Category: pagan idolatry

The Spiritual Dexterity of Our Physical Posterity #88

Wednesday, August 19, 2026

“Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word” (Psalm 119:9 KJV).

If our physical posterity could augment its spiritual dexterity, exactly what would that entail?

Precious few realize that “glossolalia” (speaking in tongues) is not confined to Pentecostal and charismatic groups of Christendom. “Ecstatic utterances” have been documented in world religions for millennia, including Islam, Buddhism, and Shamanism. Ancient Israel knew of such “peeping and muttering” in devil (!) worship (!) in Isaiah 8:19,20; God directed them to use the Law of Moses (as in Deuteronomy 13:1-18) to gauge the trustworthiness or deceitfulness of these “strange sounds.”

Consequently, we cannot automatically assume glossolalia is of the Holy Spirit; in contrast, Pentecostals and Charismatics are not so discerning. In their terminology, “speaking in tongues is the initial evidence of baptism with the Holy Ghost.” This is an advertisement of Bible ignorance. Heathen priests and devotees of idols in Corinth spoke “the languages of the gods” during their worship services. Such was the culture, the evil world system, out of which God had called the Corinthian believers when He sent Paul to preach to them in Acts chapter 18. Never abandoning their former conversation, they abused and counterfeited the Holy Spirit’s gift of speaking in tongues in 1 Corinthians chapter 14!

Mysterious, supernatural, ecstatic utterances, or guttural sounds, are not necessarily the God of the Bible or Christianity. Hence, in 1 Corinthians chapters 12–14, the tongue must always be interpreted (so the content can be analyzed). Left untranslated, it must be rejected as false, for it cannot be reduced to sound doctrine. Chanting “Lapafa shabala doolaba” gives the speaker an adrenaline rush, a warm or fuzzy feeling, but it creates perplexity in the minds of listeners and makes them recoil in shock, embarrassment, or revulsion. There is no building up of souls—except that of the speaker who “feels special” because he or she delighted in the publicity received while bragging, “I have a spiritual experience you do not!” Remember, the Holy Spirit wrote in the context of the misuse of spiritual gifts: “For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints” (1 Corinthians 14:33). Without sound doctrine, spiritual disorder and spiritual division and spiritual destruction are guaranteed….

The Spiritual Dexterity of Our Physical Posterity #87

Tuesday, August 18, 2026

“Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word” (Psalm 119:9 KJV).

If our physical posterity could augment its spiritual dexterity, exactly what would that entail?

What is more important than something “supernatural” (for the Devil works in that realm too!), is if it can be reduced to sound doctrine, conforming to Pauline revelation: “If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord. But if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant” (1 Corinthians 14:37,38). Remember, this passage sits in the context of spiritual gifts. If we cannot identify precisely what is being communicated (meaningful speech), it is a satanic counterfeit and must be instantly and permanently forsaken!

In Scripture, when the Holy Spirit operated the gift of speaking in tongues, He also bestowed the spiritual gift of interpretation (translation) of those languages (see 1 Corinthians 12:10,28,30; 1 Corinthians 14:5,27,28). The guidelines of 1 Corinthians chapter 14 expose the “unknown tongue,” the phony gift of tongues, gibberish or unintelligible sounds (see 1 Corinthians 14:2,4,13,14,19,27). Reminiscent of those excesses and exaggerations in Corinth, the “tongue-speaking” amongst modern charismatics is also used for the benefit of self—and selfishness is of man, not God! Hence, their “glossolalia” cannot be translated, so they are forced to frequently exercise this so-called “heavenly tongue” in private. They readily admit they themselves do not know what they are saying, but (allegedly) “God knows.” Alas, that too is wrong, for spiritual gifts were never for God’s benefit. They were for humans with limited revelation from God (incomplete Bible) (1 Corinthians 13:8-13), and for Israel’s advantage during prophecy and during the transitional (Acts) period from prophecy to mystery (Romans 11:11-14).

As lost people, idol-worshipping Gentiles, the Corinthians had enjoyed exploiting various “ecstatic utterances” in their religious services (1 Corinthians 12:1,2; “dumb” meaning unable to speak [insinuating they believed their idols spoke to them and taught them; cf. Habakkuk 2:18,19; Psalm 135:4-8]). This heathenism was the babbling they as (now) believers in Christ were trying to pass off as genuine! Paul therefore wrote to them about tongue talking, the Holy Spirit’s gift (translatable, for benefit of others) and the Devil’s imitation (non-translatable, for profit of self), the God of the Bible being glorified versus the attention-seeking flesh striving to surpass others….

