The Key to Be Happy! #7

Friday, March 31, 2023

“Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding” (Proverbs 3:13 KJV).

What is the key to happiness?

Have you ever wondered who or what is the “strange woman” of Proverbs? You can locate her in 2:16, 5:3, 5:20, 6:24, 7:5, 20:16, 23:27, and 27:13. She is strange, not in the sense of bizarre or ridiculous, but “strange” as in “stranger” (for example, see “strangers” of Ephesians 2:12—Gentiles outside of Israel’s covenants, apart from Israel’s God, et cetera). She is a foreigner, and once a man connects with her, he is eternally doomed! “Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell (Proverbs 5:5). Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death” (Proverbs 7:27). She has no personal relationship with the God of creation, the God of the Bible, so she is a foreigner to the truth.

This “strange woman” is exactly like the “outlandish [foreign, pagan, heathen] women” who fooled Solomon (see Nehemiah 13:26,27; cf. “strange women” of 1 Kings 11:1!). In fact, such illicit sexual relations in the physical realm are related to satanic sexual relations in the spiritual realm (see Numbers 25:1-3; 2 Peter 2:14; Revelation 2:14,20-22; Revelation 14:4). Notice how the “simple man” (lacking wisdom—leaving Proverbs to follow Ecclesiastes) is the victim of the seductive strange woman (Proverbs 9:13-18). Here is the supporter of the Antichrist, a participant of the Whore of Babylon religious system (Revelation chapter 17), proselytizing precious souls and leading them to eternal damnation (Revelation 14:9-12). Of course, like any prostitute, she promises her “clients” “a good time”—and, only when it is too late, will they realize the spiritual disease she has transmitted to them!

Proverbs is much more than a handy “daily philosophy book.” It is literally a matter of spiritual life or spiritual death in the ages to come. The Jewish people have possessed the Book of Proverbs for 3,000 years—not to mention Ecclesiastes. However, in spite of all those warnings in more than 1,100 verses, they will still accept the Antichrist! While none of this relates to us the Church the Body of Christ, there is always a valuable lesson we can learn here….

The Key to Be Happy! #6

Thursday, March 30, 2023

“Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding” (Proverbs 3:13 KJV).

What is the key to happiness?

One of the Antichrist’s characteristics will be his “understanding of dark sentences” (Daniel 8:23). A brilliant man, someone endowed with satanic wisdom, he can deceive the masses by employing eloquent, elegant, seductive, lofty arguments. In fact, like King Solomon, he will follow the pattern of sin laid out in Ecclesiastes, enticing his supporters to chart their own paths (isolated from the one true God). While sounding unbelievable, this has happened on a small-scale countless times in human history.

World religious leaders, philosophers, founders of cults, et cetera, have drawn billions upon billions away from the God of the Bible by promising their groups “enlightenment,” “satisfaction,” “fulfillment,” “peace,” “prosperity.” The Antichrist will be a supreme master in these realms (see Daniel 11:21,23,24,27,32; cf. Psalm 55:20,21). Only Israel’s believing remnant, having accepted God’s wisdom, will be able to overcome these lies (see Matthew 24:4,5,11,23-26; Mark 13:5,6,21-23; Luke 21:8).

By the way, Job’s three friends—with all their useless, worldly, natural-man advice (see the Book of Job)—represent the lost religious leaders deceiving Israel throughout Christ’s earthly ministry (Sadducees, Pharisees, and Herodians). There is no wisdom of God in any of it, so the Jewish people as a whole were unable to recognize God’s wisdom that Jesus Christ declared to them. In the future (Daniel’s 70th Week), this ignorance will again be a snare, except Israel will now be vulnerable to accepting the Antichrist! As before, they did not learn the lessons of the Book of Proverbs, so they are bound to repeat Ecclesiastes (like apostate Solomon)!

