Category: The Nation Israel

He Was One of The World’s Richest! #5

Saturday, September 9, 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!

Re-read The Parable of the Rich Fool (Luke 12:16-21), the context of today’s Scripture. If you then back up to verse 15, the Lord prefaced this illustration with some severe advice: “Take heed [Beware! Watch out!], and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.”

Covetousness is the longing or desire to have more and more and more belongings, an all-consuming passion or obsession in getting everything you possibly can—every coin, every new gadget, every piece of real estate, and so on. The aforementioned rich fool was of that same persuasion. He had bountiful harvests, so he, seemingly, had financial strength for “many years.” In fact, notice all those references to self, self, self in Luke 12:17-19: “himself… I… I… my… I… I… my… I… my… my… I… my… thou… thine….” He talked with himself, made plans for himself, and cared only about himself. Verse 21 summarizes: “So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

Owing earthly wealth was not this fool’s sin; his wrongdoing was replacing the one true God with an idol (the false god known as “mammon!”). He was covetous, wanting more and more worldly possessions. Ephesians 5:5 and Colossians 3:5 teach covetousness is idolatry (which again loops back to Matthew 6:24 and Luke 16:13). He was not seeking God’s kingdom and God’s righteousness (Matthew 6:33; Luke 12:31), an answer to his sin problem. Instead of the afterlife (everlasting, unending existence), he concentrated solely on this life (brief, temporary existence). He thus lived a rich man, but died a poor man.

Even now, in our grossly materialistic society, that attitude abounds. In fact, it will worsen all the way up to the end-times, when the Antichrist brings it to its pinnacle. Millions of Jews will be supporting him so as to retain their earthly treasures, thereby losing their identities when they depart this life….

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….

He Was One of The World’s Richest! #2

Wednesday, September 6, 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!

In John chapter 6, the Lord Jesus Christ performed a miracle, feeding over 5,000 men with just five barley loaves and two small fishes (verses 1-14). However, there was spiritual confusion, as verse 15 reports: “When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone.” They actually chase Him to the other side of the Sea of Galilee so He can fill their stomachs with another free meal!

He rebuked them for their worldly-mindedness: “Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled. Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed” (verses 26,27). The Lord was more than a food-delivery Man, but they had reduced Him to such! Overall, they ignored how He had come to deliver them from their sins!

In the context of today’s Scripture, another distraction arises. A man beseeches the Lord Jesus to settle an estate. The man’s father is deceased, but his brother is being greedy with their inheritance, so the man (also materialistic!) wishes Jesus would intervene. In fact, the rabbis (Jewish teachers) could handle the matter, so it was unnecessary to involve the Lord. (His time was more precious than to waste it squabbling over earthly riches!) “[13] And one of the company said unto him, Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me. [14] And he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you? [15] And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.”

When death claims all souls, even the largest earthly fortune passes to no one….

He Was One of The World’s Richest! #1

Tuesday, September 5, 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!

Read today’s Scripture in context. Luke chapter 12: “[13] And one of the company said unto him, Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me. [14] And he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you? [15] And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. [16] And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: [17] And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? [18] And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. [19] And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. [20] 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? [21] So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

As we meditate on the above verses (known as “The Parable of the Rich Fool”), let us also consider the following true story. Once, a man amassed a fortune and became a celebrity billionaire. He owned several homes and planes, traveled the world, and enjoyed partying. When illness cut his life short, however, his biography read, in part, “He was one of the world’s richest….” The key word, of course, is not “world’s” or “richest.” It is the verb “was.” This past tense means it is no longer true. He used to be wealthy, but not anymore. As today’s Scripture proves, that little three-letter word has profound spiritual implications….

Saints, please remember this work of the ministry requires monthly financial support to operate (Galatians 6:6; Philippians 4:16-17; 2 Corinthians 9:6-7). Those who prefer electronic giving can donate securely here: https://www.paypal.me/ShawnBrasseaux. Anyone who wishes to donate by regular mail can visit https://333wordsofgrace.org/contact-us-mailing-address-for-donations/ for details. Thanks to all who give to and pray for us! Unfortunately, since our ministry audience is so large and our ministry staff is so small, I can no longer personally respond to everyone. Thanks so much for understanding in this regard. 🙂

Spellbound! #14

Friday, September 1, 2023

“Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple” (Romans 16:17,18 KJV).