The Spiritual Dexterity of Our Physical Posterity #84

Saturday, August 15, 2026

“Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word” (Psalm 119:9 KJV).

If our physical posterity could augment its spiritual dexterity, exactly what would that entail?

Remember, spiritual gifts—various capacities or abilities the Holy Spirit gave men in the absence of a completed Bible—were first with Israel. Consequently, Israel definitely took notice when Paul’s Gentile believers were possessing and exercising these spiritual gifts during Acts (as in 1 Corinthians chapters 12–14). It was therefore important that these Gentiles not misunderstand or abuse those sign gifts, for then God’s doctrine would not be clearly communicated to Israel; to wit, if used in the energy of the flesh, spiritual gifts would serve as Satan’s tool to deceive and divide. This is precisely what wrecked the testimony of the Corinthian church… and what still afflicts a great many of our modern assemblies!

In the Bible, tongues was the most abused spiritual gift, so the Holy Spirit devoted one whole chapter to it (chapter 14 of 1 Corinthians). Even today, 20 centuries later, millions of souls are still mixed up here—and, we fear, some are content to remain where they are, lest they be forced to acknowledge their denomination or theological system is false. It would thus profit us immensely to use dispensational Bible study to set the record straight. Remember, Israel is destined to be a kingdom of priests, and the gift of tongues will be crucial in their sharing God’s words with the Gentiles in their native (human) languages: “Thus saith the LORD of hosts; In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you” (Zechariah 8:23). The confounding and institution of the world’s languages go all the way back to the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11:1-9). God will reverse such confusion in Israel’s literal, physical, visible, earthly kingdom by enabling Israelites to speak these intelligent human languages without them having to learn them.

Alas, man’s flesh always moves him to ultimately corrupt even that which is good….

The Spiritual Dexterity of Our Physical Posterity #72

Sunday, August 2, 2026

“Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word” (Psalm 119:9 KJV).

If our physical posterity could augment its spiritual dexterity, exactly what would that entail?

The nation Israel is in a dilemma! Having proposed they could become the LORD God’s people by doing “all” that He had spoken (Exodus 19:3-8), and failing miserably, they disqualified themselves under the Law of Moses. For Israel to be a blessing to the world (Abrahamic Covenant of Genesis 12:1-3), she herself must be blessed… and that necessitates the removal of the curses of the Law (Old Covenant) incurred by the nation’s millennia of sin.

Jeremiah 31:31-34: “Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake [disobeyed, violated], although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD: But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”

Ezekiel 36:26-28: “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them. And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God.” Hebrews chapters 8–10 explain how this New Covenant is founded on Christ’s finished crosswork.

Let us now see the “sign” of this New Covenant….

The Spiritual Dexterity of Our Physical Posterity #71

Thursday, July 30, 2026

“Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word” (Psalm 119:9 KJV).

If our physical posterity could augment its spiritual dexterity, exactly what would that entail?

Genesis 12:1-3 states how the Abrahamic Covenant encompasses three main issues: (1) a land, (2) a nation, and (3) a blessing to the world. The LORD God has deeded real-estate to the nation Israel—the land of Canaan, or the land of Palestine (cf. Exodus 15:14,15). Such is the Palestinian Covenant: “And I will give unto thee [Abraham], and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God” (Genesis 17:8; cf. Genesis 12:7; Genesis 13:14-18; Genesis 15:7-21). This is the very “Promised Land” to which Israel was headed upon leaving Egypt under Moses’ leadership.

The Law (Old Covenant) that Israel insisted on having meant the punishment of exile (removal) from that Promised Land in the event of disobedience—the fifth course of judgment or chastisement (Leviticus 26:27-46; Deuteronomy 28:62-64). Such a curse was finally meted out when Assyrian armies took the 10 (northern) tribes of idolatrous Israel captive to Assyria in 2 Kings chapter 17, and the Babylonian troops took the two (southern) tribes of idolatrous Judah prisoner to Babylon in 2 Kings chapter 25. However, the LORD swore He would bring all 12 tribes back to the land of Canaan in the end times (for instance, see Psalm 37:3,11,29,34; Isaiah 60:21; Jeremiah 3:18; Jeremiah 7:7; Jeremiah 16:15; Jeremiah 23:3,8; Jeremiah 30:3,10; Jeremiah 31:16,17; Jeremiah 32:37; Jeremiah 46:27; Ezekiel 11:17; Ezekiel 20:33-36,41,42; Ezekiel 34:12,13; Ezekiel 36:19,20,24,28; Ezekiel 37:12,14,21,22,25; Ezekiel 39:28).