There are 90 references to “fools,” “foolishness,” and “folly” in the Book of Proverbs—the Antichrist’s disciples. In Proverbs, there are well over 100 references to “wisdom” or “wise” people—the Lord Jesus Christ’s followers (the “happy” people of today’s Scripture). However, the fools have tried in vain to satisfy the void that only the Lord Jesus Christ can fulfill, so they have nothing but misery and hopelessness when He comes back to destroy the Antichrist, his adherents, and the evil world system he represents….

The Key to Be Happy! #5

Wednesday, March 29, 2023

“Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding” (Proverbs 3:13 KJV).

What is the key to happiness?

Chapter 1 of Proverbs begins: “[1] The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel; [2] To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding; [3] To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity; [4] To give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion. [5] A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels: [6] To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings. [7] The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.”

The first chapter of Proverbs sets the Book’s tone: the wisdom contained therein will keep Israel in God’s will, especially concerning Christ’s earthly ministry (which is 1,000 years into the future). Unfortunately, very few realize this prophetic significance of Proverbs. For example, did you know, dear friend, that, had Israel been walking by faith in Proverbs, they would have received Jesus Christ? Instead, they rejected Him, plotted to destroy Him, and crucified Him. Read Proverbs 1:10-19, compared to Matthew 21:33-46, Mark 12:1-12, and Luke 20:9-19. Proverbs is quite clear that they should have never conspired to do away with the Lord Jesus Christ. Also, notice the outpouring of the Holy Spirit (Acts chapter 2, Pentecost) in Proverbs 1:23, and the outpouring of God’s wrath (Daniel’s 70th Week) in Proverbs 1:24-33 (cf. Joel 2:28-32 and Acts 2:16-21).

Ecclesiastes 12:13, the second to last verse of the Book, is Solomon’s deduction: “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.” This “fear of God” and these “commandments” are laid out in the Book of Proverbs. Had Solomon applied by faith what he knew in Proverbs (what the Holy Spirit had already used him to write), he would have never fallen into the spiritual trap of Ecclesiastes (what he wrote later). Israel, in the ages to come, is to learn these lessons so as to guard against the Antichrist’s lie program….

The Key to Be Happy! #4

Tuesday, March 28, 2023

“Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding” (Proverbs 3:13 KJV).

What is the key to happiness?

Re-read 1 Kings 4:29-34 and 1 Kings 11:1-8. The transformation is downright striking! How were 1,000 pagan, devil-worshipping female lovers able to mislead wise King Solomon?! Did he not know any better? Here is a simple illustration of how having Divine knowledge imparted to us is not enough. We must apply it to life via wisdom—and that we have to do without fail. Solomon had spiritual light, but he did not walk in it all his days, and he (and the entire nation Israel) paid an extremely heavy price as a result (read 1 Kings 11:9-43).

Toward the latter half of his reign, King Solomon forsook the LORD. This is laid out in great detail in the Book of Ecclesiastes. A mighty king of Israel searches in vain to find happiness and fulfillment by amassing material riches, pursing entertainment, acquiring luxuries, obtaining secular education, and other carnal pleasures. He observes the world and speculates about everything he sees and hears but has no lasting peace or meaningful answers, leading him to dissatisfaction and anguish. Here is man’s lot without his Creator, the absolute best he can do apart from the living God. The final chapter of Ecclesiastes depicts an aged, dying fellow who realizes his quest has concluded with nothing but waste, bitterness, regret, and despair. Life is over, and he cannot re-do it!

What we have just described is the heart of the evil world system, which has deceived many through the millennia and will reach its ultimate form during Daniel’s 70th Week under the Antichrist’s system. Read Revelation chapters 17 and 18, noting the splendor, wealth, and corruption. This is what Israel’s believing remnant will be up against—what poor Solomon faced (and lost to) in a primitive manner. The Book of Proverbs is God’s wisdom designed to spare them from the humanism (human-oriented, God-rejecting philosophy) of Ecclesiastes. Proverbs says a great deal about wisdom versus foolishness, and the reason is that, in the ages to come, there will be a bitter struggle in the spiritual realm over the souls of people like this world has never seen….

