The Noetic Effects of Sin

“Whenever you reason with others about anything, you assume an ability in yourself and in them to think logically. You do not hesitate for a moment, wondering if what you hear and see exists as you observe it. As a rule, you go through life with a feeling of complete certainty. We have not ceased being reasonable creatures because of sin, and as we compare our existence with that of animals, we are fully conscious of the superiority our reason has given us. The power we have gradually acquired over the animals and the whole world is so plain as to convince us that our research and thinking are sound. It cannot be denied that the darkening of sin is noticeable here. How many are not terribly weak in logical capacity? How many errors do we not constantly find in our reasoning? How often is our observation deceived by appearances? How slowly do our investigations plumb their full depths! How hard have we not studied for an exam or for a job without any inspiration of holy enthusiasm? All this, however, amounts to a partial break, not a complete obstruction.”

No, the real darkening of sin is found in something completely different, in our having lost the gift to comprehend the true context, the proper coherence, the systematic unity of things. We now view things just outwardly, not in core and essence; hence, also, each thing individually, not things together in their connection and origin in God. (Ed: the Biblical concept of truth, as each thing related to Creation and The Creator) That connection, the coherence of things in their original relation with God, can be felt only in our spirit. It does not lie in things outside of us and therefore could be well considered only so long as our spirit stayed in vital connection with God and could trace the thought of God in that coherence. Precisely this characteristic our human mind possessed at its pure creation, and precisely this is lost when sin cut off the vital bond uniting us to God. As a dog or bird sees the bricks of a palace, the wood and plaster, maybe the colors, but comprehends nothing of the architecture, the style, the purpose of the rooms and windows, so we stand with darkened understanding before the temple of creation. We see the parts but no longer have an eye for the style of the temple, no longer can guess at its architect, and so can no longer understand the temple of creation in its unity, origin, and destiny. We are like an architect bereft of his sense who once could grasp the building as a whole but now peeping from the window of his cell, stares fixedly at walls and peaks without comprehending the motif…”

Science does not only consist of examining wood, stone, and metal but becomes essential science when it knows how to capture the whole as in a mirror. The darkening of sin thus does not concern the knowledge of details, but science in its higher and more noble conception. As long as non-human creation is studied independently of God, then science still produces its miracles by a careful analysis of things and not by a search for laws governing their movement. But you cannot reckon so with man. Instead, you will come to face spiritual questions that bring one into contact with the center of spiritual life, i.e., with God. Then all certainty disappears as school stands over against school, program against program, until full-blown despair at last overcomes the investigators. They will still make some progress in knowledge of the human body and of what comes forth from the mind in a material way, but as soon as they tread on real spiritual ground, everything runs on guesses and assumptions, on the supersession of system by system, and finally on doubt and skepticism.”

Spiegel states how difficult it is for the noetic framework of atheism to discuss evil. "The very notion of “evil” presupposes a standard for goodness which atheism cannot provide. Any notion of evil or, for that matter, how things ought to be, whether morally or in terms of natural events, must rely on some standard or ideal that transcends the physical world. Only some form of supernaturalism, such as theism, can supply this. So to the extent that atheists acknowledge the reality of evil, they depart from their own commitment to naturalism."

Spiegel discusses the controversial thesis of Paul Vitz; viz., the idea that many atheists are that way because of broken relationships with their fathers. Spiegel says: "In his provocative little book, The Faith of the Fatherless, psychologist Paul Vitz surveys the major, and many of the minor, atheist scholars of the modern period. He finds that the one thing these thinkers—e.g., Hobbes, Voltaire, Hume, Nietzsche, Russell, Freud, Sartre, etc.—have in common is a severely broken relationship with their father. In accounting for atheism, Vitz turns the tables on Freudians who aim to explain away theistic belief as a cosmic projection of one’s father image. In fact, the opposite seems to be the case: atheists’ broken father relationships prompt their refusal to recognize the reality of God."

Surely any strong atheist will protest, even finding Spiegel's thesis silly. But the Plantingian point that is being made is that, of course it will appear silly given one's naturalistic noetic framework. The real issue is that of adjudicating between such frameworks.

The Gift of Knowledge

We are naturally drawn to things we can see and touch. The beauties of nature and the wonder of our relations with our families and loved ones are overwhelming. But they are also quite capable of distracting us from God, whom we cannot see and whom we can only know by faith and Revelation. The gift of knowledge is a liberating force that allows us to place creation in its proper sphere, so that created things assist us rather than obscure the faith we seek.

The first step along this path is pleasant, at least for a time; it is the period of experimentation with the things that delight us most. At some point, like St. Augustine, we “grow up”, and decide that food, sex, money – the list is nearly endless – may be diverting, even addicting, but it doesn’t quite satisfy us.

In his Confessions, St. Augustine describes the climactic day when he finally determined to lay aside his former beliefs.

The very toy of toys, and vanity of vanities, my ancient mistresses, still held me; they plucked my fleshly garment and whispered softly, “Dost thou cast us off?” (VIII.26)

Augustine was speaking to a friend, but realized he had to be alone. He walked off by himself.

I cast myself down I know not how, under a certain fig-tree, giving full vent to my tears; and the floods of mine eyes gushed out an acceptable sacrifice to Thee…So was I speaking and weeping in the most bitter contrition of my heart, when lo! I heard from a neighboring house a voice, as of a boy or girl…chanting and oft repeating, “Take up and read; take up and read.”

…So checking the torrent of my tears, I arose…I seized, opened, and in silence read that section [of the Scripture] on which my eyes first fell: “…put ye on Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh…”

Augustine’s tears may resemble our own as we mourn the death of someone we love or – perhaps more poignantly – when we look at our own lives and realize how short they are, and how little we may have done with them.

An early 20th Century Dominican, H.D. Gardeil, asked,

What am I? What is man, then? It is God who inspires these tears. Converts experience it: these tears have led them back to God. Fervent Christians experience it also. In this vision of nothingness and this melancholy which it inspires they find a motive for turning away from creatures and of soaring towards God. The tears of the bereaved, the tears of the unhappy; they are one more effect of the knowledge which the Holy Spirit inspires within us.(The Holy Spirit in Christian Life, p. 103)

This is the first light of the gift of knowledge, the realization that the pleasure of created things does not last, and that true happiness must lie somewhere else. Freeing ourselves from the grip of our pleasures may prove to be a lifetime struggle, but the Spirit’s gift of knowledge is God’s assurance that something greater than a moment’s pleasure will reward the effort.

At the same time, knowledge allows us to realize that when created things no longer control us, when we no longer need some thing to define who we are, the undeniable beauty of creation possesses a remarkable capacity to reflect its Creator. Then, Fr. Gardeil writes, instead of betraying us, creation acquires the capacity to “betray” (in the sense of revealing) “God, the divine intelligence and goodness.” (Gardeil, p. 96)

And this can be another source of tears, the tears of longing that we encounter in many of the saints. The gift of knowledge enables us to see the face of God reflected in the faces of those we love. They draw us to God, but we cannot see Him. “God takes us captive,” Fr. Gardeil says, “but we cannot reach Him.” He continues,

[these are] no longer tears of repentance but tears of desire and anguish. We see him, but partially; we feel him but cannot overtake him. The blessed Virgin, when she finds our Lord in the Temple, reproaches him thus: “What hast thou done? Thy father and I have sought thee, weeping.” The spouse seeks God as the mother seeks her son, weeping. (Gardeil, p. 105)

St. Thomas Aquinas makes a connection between the gift of knowledge and the third beatitude, which promises a blessing to those who mourn. His comment is less poetic than his Dominican successor, but it is no less to the point.

It is by forming a right judgment of creatures that man becomes aware of the loss (of which they [creatures] may be the occasion), which judgment he exercises through the gift of knowledge. Hence the beatitude of sorrow is said to correspond to the gift of knowledge. (ST II-II, 9.4)

This ought to lead us to a moment of self-discovery. We are no less a part of creation than anyone or anything else God has created. The Spirit’s gift of knowledge should inspire in us a two-fold vision in which we see every creature as altogether dependent upon God, yet possessing the immense potential to reveal something of God’s perfection.

We do ourselves (or God) no credit if we hide our face, shuffle our feet, and say, “Aw, shucks!” if someone mentions our accomplishments. Cities built on hills cannot be hidden, Jesus says, and lamps are lighted to give light to households. No created thing has any value in itself, yet every created thing is immensely valuable because it has the capacity to reveal something of God’s perfection.

We commit the gravest of sins, the sin of scandal, if we use our intelligence or charm to lead others into sin. On the other hand, what greater gift can we give others than to share with them the good things the gift of knowledge allows us to discern in ourselves, which will lead them to God? St. Thomas observes that our happiness “consist[s] somewhat in the right use of creatures, and in well-ordered love of them; and I say this with regard to the beatitude of a wayfarer.” (ST II-II, 9.4, ad. 3)

St. Thomas’ use of the term “wayfarer” reminds us of our pilgrimage through life, and the lives of the saints demonstrate how powerfully the gift of knowledge can direct the prayer that accompanies and eases this journey.

St. Teresa of Avila writes that the first step of the soul toward contemplation occurs when the soul leaves its interior castle to wander among the beauties of the world. At some point the God calls the soul, telling it that these created splendors are not enough. The soul then retreats into its castle again, where God’s word can lift it to greater and greater heights.

The first step in this journey toward eternal happiness is the individual’s responding to the Spirit’s gift of knowledge, and acknowledging that created things, in themselves, cannot bring the satisfaction we seek.

