Issued: 2/25/23

PLEASE NOTE:  All bracketed material may be authorial comments, attempts at proper syntax, or minimal rewordings of Scripture for the sake of clarity and continuity.  These emendations will not be italicized.  The “/” will be used to signify “and/or.”

   In differentiating between Yahweh of hosts [later Jesus] and Yahweh the Most High God, lower case letters have been used when discussing the former; upper case letters are reserved for the One and Only Highest God.  Since Jesus was at pains to differentiate himself from God the Father, we have followed his lead here.

   The term neo-Christians will be used to differentiate between false Christians and Jesus’ true followers.

  

Very little of what passes for Christianity today has to do with Biblical objectives (Deuteronomy 30:11-20; Isaiah 28:13).  This is easily proven when comparing the warnings of Old and New Testaments vis-à-vis what is preached from Christian pulpits.  The Bible teaches us who and what to avoid, for in a very real sense Judeo-Christians are at war with malevolent forces—both human and demonic—acting as vectors for Satan (Ephesians 2:2, 6:11-12,16; 1Peter 5:8; Revelation 12:17).  At stake is the salvation of our souls:  Side with the world and become God’s enemy (Ezra 8:22; Galatians 1:10; James 4:4); side with Him and expect to be baptized with the fire of trials and tribulations (Zechariah 13:14↔Psalms 50:5, Isaiah 48:10; Matthew 3:11; 2Timothy 3:12; Hebrews 12:4-8).  We are caught between the proverbial Rock and a hard phase; so the Disneyesque take on life evangelicals preach lacks Biblical precedent.

   Because suffering is such a downer, this has always been a thorny issue.  Why deny it?  The Apostles tried to temper unpalatable realities with high-minded appeals (Romans 8:17; Hebrews 12:10-11; 1Peter 1:6-7, 3:17, 4:13, 5:6-10; 2Peter 1:3-7); Jesus himself thought it best to hold back daunting facts until the proper time (John 16:12); but bottom line, there were personal costs to pay even to the extent of death.  Human nature relishes fun and games; which is the reason why when things are honky-dory, people forget God (Hosea 13:6), but when disasters strike they bemoan His absence.  We saw this with the Exodus Israelites:  It was hard going en route to the promised land; manna, the bread from heaven symbolizing Jesus (John 6:51) was not tasty or satisfying enough (Exodus 16:31; Numbers 21:5); so they rued present hardships vis-à-vis roofs over their heads and goodies back in Egypt (Exodus 16:3)—quickly forgetting the daily drudgery left behind (Exodus 2:23, 5:6-21; Ecclesiastes 7:10).

   It has always been thus with men.  When wars, famine, or catastrophes strike, men hark back to Isaiah 45:7 or Revelation 6:1-8↔Jeremiah 14:12, Ezekiel 14:21 as proof that disasters are ‘acts of God’; but the interpretation is more nuanced:  Foreknowing that in his hatred for mankind Satan will unleash these horrors, God warns men what to expect once they have defaulted on His covenants of obedience—whereupon He remands them over to Satan.  You see, unlike human leaders who pass the buck for their actions, God, Who loathes hypocrisy in any shape or form, owns up to His.  Consider, then, God’s infinite patience in being bad-mouthed (Isaiah 42:14) for things men brought upon themselves.  While Satan may be the scourge of mankind, he is not the loose cannon Hollywood propaganda makes him out to be:  He too is under control by his Almighty Overlord.

   Our main problem is that we are so focused on the goodness of God that we have neglected an equally vital aspect of His personality: His severity (Romans 11:22).  Having told us about the consequences of disobedience, He will take measures to nip them in the bud—fingers crossed, because given human stubbornness, they do not always work (Leviticus 26:23-24; Jeremiah 2:29-31; Hosea 11:2).  Remember Numbers 23:19:  “God is not a human being, that He should lie, or a mortal, that He should change His mind. Has He promised, and will He not do it? Has He spoken, and will He not fulfill it”?  As discussed before, all His promises are assured/ensured by His spoken oath (Hebrews 16:17-18).

