In my entire life, the worst things to come upon me, has come at the, hands of respectable people, who call themselves good.
It has not been, scary men, in dark shadows. It has not been, those people, across the sea. It has not been, the conman, stealing my soul.
It has been, men and their wives, who own businesses, and lands, and courts, and governments, and religions, too.
It has been petty tyrants, desiring to be kings, making life hard for those, just trying to get by.
It has been Leaders, who claim to stand, against evil men.
But, what about rulers, who destroy families with the stroke of a pen? What about those men?
Everyday it’s something new. Everyday, it’s some new rule, created for those who obey.
Everyday the fear mongers, work to sell a new law, to those, they will betray.
When will it end? When will our time be done? When will the rich man weep, while the worker has his fun? How long, till we all can rest? How long till we all can sit, and watch the sun set? How long till we all can live, that long lazy dream?
Will it be in my life time? Will it ever happen for me?
This poem is from the rebel poetry book “Against The Man” by Chris Bunton.
Bio: Chris Bunton is a writer, poet and blogger from Southern Illinois. He has published in several magazines, and has written a poetry eBook called “Against the Man” and an Addiction Recovery eBook called “Made Free: Overcoming Addiction“ His newest book is called “The Future is Coming” and is a collection of dystopian short stories.
He is faithful God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.—1 Cor. 1:9 How is trust built? With anyone, whether it’s parents or friends or enemies or government or neighbors, trust is built or destroyed by relationship, and experience. It is the same with God.…
It will happen in these last days “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day (The Day of The Lord) shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;”— 2 Thess. 2:3 (2 Thess 2:1-15) It seems that this event…
Have You Tested God? “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.”—Luke 6: 38 First, I wanna say that this verse and all…
He rewards those who seek him. And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. 10 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. 11 If a son shall…
So, we know the seasons. The Bible is 30% prophecy, as some have stated. But, when you consider that the whole thing is about Jesus Christ, and that all the stories and pictures speak of Him, His First Coming and Second Coming, I think its more like 100%. God has called all believers to be…
God works to build the Kingdom through us. James 2:14-26 In this passage. The apostle James, speaks of works being an aspect of our faith. It ends with the famous phrase “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” In the verses James shows that God commanded…
In the dark days of Covid. When the pandemic was ramping up and no one really knew what to expect or how much division would come from it. People all over the world was told to stay home, in order to save lives.
Eventually some truths about the pandemic became apparent and the battle began to dial back some of the measures. But in the beginning, the whole world worked together to save lives.
It was at this time that some workers were deemed essential and others were not. Schools were shut down and kids had remote learning. Businesses who were able, also resorted to remote work for many employees. This helped businesses remain in operation and helped employees remain employed. Not every type of job can be remote. But, some can.
No one really knew where the world was headed. We hunkered down and watched “Tiger King”, while absorbing the latest reports. This time period revealed a lot of truth about work, and what is considered essential. It showed us how quickly nature can rebound once humans are out of the way.
But, it also revealed a level of oppression and pettiness hidden in the hearts of people. The willingness to report on others, for simple violations. The oppression of officials and businesses to create and enforce rules that made no real sense. The temptation for every door greeter to become a cop demanding that people don masks and sanitize.
We went from trying to save lives and caring for others to turning on each other. Businesses and remote work was much the same. At first, businesses were thankful workers could work from home and keep the business running. But, it didn’t take long for employers to turn oppressive and controlling.
Reports came out of employers demanding cameras in peoples homes. Demanding that people dress in business attire for Zoom meetings. Getting angry that someone did laundry while writing a report. How dare these peasants have a life!
Businesses started demanding technology to enable them to track the workers performance on home computers. Are they really working? Or are they taking care of a sick child on our dime? Are they checking on grandma or doing the work we pay them to do?
As the pandemic wound down, there came demands to open things up so workers and kids could go back to work or school. The call continued with reports of major companies warning that remote workers would be fired if they did not return by the end of some random date.
Even now, years after the pandemic when workers slaved away at home to help businesses stay alive, business owners are still turning on them and attacking them.
It all boils down to the 40 Hour Work Week Mentality.
An employer only values a worker based upon how many hours of hard labor the worker can put out, instead of the value of the job or work. Even salary employees are looked at based upon hours of work.
A remote worker is believed to be wasting time at home doing things other than work. But, yet employers have never felt bad about calling employees at home when they are not at work, or considering the amount of time, stress and money the employee spends preparing and commuting to work.
This falls back to how much the worker is doing per hour for the employer.
This 40 hour mentality can be seen in this example.
A man’s water is not working at his house and he cannot figure out why. He calls a plumber. The plumber shows up and makes a few turns with a wrench and the water flows again. It only took 5 minutes, to fix and the plumber charges $500 for the job. The man is mad because it only took 5 minutes.
He has a 40 hour mentality. He is mad because he feels a $500 job should take more time. But, the plumber charged for having the knowledge to know where to apply the wrench.
