We (Americans) demand to love a lie…

In the BIBLE, the Apostle Paul writes about people who will be deceived by a future anti-christ: “…(those who are deceived) perish (spiritually die) because they refused to love the truth so that they might be saved. For this reason, God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie; so all (those) will be condemned who have not believed the truth but took pleasure in unrighteousness (unbelief and disobedience to GOD’s WORD).” Parentheses added for clarity.

December 2020. Almost daily, we see a throng of so-called Christian leaders boldly tell the most outrageous lies, bear false witness against their pretend enemies, and double down on a slew of false prophecies – all to support a political agenda that does not reflect BIBLICAL Christianity. In opposition to the BIBLE, they repeat the constant stream of lies told by their political idol, Donald Trump, as though there will be no consequences in the world to come. Their hypocritical devotion to the billionaires' proto-fascist right-wing political agenda is just a means of maintaining access to money and worldly power. Revelation 22:15 says that “those who love and practice lying” will be damned.  …whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. James 4:4 You cannot serve God and money, for you will love one and hate the other. Matthew 6:24

When Trump spokesperson Kellyanne Conway floated the idea that the administration’s tsunami of lies could be explained away by calling them “alternative facts”, it was the manifestation of yet another republican strategy from the pit of hell. It was a naked plea to Trump followers to "drink the Kool-Aid"; to just go ahead and accept the “big lie” – and for the most part they have. The fascist “big lie” concept can be summed up as follows: If the authoritarian leader tells a lie big enough and often enough, many people (authoritarian followers) will start to accept it.

The “big lie” this month is the ridiculous notion that the 2020 Presidential election was rigged against republicans because the presidential outcome did not support the white supremacist fantasies of the 74 million Americans who illogically voted to re-elect a known reprobate - even though he has shown that he is willing to kill them with as little forethought as a child squashing a bug. 

It could not be more obvious that this election, like all other elections, was actually rigged in favor of republicans through gerrymandering and other traditional methods of racist voter suppression. Nevertheless, the “rigged election lie” is already being recognized as having the potential to become the source of long-term socio-cultural grievance for fascist-minded American racists; just like the “lost cause” myth of the greedy, lying, traitorous, evil confederate slave holders. That racist “lost cause” belief system led directly to 150 years of terrorism against Black people by whites who feared the loss of their dictatorial power / economic dominance over Blacks - if the Blacks were ever allowed to vote. This was the genesis of the voter suppression we see today, as Republicans in 2020 openly decry voting by “non-traditional voters” (i.e., Blacks) as being unfair to their agenda.

There is a billionaire class (an oligarchy) in this country that uses the republican party and by extension, racist, right-wing, dominionist Christianity (republican voters) as the most convenient tool to force the federal government to do their will. The oligarchs need a multitude of sympathetic voters naïve enough to vote against their own best interests in order to maintain (for now) the illusion of democracy. (Maintaining an illusion of democracy is important to the billionaire class because as it keeps the masses in the dark as to who their real oppressors are.) They spend hundreds of millions of dollars each election cycle to brain-wash the uneducated with racist right-wing radio propaganda as a way to create republican voters who will, in turn, elect republican politicians sympathetic to the basest desires of the evil rich.

When the billionaire-owned right-wing media complex vilifies "democrats and liberals", it is largely code - a dog whistle - meant to demonize “Black people”. Blacks, through political necessity, personify the democrat voter that the right-wing media complex indoctrinates republican voters to hate. Why do you think that the prejudicial terms “democrat” and "liberal” resonate so well? The petty racist right-wing audience is predisposed to subconsciously focus their hatred on buzz words that squarely target their traditional victims – and anyone with the slightest sympathy towards them.

The oligarchs’ motivation is nothing more complex than greed and power. Their goal in manipulating politics is simply to add more zeros to their bank balance, whether it be through tax-breaks, deregulation, or any other scheme that steals quality of life from the bottom 50% - the people they see as “useless eaters”.

The call to invalidate the election is more than Trump’s plea for a four year life-line against the possibility of being tried for theft and treason, or his deluded followers’ tantrum over the perceived loss of their race privilege. It is the foreshadowing of a time when the illusion of democracy will no longer be necessary and the oligarchs will simply dictate the law based on what is good for them. It is all the more unfortunate that people who call themselves Christians have been deceived into selling their souls for a worldly outcome that does not benefit them in this world or in the world to come.

“You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” JESUS - Mat 15:7-8

Are you a "Broad Road" or a "Narrow Road" Christian?

In MAT 7:13-14, JESUS warned us that we must work hard to enter in through the “narrow gate” to be saved. HE also mentioned a dangerous “wide gate” and a “broad road” that most people choose to travel.

What is JESUS telling us in this simple sounding parable? The gate is the spiritual doorway to eternity. The gate you enter and road you choose represent the spiritual choices you make during your (testing) time here on earth. The narrow gate and hard road symbolize obedience to GOD; going by the wide road means doing whatever you want according to your worldly materialistic desires.

JESUS gave us what he called the greatest (most important) commandment: “…You must love the Lord your God with your whole heart, your whole soul, and your whole mind. This is the greatest command, and is first in importance. The second is like it: You must love your neighbor as you do yourself. The essence of the whole law and the prophets (the Old Testament) is packed into these two commands.” Mat 7:12, Mat 22:37  The word translated “love” in this verse is the Greek word “agapaeo.” In this context, it means to love and prefer what GOD loves and prefers. So, the way to stay on the narrow road to eternal salvation is to make a serious lifelong effort to do what GOD prefers and to love those who GOD loves; which is everyone, including you, other sinners, and your enemies.