   However, our self-elected religious leaders have adopted a different tack.  If God is love (1John 4:8), anything goes, including forgiveness by default; which has never been the case, for as Isaiah 1:16-20 makes clear, to be forgiven one must first repent and then bear fruits worthy of that repentance (Matthew 3:8,10).  Or that other spiritually bankrupt moldie goldie, the belief that no matter evil deeds done throughout one’s life, forgiveness is to be had if repenting at the umpteenth hour or by calling on God—of which Judas (Matthew 27:3-5) and Esau (Romans 9:13; Hebrews 12:16-17) exemplify such is not the case.  In modern evangelism God has been turned into an amoral loving machine, a teddy bear of a Father His children can run circles around, willing to forgive and forget no matter whatever transgressions.  And with this rosy view of reality, false preachers have helped Satan score bull’s-eyes among the Judeo-Christian rank and file far and wide.

   But rather than lay the blame exclusively on them, let us look far afield, for it is those beholden to them of their own volition who enable and abet the destruction of themselves and others (2Peter 2:19).  A bona fide Judeo-Christian preacher never ever achieves worldly acclaim because the divine message nukes human egos (Proverbs 9:7, 15:10):  Jesus was proof and warned us of this (John 15:18-19); and the Apostles followed suit (Acts 4:1-3, 7:52, 13:44-50, 17:5-8,13).  Any Judeo-Christian evangelist with mass appeal is not to be trusted.

  For evidence we have the usual suspects:  The Jews of antiquity.  No sooner had Moses gone to meet Yahweh of hosts and delayed his return,¹ the Israelites turned to Aaron, their high priest, to switch allegiance from Yahweh to false gods—with dismal consequences in terms of family ties (Exodus 32:1-29).  Thanks to Moses’ intercession, those who made amends of sorts but were not entirely out of the woods were reserved for Judgment Day (Exodus 32:30-34).  No matter what, before or after, repentance or not, there is always a price to pay for past transgressions (Jeremiah 30:11).  With God there is no such thing as a clean slate.  There is, however, the possibility of reconciliation once corrective measures have been implemented (Isaiah 1:3-6,16-18).

   We also have Isaiah 30:10-11:  The people telling their religious leaders to stop confronting them with disturbing warnings and instead preach rosy prognostications.  We find these in today’s assurances that we are in the midst of a spiritual revival—even if the Bible tells us that a falling away from faith must precede the second coming of Jesus (Matthew 24:5,12,24; 2Thessalonians 2:2-4).  Men are suckers for good news and pious bromides; they want to hear alternative gospels that cater to their whims and expectations.  Thus, religious leaders exalt family bonds—whereas Jesus did not (Matthew 5:46, 10:34-37; Luke 14:26).  Marriage is exalted—whereas Jesus and the Apostles, while not prohibiting it,² viewed it as an obstacle to a more ideal state (Matthew 19:12; Luke 12:51-53, 20:24-26; 1Corinthians 7:9,32-35).  God wants us to be happy, so that we are encouraged to enjoy living—whereas divine expectations run the other way (Isaiah 22:12-14; Matthew 19:29; Luke 17:26-29; James 4:3-4; Revelation 12:11).  There is a divine standard and a corresponding human substandard.

