BibleQuestionsBlog

What does it mean to be born again?

Nicodemus talked to Jesus about this topic.

John 3:1  Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. ² The same came to him by night, and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do, unless God is with him.”

³ Jesus answered him, “Most certainly, I tell you, unless one is born anew,  he can’t see God’s Kingdom.”

⁴ Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?”

⁵ Jesus answered, “Most certainly I tell you, unless one is born of water and spirit, he can’t enter into God’s Kingdom. ⁶ That which is born of the flesh is flesh. That which is born of the Spirit is spirit. ⁷ Don’t marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born anew.’ ⁸ The wind blows where it wants to, and you hear its sound, but don’t know where it comes from and where it is going. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

⁹ Nicodemus answered him, “How can these things be?”

¹⁰ Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel, and don’t understand these things? ¹¹ Most certainly I tell you, we speak that which we know, and testify of that which we have seen, and you don’t receive our witness. ¹² If I told you earthly things and you don’t believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? ¹³ No one has ascended into heaven but he who descended out of heaven, the Son of Man, who is in heaven. ¹⁴ As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, ¹⁵ that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. ¹⁶ For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God didn’t send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through him. ¹⁸ He who believes in him is not judged. He who doesn’t believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God. ¹⁹ This is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their works were evil. ²⁰ For everyone who does evil hates the light, and doesn’t come to the light, lest his works would be exposed. ²¹ But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his works may be revealed, that they have been done in God.”

Billy Graham was an evangelist of a prior generation.  His message revolved around being born again.

Because of that, and because his organization continues a fine tradition of helping people receive Jesus, I am putting a link here to their site which will talk more about what it means to be born again.  It will lead you through a prayer and also has an option to talk to someone if you have questions.

Joshua 7:1 But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the devoted things; for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of the devoted things. Therefore Yahweh’s anger burned against the children of Israel. 2 Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Beth Aven, on the east side of Bethel, and spoke to them, saying, “Go up and spy out the land.”

The men went up and spied out Ai. 3 They returned to Joshua, and said to him, “Don’t let all the people go up, but let about two or three thousand men go up and strike Ai. Don’t make all the people to toil there, for there are only a few of them.” 4 So about three thousand men of the people went up there, and they fled before the men of Ai. 5 The men of Ai struck about thirty-six men of them. They chased them from before the gate even to Shebarim, and struck them at the descent. The hearts of the people melted, and became like water. 6 Joshua tore his clothes, and fell to the earth on his face before Yahweh’s ark until the evening, he and the elders of Israel; and they put dust on their heads. 7 Joshua said, “Alas, Lord Yahweh, why have you brought this people over the Jordan at all, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to cause us to perish? I wish that we had been content and lived beyond the Jordan! 8 Oh, Lord, what shall I say, after Israel has turned their backs before their enemies? 9 For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear of it, and will surround us, and cut off our name from the earth. What will you do for your great name?”

10 Yahweh said to Joshua, “Get up! Why have you fallen on your face like that? 11 Israel has sinned. Yes, they have even transgressed my covenant which I commanded them. Yes, they have even taken some of the devoted things, and have also stolen, and also deceived. They have even put it among their own stuff. 12 Therefore the children of Israel can’t stand before their enemies. They turn their backs before their enemies, because they have become devoted for destruction. I will not be with you any more, unless you destroy the devoted things from among you. 13 Get up! Sanctify the people, and say, ‘Sanctify yourselves for tomorrow, for Yahweh, the God of Israel, says, “There is a devoted thing among you, Israel. You cannot stand before your enemies until you take away the devoted thing from among you.” 14 In the morning therefore you shall be brought near by your tribes. It shall be that the tribe which Yahweh selects shall come near by families. The family which Yahweh selects shall come near by households. The household which Yahweh selects shall come near man by man. 15 It shall be, that he who is taken with the devoted thing shall be burned with fire, he and all that he has, because he has transgressed Yahweh’s covenant, and because he has done a disgraceful thing in Israel.’”

16 So Joshua rose up early in the morning and brought Israel near by their tribes. The tribe of Judah was selected. 17 He brought near the family of Judah, and he selected the family of the Zerahites. He brought near the family of the Zerahites man by man, and Zabdi was selected. 18 He brought near his household man by man, and Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was selected. 19 Joshua said to Achan, “My son, please give glory to Yahweh, the God of Israel, and make confession to him. Tell me now what you have done! Don’t hide it from me!”

20 Achan answered Joshua, and said, “I have truly sinned against Yahweh, the God of Israel, and this is what I have done. 21 When I saw among the plunder a beautiful Babylonian robe, two hundred shekels[a] of silver, and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels, then I coveted them and took them. Behold, they are hidden in the ground in the middle of my tent, with the silver under it.”

22 So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent. Behold, it was hidden in his tent, with the silver under it. 23 They took them from the middle of the tent, and brought them to Joshua and to all the children of Israel. They laid them down before Yahweh. 24 Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, the silver, the robe, the wedge of gold, his sons, his daughters, his cattle, his donkeys, his sheep, his tent, and all that he had; and they brought them up to the valley of Achor. 25 Joshua said, “Why have you troubled us? Yahweh will trouble you today.” All Israel stoned him with stones, and they burned them with fire and stoned them with stones. 26 They raised over him a great heap of stones that remains to this day. Yahweh turned from the fierceness of his anger. Therefore the name of that place was called “The valley of Achor” to this day.

This scripture and post today is directed primarily to other believers in Jesus Christ. The challenge of a blog such as this is that people of various levels of faith and knowledge come to the blog and not everything can be written at the same level.

I’m writing this as if we were sitting, discussing the situation worldwide and what we as believers can do about it. I’ve prayed a lot about this. There are literally millions of believers worldwide and I think we can recognize that the satanic luciferian globalist overlords are enacting blood sacrifices to satan to enslave the world. By their fruits you will know them. That’s where all the issues of pedophilia and abortion come in.

In spite of that, we have the name of Jesus and the blood of Jesus, and the redemptive work of Christ. What is the hang up? I’m sure you and your family and friends and church have been praying, as have been many other Christians worldwide.

The curse causeless shall not come. God does not send evil. The verses in the Bible where it says that God sends plague or destruction is a verbal translation that would be better written that God lifts his hand of protection.

Remember English grammar in school? Nouns are persons, places and things. Verbs have to do with actions or states of being. And there are many forms of verbs…past, present, future and other tenses. So the translations into English can be difficult when you are trying to express both a verb form, and an idiom, which is a local saying. For example, we have the saying, “he got himself into a pickle”. Well, a person didn’t literally end up inside of a dill pickle…it just means he got himself into a difficult situation.

And so we are dealing with that problem when it comes to translations and I have studied along the lines of idioms and translations and the best explanation that we can fathom is that God lifts his hand of protection. In other words, God protects us like an umbrella. But when a nation or person or family so sins against God, basically throws God out of their life, their national life, their individual life,  then God lifts his hand of protection and life becomes very difficult. We have no clue as to how much God saves us from until He lifts his hand of protection from us.

And while the problems we face are worldwide, I will stick with talking about the United States for a moment. If you are from another nation, you can probably figure out the equivalent reason for your nation.

