality

7/23/15

This subject has been touched upon a couple times previous, but it is a topic that still needs to be understood in order for us to be able to turn back to God.  Everyone wishes equality would work but it is through our choices about who we want to be equal with is the point in fact and in most cases we miss this fact.  Humanity loves to try and become equal through any cost, claiming noble efforts while in pursuit of utopia.  Many wonder why this utopian society cannot be reached and it all has to do with the truth of sin, for as long as sin is present in our existence, equality is thrown out the window and until we turn back to God and His ways, our equality will only match the death spiral of the world.

As previous written it is every person’s desire to live on equal terms with others.  It is a noble gesture and one that deserves all the credit that humanity can dole out, but there is a certain barrier that each person that is trying to achieve this goal reaches and it seems that no matter how hard one tries to breach this barrier, they always fail.  Yes, some portions of this barrier are reached but the entire barrier itself looms even higher as we continue to try and overcome it.

I am reminded of the scene that was before our eyes back when the 2^nd Gulf War was ongoing.  The allies had entered into the city of Baghdad and were advancing steadily towards the center of the city.  The Iraqi reporters and minders were still reporting that the Allied advance had not made it into the city and that the Iraqi resistance fighters were slaughtering the American soldiers as they were entering into the city; this report was quickly proven false when the first American tanks were viewed entering the city center.

After a few hours of getting the area secured, a large gathering of people appeared at the center of the city around the famous statue of President Saddam Hussein with his arm outreached.  It was this statue that many Iraqi people had come to despise and detest and it was clear that they had wished to take it down.  It did not take too long for the crowd to swell, and their chants against their leader became easily heard and understood.  They were venting their frustrations and looking for a way to all participate in the tearing down of that statue. 

Soon a person with a sledgehammer on his shoulder appeared moving through the crowd towards the statue.  Many of the people began to cheer louder and made a path for this gentleman and to make his approach to the statue easier.  As this scene unfolded it was noticed that the American tanks and military personnel were standing idle around the city center watching as the festivities proceeded.  As the man with the sledgehammer reached the base of the statue he turned and faced the crowd and yelled something in Arabic, then turned around and took the first swing at the base of the statue.  The crowd erupted once again with the fervor as if their national soccer team had just beat Brazil 1-0 in the World Cup final match, it was a glorious setting as the man continued to swing away at the statue.

It soon became painfully clear that this one man and his sledgehammer would not be able to bring this massive monument down, and with others trying their best to do the same thing, hopes began to dash.  One cannot help but to wonder what was going through the minds of these people, they had reached their goal of driving out a mad man for a dictator yet could not bring down his beloved statue that he was so proud of during his reign.  It was not until an outside source helped these people with tearing down this horrid statue.  Their community resources could not stand up against a common enemy and it was not until they received help from a stronger ally that their overall goal was reached.  Their efforts were noble in design but could not be achieved alone.

The same type of setting occurs in the Bible when it was time for the sacrifices.  The first account that we have of this procedure was when Cain and Abel were about to conduct their sacrifices to God.  Both men were direct descendants of Adam and Eve and there can be no dismissal of the fact that they knew what was to be done and not done concerning this process.  It was the acts of their parents that blew the concept of human equality and placed it on a human level instead of a divine level and since humanity made that choice, the events and results cannot be changed no matter how hard we try.  The only way that we can understand this fact is if we grasp the concept of Kingdom and how the holy and divine cannot ever mix with the worldly and divine. 

Cain decided that his way of being equal with God would be to not to obtain a sacrificial animal but to choose to present the efforts of his works instead.  Yes, it was of a personal interest of Cain’s and it was a true blessing from God that the “fruits” of his labor were rewarded.  But these efforts were not sufficient for God, for God is whole, complete and definitive being, one that cannot change His ways for any reason.  The amount of vegetables and other food types must have been numerous and from the look of the size of the sacrifice should have been pleasing to God, or at least according to the eyes of humans that is.  I also have no doubt that the offering that Cain gave was pure and beautiful, but it still did not meet up to God’s standards for sacrifice and did not represent the true meaning of sacrifice.

The equality of Cain’s offering was strictly on the humanistic side of life and did not represent anything personal and total about it.  Here lies the overall problem with Cain’s sacrifice, it was equal and not separate.  The value of life was intact and death was a constant reminder through the acts of his parents.  It was known that life was precious and that every aspect of life was to be nurtured as long as possible, for the changes of sin were already been noticed.  It was Cain’s choice to try and be equal and to spare the life of an animal and thus totally rejecting the entire concept of acceptance and separation from the world that God requires.  His parents were once divinely separated from sin yet they chose to be common with the world and Cain decided to follow suit.

Abel on the other hand was different and chose a different route.  Like his brother, he understood the meaning of sacrifice and knew the reasons why that this process should be completed.  There is no doubt that Abel knew that killing an animal was going to be hard but at the same time he also understood that it was the blood that was shed that was the key element that God wanted to see.  It was the willingness and the understanding that it was the blood that represented life and our existence and that it was that element that needed to be given up in order for our lives to be totally cleansed in God’s eyes.