I’ve seen this mentality in action. I worked for a place who hired a blacktop company to redo our parking lot. They charged my employer a certain price for the job, and my employer said it was a good, fair price. But, when the manager saw some of the workers taking a break out of the blazing sun he got ticked off, that they were wasting time. They were within the time allotted in the contract and my employer was not paying their wages, but he still had a hissy fit because they took breaks instead of putting in full hours. He paid for the job. Not the hours, but he could not get past the 40 Hour mentality.
I have worked manual labor jobs my whole life and I have never had a job that required a full 40 hours to complete a week. There was always down time. Time that I had to figure out how to fill it. Pick up a broom and clean, is what they tell manual labor workers.
It is common knowledge that people milk the hours to get bigger paychecks.
My point is that the 40 hour work week is wrong and needs changed. It starts with changing the mentality. We need to pay what the job is worth regardless of how long it takes to do it.
I realize that the 40 hour week and getting paid based upon hours gives a simple means for calculating pay, and obeying the over-time laws. Probably in some jobs it is needed.
But, I believe the future is remote in work and schooling.
If work and schools went remote we could save millions in construction and building maintenance costs. We could save millions in trying to solve the traffic problems. We could save millions in health care by reducing stress. Not even mentioning the value it can bring to helping the environment.
But, because business owners feel that they cannot hover over employees while they work, making sure every second is spent on labor. Our society continues to sit in the past.
Our schools are designed to create good employees with the same 40 hour mentality. Be on time. Do your work. Take work home. Obey your boss…I mean teacher.
Changes need to be made to this system and the 40 hour mentality. Instead of thinking about work as an hourly thing. We need to consider what the job is actually worth regardless of time. Our society needs to start moving toward a more remote system, with all the benefits that can go with it. Instead of letting the bosses hold us in the past.
I think we are smart people. We can make changes to society that solves problems without letting oppression take over. More freedom is never a bad thing.
Why does God let us struggle? When we get saved, we might notice that there are things that change in us immediately. But, there are other things that do not. It’s like God saves us and removes some things but leaves other things in our lives for us to struggle with. I mean if God…
We are corrupt at the very core. What I am going to present to you today is something different. A different way to look at the world, and humanity. Something different than the legalism around us. As Christians we are taught and have come to understand a view of God, Scripture and the World based…
We are tempted to reject Him. When we get saved, we confess Jesus as our Lord, and believe in Him alone for salvation. We are called to Walk in the Spirit, and to abide in Him. We get great joy in the Lord. Prayers answered. Life changing experiences, and we see Him working to protect…
It’s hard sometimes This time of year, around Christmas is a very hard time of year for many people. It is not a joyful festive time, no matter how much we try to dress it up with religious zeal, and bright lights. This is the time of year we often miss those who have gone…
A Look at Matthew 24 “Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive…
It’s important to understand. In order to resist temptation, we must understand what is going on. If we miss an aspect of it, we cannot really resist it. We just shift it around or suffer through. “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with…
As we move further into these last days we need to make sure we are not following after false doctrines. We want our faith to be grounded in Jesus Christ and Him alone for salvation. We want to have a relationship with the Lord through the Holy Spirit. We want to be taught by the Spirit and Walk in the Spirit. Not led into deception.
Peter tells us.
“But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not” —2 Peter 2
Paul also tells us that there will be false teachers in these last days. (1 Tim. 1: 1-15, 2 Tim 4:2-4, 2 Timothy 3:1-9)
Jesus says the deception will be so bad that even the elect (Saved) would be deceived if it was possible. (Matt. 24:24)
So, it’s important for us to have tools in our pocket to help us.
1. The Holy Spirit will teach us and lead us into all truth. If you are saved and listen to the Holy Spirit. He will impress upon you that something isn’t right. (John 16:13)
This doesn’t mean the teacher who speaks false things is not saved. A person can be saved and be in error on a subject. Just because we are saved doesn’t mean we have it all straight in our minds.
Pray and ask the Lord to show us what’s up. (1 John 2:27, James 1:5) We want to judge rightly and respond rightly. We want to be Spirit led, but we need to learn what that means. It takes time and a relationship with God to hear His voice. “My sheep know my voice” Do you know Him? (John 10:1-19)
Make sure your belief is right. Sometimes we get bent out of shape because of a teaching, but it’s our flesh not the Holy Spirit. If you cannot prove your point from the Word, using two or three verses of clear scripture, then you might be wrong.
Remember that not everything is a salvation issue. Some disagreements are not that important.
But, there are many things that do matter. You must learn to listen to the Holy Spirit, and know the Word of God. We do not know what we will face. But, when we know the truth, we can see the lie.
2. What does the teacher do with Jesus? We are talking about spiritual teachers here. Not the guy teaching you math.
The scriptures give us an easy way to determine false teachers.
They will not say that Jesus is THE Lord. They might admit he is God, but not confess Him as Lord.
It says that “No one can say Jesus is the Lord without the Holy Spirit and no believer will say anything bad about Jesus. (1 Cor 12:3)
If they do not have the Holy Spirit, then they are not saved.