The United States was formed as a nation where there could be religious freedom and the sending forth of the preaching of the kingdom of God. Early believers established covenants with the Lord. Those covenants have been broken.

In other posts, I have briefly traced the history that early settlers came from what is called the Judeo/Christian, or Anglo-Saxon, background which came from the ten tribes of Israel who were taken into captivity by Assyria and never returned. They ended up in Britain and Ireland. They copied scriptures in monasteries. They had the background of Israel, but no longer the temple. In any case, not only does the problem go back to early covenants made in the United States with God, it goes back to Mt. Sinai, where the people said they would observe the Ten Commandments and laws of God, they and their children. That has never ended.   The history and background of those people continued on until today.

Now I know in Jesus Christ individuals can repent and come to the Lord and serve him.  And people can be added into a covenant.   But we are talking about and dealing with these national covenants that have been made in the past.

As the history in Joshua shows, the sin of one man, Achan, caused the defeat of a whole nation until the sin was exposed and removed.

Now all of us, you, me, all of us, are different parts of the body of Christ. We need each other. Each of us can only do what God has given us to do. We can’t be an eye if we are an ear. We can’t be a foot if we are a liver. We can’t be a kidney if we are a heart. We each have our job and the body needs all parts. All must function for the body to function.

My job is simply to write. Somewhere there is a Joshua. And we need to pray that Joshua comes forth and deals with Achan. Because individually, we can only do so much.  We cannot do a job not given us to do.  We have to find the member of the body of Christ appointed to do the job of Joshua.

Each of us is responsible for individual faithfulness and obedience to the Lord. But there is a national responsibility that the nation must be faithful to the Lord Jesus Christ, with whom we made a covenant at its founding.

And while yes, I believe in the Constitution and Bill of Rights and Declaration of Independence, all that is subject to the laws of God. We cannot legislate against God, for example, legislate abortion or legislate homosexual marriage or legislate to put a poisonous dangerous shot into children and expect God to bless us.

We can’t sin against God as a nation and then go sit in church for an hour on Sunday and somehow expect that God will ignore national sins. The Bible is full of examples that that does not work.

Read the Old Testament. Those principles are eternal. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

And so I am going to ask that you pray with me.

Father, in the name of Jesus, we ask that whoever is the modern day Joshua, that he will come forth, and that this modent day Joshua will find Achan, and deal with Achan according to your will. Father, we ask your forgiveness. We have sinned greatly as a nation in many, many ways. We have served mammon. We have served demon forces that have told us to abort children and defile children and deny your word in many ways. For this we humbly ask forgiveness. Please send the leader who is appointed to deal with the national sins by which we have come under bondage. We ask this in Jesus name, Thank You, Amen.

Matthew 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. KJV

 

What is the gospel of the kingdom?

The gospel of the kingdom encompasses more than just the initial born again experience. The new birth is absolutely necessary, but there is more.

John 3:1  Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 The same came to him by night, and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do, unless God is with him.”

3 Jesus answered him, “Most certainly, I tell you, unless one is born anew, he can’t see God’s Kingdom.”

4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?”

5 Jesus answered, “Most certainly I tell you, unless one is born of water and spirit, he can’t enter into God’s Kingdom. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh. That which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Don’t marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born anew.’ 8 The wind[b] blows where it wants to, and you hear its sound, but don’t know where it comes from and where it is going. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

9 Nicodemus answered him, “How can these things be?”

10 Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel, and don’t understand these things? 11 Most certainly I tell you, we speak that which we know, and testify of that which we have seen, and you don’t receive our witness. 12 If I told you earthly things and you don’t believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven but he who descended out of heaven, the Son of Man, who is in heaven. 14 As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 17 For God didn’t send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through him. 18 He who believes in him is not judged. He who doesn’t believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God. 19 This is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does evil hates the light, and doesn’t come to the light, lest his works would be exposed. 21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his works may be revealed, that they have been done in God.”

22 After these things, Jesus came with his disciples into the land of Judea. He stayed there with them and baptized.
If you read the New Testament, you will see that Jesus preached, and that later, the apostles who had been taught by Jesus, preached more than only being born again.

 

After Being Born Again

Man is made in the image of God.

“Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

Earthly parents don’t, or shouldn’t, have a baby and then just say good luck and leave it on its own. That would be called child abuse or murder.

Good parents will feed and diaper the child; bathe and clothe it.  As the child grows, good parents will give it healthy food so the child can develop a good immune system.  Good parents will educate the child.  Good parents will teach the child about Jesus and God’s kingdom.  Good parents will help the child develop properly into a moral, contributing person of society who can develop his or her talents and find his or her place in God’s scheme of things, in God’s will.

Would God the Father do less? Of course not.

The Church

God has set his church in the earth with various offices to teach and grow the church.

Ephesians 4:4 There is one body and one Spirit, even as you also were called in one hope of your calling, 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all, and in us all. 7 But to each one of us, the grace was given according to the measure of the gift of Christ. 8 Therefore he says,

“When he ascended on high,
he led captivity captive,
and gave gifts to people.”

9 Now this, “He ascended”, what is it but that he also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.

11 He gave some to be apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, shepherds and teachers; 12 for the perfecting of the saints, to the work of serving, to the building up of the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a full grown man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 that we may no longer be children, tossed back and forth and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in craftiness, after the wiles of error; 15 but speaking truth in love, we may grow up in all things into him who is the head, Christ, 16 from whom all the body, being fitted and knit together through that which every joint supplies, according to the working in measure of each individual part, makes the body increase to the building up of itself in love.

 

Besides the church, there is the Bible

There is the Bible that people can read. There are various audio ways to listen to the Bible if someone cannot read.

II Timothy 3:14 But you remain in the things which you have learned and have been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them. 15 From infancy, you have known the holy Scriptures which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith, which is in Christ Jesus. 16 Every Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness, 17 that each person who belongs to God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

 

The Kingdom of God

God has a kingdom. Jesus is King. We need to understand how the kingdom operates.

If someone told you that you could go out in the natural world without understanding how it worked and never have a problem, you would think that the person did not have common sense.

There are things you need to know in the natural world to not hurt yourself. There are multiple things you have to learn, and which children begin to learn at an early age.

• Don’t run into the street.
• Stop at a stop sign.
• Don’t touch a hot stove.
• Stay away from a rattlesnake.
• Don’t jump off a cliff…

and multiple more.

Do we think God would not be at least as good as a good parent? Of course not!

God’s Word is full of information of what to positively do and what to not do.

God’s Word will teach us not only teach us principles to navigate the natural world, but also the invisible spiritual world as well.

If we do the wrong thing in the natural, for example, run in the street, there might be a negative consequence.

And yet people and nations believe they can ignore the word of God, disobey, not follow the commandments, and not have a negative consequence. That defies common sense.

There is a certain tendency to think, “believe in Jesus and everything will be all right”.

Well, true belief, as the book of James points out, requires corresponding action, corresponding repentance and change of actions.

James 2:19 You believe that God is one. You do well. The demons also believe, and shudder. 20 But do you want to know, vain man, that faith apart from works is dead?

