A Church For You

So many choices for today’s modern Christian!

If you want to continue fornicating and imagine you are heaven-bound, there is a church for you. They may even send you out to “reach the lost” and this will make you feel so Christian that you momentarily forget the weight of guilt on your soul.

If you love drunkenness and getting high, there is a church for you. You can smoke baby Jesus and the “Holy Ghost Bartender” can hook you up.  You can laugh and cry uncontrollably and act as ridiculous as you want, all while blaming God and looking down your nose at your less spiritual brothers and sisters who walk in self-control.

If you want to be a racist and still claim Christ, there is a church for you with Jesus paintings suited to your preferred skin color, and a genealogy chart tracing your family back to the patriarchs. Doesn’t Scripture say we are saved by race through faith?

If you want to be a “militant Christian” and use carnal weapons to pull off a crusade and take the earth by force, there is a church for you. Jesus didn’t really mean what He said, and His example is irrelevant.

If you are greedy and want to feel justified in loving money, there is a church for you. (Don’t forget to bring your seed gift–the bigger the better–credit cards accepted).

If you want to stop paying taxes and rebel against all law and order, and feel righteous in so-doing, there is a church for you. “Submit yourself to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake”?–Ridiculous.

If you want to marry someone of the same sex and still sing hymns on Sunday morning, there is a church for you. Look for the rainbow flag out front and bring one of those gender-inclusive Bible versions.

If you want ecstatic experiences and happy feelings and don’t care much for truth, there are churches where brains are checked at the door, and the God of order and peace and truth is forbidden entrance and won’t get in your way.

Oh yes, there is a seat on the pew for every man, no matter what his vice or personal ambition.

BUT ETERNAL LIFE IS RESERVED FOR THOSE WHO OBEY GOD, for those who do not walk after the flesh but after the Spirit.

Attacking the Scriptures (A Defense Against the Attacks of Jan Boshoff on Scripture)

Attacking the Scriptures is pretty common in our day, but it is not so common to hear someone who preaches “Follow Jesus” attack them.

I quote Jan (aka Justice) Boshoff in his writing entitled, “Why the Bible is NOT the Word of God” (all caps and parentheses his)–

 ”THE BIBLE CANNOT BE THE WORD OF GOD. There are messages that might be from God, but that is why God sent us the Holy Spirit, the SPIRIT OF TRUTH, to guide us into all truth, to confirm to us WHICH OF THOSE WORDS written by men and spoken by men WERE REALLY FROM GOD. Because not all those words were from God. Everything that Paul wrote and said is not the gospel, they are his own words….So dear friends, this (Bible) is not the Word of God. This is a book, it is just the scriptures and it contains the truth also but it needs to be verified by the Holy Spirit… All of this (Bible) was not spoken by God, it was spoken by men. The words that God spoke will happen the way God spoke them, but all that is written here (Bible) is not the word of God, its the words of men, that have recorded, some words of God sometimes.”

This erroneous teaching leaves everyone open to determine for themselves WHICH of the words in the Bible are REALLY FROM GOD. After all, according to Jan Boshoff, the Bible contains “some words of God sometimes.” This is extremely dangerous because it predisposes men to reject whatever in the Scriptures does not suit them.  It reminds me of the serpent in the garden, asking with subtlety, “Yea, hath God said…?“

Jan Boshoff has made many other alarming statements, including the following:

“The Bible has no power.”

“Your Bible cannot help you; it’s a book.”

“Jesus was not Biblical; He did not comply with a book…a disciple of Jesus Christ is also not Biblical.”

“The devil has deceived people into thinking and saying that the Bible is the Word of God. It’s not the word of God, my friends.  It is the word of men…God never wrote, my friend. People write.”

“The Bible is not the Sword of the Spirit. Quoting the Scriptures to deter the devil is witchcraft.”

And perhaps most disturbing of all, he recently shared a dream which he claimed came from God, in which people were dying of poison and that poison was the Bible!  Imagine, the “sincere milk of the word” being called poison! The prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a dream; and he that hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat? saith the LORD. (Jer. 23:28)

Jan Boshoff  is correct that the Spirit of God guides us into all truth, and without His help, we could misinterpret what is written in Scripture.  But Jan is wrong  when he casts doubt on Paul’s  or the other apostles’ teachings, claiming their writings are just words of men, or “just the Scriptures,” as if Scriptures are not to be trusted.

Jesus taught that Scripture cannot be broken (John 10:35).  Peter wrote that we ought to take heed to the more sure word of prophecy as to a light shining in a dark place, because the Scriptures were written as men were moved by the Holy Ghost (2 Pet 1:19-21).

Jesus never disparaged Scripture, but quoted it as if it was the absolute truth, which it is.  When tempted by the devil, He quoted Scripture, appropriately using TRUTH against LIES.  Even when satan used Scripture in his attack, Jesus simply quoted MORE Scripture–It is ALSO written (Matt. 4:7).  Jan Boshoff has stated that for us to use Scripture in the same fashion when we are battling the devil is witchcraft. I wonder if he realizes he is accusing Jesus Himself of witchcraft. I would not want to charge the King of kings with that, nor even suggest that His perfect example should not be followed.

When the risen Jesus appeared to two confused disciples on the road to Emmaus,  what did He do? Beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. (Luke 24:27)   He did not urge them to “just listen to the Spirit” and put the “dead book” aside, but instead He opened to them the Scriptures. (vs 32)  The Scriptures are a treasure to be opened to us by the Lord, not a questionable book to be viewed with suspicion!

When the risen Jesus stood among His disciples and ate fish with them, He also opened their understanding, that they might understand the Scriptures. (Luke 24:45)   He did not tell them the Scriptures were a dead book, He did not forbid them to be Biblical, and He did not rebuke them for witchcraft.  He gave them understanding, which He will do for any sincere disciple who looks into the Scriptures with a heart that desires to understand and follow Him.

Paul taught regularly from the Scriptures (Acts 17:2; Acts 18:28). He testified that whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. (Rom. 15:4)  What spirit would try to take away the learning and comfort the Scriptures can provide?

J. Boshoff has stated that the early church did not have the Scriptures and did not study the Bible. However, not only did they have the Old Testament Scriptures opened to their understanding by Jesus, but they also continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine (Acts 2:42).  The teachings and epistles written by the apostles were passed around and copied, and indeed the church of Christ is built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus being the cornerstone, and there is no other foundation (Eph. 2:20).  Peter affirmed that although Paul’s epistles were being wrested by some unlearned and unstable men to their own destruction, they were still SCRIPTURES (2 Pet. 3:16). The Scriptures do not cease to be true because ignorant men attempt to twist them.

I do not know J. Boshoff’s motive, but I suspect that someone has compared his teachings or dreams to Scripture one too many times, and he got offended, though Paul did not get offended when the (noble) Bereans did the same thing with his teaching.  A man teaching the truth need not fear when Bereans check all things by the Scriptures.

We are commanded to test the spirits (I Jn. 4:1)–by what should we test the spirits which speak to us?  J. Boshoff says we simply ask the Holy Spirit for His opinion (not test by the Scriptures); then we listen for a voice to give us the answer. One of his followers has BURNED HER BIBLES in obedience to what she thinks is the Holy Spirit’s voice speaking to her. She went public, praising God for delivering her from “that idol.” If only she had studied the Bible first, she would have known that such a command did not come from God.

