In the hands of a capable God.

Either the Bible is the Word of God, not to be questioned, but to be believed and obeyed, or it is an outdated religious record to be applied at our discretion and convenience.

If you accept the Bible as the Word of God, you can’t pick and choose which Bible verses are pertinent to our culture. You must believe that God is capable of writing a book that is supra cultural

---M. Pearl


Hmmm...you all think about that tonight.

To read the article this quote is taken from go here.

Every six seconds a child dies of starvation.

That fact nags on me relentlessly.
Every time I buy a stick of gum.
Every time I buy a favorite snack of flavor blasted gold fish.
I look down at the smiling fish in my hands
and see a dozen meals worth of money,
a dozen saved lives,
set aside
so I can satisfy my craving.

I see the faces of children, their faces
caved in with hunger.
I see the woman who holds her dying child. Her eyes
are empty, lacking the hope of God. Lacking
the strength
that God grants.
Her eyes are deep and emotionless.
Joyless.
Because she cannot provide sustenance
For her child to survive.

I come upon the verse,
"remember those in bonds
as if you were bound with them"

If they are naked, cloth them.
If they are hungry, feed them.

Two simple commands that are forgotten
because our churches need
soft, cushioned chairs
so we can have someplace to sit.
We forget that millions call a cement floor
a luxury.

I remember the pictures
that the women at church brought home
of people
living in trash.
Of a boy who was shamed
because all he had to wear,
all he could find,
was a T-shirt
and a pair of girls tights.

He did not have
a pair of boy's pants.

Unknown to most,
you can feed an entire family
for less
then a dollar day,
on the other side of the planet.

We turn our eyes away from the scruffy man
sitting outside the supermarket.
Turn them away from the harried, grubby mother
who snaps at her children.
Twenty dollars
in the name of God
for food or a night out
is enough to impact her
for the rest of her life.
A smile
without scorn
could make her cry.

You feel guilty as you read this,
but you will forget
eventually.

My words will pass
forgotten.

But my dreams will not.

Because I cannot stop dreaming of those children.
innocent
fearful.
I keep dreaming of those children,
and in those dreams
I hold them.
I tell them Jesus loves them.
I tell them of a better Father
a better place.

But then I wake
And the children are gone.
So brief a time that I was with them.

So how come
I can't forget them-
push their faces away?

You might be able to forget,
but I cannot.

God will not
allow it.

Bible study---God hates sinners

WOW! What a title! You're squirming in your computer seat already, uneasy with the cold, hard truth.



============God--Hates--sinners.-================



The bible is very clear about woman teaching the bible...It's a big no-no. This will not be a sermon, I will not try to 'teach' you anything. But I know without a doubt that my world view will cause many ruffled feathers.

I'm posting the reasons I believe that God hates sinners, why I think that is what the bible says.

When I brought this up at the Rebelution, I was met much resistance. When I said I had prayed about it, and that God had let me know I was not out of line or wrong, a girl even went as far as to warn me to be careful because Satan can mess with our prayers!

***Okay, quick interlude...Satan has already been totally defeated by Christ's death on the cross. He cannot touch us. If you think he can, then he will, because then your not having faith in what Christ did. The bible even goes so far as to say we have our foot on his neck...And in bible times middle east, or, heck, even now, when an army conquered another, the 'winner' would put his foot on the 'losers' neck, an inarguable sign of defeat. Paul was telling us satan was totally defeated.***

-Ahem-

Anyway, people really don't like the idea of an angry God, a wrathful God. We've been conditioned since kindergarten to believe that God loves everybody. Do you remember the yellow super balls that have smiley face rainbows and say, God loves you? Have you ever heard the phrase,

"It just brakes His heart when they sin and don't accept Christ."

I'll ask this question, maybe you can use in the future...where does it say that in the bible?

Even my pastor just last week said God loves homosexuals, liars, murderers... I didn't say a word.


Before you post, or even read further, if you're not going to read the post in its entirety then don't even bother.