The Holy Spirit, with whom we should have the most intimate relations, detaches us from creatures, makes us hear his call of invitation, and through recollection, places us in the first stage of the supernatural states of prayer. (Gardeil, p. 99)

Old or New Testament, Which Should We Follow?

The old covenant was written for an example and for our admonition. In 1 Corinthians 10:11 Paul wrote,"Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come."

The old covenant revealed sin. Paul wrote, "Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin" (Romans 3:20).

A gentile or non-Jew was never included as part of the Old Testament. He was not subject unto its laws. The Jews (ie. descendants of Abraham and Sarah through Isaac and through Jacob) made up the priesthood and kingdom of Israel. The only way that a gentile could be a part of that covenant was to become a Jewish proselyte. The Old covenant was given by God to govern Israel as a nation and as a Kingdom. If the Old Testament was still in force, it would still apply to the Israelites only.

The old covenant went out of effect after the testator of the New Testament died. Hebrews 9:16 says, "For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator." The testator of the New Testament is Christ Jesus. Paul wrote, "Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross" (Colossians 2:14). Thus, the Old Testament went out of effect at the death of Jesus. The New Testament of the testator was made known at the first preaching of the gospel of Christ on the day of Pentecost in the city of Jerusalem as was prophesied.

The old covenant could not take away sins. Hebrews 10:4 & 11 says,
"For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins." (11) "And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins."

The old covenant was a shadow and not the real. Hebrews 8:5 says that the Old Testament priests "serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things."

Since the Bible teaches these things concerning the Old Testament then we should not live according to the Ten Commandments or any other Old Testament mandate. To go back to the Old Testament is to go back to a time when sin could not be removed. Thus, "Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace" (Galatians 5:4). Since the law of Moses was a shadow and could not take away sins, why would anyone want to live under the Old Testament?

Self-Control Through The Holy Spirit

One of the fruits of the Spirit is self-control, and when God, through His grace and Holy Spirit, produces this quality of self-control in our lives, we will find ourselves doing much better in most any area or areas where we lack self-control. Self-control is not something we can just decide to start having. It's going to take grace coupled with the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit to achieve lasting victory.

We need to understand that nothing outside of us can force us to sin. While it is true that we can be buffeted by strong external temptations, the giving in to temptation always begins in the mind. Christian self-discipline must first begin with a discipline of the heart and mind. Satan and the fruit did not force Eve to commit sin. She first lusted after it; made excuses for it and then consented to it in her mind. The gold and beautiful clothing did not force Achan to commit sin. He dwelt upon it, lusted after it, made reasoning for it and then made a commitment to take it in his mind. Even the beautiful Bathsheba did not force David to sin. She was minding her own business, taking a bath. But, David stood there and stared and committed himself to an evil act. A bottle of liquor never flew off the shelf and poured itself down a man’s throat.

There are a number of things that we need to do regarding our weak areas. We must carefully and honestly identify our own specific problem areas. Some people have a problem controlling their anger. Others may be tempted to drink an excess of alcoholic beverages. Many men have a particular problem with the lust of the eyes and temptations relating to sexual matters. Some professing Christians are drawn to the pride of life and an obsession with wealth and material things. Others have a tendency to be lazy and irresponsible. It is very important that we honestly evaluate ourselves in light of the Scriptures because self-induced ignorance and self-deception is a result of pride. And pride goes before a fall (Pr. 16:18). We must be humble, admit our deficiencies and fight against them biblically.

While we ask God to give us grace for victory, He will be faithful and remind us when we are becoming a little lazy, careless or undisciplined. Someone may be wondering, however, what you should do if you do fail and yield to the initial stages of temptation. Our response to failure is important in bringing eventual success. When we fail, we do need to take enough time to acknowledge to God, (and some-times to others if another person was involved) our confession and expressions of apology for our failures. But we need to be careful we do not mill over our failures. We need to practice confessing and forgetting our mistakes, because if we find ourselves rehearsing our sins, failures and faults over and over in our minds it actually will strengthen their presence in our minds and life. They become so much a part of our conscious thought life that we become more prone to reenact them. We need to learn, in a sense, to confess and then ignore them as much as possible.

Jesus said that those who hunger and thirst after righteousness will in time be satisfied with the righteousness they are desiring. Just admitting we have a struggle shows we have somewhat of a desire to want to do better, but sometimes the temptation or problem is so deeply rooted in our flesh that we have a real struggle with wanting to admit it, much less wanting to get rid of it.

Grace can help us change our motives and desires. So if you have a struggle that in the flesh you're not even sure you want to admit, then tell the Lord about it and be honest with God. Tell Him you want to do better by His grace, and if need be ask Him to help you want to change your desires and your motives. He will in time! I do want to emphasize this point "in time". We Christians are so used to wanting instant healing, instant this or that, and it is true that God sometimes works this way, but in general, there is a process involved in change. Many Christians give up with the concept of grace because they don't give God time to work. They start taking matters into their own hands and eventually fail in their human efforts or they end up looking right on the outside, but fail to have inward transformation. So give God's grace time to work and make the changes you are desiring.

We need to imitate the love of Christ. Our Lord lived for others, not for Himself. He came to serve, not to be served. He went about His whole life doing good while expecting nothing in return. Therefore, love and benevolence ought to permeate everything we do. Our speech must be seasoned with salt and tempered by love. Our witnessing to hateful pagans must be mixed with kindness, concern and compassion. Our treatment of erring brothers must be merciful and forbearing. We must cheerfully visit orphans and widows and place others above ourselves. We must cast aside our sinful tendency to be self-centered. We must live for the good of the church not ourselves. Our love and Christian benevolence must beam out to all men.

We need to become a member of and active in a solidly Reformed local church. A Christian is not an island. Christ set up the church for our benefit. He ordained that the means of grace such as preaching and the sacraments would be found only in the institutional church (Mt. 28:19-20; Eph. 4:11ff.). As we serve Christ in the context of the local church we are not only sanctified by the preaching and the Lord’s supper, we are spiritual sharpened by being in a community of serious Christians where we have godly companions, biblical counsel, sanctified advice and opportunity for ministry. Further, if we do fall, we have brothers who will lift us up and pray for us. If we have serious sin problems we have the discipline of the church to help us repent and serve Christ as we ought. It is for all these reasons and even more that the author of Hebrews says, “Obey those who rule over you and be submissive, for they watch over your souls, as those who must give account” (Heb. 13:17); and “let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling or ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching” (Heb. 10:25).

As members of a local church we should become active in some area of kingdom service (e.g., witnessing, helping with a Christian cable access program, assisting the elderly and widows, passing out tracts, organizing fellowship meals, etc). If we are very active in the edification of our families and in doing good works, then we will be too busy doing good to engage in sinful activities.

God calls every Christian to a life of holiness. The only way that believers can make progress in godliness is through Christian discipline. We must, therefore, use all the means that God has given us to train or discipline ourselves to be godly. We must learn the Holy Scriptures and apply them to our daily lives. We must continually look to Christ “the author and finisher of our faith” and have faith in the efficacy of His life, death and resurrection. We must regard ourselves as dead to sin and alive unto God. We must live in dependence on the Holy Spirit’s enabling, sustaining and preserving power. While the Christian life is a continual battle and our responsibilities are many, we can take comfort in the person and work of Christ. His yoke is easy and His burden is light (Mt. 11:30). His intercession for us continues and it cannot fail (Heb. 7:25). “Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to preserve you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to God our Savior, who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen.” (Jude 24-25).

Jesus in the Old Testament

In Lk.24:13-32. It is the story of how two men were restored from despondency to hope by learning about this topic. This story begins on the Sunday after Jesus was crucified, when two of Jesus’ disciples (not among the 12) were walking from Jerusalem to (probably) their home town of Emmaus.

Read 24:13-24. You can see that these men are despondent. Their sadness was written across their faces (24:17). If we could have seen them, their walks would show it. If we could hear their answer to Jesus, we would hear it in their voices.

Why are they despondent? The key is in 24:21—“We were hoping...” They were hoping that Jesus was the One who would “redeem Israel.” They had heard Jesus authoritative teachings and seen Jesus’ miracles. They had put all their hopes in Jesus setting up his kingdom in Israel. “We were counting on him—but he didn’t come through. He was a prophet, mighty in word and deed—but he couldn’t even handle the chief priests and rulers. We were banking on him—but he got himself killed.” So despondent were they that even the women’s testimony concerning the empty tomb and the angel’s announcement was disqualified (24:21b-24 – “but him they did not see”). They were hoping—but now they’re going back to their home-town with shattered dreams and hopes.

We learn from this that despondency is the result of putting our ultimate hope in something or someone who disappoints us. We are hard-wired to put all our hopes in something or someone, to make someone or something our ultimate hope—to worship. The Bible says that God hard-wired us this way, and that we were created to put our ultimate hope in him. But since humanity turned its back on God, we retain the necessity of ultimate hoping—but now we are aversive to God, so we put our ultimate hope not in the infinite and utterly reliable Creator but in his good, finite and unreliable creation (Rom.1:18ff.). We make good things into ultimate hopes. So we are doomed to have our ultimate hope fail us, and when that happens we are devastated and despondent.

“I was hoping that this romantic relationship would fulfill my longing to be delighted in as someone special.” “I was hoping that getting into that college and getting that degree would make me respectable in the eyes of.” “I was hoping that this career would satisfy my desire for purpose and identity.” “I was hoping that working for this social/political cause would give me significance.” “I was hoping that my children would authenticate me as a good parent by fulfilling my dreams for them.”