I testify that when I was born again, I was immediately led by the Lord to study the Scriptures and learn the voice of God and the will of God in its pages.  How good the Lord is, to preserve a testimony for generations to come, that they can seek ye out of the book of the LORD, and read. (Isa. 34:16) The Holy Spirit has indeed been guiding me into truth; He has consistently led me to hide the written Word in my heart that I might not sin against God.  I am so thankful for the Scriptures and for the men who died to get them into my hands.

What spirit would tell people that the Bible is poison, as J. Boshoff has stated?  What spirit would tell a woman to burn her Bibles?

Although J. Boshoff teaches faith/obedience to Jesus, his Jesus is suspect, since his Jesus seems dedicated to wresting Biblical Truth from the hands of people who are living in dark times and need all the light they can get.  His Jesus seems to want us back in the Dark Ages, having to trust in human leaders (like Jan) to tell us God’s will. Because if we don’t hear the voice as often as Jan does, we had better look to Jan, since he seems to be hearing the voice all the time and getting guidance in his dreams.   Rightly did Paul warn for three years that also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. (Acts 20:30)

The Jesus revealed in Scripture never tried to put distance between His followers and the Scriptures. NEVER.

Babes in Christ are being seduced into thinking it is very spiritual to throw the Bible away and just listen to a voice. They are assured the voice they hear must be the Holy Spirit, and they should just trust it.  This is folly! God’s Spirit is not the only spirit talking today.  There are seducing spirits and doctrines taught by devils that will cause many to depart from the faith (I Tim. 4:1)! This is why Paul urged the young pastor Timothy to give attention to READING (reading what?!), exhortation and doctrine; and to preach the Word both in and out of season (I Tim. 4:2, 13).

Jan continually implies that the Pharisees killed Jesus because they held to the Scriptures.  This is error. It is true that knowledge of Scriptures cannot help you if you do not obey and comply with what is written there.  THIS was the error of the Pharisees–they READ because they were in positions of authority and could read, but they did not OBEY.  They were hypocrites unwilling to repent & come to the very Christ to whom Scripture pointed. They were hearers and not doers, deceiving their own selves.  If they had not been blinded by their love for sin and their refusal to repent at the preaching of John the Baptist, they would have seen that the Old Testament Scriptures all pointed to Jesus, and that He was the Prophet to whom they must listen or be destroyed (Deut. 18:15; Acts 3:22-23).

The Scriptures are able to make you wise unto Salvation, and ALL SCRIPTURE was inspired by God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works (2 Tim. 3:15-17).  The Pharisees had access to the same Scriptures that Timothy grew up learning, but truth will only profit the one who yields to it’s righteous demands.

Anyone casting doubt upon the more sure word of prophecy–which is inspired by God and given to perfect the saints and equip them for the works God wants them to do–is not the friend of your soul. He may say with great tenderness “My friend, my friend,” but he is not your friend if he causes you to stumble and cast the Word of God behind your back.

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (2 Tim. 2:15)

What should we study, if not the Scriptures? What should we rightly divide, if not the Scriptures, so that we can discern and do the will of God?   Is the Holy Spirit of God, who breathed and inspired all the Scriptures, now teaching that the Scriptures are dead, powerless, and poisonous?  I think not. So by what spirit is Jan Boshoff saying these things?

Sin Boldly?

Martin Luther is credited with saying the following:

“If you are a preacher of grace, then preach a true and not a fictitious grace; if grace is true, you must bear a true and not a fictitious sin. God does not save people who are only fictitious sinners. Be a sinner and sin boldly, but believe and rejoice in Christ even more boldly, for he is victorious over sin, death, and the world. As long as we are here [in this world] we have to sin. This life is not the dwelling place of righteousness, but, as Peter says, we look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. It is enough that by the riches of God’s glory we have come to know the Lamb that takes away the sin of the world. No sin will separate us from the Lamb, even though we commit fornication and murder a thousand times a day. Do you think that the purchase price that was paid for the redemption of our sins by so great a Lamb is too small? Pray boldly—you too are a mighty sinner.”

Dear reader, I hope you shuddered in horror at these words. I would like to specifically zero in on this portion:  Be a sinner and sin boldly, but believe and rejoice in Christ even more boldly, for he is victorious over sin, death, and the world. As long as we are here [in this world] we have to sin. 

Replacing the word “sin” with the word “murder” we have this:  Be a murderer and murder boldly, but believe and rejoice in Christ even more boldly.  Or how about this: Be an adulterer and commit adultery boldly, but believe and rejoice in Christ even more boldly. Or perhaps your favorite sin is lying:  Be a liar and lie boldly, but believe and rejoice in Christ even more boldly.  Do you steal? Be a thief and steal boldly! Just make sure you believe and rejoice in Christ more boldly!

Some may accuse me of taking Martin Luther’s words out of context, but I assert that his words have been used as a license to sin by many, and indeed seem custom-made for the job!  He said you can murder a thousand times a day and still remain in Jesus Christ! Have you ever heard such blasphemy? I know Luther is a revered reformer, but Christ’s sheep hear His voice and they follow Him. They will not follow the voice of the stranger, and this is the voice of a stranger if I’ve ever heard one. Test the spirits by which men speak!  Never assume that someone honored by others is the friend of your soul.

To the shamed adulterer, Jesus said, “Go and sin no more.” (John 8:11)

To the man whom He had healed from a 38-year infirmity, Jesus said, “Sin no more lest a worse thing come upon you.” (John 5:14)  What could be worse than 38 years of perpetual infirmity?

Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “Awake to righteousness, and do not sin; for some do not have the knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame.” (I Cor. 15:34)

He also wrote, “Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not! Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?” (Rom. 6:15-16)

Again, Paul wrote to Timothy, “Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: ‘The Lord knows those who are His,’ and, ‘Let everyone who names the name of Christ DEPART FROM INIQUITY.’”  (2 Tim. 2:19)

The Apostle John testified that he wrote his epistle “that you may not sin.” (I Jn. 2:1)

Peter wrote of false teachers who would deny the Lord who bought them, bringing on themselves swift destruction. How do they deny the Lord?–through disobedience and teaching disobedience to the Lord’s servants. For they profess to know God, but in works they deny Him. Some of their distinguishing marks are:  they will receive the wages of unrighteousness (because they are unrighteous), they count it pleasure to carouse in the daytime (not even blushing for their sins, but doing them boldly even in the company of the Christian church), and they have eyes full of adultery, and they cannot cease from sin (2 Pet. 2:1-14; Titus 1:16).

They cannot cease from sin! Though Jesus said to cease from sin and gives victory over sin to those who abide in Him, and though His apostles taught that we must cease from sin and obey Jesus, these teachers not only cannot cease from sin in their own lives, but they also teach others, “Be a sinner and sin boldly…as long as we are here, WE HAVE TO SIN.”

Do you hear the hiss of the deceiver in those terrible words?

Please do not misunderstand me. I know that Luther stood against the darkness of the catholic church, and I believe he started out on the right foot and even helped some to escape their slavery to the Roman church. However, he had some gross error, and this error about sin has likely led millions to deny the Lord who bought them and bring upon themselves swift destruction.  Luther was a man so taken with his concept of “faith alone,” that he wanted to cut the book of James out of the Bible. Why? Because James wrote, “A man is justified by works, and not by faith only” and “faith without works is dead.” (James 2:20-24)

Dear reader, I am grateful that if I do sin, I have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.  However, the goal is NOT TO SIN. When we were reunited with our Father through the atoning death of Jesus, it was not to continue a life of sin until the day we die.  We came back to the Father as dear children who love and obey their Father, not just because He has authority and power, but because He has proven His love and kindness in Jesus Christ. Death is not our Savior from sin; Jesus is our Savior from sin. Jesus will save His people from their sins (Matt. 1:21). Is Jesus Christ in you? Examine yourselves, to see if you be in the faith. Is His Spirit leading you, and are you walking in step with Him?–if so, then you are not fulfilling the lust of the flesh. The righteous requirement of the law is fulfilled in those who walk after the Spirit (Gal. 5:16; Rom. 8:4).