Get you bible in your lap right now so you can see for yourselves what the bible says about God's love for sinners, preferably a KJ since that's were I'm getting references from. I'm not making this a lesson, I'm just taking scripture and presenting it so you can study it, like a bible study. I'm sure most of you who read this will be unsettled...I know I was. I wanted there to be an all loving God, But I was faced with the truth and saw God as He truly is...And I fear Him.

These are the reasons I believe that God hates sinners...
-------------------------------------------------------------------------


Genesis 6:11-13---Now the earth was corrupt in God's sight and was full of violence.

12 God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways.

13 So God said to Noah, "I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth.

****
There are no mushy feelings for the people He created. They were all sinful, so He destroyed them. The one family that followed His ways and obeyed Him were the only ones that were saved. And He didn't just destroy the 'bad people', There were plenty of babies and children. He totally whipped the planet clean.

----------------------------------------------------

Genesis 19:13, 24-28
13For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the LORD; and the LORD hath sent us to destroy it.



24Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven;

25And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground.

26But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.

27And Abraham gat up early in the morning to the place where he stood before the LORD:

28And he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain, and beheld, and, lo, the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace.

***

Wow. What I terrible way to die. Can you imagine fire and brimstone raining from heaven? Imagine your having a good time with your friends, and you step outside and see fire totally decimating where you live, dead bodies everywhere. You walk further in awe, when fire burst through your own roof, you can hear all the people inside screaming, smell their burning flesh. That same smell is everywhere, surrounds you. Children lie dead in the streets. babies wail.

It was terrible...just most people don't stop to consider it, to really think about it.

Even Lot's wife was killed just by looking back at the city, just a glance. God told her not to look back, and when she disobeyed God killed her in a blink of an eye.

------------------------

Exodus 7-13

***
The Egyptians and the seven plagues. Read about those plagues...those were bad as well. God made those big enough, and terrible enough that the Egyptians feared and respected God.

------------------------

Exodus 32: 26-28, 31-35

26Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the LORD's side? let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him.

27And he said unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Put every man his sword by his side, and go in and out from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbour.

28And the children of Levi did according to the word of Moses: and there fell of the people that day about three thousand men.

31And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold.

32Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin--; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written.

33And the LORD said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book.

34Therefore now go, lead the people unto the place of which I have spoken unto thee: behold, mine Angel shall go before thee: nevertheless in the day when I visit I will visit their sin upon them.

35And the LORD plagued the people, because they made the calf, which Aaron made.

***

God sounds like such a warm, feely person in this chapter.

HA!

God plagued even the chosen ones. I don't know about you, I'd rather not be plagued by God.

--------------------

Numbers 21: 5-9

4 They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, to go around Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way; 5 they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the desert? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!"

6 Then the LORD sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died. 7 The people came to Moses and said, "We sinned when we spoke against the LORD and against you. Pray that the LORD will take the snakes away from us." So Moses prayed for the people.

8 The LORD said to Moses, "Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live." 9 So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, he lived.

***

They were whining. Complaining, after all God did for them. Again, the bible says many Israelites died. Not men. Not women. When the Author used the word Israelites, that meant little kids a well. Can you imagine if were you were living was infested with poisonous snakes, that they were everywhere, and you couldn't protect your own children. Imagine the heartbreak and pain.

God doesn't seem as if He is suffering, either. He is dealing out punishment to His children with an iron will and hand.
--------------------

Joshua 24:29-20

19And Joshua said unto the people, Ye cannot serve the LORD: for he is an holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins.

20If ye forsake the LORD, and serve strange gods, then he will turn and do you hurt, and consume you, after that he hath done you good.

***

See, the children os Israel wanted to serve false gods AND the God of their fathers, because they knew all what God had done. But Joshua is telling them no. You'r either with God or you're against Him. God doesn't like shades of gray. A lot of people would argue that the bible is chock full of gray! but that's not the case. God is direct.

The part I bolded...doesn't sound like the God we hear about at church, does it?

