Faith, Not Sight.

I watched this video this morning. Do the same before proceeding with the article. In it, Melissa who is (rightly) very concerned about this “new reality” technology is bringing us, makes this statement…  “We’re going to live in a world where seeing is not believing.”

Ordinarily that would be a horrifying thing to consider. Imagine walking through the world not being able to trust our senses. People can’t, they’d be paralyzed. Yet, in effect, is this not exactly what the Lord asks of us when He says, via Paul:

2 Cor 5:7…  “(For we walk by faith, not by sight:)”

I already live in that world however, have been for many years now.  It was a hell of an adjustment.  I’m fortunate enough to have a prescient book that guides me.  I am already instructed to walk by faith and not by sight. What I experience by my senses can easily be a lie. What’s written in this book is secure forever.

Psalm 119:89… “For ever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven.”

There is a stunning dichotomy of realities both in this video with the technology it presents, and in that short verse in second Corinthians. A divide that if missed will lead to utter destruction. Is what we see and experience real?

I am told not to trust my senses because there is one coming, performing stunning miracles as God did when He became a man and walked among men (miracles that will seem very positive to the world – just what the world requires at just the right time) who’s intention it is to deceive the whole world for his own nefarious purposes. Let’s read these words very carefully that we may see what’s taking place here.

2 Thes 2:1-12… “Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

Paul is advising us not to be troubled or shaken in mind, by what exactly? The mystery of iniquity; satan transformed into an angel of light! The destroyer appearing as the creator. he is something that can be seen… and sensed in every way. The anti-christ who shows up on the world scene at when else but just the right time and gives the world exactly what it wants most. Peace and safety; the miraculous! The world begs for miraculous peace and safety, just not in the Lord, anything but that…

1 Thes 5:1-3… “But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.”

In this dispensation, as opposed to that time when Christ walked among us and miracles were prophesied, we are to walk by faith and not by sight because what we see can no longer be trusted. That which is seen; the coming peace and safety (Dan 9:26-27, 11:21-24), is FALSE. True peace and safety will only come after God has dealt with sin in this world and in heaven. This current train is headed off the cliff and all we can do is coax people off the train. People love the train… people love technology.

The above video is accurate. Technology exists such that anything we see on any “telescreen” anywhere is no longer trustworthy. If you see me in a youtube video, how can you be absolutely sure it’s me? My image can be taken and manipulated such that anything at all can come out of my mouth. You’ll KNOW it’s me because you can compare my every word with what is written in the King James Bible. Without Bible knowledge, I could tell you anything and you might believe it; because, after all, it’s me right there in the video. Or is it?

The miracles performed by Christ were foretold by the prophets, that’s what makes them sure and special. It is not the miracles in and of themselves that make them awesome, but that God foretold their occurrence… the who, what, where, when and how of them. That’s the essence of why they could be trusted. They were prophesied. Believers could know they were of God because God told the believers they were going to happen. satan can do miraculous things too. he is an incredibly powerful being. The only thing that separates us from being taken in by them is Gods word which instructs us specifically NOT to walk by sight because that’s what satan wants us to do. That’s how he deceives the masses who do not take the Bible literally. The above video demonstrates nearly perfectly how easy his job is going to be.

The contents of this video and the implications are staggering.  What can be believed at all? Did any physical planes actually hit those buildings on 9/11? (Ask Judy Wood.)  If Trump declares war against Iran, did Trump actually declare war against Iran?  If a nuclear weapon goes off in Jerusalem, has a nuclear weapon really gone off in Jerusalem?  Hey, we all saw it on the telescreen…

Bottom line. Believers have something extraordinary to hold on to. A book that tells of our past (Gen-Acts), our present (Rom-Phil) and foretells our future too (Heb-Rev). (See the Bible Chart.) Not the intimate details of our lives, those are of course up to us; but the big picture is displayed for anyone to see. satan, the god of this world, is destroyed; much of the world along with him. Open the book, study the book, believe the book. The book is the only thing that’s absolute and true in our world. By the above video, clearly anything else might be a lie. Of course by the book I mean the King James Bible; the book that even most Christians have left behind.

I’m going to add another video as a follow up to this post. It seems fitting as the same folks produced both. A question if you will… what is your privacy worth? The concept of privacy is rapidly vanishing as technology becomes ever more ubiquitous.

The god of this world.

“What do you mean, the god of this world?” you ask.  “Is that not the God of heaven?”  Lets examine scripture closely and from the beginning.  When satan first appears on the scene, with what incentive did he tempt Eve to eat of the forbidden fruit?

Genesis 3:4-5… “And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, AND YE SHALL BE AS gods, knowing good and evil.