It also says to test the spirits to see if they are of God. The test is whether they claim that Jesus came in the flesh. Basically, do they teach that Jesus is God, became human and died to save us, and rose from the dead. (1 John 4:1-6)
If they can’t say that Jesus is the Lord, they probably aren’t saved. If they do not know or accept that Jesus is God in the Flesh they are false.
So, you should pray to the Lord to lead you to a teacher He wants you to hear from.
Realize that the demons of hell know who Jesus is. But, they will not confess Him as Lord. They are in rebellion.
Realize that there are false teachers who aren’t saved, and false teachings or doctrines that can come from saved people.
They might teach 90% truth. But in this one area. They are a little off. Is it a salvation issue?
Rejecting Jesus as Lord is major. Believing in infant baptism, or a pre-trib rapture or some other doctrines is not. Understand the difference between salvation issues, and doctrinal differences. Rejecting Christ, is a salvation issue. Going trick or treating is not.
3. A works based doctrine.
Every religion on earth teaches some kind of works based doctrine. That humans need to do this or that in order to reach God and be saved.
But, in Christianity God Himself came down and did it all for us. It is finished. All we have to do is accept Him, then have a relationship with the Him; which He also does through sanctification and His Spirit.
Paul fought the works based doctrine his whole ministry. People want to add some work to salvation. To either obtain it or maintain it. This is false. Either Christ does it all or He has done none of it. It’s either totally grace or it’s not grace at all.
The demons of hell will gladly keep us struggling with worrying about our sin. Trying to do better while attacking others who disobey. They love nothing more than a bunch of pharisees who burn people at the stake of judgment.
You are saved by grace through faith. Let the Holy Spirit guide and work on you. Give others love, grace and mercy as well.
We are not saved by Works. (Eph. 2:8-10)
Our sin is forgiven, if we are saved. The works we do are for Kingdom building.
4. No tough times.
This one is difficult. Jesus said that in this world we will have tribulation. We will have times of trouble.
He promises to be with us through it. And there are things we can do to make those times better like prayer, faith, spiritual warfare, praise, thanks, abiding, dying to self, giving and serving.
There are things we can do to make it worse, like running from God, turning to fleshly remedies like booze, drugs and sex, turning to false beliefs, bitterness and anger, among other things.
In Jeremiah, God told Jeremiah that He was going to judge Israel His people.
Now let’s not focus on what they did. Let’s focus on the fact that God let tribulation fall on His people, and that it worked to cleanse the body and drive out those who did not know God.
Jeremiah taught that God was going to let the King of Babylon take over Israel. And if the people trusted Him, God would be with them.
The false teachers taught that God would not let them suffer tribulation. They taught that they were not going to face wrath. That God would deliver them, OUT OF TROUBLE. They stood in the pulpit and taught that God would deliver them from Great Tribulation.
Now, understand that this is a picture of the Last days. The king of Babylon is the Anti-Christ and Satan who will make war with the saints and overcome them. (Rev. 13:7, Daniel 7:25)
This is done to weed out the saved and unsaved. To cleanse the temple or body. He allows tribulation to come on His people. Even if it’s great tribulation, to weed out the tares. Remember Lot’s Wife.
Realize, that yes God delivers us from trouble. But, sometimes He allows trouble for a higher purpose.
Our response to both, is the same. Realize He is with us, trust Him, and draw closer to Him.
Realize that tribulation, even great tribulation is not God’s Wrath. God’s wrath is Hell and the Lake of Fire. God’s wrath is poured out in one day.
Understand that I am not saying that God kills babies or gives us cancer to teach us a lesson. Those things exist because of death, the fall, a corrupted world, and Satan. The enemy wants us to blame God for these things. That gets us to be angry at God and turn away from Him. It keeps us from praying and drawing close to God if we think he did it to us. That is Satan’s plan. To keep us away from God.
The solution is always the same, turn to God and draw closer to Him. We will learn from the trouble, and we can use it to help others.
5. Not building the kingdom.
Satan won’t build God’s Kingdom. A teacher of the Lord, should be teaching, preparing and sending the saints out to preach the Gospel, serve others and God, building the Kingdom. That’s our purpose as believers. To build the kingdom.
False teachers, will keep you in your pew singing pretty songs and scratching your itching ears with some new teaching. For what?
A true teacher teaches what the Holy Spirit leads them to teach. He readies the saints for the battle and growing the kingdom. We all have our part, in different ways, but we will be led to go and build the kingdom.
A church sitting in pews doing nothing is not a threat to the enemy.
In Matthew chapter 25, the Lord gives three parables on what it will look like when He returns. He doesn’t ask about their sins. He asks if they helped others. He asks if they used the talents He gave them. Christians are saved and forgiven, and are supposed to be kingdom building. If they are really saved.
Pray the Lord will help you to escape this deadness in your church. And show you what to do and where to go.
A teacher should confess Jesus is the Lord. They should teach the Gospel; that Jesus came in the Flesh. They should teach that salvation is through Christ alone, not works. They should also teach and lead the saints to build the Kingdom.
Always, turn to the Lord and He will direct you. When you notice a problem ask Him and be willing to step out in faith, to make changes or do things He calls us to do.