----------------------

Judges 3:7-9, 12-15, 4:1-2, 10:6-7

7And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and forgat the LORD their God, and served Baalim and the groves.

8Therefore the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Chushanrishathaim king of Mesopotamia: and the children of Israel served Chushanrishathaim eight years.

9And when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, the LORD raised up a deliverer to the children of Israel, who delivered them, even Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother.

12And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD: and the LORD strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, because they had done evil in the sight of the LORD.

13And he gathered unto him the children of Ammon and Amalek, and went and smote Israel, and possessed the city of palm trees.

14So the children of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years.

15But when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, the LORD raised them up a deliverer, Ehud the son of Gera, a Benjamite, a man lefthanded: and by him the children of Israel sent a present unto Eglon the king of Moab.

1And the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD, when Ehud was dead.

2And the LORD sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, that reigned in Hazor; the captain of whose host was Sisera, which dwelt in Harosheth of the Gentiles.

6And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim, and Ashtaroth, and the gods of Syria, and the gods of Zidon, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of the children of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines, and forsook the LORD, and served not him.

7And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hands of the Philistines, and into the hands of the children of Ammon.

----------

1 Kings 13:17-26

17For it was said to me by the word of the LORD, Thou shalt eat no bread nor drink water there, nor turn again to go by the way that thou camest.

18He said unto him, I am a prophet also as thou art; and an angel spake unto me by the word of the LORD, saying, Bring him back with thee into thine house, that he may eat bread and drink water. But he lied unto him.

19So he went back with him, and did eat bread in his house, and drank water.

20And it came to pass, as they sat at the table, that the word of the LORD came unto the prophet that brought him back:

21And he cried unto the man of God that came from Judah, saying, Thus saith the LORD, Forasmuch as thou hast disobeyed the mouth of the LORD, and hast not kept the commandment which the LORD thy God commanded thee,

22But camest back, and hast eaten bread and drunk water in the place, of the which the Lord did say to thee, Eat no bread, and drink no water; thy carcase shall not come unto the sepulchre of thy fathers.

23And it came to pass, after he had eaten bread, and after he had drunk, that he saddled for him the ass, to wit, for the prophet whom he had brought back.

24And when he was gone, a lion met him by the way, and slew him: and his carcase was cast in the way, and the ass stood by it, the lion also stood by the carcase.

25And, behold, men passed by, and saw the carcase cast in the way, and the lion standing by the carcase: and they came and told it in the city where the old prophet dwelt.

26And when the prophet that brought him back from the way heard thereof, he said, It is the man of God, who was disobedient unto the word of the LORD: therefore the LORD hath delivered him unto the lion, which hath torn him, and slain him, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake unto him.

***

speaks for itself.

------------------------

2 Kings 21: 1-16

1Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and reigned fifty and five years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Hephzibah.

2And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, after the abominations of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out before the children of Israel.

3For he built up again the high places which Hezekiah his father had destroyed; and he reared up altars for Baal, and made a grove, as did Ahab king of Israel; and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served them.

4And he built altars in the house of the LORD, of which the LORD said, In Jerusalem will I put my name.

5And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the LORD.

6And he made his son pass through the fire, and observed times, and used enchantments, and dealt with familiar spirits and wizards: he wrought much wickedness in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.

7And he set a graven image of the grove that he had made in the house, of which the LORD said to David, and to Solomon his son, In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all tribes of Israel, will I put my name for ever:

8Neither will I make the feet of Israel move any more out of the land which I gave their fathers; only if they will observe to do according to all that I have commanded them, and according to all the law that my servant Moses commanded them.

9But they hearkened not: and Manasseh seduced them to do more evil than did the nations whom the LORD destroyed before the children of Israel.

10And the LORD spake by his servants the prophets, saying,

11Because Manasseh king of Judah hath done these abominations, and hath done wickedly above all that the Amorites did, which were before him, and hath made Judah also to sin with his idols:

12Therefore thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Behold, I am bringing such evil upon Jerusalem and Judah, that whosoever heareth of it, both his ears shall tingle.