Let us analyze these “good words and fair speeches.”

Study the following “ministry” conducted in Samaria (central Israel, north of Jerusalem): “But there was a certain man, called Simon, which beforetime in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one: To whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is the great power of God. And to him they had regard, because that of long time he had bewitched them with sorceries” (Acts 8:9-11). Empowered by Satan, Simon worked miracles! He was “giving out” (saying, bragging) that he was “some great one.” The Samaritans were spellbound, considering him “Messiah” (thereby foreshadowing the Antichrist!). Simon used witchcraft to fool them, and they exclaimed, “This man is the great power of God!”

Re-read today’s Scripture: “…they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly.” The “belly” symbolizes the heart or soul: a false teacher’s motivation is a self-serving “appetite” that must be satisfied. As a glutton in the physical realm obsesses over food, so a false teacher’s goal is to gain devotees. The person most vulnerable to such a “ministry” is someone who is “simple.” In Greek, it is “akakos,” literally “without evil.” The victim is unsuspecting, fearing no evil from others, and distrusting no one. That false sense of security is summed up as, “No one will harm me because everyone means well. All preachers and teachers serve God. It does not matter where I attend church or which denomination I join.” While it sounds harsh, this is a foolish, ignorant, or gullible person—and, when multiplied by two billion, Christendom’s tens of thousands of denominations form!

If we understand how today’s Scripture is taken from Romans, the most basic Pauline epistle, then a sure way to avoid falling prey to false teachers is to have a good foundation in grace teaching as furnished in Romans….

Spellbound! #12

Wednesday, August 30, 2023

“Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple” (Romans 16:17,18 KJV).

Let us analyze these “good words and fair speeches.”

Read Matthew 15:1-9 and Mark 7:1-13. The scribes (Hebrew Bible copyists and teachers) and Pharisees (strict works-religionists) were influential leaders in Judaism. They were greatly agitated when they saw the Lord Jesus’ disciples ignoring the rabbis’ religious tradition of washing hands with a trickle of cool water. Christ countered by asking why they—the scribes and Pharisees—had ignored Father God’s commandments!

The “Corban [Gift] tradition” was a clever manmade invention to bypass the LORD’S orders. As opposed to honoring father and mother (see Exodus 20:12), including financially supporting them in old age, the rabbis granted a man permission to declare his wealth as a “gift” to God and the Jerusalem Temple, thereby freeing the man from the economic obligation to his parents. Of course, “God” was given all the credit—and these religious leaders embezzled “God’s” gift! Such kind of false teaching polluted Judaism and warranted Christ’s repeated condemnations (see Matthew 15:6-9,12-14; Mark 7:6-9,13). Judaism’s religious tradition continuously took precedence over the words of Almighty God—and the same applies to Christendom 2,000 years later!

Upon the rabbis’ urging (false teaching), the “Corban [Gift] tradition” seemed pious and noble from the son’s point-of-view. After all, he was reserving money for “God’s work” (ha!). In reality, he was violating the Fifth Commandment by dishonoring father and mother, and doing nothing more than funding the Devil’s ministers! “Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye” (Mark 7:13). The “Corban [Gift] tradition” was just one of countless examples of putting manmade ideas ahead of Divine revelation, transferring authority from God to men. Again, this practice plagues the professing church even now.

As pertaining to the Church the Body of Christ and this the Dispensation of the Grace of God, the Lord through our Apostle Paul alerts us to be on guard, watching out for self-serving religious leaders….

Spellbound! #11

Tuesday, August 29, 2023

“Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple” (Romans 16:17,18 KJV).

Let us analyze these “good words and fair speeches.”

“And he [the serpent] said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die” (Genesis 3:1-3). Eve did not quote God verbatim (cf. Genesis 2:16,17). Actually, Satan did a better job repeating what God said!