Living according to GOD’s will:

The BIBLE spells out the attitudes and actions that GOD prefers, in a very straight forward way. In Gal 5:22 we are told that if the SPIRIT of GOD is working in people, they will show the following as evidence:

• Love
• Joy
• Peace
• Patience
• Kindness
• Goodness
• Faithfulness
• Gentleness
• Self-control

Paul goes on to tell us that nothing else matters if a Christian does not show real and consistent love for all people. He describes true Christian love like this: “…Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on (getting) its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. 1 Co 13:4-8

Living according to Man’s will:

Living according to your own will is what the BIBLE calls living according to the flesh. Gal 5:19-21 “…(T)he works of the flesh are obvious:

• Adultery, fornication (sexual immorality)
• Uncleanness (moral and spiritual sinfulness)
• Idolatry (loving anything as much as or more than GOD)
• Sorcery (drug related spirituality/witchcraft)
• Enmity (hatred/hostility)
• Disputes (love for arguments and drama)
• Jealousy
• Anger
• Intrigues (rivalry, ambition, back-stabbing)
• Dissensions (faction; causing others to separate from each other)
• Envy
• Partying, drunkenness, carousing (drunken parties with a sexual outcome)

I (Paul) now warn you, as I have done before, that those who practice such things shall not be heirs of the kingdom of God.” In other words, if you choose to live this way you cannot be saved – just one of these unrepented sins is enough to make you miss heaven.

Outro - The Right-wing Political Church

Are you striving to do GOD's will (per the Great Commandment) or are you doing your own will and telling yourself you are OK, salvation-wise, because of your good intentions? Amazingly, many individuals and denominations decide for themselves which of GOD's commandments they are going to follow and then convince themselves that it will be good enough for them to be saved – even when the BIBLE says exactly the opposite. Examples are: love of the world (prosperity gospel, racial politics and greed), hate (racism and bigotry), once saved always saved (refusal to repent of sinful attitudes), etc. Such self-deception would not be possible if people would read the BIBLE for themselves.

Speaking of self-deception, exactly how is it that people who call themselves Christians support an obvious anti-christ figure; a venal sinner of the type that the BIBLE tells us not to associate with, in the person of Donald Trump?

Cor 5:9-11: "I (Paul) wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people - not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people." 

It’s almost as if this verse was written as a description of Trump. Those who idolize Trump do so because he validates their anti-christian self-deception stemming from hypocrisy and self-righteousness. Their version of “Christianity” is based on who they hate and what they are against, as opposed to showing love to all people (including their enemies) as JESUS commands. Religious people who's real motivation is to get and maintain social, monetary, and political power are serving an idol (the same idol that Donald Trump serves - themselves.) They try to convince anyone who will listen that they are seeking power to serve GOD – but people, especially non-believers, can easily discern that they are just hypocrites. Needless to say, those who call out church racism and warn GOD’s people to repent are harshly criticized. This is what the BIBLE says about criticizing the church:

"What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. "Expel the wicked person from among you." I COR 5:12-13

Summary

Are you striving to do GOD’s will, per the Great Commandment? JESUS says straight up, it is much harder to live a life worthy of salvation than it is to just do what you want. Those who try to come to CHRIST according to their own will (compromising with the world) and not according to the WORD, will be rejected. The unfortunate truth is that many more people are lost than are saved. The "broad road" or the "narrow road" represents your choice to do your own will or to do GOD’s will – to honor JESUS’ sacrifice or to trample it under your feet. Obey or disobey.

Reading and Studying the BIBLE

This is a companion post to my article, “A Few Big Picture BIBLE Verses.” As I wrote in that post, I often see new Christians online asking how to go about getting started with reading and studying the BIBLE.

The purpose of the BIBLE is to show you how to be acceptable to GOD so you can live with HIM in eternity. It presents as much as we are allowed to know (for sure) about GOD's purposes for the earth and for mankind. Unfortunately, many people, believers and unbelievers alike, never read the BIBLE. The Bible says “my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” Can you imagine showing up on judgement day and explaining to JESUS that you never bothered to read the BIBLE – not even one book?

Back before PCs, you needed a small library of expensive books to do a deep dive into the BIBLE. Today, these study materials are available to everyone on software – largely for FREE. Studying the BIBLE has never been easier. 

I have been using a free BIBLE Study software program for years called eSword. Dozens of BIBLES (in various languages), commentaries, concordances, and BIBLE dictionaries can be downloaded to your computer for free, from right inside the program. The only paid modules are for books that are still under copyright. If that wasn’t enough, there is a website called Biblesupport.com that has many more free addons for eSword. I particularly like Bob Utley’s commentary.

The Discovery BIBLE is another program that I really like. It is designed to give instant access to the definition of each word and can give you a flavor for how the grammatical nuances of the original languages affect translation. While it is expensive, there is a special link on their site where they try to make the program available to people for what they can afford to spend. 

Understand that the idea is to get more spiritual insight into the BIBLE, not to try to become an armchair academic expert or keyboard debate warrior. 

Where to Start Reading - Matthew Chapters 5 - 7

The BIBLE has two main parts. The Old Testament, where GOD revealed the basics of right and wrong and the New Testament, where JESUS gives a spiritual reinterpretation of the Old Testament, i.e., "love GOD and prove it by loving your neighbor as yourself." As such, the New Testament is the best place to start. Matthew, Chapters 5, 6, and 7, presents the gospel message in just 3 pages. Famously known as the Beatitudes and the Sermon on the Mount, JESUS tells us how the New Testament supersedes the Old and what the actions and attitudes of Christians should be, if they expect to be saved.

From there, I suggest reading all of Matthew from the beginning (less than 35 pages in most print BIBLES). Then read the Revelation of John. Revelation is the last and hardest book of the BIBLE – you won’t understand most of it (no one does). Revelation is the endtime message that everyone needs to be aware of - it will make you realize that things are very serious. Once you have read some of the BIBLE for yourself, explore some of the free study materials, like Utley’s Commentary, to see what BIBLE teachers have said about those books. (Note that some commentaries interpret the BIBLE from a denominational, or worse, an academic unbeliever’s perspective. IMHO, Utley is honest, unbiased, and a believer as well. It's amazing that his commentary is free.)