What happens when these hopes get dashed and you become despondent? Tragically, most people find another false hope. Our culture has lots of them, and our media makes them appear very appealing and reliable. When that fails, some people decide to hedge their bets by not putting all their hopes in any one person/thing—an emotional insurance policy that protects you from despondency but makes you a little less alive. Others give up living—either by killing themselves, or by medicating themselves with drugs/alcohol or media distraction, or by self-protective cynicism (spiritual suicide because we must hope to be truly alive).

There is another alternative—you can make Jesus your ultimate Hope. In the Old Testament, God is called the Rock, because he is (unlike all idols) utterly solid and dependable. Jesus claimed to the Rock in Matt. 7:24-27 (paraphrase). If we build our lives on anyone or anything but him, we will be disappointed and our lives will be shattered. But if we build our lives upon him, though we will experience “storms,” we will never be shattered or abandoned. On the night that I was despondent because the girl in whom I had put all my hopes left me, Jesus came to me and told me that if I put my hope in him I would be secure. Maybe he’s telling you the same thing today. Maybe he is speaking to you in the midst of your despondency and challenging you to make him your ultimate Hope.

But here’s the twist: Even followers of Jesus become despondent. These two men are proof of this, and every person in this room who has followed Jesus for any length of time can identify with these men. How do we explain this? How can Jesus be who he claimed to be—the only valid ultimate Hope—and yet his followers still suffer despondency? The answer is that you can agree in your head that Jesus is your ultimate Hope, and yet re-make the real Jesus into the facilitator of your actual ultimate hope (Jesus as Genie & Christian religion as “rubbing the lantern”).

Look closely at 24:21. What was their actual ultimate hope? Was it Jesus? No, it was that Jesus would “redeem Israel.” In other words, their real hope was that Rome’s rule over Israel would be broken, and (we know this from other passages) that they would enjoy the perks of being on the winning side at this time. That was their actual ultimate hope (as it was for virtually every devout 1st-century Jew), and they saw Jesus as the facilitator of that hope. They read the Old Testament scriptures about the Messiah through this grid—focusing on the passages that confirmed this hope and ignoring the passages that said something else. They heard Jesus’ words in the same way—seizing on his claims to be Messiah to confirm this hope, and ignoring the rest of what he said about his mission. So when Jesus died, they were despondent—not because he failed them (as we’ll see), but because he didn’t facilitate their actual ultimate hope.

But these two men are not unique! Many people who claim to believe in Jesus as their ultimate Hope in reality relate to him as the facilitator of their actual ultimate hopes. And what happened to these two men happens to them—when their actual ultimate hope doesn’t happen, and they become despondent and their faith in Jesus is shaken or broken altogether.

This is one reason why cults are so appealing to people. They offer a supposedly biblical Jesus who will be your Genie and facilitate your real hope (2Tim.4:3,4; financial prosperity; physical health; etc.). They always use the Scriptures to back up their Genie-Jesus, but they always ignore what the rest of the Scriptures say about the real Jesus. And this is why people who have been burned by cults are the hardest ones to lead to Jesus. They believe that they trusted the real Jesus and he let them down.

But we don’t need to get caught up in a cult to wind up like these men. They lived with the real Jesus for three years—and still turned him into a facilitator of their actual ultimate hope. And we can do this, too. No matter how orthodox you are, no matter how much you believe in the inspiration of the Scriptures and read them, you will find that deep within your heart you still have actual ultimate hopes other than Jesus. And you will find an incredibly deep (though very subtle) inclination to relate to Jesus as the facilitator of your actual ultimate hopes. I don’t know of anything that exposes my depravity more painfully than this. We usually do this in one of two ways:

Some of us keep the same ultimate hopes we had before we met Jesus—and expect him to provide them for us. “I was hoping that you would provide me with a spouse by age 30.” “I was hoping that you would guarantee me success in school or at work so I can feel significant.” “I was hoping that you would make my children make good decisions so I could avoid pain and feel like a successful parent.” “I was hoping that you would exempt me from all painful adversity so I could feel comfortable and secure.”

Some of us change our actual ultimate hopes into “spiritual” ultimate hopes—and expect Jesus to provide them for us. “I was hoping you would give me this role in church by now so I could be someone.” “I was hoping you would make other people respond positively to my spiritual influence so I could feel competent.” “I was hoping you would make me more successful than others in my ministry so I could feel significant.” I wish I could say that I had culled these hopes from counseling other Christian workers—but they each come from my own heart. And on and on it goes. How do you know when you’ve turned a legitimate spiritual desire into an ultimate hope? When you become despondent when you don’t get it.

So what if you are a despondent Christian? The first thing to understand is that despondency is an opportunity. When our false hopes seem to be working, we are not teachable. But when our false hopes have been dashed, even though this is incredibly painful, we often become humbly teachable and open to deep instruction from Jesus and the recovery of real hope. Let’s see how Jesus restored these two men.
First, notice that Jesus took the initiative (24:15 - “he approached them”) to come to us in the midst of their despondency. They weren’t on their way to a seminar on repentance—they were on their way home as despondent drop-outs. But Jesus came to where they were, joining them as they walked away, to offer them real hope.

And that’s what he does with each one of us. The real Jesus is far more accessible to you when you are despondent than when your false hopes seem to be working. He is walking right next to you, even though you may not recognize him when you feel despondent.

Read 24:25-32. By asking them questions, Jesus exposed their false ultimate hopes (24:21). Then he gently reproved them for ignoring the Scriptures that didn’t fit into their false ultimate hope (24:25). “Foolish” doesn’t mean “silly” or “ignorant”—it means “rebellious” or “deliberately ignoring.”
This is a painful but necessary step—we have to let Jesus show us how we did this, and we have agree that we foolishly adopted a false ultimate hope and expected him to facilitate it for us. He doesn’t insist on this because he is mean and vindictive—he insists on it because it is true, and so that this ruinous inclination can be broken more deeply.

Next, he explained these Old Testament scriptures to them and showed them how his death was both predicted and necessary for his Messianic mission. They weren’t wrong in believing that Jesus was the Messiah; they were wrong in their expectation that he would usher in God’s kingdom on their time-table. Unless he cam first to die for their sins, they could never be admitted into his kingdom. Jesus’ death didn’t prove God’s unfaithfulness or lack of love for them; it proved his utter faithfulness and amazing love for them. And as soon as they began to grasp this (even before Jesus revealed himself to them), hope was re-ignited in their hearts (24:32) like a match on dry tinder.

This is the always the crucial lesson we need to learn (and re-learn). At the root of our despondency is always doubt that God is really wise and in control and loves us because he didn’t facilitate our ultimate hopes.  What does Jesus show us to convince us that he is in control and loves us? He always shows us from the scriptures something about the Cross. The Cross proves that God’s wisdom is perfect, because he predicted it centuries in advance. The Cross proves that God is control because he fulfilled his plan even through the evil choices of his enemies, and because he raised Jesus from the dead. And above all, the Cross proves that Jesus loves us because he voluntarily endured this social humiliation and physical agony and the wrath of his Father’s judgment for us—even though we are doubting idolaters! If he did this for us, we can entrust our lives and our hopes to him (Rom.8:32). And the moment we receive Jesus’ explanation of the Cross, hope is re-ignited in our hearts.

One of the best ways to lay hold of this hope (whether a seeker or a Christian) is to do what these men did—allow Jesus to teach you how the Old Testament foretold his death and resurrection. There is amazing power in these prophetic pictures to convince you that Jesus really is the Messiah, that God really does love you because he planned to die for you, that his Scriptures really can be trusted, that Jesus’ death and resurrection really is the key to your life, etc. Let Jesus teach you these passages, and experience the hope he wants to give you!

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What Happens at the Judgment?

Many will say this is heresy! But the TRUTH can always withstand scrutiny. Study this information and pray about and let the Bible and the Holy Spirit lead you.

Destruction of the wicked is easy! That's Satan's main modus operandi! Satan is the author of death and destruction. That's also the way humans behave. Even WE can destroy. Destruction is TOO EASY! And that's not God's way of doing things.

God is far greater and far smarter than all of us. He has the power and genius to win His children back. He didn't create a creature (Satan) that is smarter than He (God) is -- someone who could win the majority of God's children away from God - and leave God helpless to know how to win His children back!! Rubbish!

It's EASY to destroy! But it takes a real Genius to change His children's lives and win them back so God can be ALL in ALL!

Remember, Jesus said "If I be lifted up, I will draw ALL unto me." John 12:32

What a God! How GLORIOUS the New Earth will be!

By the way, that's the way God is going to "wipe away all the tears from our eyes." Not by giving everyone a lobotomy so they won't remember all their loved ones who "weren't saved." Instead, Our great and wonderful God has the power and intelligence to win EVERYONE back to Him!

If God is love. (I John 4:8) --- and Love NEVER fails. (1 Cor 13:8) --- then GOD NEVER FAILS! It is impossible for God to lose even one of His children!

GOD DOESN'T WASTE ANYTHING!!

Everything God has created is recyclable. Nothing is wasted or permanently destroyed. It is a law of physics that matter is never permanently destroyed. All matter is conserved.

Jesus, after feeding the 5000, ordered the disciples to collect all of the scraps in baskets. He doesn't waste ANYTHING!

It is God's nature NOT to throw anything away. Why would He create BILLIONS of people just to permanently annihilate them by whatever means? If He will go to the trouble of having scraps of bread picked up so they wouldn't be wasted (after the feeding of the multitudes), how could He permanently destroy billions of people? (After all, God tells us that He watches out for the sparrows and we're told we're far more important than sparrows.)