Beware of any teacher, no matter how famous, who comes teaching you to walk after your flesh as boldly as you please. Beware of men who make you feel secure in Christ while you follow your flesh. They will say “God doesn’t see your sin; He only sees Jesus.” Or “The righteousness of Jesus is imputed to you even if you commit fornication or murder a thousand times a day!”  Do not be deceived. God will not be mocked, and those who live according to their flesh will DIE the second death. Though satan may whisper through his angels of light, “You will not surely die,” be assured that God’s warnings are true, and the wages of unrighteousness is still death.

God’s true servants always turn people toward obedience to God.

Thus says the LORD of hosts:

“ Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you.
They make you worthless;
They speak a vision of their own heart,
Not from the mouth of the LORD.
They continually say to those who despise Me,
‘ The LORD has said, “You shall have peace”’;
And to everyone who walks according to the dictates of his own heart, they say,
‘ No evil shall come upon you.’”
For who has stood in the counsel of the LORD,
And has perceived and heard His word?
Who has marked His word and heard it?
Behold, a whirlwind of the LORD has gone forth in fury—
A violent whirlwind!
It will fall violently on the head of the wicked.
The anger of the LORD will not turn back
Until He has executed and performed the thoughts of His heart.
In the latter days you will understand it perfectly.
“ I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran.
I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied.
But if they had stood in My counsel,
And had caused My people to hear My words,
Then they would have turned them from their evil way
And from the evil of their doings.
“ Am I a God near at hand,” says the LORD,
“ And not a God afar off?
Can anyone hide himself in secret places,
So I shall not see him?” says the LORD;
“ Do I not fill heaven and earth?” says the LORD.

~Jer. 23:16-24

God bless you.

Spiritual Drunkenness, Part 2–”Be Sober”

Be Sober

In the previous post, I shared Scriptures that both condemned drunkenness and revealed that spiritual drunkenness is a judgment sent by God on the disobedient. Now I would like to examine the Scriptures that command us to be sober, and examine 2 “proof texts” used by false teachers who peddle the evil spirit of drunkenness.  All Scriptures are in the KJV version.

Amazingly, the phrase “be sober” (or its equivalent) appears 12 times in the New Testament! For simplicity, I have included only the parts of the verses which apply to our study, but I encourage you to look up the verses in your Bible or Bible program.

Scriptures Commanding Sobriety

Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. I Thess. 5:6-8

A bishop then must be…sober, of good behaviour…I Tim. 3:4

Even so must their wives be grave…sober…I Tim. 3:11

For a bishop must be blameless…sober…holy, temperate; holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers. Titus 1:7-9

Note: the teachers peddling spiritual drunkenness are neither holy and temperate, nor are they holding fast the faithful word and sound doctrine.

That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith…Titus 2:2

The aged women likewise [sober like the aged men], that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness…Titus 2:3

That they [the aged women] may teach the young women to be sober…Titus 2:4

Young men likewise exhort to be sober minded. Titus 2:6

For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world. Titus 2:11-12

Note: The grace of God that brings salvation teaches that we should live soberly! To be given to a drunken state–regardless of how it is achieved–is to follow worldly lusts.

Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. I Peter 1:13

Note: Those who are not sober minded are not “girding up the loins” of their minds. Their minds are open and vulnerable to attack!

But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer. I Peter 4:7

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour. I Peter 5:8

This is a command with a terrible consequence for disobedience! My friend, if you refuse to be sober minded, the devil is going to devour you. These words of warning are from the Lord for our good.

The command to be sober has gone out to the bishop, the bishop’s wife, the aged men, the aged women, the young women, and the young men! That’s EVERYONE! Are you going to obey the Word of God, or are you going to obey some staggering teacher who is clearly in rebellion against God and desires to defile you as well?

Examining the Scriptures The Drunkards Twist

First, we must have a close look at Acts 2:1-18.

1And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place…

4And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

5And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.

6Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language.

7And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans?

8And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?

9Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia,

10Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes,

11Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.

12And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this?

13Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine.

14But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:

15For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day.

16But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;

17And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:

18And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy.

First, I would like you to observe that when the men spoke with other tongues, there were people present who understood their words in their own languages (vs. 6). In fact, they heard them speaking the wonderful works of God (vs. 11).

Second, observe that the ones who accused these men of being drunk were mockers (vs. 13). Mockers are not known for speaking truth.

Third, observe that Peter did not use this occasion to teach the crowd that a new way to get drunk had been given by the Lord. He did not say, “No longer do you have to buy wine; now you can get drunk spiritually–come, get some!” In fact, Peter quickly corrected the false accusation with, “These are NOT drunken”! (vs. 15) Can it be any clearer? They were not drunk!

If one reads to the end of the chapter, one can see that Peter used this miracle to point to Jesus–Jesus had been crucified by sinners, raised up by God, and now it was the crowd’s responsibility to repent and believe the gospel! Nowhere did Peter teach that spiritual drunkenness had occurred.

Next, let’s look at Ephesians 5:18.

And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit.

This verse is often used to say that instead of being drunk with wine, we should be drunk with the Holy Spirit. I submit to you that being “filled” with the Holy Spirit is NOT the same as being “drunk.” The Christian is commanded to be sober; therefore he must be filled with the Spirit and sober at the same time. The term “drunk” should NEVER be used in conjunction with any work of the Holy Spirit, who always promotes sobriety and holiness. Let’s examine the immediate context to see what Paul meant by being “filled with the Spirit.”

And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God. Eph. 5:18-21

So we see that those who are filled with the Spirit will build themselves and one another up with Psalms/spiritual songs, they will abound with thankfulness to God, and they will submit to one another in the fear of God. If you continue reading, Paul goes on to talk about loving one another. Being filled with the Spirit produces love for God and men.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. Gal. 5:22-23

For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. Romans 14:17

The Holy Spirit empowers hope (Rom. 15:13), gives joy (Acts 13:52), empowers witnessing (Acts 1:8), encourages speaking the Word of God with boldness (Acts 4:31), comforts those who have the fear of the Lord (Acts 9:31), sanctifies (Romans 15:16), and teaches (I Cor. 2:13). Nowhere does the Holy Ghost, who is first of all HOLY, cause or condone the sin of drunkenness.

There are mockers among us telling us to get drunk spiritually. They are blind leaders of the blind.  They claim spiritual drunkenness is a “higher plane” or “something deeper” to be sought after. They are like the serpent in the garden telling Eve that she can have more knowledge than God has allowed. Had Eve been at her husband’s side and submitted to the Word of God ALREADY given, she would not have been deceived. And if the church would remain glued to the side of Jesus (her husband) and be submitted to the Word of God ALREADY given, she also would reject this evil “drunk in the spirit” doctrine, seeing it for what it really is–the same old serpent offering the same old bait on the same old hook.

Be not deceived. The Lord has already commanded, “BE SOBER!”

God bless you.

Spiritual Drunkenness, Part 1–A Blessing or a Curse?