Electronic Content to Download

If you speak English, use a “modern English” BIBLE version for easy reading. The English Standard Version (ESV) is good and is free in eSword. The most recent New International Version (NIV, 2011) is also a good plain English translation (paid). You may have heard people say you must read a specific BIBLE version, typically the King James Version. While I love the King James, the two versions above are much easier to understand - if for no other reason than that they don’t use obsolete 17th century words. Amplified Bibles are also good for new Christians - they add clarifying words to the text. 

Is GOD at War with satan?

First of all, is satan real? Some preachers and denominations teach that hell isn’t real; some won’t even mention satan. Christians in such churches generally don’t want to hear anything that takes them out of their “comfort zone,” where they assume that their salvation is a given. Nevertheless, the BIBLE mentions hell more than 100 times. JESUS himself mentioned the existence of satan, the devil, the “evil one,” 83 times in the New Testament (ASV). HE mentioned the existence of demons 46 times. If you don’t believe in satan, then it has to be said… you don’t believe the BIBLE. Rev 12:9  Mat 4:1-11

So, is GOD at war with satan? Surprisingly, the answer is no, not really. GOD can crush satan like a bug any time HE chooses. satan however, is trying to fight a war of rebellion against GOD and since he can’t actually do anything to GOD, he attacks what GOD loves. “satan vs GOD” is really satan vs you. 

satan is out to destroy you as a way to oppose and hurt GOD, because GOD loves you and wants you with him. satan wages his war against us using ignorance, temptation, negative emotion, lies, and unbelief – often injecting evil thoughts directly into our minds. 2Cor 4:4  His goal is to make us unfit for eternal life with GOD by getting us to defile our bodies and souls. Rev 20:11-15  Rev 21:22-27  Every time we are convinced to sin, satan wins a victory over us. People often don’t accept or even know that they are in sin – they may know something is wrong or that they don’t feel right, but they don’t know why. In many areas of life, we have been trained by modern society to obey satan without a second thought.

It is, of course, one of the great mysteries of the BIBLE that GOD loves us and wants us to be saved; but still, HE allows satan to sponsor all the evil we see on earth, and to test us through temptation and hardship.  

Many people can’t accept the fact that although we have the ability to think, our minds are not able to comprehend GOD’s motives or HIS plan. Aside from what we read in the BIBLE, we don’t know why GOD is testing us - other than to prove which of us will obey HIM out of our own free will. If we obey GOD with the right attitude (love), not only does HE provide protection for us here on earth, HE will allow us to move on to the next step - eternity in HIS presence. Heb 2:14-18  There we will learn what our true purpose is. Understand that heaven isn’t necessarily the end point – it may just be a stepping stone to another reality (without sin); a reality that we do not possess the capability to comprehend in our current states.

Sodom’s Other Sin

In the very first blog post here, I promised to show how America is like Sodom and Gomorrah in a way that most people have never considered. Those who know the story of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah in the BIBLE generally think of it as GOD’s judgement against homosexuality, but there was more involved. Gen 19 Understand that the BIBLE “punishment” for every form of sexual sin (including heterosexual fornication and adultery) is the same – eternal separation from GOD. Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed for more than just their sexual sins.

The Set-up

When Abraham moved from Harran (Turkey) to Canaan (around 2000 BC), he and his cousin Lot had so much livestock that they decided to separate so each of them would have better grazing. Lot chose the plain of Jordan, which was so beautiful and desirable that it was compared to the garden of Eden. He went to live in one of the cities of the plain called Sodom. GEN 13:10

While Lot was living in Sodom, the city was attacked and all the inhabitants were captured. When Abraham heard about it, he and his men defeated the attacking armies and returned Lot and the Sodomites to their city. GOD saved Sodom – HE gave them a last chance before HE destroyed them. Actually, they got two last chances; when the Angels were on their way to judge Sodom, Abraham interceded for them, and GOD promised that if there were only 10 righteous people in Sodom, HE would not destroy it. (There weren’t.)

Nativism – Sodom’s other sin

When the Angels of GOD arrived in Sodom, Lot, thinking that they were just travelers and knowing the sinfulness of the place, insisted that they spend the night inside his house (presumably so they would not be attacked). However, before they could turn in, all the men of the city surrounded Lot’s house and stated their intent to gang rape the strangers. It was not necessarily just about sex – after all, the crowd was not interested when Lot’s virgin daughters were offered to them.

Simply put, it was a lynch mob. Like the “Sundown towns” in the pre-civil-rights American south, where Black people would be murdered (lynched in the public square) if they were caught within the city limits of such towns after dark; the Sodomites meant to make an example of the unwelcome strangers.

The Motive - Pride and Selfishness

As we saw above, Sodom, was a very desirable area to live in. The Sodomites were seeking to make a reputation for their town as a place where strangers could not expect hospitality or even human decency. They wanted to abuse the laws of hospitality so badly that people would know you could be killed or worse if you went to Sodom and Gomorrah and tried to stay.

Simply put, the Sodomites wanted to keep the place to themselves. Their greed, pride and selfishness were expressed as murderous hate toward foreigners.

America as Sodom

America is a nation of immigrants, but in recent years many Americans have decided that immigrants are no longer welcome. Those Americans installed a President who encouraged them to hate immigrants and express their racism using coded language about “illegal immigration”. Black and brown immigrants were cast as illegal or undesirable, especially Mexicans; brown people descended from the original inhabitants of the continent. White immigrants from Europe are still welcome, even if they are competition for good jobs, showing that economic concerns are not necessarily the main objection.

From a spirit of greed, selfishness and pride – the same spirit behind lynching – racist right-wing America wants to maintain control over who has access to the so-called American dream. Less (or none) for you, means more for us.