We BECOME like those we admire!

Jesus is God in human form. When we fall in love with someone, we want to know all about them, and do what they want to do, and do what they want US to do.

That's what happens when we fall in love with Jesus. But the ONLY way we can fall in love with Him is by getting to know Him, by talking to Him regularly every day in prayer, and by letting Him talk to us through His Word, by our reading the Bible, and through Him impressing His character on our minds.

It is well known that we become like those we admire. Kids that admire Satanic Rock groups, dress like them, talk like them and behave like them.

If we love a God that is going to destroy His enemies -- then that's how we become - hateful to those who don't believe as we do. We start to believe that they DESERVE to be destroyed! After all, THEY didn't make the RIGHT CHOICE --- and WE DID!! (What spirit is that?)

Did God create Lucifer (who became Satan) to be smarter than God is? That has to be the case if Satan can win 80% or more of God's children away from God, and God doesn't have a clue as to how to win them back. And then what do we do with the quote of Jesus "If I be lifted up, I will draw ALL men unto me"???

The omnipotent, omniscient God who creates galaxies with billions of stars, Who created the sun, moon and everything in the universe, yet knows when a sparrow falls - certainly HE can win His children back!! God Himself said, "Is ANYTHING too hard for the Lord?" Gen 18:14

But we're taught that Satan has outsmarted God and God has NO idea how to win His kids back, so He's just got to KILL BILLIONS of them!!

But I thought Satan is the destroyer!! Destruction is SATAN'S modus operandi. And that's what we humans do also - DESTROY - whatever we don't like or can't control.

But God says "I'm NOT like you! My ways are NOT your ways. My ways are HIGHER than your ways." God is the RESTORER, NOT the destroyer! "Behold I make ALL things NEW!" says the Lord.

CONTRACTS OBTAINED THROUGH FRAUD

If a person enters into a contract through fraudulent representation, it is NO contract at all. Fraud nullifies consent. If any contract is obtained by the use of fraudulent means, it is declared null and void in any court in the land.

Are our earthly courts more fair than God's justice? Satan has won ALL of his converts by the use of fraud and deceit. If Satan had been honest about his motives, methods and goals, NO ONE would agree to follow him.

Even though God allows us to reap what we sow, will God honor permanently the contracts made between Satan and human beings when ALL of them were obtained by fraud?

FREE WILL - FREEDOM OF "CHOICE"

God has given us "free will" to make our own choices. We "choose" to follow the Lord?

But where is our "free will"? Consider this:

1) We didn't ask to be born. We had No choice in it.

2) We had NO choice whether to be born a sinner or not - "ALL have sinned and come short of the glory of God."

3) We had NO choice as to who are parents were, our genetic make-up, the place or circumstances of our birth, our heighth, our nationality or our physical characteristics nor whether or not we were born with or without birth defects.

4) And we have NO choice as to the circumstances nor experiences that go into making up our subconscious mind which determines in large part how we react to situations and how we make decisions.

CONSIDER THIS:

Methuselah had 969 years to find God and get his life right.

Yet a child may be born to a prostitute, drug addict mother and a Mafia "hit man", alcoholic father who beats his wife and kids everyday. The child grows up in the ghetto, on the street, joins a gang and is murdered in a shootout at the age of 14.

According to what we're taught, God says "Well kid, you had 14 years to find Me and get your life straight and you didn't get it right -- so YOU'RE DEAD MEAT. You're going to BURN because you didn't accept Me as your Saviour in those 14 short years!"

In this "parable" the boy responds by saying "But why did you give Methuselah 969 years and me only 14 years? That isn't fair!"

And the boy is absolutely right! IT ISN'T FAIR!! SO GOD WOULDN'T DO THAT!!

God is the ULTIMATE in fairness.

REGARDING GOD'S SAVING OF ALL MANKIND!

"The news of Christ's resurrection was so DIFFERENT from what they (the disciples) had anticipated that they coud NOT BELIEVE it. It was TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE, they thought. They had heard so much of the doctrines and the so-called scientific theories of the Sadducees (the church leaders of the day) that the impression made on their minds in regard to the resurrection was vague. They scarcely knew what the resurrection from the dead could mean. They were UNABLE TO TAKE IN THE GREAT SUBJECT." Desire of Ages, pg. 793

The SAME is true of the church of today regarding UNIVERSAL RESTORATION - the SAVING of ALL mankind. But this means saving people FROM their sins, notIN their sins! It is "TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE" we say, but yet that's the way God REALLY is!! He's FAR GREATER and KINDER than we have EVER IMAGINED!

This is why we can now understand the following texts to their fullest:

Phil 4:6 Be anxous for NOTHING! (Don't worry about ANYTHING) But in EVERYTHING, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, make your requests know to God and the peace of God that passes ALL understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."

UNIVERSAL RESTORATION is truly "the peace that passes ALL understanding."

1 Thess. 5: 16-18 Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In EVERYTHING GIVE THANKS! For this IS THE WILL of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."

Will I Make it to Heaven?

Everyone is always worried about whether they're going to "get to heaven." "How do I make sure I'm going to be there?!" People say that Universal Restoration means we don't have to pray for people because, if Universal Restoration is correct, EVERYONE is going to be saved anyway.

But that misses the real point! Because that assumes that it's NOT FAR BETTER to be with Christ NOW while here on earth! We want to pray without ceasing that our friends and relatives accept Christ NOW so they can be with Christ NOW on this earth, as well as for eternity.

That's what the parable of the Prodigal Son is all about. The son who stayed home said to his father "I stuck around here all these years with you and didn't go out and have "fun" like my brother (who, of course, ended up living with the pigs! Some fun!) "And you're giving my brother the same reward you're giving me (son-ship) plus you're giving him a big "welcome home" party. I'm upset!!"

And the father replies "Hasn't it been better to be here with me all this time? If you don't think there's any advantage to being with me NOW - EVERY DAY- then you haven't gotten the picture yet! In fact, you really have NEVER been with me. You've just been going through the motions, waiting to get my fortune (reward of eternal life). Depart from Me, I NEVER knew you!"

If we don't understand that it's FAR BETTER to be with the Lord right now, here on this earth, even if there were no future eternal life, then He will allow us to follow our own path until we finally learn that our own plans lead to nothing but pain and sorrow and that the ONLY road to happiness is to follow God's way.

How long will God have patience with us? Will He ever become impatient and give up on us? Remember, God says "I will NEVER leave you nor forsake you." Heb. 13:5 How long did the lost shepherd search for the one lost sheep? Until He found it! There was NO time limit!

"Do you mean we actually get a second chance?" you ask. Isn't that heresy? When could that possibly happen? And if that is true, then I can "be bad" as long as I want, and I'll still have a chance later to change and be saved, so what's the big deal? I can put off coming to Christ for as long as I want.

And why should we pray for people, when everyone is going to be saved anyway?

Don't you realize that it's BETTER to be WITH the Lord, than to be WITHOUT Him? --Even if there were nothing after this life, wouldn't it be better to be with the Lord NOW than NOT to be with Him NOW? If we don't realize that, and if our reasons for being with the Lord are ANY other than just WANTING to be with Him, we're NOT safe to save! We either just want the "goodies" of heaven, or we're just afraid of the "penalty."

Re-read the parable of the Prodigal Son and concentrate on the role of the older brother who really didn't care that much about his father, he was just staying around to get his inheritance (the goodies).

Are Christians guilty of the same motivation?

The Fate of Children

Critics still point to the killing of children in a number of the accounts listed (e.g. the Flood, Amalek, etc.) and protest that God was not justified in calling for the taking of their lives. To address this charge, a number of things should be understood.

First, the typical Israeli rules of engagement included a warning and declaration period of the coming, impeding war. Women, children, the elderly, and others who wished could easily flee far ahead of the fully announced military attack. Only those who (or whose parents) stubbornly remained would face war and its outcome.

Second, in the case of Amalek, it has already been shown that the entire culture had been corrupted by the sin of the adults. From the perspective of eternity, there was no hope for any child who was left behind. Scripture speaks to the fact that any child who dies before they know enough to be morally accountable before God are taken to be with Him (cf. 2 Sam. 12:23), so while some children may have been killed in war, they were ultimately saved by God from becoming what their parents were.

Last, socially and physically, the fate of children throughout history has always rested with their parents, whether they were in good hands (in the case of Noah) or bad (Amalek). The actions of the parents were the final determinant in the temporal/earthly well-being of the children.

What about this Old Testament "Killer God?"

Probably the two biggest hindrances to the acceptance of Christianity are 1) the doctrine of Hellfire, and 2) the voluminous evidence in the Old Testament of a "Killer God," a God who seems to be saying, "If you love Me and do what I tell you, everything will be fine and I'll give you eternal life. But if you don't, I'll have to destroy you."

Most Christians have been taught that God is a combination of justice and mercy. His mercy is demonstrated by His Plan of Salvation, in which Jesus came to die for sinners, to pay our penalty for sins, and to save those who accept Him. His justice is demonstrated, we are told, by the punishment given at the Judgement to those who don't accept and follow Him, the punishment of burning forever or burning for at least some period of time.

But Jesus came to reveal the character and will of the Father. Jesus said, "If you've seen Me, you've seen the Father." John 14:9 "I and My Father are one." John 10:30

John 1:1,14 says, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was God, and the Word was with God. . . and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us." Jesus is the Word, therefore Jesus is God in human form!