 

Living in the kingdom

The gospel of the kingdom is not only about being born again, but also about living in the Kingdom of God, under the Lordship of King Jesus. It is learning and following the laws of the kingdom. It is about following Jesus.

John 10:25 Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you don’t believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name, these testify about me. 26 But you don’t believe, because you are not of my sheep, as I told you. 27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give eternal life to them. They will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father who has given them to me is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them out of my Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”

 

Like any earthly family, the heavenly family has discipline.

Hebrews 12: 5 You have forgotten the exhortation which reasons with you as with children,

“My son, don’t take lightly the chastening of the Lord,
nor faint when you are reproved by him;
6 for whom the Lord loves, he disciplines,
and chastises every son whom he receives.”

 

We need to know what God wants of us. This comes through reading the Bible, prayer, and good Bible-based church teaching.

Quality Time

Finally, we know on earth there is discussion of how much time the father with the child and the relationship to the success of the child. There are studies of fatherless families and the negative consequences on children.

We are made in the image of God.

We need to spend time with our heavenly Father. Quality time, as it is called on earth. The more the better.

One hour a week at church is not enough.

If a professional reviewed a family situation and found out that the father only spent one hour of time a week with the family, the professional would say that there is a lack of quality time.

If you want your life to improve, spend more quality time with God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit.

Read the Bible.

Pray.

And go to church.

And follow what God directs you to do.

The reposted video listed below was created by the Babylon Bee, a site that focuses on Christian satire.

In the Bible, there is a lot of symbology.  People and events can have an actual historical meaning. They can also have more than one symbolic meaning.

Think about this.

A man can be a father, brother, son, uncle, nephew, cousin and grandson all at the same time. It is possible to have more than one term apply to one thing.

The Bible talks about the great red dragon. While there may be other meanings, it can refer to communism.

Revelation 12:3 Another sign was seen in heaven. Behold, a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven crowns.

Communism is on the rise. It comes in first as socialism. A lot of younger people think socialism is okay.

There is a great move to eliminate history today.  This is dangerous because if we know the lessons of history, we can learn from them and don’t have to repeat them.

Don’t you try to learn from your own personal mistakes and not repeat them?

The same holds true for society.  We should learn from the past so we can have a better future by making better choices.

From history we know that socialism and communism have failed in the past.

This song was created, not because those who made it believe in communism, they don’t.

But it is made to warn people who have no clue what communism is about; this is the face of communism.

Watch the song.  And pass it on to those of your friends who think socialism and communism are good things.

What is secularism?

What about the separation of church and state?

What does it mean?

Is it real?

What happened when prayer was taken out of the schools?

Find answers to all these questions and more in this article.

Luke 21:34 “So be careful, or your hearts will be loaded down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that day will come on you suddenly. 35 For it will come like a snare on all those who dwell on the surface of all the earth. 36 Therefore be watchful all the time, praying that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will happen, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

Like a Snare

There was a time when the King James Version of the Bible was standard and people used a Strong’s Concordance to better understand the meaning of words. “Snare” in the Greek (when checking a Strong’s) goes back to a “trap, trick, strategem, temptation”.

Plus, interestingly, it also goes back to Greek diety of war.

How fitting.

This whole “jab” has been described as a war against mankind.

People are tricked, trapped and tempted into taking is as part of the strategy of the New World Order to control the earth, depopulate the earth, enslave the earth.

But God has another plan.

Daniel 7:“I watched until thrones were placed,
and one who was ancient of days sat.
His clothing was white as snow,
and the hair of his head like pure wool.
His throne was fiery flames,
and its wheels burning fire.
10 A fiery stream issued and came out from before him.
Thousands of thousands ministered to him.
Ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him.
The judgment was set.
The books were opened.

11 “I watched at that time because of the voice of the great words which the horn spoke. I watched even until the animal was slain, and its body destroyed, and it was given to be burned with fire. 12 As for the rest of the animals, their dominion was taken away; yet their lives were prolonged for a season and a time.

13 “I saw in the night visions, and behold, there came with the clouds of the sky one like a son of man, and he came even to the ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. 14 Dominion was given him, and glory, and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations, and languages should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which will not pass away, and his kingdom one that which will not be destroyed.

Revelation 19:11 I saw the heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it is called Faithful and True. In righteousness he judges and makes war. 12 His eyes are a flame of fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has names written and a name written which no one knows but he himself. 13 He is clothed in a garment sprinkled with blood. His name is called “The Word of God.” 14 The armies which are in heaven followed him on white horses, clothed in white, pure, fine linen. 15 Out of his mouth proceeds a sharp, double-edged sword, that with it he should strike the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod.  He treads the wine press of the fierceness of the wrath of God, the Almighty. 16 He has on his garment and on his thigh a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”

17 I saw an angel standing in the sun. He cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the sky, “Come! Be gathered together to the great supper of God, 18 that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and slave, small and great.” 19 I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him who sat on the horse, and against his army. 20 The beast was taken, and with him the false prophet who worked the signs in his sight, with which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. 21 The rest were killed with the sword of him who sat on the horse, the sword which came out of his mouth. So all the birds were filled with their flesh.

Revelation 11:3 I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.” 4 These are the two olive trees and the two lamp stands, standing before the Lord of the earth. 5 If anyone desires to harm them, fire proceeds out of their mouth and devours their enemies. If anyone desires to harm them, he must be killed in this way. 6 These have the power to shut up the sky, that it may not rain during the days of their prophecy. They have power over the waters, to turn them into blood, and to strike the earth with every plague, as often as they desire. 7 When they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up out of the abyss will make war with them, and overcome them, and kill them. 8 Their dead bodies will be in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. 9 From among the peoples, tribes, languages, and nations, people will look at their dead bodies for three and a half days, and will not allow their dead bodies to be laid in a tomb. 10 Those who dwell on the earth rejoice over them, and they will be glad. They will give gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth. 11 After the three and a half days, the breath of life from God entered into them, and they stood on their feet. Great fear fell on those who saw them. 12 I heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here!” They went up into heaven in the cloud, and their enemies saw them. 13 In that day there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified, and gave glory to the God of heaven. 14 The second woe is past. Behold, the third woe comes quickly.

15 The seventh angel sounded, and great voices in heaven followed, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the Kingdom of our Lord, and of his Christ. He will reign forever and ever!”

16 The twenty-four elders, who sit on their thrones before God’s throne, fell on their faces and worshiped God, 17 saying: “We give you thanks, Lord God, the Almighty, the one who is and who was; because you have taken your great power and reigned. 18 The nations were angry, and your wrath came, as did the time for the dead to be judged, and to give your bondservants the prophets, their reward, as well as to the saints, and those who fear your name, to the small and the great, and to destroy those who destroy the earth.”