Throughout the Old Testament, the Israelites are told to treat strangers with fairness and hospitality: “When a stranger sojourns (lives) with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself…” Lev 19:33-34 In the New Testament, JESUS warns us that at the last judgement, those who reject the stranger and disregard the poor will be sent to everlasting fire. Mat 25:32-46

The people of Sodom didn’t count on their victims being Angels from GOD who had been sent to judge them. They showed themselves worthy of eternal destruction by their own actions. Neither does “conservative” America see itself in Eze 16:49-50, which condemns ancient Jerusalem, comparing it to Sodom: "Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters (Gomorrah and other cities of the plain that were destroyed) had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy. They were haughty and did an abomination before me. So I removed them, when I saw it."  

Repent. Love your neighbor as yourself. Attitude counts with GOD.

Ancient Israel after the Crucifixion

Most Christians do not know much about the history of Israel in the decades following the crucifixion of JESUS. People do know that European Jews immigrated to Palestine and founded the modern state of Israel in 1948, but often don’t know exactly how the Jews lost their homeland in ancient times. Although it is not recounted in the BIBLE or rarely mentioned in churches, the information is readily available; most everything mentioned in this post can be found on Wikipedia. I pursued this study mostly out of curiosity. Given that I was curious, I assumed that others might be interested in reading an overview of this history all in one go.

Historians generally believe JESUS was born around the year 4 BC and was crucified around 30 AD. At that time, Israel was part of the Roman empire. The Romans didn’t conquer Israel. They were invited in as allies and gradually took political control, enforcing Roman civil law. The Romans allowed the Jews to enforce their own religious laws – up to a point. This is why the Pharisees had to appeal to the Romans to carry out the death sentence against JESUS; they did not have authority under Roman law to do it themselves.

In 70 AD, about 40 years after the Jews delivered up JESUS the MESSIAH to be crucified, Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans. (In the BIBLE, the number 40 symbolizes testing, probation, and judgement.)

Why did the Romans destroy Jerusalem?

Three Jewish-Roman Wars resulted in the total destruction of ancient Jerusalem and the annihilation of much of the ancient world’s ethnic Jewish population. The three wars/rebellions are known to history as the Great Revolt, Kito’s War, and Bar Kokhba’s Revolt.

The 1st Jewish War (The Great Revolt) – 66 AD - 73AD

In 66AD, various Judean factions rebelled against the Roman empire due to religious differences and economic persecution via taxation. The rebels essentially forced the Romans to go to war with them.

Eight years before Jerusalem was destroyed, a man named Yeshua ben Hananiah began to prophesy in Jerusalem, crying out a warning in the streets: “…a voice from the four winds, a voice against Jerusalem and the sanctuary, a voice against the bridegroom and the bride, a voice against all the people." His warning of woe was rejected by the religious hierarchy and they tried to silence him. Even though Yeshua (the same name as Joshua/Jesus) was beaten, once almost to death, to get him to shut up – he never complained and did not relent. He continued to go through the streets proclaiming his message of woe until he was killed by the Romans during the siege that he prophesied. According to the Jewish historian Josephus, there were other prophetic signs that the city was doomed to destruction, but they were generally misinterpreted or even interpreted as blessings.

Josephus wrote extensively on the “First Jewish War”. He presents it as a time of utter madness when Jewish political and religious factions were fighting amongst themselves even while the Roman army advanced on Jerusalem. They were still fighting and killing each other while simultaneously fighting the Romans as they breached the city walls. Josephus indicates that the Jews themselves set the fire that eventually destroyed the Temple. (See JEWISH WAR, Chapters 5 and 6)

As the Roman army marched towards Jerusalem to put down the rebellion, they created a wave of refugees who sought refuge in Jerusalem. Between 350,000 and 1 million people were in Jerusalem when the Romans besieged it, many of whom were pilgrims who had come to celebrate the Passover. Josephus says that more than a million were killed and 100,000 were enslaved. (Note that there were a lot less people in ancient times than there are now – so these were comparatively huge numbers.) The Temple was looted and destroyed, with the proceeds going towards building the famous Colosseum in Rome – using enslaved Jews as labor. Jerusalem was totally destroyed. Although Jews remained the majority population in surrounding areas, many of the survivors fled to various Jewish communities around the Roman empire.

People in antiquity, including non-jews and non-christians understood that the destruction of Jerusalem and the dispersion of the Jews was not coincidence. Sometime after 73 AD, Mara Bar Serapien, a Syrian stoic philosopher, wrote the following; (he was writing to his son about the persecution of wise men):

"… What advantage did the Athenians gain from murdering Socrates? Famine and plague came upon them as a punishment for their crime. What advantage did the men of Samos gain from burning Pythagoras? In a moment their land was covered with sand. What advantage did the Jews gain from executing their wise king? (meaning JESUS) It was just after that, their kingdom was abolished. God justly avenged these three wise men: the Athenians died of hunger; the Samians were overwhelmed by the sea, and the Jews, desolate and driven from their own kingdom, live in complete dispersion. But Socrates is not dead, because of Plato; neither is Pythagoras, because of the statue of Juno; nor is the wise king, because of the "new law" he laid down."

The Second Jewish War - Kito's War (115–117 CE) (Also known as the "Rebellion of the Exile")

Kito's war was named for the Roman general credited with ending the rebellion. The Second Jewish War began with an unplanned insurrection by Jews in Mesopotamia (modern day Iraq) and soon spread to other Roman cities with large Jewish populations. The rebellion stemmed from bitterness over the destruction of Jerusalem, continuing civil mistreatment, and various religious provocations. Jewish rebels in Cyrene (Libya, N. Africa) formed an army and after attacking their enemies there, marched on Alexandria, Egypt. They killed an estimated 220,000 Greeks and Romans. The rebellion spread to Cyprus (Turkey) where another 240,000 were killed. The Jewish casualties were not recorded by history other than to suggest that after the insurrection was put down, the world’s Jewish population was greatly reduced. The devastation was so severe that the Romans had to repopulate some of the affected areas so they would not be completely abandoned. (Note that not a lot of specific historical information about these incidents survives.)