From the Kansas City Prophets to Rodney Howard Browne–the self-proclaimed “Holy Ghost Bartender”, to the Lakeland “revival” led by unrepentant adulterer Todd Bentley, to the almost unbelievable blasphemies of John Crowder and Benjamin Dunn, all are held together by the not-so-invisible thread of spiritual drunkenness. They claim their drunken or “high” state is the joy of the Holy Spirit, and they label those who biblically question it as judgmental Pharisees or “people who won’t let God be God.” Thinking they have wisely “let God out of the box,” they don’t even realize their own blind pride and the slander they heap on all who lean not on fleshly feelings for answers, but instead look to the Rock–searching the Scriptures to see if these things are so (Acts 17:11).

Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. I Jn. 4:1

Those who refuse to “try the spirits” are going to be led astray. It is my purpose to examine spiritual drunkenness in this paper by the Bible alone. For simplicity’s sake, I will be posting only the parts of verses which are applicable to our study, but I encourage you to use your Bible or Bible program to check the verses for yourself. I will begin with the Biblical condemnation of drunkenness.

Drunkenness Condemned in the Bible

But if that servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and be drunk, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. Luke 12:45-46

But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. Luke 21:34-45

The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts. Rom. 13:12-14

But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner—not even to eat with such a person. I Cor. 5:11

Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed… I Cor. 6:9-11 (Clearly, drunkenness is condemned and those who practice it have no hope of heaven.)

Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are….drunkenness…of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. Gal. 5:19-21

And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit. Eph 5:18

For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles—when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries. I Peter 4:3

So a quick summary of these verses reveals that drunkenness is a “work of darkness” and a “work of the flesh,” and those who participate in it will not inherit God’s kingdom.

Now the proponents of spiritual drunkenness claim that while physical drunkenness is forbidden, the Holy Ghost wants to make us spiritually drunk–and they even go so far as to say that this helps them overcome sin and the world. I intend to prove here that the Holy Spirit of God does not produce such evil fruit, and He is not manifesting Himself in drunkenness, which is forbidden.

Does the Bible ever speak of spiritual drunkenness? YES! And it is always a CURSE from the Lord! This curse is sent by God to help the rebellious destroy themselves! If they don’t repent and follow God’s numerous commands to “be sober,” they will indeed bring about their own destruction as surely as any alcoholic eventually destroys himself.

Spiritual Drunkenness as a Judgment in the Bible

Please read the following Scriptures in humility and the fear of the Lord.

He [God] takes away the understanding of the chiefs of the people of the earth, and makes them wander in a pathless wilderness. They grope in the dark without light, and He makes them stagger like a drunken man. Job 12:24-25

The princes of Zoan have become fools; the princes of Noph are deceived…The LORD has mingled a perverse spirit in her midst; and they have caused Egypt to err in all her work, as a drunken man staggers in his vomit. Isa. 19:13-14

The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall totter like a hut; its transgression shall be heavy upon it, and it will fall, and not rise again. Isa. 24:20

Woe…to the drunkards of Ephraim…to those who are overcome with wine! Behold, the Lord…will bring them down to the earth with His hand…the drunkards of Ephraim, will be trampled underfoot. Isa. 28:1-3

Blind yourselves and be blind! They are drunk, but not with wine; They stagger, but not with intoxicating drink. For the LORD has poured out on you the spirit of deep sleep, and has closed your eyes, namely, the prophets; and He has covered your heads, namely, the seers. Isa. 29:9-10

I have trodden down the peoples in My anger, made them drunk in My fury, and brought down their strength to the earth. Isa. 63:6

Thus says the LORD: “Behold, I will fill all the inhabitants of this land—even the kings who sit on David’s throne, the priests, the prophets, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem—with drunkenness!…I will not pity nor spare nor have mercy, but will destroy them.” Jer. 13:13-14

Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: “Drink, be drunk, and vomit! Fall and rise no more, because of the sword which I will send among you.” Jer. 25:27

Make him drunk, because he exalted himself against the LORD. Jer. 48:26

Babylon was a golden cup in the LORD’s hand, that made all the earth drunk. The nations drank her wine; therefore the nations are deranged. Jer. 51:7

In their excitement I will prepare their feasts; I will make them drunk, that they may rejoice, and sleep a perpetual sleep and not awake,” says the LORD. Jer. 51:39

What do you conspire against the LORD? He will make an utter end of it…For while tangled like thorns, and while drunken like drunkards, they shall be devoured like stubble fully dried. Nahum 1:9-10

And to the Rodney Howard Browne’s, Todd Bentley’s, and John Crowder’s, who claim they are filled with “glory”–

Woe to him who gives drink to his neighbor, pressing him to your bottle, even to make him drunk, that you may look on his nakedness! You are filled with shame instead of glory. You also—drink! And be exposed as uncircumcised! The cup of the LORD’s right hand will be turned against you, and utter shame will be on your glory. Hab. 2:15-16

Is it not crystal clear that spiritual drunkenness is never a blessing from the Lord, but always a curse?!

Could you imagine my saying that physical fornication and adultery are forbidden, but spiritual fornication and adultery are good and encouraged by the Holy Spirit? How could these abominations ever be called holy? Yet this is what some are saying about drunkenness! Drunkenness is condemned–period. But those who having itching ears that want to hear that they can be drunk, are going to have their ears tickled by some false teacher who brings the message they crave! Enter Rodney Howard Browne, Todd Bentley, and John Crowder!!

If a man should walk in a false spirit and speak a lie, saying, I will prophesy to you of wine and drink,’ even he would be the prattler of this people. Micah 2:11

Please notice these prophets are walking in a “false spirit”! This is why we must believe not every spirit, but test them by the Word of God.  The true fruit of the Holy Spirit is “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” Gal. 5:22-23  Are these false prophets walking in and promoting self-control? Anyone who has seen these people staggering, laughing hysterically, gyrating, etc. should be able to see that this fruit is NOT from the Holy Spirit!

God is not playing, nor has He ever retracted any of His words about drunkenness. If you turn away from the Truth, He is going to give you a lie.

The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. 2 Thess. 2:9-12

Do you have pleasure in unrighteousness? Do you have pleasure in drunkenness even though God has condemned it? Do you stubbornly reject the Word of the Lord, exalting yourself and your experiences over His truth and will for you? God will send you a strong delusion, that you may be condemned. If you still have ears to hear, please repent while there is time.

Go to Part 2 “Be Sober”

God bless you.

All that the Father Gives Me will Come to Me

In this paper, I would like to examine a favorite “proof text” for the false doctrine of unconditional election, John 6:37 and 44, in light of other Scriptures.

All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.  John 6:37

No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. John 6:44

Yes, Jesus taught that those who come to Him must be given Him or drawn by the Father.  Does this mean that God the Father arbitrarily chooses some for salvation and others for damnation, regardless of any choices a person might make in his life, as Calvinism teaches?

Calvinists build a false view of God, beginning right here in their misinterpretation of this passage and others.   By the time you follow their reasoning to its end, you are left to believe God callously pre-determines the fates of all human beings, a teaching which is a direct attack on the truth that the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men (Titus 2:11). I believe this passage has a very simple explanation that Calvinists completely miss because they are reading what they already believe into the Scriptures, and failing to note the context of what Jesus said.

The context is this:  Jesus was speaking to His critics and pointing out that they were backslidden from God although they were claiming to be the people of God. They assumed because their forefathers were God’s “chosen people,” that they too were automatically God’s “chosen people” simply because of their natural bloodline and historical heritage. Most were apostate from God!  The reason they rejected God’s messenger (Jesus) was because they had first rejected God Himself. God will not show His salvation to those who hate Him and disregard His commands.

To him who orders his conduct aright I will show the salvation of God. Psalm 50:23

Here we see that it is the conduct of a man–not a predetermined, arbitrary choosing on God’s part–that determines if God will show him His Salvation (Jesus).

