Category: Moses

To Spite the LORD! #1

Friday, February 23, 2024

“Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers: now the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments” (Exodus 7:11 KJV).

Is it really wise for us to spite the LORD? In the grand scheme of things, will He or we lose?

The LORD God endowed Moses with miracle-working power: “And Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and they did so as the LORD had commanded: and Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh, and before his servants, and it became a serpent. Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers: now the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments. For they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents: but Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods” (Exodus 7:10-12).

“And the LORD spake unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and stretch out thine hand upon the waters of Egypt, upon their streams, upon their rivers, and upon their ponds, and upon all their pools of water, that they may become blood; and that there may be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood, and in vessels of stone. And Moses and Aaron did so, as the LORD commanded; and he lifted up the rod, and smote the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh, and in the sight of his servants; and all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood. And the fish that was in the river died; and the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink of the water of the river; and there was blood throughout all the land of Egypt. And the magicians of Egypt did so with their enchantments:…” (Exodus 7:19-22).

“And the LORD spake unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Stretch forth thine hand with thy rod over the streams, over the rivers, and over the ponds, and cause frogs to come up upon the land of Egypt. And Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt; and the frogs came up, and covered the land of Egypt. And the magicians did so with their enchantments, and brought up frogs upon the land of Egypt” (Exodus 8:5-7).

Imagine these revolting circumstances….

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 #2

Monday, February 5, 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?

Consider the following passages that form part of the Law of Moses. “Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons’ sons; Specially the day that thou stoodest before the LORD thy God in Horeb, when the LORD said unto me, Gather me the people together, and I will make them hear my words, that they may learn to fear me all the days that they shall live upon the earth, and that they may teach their children” (Deuteronomy 4:9,10).

“And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up” (Deuteronomy 6:5-7).

“Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them; And then the LORD’S wrath be kindled against you, and he shut up the heaven, that there be no rain, and that the land yield not her fruit; and lest ye perish quickly from off the good land which the LORD giveth you. Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes. And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up” (Deuteronomy 11:16-19).

Re-read today’s Scripture in light of these passages. Do you see any negligence on anyone’s part? You should….

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He Was One of The World’s Richest! #4

Friday, September 8, 2023

“But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?” (Luke 12:20 KJV).

He was “one of the world’s richest,” but now he is among its poorest!

The Lord Jesus posed these solemn questions in Matthew 16:26 (cf. Mark 8:36,37): “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” Examining the context (Matthew 16:24-28; Mark 8:34-38), we ascertain this applies to Israel’s situation leading up to His Second Coming.

Read Matthew 10:32,33; Revelation 12:11; and Revelation 13:1-18. With the Antichrist ascending to power, individual Jews will have one of two choices. Firstly, they can confess Jesus Christ, upon which time they forfeit their material possessions and are executed. Secondly, they can deny Jesus Christ, after which the Antichrist allows them to retain their physical belongings and they avoid the death penalty. Ultimately, when Christ returns, He resurrects the slain saints to enter His kingdom (Revelation 20:1-5) but He kills the living sinners to be taken to Hell (Revelation 14:9-12)!

Christ’s questions in Matthew 16:26 and Mark 8:36,37 are rhetorical. He knew the answers, and we do too—provided we have the renewed mind. To “gain the whole world” means to be in full fellowship with Satan’s evil world system (see Galatians 1:4)—all its diabolical desires, thoughts, values, preferences, and goals (see 1 John 2:15-17). If it were possible for a man to acquire all secular knowledge, all earthly riches, everything this life has to offer, it would really amount to nothing because he lost his soul. Not only would his earthly life be taken, his soul would be eternally damned! Here was the precarious fate about which Christ warned during His earthly ministry.

“Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:…” (Matthew 6:19,20). This part of the Sermon on the Mount was Jesus’ way of preparing Israel to escape the Antichrist’s deception….

He Was One of The World’s Richest! #3

Thursday, September 7, 2023

“But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?” (Luke 12:20 KJV).

He was “one of the world’s richest,” but now he is among its poorest!

Since Israel is God’s literal, physical, visible, earthly people; He promised them literal, physical, visible, earthly blessings. Read Deuteronomy chapter 8, elderly Moses’ counsel to the Jewish people preparing to enter the Promised Land with Joshua: “[10] When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the LORD thy God for the good land which he hath given thee. [11] Beware that thou forget not the LORD thy God, in not keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his statutes, which I command thee this day:…. [17] And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth. [18] But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day. [19] And it shall be, if thou do at all forget the LORD thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish.”

Yet, unbelieving Israelites concentrated so much on wealth—worldly possessions, earthly goods—they forgot the LORD precisely as Moses foretold. When Messiah Jesus came to minister, they were still preoccupied with physical property to the point of disregarding spiritual truth. This necessitated Christ to twice declare, “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon” (Matthew 6:24; cf. Luke 16:13). These two verses sit in the context of material wealth (see Matthew 6:19-34; Luke 16:13-31), with “mammon” being riches deified or idolized (worshipped as a god). Extreme materialism was distracting the Jewish people from the LORD God, so Christ issued that warning.

Moreover, today’s Scripture was spoken with a similar transgression in mind. Focusing on self, self, self, the physically-rich Israelite died a spiritual pauper….

Lawful Advice from Asa’s Life #9

Saturday, June 10, 2023

“And [King Asa] commanded Judah to seek the LORD God of their fathers, and to do the law and the commandment” (2 Chronicles 14:4 KJV).

