A Family Enterprise #6

Friday, February 9, 2024

The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger (Jeremiah 7:18 KJV).

What is their family enterprise?

These sins of heathen idolatry were not accidental but deliberate, the result of several centuries of unbelief. Like today, it had been the family’s practice to ignore God’s prophets or preachers generation after generation.

Read what follows today’s Scripture: “[22] For I spake not unto your fathers, nor commanded them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices: [23] But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you. [24] But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in the counsels and in the imagination of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward. [25] Since the day that your fathers came forth out of the land of Egypt unto this day I have even sent unto you all my servants the prophets, daily rising up early and sending them: [26] Yet they hearkened not unto me, nor inclined their ear, but hardened their neck: they did worse than their fathers.

“[27] Therefore thou shalt speak all these words unto them; but they will not hearken to thee: thou shalt also call unto them; but they will not answer thee. [28] But thou shalt say unto them, This is a nation that obeyeth not the voice of the LORD their God, nor receiveth correction: truth is perished, and is cut off from their mouth. [29] Cut off thine hair, O Jerusalem, and cast it away, and take up a lamentation on high places; for the LORD hath rejected and forsaken the generation of his wrath. [30] For the children of Judah have done evil in my sight, saith the LORD: they have set their abominations in the house which is called by my name, to pollute it.”

Let us summarize and conclude this devotionals arc….

A Family Enterprise #5

Thursday, February 8, 2024

The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger (Jeremiah 7:18 KJV).

What is their family enterprise?

Generally, society looks down upon people who take their children with them during the commission of their crimes. They wag their fingers, shake their heads, and cry out, “Shame! Shame! Shame!” To see a son accompany his father in a theft, or a daughter go with her mother to commit a murder, is an extremely appalling situation to anyone who possesses integrity and seeks justice. Yet, and this is most (most! most!! most!!!) unfortunate, almost no one has any spiritual sense to recognize the eternal disgrace connected to parents taking their children to religious services that will damn their souls.

It is no secret that children copy their parents. When children in today’s Scripture collect wood, it is because their parents by example taught them to do it! For what purpose are these children gathering this wood? Why, their fathers will light a fire with those sticks. The mothers, their wives, are hard at work in the kitchen forming cakes to bake on that fire. What is their reason? The queen of heaven, the mother goddess, is to be worshipped with food and drink! A holy meal will be held in her honor, and she will be venerated because of all her goodness, power, and wisdom! Apparently, she deserves far more attention than JEHOVAH God! (While it is offensive, the fact of the matter is that this blasphemy is being committed all over the world this very moment, and the most obvious form is the Eucharist or the Mass of Roman Catholicism [wherein Mary is actually called “the queen of heaven!”]. Check the warning in 1 Corinthians 10:19-22, what the professing church has ignored for 20 centuries!)

The family enterprise, the family business, of today’s Scripture is nothing but devil worship. Yet, it has nothing to do with murder, stealing, adultery, gambling, smoking cigarettes, drunkenness, prostitution, gangbanging, drug-dealing, or any other sin of the flesh. It is the sin of the spirit, a transgression committed in works-religion… with children in tow….

A Family Enterprise #4

Wednesday, February 7, 2024

The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger (Jeremiah 7:18 KJV).

What is their family enterprise?

Mother-goddess worship can be traced back to the Tower of Babel 4,000 years ago. Her original name was Semiramis. When the LORD God scattered the nations from Babel (Babylon) because of their pagan idolatry (Genesis 11:1-9), they took with them worldwide that concept of a mother goddess.

Consequently, all peoples paid her homage, though under various names because of language differences: Nana (Sumerians), Indrani/Isi (Indians), Disa (Scandinavians), Venus/Fortuna (Romans), Nutria (Etruscans), Aphrodite/Ceres (Greeks), Shingmoo (Chinese), Hertha (Germans), Venus/Fortuna (Romans), Isis (Egyptians), Cybele (Asians in Turkey), Virgo/Patitura (Druids), Astarte/Ashtaroth (Phoenicians—see Judges 2:13, Judges 10:6, and 1 Samuel 7:3), and Diana/Artemis (Ephesians—see Acts 19:24,27-28,34-35). In fact, she is the Virgin Mary of Roman Catholicism, and Mother Earth or Mother Nature (also known as Gaia)!