Downward, Not Upward!

Tuesday, May 31, 2022

“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: 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. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, 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” (Romans 1:20-23 KJV).

Are we ascending the evolutionary ladder? No, and our experience shows us today’s Scripture is as true as ever.

Younger generations have been—and are still being—indoctrinated with the idea that mankind is becoming more “enlightened” as the years pass. We are allegedly moving away from the “primitive ignorance” of our ancestors to an increasingly “refined” outlook that will result in a perfect society. Humanism, also called “secular humanism,” is the belief that man’s thoughts and efforts are superior to the will of any “god,” and utopia will transpire only when we put forth the effort.

Supposedly, all we need to do is control our sin, and the world will become a happy, peaceful place. Post-Millennialists, for example, assume they can bring in God’s kingdom on Earth—and do it without God too! Confiscate all weapons, and war will cease. Pass enough legislation, and criminals will behave. Experiment adequately, and we will eliminate all disease. “We do not need any god! We can be good on our own! We can solve our problems without any ‘higher power!’” This is self-deception. Some 6,000 years of human history reveal we have yet to “be good”—and none of us can truthfully say we can manage sin individually, let alone address the world’s sins collectively. How can we ever admit this, though? In denial, we just strive a bit harder as we plead for another chance.

If ever our species was languishing in spiritual darkness, it is today, so, Saints, let us get out there and impart “the light of the glorious gospel of Christ” so it can “shine unto them” (2 Corinthians 4:3,4)! There is no victory over sin if there is no life of Jesus Christ.

*Dear readers, only by God’s grace, we now close 11 full years of daily studies here at “333 Words of Grace!”

Our two latest Bible Q&As: “What are ‘collops?’ and “What is a ‘servitor?’

Found Out and Fractured in Twain #28

Friday, February 5, 2021

“But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out” (Numbers 32:23 KJV).

Doubtless, we never want to sensationalize or exaggerate. However, the fact remains, some dark days are ahead for the United States and the rest of the world. What can we Bible-believing Christians do?

Believe it or not, dear friends, there is something far worse than the culture of the evil world system. What is it? It is the dreadful condition of the Church the Body of Christ! Organized religion has so corrupted it, it simply cannot combat the negative cultural revolution. Both the professing church and the authentic church are overwhelmingly irrelevant: sadly, professing (nominal) and possessing (genuine) Christians are just as clueless in solving society’s problems as non-Christians.

As alleged “servants” of Jesus Christ, we have failed to display the advantages of the Biblical worldview. We have compromised our beliefs because we were not even sure of them in the first place. The lost world can sense hypocrisy and frivolity from afar, and we have made the Scriptures totally repulsive. Instead of being Bible teachers, we have been defenders of superstitious silliness. We have reduced God’s Word to nothing but a dusty book of fairytales and speculations. The Church the Body of Christ has rendered itself impotent.

In the names of “scholarship” and “higher education,” we permitted false teachers to infiltrate and pollute our seminaries and churches. How silent we were in condemning and addressing our own evils; yet, we have “boldly” reproved lost people for their pornography, abortion, violence, drugs, alcohol, vulgarities, and expletives. Again, the unsaved world noticed our two-facedness, so it is no mystery why they grimace and snicker when they hear about “the Bible,” “Jesus,” “God,” and “Christians.” We have given them no solid proof as to why the Scriptures are worthy of our—let alone, their—trust!

Ultimately, the blame always falls on the sinner, not God or Satan. Never should we hold lost people solely responsible for our depraved society. Professing Christians and even genuine Christians could have done more to improve the world, for they themselves claimed to own and believe the Bible! They should have taught the lost world the truth they declared to know….

Found Out and Fractured in Twain #27

Thursday, February 4, 2021

“But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out” (Numbers 32:23 KJV).

Doubtless, we never want to sensationalize or exaggerate. However, the fact remains, some dark days are ahead for the United States and the rest of the world. What can we Bible-believing Christians do?