13And I will stretch over Jerusalem the line of Samaria, and the plummet of the house of Ahab: and I will wipe Jerusalem as a man wipeth a dish, wiping it, and turning it upside down.

14And I will forsake the remnant of mine inheritance, and deliver them into the hand of their enemies; and they shall become a prey and a spoil to all their enemies;

15Because they have done that which was evil in my sight, and have provoked me to anger, since the day their fathers came forth out of Egypt, even unto this day.

16Moreover Manasseh shed innocent blood very much, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another; beside his sin wherewith he made Judah to sin, in doing that which was evil in the sight of the LORD.

***

Their--ears---will---tingle. Again, speaks by itself. God has no love for the wicked.

-------------------------





Psalms 3:7

7Arise, O LORD; save me, O my God: for thou hast smitten all mine enemies upon the cheek bone; thou hast broken the teeth of the ungodly.

-------------------------

Psalms 5:4-6

4For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with thee.

5The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatest all workers of iniquity.

6Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing: the LORD will abhor the bloody and deceitful man.

------------------------

Psalms 12:2-3

2They speak vanity every one with his neighbor: with flattering lips and with a double heart do they speak.

3The LORD shall cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaketh proud things:

***

Cut off our lips and tongue...ouch.

---------------------------------

Okay...these thre Psalms I found just flipping through my bible. What I've covered is just I glimpse of what God thinks of sinners. but the strong, underlining message throughout all of these is,

God hates sinners.

The God of the old testament is often referred to as the angry God, the one that you should tremble just thinking about His anger. And then the new testament God is the kind one, the one that wants to wrap His arms around you.

Why would God decide to change His mind concerning sinners? God is not fickle. We have the same God that decimated cities, killed millions. Who's wrath is hot against the workers of iniquity.

I know about all the verses about love. But read carefully. That love is always directed at the faithful, the ones who follow His ways, not the wicked.


But, God so loved the world!

He loved the future Christians enough to send His Son.

-----

1 John 4:19

19We love him, because he first loved us.

-----

Again, analize. It proves what I've said in the last sentence.

WE = Christian.

He is refering to Christians. Because He first loved US---Christians.

We wicked love Him because He firts loved us? No. the wicked don't love God.

We Christians love Him because He first loved us.




And now for th crowning verse The cherry shall we say?

John 3:16

36He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

It abides on them. It's not going to abide on them, as in hell, but abides on them right now.

If God was taught this way, I think we would have a lot more converts, people would grow serious about their faith. Christians would be less lazy about things.

And for those who think, "Well, everyone is a sinner, even Christians!!!" God clensed from all unrighteousness, we are as white as snow in His sight, heirs with Christ. The difference is that we are foregiven. Our list of sins has been destroyed.

But, yes. we can sin, and God can get angry at us. Think about that next time you 'casually sin'.

I just covered a few verses. Read through proverbs, Isaiah...and then it crescendos in Revelation. People worry about global warming. Global warming doesn't ring any warning bells in my head at all. I worry about the people left behind after Christs second coming. You go read Revelation and find out what's going to happen to those sinners who felt safe, he thought that God loved them. The grand finale is Hell. Hell is not a place God would send those He loved. I brought that up, and a rebelutionary posted a quote from C. S. Lewis, saying that the doors of Hell are locked on the inside.

If every sinner knew how bad Hell is, I can say very confidently that there would be a lot more followers of Christ. God is the one who sends us to Hell. The doors are not locked on the inside, if they were, nobody would be in there. Hell is so terrible a don't even have words to express it. To be cut off from God forever, no second chances...it's beyond what my mind can fathom. We people on earth have at least that much, salvation in grasp. and we forget, we get lax. We don't tell people about Christ every chance we get, we don't share the good news.

Hell isn't made for those God loves, but rather for those He hates...