Romans 2:4 Or do you despise the riches of his goodness, forbearance, and patience, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? 5 But according to your hardness and unrepentant heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath, revelation, and of the righteous judgment of God; 6 who “will pay back to everyone according to their works:” 7 to those who by perseverance in well-doing seek for glory, honor, and incorruptibility, eternal life; 8 but to those who are self-seeking, and don’t obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, will be wrath, indignation, 9 oppression, and anguish on every soul of man who does evil, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

10 But glory, honor, and peace go to every man who does good, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. 11 For there is no partiality with God. 12 For as many as have sinned without the law will also perish without the law. As many as have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. 13 For it isn’t the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law will be justified 14 (for when Gentiles who don’t have the law do by nature the things of the law, these, not having the law, are a law to themselves, 15 in that they show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience testifying with them, and their thoughts among themselves accusing or else excusing them)

Psalm 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God.
The expanse shows his handiwork.
2 Day after day they pour out speech,
and night after night they display knowledge.
3 There is no speech nor language,
where their voice is not heard.
4 Their voice has gone out through all the earth,
their words to the end of the world.

Luke 12:3 Therefore whatever you have said in the darkness will be heard in the light. What you have spoken in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops.

Isaiah 2:1 This is what Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.

2 It shall happen in the latter days, that the mountain of Yahweh’s house shall be established on the top of the mountains,
and shall be raised above the hills;
and all nations shall flow to it.
3 Many peoples shall go and say,
“Come, let’s go up to the mountain of Yahweh,
to the house of the God of Jacob;
and he will teach us of his ways,
and we will walk in his paths.”
For the law shall go out of Zion,
and Yahweh’s word from Jerusalem.
4 He will judge between the nations,
and will decide concerning many peoples.
They shall beat their swords into plowshares,
and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war any more.

5 House of Jacob, come, and let’s walk in the light of Yahweh.
6 For you have forsaken your people, the house of Jacob,
because they are filled from the east,
with those who practice divination like the Philistines,
and they clasp hands with the children of foreigners.
7 Their land is full of silver and gold,
neither is there any end of their treasures.
Their land also is full of horses,
neither is there any end of their chariots.
8 Their land also is full of idols.
They worship the work of their own hands,
that which their own fingers have made.
9 Man is brought low,
and mankind is humbled;
therefore don’t forgive them.
10 Enter into the rock,
and hide in the dust,
from before the terror of Yahweh,
and from the glory of his majesty.
11 The lofty looks of man will be brought low,
the arrogance of men will be bowed down,
and Yahweh alone will be exalted in that day.

12 For there will be a day of Yahweh of Armies for all that is proud and arrogant,
and for all that is lifted up;
and it shall be brought low:
13 for all the cedars of Lebanon, that are high and lifted up,
for all the oaks of Bashan,
14 for all the high mountains,
for all the hills that are lifted up,
15 for every lofty tower,
for every fortified wall,
16 for all the ships of Tarshish,
and for all pleasant imagery.
17 The loftiness of man shall be bowed down,
and the arrogance of men shall be brought low;
and Yahweh alone shall be exalted in that day.
18 The idols shall utterly pass away.
19 Men shall go into the caves of the rocks,
and into the holes of the earth,
from before the terror of Yahweh,
and from the glory of his majesty,
when he arises to shake the earth mightily.
20 In that day, men shall cast away their idols of silver
and their idols of gold,
which have been made for themselves to worship,
to the moles and to the bats,
21 to go into the caverns of the rocks,
and into the clefts of the ragged rocks,
from before the terror of Yahweh,
and from the glory of his majesty,
when he arises to shake the earth mightily.
22 Stop trusting in man, whose breath is in his nostrils;
for of what account is he?

Revelation 6:14 The sky was removed like a scroll when it is rolled up. Every mountain and island was moved out of its place. 15 The kings of the earth, the princes, the commanding officers, the rich, the strong, and every slave and free person, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains. 16 They told the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, 17 for the great day of his wrath has come; and who is able to stand?”

James 5:1 Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming on you. 2 Your riches are corrupted and your garments are moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and your silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be for a testimony against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up your treasure in the last days. 4 Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you have kept back by fraud, cry out, and the cries of those who reaped have entered into the ears of the Lord of Armies.  5 You have lived in luxury on the earth, and taken your pleasure. You have nourished your hearts as in a day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned and you have murdered the righteous one. He doesn’t resist you.

7 Be patient therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. Behold, the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient over it, until it receives the early and late rain. 8 You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.

9 Don’t grumble, brothers, against one another, so that you won’t be judged. Behold, the judge stands at the door. 10 Take, brothers, for an example of suffering and of perseverance, the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 Behold, we call them blessed who endured. You have heard of the perseverance of Job, and have seen the Lord in the outcome, and how the Lord is full of compassion and mercy.

12 But above all things, my brothers, don’t swear— not by heaven, or by the earth, or by any other oath; but let your “yes” be “yes”, and your “no”, “no”, so that you don’t fall into hypocrisy.

13 Is any among you suffering? Let him pray. Is any cheerful? Let him sing praises. 14 Is any among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the assembly, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord, 15 and the prayer of faith will heal him who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. If he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Confess your offenses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The insistent prayer of a righteous person is powerfully effective. 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain, and it didn’t rain on the earth for three years and six months. 18 He prayed again, and the sky gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.

19 Brothers, if any among you wanders from the truth and someone turns him back, 20 let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

Ezekiel 3:20 “Again, when a righteous man turns from his righteousness, and commits iniquity, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he will die. Because you have not given him warning, he will die in his sin, and his righteous deeds which he has done will not be remembered; but I will require his blood at your hand. 21 Nevertheless if you warn the righteous man, that the righteous not sin, and he does not sin, he will surely live, because he took warning; and you have delivered your soul.”

God wants to help us. He has helped us. And He continues to help us.

2 Corinthians 1:9 Yes, we ourselves have had the sentence of death within ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead, 10 who delivered us out of so great a death, and does deliver; on whom we have set our hope that he will also still deliver us;

 

The biggest issue in regards to understanding God, history, world history, your history, everyone’s history is the question of free will.

God’s greatest gift was the question of free will.

God offers to us the right to become sons of God. He does not force it.

John 1:10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, and the world didn’t recognize him. 11 He came to his own, and those who were his own didn’t receive him. 12 But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become God’s children, to those who believe in his name: 13 who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

 

Think about your own relationships. Those who come to you and freely say, “I love you,” doesn’t this mean the most to you?

If you had to threaten them to say “I love you” would it mean anything to you? If they grumbled and complained every time they were with you would that make you happy?

God wants people who freely love him. Those who do not, who do not wish to be with him, can go to hell. That is not a saying. That is a reality. God gives people free will to choose in this lifetime. It is a testing ground. God wants people who freely love him throughout eternity. God doesn’t send anyone to hell. They choose that of their own free will. Today you will choose certain things. Other people will choose other things. People make choices in this life that have consequences in the next.

Luke 16:19 “Now there was a certain rich man, and he was clothed in purple and fine linen, living in luxury every day. 20 A certain beggar, named Lazarus, was taken to his gate, full of sores, 21 and desiring to be fed with the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table. Yes, even the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 The beggar died, and he was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died, and was buried. 23 In Hades,[d] he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far off, and Lazarus at his bosom. 24 He cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue! For I am in anguish in this flame.’

25 “But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that you, in your lifetime, received your good things, and Lazarus, in the same way, bad things. But here he is now comforted, and you are in anguish. 26 Besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, that those who want to pass from here to you are not able, and that no one may cross over from there to us.’