Will God claim to offer salvation to “whosoever” (as He does in numerous Scriptures), and yet damn the majority through no fault of their own? Astonishingly, Calvinism accuses God of this very thing.

Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? Gen. 18:25

The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself. Eze. 18:20

Clearly, God testifies that each man is responsible for his own death, which he reaps by sowing his own sin.

Does God take pleasure when wicked men die?  It is “his pleasure,” says Calvin, for God to “doom to destruction” the wicked. Let God Himself prove Calvin a liar:

“Do I have any pleasure at all that the wicked should die?” says the Lord GOD, “and not that he should turn from his ways and live?”  Eze. 18:23

‘As I live,’ says the Lord GOD, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?’ Eze. 33:11

God declares that He has NO PLEASURE in the death of the wicked, but rather desires all men to repent and be saved (Acts 17:30, 2 Peter 3:9).

If God desires and commands all men to repent and be saved, it follows that He has created man with the ability to repent and be saved; otherwise He is an evil tyrant, commanding what He has made impossible.  Even the soon-to-be-murderer Cain was told that if he did right, he would be accepted! (Gen. 4:7) Why then are some never saved? Why do so many refuse to come to Jesus for salvation? Why has the Father not “given” or “drawn” that person to Jesus?

But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you. John 10:26

The Calvinist, well-trained in the interpretations of other men, reads this Scripture and quickly assumes that God has indiscriminately predetermined who His sheep will be. But was Jesus saying that?

Before the Word of God was made flesh and dwelt among us, those who were faithful to God—that is those who were right with God according to the provisions of the Old Covenant—were called God’s sheep:

Know that the LORD, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Psalm 100:3

When Jesus said, “You are not of my sheep,” He was claiming ownership of God’s sheep! He was, in effect, claiming to be equal with God. He was also openly accusing His detractors of being apostate from God–no longer His sheep.

Those Jews who had remained faithful to God through the Old Covenant, or who had recognized their backslidden condition and repented at the preaching of John the Baptist and Jesus, were prepared to receive and follow Jesus.

The Redeemer will come to Zion, and to those who turn from transgression in Jacob, says the LORD.  Isa. 59:20

Those Jews who merely honored God with their lips, but kept their hearts far from Him, did not believe on Jesus when He came. A prime example of this is the Pharisees, as Jesus testified:

“Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying: ‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’” Matt. 15:7-9

The unbelieving Pharisees were not “God’s sheep” because they were not faithful to the Old Testament covenant, which was the light they had already been given. They were transgressing the commandments of God to carry out their traditions (Matt. 15:6); neglecting justice, mercy and faithfulness (Matt. 23:13); filled with extortion and self-indulgence on the inside (Matt. 23:25); and only appeared clean on the outside—inside they were full of dead man’s bones, uncleanness, hypocrisy, and iniquity (Matt. 23:27-28).

The Pharisees claimed to follow Moses, yet Moses had prophesied thus:

“The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear, according to all you desired of the LORD your God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, ‘Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God, nor let me see this great fire anymore, lest I die.’  “And the LORD said to me: ‘What they have spoken is good.  I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him.  And it shall be that whoever will not hear My words, which He speaks in My name, I will require it of him.” Deut. 18:15-19

The Pharisees and other unbelieving Jews had rejected the Prophet—Jesus—whom Moses said they must listen to, proving they did not truly love and obey God—nor even listen to Moses!  If they loved God, they would have recognized His Messiah/Prophet.  If they were faithful to the light they had received, God would have given them more light.

Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me.” John 8:42

“But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you.” John 5:42

“It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me.” John 6:45

Jesus was not saying, as Calvinists falsely claim, that God pre-picked—apart from any personal choices—who would come to Jesus and who would be damned.  Jesus was emphasizing that the unbelieving Jews were apostate—they had refused to hear and learn from the Father, even though they claimed to be God’s people.  He was telling them the reason why they did not receive Him—it was because they were so far from God that they could not receive anything from God, not even His own Son. (See the parable Jesus spoke concerning the Pharisees in Mark 12:1-12.)

Jesus answered them and said, “My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me.  If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority.” John 7:16-17

Jesus taught that those who sincerely wanted to do God the Father’s will would be able to recognize that He Himself was true.  Those who had a teachable spirit toward God the Father would be pointed to Jesus Christ—the very Word of God—by God.  Those who accepted God’s witness through Moses, the law, and the prophets; would also accept Jesus Christ, since He Himself had come from God.  Those who were in rebellion against God the Father would naturally not listen to Jesus Christ any more than they listened to the earlier witnesses.  Jesus said of those who rejected the testimony of the earlier prophets,

“If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.”  Luke 16:31

Such needed to REPENT toward God first, and then He would draw them to the Son whom He had sent!

In Hosea 5:4, the backslidden people of Israel were thus accused:

They do not direct their deeds toward turning to their God, for the spirit of harlotry is in their midst, and they do not know the LORD.

Here we see that “directing our deeds toward turning to our God” is an important step toward salvation. This is repentance from evil deeds. Those who refuse to “direct their deeds toward turning to their God” will not “know the LORD,” just as many Jews did not know Him when He was standing right in front of them.

Does this principle apply only to the Jews, or does it apply to Gentiles also?

Concerning the gospel message, Paul said in Acts 20:20-21:

I kept back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed it to you, and taught you publicly and from house to house, testifying to Jews, and also to Greeks,

#1—repentance toward God and

#2—faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.

Repentance toward GOD is here listed before faith toward the Lord Jesus! It is significant that both John the Baptist and Jesus began their ministries preaching repentance toward God.  In fact, Jesus claimed:

“Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” Luke 13:5

Without repentance, then, there is no salvation according to Jesus!  Trying to “receive Jesus” without first repenting of your sins is like trying to grow seed in rocky, weedy, untilled soil.

Again, Paul testified before Agrippa that he preached to everyone that “they should repent, turn to God, and do works befitting repentance.” (Acts 26:20-21) Repentance is first!

Thus says the LORD: “Keep justice, and do righteousness, for My salvation is about to come, and My righteousness to be revealed. “ Isa. 56:1

Here, God was telling the Old Testament sheep to keep a clean slate with God because the Messiah was about to come!

God … now commands all men everywhere to repent. Acts 17:30

To him who orders his conduct aright I will show the salvation of God. Psalm 50:23

Who is the salvation of God whom God will show to the one who first orders his conduct aright?

Salvation is “in Christ Jesus” (2 Tim. 2:10). He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life through whom men can be saved (John 14:6).

Nor is there salvation in any other [than Jesus Christ], for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. Acts 4:12

While Jesus Christ is the only Way to be reconciled to God, it can also be said that repentance toward God is the way to Jesus Christ. A man still holding onto his sins does not yet realize how desperately vile they are, so how can he appreciate how much he needs Jesus Christ?  (The lack of repentance in today’s popular “gospel” message is a major reason why so many professors of Christianity are still in their sins! They remain unsaved.)

A wonderful illustration of the truth that God will show His salvation to the one who “orders his conduct aright”  is the story of the Gentile Cornelius in Acts 10. Cornelius was said to be “a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always.” (vs. 2) This man was divinely instructed by an angel to seek out the apostle Peter, and to “hear words from him.” Those words included the testimony of Jesus Christ. After the Gentiles present heard those words, the Holy Spirit fell on them, showing that God’s salvation was for Gentiles as well as for Jews.  Peter testified:

In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality.  But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him. Acts 10:34-35

Who is accepted? The one who fears GOD and works righteousness (repents of evil deeds.) Cornelius feared God first, then God sent him to Peter so that Peter could teach him that “whoever believes in Him (Jesus) will receive remission of sins.” (vs. 43)  Would Cornelius have been open to this message of having his sins remitted through Jesus Christ if he had not feared God first?