The 3rd Jewish War - Bar Kokhba’s Revolt (132–136 CE) 

Bar Kokhba’s revolt ultimately caused the Jews to be banned from Jerusalem and the city to be wiped off the map; to be resettled as a secular Roman colony called Aelia Capitolina. Again the revolt was the result of perceived religious provocations by the Romans (and no doubt the continuing desire for nationalistic political freedom). The Jewish leader was a self-styled messiah called Bar Kokhba (Meaning "Son of a Star" – in reference to a messianic prophecy in Numbers 24:17). Note that he was exactly the type of worldly military messiah that the Jews were looking for in 30 AD, instead of JESUS.

Jews from all over the Roman world joined Bar Kokhba’s army – as many as 400,000 men. After early defeats, the Romans deployed at least one third of their army (from all over the Roman world) against Bar Kokhba’s forces. The Romans record that they killed more than half a million Jews in the area of Judea/Jerusalem - with many more dying of starvation and disease. Modern historians have classed the destruction of Judea during the Bar Kokhba rebellion as a genocide – with the majority of the population of Judea either having been killed, exiled or enslaved. The Romans tried to destroy the practice of Judaism in the area; killing religious scholars, burning sacred scrolls, and desecrating temples. For hundreds of years, Jews were forbidden to enter Jerusalem except one day per year, the fast day of Tisha B'Av. (Note that ethnic Jews retained a significant presence in other areas of greater Israel, especially Galilee.)

These three revolts resulted in a severe reduction in the world’s ancient Jewish population – with as many as several million having been killed in the space of 70 years. Bar Kokhba’s revolt culminated in the total destruction of Jerusalem, and the removal of any significant Jewish presence from Judea (the area of Jerusalem) for hundreds of years.

The Lesson to be Learned

What does this have to do with us today – particularly Christians in America? Did GOD destroy the Judeans for rejecting JESUS, as most modern people probably think?

I would argue that it isn’t that simple. Like the people who reject JESUS in every era, the Judeans destroyed themselves by rejecting GOD’s gift of spiritual salvation. GOD provides protection to those who obey, but when people are in willful sin, GOD removes HIS protection over them as a lesson; hoping that tribulation will drive the offender back to righteousness. the Jews rejected spiritual reconciliation with GOD, in favor of seeking worldly political dominion (rebellion). The end result was their annihilation.

In Exodus 17:8-16, as in many other places in the BIBLE, GOD helps Israel to defeat their enemies. However, once Israel rebelled in unbelief and refused to go into the promised land, GOD removed HIS protection. When the people realized their folly, they tried to obey - after they had already been judged and sentenced to wander 40 years in the wilderness. When they tried to go into the promised land anyway, they were immediately defeated by the Amalekites and the Canaanites because GOD did not help them. Num 14:39-45

We can see this same dynamic in the three Jewish wars. The Jews rejected GOD’s offer of reconciliation (JESUS) and they were not in GOD’s will, so they had lost their protection. When the Jews decided to fight for their worldly kingdom anyway, they were soundly defeated and again sentenced to wander in the wilderness. In the end, the ancient Jews rejected the lesson but we can learn from it.

When you read the history, especially Josephus, it is apparent that frustrated nationalism (worldliness) was the reason that the (non-Christian) Israelites rebelled against the Roman empire. The Judeans were willing to die for their worldly patriotic nationalism, based on their race pride as the chosen people. They were willing to burn it all down for the chance to have their worldly political kingdom. They basically forced the Romans to destroy them. Mat 24:1-14

You may recognize the obvious parallels to the nativist right-wing political evangelical church in today’s America. To everyone’s amazement, the right-wing evangelical church continues to support an obvious anti-christ figure in Donald Trump. Like the ancient Jews they are doubling down in their attempt to preserve their worldly status under the system of nativist white supremacy. They are blindly refusing to repent while the rich men of the earth who have indoctrinated them with so much hatred, laugh all the way to the bank.

People continue to be fooled – both on the right and the left. Your savior is not politics. The enemy of your enemy is not your friend.

Jude and the Meaning of Mercy

In Jude, the next to last book of the BIBLE, the writer asks GOD for mercy on the reader. It may surprise you to learn that the word “mercy” in the BIBLE, doesn’t just mean having pity or excusing someone from punishment; it means “covenant-loyalty”. Asking GOD for mercy is reminding HIM of the promises HE has made to us in HIS covenant – the New Testament contract between GOD and man. In other words, GOD guarantees that HE will remain loyal and stick to HIS part of the bargain if we stick to ours.

The NT Greek word “éleos” is the word often translated as “mercy” in English language BIBLES. It is related to the OT Hebrew word “ḥesed” - which also means "covenant-loyalty”. Psalms 18:20-27 "Covenant-loyalty” or “mercy” has always indicated that the relationship between man and GOD is conditional, ie, GOD will fulfill HIS promises if man is obedient.

Why is this so important?

Because although the BIBLE teaches that GOD’s promises are conditional, much of the modern church teaches that the promises are unconditional (especially the promise of salvation).

Hence, one of the most dangerous false teachings in the modern church is the doctrine of “unconditional eternal security” or “once saved always saved (OSAS)”. OSAS teaches that once you make a commitment to GOD, no matter what else you do after that, you will still be saved and go to heaven. In reality, OSAS (also known as greasy grace) is a license to sin.