At Christ’s Second Coming, Israel’s re-gathering into the land is the sign of the Palestinian Covenant: “And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other” (Matthew 24:30,31). For Israel to be everything God intended her to be in the Earth, one final covenant and one last attendant “sign” are required….

NOTE: In order to bring you two special studies, we will temporarily break away from this devotionals arc….

The Spiritual Dexterity of Our Physical Posterity #69

Tuesday, July 28, 2026

“Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word” (Psalm 119:9 KJV).

If our physical posterity could augment its spiritual dexterity, exactly what would that entail?

Just about everyone in Christendom has no grasp of why Christ was water baptized. Apparently, all they can manage saying is, “If you want to be Jesus’ disciple, you need to obey God by following Him in ‘believer’s baptism!’” Instead of supporting a manmade institution by mindlessly parroting some cliché they heard in church, it would be far better if they carefully searched the Holy Scriptures they claim to know and esteem. They will thus understand the purpose of water baptism and gain some spiritual enlightenment and maturity.

Water baptism is a sign, the representation of the Davidic Covenant (just as physical circumcision symbolizes the Abrahamic Covenant). It accompanies the preaching of the Gospel of the Kingdom, as Israel is to become a kingdom of priests and must therefore undergo a washing with water like the Levitical priests at their installation. Water baptism signifies a purification, the defilement of idolatry being washed away. If so, then why was Jesus water baptized? Observe! Friend, if we are going to adopt the Bible-believing view, here are four reasons for His own water baptism.

Firstly, since water baptism is needful for priests (Exodus 29:4; Leviticus 8:6), and Christ is repeatedly designated as Israel’s “high priest” (Hebrews 2:17; Hebrews 3:1; Hebrews 4:14,15; Hebrews 5:5,10; Hebrews 6:20; Hebrews 7:26; Hebrews 8:1; Hebrews 9:11; Hebrews 10:21), He was water baptized and that “to fulfill all righteousness” (Matthew 3:13-17; cf. Mark 1:9-11). Secondly, the Lord Jesus needed water baptism to be manifested to Israel as Messiah/Christ, the Son of God (John 1:29-34). Thirdly, Christ was water baptized to identify Himself with believing Israel (“Little Flock;” Luke 12:32) that was likewise water baptized (Luke 3:21,22—to wit, He blends in with “all the people [believing Jewish remnant coming to John the Baptist’s water baptism]”). Fourthly, by Jesus being water baptized, He was exposing as lost (unbelievers, or, not His people!) those Jews who had refused to be water baptized of John (Luke 7:29,30).

We reiterate. For believing Israel (and for believing Gentiles in prophecy), water baptism is necessary as an outward indication of inward cleansing. Let us see yet another sign in God’s purpose and plan for the nation Israel….

The Spiritual Dexterity of Our Physical Posterity #68

Monday, July 27, 2026

“Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word” (Psalm 119:9 KJV).

If our physical posterity could augment its spiritual dexterity, exactly what would that entail?

Water baptism has been fittingly titled “religious TNT.” Fiery, explosive arguments have arisen because, instead of letting the pure Word of God have preeminence, individuals have isolated verses from their contexts to uphold denominations. Precious few understand that water baptism is not a New Testament ordinance, but an Old Testament one.

Under the Law of Moses, Levitical priests washed with water at their ordination (Exodus 29:4; Leviticus 8:6). Therefore, for Israel to be a kingdom of priests (Exodus 19:6; 1 Peter 2:9), each believing Jew must be water baptized, and that to symbolize purification from idolatry’s pollution: “Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you” (Ezekiel 36:25). Water baptism is the sign of the Davidic Covenant. Therefore, John the Baptist, preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom, was water baptizing in Matthew 3:5-7: “Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan, And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?”

Water baptism saves believing Israel from God’s end-times wrath. “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned” (Mark 16:16). “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 2:38). “…the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:…” (1 Peter 3:20,21). Moreover, in prophecy, believing Gentiles are also water baptized so believing Israel sees how these Gentiles have forsaken their idols (Matthew 28:19,20).

Now, we address Christ’s own water baptism….

The Spiritual Dexterity of Our Physical Posterity #57

Thursday, July 16, 2026

“Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word” (Psalm 119:9 KJV).

If our physical posterity could augment its spiritual dexterity, exactly what would that entail?

One superb demonstration of skill involves the art of distraction. Waving one hand so people concentrate on it, while manipulating objects with the other hand which they are not watching, is the work of a proficient magician. The LORD God did something similar when His purpose and plan for man took Satan by surprise!