It was the blood sacrifice that placed Abel’s offering separate from Cain’s.  It was the understanding and the boldness to show both the people of the area and God that the sacrifice was total, complete and that all had been offered to God.  It was also the spirit that Abel harbored that wholly entered into covenant with God at this time and it was the spirit within Cain that recognized this separation and violently reacted in accordance against the separation. 

It is interesting that humans try their best to place themselves on the level as Cain instead of Abel.  Look at what happens to Cain after his sacrifice is rejected.  First of all, all he would have had to do was to quickly repent and turn his heart back to God after learning about his choice.  Secondly, he did not do this and allowed the anger within his spirit to grow until a final act was committed on his brother.  This was a progressive process and one that had to be eating Cain alive from within, it was not healthy for either brother as the story unfolds.  There was no question that Cain’s offering was of a noble nature, but it was inadequate and common instead of being separate and extraordinary, and it was through this belief and object trust that cost havoc upon the lives of both men.

We must remember and to keep in mind that all parties involved in this story were humans.  It is not hard for us to remember that humans follow patterns, both genetically and physically.  We can look throughout history and read where sons and daughters followed in the footsteps of their parents, or did quite the opposite of their parents.  On each occasion and in each setting a choice was made and it was through these choices that advanced humanity or reverted humanity.  In each case, each choice made also had the accountability of God within its decision and whether or not God was fully listened to during the period of choice.  All examples of humanity represent humans and humans have not changed in our mental capacities since our creation; therefore, the efforts of mankind are readily presented as such and cannot be extended into a utopian state.

We are currently witnessing the similar situation unfolding in today’s societies.  It has continually amazed me to watch humans try and equate themselves with others who they have no idea about.  The bandwagons are fully loaded with new ones being established by the hour and yet, with all of these bandwagons that are around, none of them have final directions or answers for those who are participating, only more questions, aches, pains and division.  The people who believe in this condition state that they are becoming “one” with the world, and this is an accurate statement.  And if you are to ask them about God, some will say that they know God and others will say they have no time for God or those who believe in Him either.  This too are accurate statements for the world hates God, everything that He stands for or that He does not even exist, then the choice is made to join the world and the ensuing separation between God and man increases, which eventually grows into an abyss.  If you stop and think about it, this process is the exact same one that Cain followed after his offering was rejected by God.  With all of the opportunities that are around for people to accept God, they ignore them and cast space between the Truth and the world.

The Bible gives us an example of how we can return back to God and to re-establish our status within His heart.  That example is called Covenant and while grace was not in play when Covenant was established, it served as the cornerstone of people’s lives until grace was provided through the sacrificial Lamb of God.  Covenant established the fact that God remembered His people and that even though they could not change their physical death status, there was an option remaining for their eternal status.  It was a separation from the world and a choice of accepting God as the eternal, holy, and divine Creator of everything and at the same time recognizing that our lives are mere mortal and cannot coexist with a holy and pure God. 

God also makes it very clear that He cannot ever break this covenant and since it cannot be broken from the original creator, it cannot be broken by the other partner either.  The covenant can only be violated by the human side of things, for if God violated His own covenant then Satan would immediately have to be restored to his original position and God would have to do a bunch of apologizing to past and present societies.  I have read and am continually studying God’s Word and I have yet to read where God has had to apologize for anything He had said or done; He has regretted a couple of things but never apologized for His actions or words.  Many more articles are forthcoming on this topic, so stay tuned.

The important issue to remember here is that God has established a standard and through that standard He cannot waiver, nor does He wish to waiver either.  God understands the importance of our condition and has provided a way of escape even though we chose to live in this capacity.  It is through this standard that He ordained the blood as the sole entity that deems us live and also represents the only way that we can be cleansed from our sinful choices.  It is the blood that we need to survive, both physically and spiritually and the importance of this element cannot waiver either.  There is no curve to be put into place, only the commitment of the blood and its warrants upon our lives.  It is also the reason why God sent His Son to the earth to provide the grace that the Old Testament blood sacrifice represented.  Thus, the rule of equality was broken through human choice and as long as we take a breath on this earth, it shall never be obtained again.

God gave us equality when He created humans, and it was our choice to abandon this perfect state when we chose to go on our own way and believe the other being around us.  After the relationship had developed and Eve was comfortable enough with the serpent and if you remember, the conversation that convinced Eve to eat from the tree was in part that the serpent said that she would be equal with God; equality goes along way both in the divine and in the physical and should be taken as such.  Take a look at any crowd at a sporting event or a convention.  Ask the people in attendance a certain question and you might get some to agree with your opinion about that question but not everyone will come up with your opinion, this is a given and should be automatically agreed upon.  So if just one question divides humans, how can we honestly believe that each of us can be on equal terms with each other?  It is impossible to have this state.

God and His ways provide us with an opportunity to achieve this state again.  It shall not be in our physical lifetime but after our lives are through and our eternal portion continues to live.  It is our choice to accept God and His ways or not to and separate ourselves from His blessings and Kingdom.  The world cannot be equal with God and He has specifically communicated that to us and has instructed us not to accept the world, for it is a death trap.  If we return to God and obey His laws, submit ourselves to the Covenant that He has provided, Jesus’ blood shall be over us and when the time comes, we shall be able to eternally live in peace, love and equality once again.

DLB