27 “He said, ‘I ask you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father’s house; 28 for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, so they won’t also come into this place of torment.’

29 “But Abraham said to him, ‘They have Moses and the prophets. Let them listen to them.’

30 “He said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’

31 “He said to him, ‘If they don’t listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if one rises from the dead.’”

 

So who is God? God is revealed to us in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. To understand the history, you need to find a Bible. You need to read the New Testament.

What about the Old Testament? The Old Testament is connected to the New Testament in the same way your grandparents are connected to you. Without your grandparents, you never would have arrived on the scene.

Without the history of the Old Testament, and all that went on, Jesus never would have arrived on the scene.

But Jesus did come. His purpose was to close the gap, to eliminate the breach between God and man that occurred due to sin and disobedience.

When God made the earth, He also created man. He placed man in the garden of Eden and called him Adam. Adam was given a job, to be fruitful and have dominion over the earth.

Prior to this, there had been a rebellion in heaven. A high angel wanted to be God. God threw him out to the earth. He became satan.

Satan, having lost his place in heaven, wanted to take over the earth. He tempted Adam and Eve, Adam’s wife, to disobey. He actually started with Eve and it spread to Adam.

Adam disobeyed God and lost his place. He was fired. And Adam lost his authority. Before then, Adam had authority over the earth.

So until Jesus came there was sin, sickness, suffering, and death. Sin is the transgression of the law. From a perfect Eden, the world descended into the breaking of the law and violence and murder and theft and all sorts of bad things.

When Jesus came, He took upon himself legally what was broken in the garden, paid the price for that transgression, and now all men can be born again, back into the kingdom of God, back into a relationship with God that was lost in the garden.

Ye must be born again.

John 3:1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 The same came to him by night, and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do, unless God is with him.”

3 Jesus answered him, “Most certainly, I tell you, unless one is born anew, he can’t see God’s Kingdom.”

4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?”

5 Jesus answered, “Most certainly I tell you, unless one is born of water and spirit, he can’t enter into God’s Kingdom. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh. That which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Don’t marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born anew.’ 8 The wind blows where it wants to, and you hear its sound, but don’t know where it comes from and where it is going. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

9 Nicodemus answered him, “How can these things be?”

10 Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel, and don’t understand these things? 11 Most certainly I tell you, we speak that which we know, and testify of that which we have seen, and you don’t receive our witness. 12 If I told you earthly things and you don’t believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven but he who descended out of heaven, the Son of Man, who is in heaven. 14 As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 17 For God didn’t send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through him. 18 He who believes in him is not judged. He who doesn’t believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God. 19 This is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does evil hates the light, and doesn’t come to the light, lest his works would be exposed. 21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his works may be revealed, that they have been done in God.”

This is more than setting foot inside of a church. This is repenting for sin. It is recognizing every person on earth is lost without a relationship with God through the blood of Jesus and the Lord Jesus Christ. It is recognizing that individually for ourselves as well. It is repenting. It is asking for forgiveness for sin. It is asking for Jesus to come into your heart. It is confessing that Jesus is Lord.

If you want to learn more about this from the Billy Graham Association, click here. Billy Graham explained the new birth to many people. The organization that he left behind continues to do that work. Here is a page with more explanation.

So you may ask, why if Jesus paid the price for sin, sickness, suffering and death do we still see those things happening?  Satan is still on the earth to steal, kill and destroy.

John 10:10  The thief only comes to steal, kill, and destroy. I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly.

However, there is a day coming when he will be bound.

Revelation 20:1   I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. ² He seized the dragon, the old serpent, which is the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole inhabited earth, and bound him for a thousand years, ³ and cast him into the abyss, and shut it, and sealed it over him, that he should deceive the nations no more, until the thousand years were finished. After this, he must be freed for a short time. ⁴ I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus, and for the word of God, and such as didn’t worship the beast nor his image, and didn’t receive the mark on their forehead and on their hand. They lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.

Until then, individually, people can come to God and begin to receive help.  There is a way out, but it starts with confessing Jesus is Lord and being born again.

Right now, individuals can find a way out and begin praying for family, friends, neighbors, others, and their nations to find the way back to God.

It starts with the individual.  It grows.

This video is one of a series. Once you watch it, I recommend going to their site, bookmarking their site, watching more of their videos, and checking out their store and the various other tabs on their sites. This site has very interesting specialists and scientists and a lot of thought-provoking information.

You can view the video here. However, again, since it is one part of series I recommend finding the rest of the series or purchasing it from their store.

While absolutely those who are destroying the nations must be removed from power, a permanent solution requires that nations must turn back to the Law of the Lord.

This does not mean theocracy, that one denomination rules a nation or the world. It does mean that laws are based on the Law of the Lord and the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

The earth is experiencing the breaking of the Laws of the Lord.

Just like breaking the laws of gravity have consequences, so breaking the Laws of the Lord have consequences.

We talk about western civilization being based on Judeo-Christian values. Those values spread in part throughout the world. There was an original covenant for those values. Those nations claiming being based upon Judeo-Christian values are being affected by the original covenant.

In Exodus 20 of the Old Testament of the Bible the Ten Commandments are recorded. Following that are other laws relating to a variety of topics.

Moses gave the people the covenant as received from God on Mt. Sinai.

Exodus 24:7 He took the book of the covenant and read it in the hearing of the people, and they said, “We will do all that Yahweh has said, and be obedient.”

 

The covenant was always on the fathers, the children, the posterity, which includes up until today.

Before Moses died, he gave his parting speech. It is quite long, but here it is in part.

Deuteronomy 31:15 15 Yahweh appeared in the Tent in a pillar of cloud, and the pillar of cloud stood over the Tent’s door. 16 Yahweh said to Moses, “Behold, you shall sleep with your fathers. This people will rise up and play the prostitute after the strange gods of the land where they go to be among them, and will forsake me and break my covenant which I have made with them. 17 Then my anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide my face from them, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall come on them; so that they will say in that day, ‘Haven’t these evils come on us because our God is not among us?’ 18 I will surely hide my face in that day for all the evil which they have done, in that they have turned to other gods.

19 “Now therefore write this song for yourselves, and teach it to the children of Israel. Put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for me against the children of Israel. 20 For when I have brought them into the land which I swore to their fathers, flowing with milk and honey, and they have eaten and filled themselves, and grown fat, then they will turn to other gods, and serve them, and despise me, and break my covenant. 21 It will happen, when many evils and troubles have come on them, that this song will testify before them as a witness; for it will not be forgotten out of the mouths of their descendants; for I know their ways and what they are doing today, before I have brought them into the land which I promised them.”

22 So Moses wrote this song the same day, and taught it to the children of Israel.

23 He commissioned Joshua the son of Nun, and said, “Be strong and courageous; for you shall bring the children of Israel into the land which I swore to them. I will be with you.”