When Jesus came to earth, He came to reveal the complete character of God, and this He accomplished, as He said just before His crucifixion, "I have finished the work you gave Me to do" (John 17:4). Heb 1:2,3 says, God "has in these last days spoken unto us by His Son...Who being the brightness of His (God's) glory, and the express image of His (God's) person..." "I and My Father are one." John 10:30 "If you have seen Me, you have seen the Father." John 14:9 "For God...gives the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." 2 Cor 4:6

So, it is clear that when Jesus was on earth, He revealed the exact and complete character of God. No part of God's character was left out in the life of Jesus!

But when Jesus was on earth, He NEVER killed anyone. He never even hurt anyone. He told His followers to love their enemies and He behaved in the same way. When He was on the Cross, He asked His Father to forgive His murderers "for they know not what they do."

Jesus was gentle, humble, kind and longsuffering. How do we reconcile Him with the thundering, wrathful, killing God of the Old Testament? Even Jesus' disciples were perplexed and confused. Philip asked Jesus to show them the Father, and Jesus replied, "If you've seen Me - - - you've seen the Father." (John 14:9)

Some denominations call themselves "New Testament" Christians. They think the Old Testament was for the Jews only. Besides, they are uncomfortable with the God of the Old Testament because He appears incompatible with the kind and gentle Jesus of the New Testament.

Some denominations claim to accept the whole Bible as their guide, including the Old Testament, but they too have difficulty explaining the God of the Old Testament. Many prefer not to discuss that part of God's character as it is troubling to them and they can't explain it. Others say that the New Testament Jesus exemplifies God's character of mercy, while the Old Testament God demonstrates His character of justice.

But God says, "I NEVER change." (James 1:17 "...no variableness or turning") Jesus is "the same yesterday, today, and forever." (Heb 13:8)

So, what is the answer? How do we reconcile two such diametrically opposing characters (or so it seems) into one cohesive Loving God?

God has graciously given us a number of clues to answer this mystery, clues that we have read many times, but maybe have not completely understood. He does not explicitly explain each situation that may seem difficult to comprehend, but He has given us enough clues to allow us to understand the principles on which He acts.

Clue No. 1: Who hardened Pharaoh's heart?
God says, "I did it."
"And the Lord said to Moses,
'When you go back to Egypt, see
that you do all those wonders
before Pharaoh which I have
put in your hand. But I will harden
his heart so that he will not let
the people go." (Ex. 4:21)
God says, "Pharaoh did it."
"But when Pharaoh saw that there
was relief, he hardened his heart
and did not heed them, as the Lord
had said...But Pharaoh hardened
his heart at this time also; neither
would he let the people go."
(Ex. 8:15,32)

Clue No. 2: Who killed Saul?
God says, "I did it."
"So Saul died for his unfaithful-
'ness which he had committed
against the Lord, because he did
not keep the word of the Lord,
and also because he consulted a
medium for guidance, but he did
not inquire of the Lord; therefore,
He killed him, and turned the
kingdom over to David, the son
of Jesse." (1Chron. 10:13,14)
God says, "Saul did it."
"Saul said to his armorbearer,
'Draw your sword, and thrust me
through with it...But his armor-
bearer would not...Therefore,
Saul took a sword and fell on
it...So Saul died." (1 Chron. 10: 4,6)

Clue No. 3: Who killed the firstborn of Egypt?
God says, "I did it."
God said, "For I will pass through
the land of Egypt on that night
and will strike all the firstborn in
the land of Egypt, both man and
beast; against all the gods of Egypt
I will execute judgment: I am the
Lord.'" (Ex. 12:12)
God says, "the destroyer" did it.
"For the Lord will pass through
to strike the Egyptians; and
when He sees the blood on the
doorposts, the Lord will pass
over the door and not allow
the destroyer to come into
your houses to strike you."
(Ex. 12,23)

We see from these three illustrations, (and there are more), that God in one text says that HE did a certain thing, but in another text, He says SOMEONE ELSE did it.

In order to understand the simple answer to this seemingly complex problem, let's first look at some characteristics of God that are well illustrated in the Bible.

First: God says to us, "I'm NOT like you." "My ways are higher than your ways, and my thoughts (are higher) than your thoughts." (Isaiah 55:8,9) So we see that God is different from human beings in the way that He acts, even in the demonstration of what we term human emotions.


God's "Wrath"

The first problem we must address is that the translators have taken great license with the translation of various words in the Bible. "Wrath" and "anger" are no exceptions.

In the New Testament, two Greek words are both translated "wrath." They are orge(#3709 in Strong's Concordance) which means desire, or violent passion andthumos (#2372) which means passion, breathing hard, or fury.

The translations in the Old Testament are much more varied. Each number on the right in the list below is for a different Hebrew word. But they ALL are translated "wrath." The Hebrew language is very precise. Each word has a specifically different meaning. This shows that the translators arbitrarily chose to translate all of these different words as "wrath." But they do NOT all mean wrath

The Hebrew word aph (#639) means rapid breathing in passion.

Chemah (#2534) is defined as hot with passion

Ebrah (#5678) means outburst of passion

Qetseph (#7110) means, literally, a splinter or "chipped off". Freely translated it means to be displeased, to fret or possibly to burst out.

Kaac (#3707) - to be grieved or sorrowful, to be troubled.

All these words have specific meanings which denote a passionate displeasure or a sorrowful troubled spirit, yet they are ALL translated "wrath." This, of course, makes God appear violent, frightening and vengeful, apparently the way the translators chose to present God to the world, a "ferocious" God that agrees with their own theology. A more accurate translation is that God is passionately sorrowful or troubled.

God, Himself, Defines His "Wrath."

Human beings define wrath as "intense anger, rage fury, vengeance" according to Webster's New World Dictionary. But God defines His wrath in a totally different way.

Look at Romans 1:18: "For the wrath (Greek word orge) of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold (suppress) the truth in unrighteousness." Then verses 24, 26 and 28 tell us how Goddemonstrates His wrath:

Verse 24: "Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves."

Verse 26: "For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections; for even their women did change (exchange) the natural use into (for) that which is against nature."

Verse 28: "And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate (debased) mind, to do those things which are not convenient (fitting)."

So we see that God's wrath is just giving us up to our own sinful ways to reap what we have sown. He doesn't punish us. He doesn't harm us in any way. He just let's us go the way we have chosen. We then punish ourselves by our wrong decisions.

God has given us the 10 Commandments as a guide for our life. He says that if we obey them, our lives will be easier and happier. If we don't obey them, our lives will be harder and more sorrowful - - - NOT because He's going to punish us, but because the natural result of our actions and behavior will bring us sorrow and pain.

When our children were young, we warned them not to play in the street. We didn't say, "If you play in the street, I'll kill you." No, we said "I love you and I don't want to see you hurt. If you play in the street, you might be injured or killed."

It's the same with God. He says, "I love you and I want your life to be happy and healthy. If you don't obey the guidelines I have given you, I won't punish you, but you will punish yourselves by bringing on yourselves the results of your behavior. You will reap what you have sown."

So we can understand that God's wrath is totally different from man's wrath.

Now let's look at another aspect of God's character.

All through the Bible, we see that both God and Satan work through people. Jesus has told us to "Go into all the world, and make disciples out of all nations." Matt 28:19 We are to be Jesus' ambassadors, continuing the work He did when He was on earth. He wants to live in our hearts to make us like Him. But He will never force His way into our life. On the contrary, He "stands at the door and knocks" like a gentleman. If we let Him in, He will come in and fellowship with us, as a father does with his children.

Satan, the Adversary, on the other hand, is a liar and a murderer (John 8:44). He wants to control us completely and will use force to do it. He will use us for his plans, he may even "bless" us mightily with fame or fortune until he is finished with us, then his desire is to destroy us. He is the author of death, disease and destruction.

It is clear from many passages in the Bible that both God and Satan work through people. That is their modus operandi, their method of operation.

In addition, God says many times in the Bible, that He is the one Who is in control of EVERYTHING!

Eph 1:11 God "works ALL things after the counsel of HIS OWN WILL."

Eph 2:10 "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

The highest and most powerful of earth's leaders play the part that God assigns them, though they don't know it. It's recorded in the following texts.

Proverbs 21:1 "The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord as the rivers of water: He directs it wherever He pleases."

Rev 17:17 Speaking of the last days, when there will be ten kings ruling the whole world, the Bible says, "For God has put in their hearts to fulfill HIS WILL and to be of one mind, and give their kingdom unto the beast..."

Romans 9:18 "It is NOT of him who is willing, nor of him who is racing, BUT OF GOD THE MERCIFUL."

Phil 2:13 says, "It is GOD WHO is operating in you TO WILL as well as to work for the sake of His delight."

These, and many other texts, show clearly that GOD (and NOT man) IS IN CHARGE OF THIS WORLD and in charge of our lives.

God knows everything, that He knows the end from the beginning. It is referred to as God's "foreknowledge." In other words, God knows it is going to happen, but He didn't plan evil things to happen. The Bible says He PLANNED our good works, for us to walk in them. (Eph 2:10). So God only planned good things !
Now let's take another look at those three clues we mentioned at the beginning:
1) Who hardened Pharaoh's heart? 2) Who killed Saul? and, 3) Who killed the firstborn of Egypt?

With the information we have uncovered, we know that 1) God's wrath is just giving us over to our own ways, to do what we want to do, and to suffer the results, 2) God accomplishes His plan by working through people, and 3) God foreknows everything before He created the world But all evil things were not caused by him. They were either caused by the devil or by human wickedness.