With technology we are surrounded by false teachings and teachers. It can travel the world. Fake pictures and videos edited. Media services telling us propaganda. Governments lying, corporations lying, preachers lying, and its everywhere.
Turn to God, and listen to Him. He is Truth. He is the way. Trust Him no matter what our flesh says. The enemy is everywhere, going about seeking whom he may devour.
What does that look like? It’s so simple anyone can do it. That is how God designed it. I’m going to avoid magical theological words and just give it straight. As we go through life things happen to us. Good things and bad. We have excitement over good things. We celebrate victories and enjoy time…
A Deeper Meaning “For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”—1 Tim. 6:10 People often misquote it as “money” is the root of all evil. But it’s not. Money is a tool. Like a…
What is it? Let us rightly divide 2 Thessalonians 2, and come to some conclusions about the near future. This book was written by the Apostle Paul. He is speaking of the last days, which we are in. I’m using the KJV. “Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ,…
It uses the word charity, which can be described as love in action. (1 Cor. chapter 13)
But there is a charity, that is condescending. A charity that places one party in a position of superiority over another. This is not real charity or love.
Love does not think evil of someone. We take those thoughts captive and bring them under control and force ourselves to love.(1 Cor. 13:5, 2 Cor. 10:5)
This is not easy. It’s part of our battle between flesh and spirit. We fail, and we confess, and we move on. Praying for help and trying to do better next time.
But, what if we do not even realize we are doing wrong?
We give and we love, but we don’t see that we act like we are better than other people.
Do we think, “I’m able to help you because I obey the rules and you don’t. That’s why you’re in a sorry state.” when we help someone? Do we think they are poor or needy because God is punishing them? But, we are wealthy because we are good?
I can tell you from experience, that when I joined a church, I was given charity. People helped me and I felt that they loved me. I appreciate the help.
But, it quickly dissolved into the charity I described above. I was not a well churched person. I had a lot of faults.
“Well churched” is a term used for people who have gone to church enough to know all the little rules that the Bible says nothing about.” Things like manners, and etiquette and all of that.
I wasn’t knowledgeable of the little intricacies of church decorum. I was rough. I laughed at inappropriate things. I talked about inappropriate things. And the word spread that I was not a good enough Christian because of some sin I knew nothing about.
I had a background that was not Christian. I was not forgiven for it, by many.
So, people who had shone me charity and love started to back off. The people who always ran to shake my hand and pretend to be my friend quit.
You can tell when you no longer get invited to anything. When you become a second class citizen. When you’re not part of the “in” crowd and you’re never asked or nominated to serve or be a part of anything.
You’re not really one of them. And you have to wonder if you ever really was.
I’m not talking about Salvation. God calls us and accepts us and loves us and works on us and with us. He calls us friend.
But, sometimes his servants do not. They shake your hand, then betray you. They ask you about your views, then twist them and use them to destroy you later. Because being superior to you is more important to them, than actually loving you.
James speaks of this when he says ” My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool: Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?”—(Jas. 2:1-4)
How many people have been driven away from God, because of this fake charity in church? How many people have been treated like they don’t belong when they got saved and joined a church?
I know it has impacted my life.
To hear sermons on love, and then be treated like an outsider.
And there’s always excuses as to why it happens, or blame is laid on all kinds of things. But when this treatment happens over and over again, and not only to you, but to lots of other people. It becomes obvious that they do not really love you. You are not imagining it. They have placed you under their footstool to serve them. They have made you to be another number on Sunday morning, so they can think they are growing.
As believers, we are called to “judge ourselves lest we be judged with the world.” Not make excuses for feeling superior to other sinners. We are just saved. Not better.
So, what’s our answer to this?
Our answer is to overcome evil with Good. Sometimes things happen to us so we can do better and change things. We see fake Christians so we can understand what it looks like and avoid becoming one.
That sort of condescending charity is not from Jesus. It’s not from the Spirit. It’s fleshly. It’s man-made works. Anyone can do it.
If you decide to be a friend, then be a friend, or don’t even start. We are not required to be friends with everyone. But we ARE called to love them. If you choose to be friends, then don’t be backstabbing once you see the ugly in a person. Because YOU, have ugly too, and Jesus died for you anyway. God calls you friend despite your sin, if you really know Him.
These last days are moving along, and judgement is coming. Turn to God. Ask Him to show you your sin so you can confess it, and work on it. Do not find yourself as a virgin, without oil in their lamp because they never really knew Christ, and did not grow in faith with Him.