He said she would NOT surely die when God said she would, AND he told her that she would be like (note carefully); “gods”; little “g” and plural.  Clearly then, Eve was aware enough of the existence of these “gods” (creatures) to know she wanted to be “as them” comprehending things she did not currently understand.  They knew more than she did… they were smarter, they were “above” her… “god-like”.  Indeed the angelic host were created to exist above mankind; for Jesus, taking upon himself sinful human flesh, was made “lower” then they.

Quoting Psalms 8:5 the writer of Hebrews says in 2:7-9… “Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and didst set him over the works of thy hands: Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him.  But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.

satan refers to himself being “AS” the Most High God, as that is his ultimate desire… to rule the heaven and earth as God.  What exactly does scripture show that satan “wills” for himself?  Count 5…

Isaiah 14:12-14… “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!  For thou hast said in thine heart, (1) I will ascend into heaven, (2) I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: (3) I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: (4) I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; (5) I will be like the most High.

Adam, by ignoring Gods single commandment (thou shalt not eat of it, Gen 2:17), was subsequently cursed along with creation itself (Gen 3:17-19) and forfeited the dominion God gave him over the world and placed it into the hands of satan.  This is demonstrated when satan offers Jesus that same dominion in:

Luke 4:5-6… “And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.  And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.

The Lord does not argue the fact that dominion was given to satan because it is an accurate portrayal of the situation.  Dominion of this world and all its kingdoms with all their earthly glory, was given to him.  Note carefully that it is satan also that chooses who he gives that power to.  (Who has power in the world today?)

The “gods of this world” then are those angels, made higher and mightier than man, which kept not their first heavenly estate, but chose to follow satan in his rebellion against the One True God of heaven.  These are they which Adam and Eve (mankind’s first parents) wanted to be like and thus chose to follow over the Creator God.

Jude 1:6… “And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.

The singular “god of this world” can therefore be none other than satan himself, the leader of the angelic rebellion.  People are extremely misled about the character of this creature however.  Nearly everyone reading these words have seen “devil” movies like “the exorcist” which portray satan as being overtly evil and a rather disgusting character… a boogyman if you will.  What is he really like?  Scripture shows in:

Ezekiel 28:12-18… “Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord God; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.  Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.  Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.  Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.  By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.  Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.  Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.

Full of wisdom, perfect in beauty, covered in gold and gems, perfect in thy ways, multitudes of merchandise, beautiful and bright… is this what the common conception of Lucifer (light bearer) is?  Not at all… most think of him as a monster when in reality he appears as just the opposite.  He is trying to deceive the world that he is the Most High that the world will worship him.  This is his ultimate desire… worship, because he feels that he deserves it.  His heart was lifted up because of his beauty.  What is the easiest way to attract worshipful attention from people?  Give them what they want.  Since satan possesses all the power and therefore money this world generates, he can give such to whomsoever he desires.  He offered such to our Lord when our Lord was contained within sinful human flesh and our Lord turned him down.  We have a far harder time…

satan does not appear as most of us expect him to appear (evil) and actually looks like all that is good in this world, rich, beautiful, bright and full of “blessings” for people.  How does this effect the world on a daily basis?  Paul, speaking to the Corinthian believers, cautioning them about straying from the gospel of grace he preaches and the false teachers which abound, writes in:

2 Corinthians 11:13-15… “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.  And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.  Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

Notice carefully what these are up to and where they practice their “craft”.  These are religious teachers putting forth a false christ… pretend “ministers of righteousness”.  Where do we find ministers of “christ”?  In churches.  satan is therefore not out and about haunting houses and possessing little girls, he and his ministers are out spreading false gospels and lies about the Lord Jesus Christ in order to keep lost people lost, saved people confused and “rightly divided” people slandered.

Paul is jealous over believers with a Godly jealousy (2 Cor 11:2) and warns these same believers in:

2 Cor 11:3… “But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

The saving gospel of Christ which Paul preached is so very simple.  Know you are a sinner in need of a Savior.  Know that Christ as Savior died the death you so richly deserve.  Anything more or less is a satanic departure from the simplicity that is in Christ Jesus.  This amazingly simple gospel message for today is nearly completely hidden in today’s churches in favor of all manor of religious zeal.

Those of us who are truly saved by the blood of the Lamb can only speak the words we have been given that anyone we might come into contact with would hear them and simply believe.

2 Corinthians 4:1-6… “Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not; But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.  But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.  For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake.  For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

I commend myself to your conscience in the sight of God.  Believe not the god of this world.  Open your eyes to Bible Truth.  Believe the words our Apostle Paul was given FOR you, that I share here with you.  Amen.

satan is the ultimate deceiver.  He has deceived the world that he is in fact god just as he said he would.  He has the means by which to do it, and those means came from us.  The world served him from the very beginning and nothing has changed.  God made a door which any and all people can step through.