So, WHO is doing it? Answer: Both are doing it.
We, as frail human beings, CAN make choices. But our choices are based on the understanding we have of the problem facing us, the present circumstances or conditions, PLUS what is in our subconscious.

Back to the three illustrations. Pharaoh hardened his own heart. He made the decision not to let Israel go, but it was based on information and circumstances that he had little or no control over. The circumstances were dropped in his lap and Pharaoh made the decision based on those circumstances.

King Saul had chosen to go his own way. He inquired of a sorcerer, a witch, about what would happen in battle. He KNEW that was wrong! He was the one who had made a national law against visiting sorcerers, yet he decided to visit one himself.

Saul or Pharaoh both knew that their actions were wrong. They willfully made the wrong decision based on what they knew. Their own willful actions brought about their eventual outcome.

Now we understand that when God says HE DID IT, we know that the action was actually performed by people based on their own decisions. God "gives us up" to our own sinful ways to do what we desire, and we end up reaping what we have sown.

That's the answer to the Old Testament, supposedly, vengeful God. He doesn't do it, even though he takes credit for it. WE DO IT TO OURSELVES!

So, we have established that when God says He did it, WE actually are doing it to ourselves.

We will find that when He says Satan, the destroyer did it, again WE actually are doing it to ourselves.

It also is reasonable to assume that when God says" an Angel" did it, WE are really doing it to ourselves.

Let's Look at the Story of Job

Job, Chapter 1 says" There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect (blameless) and upright, and one that feared God, and shunned evil."

Let's stop right here and agree that Job WASN'T perfect, as we know that "ALL have sinned and come short of the glory of God." (Rom 3:23) The ONLY Man that ever walked the earth without sin was Jesus. So Job was a good man, but certainly not sin-free.

Satan accuses Job of being good, and loving God ONLY because God protects him and provides good things for him. (Job 2:3-5) Satan asks for permission to attack Job and God gives permission, but forbids Satan to take Job's life.

PLEASE NOTE: Satan CANNOT do anything that God does not specifically allow!

We assume, and we are taught, that Satan comes down to Job and somehow just casts a curse on Job and that Job has no participation in it. We assume that Job develops these boils out of nowhere, that sickness just falls from the sky and has no relationship to what's going on in our mental or spiritual nature.

But disease is not physical. It's spiritual. That's where it begins.

Satan didn't just cast a curse on Job. He tempted Job to have fear. Job says "The thing which I greatly FEARED is come upon me, and that which I was AFRAID of is come unto me." Job 3:25

Why was Job fearful? God tells us to "FEAR NOT" for He is with us. The Bible instructs us several HUNDREDS of time to "FEAR NOT." Having fear is a sin. It means we don't trust God.Fear, stress and anxiety cause disease in our body.

So we see that when God allows Satan to attack us, the attack comes through temptation, which we can resist through God's strength in us as He has promised. WE DO IT TO OURSELVES. This is the way it happened in the Garden of Eden. Satan tempted Eve and Eve yielded!

Job did not have to yield to temptation -- but he did -- just as Eve did!




Who destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah?

There were four cities of the plain that were destroyed: Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim. See Deuteronomy 29:23-28 "The whole land is brimstone, salt, and burning; it is not sown, nor does it bear, nor does any grass grow there, like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, which the Lord overthrew in His anger and His wrath."

God says, "I did it."


Genesis 13:10

"...the Lord destroyed Sodom
and Gomorrah.
God says, "They did it."
(God gave them up to their sinful ways)

Hosea 11:8

"How can I give you up Ephraim?
"How can I hand you over Israel?
How can I make you like Admah?
How can I set you like Zeboiim?
My heart churns within Me.
My sympathy is stirred."

God is saying that He doesn't want to give up Ephraim or hand over Israel as Hegave up Admah and handed over Zeboiim, the cities that were destroyed along with Sodom and Gomorrah. God is telling us that THEY DID IT TO THEMSELVES!

How could these four cities have been responsible for their own destruction? Genesis 14:10 says, "Now the Valley of Siddim (where Sodom, Gomorrah and the other two cities were) was full of asphalt pits." Today "the shores around the Dead Sea are covered with lava, sulfur, and rock salt. Gases escape from the surface of the water." (World Book Encyclopedia, 1954, Vol 4, p. 1891).

All the elements necessary to destroy these cities by earthquake or fire were present; oil, gas, asphalt. "Brimstone" (sulfur) which rained down on these cities is a major export of this region today.

The Dead Sea, where these cities are thought to have been located, lies on a geological fault according to the Encyclopedia Americana, p. 351, "Outpourings of lava formed volcanic plateaus at places along the sides, as well as volcanoes in and near the valley."

So it's not difficult to suggest how the destruction of these four cities could have occurred naturally, or could have been a direct result of "corporate" greed and carelessness caused possibly by excessive mining or other technological efforts.

Who Brought the Flood?
God says He did it!

Genesis 6:17

"And, behold, I, even I, am bringing a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and everything that is in the earth shall die."

God continued, saying that He would save Noah and his family, a group of only eight people, and some of each type of animal or fowl living on the earth.

We have seen in our previous examples that when God says He did it, it actually was done by the people, themselves.

So how could the people bring the flood on themselves?

Before the flood, people lived a very long time, the average life span was 800 or 900 years. Noah was 600 years old when the flood came (Gen 7:6). Methuselah was 969 years old when he died, and he died the year the flood came. In fact, his name, Methuselah, means "when he dies it will be sent." His name, for 969 years, prophesied of the coming flood.

With such extended life spans, and with vastly more intelligent minds that had not been subjected to 6000 years of genetic damage from sin, those who lived before the flood would obviously be much smarter than the best minds of today. In addition, each individual had many hundreds of years of life over which to acquire knowledge

Let's examine what man knows today about weather control.

"Nikola Tesla (1856-1943) was born in Croatia. He emigrated to the United States in 1884, worked for a short time for Thomas Edison, and became a naturalized American citizen. A pioneer in high-tension electricity, he made discoveries and inventions of great value to the development of radio transmission and in the field of electricity.

He invented the alternating current (AC) system by which electricity can be transported through wires of thousands of miles, then sent into industrial plants to operate machinery, and into homes to provide light, heat and energy." (Newswatch Magazine, "Earth Hanging in the Balance" Dec. 1, 1998)

There are over 400 patents in the U.S. Patent Office registered to Nikola Tesla.

Tesla also wrote of a method whereby weather could be controlled so that deserts could become farmlands, and where cold could be modified and heat tempered.

"Shortly after the turn of the century, Tesla theorized that by using coordinated radio impulses, it should be possible to manipulate the part of the earth's magnetic field that resides at the edge of space up in the ionosphere by generating giant standing waves. These waves, said Tesla, could then be manipulated to change the course of giant wind patterns, like the jet stream, that shape our weather." (From "The Killer Electric", by Lowell Ponte, published in Gallery magazine, August 1978.)

"Around 1900, Tesla invented and patented a system of utilizing the earth's natural vibrations to transmit power through the earth without wires.

"Tesla's system involved the use of Extremely Low Frequency (ELF) electromagnetic cycles per second. Tesla proved that it is possible to create gigantic standing electromagnetic waves (sometimes thousands of miles long) which can be used to modify the weather and create man-made droughts, floods and storms. Tesla's giant standing electromagnetic waves can also create long-lasting high-pressure areas." (C.B. Baker: July 1982, in Youth Actions News, P.O. Box 312, Alexandria, Virginia 22313)

"At Tesla's death in 1943 some of his papers went to a museum in Belgrade (Yugoslavia). But apparently some found their way to Russia...If indeed the Russians have succeeded in uncovering some of Tesla's lost secrets, the disarmament committees may be in for some real earth-shaking proposals." (Bill Boshears, Cincinnati Enquirer, November 19, 1978)

The May 27, 1983 issue of Don Bell Reports (P.O. Box 2223, Palm Beach, FL 33480) contained detailed information as to how the Soviets are operating to manipulate the weather of the United States.

"Combining secrets gained from Tesla and technological materials and equipment obtained from the United States, The Soviets have constructed giant transmitting stations capable of producing frequencies of 40 megawatts, or 40 million watts. The highest radio transmission in the U.S. for commercial broadcasting is 50,000 watts. The Voice of America uses 100,000 watts in some of its broadcasts. But this is hardly comparable to the 40 million (40,000,000) watts used by these Soviet transmitters to project their scalar waves." (Newswatch Magazine, Dec 1, 1998)

In 1987-88 America suffered a series of record-setting weather related disasters. Why?

The July 8, 1987 Arizona Republic reported that on July 7, 1987: "For reasons unknown even to weather experts, the temperature at Greensburg, Kansas jumped 20 degrees in ten minutes. In a phenomenon most people will not witness in their lifetime, the city's temperature rose to 95 degrees by 7:40 am from 75 degrees at 7:30 am," said Bill Ellis, an observer for the National Weather Service. "I've never seen anything like it, and I don't know anybody that ever has." He described the change as a 'sudden wave of heat' like you're standing in a cool room, and you open the oven door...Greensburg's temperature dropped to 86 degrees by 8:00 am and to a more normal 77 degrees at 10:30 am."

Greensburg, Kansas appears to have been directly targeted by Soviet scalar weapons, operating in a special 'produce energy' mode. Such a scalar mode is described in Lt. Col. Thomas Bearden's article, "Tesla's Electro-Gravitation, Electromagnetics and Its Soviet Weaponization."