24 When Moses had finished writing the words of this law in a book, until they were finished, 25 Moses commanded the Levites, who bore the ark of Yahweh’s covenant, saying, 26 “Take this book of the law, and put it by the side of the ark of Yahweh your God’s covenant, that it may be there for a witness against you. 27 For I know your rebellion and your stiff neck. Behold, while I am yet alive with you today, you have been rebellious against Yahweh. How much more after my death? 28 Assemble to me all the elders of your tribes and your officers, that I may speak these words in their ears, and call heaven and earth to witness against them. 29 For I know that after my death you will utterly corrupt yourselves, and turn away from the way which I have commanded you; and evil will happen to you in the latter days, because you will do that which is evil in Yahweh’s sight, to provoke him to anger through the work of your hands.”

30 Moses spoke in the ears of all the assembly of Israel the words of this song, until they were finished.

Deuteronomy 32:But Jeshurun grew fat, and kicked.
You have grown fat.
You have grown thick.
You have become sleek.
Then he abandoned God who made him,
and rejected the Rock of his salvation.
16 They moved him to jealousy with strange gods.
They provoked him to anger with abominations.
17 They sacrificed to demons, not God,
to gods that they didn’t know,
to new gods that came up recently,
which your fathers didn’t dread.
18 Of the Rock who became your father, you are unmindful,
and have forgotten God who gave you birth.
19 Yahweh saw and abhorred,
because of the provocation of his sons and his daughters.
20 He said, “I will hide my face from them.
I will see what their end will be;
for they are a very perverse generation,
children in whom is no faithfulness.
21 They have moved me to jealousy with that which is not God.
They have provoked me to anger with their vanities.
I will move them to jealousy with those who are not a people.
I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation.
22 For a fire is kindled in my anger,
that burns to the lowest Sheol,[a]
devours the earth with its increase,
and sets the foundations of the mountains on fire.

23 “I will heap evils on them.
I will spend my arrows on them.
24 They shall be wasted with hunger,
and devoured with burning heat
and bitter destruction.
I will send the teeth of animals on them,
with the venom of vipers that glide in the dust.
25 Outside the sword will bereave,
and in the rooms,
terror on both young man and virgin,
the nursing infant with the gray-haired man.
26 I said that I would scatter them afar.
I would make their memory to cease from among men;
27 were it not that I feared the provocation of the enemy,
lest their adversaries should judge wrongly,
lest they should say, ‘Our hand is exalted,
Yahweh has not done all this.’”

28 For they are a nation void of counsel.
There is no understanding in them.
29 Oh that they were wise, that they understood this,
that they would consider their latter end!
30 How could one chase a thousand,
and two put ten thousand to flight,
unless their Rock had sold them,
and Yahweh had delivered them up?
31 For their rock is not as our Rock,
even our enemies themselves concede.
32 For their vine is of the vine of Sodom,
of the fields of Gomorrah.
Their grapes are poison grapes.
Their clusters are bitter.
33 Their wine is the poison of serpents,
the cruel venom of asps.

34 “Isn’t this laid up in store with me,
sealed up among my treasures?
35 Vengeance is mine, and recompense,
at the time when their foot slides;
for the day of their calamity is at hand.
Their doom rushes at them.”

36 For Yahweh will judge his people,
and have compassion on his servants,
when he sees that their power is gone;
that there is no one remaining, shut up or left at large.
37 He will say, “Where are their gods,
the rock in which they took refuge;
38 which ate the fat of their sacrifices,
and drank the wine of their drink offering?
Let them rise up and help you!
Let them be your protection.

39 “See now that I myself am he.
There is no god with me.
I kill and I make alive.
I wound and I heal.
There is no one who can deliver out of my hand.
40 For I lift up my hand to heaven and declare,
as I live forever,
41 if I sharpen my glittering sword,
my hand grasps it in judgment;
I will take vengeance on my adversaries,
and will repay those who hate me.
42 I will make my arrows drunk with blood.
My sword shall devour flesh with the blood of the slain and the captives,
from the head of the leaders of the enemy.”

43 Rejoice, you nations, with his people,
for he will avenge the blood of his servants.
He will take vengeance on his adversaries,
and will make atonement for his land and for his people.

44 Moses came and spoke all the words of this song in the ears of the people, he and Joshua the son of Nun. 45 Moses finished reciting all these words to all Israel. 46 He said to them, “Set your heart to all the words which I testify to you today, which you shall command your children to observe to do, all the words of this law. 47 For it is no vain thing for you, because it is your life, and through this thing you shall prolong your days in the land, where you go over the Jordan to possess it.”

Here’s more.

Leviticus 26:14 “‘But if you will not listen to me, and will not do all these commandments, 15 and if you shall reject my statutes, and if your soul abhors my ordinances, so that you will not do all my commandments, but break my covenant, 16 I also will do this to you: I will appoint terror over you, even consumption and fever, that shall consume the eyes, and make the soul to pine away. You will sow your seed in vain, for your enemies will eat it. 17 I will set my face against you, and you will be struck before your enemies. Those who hate you will rule over you; and you will flee when no one pursues you.

18 “‘If you in spite of these things will not listen to me, then I will chastise you seven times more for your sins. 19 I will break the pride of your power, and I will make your sky like iron, and your soil like bronze. 20 Your strength will be spent in vain; for your land won’t yield its increase, neither will the trees of the land yield their fruit.

21 “‘If you walk contrary to me, and won’t listen to me, then I will bring seven times more plagues on you according to your sins. 22 I will send the wild animals among you, which will rob you of your children, destroy your livestock, and make you few in number. Your roads will become desolate.

23 “‘If by these things you won’t be turned back to me, but will walk contrary to me, 24 then I will also walk contrary to you; and I will strike you, even I, seven times for your sins. 25 I will bring a sword upon you that will execute the vengeance of the covenant. You will be gathered together within your cities, and I will send the pestilence among you. You will be delivered into the hand of the enemy. 26 When I break your staff of bread, ten women shall bake your bread in one oven, and they shall deliver your bread again by weight. You shall eat, and not be satisfied.

27 “‘If you in spite of this won’t listen to me, but walk contrary to me, 28 then I will walk contrary to you in wrath. I will also chastise you seven times for your sins. 29 You will eat the flesh of your sons, and you will eat the flesh of your daughters. 30 I will destroy your high places, and cut down your incense altars, and cast your dead bodies upon the bodies of your idols; and my soul will abhor you. 31 I will lay your cities waste, and will bring your sanctuaries to desolation. I will not take delight in the sweet fragrance of your offerings. 32 I will bring the land into desolation, and your enemies who dwell in it will be astonished at it. 33 I will scatter you among the nations, and I will draw out the sword after you. Your land will be a desolation, and your cities shall be a waste. 34 Then the land will enjoy its Sabbaths as long as it lies desolate and you are in your enemies’ land. Even then the land will rest and enjoy its Sabbaths. 35 As long as it lies desolate it shall have rest, even the rest which it didn’t have in your Sabbaths when you lived on it.

36 “‘As for those of you who are left, I will send a faintness into their hearts in the lands of their enemies. The sound of a driven leaf will put them to flight; and they shall flee, as one flees from the sword. They will fall when no one pursues. 37 They will stumble over one another, as it were before the sword, when no one pursues. You will have no power to stand before your enemies. 38 You will perish among the nations. The land of your enemies will eat you up. 39 Those of you who are left will pine away in their iniquity in your enemies’ lands; and also in the iniquities of their fathers they shall pine away with them.