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). From Genesis 1:2 onward, the Bible focuses on “the earth… the earth… the earth…,” as God is forming an earthly people to use for His praise and glory. Of course, in Genesis chapter 3, after Satan initiated a rebellion against God in Heaven, Adam and Eve followed Satan to introduce a rebellion against God in Earth. Satan subsequently defiled both realms of creation, Heaven and Earth, with sin.

While God was forming that earthly people—first Adam and Eve, then of the nations, and finally of the nation Israel—He enticed Satan to pay attention to that earthly program. As Satan corrupted Adam and Eve, the nations at the Tower of Babel, and the nation Israel throughout the rest of the Old Testament (by drawing them away from the Law of Moses), the Devil was unaware that God was keeping a secret. That secret was His purpose and plan for restoring Heaven to Himself, and it was not revealed or unveiled until Paul’s ministry: “Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church: Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God; Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:…” (Colossians 1:24-27).

Let us see how “rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15) resolves many “problem” passages….

The Spiritual Dexterity of Our Physical Posterity #39

Saturday, June 27, 2026

“Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word” (Psalm 119:9 KJV).

If our physical posterity could augment its spiritual dexterity, exactly what would that entail?

The Corinthians were childish Christians, their spiritual growth and development stunted because (like so many now) they did not follow the Pauline design for the edification of the believer in Romans 16:25,26. Wherefore, the Holy Spirit cautioned them in 1 Corinthians 10:1-14. To repeat Israel’s sins of lusting after evil things (verse 6), being idolatrous (verse 7), committing fornication (verse 8), tempting/challenging Christ (verse 9), and murmuring/complaining (verse 10), would surely result in becoming a “castaway,” a Christian whose service God rejects (1 Corinthians 9:27). The Corinthians were to be mindful of the evil world system around them, and walk by faith in the principles of grace as found in Romans to Philemon (Paul’s ministry, Christ’s heavenly ministry).

Whereas the Corinthians were the “lascivious” (loose, wild, crazy) group, the Galatians were the “ascetic” (strict, pious, self-righteous) crowd: both are the two extremes of human (sin) nature. Galatians 3:1-3 explains the predicament of the immature Christians of Galatia: “O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you? This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?” Paul had preached to the Galatians with great clarity all about Christ’s finished crosswork (grace). Nevertheless, after listening to false teachers (Mosaic-Law-based doctrine), these saints of Galatia imagined their “flesh” (human performance) could somehow enhance or supplement the Holy Spirit’s work. This is works-religion, as in, “I can live the Christian life by keeping commandments, I am able to ‘help’ the Holy Spirit, I can work to earn/merit God’s favor.” Like their Corinthian brethren, the Galatians were incorporating junk material into their inner man. It was not Christ’s life, but Adam’s life. Even though it was Scripture (the Law of Moses), it was not Scripture “rightly divided” (2 Timothy 2:15).

Instead of being a “castaway” (1 Corinthians 9:27), we need to be approved unto God….

The Awareness of a Temporary Earth

Wednesday, April 22, 2026

“And, Thou, O Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands: they shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment; and as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail” (Hebrews 1:10-12 KJV).

On this Earth Day, let us not confuse the creation with the Creator!

Today, people worldwide celebrate “environmental awareness.” According to the secular, naturalistic worldview, our planet and its sun could last many more billions of years. They claim that we have done so much damage to our planet—climate change, overpopulation, deforestation, pollution, et cetera—that we must change our attitude toward “mother earth” and change our lifestyles before we destroy her and civilization as we know it! You can sense the zeal in their message, can you not? While these people are sincere, they are wasting all of their time, energy, and resources on a temporary planet.

Let us be very clear that the Lord Jesus Christ placed man on the earth, especially the Garden of Eden, to “dress it and keep it” (Genesis 2:15). Adam was to take care of the Earth: he was God’s representative, God’s king, who had a divine commission to rule this planet for God’s glory (Genesis 1:26-28).

It was not long, however, before Satan distracted mankind from understanding God’s purpose for him. Adam began to focus on himself: like Satan, he began to “worship and serve the creature more than the Creator” (Romans 1:25). Thus began man’s continual downward spiral into spiritual ignorance. He would continually worship himself, as we well know today.

Today’s Scripture reminds us that, because of sin, this creation will pass away. The Lord Jesus Christ, however, will live forever. Why worship that which is temporary? It makes no sense! The Lord Jesus Christ gave you life, not the pagan goddess “mother earth.” Environmental awareness? Indeed, be aware that our world is temporary, as God will one day create “a new heaven and a new earth” (Revelation 21:1).