The Jews during Jeremiah’s ministry (today’s Scripture) knew God’s attitude about pagan idolatry, especially mother-goddess worship, but they engaged in anyway. This resulted in their deportation to Babylon under King Nebuchadnezzar. Even after the Babylonian exile was underway, they kept worshipping her. Jeremiah chapter 44: “[17] But we will certainly do whatsoever thing goeth forth out of our own mouth, to burn incense unto the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her, as we have done, we, and our fathers, our kings, and our princes, in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem: for then had we plenty of victuals, and were well, and saw no evil. [18] But since we left off to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her, we have wanted all things, and have been consumed by the sword and by the famine. [19] And when we burned incense to the queen of heaven, and poured out drink offerings unto her, did we make her cakes to worship her, and pour out drink offerings unto her, without our men?”

How sad it was that (in today’s Scripture) they even brought their children into this heathen darkness….

A Family Enterprise #3

Tuesday, February 6, 2024

The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger (Jeremiah 7:18 KJV).

What is their family enterprise?

Despite what natural-man thinking dictates, the biblical model is for the husband-father to be his family’s spiritual leader. God gave His Word to Adam first, for Eve was not yet in existence. Adam, apparently, had the responsibility of committing that Divine revelation to his wife when she came later. “And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die” (Genesis 2:16-17).

“And if they [the women of verse 34] will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church” (1 Corinthians 14:35). “Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety” (1 Timothy 2:11-15).

“Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing” (Ephesians 5:22-24). “And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4).

In today’s Scripture, however, we find families in spiritual disarray, for they have strayed quite far from the Creator’s design. The men are leading their families—their wives and children—down the path of certain spiritual destruction….

A Family Enterprise #1

Sunday, February 4, 2024

The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger (Jeremiah 7:18 KJV).

What is their family enterprise?

The most basic unit of human civilization is marriage (which results in family, the next unit). As Genesis chapter 1 reports, “[26] And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. [27] So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. [28] And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.”

Indeed, God created us humans to be social beings: “And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet [fit, suitable] for him…. And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet [fit, suitable] for him. And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man” (Genesis 2:18,20-22).

Families come in all sizes, shapes, and colors. What binds them can be food, religion, language, geography, finances, education, hobbies. One clever axiom adequately captures this idea: “The family that prays together, stays together.” In this case, the reference is to religion. Let us exposit today’s Scripture so as to see how the families of Judah—Israel’s southern kingdom—found clever ways to start a certain enterprise and thus greatly enrage the LORD….

In No Wise #1

Wednesday, January 31, 2024

“And the fat of the beast that dieth of itself, and the fat of that which is torn with beasts, may be used in any other use: but ye shall in no wise eat of it” (Leviticus 7:24 KJV).

What does “in no wise” mean?

Indeed, the King James Bible is an old Book—more than four centuries old, actually. Such older English may be unfamiliar to us at times… even quite strange here and there. Yet, it is far superior to modern English in its purity, specificity, and elegance. The English language is living or changing: new words and definitions are frequently being added. This is both advantageous and disadvantageous.

Pick up any modern English Bible version produced during the last century, and you will notice how it reads just like a newspaper, novel, movie script, or television show. It is not what God the Holy Spirit said—only mortal men telling us what they think God the Holy Spirit said. Counterfeits, inferior products, have been introduced and passed off as the real Holy Bible. Still, if “Doctor So-and-So” or “Professor So-and-So” sees no difference, who would we “low-status” people be to question such “scholarship?” We should be open to “progress,” right? Well, just remember the “progress” Adam and Eve made when God’s words were questioned, omitted, watered down, added to, and ultimately denied (Genesis 3:1-24)!

The way we become acquainted with God’s preserved words is to first truly be interested in possessing them and understanding them. Above all, it depends on our willingness to receive instruction from Someone who really knows it all. This means we must be ready to be proven wrong, open to the possibility of abandoning the views we have been encouraged to adopt at home or in school. Nevertheless, it is not so much who is wrong as it is what is wrong—what is right rather than who is right. It is not a question of locating and taking up the most popular view, or agreeing to something we “feel” is valid or “assume” is correct. We must use facts to arrive at meaningful conclusions.

Let us ponder this King James expression “in no wise,” renewing our minds as we learn more about our language as preserved in our Bible….

I Am Comfortable! #10

Thursday, January 25, 2024

“But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them” (2 Corinthians 4:3,4 KJV).

Why are they comfortable? Why are we comfortable about their choice?