40 “‘If they confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their fathers, in their trespass which they trespassed against me; and also that because they walked contrary to me, 41 I also walked contrary to them, and brought them into the land of their enemies; if then their uncircumcised heart is humbled, and they then accept the punishment of their iniquity, 42 then I will remember my covenant with Jacob, my covenant with Isaac, and also my covenant with Abraham; and I will remember the land. 43 The land also will be left by them, and will enjoy its Sabbaths while it lies desolate without them; and they will accept the punishment of their iniquity because they rejected my ordinances, and their soul abhorred my statutes. 44 Yet for all that, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject them, neither will I abhor them, to destroy them utterly and to break my covenant with them; for I am Yahweh their God. 45 But I will for their sake remember the covenant of their ancestors, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the nations, that I might be their God. I am Yahweh.’”

46 These are the statutes, ordinances, and laws, which Yahweh made between him and the children of Israel in Mount Sinai by Moses.

This is only a small amount which can be mined out of the Old Testament as to the root cause of today’s problems.

A good reference Bible which will refer to similar themes and verses in other sections of the Bible is advised for additional study.

There is a covenant to the fathers and to their children. There are consequences for breaking the covenant. The world is experiencing those consequences. The covenant given at Mt. Sinai has been broken.

This theme is repeated later.

II Chronicles 7:14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves, pray, seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

It is written to “if my people” because it is God’s people who have broken the covenant. If we of western civilization declare that we are founded on Judeo/Christian principles, we have agreed to the covenant. Our forebears agreed to the covenant. It’s in force. Tearing down a statue won’t change that.

There are those who would say that Jesus brought a new covenant. Here are some scriptures for consideration.

Hebrews 12: 4 You have not yet resisted to blood, striving against sin. 5 You have forgotten the exhortation which reasons with you as with children,

“My son, don’t take lightly the chastening of the Lord,
nor faint when you are reproved by him;
6 for whom the Lord loves, he disciplines,
and chastises every son whom he receives.”

7 It is for discipline that you endure. God deals with you as with children, for what son is there whom his father doesn’t discipline? 8 But if you are without discipline, of which all have been made partakers, then you are illegitimate, and not children. 9 Furthermore, we had the fathers of our flesh to chasten us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much rather be in subjection to the Father of spirits, and live? 10 For they indeed, for a few days, punished us as seemed good to them; but he for our profit, that we may be partakers of his holiness. 11 All chastening seems for the present to be not joyous but grievous; yet afterward it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. 12 Therefore lift up the hands that hang down and the feeble knees, and make straight paths for your feet,so what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed.

Luke 12:41 Peter said to him, “Lord, are you telling this parable to us, or to everybody?”

42 The Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and wise steward, whom his lord will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the right times? 43 Blessed is that servant whom his lord will find doing so when he comes. 44 Truly I tell you, that he will set him over all that he has. 45 But if that servant says in his heart, ‘My lord delays his coming,’ and begins to beat the menservants and the maidservants, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken, 46 then the lord of that servant will come in a day when he isn’t expecting him, and in an hour that he doesn’t know, and will cut him in two, and place his portion with the unfaithful. 47 That servant, who knew his lord’s will, and didn’t prepare, nor do what he wanted, will be beaten with many stripes, 48 but he who didn’t know, and did things worthy of stripes, will be beaten with few stripes. To whomever much is given, of him will much be required; and to whom much was entrusted, of him more will be asked.

Repeating.

Luke 12:47 That servant, who knew his lord’s will, and didn’t prepare, nor do what he wanted, will be beaten with many stripes,

I Corinthians 5:4 In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, you being gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, 5 are to deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.

Revelation 18:4 4 I heard another voice from heaven, saying, “Come out of her, my people, that you have no participation in her sins, and that you don’t receive of her plagues,

We should not guess how to deal with things.

For example, Zecharias, when turning to the Lord, stated this.

Luke 19:1 19 He entered and was passing through Jericho. 2 There was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. 3 He was trying to see who Jesus was, and couldn’t because of the crowd, because he was short. 4 He ran on ahead, and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was going to pass that way. 5 When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and saw him, and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house.” 6 He hurried, came down, and received him joyfully. 7 When they saw it, they all murmured, saying, “He has gone in to lodge with a man who is a sinner.”

8 Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, half of my goods I give to the poor. If I have wrongfully exacted anything of anyone, I restore four times as much.”

9 Jesus said to him, “Today, salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost.”

That was based on prior law.

II Samuel 12:6 He must restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity!”

That came from prior law.

Leviticus 6:5 or any thing about which he has sworn falsely: he shall restore it in full, and shall add a fifth part more to it. He shall return it to him to whom it belongs in the day of his being found guilty.

Numbers 5:7 then he shall confess his sin which he has done; and he shall make restitution for his guilt in full, add to it the fifth part of it, and give it to him in respect of whom he has been guilty.

God intended for leadership to learn the Law of the Lord.

Deuteronomy 17:19 It shall be with him, and he shall read from it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear Yahweh his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them;

Deuteronomy 30:19 I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Therefore choose life, that you may live, you and your descendants,

Deuteronomy 28:15 But it shall come to pass, if you will not listen to Yahweh your God’s voice, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command you today, that all these curses will come on you and overtake you.

Revelation 18:1 After these things, I saw another angel coming down out of the sky, having great authority. The earth was illuminated with his glory. 2 He cried with a mighty voice, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, and she has become a habitation of demons, a prison of every unclean spirit, and a prison of every unclean and hateful bird! 3 For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her sexual immorality, the kings of the earth committed sexual immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth grew rich from the abundance of her luxury.”

4 I heard another voice from heaven, saying, “Come out of her, my people, that you have no participation in her sins, and that you don’t receive of her plagues, 5 for her sins have reached to the sky, and God has remembered her iniquities. 6 Return to her just as she returned, and repay her double as she did, and according to her works. In the cup which she mixed, mix to her double. 7 However much she glorified herself, and grew wanton, so much give her of torment and mourning. For she says in her heart, ‘I sit a queen, and am no widow, and will in no way see mourning.’ 8 Therefore in one day her plagues will come: death, mourning, and famine; and she will be utterly burned with fire; for the Lord God who has judged her is strong. 9 The kings of the earth who committed sexual immorality and lived wantonly with her will weep and wail over her, when they look at the smoke of her burning, 10 standing far away for the fear of her torment, saying, ‘Woe, woe, the great city, Babylon, the strong city! For your judgment has come in one hour.’ 11 The merchants of the earth weep and mourn over her, for no one buys their merchandise any more: 12 merchandise of gold, silver, precious stones, pearls, fine linen, purple, silk, scarlet, all expensive wood, every vessel of ivory, every vessel made of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble; 13 and cinnamon, incense, perfume, frankincense, wine, olive oil, fine flour, wheat, sheep, horses, chariots, and people’s bodies and souls. 14 The fruits which your soul lusted after have been lost to you. All things that were dainty and sumptuous have perished from you, and you will find them no more at all. 15 The merchants of these things, who were made rich by her, will stand far away for the fear of her torment, weeping and mourning, 16 saying, ‘Woe, woe, the great city, she who was dressed in fine linen, purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls! 17 For in an hour such great riches are made desolate.’ Every ship master, and everyone who sails anywhere, and mariners, and as many as gain their living by sea, stood far away, 18 and cried out as they looked at the smoke of her burning, saying, ‘What is like the great city?’ 19 They cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and mourning, saying, ‘Woe, woe, the great city, in which all who had their ships in the sea were made rich by reason of her great wealth!’ For she is made desolate in one hour.