What lawful advice can be gleaned from King Asa’s life?

Re-read 1 Corinthians 14:37,38: “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.” There were innumerable self-proclaimed “spiritual” people in Corinth, supposedly led by the Spirit of God (just like today!). Also, there were countless self-promoting “prophets” in Corinth, people allegedly speaking for God (as right now!). However, the test was simple: if the information did not conform to Pauline revelation, it was not of the Spirit of God! Additionally, the Apostle anticipated a negative reaction, so he added, “But if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant.” Those who disregarded God’s advice were to be left in their darkness, for it was deliberate error.

“I write not these things to shame you, but as my beloved sons I warn you. For though ye have ten thousand instructers in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel. Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me” (1 Corinthians 4:14-16). The Corinthian saints were paying attention to all types of religious leaders—especially Greek philosophers from nearby Athens, the intellectual capital of the ancient world. Consequently, 1 Corinthians chapters 1–3 ordered the Corinthians to cease exalting human wisdom and stop incorporating it into their Christian lives. They were instead to follow the Apostle Paul as he followed Jesus Christ (see 1 Corinthians 11:1). The professing church, these last 2,000 years, could have saved itself an unfathomable amount of deception, headache, heartbreak, disappointment, and discouragement had it obeyed the Lord’s words through Paul. “But if any man be ignorant!”

As someone once wrote, “Either it is back to Paul, Paul, Paul—or it is onward to apostasy, apostasy, apostasy!” Once King Asa and Judah departed from the Law, they reaped great difficulty. Similarly, unless we return to Pauline revelation, the Lord’s heavenly ministry, the troubles afflicting the church today are nothing compared to what lies ahead….

Lawful Advice from Asa’s Life #8

Friday, June 9, 2023

“And [King Asa] commanded Judah to seek the LORD God of their fathers, and to do the law and the commandment” (2 Chronicles 14:4 KJV).

What lawful advice can be gleaned from King Asa’s life?

Although Asa and his Jewish people were under the Law of Moses, and we are under the Grace of God, the all-encompassing principle remains the same: if we are truly seeking the LORD God of the Bible, then we will accept, believe, and apply to our lives His Word and words to us. Whether in the centuries before Christ, or right now in our day, far too many people are either deliberately or inadvertently pursuing a life without Divine wisdom. They hope to create an existence that seems suitable or respectable in their own eyes. In the decades before Asa, the Jewish people did just that, following whatever “felt good.” Howbeit, when Asa came to power, he knew his nation was in deep trouble, so he reformed his people and brought them back to JEHOVAH God (if only for a while).

The professing church of this present moment finds itself in a similar mess. Like Judah of old (prior to Asa), it has sought and worshipped other gods. For centuries, it has “preached another Jesus, another spirit, and another gospel” (2 Corinthians 11:4). The preaching of Jesus Christ according to prophecy (pre-Paul) and the preaching of Jesus Christ according to mystery (Paul) have been totally confounded or combined, yielding a distorted view of the Scriptures and two billion “Christians” (?) who struggle to grasp or explain even the simplest of Bible concepts. Are we humble enough to confess our failures, and the failures of our church leaders, so we can proceed to solving our problems?

Like today’s Christendom, believers at Corinth had formulated their own “Christianity.” The Holy Spirit’s admonition through Paul was: “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). As Moses was Asa’s way to reform Judah, so Paul is our method to save ourselves from countless years of “doing our own thing.” Let us see how….

Lawful Advice from Asa’s Life #4

Monday, June 5, 2023

“And [King Asa] commanded Judah to seek the LORD God of their fathers, and to do the law and the commandment” (2 Chronicles 14:4 KJV).

What lawful advice can be gleaned from King Asa’s life?

Asa assumed David’s throne in Jerusalem after the administrations of his (Asa’s) father Abijah/Abijam, his grandfather Rehoboam, and his great-grandfather Solomon. If you study the Scriptures, you will gather how Kings Solomon, Rehoboam, and Abijah/Abijam had all corrupted the Israelites with pagan idolatry for a combined total of at least 20 or 30 years (see 1 Kings 11:1-10; 1 Kings 14:21-24; 1 Kings 15:1-3).

First Kings chapter 15 (roughly parallel to today’s Scripture): “[9] And in the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel reigned Asa over Judah. [10] And forty and one years reigned he in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Maachah, the daughter of Abishalom. [11] And Asa did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD, as did David his father. [12] And he took away the sodomites out of the land, and removed all the idols that his fathers had made. [13] And also Maachah his mother, even her he removed from being queen, because she had made an idol in a grove; and Asa destroyed her idol, and burnt it by the brook Kidron. [14] But the high places were not removed: nevertheless Asa’s heart was perfect with the LORD all his days. [15] And he brought in the things which his father had dedicated, and the things which himself had dedicated, into the house of the LORD, silver, and gold, and vessels.”

As monarch, Asa did what he could to purify his people’s land, recalling again the Law of Moses: “Ye shall utterly destroy all the places, wherein the nations which ye shall possess served their gods, upon the high mountains, and upon the hills, and under every green tree: And ye shall overthrow their altars, and break their pillars, and burn their groves with fire; and ye shall hew down the graven images of their gods, and destroy the names of them out of that place” (Deuteronomy 12:2,3). Asa’s reforms in this regard gave the Kingdom of Judah a period of respite from Divine judgment….