History bears witness that there are two elements present when a nation decline and its people fade into oblivion. The worshiping of false gods is always a factor. The confusion of languages and the dispersion of the people at the Tower of Babel caused a cloud of darkness to overshadow and follow many civilizations. (Genesis 11:1-9) Wheather we accept this as the truth, a myth or a big lie, the evidence speaks for themselves. Today we refer to them as "Lost Civilization." When a nation divides or merges its spiritual base destruction follows. The Roman Emperor Constantine did not save Rome by merging Christianity with Pagan values, he hastens the downfall of Rome. The treatment of the Jews has always been a factor in the survival of a nation or empire. In modern History, the British Empire can attest to this fact. Once a thriving Empire, after siding with the enemies of Israel she lost her status to America, her arrogant stepchild. Did not Jesus say Nations would be judged based on how they treated his brethren (Jews)?
The Bible is a history of God's interaction with his creation down through the ages and not a hodgepodge of related and unrelated clichés. The fact that the Bible exists is a Testament to its sacredness and resilience. The Old Testament gives us an insight how God interacted with his chosen people and we can learn from that. Many messages of inspiration and exaltation are achievable from studying the books of the Old Testament, but The Old Testament is not to be mistaken as a message to the church. To do so is to take the Word of God out of context.
Once minister learned from their counterparts the ease of taking words out of context this became a common occurrence. New age interpretations of the Bible have emerged that allows for all infractions, even to the point of quoting scriptures to justify sin. A classic example of a scripture out of context is Jeremiah 29:11. We often approach this scripture as a security blanket: "God has a plan for me that is good, so clearly this suffering I’m going through will end soon and then my flourishing will begin!" That is not at all what God was promising to the Israelites, and it is not what he is promising us, either. Many shysters and late night televangelists have used this scripture to fleece the sheep of God pasture. If we read the entire chapter, we most definitely would get a deeper understanding. The heart and context of the verse is “not that we would escape our lot, but that we would learn to thrive” in the midst of it.
We can learn much about God from the book of Genesis. The book is crammed full of information that should give us a clear picture of God, his plan, and his intent, but to contrive a scenario and present it as a message to the church is in error. In the simplest terms, if we believe in the "Trinity" which many do not, then God never spoke to the church. Remember, there are three entities referenced in the Holy Scripture. "Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God." (1st Corinthians 10:32) If Paul referenced them as separate entities then they must remain separate.
In my book, "The Evolution of a Failed Church", I am critical of the church, because it has taken on a mission that was not ordained by Christ. Pastors are becoming politician and politicians are becoming pastors, this is not for the edification of the Kingdom, it is to amass a fortune, fame, and glory. The indictment issued by Jesus reads as such, "I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked." (Revelation 3:15-17)
Understanding that much of what we believe will count for nothing when it comes to salvation. 21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ (Matthew 7:212-23 ESV) That should be enough to make you think.
When we take words out context and present them as truths, we are guilty of a number of insidious acts. Namely, we bear false witness, a task that many Christians now a day are comfortable with, we are using false words to create a separate entity, one that fits our ideology of what that person or even God should be. Once we have created that false entity we tend to devote our time energy converting other to bolster our ego or our quest for fame and glory.
Maybe we should stop asking God to do so many things and just let God be God. Nothing can be more destructive to oneself and the faith of the struggling believer than to find God on the social media waiting for someone to "Type Amen and Share" so he can deliver a trunk load of money to their doorstep. Somebody needs to tell somebody that this is not what God is about nor is this how God works. The 'Genie in the Bottle', the 'Slot machine God' is not in accord with the Word of God, neither is he the God of prosperity. Maybe we should let God be God rather than repeating what Moses told the Children of Israel about standing still and seeing the salvation of God, maybe we should reflect on what Jesus said. "And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations." (Revelation 2:26) That verse tells us a lot about what God's plan for us.
It is my belief that the events presented in the Bible are in a chronological order. Revelation gives us a concise overview of the past, the present and the future as relevant to the time of John's existence. "Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter;" (Revelation 1:19) Much of the confusion of Christianity and the lack of believability would dissipate if we were to accept the foregoing statement as being true. The study Biblical history the same as we study human history would cause too many inconvenient truths to emerge. Many of these truths have lain hidden since the early days of the reformation of Christianity.
The problem with Bible interpretation has been just that, the desire to interpret the Bible. Reading with a desire to understand, asking for spiritual guidance is more appropriate than searching the scripture trying to prove a point. Understanding the ancient language and the signification of the Bible is a major key to Understanding the Word of God.
"And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy." (Revelation 13:1)
When I was a child, lacking in knowledge I would envision grotesque beasts emerging from the ground. Many parents who would read the Bible to their children would refrain from reading Revelation. As I grew older, a study of Bible symbology allowed me to grasp the understanding the meaning of the terminology "Beast, Sea, head, and horns." A complete listing of Bible symbology can be found in my Book, "Understanding The Word of God."
Prophecy and Revelation acknowledge the concept that the book of Revelation written in chronological order depicts world events, past, present, and future. The events of Revelation 1, 2, 3, took place before the events portrayed in Revelation 4. In Revelation, 3:1 Jesus is speaking to a dead church. This dead church existed in John's day. That statement is not acceptable by the majority because it places the church of today in an untenable position.
Revelation 13 began with the destruction of a nation and a new nation emerging. This new nation is an ungodly nation ruled by a person who possesses the spirit of the Devil (Antichrist).
Revelation chapter 13 begins with a beast (the Antichrist) rising up out of the sea which represents the nations of the world. The beast is the Antichrist or the false messiah. He will be the final world ruler, also known as the little horn in the book of Daniel, chapter 7, v.8. "I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn [were] eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things."
America and other European nations are being brought to their knees as America is being judged harshly by the sin of it pass. Law and order are being systematical destroyed. We seem to be standing on the pinnacle of disaster overlooking the abyss, but it is my belief that the hand of God has halted our descent until the time of the Gentiles is complete and the Temple has been restored.
Things during the end times will be chaotic. A time of confusion and uncertainty will cause the people to desperately look for a strong leader that could bring hope and security in a time of fear and apprehension. People will desperately seek a strong, charismatic, authoritative leader who can pull the world back from the very brink of disaster. This leader will have already discarded the Bible as being the authoritative word of God and have overseen the enactment of laws that are contrary to God laws.
Those people will get their wish as a powerful, charismatic leader spouting peace and unity comes on the scene from the Union of Nations. However, he will turn out to be much more than they bargained for. He will be a dictator whose cruelty will be more than any other the world has ever known. This man will possess the spirit of Antichrist, he will rule the entire world and receive its worship.
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