The one who seeks God with the whole heart is promised to find Him. If you seek after God, God will make the Way to Himself open to you. He will lead you to Jesus Christ, through Whom you can be saved. If a man does not seek God, neither will he have any true regard for Jesus.  This is the message Jesus was relaying in John 6: 37, 44.

Those who reject the light they’ve already been given will lose whatever light they had.

Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you…While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light. John 12:35-36

Therefore take heed how you hear. For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him. Luke 8:18

Stephen–a man “full of the Holy Spirit”–testified to the unbelieving Jews that stoned him,

You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you. Acts 7:51

Did God indiscriminately keep the unbelieving Jews from Jesus, or were those Jews guilty of resisting the Holy Spirit of God? Friends, the truth is that God “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth,” but we reap what we sow.  (I Tim. 2:4, Gal. 6:7)

In Romans 1:18-25, we see the progression into error by those who reject what God has already revealed to them:

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.  Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.  Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

Paul testified to the men of Athens:

And He [God] has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us. Acts 17:26-27

Clearly, God WANTS all men to “grope for Him and find Him.” Unfortunately, many reject the light they already have—the dual witness of creation and their own conscience—and darkness overtakes them.

Salvation is far from the wicked, for they do not seek Your statutes. Psalm 119:155

Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. John 12:35

There are many promises in Scripture that those who seek God with all their heart will find Him. The promise is open to everyone!

But from there [when you are in distress] you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul. Deut. 4:29

And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. Jer. 29:13

You who seek God, your hearts shall live. Psa. 69:32

Seek Me and live. Amos 5:4

I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently will find me. Prov. 8:17

So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Luke 11:9-10

Friend, those who repent of sin and seek God with their whole heart will be led to place their faith in and follow the Word of God, who is Jesus!  Salvation is open to all who meet God’s requirements!

And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely. Rev. 22:17

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16

Whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved. Rom. 10:13

Whoever believes in Him [Jesus] will receive remission of sins. Acts 10:43

Come to Me [Jesus], all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Matt. 11:28

Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. Luke 9:23-24

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. Rom. 1:16

Those who come He shall cause to take root in Jacob; Israel shall blossom and bud and fill the face of the world with fruit. Isa 27:5

God bless you!

The Case Against Calvinism

If you have been influenced by Calvinism, or you would like to know more about it, please take the time to watch this excellent video by Jesse Morrell called, “Indictments Against Calvinism.”  God bless you.

Desolation

Nations are made “desolate” because of

• Evil doings (Jer 44:22),
• Not listening to God’s word (Jer 22:5),
• Refusing to be instructed by God (Jer 6:8),
• Shedding innocent blood (Joel 3:19),
• Despising God’s judgments and statutes (Lev 26:43),
• Dwelling carelessly (Zeph 2:15),
• Violence (Eze 12:19),
• Trespass (Eze 15:8),
• Killing their babies (Eze 20:26),
• Rebellion against God (Hos 13:16),
• Evil doings reap a harvest of evil (Mic 7:13).

The church is made desolate because of

• Evil pastors (Jer 12:10),
• No man layeth it to heart (Jer 12:11).
• The fierceness of the oppressor and God’s fierce anger.  (Jer 25:38) (Oppressors are promised to the disobedient)
• God due to their wickedness & idolatry (Jer 44:3),
• Refusing to listen to God’s prophets (Jer 44:4-5),
• Refusing to humble themselves and repent of their sins even to this day (Jer 44:10),
• Committing abominations and evil which the Lord can no longer stand (Jer 44:22),
• Refusing to obey the voice of the Lord (Jer 44:23),
• Killing or persecuting God’s prophets and refusing to be gathered to Jesus (Matt 23:34-38).

From Daniel 9, the church is made desolate because of:

• Sin, iniquity, doing wickedly, rebellion, departing from God’s precepts and judgments (vs 5),
• Not listening to God’s prophets (vs 6),
• Trespassing against God (vs 7),
• Not obeying the voice of God or walking in His laws (vs 10),
• Departing from God (vs 11),
• God is faithful to confirm His words by bringing evil on those who disobey (vs 12),
• Not praying a prayer of repentance, turning from iniquity to understand God’s truth (vs 13),
• God is righteous, therefore brings evil upon the unrepentant and disobedient (vs 14).

“Therefore is the sanctuary desolate.” (17)

Individual’s “houses” can be made “desolate” also, according to Acts 1:20, concerning the apostle Judas who by transgression fell away.  In Matt 7:22-29, Jesus taught that it was the man who not only hears the Word but puts it into practice, whose “house” shall not be destroyed.  The “house” is the individual’s life, which shall only be preserved by the one who is careful to do the Word of God.

Compilation of DESOLATION Scriptures for Further Study (KJV)

Lev 26:31 “I will make your cities waste, and bring your sanctuaries unto desolation…”

Lev 26:32 “I will bring the land into desolation and your enemies which dwell therein shall be astonished at it.”

Josh 8:28 “Joshua burnt Ai, and made it…even a desolation…”

2 Kin 22:19  “Because thine heart was tender, and thou hast humbled thyself before the Lord, when thou heardeest what I spake against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and has rent thy clothes, and wept before me;  I also have heard thee, saith the Lord.”

2 Ch 30:7  “And be not ye like your fathers, and like your brethren, which trespassed against the LORD God of their fathers, who therefore gave them up to desolation…”

Psa 73:19  How are they brought into desolation, as in a moment!  they are utterly consumed with terrors.

Pro 1:27 “When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirl wind; and when distress and anguish cometh upon you.

Pro. 3:25 Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither o fthe desolation of the wicked, when it cometh.

Isa 10:3  And what will ye do in the day of visitation, and in the desolation which shall come from far?  to whom will ye flee for help?  and where will ye leave your glory?

Isa 17:9  In that day shall his strong cities be as a forsaken bough, and an uppermost branch, which they left because of the children of Israel;  and there shall be desolation.

Isa 24:12  In the city is left desolation, and the gate is smitten with destruction.

Isa 47:11  Therefore shall evil com upon thee; thou shalt not know from whence it riseth:  and mischief shall fall upon thee; thou shalt not be able to put it off:  and desolation shall come upon thee suddenly, which thou shalt not know.

Isa 51:19  These two things are come unto thee; who shall be sorry for thee?  desolation, and destruction, and the famine, and the sword:  by whom shall I comfort thee?

Isa 64:10  They holy cities are a wilderness, Zion is a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation.

Jer 22:5  But if ye will not hear these words, I swear by myself, saith the LORD, that this house shall become a desolation.

Jer 25:11  And this whol land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment;  and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.

Jer 25:18  To wit, Jerusalem, and the cities of Judah, and the kings thereof, and the princes thereof, to make them a desolation, an astonishment, an hissing, and a curse; asit is this day;

Jer 34:22  “…and I will make the cities of Judah a desolation without an inhabitant.”

Jer 44:2  Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel;  Ye have seen all the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem, and upon all the cities of Judah;  and, behold, this day they are a desolation, and no man dwelleth therein,

Jer 44:22  So that the LORD could no longer bear, because of the evil of your doings, and because of the abominations which ye have committed;  therefore is your land a desolation, and an astonishment, and a curse, without inhabitant as at this day.