Two Glaring Examples

   Let us expand a bit on Sunday worship.  We know from history that the Jewish Sabbath was changed to Sunday when Roman Catholicism became pagan Rome’s new religion.  The Bible, however, tells us that following Jesus’ example, the seventh day of the Commandment was still being observed in connection with the study of God’s word (Acts 1:12, 13:44, 16:13, 17:22, 18:4).  Acts 20:7 is particularly telling:  Paul and some disciples had gathered to eat the Lord’s Supper; but because Paul’s speech lasted until midnight, the Sabbath had ended at sunset and the first day of the week, Sunday, had begun.  We know from the Gospels that Jesus died late Friday afternoon and had been denied a proper burial because the Sabbath of the Commandment was starting (Luke 23:44-46,53-56), so that he resurrected early Sunday morning, the first day of the week (John 20:14).  This first day is referenced in 1Corinthians 16:2:  It is not the day alluded to in Revelation 1:10, as dogma postulates.  John clearly states he was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day when given Revelation, which can only mean the specific day of which Jesus himself claimed to be Lord (Matthew 12:8; Mark 2:27-28)—way long before 4 CE events.

   If this knowledge is within everyone’s reach (Deuteronomy 30:11-4); and knowing God’s nonnegotiable position regarding seventh day observance (Exodus 20:8-11; Nehemiah 13:16-18; Isaiah 58:13-14; Ezekiel 22:26), why is it that Sunday worshippers do not fear their transgression?  Because their religious leaders have taught them it makes no difference as long as God is worshipped:  Is it not the intention that counts?  Which brings to mind God’s assessment of the situation in Isaiah 29:13:  “These people draw near to Me with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. Their worship of Me is but rules taught by men”; which in turn flags the warnings:  He will look favorably on those who tremble at His word (Isaiah 66:2) and will listen only to those God-fearing enough to obey Him (John 9:31).

   Bottom line:  Sunday prayers, however well-intentioned, may not rise above church roofs (Proverbs 28:9-10; Lamentations 3:44).  God is not interested in half-hearted worship but in unconditional obedience to what is written in the Bible (1Samuel 15:23; Ecclesiastes 3:14; Isaiah 1:13-15).  We were warned:  His thoughts and ways do not jibe with ours (Isaiah 55:8).

    Ditto Marian worship, or as it is known today—as in antiquity—the cult of some heavenly queen.  No females amongst Yahweh’s rank and file, folks; though angels are sexless (Matthew 22:30), gender is most definitely the issue:  God is Man, Jesus is Son, the Holy Spirit that of male Deity, and all angels depicted in the Scriptures are male. ³ One of the most salient aspects of Scripture is its unapologetic patriarchy vis-à-vis the matriarchal or co-ed religions of antiquity.  Adam was God’s supreme creation; Eve was an afterthought to facilitate Adam’s endeavors (Genesis 2:20-21); though here we should not be so simplistic as to overlook the substantive message implicit in their creation:  Adam was Jesus’ stand-in as Eve was the stand-in for Jesus’ Church, flesh of his flesh extracted from the same area pierced during his crucifixion (Genesis 2:21-22; John 19:34-37↔Zechariah 12:10; Ephesians 5:22-32↔see correspondence between verse 27, Song of Solomon 4:7, and 2Corinthians 11:2; Revelation 1:17).

   Thus there was never a heavenly queen in the orthodox Judeo-Christianity pantheon—nowhere except in the minds of men seeded with Satan’s wiles.  Which is the reason, by the way, why female symbols in Scripture pose dangers to men:  Eve vis-à-vis Adam (Genesis 3:6,17); Potiphar’s wife vis-à-vis Joseph (Genesis 39:7-20); Delilah vis-à-vis Samson (Judges 16:4-20); Solomon vis-à-vis his concubines (1Kings 11:3-13)—which may have informed his disparaging observation in Ecclesiastes 7:26-28.  However, Ecclesiastes unveils a wiser Solomon apparently rehabbed of his carnal failings; so it is possible that the woman who lacked the excellence of his one righteous man [Jesus-like?] may symbolize the adulterous church that betrays her fealty to the absent husband by seducing unwary souls (Proverbs 6:26, 7:19-22).  Paul’s argument that women should not nor are they called to preach the Gospel to men were rooted on Eve’s precedent (1Corinthians 14:33-37; 1Timothy 2:11-14).