Our present cultural modifications have only recently taken us by surprise. Nonetheless, had Americans walked in the spiritual light they had several decades ago, they would have foreseen such plights and averted them. As the old saying goes, “Hindsight is 20/20.” Our national religion was (is) Christendom, not Christianity. Through the centuries, we Americans have purchased and collected millions upon millions of Bibles; we have constructed thousands upon thousands of church buildings. Yet, like ancient Israel “going through the motions,” this was largely nothing but mindless religious busyness. Faith, believing God’s words, was not motivating us; overwhelmingly, no sound Bible doctrine was underlying our activities. Each passing generation had decreasing Bible literacy—and, remember, we started off with scant understanding anyway!

What happened to our dear nation? Were we not religious? Yes, and that was the problem. We were feigning righteousness. Again, we are not a true Christian nation, but rather a Christendom nation. The “buffet” religion that people made out of Christianity—combining pure Pauline/grace doctrine with various and sundry church traditions from tens of thousands of denominations, as well as pagan (non-Christian) beliefs and practices borrowed from thousands of world religions—gave us a false sense of security.

“We are quite okay as we are. We do not worry about doctrine. We do not need the Bible. We have our tradition, experiences, praise and worship, entertainment, motivational speeches, and inspirational messages.” Faking spirituality, we were rotting and dead inside… and lacked spiritual sense to recognize it. Possessing such a superficial or shallow grasp of the truth, we gradually eased into more secular humanism. Go to “nonreligious” and “unchurched” people. They say exactly what people did (what they themselves learned!) in church. “It is okay. We do not need doctrine. We do not need the Bible. We have our tradition, experiences, motivational speeches, inspirational messages.” Indeed, the professing church—including the genuine Body of Christ—has utterly failed in maintaining its testimony….

Saints, please remember us in your monthly giving—these websites do cost money to run! 🙂 You can donate securely here: https://www.paypal.me/ShawnBrasseaux, or email me at arcministries@gmail.com. Do not forget about Bible Q&A booklets for sale at https://arcgraceministries.org/in-print/booklets-bible-q-a/. Thanks to all who give to and pray for us! By the way, ministry emails have really been backed up this year. I am handling them as much as humanly possible. Thanks for your patience. 🙂

Is Evil “Make-Believe?”

Friday, November 23, 2018

And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually (Genesis 6:5 KJV).

Why does the world take a negative view toward the Bible? The Bible takes a negative view of the world!

A man once claimed that evil is “a make-believe concept we’ve invented to deal with the complexities of fellow humans holding values and beliefs and perspectives different than our own…. You watch the news and you read the papers and you’re led to believe that the world is a big, scary place. People, the narrative goes, are not to be trusted. People are bad. People are evil. People are axe murderers and monsters and worse…. Badness exists, sure, but even that’s quite rare. By and large, humans are kind. Self-interested sometimes, myopic sometimes, but kind. Generous and wonderful and kind. No greater revelation has come from our journey than this.” He and his female partner were on a world bicycling tour. One day, terrorists drove over them with a vehicle and then stabbed them to death!

How sad, dear friends, that such naïve people exist. They believe “evil” is only pretend. We should never have such a high opinion of ourselves. The human race is such a pitiful species, the most wretched of creatures. That couple learned—to their demise—that evil is real, human nature is wicked, and the God of the Bible does not lie. Regardless of how much make-believe we embrace, the fact remains that we are evil beings living in an evil world. We are selfish through and through. God thus makes absolutely no effort to “reform” us; our only hope is for our Adamic nature to be put to death on Calvary’s cross, and us receiving a new nature in Christ! Our problem is not that we sometimes fail to do right; our problem is we can never do right.

Let us never allow even one day to pass without thanking the God of the Bible for His grace. We do not deserve His favor and His provisions. He bestows them on us freely, despite our sin, simply because of Jesus Christ’s finished work on Calvary. That is not “make-believe!” 🙂

Our latest Bible Q&A: “Why did the God of the Bible authorize genocide?