The weather started going crazy. A freak tornado in Moran Junction, Wyoming was described in the August 8, 1987 Washington Post newspaper.

"One of the worst tornado disasters in Canadian history" was how the Edmonton Journal described the July 31, 1987 tornado there that killed twenty-seven people, injured 250 and resulted in $150 million in property damage. According to the newspaper, "it killed more Albertans than ALL previous tornadoes combined."

On January 18, 1987 Los Alamos, New Mexico received 49 inches of snow from a three-day storm that broke all records.

The July 18, 1987 Washington Post stated that severe rains on July 17 in San Antonio, Texas "were caused by a block of thunderstorms that stalled for three hours as it moved along the Guadalupe River, leaving 11 inches of rain behind by dawn."

"During the summer of 1987, massive lightning-generated forest fires occurred. The September 2, 1987 Washington Times reported that in 2 days alone, "California had 4,954 lightning strikes that resulted in 717 fires," stated John Carter, information officer at the Joint U.S. Forest Service and California Department of Forestry command post. In southern Oregon. Lightning detectors recorded "more than 1,700 lightning strikes within 24 hours," said Denver James of the Forest Service in Portland.

The freak weather all across America has continued to the present, killer heat waves, droughts, record-breaking snow storms, massive earthquakes and the lowest temperatures on record are now almost becoming common on the news.

Remember El Nino? Think about the name. It means "the boy child" in Spanish (Could it be that this is the Adversary's mocking counterfeit for the real Boy Child, Jesus, who had power over the wind and the waves?)

And look at the acronym of the group appointed by President Clinton to follow the course - and the carnage - of El Nino: The National Oceanic Association ---NOA, as in Noah, the man who survived the flood that destroyed the whole earth.

In 1977, the Trilateral Commission (an organization of the New World Order planning total Global Control) published official paper #13 entitled: "Collaboration with Communist Countries in Managing Global Problems." That official report recommended: "Trilateral/Communist cooperation in nine areas of global concern" including international energy cooperation, international control of oceans and space, Trilateral/Communist cooperation in the areas of weather modification and earthquake control..."

On September 6, 1987, the National Public Radio show, "All Things Considered," carried an interview with Dr. Bernard Eastlund, "a physicist and an expert on oilfield development, who is a consultant for the Atlantic Richfield Oil Company (ARCO)... Dr Eastlund assigned the patent rights on his new invention to APTI, Inc., a Los Angeles subsidiary of Atlantic Richfield." according to the New York Times, August 15, 1987. Dr. Eastlund stated that his new invention could be used to change the weather by redirecting the very high wind patterns (jet stream).

These scalar waves can also be directed to specific areas and to specific depths to cause earthquakes by disrupting the tectonic plates.

Dr. Eastlund's invention has been incorporated into a mammoth U.S. government project titled "The High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program" (HAARP). The December 15, 1991 Alaska Daily News carried a big article on HAARP: "Electrical energy floats high over Alaska, where it is visible as the aurora borealis, a shimmering white, green and crimson curtain. These brilliant northern lights are, in fact, the product of a huge natural generator that produces up to 10 million megawatts of power as particles from the solar wind crash into the earth's magnetic field...There are concentrated currents, called electrojets, that flow in the ionosphere, and may sometimes reach millions of amperes. When the electrojet touches earth, as it sometimes does during magnetic storms, it can knock out telephone cables and power grids."

The newspaper reported that researchers from the University of Alaska, UCLA, and Penn State all engaged in pre-HAARP work: "The scientists had achieved some promising results by beaming energy into the ionosphere to create extremely low frequency (ELF) waves that can travel long distances and to great depths. " (A perfect way to create an earthquake wherever one wishes!")

The June 21, 1977 New York Times reported that the U.S. shipped a 40 ton magnet (the largest in the world at that time) and a team of American scientists to the Soviet Union. That 40 ton device could generate a magnetic field 250,000 times greater than that of the earth. The purpose of that shipment was to build a more efficient Magneto-Hydro-Dynamic (MHD) power generator to help the Russians repeatedly override, blank out, and interfere with the earth's natural magnetic field.

Within a short time after the start of U.S. and Soviet through-the-earth transmissions, this planet's internal dynamo was affected. The December 13, 1984 Washington Post reported that the earth had experienced a sudden unexpected slowdown in rotation.

Scientists at the U.S. Naval Observatory and at the Jet Propulsion Lab found that the "earth, like an unbalanced washing machine," has developed "wobbles as it spins" (July 15, 1988 Wall Street Journal).

We are heading for disaster, just as it is prophesied in Revelation. But WE ARE GOING TO DO IT TO OURSELVES!

Just as those brilliant, ungodly, evil, genius minds brought the flood on themselves by, most probably, the same mechanism that is occurring today: weather modification with scalar waves that reached down to great depths and disrupted the massive areas of water within the earth and reached high into the atmosphere to disrupt the water canopy that surrounded the earth.

Earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, floods and volcano eruptions can now be brought about in any area in the world where the New World Order wishes to cause death, devastation and economic destruction.

And everyone will blame it on God - - - An "Act of God!"
(For more information on weather modification, see "Hanging in the Balance", December 1, 1998, Newswatch Magazine, 1420 West Ross, Waxahachie, Texas 75165. www.newswatchmagazine.org)

Who killed the Assyrian Army?

The Bible says "An Angel Did It!

"Then the angel of the Lord went forth, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians one hundred and eighty-five thousand and when the people arose early in the morning, behold, there they were, all dead corpses." (Isaiah 37:35)

How in the world could 185,000 Assyrian soldiers be responsible for their own death?

In the account of this episode given in 2 Kings 18, verse 17 says that the Assyrian army came to Jerusalem and camped by "the Upper pool, which is in the highway of the Fuller's field."

In addition, the Bible gives evidence that when the Assyrian army surrounded a particular city before attacking it, they provided water for their troops by digging wells. God, in addressing the Assyrians, quotes them as boasting about all their conquests: "With my many chariots I have gone up the heights of the mountains, to the far recesses of Lebanon; I felled its tallest cedars...I came to its remotest height...I dug wells and drank waters." (2 Kings 19:23,24)

The Fuller's field where the Assyrian army camped was a field for washing clothes. The Fuller was the cleaner. There was a tax on his work. In Pompeii there is a mention of a fullers' guild.

Soap was not used in Old Testament times. The substance used for cleaning purposes was LYE (Isa 1:25, Jer 2:22), a strongly alkaline chemical that can cause severe burns if taken internally. It may have been sodium carbonate, which occurs naturally and is referred to by ancient writers as appearing in Egypt and Armenia. However, it may also have referred to potassium carbonate, a strongly alkaline solution made from wood ashes or other vegetable matter. Water was necessary, so the fuller located his plant near a water supply, "the upper pool." "Because of its unwelcome odors, the fuller's plant was usually outside the city gates." (The Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible, by Abingdon)

So, how could 185,000 Assyrian soldiers ALL die in one night? Their journey to Jerusalem would have required them to have at least a limited water supply with them. But it is reasonable to assume that once they arrived at their camp at "Fuller's field" they would dig a well for a continued supply of water for the troops.

If the well water was contaminated with the LYE that was commonly used in the field, the first day the soldiers drank the well water, it might have killed them all.
This, of course, is only conjecture. But it IS a possibility with the information we are given, and the principles we have established regarding what God means when He says, "an Angel" did it.

Why Did God Give Israel Orders to Kill Everyone,
including Babies,

When Israel Went to War?

When God brought Israel out of Egypt, they came out without weapons. God delivered them from bondage by His methods, without them having to fight anyone. They crossed the Red Sea and escaped from Pharaoh's army without any combat of their own. We have no record that the Israelites left Egypt equipped for war. "The Lord your God, who goes before you, He will fight for you, according to all He did for you in Egypt before your eyes." (Deut 1:30)

When God finally brought Israel to the borders of the Promised Land, He proposed to drive their enemies out by sending hornets, not by warfare. (Ex 23:28)

But somewhere along the way, Israel obtained weapons. It is surmised that they may have gathered them when they floated up on the shore after the drowning of the Egyptian army at the Red Sea.

The question is this: If Israel chose to be a military nation in spite of God's wish to protect them in His own way, would He not then have rejected them?

The answer is found in an example in the later history of the nation. God never intended Israel to have a king, other than Himself. But He did not reject them when they demanded one. Why did they want a king? "That we may be like all the nations" (1 Sam. 8:19). God warned them of the results of their choice, but He did not reject them for it.

God's response to Israel was similar to His response regarding their practice of both polygamy and slavery, which were never God's ideal will. But He still did not completely reject Israel because of these practices.

When Israel practiced these heathen customs, they distanced themselves from God and could not enjoy His fullest blessing, but God continued to protect and guide Israel as much as they would allow Him.

Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that the Israelites themselves could have chosen a military defense against God's ideal will, without His rejecting them for it.

Let's look at a modern illustration of this type of problem.
A certain man is against hunting for sport. All his friends hunt and they often invite him to go along. When he refuses again and again, they begin to ridicule him. The man has a son. He instructs his son in his own moral values about not killing God's creatures. But when his son reaches adulthood, he wants to go hunting with his friends.

His father tries to persuade him not to, but the son insists. So, the father, honoring his son's choice, does not abandon his son but instead decides to meet him where he is and at least teach him to handle a gun safely, and teach him to be a good shot so the animal will not die a lingering, painful death.
So the father takes the son to a shooting range to teach him marksmanship. The father is seen from afar by his old friends who immediately draw the wrong conclusions. They see him teaching his son to shoot so they assume that he is no longer against hunting. But his friends are wrong. The father is STILL completely against hunting for sport but he has decided to do as much as his son will allow him to do, in the face of his son's right to chose to hunt.