In his warning about false teachers, Jude makes exactly this point regarding grace:

…certain individuals, whose condemnation (damnation) was written about long ago, have secretly slipped in among you (the church). They are ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into a license for immorality, and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord. Jud 1:4 Jude goes on to cite several examples of GOD judging those who refused to obey: the unfaithful Israelites who were saved out of Egypt, the angels who rebelled in heaven, and the people of Sodom and Gomorrah who rebelled on earth. Jud 1:5-7

OSAS opposes the BIBLE's teaching on the conditionality of GOD’s promises to say that man does not have to keep his end of the bargain – that man does not have to obey in order to obtain mercy (the promise of salvation) from GOD.

Therefore, it isn’t surprising that modern Christians often (incorrectly) use the words grace and mercy interchangeably. But as you see above, they are actually two different things. Grace can be seen as GOD’s general blessing on all mankind; including the offer of salvation. Mercy, the fulfillment of GOD’s promises, including salvation, is conditional based on us sticking to our part of the “contract”.

A Few Big Picture BIBLE Verses

New Christians, especially those who come to Christ on their own, often ask for a list of recommended BIBLE verses. I would like to offer a list of a few of my favorite verses that can help new Christians start to get an overview of the BIBLE.

This verse list is meant to do two things:

1) Help people see that the Old Testament (OT) is tied to the New Testament (NT), by showing how the OT points to JESUS. (The examples given are OT and NT verses that relate to each other.)

2) Show that even though the NT is an extension of the OT, it overrides (supersedes) the OT in many respects. (Something that many people misunderstand or willfully ignore; especially atheists and false christians, when they take BIBLE verses out of context to support their faulty opinions. Such people often try to mislead others using OT verses that are no longer in effect according to the teachings of JESUS in the NT.) I suggest reading / studying these verses in a plain language BIBLE like the ESV or NIV (2011 Version).

(OT) Exodus 20 – The 10 commandments. These are the basic rules of right and wrong given by GOD directly to Moses after the Israelites escaped slavery in Egypt. Our modern moral values are based on the 10 Commandments. Memorize them – they are the baseline for your salvation. (Oddly, most Christians can't name the 10 Commandments – try it. It wasn’t until I realized that I couldn’t name them off the top of my head that I determined to memorize them.) (NT) Matthew 19:16-28 -JESUS and the rich young ruler. Jesus explained to a young man what he needed to do for salvation. JESUS gives the man a short version of the 10 Commandments and goes on to explain that to ensure salvation you have to dedicate every aspect of your life to JESUS. For this particular guy, JESUS told him (in answer to his question) that if the man was willing to sell his possessions and give the proceeds to the poor, he would have great rewards in heaven. The rich guy wasn’t quite willing to give up his money to become a fully dedicated disciple. JESUS used the encounter to show the disciples that being rich, like the Pharisees, wasn’t necessarily the same as being blessed or righteous.

(OT) Deuteronomy 31-32 - The Song of Moses (Specifically, Deut 32:1-20). As a new Christian, you won’t necessarily understand this right away, but this is a prophecy given to Moses by GOD about history of the Israelites. Every line relates to something that had either already happened in the BIBLE timeline or that would happen after Moses. It is a picture or a foreshadowing of the relationship that believers (including Christians) will have with GOD throughout the ages – rebelling and then seeking forgiveness. (The OT is a book of examples for future believers.) This speech tells us that GOD is not only a GOD of mercy – as taught by the modern church - but that HE is also a GOD of judgement. (NT) Acts 7 – Stephen’s Speech to the Rulers – Steven gives an amazing speech just before he is executed for being a follower of JESUS. He recounts the history of the Jews from Abraham to Moses, telling how JESUS relates to Moses and reproaches (condemns) the Jews for rejecting the prophets throughout their history; ultimately rejecting JESUS, their messiah.

(OT) 1 Kings 8 - Solomon’s Prayer Dedicating the first Temple. Solomon dedicates the 1st Temple with a prayer that mirrors Moses' Song, in that it prophetically shows how the relationship between GOD and the chosen people (the Hebrews) worked and that ultimately giving the same opportunity for salvation to the other people in the world (the gentiles) was always GOD's ultimate plan (Verses 41-43). (NT) Matthew 10:5-8 - JESUS sends the disciples out to the lost sheep of Israel. Acts 9, (Specifically Acts 9:15 and 22:21) Paul sent to the gentiles. JESUS converts Paul (a former Pharisee) and instructs him, to go and preach Christianity to the gentiles.

(OT) Isaiah 53 and Psalm 22 - Isaiah and Psalms on JESUS. Isaiah 53 is the so-called forbidden chapter, because it is apparently not read in Jewish synagogues. It is considered controversial in that it obviously seems to be about JESUS. Isaiah 53 and Psalm 22 give a prophetic outline of the life and suffering of JESUS and are striking examples of how JESUS was foretold in the Old Testament. The entire OT points to JESUS like a thousand arrows heading towards the same target. (NT) Mat 27:27-56 – The actual events of JESUS on the cross. JESUS on the cross uses the same words as the OT to show that HE was fulfilling the scripture.

(NT) Matthew 5-7 – The Sermon on the Mount (Including the Beatitudes). JESUS explains the New Testament and shows how it refines and fulfills the OT; with JESUS being the final perfect blood sacrifice. JESUS fulfilled the Law of the OT as the only “man” who was ever able to satisfy the law by living a sinless life. (See these two blog posts that show how you can get further understanding of a BIBLE verse by looking up specific words. In this case, the key words in Mat 5, verses 1-12. It's fairly easy using BIBLE software.) (OT) OT verses that relate to The sermon on the Mount; in addition to Exodus 20 here are just few: Exo_19:3, Eze_36:22-38, Psa_1:1, Psa_119:1-2, Psa_37:11, Jer_29:13, Isa_29:13, Deu_30:19

(NT) Matthew 25 - Parables of the Ten Virgins, the Talents, and the Great White Throne Judgement. A parable is a simple story that illustrates a greater point. JESUS gives three different parables that serve as warnings to the endtime church to be ready for the day of judgment:

1) The foolish virgins symbolize Christians who are not spiritually ready for the rapture; the wise virgins are those who remain spiritually ready as a way of life. 