He is there and will answer. We live our lives in this world, where we seem to have no control. Where we look every where for answers. Everything seems hard and we have sorrow, working our selves to death. We seek answers from gods, idols and wisemen. We seek answers from deep within ourselves. We…
Who really rules? Let’s talk about some conspiracy and spiritual truth for a moment. Because you must understand that there is only ONE conspiracy. And that’s the spiritual battle behind the scenes, that we all can see parts of, and have a feeling about, but cannot completely prove. The people who rule this world are…
It is a demon. Cast it out. Jesus said, “Fear Not” (Matt. 10:31) He said it many times. Actually, it’s a theme throughout scripture. Fear at its most basic level, is a lack of trust in God and His promises. That is a harsh saying, especially when we are dealing with anxiety. Because, often times…
“And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.”—Luke 18:9-14
This is an important subject. The Lord calls us to examine ourselves, so that we are not lost. We are to judge ourselves so that we are not judged with the world. We turn to Him and confess Jesus as our Lord. We humble ourselves and stop relying on ourselves. We give it to Him. (1 Corinthians 11:31-32, Rom. 10:9-10, Rom. 14:11)
But, if we live under a deception of self-righteousness, like the pharisee in the parable, it makes it hard to see that we have never really known Him. We are not saved.
We are called by Him. And if we are willing, we turn to Him and confess Jesus as our Lord. We are saved forever, we are a new creation, and the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in us and mold us into the likeness of Christ.
But, the scriptures are clear that there will be tons of church going people who think they are saved, and are not. They never knew Him. They went to church every Sunday. They wore the pretty clothes. They gave tithes. They sang songs. They obeyed all the rules. They feared that God might get them. But, they never really knew Him. They were never broken.
Churches full of people who have never read the Word. They listen to the pastor and everything he says, and go to Sunday school, but do not know Christ. They believe in Churchianity, not Christianity.
They are taught that they are the bride of Christ and that they will be raptured out before anything bad happens.
But, when you read about the churches in Revelation it is clear that God judges His churches. He removes the lamp stand. Especially if they never really knew Him. (Rev. Chapters 1-3)
We see the Elder Brother in the parable of the prodigal son. He spews hate, because the Father (God) gives grace and love to his brother who has fallen.
“And he (the elder brother) answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends: But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf. And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine. It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.”— Luke 15;29-32
Notice, the elder son relies on his works.
But, he did not know the father’s heart. He thought it was about obedience, not love and grace. He was bitter.
In Matthew Chapter 25 we have three descriptions of what will happen when the Lord returns.
In all of these parables, it is obvious that the Lord is speaking to “Servants” who thought they knew the Lord.
In the first one, 10 virgins have lamps, and wicks in the lamps. But, when the Lord returns 5 of the virgins have no oil (faith) in their lamps. They heard the Gospel, as in the parable of the sower, but did not really confess Him as Lord. the seed fell on stony ground, or was choked out by thorns. They never grew in Him, and had no oil or faith for their light to shine. They buried it under a bushel. (Matthew 5, Matt. 13)
In the second one, the Lord goes away and leaves talents with His servants. But, when He returns, He finds one servant who buried His talents in the ground. The servant believes the Lord is a hard man and doesn’t want to upset Him. So, he did nothing. Again, this servant clearly does not know the Lord or trust Him. It’s not about works, it’s about knowing the master. The servant did not know the master because he did not care about the things the master cared about.If he had, he would have tried to do something to grow the Kingdom.
In the third, the Lord divides the nations into goats and sheep.
“Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:
43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.
46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.”
There is not one mention of going to church. He doesn’t talk about porn, or fornication. He says nothing about homosexuality or abortion. He never mentions drug use or addiction.
Why?
Because if you know Him, your sins are forgiven. Never to be brought back up, and thrown in your face. BUT… if you know Him you would care about the things He cares about. He forgave all their debt. But, they still did not forgive others and cared nothing about helping those in need. (Matt. 18:23-35)
Again, we see the Lord say,
“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”—(Matt. 7:21-23)
Again, notice that when they stand in judgement, they rely on the works they have done, not in the fact that they know Him. They were never saved. They never accepted the Grace of God. They never confessed Jesus as Lord. They have relied on being an obedient servant instead of relying on the finished work of Christ, and having a relationship with Him. They took the broad road of works, and not the narrow path of faith in Christ alone.
The worst thing to be is a religious self-righteous person. They think they are saved, because they do all the churchy things, and believe all the churchy rules. They never miss a sermon. They’ve got their favorite pew, and their favorite Bible. They don’t cuss. They don’t watch bad movies, unless it’s approved.
But, they wouldn’t go sit with the stinky homeless. They wouldn’t write letters to inmates. They think the stranger in the church might be a felon or a molester or publican. When they see a family with no clothes they judge that the dad won’t work three jobs, or it’s a single mother with no husband. They don’t help them. They might be sinners. They might be trying to con the good church people in order to get a tank of gas, or get a bill paid.
Who cares if they con us? It’s about love and grace not merit. Jesus died for us, and we are not worthy. We take advantage of his grace, whether we want to admit it or not. We are conning Him. Truth be told.
The worst thing, would be to go to church your whole life, obeying the rules; thinking you’re saved, only to discover that you never really knew Him.
Do not be like the virgins with no oil, when He comes.
Turn to Him and know Him. Taste and see that He is good.