The Creator God has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places (Ephesians 1:3).  The Creator God does not bless us, His heavenly people, with earthly things as He did Israel, His earthly people.  He did bless Israel abundantly with such in time past as He always promised He would (IF they obeyed) and will again in the ages to come, but His earthly program is halted today in favor of His heavenly program.  If you are expecting earthly blessings from God and somehow receiving them, they are coming from the god of this world who has them to give.  You are being deceived by the great deceiver.  If you are hearing a gospel message different from the most simple message Paul has to share, you are being deceived by the god of this world who is thrilled to deceive you away from the simplicity that is in Christ, and to cause such confusion in the professing church – those who “would know” the Lord Jesus.  Please… come to know the True Jesus, our Creator.

You need to get a King James Bible and learn the difference between God and the god of this world.  Paul can and will show you; as to Paul was given the fulfillment of Gods plan for humanity by the Creator directly.  We must know the Lord Jesus in HIS Truth for believers today.  This is what God wants for all mankind.

1 Timothy 2:3-4… “For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

Get saved by trusting that the Lord Jesus died for your sin and the come unto the knowledge of the truth by learning what God wants us to know about Himself.  Paul writes in:

1 Corinthians 14:37… “If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord.”  We learn these things from Paul.

Reality is a far different place than most realize.  Reality is found only in the King James Bible.  What people see everyday is a near perfect but perfectly opposite replica created by the god of this world that this world would serve him.  It is called “the course of this world” in Ephesians 2.  Most of the world is only too happy to comply.  Paul continues, as all men do have free will to believe whatever they wish to believe:

1 Corinthians 14:38… “But if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant.”  Don’t be willfully ignorant.  Trust in Christ and Christ alone; as the Triune God is head over all and will have the final word; and far more (a new heaven and a new earth!).  As Job writes in 12:16… “…the deceived AND the deceiver are His.

Next Post: “The new creation, a future dispensation for Gods people.

What mystery?

Our header reads:  “We teach Jesus Christ according to the mystery kept secret since the world began and revealed to the Apostle Paul.”  The vast majority of you will say: “huh, what mystery?”

Consider these articles a formal invitation from me to you to find out: “what mystery?”, as the vast majority of professing Christians have heard of no such thing.  Follow these postings from one to the next and see for yourself where they lead.  Each will have a link at the bottom to the next.  Please feel free to politely comment and question.  You will receive a reply.  Keep a King James Bible open and test everything you read here against exactly “what” the Bible says, “where” it says it, and “to whom” it is speaking.  I do not ask that you believe a single thing that I write, as I am convinced the Bible alone is Truth in this world.  I believe that understanding “the mystery” is the key to understanding the Bible.

Romans 3:4(a)… “let God be true, but every man a liar;

Did God the Father keep a secret from His creation?  IF we believe the words on the pages of our King James Bible (and we do) it seems that He has indeed kept something to Himself.  Examine Romans 16:25…

Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began,”

There it is.  A mystery God kept secret from the beginning of time, until the time He chose to make that mystery known by revelation.  Paul is writing this epistle to the Roman believers in and around the Acts 20 time period.  Next verse, 16:26…

BUT NOW is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith:

Is God choosing this time period (very early in the first century AD) to make known this mystery (whatever it is) and is He revealing it directly to the Apostle Paul?  Paul is calling this information “my gospel” after all and that might be taken as boastful to say the least.  What else does Paul have to say about this gospel he calls his own?  Explaining the “end” of the law “charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned: (1 Tim 1:5)” and to whom the law was directed (the lawless, etc…), to his dear friend Timothy (1 Tim 1:11) Paul claims “ownership” once again; “According to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed unto my trust.”  Did not Jesus Christ Himself commit the gospel unto Peter and the twelve well before Paul was even on the scene?  Speaking to the twelve about the signs and times of the end of the world He exclaims (Mat 24:14)… “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.”  This is the same gospel message Jesus was teaching in Matthew 4:23 as He had the twelve gathered around Him.  It is therefore the very gospel message He commissioned the twelve to preach in Mark 16:15… “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.”  Clearly, Jesus is speaking of the gospel of the kingdom.

How then does Paul dare to call this gospel his own?  What an ego!?!  This is mysterious… and a seeming conundrum.  Of course, as “actual” Bible believers (we actually believe the words on the page and do not simply believe what we want to believe, or have been taught in denominational churches about the Bible) this would cause one to question the claim that the very Word of God, perfect and without error, inspired and preserved throughout human history, is what we claim it is (and we do make such claim) or is even available to mankind in this 21’st century sans “original manuscripts”.

In trying to determine exactly what this “Pauline” mystery is, let us in the next post examine more closely the nation Israel, why God “chose” them and what Gods plan for His chosen people was from the beginning of time… that which was “spoken” since the beginning of the world.

Acts 3:21… “Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.

Hmmm… something hidden AND something spoken; both since the beginning of the world.  To quote C.R. Stam: “Things that are different cannot be the same.”

Next Post – “Why Israel?