They Love Fake News!

Tuesday, February 21, 2017

“A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land; The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?” (Jeremiah 5:30,31 KJV).

Israel in today’s Scripture, like many today, loves fake news!

There has been much discussion here in the United States in recent weeks about “fake news.” This has nothing to do with unintentional errors in reporting. It has everything to do with journalists deliberately fabricating news items to assassinate characters, spread propaganda, promote particular views, and (thereby) mislead audiences. These correspondents are not interested in reporting news; rather, they want to distort and interpret it for us. It is therefore no secret that a good portion of the American public currently has a very low opinion of its media.

Oddly enough, millions upon millions of Americans are still so heavily dependent on journalists and media to think for them and make their own decisions. They cannot think for themselves! For example, we have all seen people protesting for one reason or another. Yet, when they are interviewed, many of them have no clear idea of what they are against. While listening to their convoluted and flimsy comments, one can discern they are mindlessly parroting “fake news” headlines. It is so amazing that they really have a very poor sense of what is true and what is false. Oh, but, it should be added—they do not appear to want the truth anyway!

My fellow Americans, our nation has simply reaped what it has sown. For decades, the professing “Christian Church” has wasted its time and energy pursuing useless, worthless ideas and programs. They had no substantive answers to the critics. They did not raise their children in the Word of God, a meaningful Bible education. Error has now filled the massive void left by the “evicted” Holy Bible. Even today, there is no strong, truly Christian presence in our nation. Instead, we parrot our own nonsense—religious tradition masquerading as truth (or “fake news” in religion). Oh, but, it should be added—the average professing “Christian” does not want to know the truth anyway!

Persistence of Resistance for Maintenance of Coexistence

Thursday, June 25, 2015

“Prepare to meet thy God, O Israel” (Amos 4:12b KJV).

As divine judgment found rebellious Israel, mankind today will not escape either!

Genesis documents the four divine institutions that govern man’s existence. In chapters 1 and 2, we read about free will, marriage, and family/parenting. Chapters 9-11 discuss nationalism (human government). Satan, the sneaky Devil, has attacked all four. May we not wonder why society is in such pitiful shape today.

God designed FREE WILL to be the means whereby man could exercise faith or doubt, believing or rejecting God’s Word. Today, Calvinists (in pagan circles, “Fatalists”) deny man’s free will by saying that God has already determined every little detail beforehand—who does what, what they do, who goes to heaven and who goes to hell, et cetera. Instead of blaming sinners, just blame God! MARRIAGE, the most intimate human relationship, was designed by God for the bearing of children. Homosexual activity in no way produces children. Period. Even if we knew not a single Bible verse, nature teaches us that humans were never created to be homosexuals. Heterosexual marriages are necessary, lest the human race die out. FAMILY/CHILDBEARING was intended by God to be the means whereby society would expand and mankind would multiply worldwide. Abortion attacks this intention of God. Even if we were, like most, Bible ignorant, nature teaches us that no species will survive if it kills its offspring. God created NATIONALISM as a means to convey order and justice. Due to political corruption, God’s purpose in governments is not being fulfilled today. Hence, Jesus Christ will have to come back one day, and straighten it out!

Despite the constant plea/demand today for “tolerance” of others’ beliefs, hypocritically, not one of these “coexisters” is “tolerant” of the Creator God’s designs! Everyone is entitled to “free speech” but the God of the universe! Let them enjoy God’s grace today. Let them blame God today. Let them laugh and mock Jesus Christ today. Let them act however, marry whomever, kill whomever, oppress whomever today. Jesus Christ may just return tomorrow in wrath, finding them doing “however and “whatever!” Friends, God will not allow such “intolerance” of His will, to go unpunished forever (Romans 2:1-11; Ephesians 5:3-6).

Our latest Bible Q&A: “What is the difference between ‘the Kingdom of God’ and ‘the Kingdom of Heaven?’