A picture of us all The thief on the cross, spoken of in the Gospels of our Lord Jesus, stands as an extreme view of salvation in the eyes of some. The man who did what appears to be absolutely nothing, yet Jesus himself saved him declaring, “Today you shall be with me in…
Make sure. What does it mean to follow the real Jesus? Well, let’s look and see. Jesus’s ministry was a ministry of healing. This should tell us something about what we believe in regards to the Gospel and how we are to serve God. Because we want to be like Him. That is real godliness.…
You are never too far gone. In the books of Luke, Mark, and Matthew we see the story of the Gadarene Demoniac. (Mark 5:1-20, Luke 8:26-39, Matt. 8:28-34) He had an unclean spirit, which called itself “Legion” because there were many of the demons inhabiting this man. He lived in the tombs, crying out and…
When we study the scriptures on a subject, we go by what the entire Word says, based upon the guiding of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will lead us into ALL truth. That’s how it works. (John 16:13, Jas 1:5)
We are surrounded by lots of false teachings, and it is going to get worse as the last days move forward. This is why being taught by the Holy Spirit is most important. (1 John 2:27)
Hell and/or the Lake of Fire according to scripture seems to be two different places. There is a current holding place called Hell, and a final destination which is the Lake of Fire.
Why two? Because after all is said and done there will be a final judgement, and at some point God will create a new Heaven and new Earth. Hell seems to be the containment for this current creation, and the Lake of Fire is the containment for eternity, after the last judgement and new creation.
The current containment of Hell along with death will be cast into the Lake of Fire, so nothing escapes. (Rev. 20:14)
This containment system seems to have been created for Satan and his angels.
At some point in the distant past, when Satan fell and led a rebellion against God, which included angels and all sort of spiritual beings, God created or “prepared” it for them. (Matt. 25:41)
According to scripture, Satan and his angels are not currently bound in Hell. We have verses showing Satan visiting God’s throne room in Heaven and the angels battling each other. We also have verses speaking of the demonic forces ruling and influencing things on Earth. (The book of Job, The book of Zechariah, 2 Cor. 4:4, Eph. 2:2, Rev. 20:1-3, Dan. 10 )
There are also scriptures that show that some fallen angels or beings are bound in other places. We see that there is a place called the Bottomless Pit. So, it seems that the true spiritual cosmology, involves more than Heaven, Hell and Earth. The Bible doesn’t give us a lot of info on these places and on the cosmology. I have my beliefs on them, but let’s stick to Hell. (Rev. 20:1-3, Rev. 9:14)
Hell is eternal death. Death is separation, not an end as we suppose. Hell/Lake of Fire is a place that is separated from God for all eternity. It is a holding place for all that is filthy, corrupt and wicked. It is a place for those who refuse to be washed clean of Sin and Evil in the Blood of Jesus. Hell exists as a containment for Sin. It is like a plague that corrupts us. God cannot let Sin into Heaven or Paradise, or else death and pain and suffering would contaminate all of eternity. (Rev. 1:5, Rev. 7:14, 1 John 1:7, Eph 2:13, Heb. 10:19)
Hell is best viewed as the garbage dump outside of an ancient walled city. This image gives the best picture.
Hell/The Lake of Fire is the garbage dump outside the City of God. Outside of Paradise.
When you read in the Old Testament about lepers. This is a picture of the unsaved in Hell. They were living corpses rotting away and stinking. They were contagious, and had to stay away from others. They were forced to cover their face and yell “Unclean!” any time an uninfected person approached. (Lev. 13:45) Separation.
They were poor, and no one helped them much. They dwelt in the garbage dump because they could get scraps, and scavenge things thrown away, and people would leave stuff for them.
The dump stinks. It is where the dogs dwelt eating scraps and fighting lepers. It’s the same in Hell/Lake of Fire (Revelation 22:15) (Dogs in the ancient world were vermin and tormentors. They were scavengers and thieves, who roamed in packs and might even attack a child, or solitary person. It is not the view we have of family pets. Course those family pets can turn feral.)
Jesus described Hell as a place where “the fire is not quenched and the worm dieth not.” He was quoting Isaiah. (Isa 66:22-24, Mark 9)
The fires of trash burning with filthy smoke, choking the lungs and blocking the light. A place of darkness and misery, without the love and joy and peace of God. A place where the worms live forever eating the flesh, filth and corruption. (Matt. 25:30)
This is the basic picture of Hell. A garbage dump separated from God and all that is clean.
Jesus gives us a parable of the torment of Hell. He speaks of the poor man Lazarus who basically was a homeless man who lived outside a nameless rich man’s gate. The rich man ignored Lazarus. He could have loved Him and helped Him. If the rich man really knew God, he would have done what He could do to help the homeless man. But, He did not. (Luke 16)
Both of them die.
The rich man is in Hell. Again, not because he could earn His way into heaven by doing good deeds, but because He never knew God. He never had a relationship with God. If He had, then He would have had compassion. He would have felt conviction to help Lazarus.
The rich man is thirsty in Hell and and says “Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.”