Jer 49:13 “…Bozrah shall become a desolation…”

Jer 49:17  “…Edom shall be a desolation…”

Jer 49:33 “…Hazor shall be…a desolation…”

Jer 50:23  “How is the hammer of the whole earth cut asunder and broken!  how is Babylon become a desolation among the nations!”

Jer 51:29  And the land shall tremble and sorrow: for every purpose of the LORD shall be performed against Babylon, to make thaland of Babylon a desoation without an inhabitant.

Jer 51:43  Her cities are a desolation, a dry land, and a wilderness, a land wherein no man dwelleth, neither doth any son of man pass thereby.

Lam 3:47  Fear and a snare is come upon us, desolation and destruction.

Eze 7:27  “…and the prince shall be clothed with desolation, and the hands of the people of the land shall be troubled:  I will do unto them after their way, and according to their deserts will I judge them; and they shall know that I am the LORD.”

Eze 23:33  Thou shalt be filled with drunkenness and sorrow, with the cup of astonishment and desolation…

Dan 8:13 Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto that certain saint which spake, How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot?

Hos 12:1  ” Ephraim….daily increaseth lies and desolation…”

Joel 3:19  Egypt shall be a desolation, and Edom shall be a desolate wilderness, for the violence against the children of Judah, because they have shed innocent blood in their land.

Micah 6:16  For the statutes of Omri are kept, and all the works of the house of Ahab, and ye walk in their counsels; that I should make thee a desolation…

Zeph 1:13  Therefore their goods shall become a booty, and their houses a desolation…

Zeph 1:15  That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness,

Zeph 2:4  For Gaza shall be forsaken, and Ashhelon a desolation…

Zeph 2:9  Therefore…surely Moab shall be as Sodom, and the children of Ammon as Gomorrah…a perpetual desolation…

Zeph 2:13  And he will…make Ninevah a desolation and dry like a wilderness

Zeph 2:14  …desolation shall be in the thresholds…

Zeph 2:15  This is the rejoicing city that dwelt carelessly, that said in her heart, I am, and there is none beside me: how she is become a desolation…

Matt 12:25  And Jesus knew their thoughts and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation;  and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand [also Luke 11:17]

Matt 24:15  When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)

Mark 13:14  But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation spoken by Daniel  the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains:

Luke 21:20  And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh.

Compilation of DESOLATE Scriptures (not exhaustive)

Lev 26:22  I will also send wild beasts among you, which shall rob you of your children, and destroy your cattle, and make you few in number;  and you high ways shall be desolate.

Lev 26:33 And I will scatter you among the heathen, and will draw out a sword after you: and your land whall be desolate, and your cities waste.

Lev 26:43  The land…shall be left…desolate without them: and they shall accept of the punishment of their iniquity:  because, even because they despised my judgments, and because their soul abhorred my statutes.

Job 15:34  For the congregation of hypocrites shall be desolate, and fire shall consume the tabernacles of bribery.

Psa 34:21  Evil shall slay the wicked: and they that hate the righteous shall be desolate.

Isa 1:7  Your country is desolate, your cities are burned with fire: your land, strangers devour it in your presence, and it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers.

Isa 6:11  Then said I, Lord, how long?  And he answered, Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land utterly desolate

Isa 13:9  Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.

Isa 24:6  Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate: therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left.

Isa 27:10 Yet the defenced city shall be desolate….

Isa 59:10  We grope for the wall like the blind, and we grope as if we had no eyes: we stumble at noonday as in the night;  we are in desolate places as dead men.

Jer 2:12  Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid, be ye very desolate, saith the LORD.

Jer 4:7 …he is gone forth from his place to make thy land desolate…

Jer 4:27  For thus hath the LORD said, The whole land shall be desolate;  yet will I not make a full end.

Jer 6:8  Be thou instructed, O Jerusalem, lest my soul depart from thee; lest I make thee desolate, a land not inhabited.

Jer 9:11  And I will make Jerusalem heaps, and a den of dragons;  and I will make the cities of Judah desolate, wihout an inhabitant.

Jer 10:25  Pour out thy fury upon the heathen that know thee not, and upon the families that call not on thy name:  for they have eaten up Jacob, and devoured him, and consumed him, and have made his habitation desolate.

Jer 12:10  Many pastors have destroyed my vineyard, they have trodden my portion under foot, they have made my pleasant portion a desolate wilderness.

Jer 12:11 They have made it desolate, and being desolate it mourneth unto me; the whole land is made desolate because no man layeth it to heart.

Jer 19:8  And I will make this city desolate…

Jer 25:38  He hath forsaken his covert (tabernacle), as the lion: for their land is desolate because of the fierceness of the oppressor, and because of his fierce anger.

Jer 44:6  Wherefore my fury and mine anger was poured forth, and was kindled in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem; and they are wasted and desolate, as at this day.

Lam 1:4  The ways of Zion do mourn, because none come to her solemn feasts:  all her gates are desolate:  her priests sigh, her virgins are afflicted, and she is in bitterness.

Lam 1:16  for these things  weep;    mine eye, mine eye runneth down with water, because the comforter that should relieve my soul is far from me:  my children are desolate, because the enemy prevailed.

Lam 4:5  They that did feed delicately are desolate in the streets:  they that were brought up in scarlet embrace dunghills.

Lam 5:18  Because of the mountain of Zion, which is desolate, the foxes walk upon it.

Eze 6:4  And your altars shall be desolate, and your images shall be broken:  and I will cast down your slain men before your idols. (as a sacrifice?)

Ez 6:6  In all your dwellingplaces the cities shall be laid waste and the high places shall be desolate;  that your altars may be laid waste and made desolate, and your idols may be broken and cease, and your images may be cut down, and your works may be abolished.

Eze 6:14  So I will stretch out my hand upon them, and make the land desolate…

Eze 12:19  …that her land may be desolate from all that is therein, because of the violence of all of them that dwell therein.

Eze 14:16  Though these three men were in it, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters;  they only shall be delivered, but the land shall be desolate.

Eze 15:8  And I will make the land desolate, because they have committed a trespass, saith the Lord GOD.

Ez 20:26  And I polluted them in their own gifts, in that they caused to pass through the fire all that openeth the womb, that I might make them desolate, to the end that they might know that I am the LORD.

Ez 33:28  For I will lay the land most desolate, and the pomp of her strength shall cease;  and the mountains of Israel shall be desolate, that none shall pass through.

Ez 33:29  then shall they know that I am the LORD, when I have laid the land most desolate because of all their abominations which they have committed.

Ez  35:14  Thus saith the Lord GOD; When the whole earth rejoiceth, I will make thee desolate.

Ez 36:3 (enemies made Israel desolate…rest of chapter gives hope for future of repentant)

Dan 9:17  Now therefore O our God, hear the prayer of thy servant, and his supplications, and cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord’s sake.

Dan 9:27  And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

Dan 11:31  And arms shall stand (be employed, serve) on his part and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate.

Dan 12:11  And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.

Hos 13:16  Samaria shall become desolate; for she hath rebelled against her God:….

Joel 1:18  …the flocks of sheep are made desolate.

Joel 2:3  A fire devoureth before them;  and behind them a flame burneth:  the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness;  yea, and nothing shall escape them.

Joel 3:19  …Edom shall be a desolate wilderness, for the violence against the children of Judah, because they have shed innocent blood in their land.

Amos 7:9  And the high places of Isaac shall be desolate, and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste…

Micah 1:7 …and all the idols thereof will I lay desolate…

Micah 6:13  Therefore also will I make thee sick in smiting thee, in making thee desolate because of thy sins.

Micah 7:13  Notwithstanding the land shall be desolate because of them that dwell therein, for the fruit of their doings.