-Umm...I phrased that last statement incorrectly. God hates sinners. Sinners go to Hell. Satan is a sinner and hell was created for the devil and His angels. so it WAS created for those He hates, but He didn't create it to satisfy His anger. He created it to satisfy His holiness. God cannot live with sin.

God....the great Designer.

While watching sunsets like that one…those are the times I am most in awe of God. God created that out of nothing, with His great imagination he made the one of the most beautiful things in the world, the sky.

Think about it…Everything we make is limited to what God has already created. We cannot ‘create’ anything!

If we make a purple alien, God already created the color purple. If it has eyes, God already created eyes. If it has skin, God already created skin…we can only copy what God has already made!

Yet God, in all His majesty and greatness created everything out of NOTHING! He did not build off of what was already there. He formed the honeybee’s wings, he molded the blossom on the cherry tree, He sculpted the trunk of the tree. With God’s limitless imagination he defined beauty and goodness. Anything that we attempt to make is always copied from what God has already created.

The fact just hit me a couple days ago…We cannot even imagine or comprehend anything beyond God’s creation…It’s beyond our ability to do so. Can you imagine forming the petal on the dandelion? Can you imagine creating clear, translucent ice?

Have you ever watched Star Trek? They try to ‘create’ aliens. Some are bulbous and fat, some thin, some others telepathic. Then there are those that are just shinning lights. God created bulbous, God created minds, God created light. It’s impossible for us to create anything original! God defined EVERYTHING at creation…

Thoughts like these hit me while just taking a walk, holding a bird. God made creation so exquisite and beautiful, it's absolutely amazing. Just picking up a piece of bark, looking at the grooves, all the different textures and hues. And then going deeper to it's cells and Atoms...God created the Atom, designed it to meet his needs. God created millions of organisms that all work together so perfectly it's amazing.

He created everything to harmonize, to work together in peace ,to be perfect...

---Angels and satan----

Things are finally coming back to normal at my house. People are getting better, I'm going back to a regular schedule were going to bed/waking up is concerned, and I might finally respond to a e-mails that have been sitting in my inbox for days!!!

*hooray!*

I'm giving a lesson on angels and satan tonight at Awana, nothing special, really...some verses and discusion questions to ponder. I'm posting them bellow, you might find a couple of my points thought provoking; I bring some of the little known facts about angels up. Here it is---


Angels and satan


Can angels lust?
Genesis 6:1-5

Can they desire things? Want them? Are they curious about things?

What do they look like?
Hebrews 13:2
Jude 6
Daniel 10:13
Joshua 5:13 Angel wears armor.
Judges 13:6 ‘Terrible countenance’



2 Samuel 14:17 They can discern.


Why do angels sin?


Do you think angels are always beautiful? Why are why not?


Do they eat?
Psalm 78:24-25


Jude 6 They can leave their first estate, their habitation.

Does God send angels to protect and guide us, help us?
Acts 12:11
Genesis 24:40
Exodus 23:23


Do you think angels can mislead us? Why or why not?


Galatians 1:8

Do you think God sends angels to hinder us? Why or why not?

How much power does God give angels?
2 Chronicles 32:21
2 Samuel 24:162
Kings 19:35


God can send angels in the fierceness of His anger.
Psalm 78:49


We will be equal with the angels in Heaven
Luke 20:35-36

We will judge angels
1 Corinthians 6:3
What to you think that means?

===============================================================


Where do you think satan is now?
Job 1:7


Isaiah 14:14 Thought he could be like God. Note he doesn't say greater then God, admitting that there can be no higher being God.


Do you think Satan has any power over us today? Why or why not?

1 Peter 1:12

Do you think he can hinder us in some ways like our prayers and dreams? Why or why not?



Read:
Romans 16:20
James 4:7
Jude 9

--------NOTE------
One of the verses above says we have satan under our feet...the point I'm trying to make is that in the east, when you had totally overcome an enemy, you would put your foot on his neck---the ultimate gesture of defeat. The bible says we have our foot on satan, he is TOTALLY defeated in every way!