2) The servant who only gained one talent. The servant symbolizes a Christian who does not create any spiritual fruit (starting with themselves) with the gifts GOD had given them.  

3) In the final parable, people who were Christlike are welcomed into heaven and those who were not, are sent to eternal fire. 

(NT) Mat_7:23, Jas_2:14-26, Mat_16:27, Rom_2:16, 2Co_5:10, Revelation 20:11-15

Teach Us How to Pray... Use the LORD's Prayer as an Outline

New Christians often ask about learning to pray. JESUS’ original disciples asked him the same thing: “…Lord, TEACH US TO PRAY…” Luk 11:1 JESUS told them to pray like this:

“… Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so on earth. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil (one).” Luk 11:1 / Mat 6:9

Known as the LORD’s prayer, people often recite it by wrote (word for word), without thinking too much about what it means. We have all done it; some of us have done it for most of our lives. But like many other things in the BIBLE, it has a deeper meaning. Once you realize that every line has a purpose, you can start to use the Lord’s Prayer as an outline or structure for every prayer you pray - just add your individual needs and concerns to each line. Let’s look at the LORD’s prayer, line by line.

First, the basic function of each line:

1. Giving respect to GOD.

2. Agreeing to do HIS will.

3. Asking and thanking GOD (in advance) for supplying our needs.

4. Asking for forgiveness (repentance) and acknowledging the need to forgive others.

5. Asking for continual deliverance from our desire to sin.

1.      Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

GOD the creator is actually our father – you are related to GOD.  We respect GOD’s NAME. “Hallowed” means to make holy, consecrate, sanctify. Holy means to set apart, or to respect above common every-day ideas and things. This is a reminder of the 3rd Commandment, “you shall not take the name of the LORD your GOD in vain.” Ex 20:7 The entire Book of Job is a lesson about people not understanding how great GOD is. Although he was a righteous man who greatly respected GOD, even Job didn’t respect GOD enough. GOD had to remind Job that HE MADE EVERYTHING in the universe and Job was just one of HIS creations, to do with whatever HE wanted. Like us, Job did not have the capacity to understand GOD's plan or that he (Job), like everyone else in the Old Testament, was being used by GOD as an example for all time.

2. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so on earth.

This is both a statement of fact and our agreement to that fact. GOD will reestablish HIS rule over the earth (satan’s rule is temporary for our testing). GOD’s will was, is, and will be done, and we (Christians) agree to obey GOD’s will as our part of the contract. Doing our own will is actually idolatry – following our own will is acting as our own god.

3. Give us day-by-day our daily bread.

Asking and thanking GOD for our daily needs. The key scripture: …seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things (everything you need to live) will be added to you. Mat 6:33 The things that prayer is not: A shopping list of material things you want GOD to give you. There is a difference between what you need and what you want. It is typical of human nature that people who are rich and self-satisfied tend to ignore GOD because they think they don’t need any help. See Prosperity Gospel A list of demands and complaints. Some people act as though GOD is their servant and outrageously present lists of commands that they expect GOD to fulfill. Requests to make other people do things that you think they should do. Praying with a mind to manipulate others is witchcraft. Yes, pray for GOD to help / bless other people but not for them to do your will, ie, make Bob marry Susan or tell so-and-so to give me their house, etc.

4. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

The debts mentioned symbolize sins. You have to forgive others in order to be eligible for GOD’s forgiveness. The importance of this verse cannot be overstated. This isn’t a transaction where you grudgingly forgive people who have sinned against you. Your proper and sincere Christlike attitude should be to forgive out of love, realizing that JESUS loves and forgives them just as much as you want HIM to love and forgive you. This can be tied to JESUS’ parable about the unforgiving servant. Mat 18:21 The servant owed a huge amount of money to his employer, he begged and the employer mercifully cancelled the debt. Afterwards, the servant refused to forgive a guy who owed him a small debt. When the boss heard about it, he reinstated the wicked servant’s original debt and had him put in debtor's prison because he had not appreciated the mercy he received enough to forgive someone else. (A picture of losing one’s salvation.) For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions. Mt 6:14

5. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil (one).

This is a hard verse because according to scripture, GOD does not tempt anyone to do evil.  Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. Jas 1:13 So why is JESUS telling us to pray to not be “brought or led into” temptation? I think this means that we should plead with GOD to help us avoid the destructive testing (chastisement) that would result from pursuing our own sinful thoughts (lusts). As long as we resist temptation, we remain under GOD’s protection. Like Adam and Eve, willful sin gives the devil legal permission to attack and destroy us.

The Sermon on the Mount Part 2

Matthew, Chapters 5-7 are known as the "Sermon on the Mount". Matthew 5 was discussed in the previous post.

In Matthew 6 and 7, JESUS continues HIS outline of the practice of true Christianity. Here is an expanded translation of these verses in modern English.

In reading Matthew 5-7, one can get a quick overview of the meaning of the New Testament that can be shared with others to show that their understanding of Christianity may be based on extra-biblical doctrines promoted by church denominations, as opposed to what the BIBLE actually says. 