Today’s Scripture teaches us how Satan, “the god of this world,” blinds the minds of unbelievers (especially using works-religion) so they cannot realize their sin problem or their need for Jesus Christ the Saviour. Nevertheless, God’s light still shines through to everyone to some extent.

For example, Acts chapter 17: “[23] For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you. [24] God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; [25] Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; [26] And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; [27] That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: [28] For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.”

The Athenian philosophers indeed languished in spiritual darkness and pagan ignorance. Still, it was not a total blackout. They were open to the possibility of an “unknown God,” even dedicating an altar or shrine to Him, which Paul was wise to point out that he represented—that he spoke for—this “unknown God” (verse 23). Furthermore, the Greek poets acknowledged a “creator” (verses 27,28), one whom Paul declared could be known if people truly sought to know Him! Yet, when Paul offered them more light, some mocked—though some believed too (read verses 29-32).

If we want to know, we will know….

I Am Comfortable! #9

Wednesday, January 24, 2024

“But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them” (2 Corinthians 4:3,4 KJV).

Why are they comfortable? Why are we comfortable about their choice?

There are three types of revelation from God. Firstly, creation bears record to the Creator’s existence. (Creation is an organized, life-supporting system too complex to fully understand, and whose origin must be a Supreme Being.) “Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:…” (Romans 1:19,20).

Secondly, conscience testifies to the Creator. (We all have a sense of right and wrong, and this moral compass has an intelligent, moral, personal source—an intelligent, moral, and personal God.) “For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another; )…” (Romans 2:14,15).

Thirdly, the Holy Scriptures bear witness to the Creator’s existence. (The Bible is accurate in its claims—historical, moral, scientific, and so on. It is the authoritative guide to the life God has given.) “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Timothy 3:16,17).

Despite all of this clear evidence, we can use our intellectual and emotional faculties to convince ourselves and others how we have no intelligent, moral, personal Creator to which we are accountable. We thus free ourselves entirely from responsibility for all our errant thoughts and sinful actions, thereby becoming our own god or authority. Such ignorance is no accident….

I Am Comfortable! #7

Monday, January 22, 2024

“But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them” (2 Corinthians 4:3,4 KJV).

Why are they comfortable? Why are we comfortable about their choice?

Once the LORD God “gave up… gave up… gave over” (Romans 1:18-32) the Gentiles or nations to “walk in their own ways” (Acts 14:14-17) and undergo spiritual “ignorance” (Acts 17:22-30) at the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11:1-9), He isolated the nation Israel unto His purposes beginning in Genesis chapter 12. One of the rights or privileges of Israel in “time past” was their exclusive receipt of God’s direct revelation in the form of the Hebrew Bible (Deuteronomy 4:1-8; Psalm 147:19,20; Romans 2:17-20; Romans 3:1,2; Romans 9:4,5). In stark contrast, the Gentiles or nations were worshipping and serving the Devil (Ephesians 2:1-3,11,12; Ephesians 4:17-19)!

Confronting Israel’s religious “authorities” a year after Calvary in Acts chapter 7, the Holy Spirit preached through Stephen to review their national history of unbelief. Read verses 39-43: “To whom [Moses] our fathers would not obey, but thrust him from them, and in their hearts turned back again into Egypt, Saying unto Aaron, Make us gods to go before us: for as for this Moses, which brought us out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him. And they made a calf in those days, and offered sacrifice unto the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their own hands. Then God turned, and gave them up to worship the host of heaven [celestial bodies, such as stars and planets]; as it is written in the book of the prophets, O ye house of Israel, have ye offered to me slain beasts and sacrifices by the space of forty years in the wilderness? Yea, ye took up the tabernacle of Moloch, and the star of your god Remphan, figures which ye made to worship them: and I will carry you away beyond Babylon.”

To wit, with Israel preferring life without the LORD, like He dealt with the willful Gentiles, the LORD handed Israel over to those same worthless idols….

I Am Comfortable! #6

Sunday, January 21, 2024

“But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them” (2 Corinthians 4:3,4 KJV).

Why are they comfortable? Why are we comfortable about their choice?

Romans chapter 1 depicts the pagan nations assembled at Babel (Genesis 11:1-9): “[19] Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. [20] For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: [21] Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

“[22] Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, [23] And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. [24] Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: [25] Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. [26] For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: [27] And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.

“[28] And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, [29] Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, [30] Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, [31] Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: [32] Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.”

Here is today’s world….