There is no water in Hell, it’s hot. He sees Lazarus in Heaven/Paradise leaning against Abraham’s chest, and makes this request. (There are teachings about Abraham’s Bosom and all of that, which the Bible doesn’t really teach. In this parable it is clear that Lazarus is leaning against Abraham the person, because Abraham speaks. It is not a place. Locations do not speak. Any doctrines on a place called Abraham’s Bosom are actually referring to Paradise or Heaven. The place of the the righteous dead, where the saints go to be with the Lord, and the other members of their family and saints who were saved as well. Abraham and all the saints are there. The phrase “Abraham’s Bosom” is actually poetic language for Heaven/Paradise.)
Abraham tells the rich man that Lazarus cannot give him a drink because there is a gulf between Hell and Paradise. They can see each other, but cannot go there. Again separation and containment. Many ancient cultures had a similar cosmology, because it is true. God told Adam, and the truth went to Noah, and was taught to the people. Then it was confused at the Tower of Babel, when people scattered globally with different languages and different names for past events. But, the basic idea remains. Because it’s true.
The rich man begs Abraham to send Lazarus to warn his family, so they won’t go to Hell. But, Abraham says “They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.”
Abraham basically says, “They have God’s Word.” But, the rich man knows his family won’t read it or learn of it. He assumes his family would be shocked into turning to God if Lazarus rose from the dead.
But, Abraham says, “If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.”
Basically, if they won’t believe the Word, they won’t believe anything, even if someone rose from the dead.
In case you missed it, this is a reference to Jesus rising from the dead; and people still refuse to believe. Just to be clear, a man named Lazarus also rose from the dead, and people still refused to believe. (John 11, John 20)
So, that is Hell. But, what about the Lake of Fire?
In my best understanding, Hell is a current spiritual place in the cosmology. It rests separated by a gulf from Heaven/Paradise. (Luke 23:43, 2 Cor. 12:4, Rev. 2:7)
It is Spiritual. It is out there beyond the veil that separates us from spiritual things.
But, the Lake of Fire is material. It exists in the material world forever.
It seems that at some point, God creates a new heaven and new earth. The city of God, and Paradise itself seems to come to Earth and joins with Earth. There is no more Separation. Sin has been contained. Death has been defeated. Everything is created new and seems to go back to how it was before the fall of man and the rebellion of Satan. (Heb. 11;16, Isa 65:17, Isa 66, Rev. 21, Rev. 22 )
The Lake of Fire is a place on Earth at this future time. A material location, not a spiritual one. It rests outside the City of God. It is the garbage dump, and containment place for everything and everyone who refused to washed in the Blood and be cleansed and healed of the Plague of Sin. Understand that sometime before the final judgement everyone who is dead will be raised into bodies that can never die. The dead currently have spiritual bodies. These future bodies will allow us to either live forever in Paradise, or live forever in Hell/Lake of Fire. (Rev. 20:12)
Why do I say this? Because it’s what God says, “For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the Lord, so shall your seed and your name remain. And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord. And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh.” (Isa 66:22-24)
After God creates a new heaven and new earth. When His city comes to Earth and Paradise is here. The saints who the Lord has saved, will gather together on a regular basis to worship God. And part of that celebration, or after the worship service; people will be able to go out and look at the Lake of Fire and see Satan, His angels, and those who followed them in the Lake of Fire.
Now, a Lake of Fire implies liquid fire. So, I personally believe that it is like a volcano or magma. The City of God and Paradise Earth is near enough to see it, but there is a separation or gulf. People will come from all over the new Earth to worship, and see it.
So, let me tell you that our words and current understanding cannot really explain this. There are gaps in what the scriptures say and our ability to explain it. We have tried to give a time line. But, from what I can tell, no timeline or explanation of the events to come is totally perfect.
We are not supposed to “Intrude into things we have not seen.” (Col. 2:18)
That means that as humans who have never traveled to spiritual realms, or seen glimpses of the future new creation, we can only give limited knowledge and understanding.
I’ve tried to connect some dots. and clear things up in order to get people to understand and get saved or have a hope of the future. I am not going to say I have it all figured out in such a way that I can teach it or prove it. I don’t.
This is a simple explanation of what I have learned so far. I hope it helps you in your studies.
The saints will be overcome. The scriptures are clear that the Anti-Christ will make war with the saints and overcome them. (Dan. 7:25, Rev. 13:7) I want to point out how this is likely to occur and how it is already started. I am not giving a prophecy here. I’m just pointing out some things.…
What is the truth? I want to start with the ultimate truth, then talk about the current times, and prophecy. If you want to know God’s will on any subject you can probably find it in the Garden at Creation. There was no evil or death present. Nothing killed anything else. The humans and animals…
God is with us “Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” –Luke 12:32 “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”— 2 Tim. 1:7 “So that we may boldly say, The Lord is…
We’ve all seen it or experienced it. Whether it’s from someone we know, a stranger online, or the depths of our own mind.
We have shared or considered the difficulties we face and are made to feel guilty because someone else has it worse.
“You have a broken toe? Well, that guy over there lost both legs in the war, fighting for your freedom; stop complaining.”
Have you seen it?
“Your job doesn’t pay enough? Well, at least you have a job. Try and show a little gratitude, will ya? And go get a second or third job if you can’t deal with it.”