  Thus if zealous female preachers choose to disobey Paul, that is their existential choice; but Paul, not them, was the instrument specifically chosen by Jesus to teach doctrine to us (Acts 9:15; Galatians 2:7).  He was confirmed in the Bible for us to know whose teachings to trust and rely on.  However wise some female evangelists may sound, their messages are more about confronting everyday life challenges than how to remain steadfastly obedient to God.  If the Holy Spirit is the de facto inspirer of Scripture (2Peter 1:20-21), and Jesus selected Paul to teach us (Acts 9:15), then the Holy Spirit moved Paul to write 1Corinthians 14:33-37 and 1Timothy 2:11-14.  If women wish to countermand the Holy Spirit’s orders, fine and dandy; but you, their receptive audiences, are harking to the wrong trees.

   If in the chain of command between God and men women are the weakest link, Satan will appropriate female symbols to sow his deceptions.  Babylon the Great, his church, is a woman; and if predominant on the world stage, while not insinuate Marian worship through her, especially with Jesus’ mother cast as heavenly queen?  No doubt a win-win situation, knowing how men venerate their mothers; something, by the way, Jesus could not be accused of,  given his dismissive treatment—bordering on rudeness—of earthly Mary (Luke 8:20-21; John 2:4, 19:26).  And poor Joseph, perhaps because Jesus took his Matthew 23:9 radically, was equally dismissed (Luke 2:48-49) and never written about again.

   No need to belabor what is so glaringly obvious in the Synoptic Gospels, though it is in Jeremiah 44:15-28 that the most damning case is made.  Note that though proscribed by God, “women” claimed to worship their heavenly queen with the consent of their “husbands” (Jeremiah 44:19).  It would be simplistic to conclude that only females were involved in this cult, just as Marian worship remains a co-ed endeavor to this day.  In point of fact, the architects of Mariology were men building over centuries their particular wall of deception [à la Ezekiel 13:10-14?]; whereas for the most part female visionaries factored in unholy practices—rosary prayers, amulets, requests for shrines in high places—in support of male dogma.  It makes greater sense to do the following conversions:  women = congregations; husbands = religious leaders in charge of them.  Devotees have enshrined ‘Mary’ in their hearts because their religious leaders have made it ‘kosher’ to do so.

   But in this case it is not only a matter of record, as it is with the Sabbath:  There have been apparitions and miracles associated with some supernatural presence claiming to be Jesus’ mother.  Faith challenges us to believe fully in unseen realities (Romans 8:24; Hebrews 11:1), which is why those who have mastered this skill are exalted by Jesus (John 20:29) and embraced by God (Hebrews 11:6).  But unspiritual men rely more on vision than on what-ifs (1Corinthians 2:14); hence a) science, Satan’s counter-gospel chock-full with evidence that trump faith in empirical minds; and b) Marian miracles that nullify the very essence of faith.  If even Jesus had to make headway by performing miracles in order for men to believe (John 4:48), imagine what miracles associated with Marian apparitions will not fail to accomplish!

   The synergy between Marian worship and death-dealing idolatry (Revelation 21:8) is as evident as the nose in front of our faces; and though accepted without question in times past, a new spin has been given to Marian idols as well as those of beatified men:  It is not the idol that is worshipped but what it stands for.  Ingenious but disingenuous, since the Second eternal and immutable Commandment clearly states that one is not to fashion idols in whatever shape, form, or semblance to created beings (Exodus 20:4).  No matter how one tries to whitewash this issue, God forbids their existence.