“And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:4,5). Only now—later in the conversation—did Satan contradict God. Furthermore, he suggested he cared more for Adam and Eve than God did! In effect, he proposed, “Eve, I want you and Adam to enjoy something God has willingly withheld from you! You can possess some ‘hidden’ knowledge and become your own authority!” Of course, Eve believed the lie and Adam followed her lead (verses 6,7; 1 Timothy 2:11-15). Creation has suffered ever since!

Read Matthew 4:1-11 and Luke 4:1-13. Satan never said, “Thou art not the Son of God,” for his lie would have been obvious. Instead, it was, “If thou be the Son of God…” (Matthew 4:3,6; Luke 4:3,9). Those hints of doubt were meant to cause Jesus to question His identity, and, to make Him prove Himself (which was unnecessary). Furthermore, the Devil even quoted some Scripture (Matthew 4:6; Luke 4:10,11)—again appearing legitimate, benevolent, godly. The Lord Jesus was not tricked. Though biblical (Psalm 91:11,12), Satan was not dispensational.

Unless we are grounded in sound Bible doctrine, we will be overcome like Eve instead of overcoming like Christ. We must (!) remember today’s Scripture….

Spellbound! #9

Sunday, August 27, 2023

“Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple” (Romans 16:17,18 KJV).

Let us analyze these “good words and fair speeches.”

Christendom abounds with “scholars,” “outstanding authorities,” “experts,” “wise counsellors,” and a host of other people with impressive appellations—all using a passage of Scripture here and there, of course!—but do not be so sure everyone is telling the truth. For example, when a concerned Christian woman inquired about her granddaughter’s works-religion cult, the young lady reassured her, “But, Granny, they read the Bible at my church!” As long as they use the Bible, all is well—or is it? Quoting Bible verses does not automatically qualify a speaker or writer as a sound spiritual adviser!

“But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him” (2 Corinthians 11:3,4). If this says what it means (it does!) and means what it says (it does!), then a false teacher could, in fact, talk about “Jesus,” “the spirit,” and/or “the gospel.” There is no outright denial of Scripture, just a presentation of Bible words with faulty definitions attached. The Bible’s concepts are not considered dispensationally—that is, as the Apostle Paul explains them.

“And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction” (2 Peter 3:15,16). These false teachers “wrest” (twist all out of shape, distort, pervert) the Scriptures. Note well: they do not avoid or ignore the Scriptures, but use them!

Recall the “ministry” of the first false teacher….

Spellbound! #8

Saturday, August 26, 2023

“Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple” (Romans 16:17,18 KJV).

Let us analyze these “good words and fair speeches.”

Continuing the theme of 2 Peter 2:1-3, verse 18 describes false teachers as follows: “For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error.” A companion passage is Jude 16: “These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men’s persons in admiration because of advantage.”

Using these “great swelling” (extravagant, immoderate, or arrogant) words, false teachers convert followers. “Having men’s persons in admiration because of advantage” aligns with Tertullus’ speech in Acts 24:1-4; the talker aims to profit from his audience, so he resorts to cheap flattery. Second Peter 2:18 sums it up as “vanity” (emptiness, worthlessness). Sounding impressive on the surface, a closer examination reveals it to be valueless. It was just a cruel ploy to take from the gullible!

Recall 2 Peter 2:1, how there were false prophets among the ancient people of Israel. One example is in the Book of Jeremiah, 600 years before Christ. “They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace” (Jeremiah 6:14). “For they have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace” (Jeremiah 8:11). Whereas the LORD was judging the apostate Jewish people because of their habitual idolatry (disobedience to the Law of Moses), the false prophets reassured Israel that all was well and no evil would come upon them (just like the feel-good teachers and preachers of modern Christendom!). Jerusalem would fall to the Babylonian army, and no amount of wishful thinking, “inspirational messages,” or “positive thinking” would alter that fact.

Observe today’s Scripture to appreciate how false teaching adversely affects us, the Church the Body of Christ….