Sound familiar?
“You got the flu? Well, there are people dying of cancer, so man up buttercup, this world has not even begun to screw you over yet.”
Are you seeing where I’m going?
When you grow up in this world of pain, we learn to deal with suffering. We suck it up. We turn to booze and drugs. We try philosophies and religions. We internalize it and then beat our dog, spouse or neighbor.
We cannot stand to hear whining because whining gets you ate by the monsters of this world. You must suck it up and develop ulcers instead.
So, when someone speaks of their suffering or trauma, there are people who try to silence them. They often use shame as a tool. Trauma Shaming.
The fact is that most of the time trauma shaming occurs because people cannot handle hearing the truth. If they hear the truth they might have to respond, or the truth might lead to change.
So, they want to silence you.
Maybe not knowingly. They are just parroting the things they’ve been told. It’s based upon false notions regarding complaining. It’s wrong to complain, they say. But, apparently its wrong to support and encourage people also.
There are many excuses for trauma shaming.
But, silence is the outcome. And silence leads to keeping things the way they are.
The human subconscious does not really create levels of suffering. It’s all the same. We learn new levels of suffering through life.
A baby who loses a bottle is not worried about the other starving kids in the world. It just thinks that life sucks because the bottle’s gone.
The baby thinks this is the worst thing, until something worse happens.
Learning to deal with the suck of life is part of it. We can learn great spiritual truth from the troubles we bear.
There’s value in the growth that occurs as we deal with the problems of life.
But, what sort of value comes from belittling another human being who is experiencing trouble. If you can’t or won’t help, then at least pray for them or shut up.
We even tend to do this to ourselves.
We might feel bad about our job, but then we consider that kids in Thailand work in sweat shops. So, we shame ourselves into silence. They have it so much worse.
But, if we actually looked at the problems we face, no matter how small we want to make them, and work to change it. We might also, change things for the kid in the sweat shop eventually.
This world is full of evil. Instead of shaming people into silence, we need to start working to fix it. Speaking of these things can also help us get it out and heal or find help.
It’s important to know. Death on its most basic level means separation. It is not an end, as some suppose. The Bible teaches that we are triune, like God. We are made in His image. We have a body, a soul and a spirit. When God created everything He created it good. Evil was contained…
Are we prepared for His return? Matthew Chapter 25 is a chapter in the New Testament that describes what will happen when Christ returns. It states that He will separate the sheep from the goats. It appears that this judgment is not the Great White Throne judgment, where the lost are judged. This judgment is…
Always more. More, More, More. “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.”— Heb.…
The spirit of antichrist has been working in the world since before the Flood of Noah, even till today.( 1 John 2:18, 22, 1 John 4:1-6, 2 John 7 KJV)
It has one job. To create the Anti-Christ system in preparation for the appearance of Satan’s messiah, the Anti-Christ in these last days
When you see in the Bible the world being taken over by evil before the Flood of Noah. That was the spirit of antichrist. When you see Nimrod building the Tower of Babel and uniting the world against God. That was the spirit of antichrist.
When you look at history and see all the world conquerors. That’s the spirit of antichrist. When you see the idol of Daniel, showing the kingdoms of history. That is the spirit of antichrist.
When you see the 20th century and the struggles between capitalism and communism and fascism for global control, and control of the mind. That is the spirit of antichrist.
As you see the uniting of the world through torment and destruction, and fear. That is the spirit of antichrist.
The word antichrist, does not mean against Christ. It means “instead of” Christ. It’s job is to unite the world under the Anti-Christ, and get them to worship, another god. That god being Satan who desires to be the most high.
The spirit of antichrist does not care about our politics. It uses all sides to push its agenda. It works through individuals, groups, religions and governments to gain more control and build the infrastructure for the Beast system.
There are humans who rule this world, and have submitted to the antichrist spirit and other demonic forces. These humans from top to bottom are deceived slaves.
Even good Christian people can and are used by this spirit to help push the agenda.
The Holy Spirit and God’s Word, helps us to fight these things if we are Saved and Spirit led. Remember, Satan can quote scripture and use it to oppress people. It is the Holy Spirit that leads us into all Truth. It is the power of the Holy Spirit that quickens, the Sword of the Spirit.
We are called to fight the good fight of faith against the enemy in all its forms. But, we know we have already won, and the final victory must be Christ’s.
When they say Christ has come, do not be deceived, you will know when your Lord comes.
When they say you are an extremist. Rejoice for so persecuted they the prophets before you.
When they threaten you, and strip everything from you, and beat on the door to come in, fear not for He is with you.
Remember, all these things must happen but the end is not yet…..for He is coming…quickly.
Bio: Chris Bunton is a writer, poet and blogger from Southern Illinois. He has published in several magazines, and has written a poetry eBook called “Against the Man” and an Addiction Recovery eBook called “Made Free: Overcoming Addiction“ a collection of dystopian short stories.“The Future is Coming” and his latest book “The Latter Days‘ is a book on Bible Prophecy and avoiding the deceptions to come.
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