God is often misunderstood and maligned for going to battle with Israel and instructing them to kill everyone, including women and children. But "going to battle" was never God's plan. This was Israel's plan and because they still worshipped God and asked Him to be with them, He did not abandon them.

But this was NEVER God's plan!

"Jesus said unto him (Peter), 'Put up again thy sword into its place: for ALL they that take the sword shall perish with the sword!" Matt 26:52

Miriam's Leprosy

God had chosen Moses to lead the Israelites to the Promised Land. Moses, at first, protested to God that he (Moses) couldn't do the job. Of course, this was dishonoring God, because God promised to give Moses everything he needed to accomplish the task God had given Him to do. But when Moses continued to protest, saying he couldn't speak well anymore, meaning he had been gone so long from Egypt that he wasn't fluent in the Egyptian language anymore, God said he would have Moses' brother, Aaron, help him, since Aaron was still residing in Egypt.

This, of course, resulted in more trouble for Moses than Aaron was worth. Note Aaron's behavior when Moses went up Mt. Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments from God. At their request, Aaron helped the Israelites into idolatry by making them a Golden Calf to worship.

Later, both Miriam (Moses' sister) and Aaron criticized Moses' wife and complained that Moses wasn't sharing enough of the leadership with them. They said, "Has the Lord indeed spoken ONLY by Moses? Has not He spoken also by us?" Numbers 12:1-16.

"And the Lord heard it. . . and the anger of the Lord was kindled against them; and He departed." Here again, is God's wrath. He gives us up to our own evil ways.
"And the cloud departed from off the tabernacle; and behold, Miriam became leprous, white as snow."

Miriam was a complainer, a murmurer, and the Bible is very clear about who attacks murmurers. 1 Cor. 10:7:10 says, "Do not become idolaters as were some of them. . . . Nor let us commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell (Numbers 25:1-9); nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents (Numbers 2:6-9); nor murmur, as some of them also murmurered, and were destroyed by the destroyer."

We know that the "complainers" include the quail eaters (Ex. 16, Num 11), the Kadesh-Barnea rebels (Num 13,14; Deut 1:19-46); and Korah, Dathan and Abiram (Num 16,17).
So the Destroyer gave Miriam her leprosy. How did this happen? Satan didn't just come up to Miriam and curse her. We've already learned the method by which both God and Satan accomplish their goals - - they work through people.

Here is a reasonable explanation for 1) Miriam's leprosy, 2) Uzza's death after touching the Ark (1 Chronicles 13:9), 3) Ananias and his wife, Sapphira's, sudden death after lying and withholding money they had pledged to God. (Acts 5:1-11)

In Australia, the native Australians, called the Aborigines, have a ritual that is carried out against any male member of a tribe who breaks a tribal taboo. The witch doctor is called, who opens his bag of implements, brings out a chicken bone and places a Death curse on the offending member of the tribe by pointing the chicken bone at him. This is called "Pointing the Bone." The "cursed" man ALWAYS dies, either immediately, or within several days. He dies because - - - he BELIEVES he will die!

Lest you think this is far-fetched, I have seen many similar happenings in orthodox medicine. A doctor will tell a cancer patient, or some other seriously ill patient, how long he or she has to live. Often the patient will die right on time. Is it because the doctor is so brilliant and can predict exactly how long the patient will live? No, it is because the patient BELIEVES that the doctor is correct, that the doctor KNOWS - - and therefore the patient accepts the pronouncement and dies at the time predicted. The Doctor has "Pointed the Bone."
When patients REFUSE to accept the death sentence, it is amazing how LONG many will live PAST the predicted time. There are even those who REFUSE to die, and actually GET WELL!

The "Bone had been Pointed" at Miriam. She realized that she was fighting against God. Her immune system was thrown into a state of shock and she at once became ill with the most dreaded disease, leprosy. Uzza, when he touched the Ark, immediately realized that he had done what God had said should NEVER be done. Ananias and Sapphira suddenly understood that they had lied to God and everyone in their church family, and now their sin had been made public. Their humiliation was overwhelming.

Medical studies show that 50% of all heart attacks occur during, or immediately after, an episode of either intense anger or similar severe stress.

God says, "But my people would not hearken to my voice; and Israel would have none of me, so I gave them up unto their own hearts' lust; and they walked in their own counsels.
"Oh that my people had hearkened unto me, and Israel had walked in my ways! I should soon have subdued their enemies, and turned my hand against their adversaries." Psalm 81:11-14

Elijah and the Fire consuming those who would arrest him
and the story of Korah, Dathan and Abiram

The specifics of these two stories have not been fully explained in the Bible, however we now have a very clear idea of how the Lord works. God is NOT a killer God. The Ten Commandments are a transcript of God's character, therefore He CANNOT break His own commandments. He CANNOT tell us to keep the commandments while He freely breaks them.

The king sent a captain with his fifty men to arrest Elijah after the king heard that Elijah had said that the king would die of his illness. The captain "went up to him (Elijah) and, behold he sat on the top of a hill. And he spoke unto him, 'Thou man of God, the king hath said, Come down.' And Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty. 'If I be a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty.' And there came down fire from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty." 2 Kings 1:9-12

Many see this occurrence as an endorsement of the passage in Revelation 20:7-9 which speaks about the fate of the wicked, "And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, and shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth. . . . and they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them."

But to understand God's character, we must ALWAYS return to the life of Jesus, who came to reveal the EXACT and COMPLETE character of the Father.

In Luke 9:51-56, Jesus is journeying to Jerusalem with His disciples. He is passing through Samaria and the people "did not receive Him. . . . and when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, 'Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elijah did?' But He turned, and REBUKED them, and said, 'Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. For the Son of man is NOT come to destroy men's lives, but to SAVE them."

Clearly, Jesus was horrified at the wicked attitude of His disciples. He rebuked them severely. Since Jesus is the SAME yesterday, today and forever, it is IMPOSSIBLE that He would do at the end what He refused, in horror, to do in Samaria. There MUST be another explanation.

If God ultimately destroys by burning those who refuse to worship Him, then He is NO DIFFERENT from the Pagan King Nebuchadnezzar who commanded Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to worship the golden statue that represented him or they would be thrown into the fiery furnace (representing “Hell”) detailed in Daniel, Chapter 3.

If the God of the “Christian” Church is indistinguishable in his behavior from the Pagan King Nebuchadnezzar, then the “Christian” Church is worshiping the WRONG god!

What About the Seven Last Plagues?
How Could We Possibly Bring Those on Ourselves?

Revelation 16:1-21

1st Plague: Foul and loathsome sores fell ONLY on those who had the mark of the beast and worshipped his image.
This disease could be caused by the very same food that those who REFUSE to take the Mark of the Beast are NOT allowed to buy and eat! That's why it will ONLY affect those who HAVE the Mark! The food supply today, especially flesh food, is SO diseased with Mad Cow Disease, Foot and Mouth Disease, E. Coli, Salmonella and other contaminants that it's not hard to understand how man could be responsible for this plague.

2nd Plague: The sea became the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea.

The difference between the blood of a dead man and the blood of a live man is - Oxygen. The seas are already terribly polluted and the fish and other sea creatures are dying by the millions because of lack of oxygen in the water..

3rd Plague: The rivers and fountains of waters became blood.
It may be that this is referring to the pollution in the rivers and streams that are even now causing the waters in certain areas to turn red.
4th Plague: The sun had the power to scorch men with fire.
Skin cancer is already becoming epidemic, NOT primarily because of the sun, but because of the rich Western diet, too much animal fat, sugar and processed food.

Baylor University performed an experiment which involved two groups of animals: one group was given the standard American diet, as noted above. The other group was given a highly nutritious diet. Then both groups of animals were exposed to ultraviolet light rays, simulating the sun. In the group eating the standard American diet, 25% developed skin cancer. In the group eating the highly nutritious diet, NOT ONE animal developed skin cancer.
So it's the rich American diet that is responsible for skin cancer. (Note: For thousands of years, our ancestors lived outdoors and worked outdoors. Skin cancer was virtually unheard of until the last 50 or 60 years.

5th Plague: The throne and the kingdom of the beast was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain. This may be physical darkness and/or severe spiritual darkness. Nuclear bomb blasts or volcano eruptions from Scalar wave weather modification meddling, could both cause physical darkness.

6th Plague: The great river Euphrates dried up to make way for the kings of the east. Three unclean spirits like frogs came out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet, for they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. (This plague requires a long spiritual explanation.)

7th Plague: Noises and thunders, and lightnings: and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great. And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: . . . .and every island fled away, and the mountains were not found And there fell upon men great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent." The great earthquake and massive storm could easily occur as a result of weather control - - - out of control!

IN CONCLUSION

The God of the Old Testament is not only identical to the Jesus of the New Testament, but they are, according to the Bible, One and the Same. "The Word (Jesus) WAS WITH God and the Word WAS God...and the Word became flesh (Jesus) and dwelt among us." John 1:1,14

God is NOT a killer God, neither in the Old Testament nor in the New Testament. He does NOT kill in order to stop the killing. He does NOT break His commandments in order to uphold them. The Ten Commandments are a transcript of God's character. The Ten Commandments are essentially Jesus in written form.

He is the "same yesterday, today and forever." (Heb. 13:8)

God is Love!