20 “Rejoice over her, O heaven, you saints, apostles, and prophets; for God has judged your judgment on her.” 21 A mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and cast it into the sea, saying, “Thus with violence will Babylon, the great city, be thrown down, and will be found no more at all.

Haggai 1:4 “Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, while this house lies waste? 5 Now therefore this is what Yahweh of Armies says: Consider your ways. 6 You have sown much, and bring in little. You eat, but you don’t have enough. You drink, but you aren’t filled with drink. You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm, and he who earns wages earns wages to put them into a bag with holes in it.”

7 This is what Yahweh of Armies says: “Consider your ways. 8 Go up to the mountain, bring wood, and build the house. I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified,” says Yahweh. 9 “You looked for much, and, behold, it came to little; and when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why?” says Yahweh of Armies, “Because of my house that lies waste, while each of you is busy with his own house. 10 Therefore for your sake the heavens withhold the dew, and the earth withholds its fruit. 11 I called for a drought on the land, on the mountains, on the grain, on the new wine, on the oil, on that which the ground produces, on men, on livestock, and on all the labor of the hands.”

The solution to mankind’s problems is to turn to the Law of the Lord as found in the Bible and follow and obey the principles taught there. It is the answer for individuals. It is the answer for nations.

We see so much waste and destruction. The knowledge of God has disappeared from everyday society.

It used to be that even if some people did not go to church, there was at least a basic morality that was an overflow of church teachings. People respected life. They respected property. They knew the Golden Rule.

That has all changed.

What people do not realize is that there is a reaping to breaking the Laws of the Lord.

It is impossible to receive good when sowing evil. A person who sows evil to his neighbor will reap evil back.

Proverbs 17:13 Whoever rewards evil for good,
evil shall not depart from his house.

 

People cannot understand why they are not advancing in life. They kill. They steal. They burn businesses. They take from others. And yet their life does not improve. Why?

Proverbs 17:13 Whoever rewards evil for good,
evil shall not depart from his house.

 

These statements and principles in the Bible are like the law of gravity.  You can’t break a law.  If you try to break it, it will break you.

When people burn churches, that is especially bad. The churches provide a place where the Word of God is taught to the people. The churches provide a place where people can meet and worship the Lord God.

This is what God has to say.

Haggai 1:4 “Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, while this house lies waste? 5 Now therefore this is what Yahweh of Armies says: Consider your ways. 6 You have sown much, and bring in little. You eat, but you don’t have enough. You drink, but you aren’t filled with drink. You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm, and he who earns wages earns wages to put them into a bag with holes in it.”

7 This is what Yahweh of Armies says: “Consider your ways. 8 Go up to the mountain, bring wood, and build the house. I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified,” says Yahweh. 9 “You looked for much, and, behold, it came to little; and when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why?” says Yahweh of Armies, “Because of my house that lies waste, while each of you is busy with his own house. 10 Therefore for your sake the heavens withhold the dew, and the earth withholds its fruit. 11 I called for a drought on the land, on the mountains, on the grain, on the new wine, on the oil, on that which the ground produces, on men, on livestock, and on all the labor of the hands.”

 

What people do not understand is that there is an invisible spiritual world.   In this invisible world are invisible forces.

When people do things that God commands in the Bible, they open themselves up to blessings from God.  God’s invisible forces go to work to bring blessings.

When people do things that are sin, they open themselves up to problems from satan.  Invisible forces bring problems.

And then they do not understand why they have so much trouble in life.

II Corinthians 4:4 in whom the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that the light of the Good News of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should not dawn on them.

 

The Lord says the same thing over and over, in so many ways. He repeats the importance of obedience to the Laws of the Lord. He says it in the New Testament.

Luke 6:46 “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and don’t do the things which I say? 47 Everyone who comes to me, and hears my words, and does them, I will show you who he is like. 48 He is like a man building a house, who dug and went deep, and laid a foundation on the rock. When a flood arose, the stream broke against that house, and could not shake it, because it was founded on the rock. 49 But he who hears, and doesn’t do, is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream broke, and immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.”

 

He says it in the Old Testament.

Ezekiel 18:20 The soul who sins, he shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be on him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be on him.

21 “But if the wicked turns from all his sins that he has committed, and keeps all my statutes, and does that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live. He shall not die. 22 None of his transgressions that he has committed will be remembered against him. In his righteousness that he has done, he shall live. 23 Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked?” says the Lord Yahweh; “and not rather that he should return from his way, and live?

24 “But when the righteous turns away from his righteousness, and commits iniquity, and does according to all the abominations that the wicked man does, should he live? None of his righteous deeds that he has done will be remembered. In his trespass that he has trespassed, and in his sin that he has sinned, in them he shall die.

25 “Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not equal.’ Hear now, house of Israel: Is my way not equal? Aren’t your ways unequal? 26 When the righteous man turns away from his righteousness, and commits iniquity, and dies therein; in his iniquity that he has done he shall die. 27 Again, when the wicked man turns away from his wickedness that he has committed, and does that which is lawful and right, he will save his soul alive. 28 Because he considers, and turns away from all his transgressions that he has committed, he shall surely live. He shall not die. 29 Yet the house of Israel says, ‘The way of the Lord is not fair.’ House of Israel, aren’t my ways fair? Aren’t your ways unfair?

30 “Therefore I will judge you, house of Israel, everyone according to his ways,” says the Lord Yahweh. “Return, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity will not be your ruin. 31 Cast away from you all your transgressions, in which you have transgressed; and make yourself a new heart and a new spirit: for why will you die, house of Israel? 32 For I have no pleasure in the death of him who dies,” says the Lord Yahweh. “Therefore turn yourselves, and live!

 

The only solution for mankind is to turn to the Lord and to seek to obey the laws of the Lord.

The Bible says that there will be a separation at the end of the age.

Matthew 13:36 Then Jesus sent the multitudes away, and went into the house. His disciples came to him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the darnel weeds of the field.”

37 He answered them, “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, 38 the field is the world, the good seeds are the children of the Kingdom, and the darnel weeds are the children of the evil one. 39 The enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. 40 As therefore the darnel weeds are gathered up and burned with fire; so will it be at the end of this age. 41 The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will gather out of his Kingdom all things that cause stumbling and those who do iniquity, 42 and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

 

It is necessary to turn to the Lord. It is necessary to repent. It is necessary to ask forgiveness. It is necessary to be born again. It is necessary to read the Bible and seek to follow it.

Otherwise, a person can end up living in sin and wickedness and be separated out.