Mat 6
1-4	Charity. If you publicize your charity and good works to get praise from other people, you lose your reward from GOD.
6-15	Praying in secret on your own is real – as opposed to just praying with a church group because it is expected of you. Repetitive prayers, as in Catholicism, are related to paganism. The Lord’s Prayer. JESUS taught us the elements of talking to GOD in outline form. It is not necessarily to be repeated verbatim as ritual – many people know the words but have never considered what they mean.
16-18	Fasting. It is a desire for respect from others (your self-righteousness) to let people know that you are fasting. If you do it in secret, between you and GOD, it is a righteous sacrifice – bearing your cross.
19-24	Warning against placing your faith in materialism. If you are dedicated to some aspect of sinfulness – it stains your soul, in its entirety. You can’t serve GOD and be dedicated to the acquisition of money at the same time – it is one or the other. (American culture is definitely all about the love of money.)
25-34	Believers, don’t worry about what is going to happen in the near future – trust GOD for the things you need – it is part of the covenant, the New Testament contract, that GOD will look out for you if you obey.
Mat 7
1-6	Don’t hypocritically judge others; it is a way to damnation. It is spiritually dangerous and often unprofitable to try to force the WORD on groups of worldly people who hate righteousness.
7-11	Sincerely ask GOD for spiritual understanding and it will be given to you.
12-14	The golden rule – the greatest commandment – treat others the way you expect to be treated. Narrow is the way – you have to obey exactly – partial obedience is the broad way (road) to hell. King Saul was the famous Old testament case of partial obedience based on following his own will. He was rejected by GOD and a new king, David, was put in his place.
15-20	The characteristics (the fruit) of false christians and christian leaders - if these church leaders aren’t producing Christlikeness in their followers and in their own lives (maintaining a generally spotless reputation) – they are probably false Christians - wolves.
21-23	Great White Throne Judgement. Even christians, if they do not obey (follow the narrow way), will be cast into hell. This is what the BIBLE says - as opposed to the modern church teaching of “Once Saved Always Saved”.
24-27	Build your christian walk on the rock (the WORDs of JESUS). People are often symbolized in the BIBLE as the sands of the sea.   If you build your version of Christianity on man’s doctrine – a foundation of sand - your house (your spiritual life and ultimate salvation) will be washed away / destroyed in the time of tribulation (the storm).
28-29	The people who heard JESUS spiritually recognized that HE was authoritative (speaking as GOD) in giving the outline of the New Testament.

The Beatitudes Expanded Part 1

Matthew, Chapters 5-7 are known as the "Sermon on the Mount". Matthew 5, verses 1-12, are known as the "Beatitudes," meaning "blessings." JESUS outlines eight characteristics of Christians who have the right attitude for salvation, ie, the attitude that we need to be blessed. The New Testament was originally written in Greek. Like modern English, Greek was the business language understood my most people in the ancient middle east. The English words used in a word-for-word translation of the BIBLE often do not give full justice to the layered meanings of ancient words. Here is an expanded translation of the blessings and a short discussion of the rest of Matthew Chapter 5, in modern English.

Verse	Explanation
1-12	JESUS said, blessed are:   The poor in spirit. (People who are humble enough to recognize that they are spiritually weak and need to beg GOD for the spiritual improvement/perfection that leads to salvation.) Those who mourn. (Those who are troubled about their own sinfulness, the sinfulness of the world, and sad (in mourning) for sinners who are spiritually dead (unless they repent). The meek. (Meek doesn’t mean weak like a baby. Moses was described as the meekest man in the world, but as GOD’s spokesman, he presided over the destruction of Egypt, the most powerful nation on earth. Meekness means to exercise power and authority gently and with kindness.) Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. (People who desire to be Christlike and go after it every day. They look forward to the time that GOD will rule with true justice.) The merciful. (Those who treat others like they want to be treated, and forgive in order to be forgiven by GOD.) The pure in heart. (People who have the right internal attitude for salvation - not double minded or hypocritical.) The peacemakers. (Those that make peace between GOD and the sinner – ie, those who bring the lost to Christ by action and example.) Those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness. “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me”. (Notice that this is the ultimate blessing. People who withstand trials, attacks, and suffering while maintaining their Christian example have a favored place in Heaven.)
13-16	Be an example and draw men to CHRIST.  Your “candle”, ie, righteous behavior is a light in the darkness of the sinful world.
17-20	JESUS fulfilled, accomplished or satisfied the prophecies and promises concerning the Messiah in the Old Testament. HE also satisfied the terms of the agreement (salvation) that the Jews had misunderstood. Belief in JESUS - through a sinless inner attitude - is the way to greater righteousness than can be obtained by external obedience to ritual religion – like that of the Pharisees.
21-42	Verses 21-42 restate the Old Testament law as spiritual requirements. JESUS points to having the correct inner attitude (reflecting the Beatitudes), as opposed to maintaining the appearance of righteousness (ritual religion) which characterized the Pharisees.
21-22	Hate and prideful contempt for other people; looking down on and judging them worthy of damnation is an attitude that is as bad as murder.
23-26	The accuser can be seen as satan reminding GOD (the judge) of your sins. Your time to make peace, ie, to admit and repent of your sins is your time on earth (while walking in the way).
27-30	Lust, even when not acted on, (per the New Testament) is as bad as physical adultery because it is your real internal desire – your true self that GOD sees just as plainly as the people around you see your face. The poor in spirit and pure in heart are sincerely seeking relief from sinful inner thoughts and attitudes.
31-32	Divorce and remarriage is adultery. One must look at the other New Testament verses concerned with divorce to determine how this applies to their life. Bottom line – dumping one spouse just because you want to marry someone else meets the BIBLE definition of adultery.
33-37	Do not make oaths or take vows. Occult religion is dominated by oath taking and is emblematic of man exercising his own will. The Pharisees had a tradition of making false oaths with hidden meanings as a way to lie, (especially to non-Jews) while feigning righteousness.
38-42	Do not exact revenge. Allowing GOD to repay those sinning against you, instead of fighting back, is a show of faith in real time. To lend or give without expecting a return is the right attitude.
43-48	Loving your enemies is approaching the perfection of GOD. JESUS forgave his murderers while HE was being tortured to death on the cross. The Pharisees didn’t realize that they were being driven by satan and demons to mock JESUS. We often don’t realize, in the heat of the moment, that when people are coming against us for no reason – they are being driven by demons.