Matt. 23:38  Behold your house is left unto you desolate. (also Luke 13:35)

Acts 1:20 (speaking of Judas, quoting Psalms) …Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein…

Rev 17:16  And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. ( nations will hate the hypocritical religion, expose and destroy her.)

Rev 18:19  And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas, that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness!  for in one hour is she made desolate.

Love Warns the Wicked

The follower of Jesus is known by his love—love for God and love for his neighbor.

However, in this day and age, we need to be careful not to define “love” by the devil’s dictionary. This world, which is under the control of the “god of this world”—satan—would have us believe that love tolerates and keeps silent in the face of wickedness. Nothing could be further from the truth.

As Christians, we are called to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. If you want to know why the earth has not been preserved, and why wickedness has gotten the upper hand, look no further than the professing church. She has become a silent accomplice to the spread of wickedness, and often harbors wicked men within her very gates. When she preaches at all, she often preaches an effeminate Jesus and an easy “salvation” that allows men to serve two masters—God and their sin. She is afraid to tell sinners the truth because someone might think her unloving. So she lets the sinners remain under the wrath of God rather than risk offending them. What she thinks is love is really an inexcusable hatred. It is spiritual mass murder.

From the prophet even to the priest, everyone deals falsely. They have also healed the hurt of My people slightly, saying, ‘Peace, peace!’ When there is no peace. (Jer. 6:13-14) “There is no peace,” says the LORD, “for the wicked.” (Isa. 48:22) In short, when we treat the wicked as if they can have peace with God while they are still in their sins, we are giving them a false hope to cling to as they perish. Not very loving, is it?

True disciples of Christ preserve righteousness with their salt, and expose with their light what is hidden in darkness. Our testimony makes men angry, for men often love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil (John 3:19-20). In this way, we are like our Master, Jesus, who said the world hated Him because He testified of it that its works were evil (John 7:7). Are we more loving than Jesus Christ? Do we dare to think we have a better way to “love” the world than He did? Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends (John 15:13). Too many professing Christians are preserving their own lives by refusing to tell the whole truth, rather than preserving the lives of those they profess to love.

The one who loves God obeys God’s Word (I John 2:5). The one who does this will also love his neighbor as himself—by obeying God’s command to “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” (Mark 16:15) But it isn’t enough to go out and preach a message—Jesus said it was possible to be zealous missionaries that make other men “twice as much a son of hell” as we are! (Matt. 23:15) There is probably no more zealous group of missionaries in the world than the “Jehovah’s Witnesses.” However, their zeal is not according to knowledge (Romans 10:2); thus they are the blind leading the blind, and both the missionary and the convert will fall into the ditch (Matt. 15:14). Going into all the world preaching is not enough—we need to make sure we are giving the correct message that leads people to eternal life. A false plan of salvation will not save.

The disciple who loves God and keeps His Word will be eager to share with others the “good news” that Jesus came to “save His people from their sins.”

This gospel message will include:

1. The necessity of godly sorrow for and repentance from all known sin. (Matt. 9:13, 11:20-41; Mark 1:4,15; 6:12; Luke 13:3-5, 15:7, 24:47; Acts 3:19, 11:18, 17:30, 20:21; 2 Cor. 7:10; 2 Peter 3:9; James 1:21)

2. The necessity of obedient faith in Jesus Christ—crucified, buried, risen and coming again. (Matt. 11:28-30; Mark 16:16; Romans 10:9; I John 3:6-10; 1 Cor. 15:1-4)

3. The necessity of abiding in Christ, and through Him producing good fruits, practical righteousness and holiness. (Matt. 3:8, 13:23; John 15; Heb. 12:14, 1 John 3:7-10, James 2:14-26)

4. The necessity of enduring to the end in right relationship with God. (Matt. 10:22; Gal. 6:8-9; Heb. 3: 14).

All of these elements are present in the New Testament in connection with salvation, thus to leave out any part is to hinder a person from being set free by knowing the whole Truth.

It is fundamentally important that every sinning soul be told that “the soul who sins shall die” (Eze. 18:4), and “your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.” (Isa. 59:2) The one who is still dead in sins can expect no good thing from God, for “the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness.” (Rom. 1:18) God is a just judge, and God is angry with the wicked every day (Psa. 7:11). We do the wicked no favors when we hold back this awful truth!

God has revealed what He thinks of—and how He will respond to—those who claim to be His witnesses, yet do not warn the wicked to repent.

“Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore hear a word from My mouth, and give them warning from Me: When I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life, that same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand. Yet, if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul.” (Eze. 3:17-19)

Notice, the watchman is to “warn the wicked from his wicked way.” It is not enough to get a man to acknowledge he is a sinner; almost anybody will acknowledge this. The wicked man must be warned that his wicked way will KILL him (spiritually), and he must turn from it or perish. If the watchman does not warn him, and he dies because of his sin, GOD WILL REQUIRE HIS BLOOD AT THE WATCHMAN’S HAND. God counts this as spiritual murder. Furthermore, if the watchman is faithful to give the proper warning, THEN his own soul will be delivered. Friends, this is deadly serious. The watchman, approved of God and knowing the Word of God—his very own soul stands in jeopardy, depending on whether or not he is faithful to deliver God’s warning to the wicked. (See also Eze. 33:8-11, 14-16)

How about when a righteous man turns to sin? What should we tell him? Should we tell him to just look back to his past moment of faith and rest in that? NO!

“When a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die; because you did not give him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he has done shall not be remembered; but his blood I will require at your hand. Nevertheless if you warn the righteous man that the righteous should not sin, and he does not sin, he shall surely live because he took warning; also you will have delivered your soul.” (Eze. 3: 20-21; see also Eze. 33:12-13)

Notice that this righteous man who turns back to sin must also be warned that his sin will kill him. It doesn’t matter if he “asked Jesus into his heart as a child.” He must repent of his sins or they will kill him. “Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?” (Rom. 6:16)

The wages of sin is still death (Rom. 6:23; Gal. 6:7-9; James 1:15). For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God (1 John 3:7-9). A previously righteous man needs to be warned to repent of his sins, because “sin is lawlessness. And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin.” (1 John 3:4-5) Because this man is not abiding in Christ, he is “cast out as a branch and withered,” and is now in danger of being thrown into the fire and burned (John 15: 1-8). A proper warning can lead him to life if he takes heed and repents, but if the watchman fails to warn him, the watchman is accountable for his blood. To deliver his own soul, the watchman MUST give warning to the wicked!

God spoke thus through the prophet Isaiah, “Cry aloud, spare not; lift up your voice like a trumpet; tell My people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.” (Isa. 58:1) Why? Because if we don’t warn them, they will perish in their sins, and God is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. (Acts 17:30, 2 Peter 3:9)

Paul said, “Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men…” (2 Cor. 5:11) Do we also know the terror of the Lord? Are we also persuading men? Are we giving them the whole truth, so as to give them every opportunity to inherit the kingdom of God? Are we convincing, rebuking, and exhorting “with all longsuffering and teaching”? Are we—through the Holy Ghost—convicting the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment? (John 16:8) “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.” (2 Tim. 4:2-4)

God is love, and God warns the wicked. Thus, love warns the wicked. Love wants no man to die. The man filled with God’s love would rather sacrifice himself than watch the wicked perish unwarned.

‘As I live,’ says the Lord GOD, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die?’ (Eze. 33:11)

If we refuse to warn the wicked to turn from his wicked way, we dare not claim to be God’s, for we are ashamed of His Words (Luke 9:26), and we prove by our self-serving silence that we do not love our neighbor as ourselves.