   Still, this is what the queen of heaven, overriding the Most High’s wishes, has committed herself to do, from Juan Diego’s tilma at Guadalupe to icons appealing and specific to national identities, races, ethnicities, and fashion statements.  What a jump from wardrobe-constrained Jesus, Apostles (Luke 9:3), and even Paul (2Timothy 4:13); the point perhaps being that those ostensibly serving God but fond of expensive attire might represent the opposition (Matthew 23:27; Luke 7:25; 1Peter 3:3-4).  Not for ‘Mary’ unpretentious sackcloth, but ethereal mantles embroidered in gold, sporting more color schemes than couturiers are capable of dreaming up.  The Bible tells us that the righteous are clothed in shining white linen (Luke 24:4; John 20:12; Revelation 7:13, 12:1, 19:8,14).  Guess who favors the garish add-ons (Revelation 17:4)?

   Piggy-backing idolatry is even a more blasphemous message:  Were it not for ‘Mary,’ angry Jesus would have unleashed the Kraken against mankind for failing to honor his mother.  This adds another level of disingenuousness, for in ‘Mary’s’ court, the Son sits on the only throne in sight.  Please note the departure from the Biblical norm:  The Son has a throne to the right of the Father’s but it is not higher than or even on a par with the Father’s (Genesis 41:40; Mark 16;19; John 14:28; Acts 7:55-56; Hebrews 8:1; 1Peter 3:22).  Through ‘Mary,’ Satan is accomplishing a goal dear to his heart:  Depriving the Most High of His rightful worship by placing the Son on the Father’s throne and portraying him as sole God (Hosea 7:13, 11:7)—contradicting Jesus’ own declaration (Revelation 3:12).  [Note the repetition:  Perhaps to nail it into human heads?].

   Will Marian worship be abandoned?  Not anymore than Sunday worship:  It is here to stay until the bitter end (Revelation 9:20).  Jeremiah told us as much:  Regardless of what God wants, the queen of heaven is more propitious to human needs, and on a timelier basis, than the God Whose solutions to human problems keep being postponed (Jeremiah 44:17-18,25; 2Peter 3:9↔1Timothy 2:4).  Promises are fine and dandy, but in the world of men, amortized mercy will do just fine.

Idolatrous Loose Ends

   In passing let us remark on some telling Scriptures regarding idols.  Hosea 4:12 says, “My people ask their wooden idols for help. A piece of wood tells them what to do. A spirit of prostitution leads them astray. They commit adultery by giving themselves to other gods.”  What we are being told here is that some sort of communication goes on between idolaters and demons via idols; first because spiritual adultery by-passes God; and secondly, because everything offered to idols goes to demons (1Corinthians 10:20).  Paul is referring to idol-worshipping, unconverted Gentiles; but from the perspective that with Jesus’ crucifixion any type of animal sacrifice was no longer demanded by Yahweh, some other force had adopted the practice for evil ends.  The math is simple:  If not God, then anti-God.

   So according to Hosea, people petitioned idols and answers of some sort materialized.  Yahweh’s argued how stupid people could be by believing in the intrinsic power of man-made objects delivering on what men themselves were incapable of procuring.  “But the rest of it he makes into a god, his graven image.  He falls down before it and worships; he also prays to it and says, ‘Deliver me, for you are my god.’  They do not know, nor do they understand, for [Yahweh] has smeared over their eyes so that they cannot see and their hearts so that they cannot comprehend [Mark 4:12; Romans 11:8].  No one recalls, nor is there knowledge or understanding to say, ‘I have burned half of it in the fire and also have baked bread over its coals.  I roast meat and eat it.  Then I make the rest of it into an abomination, I fall down before a block of wood!’ He feeds on ashes; a deceived heart has turned him aside. And he cannot deliver himself, nor say, ‘Is there not a lie in my right hand?’” [Entire passage is in Isaiah 44:9-20; here quoted, Isaiah 44:17-20].  Pretty clear and so very, sadly true.

   Let us be pragmatic about the whole thing.  We are headed towards the Great Tribulation, an unprecedented time of suffering when even familial ties may be rent asunder in the process of saving one’s skin (Matthew 10-21, 24:10,12).  Given the precedents of Deuteronomy 28:53-57; Lamentations 2:17,20-21, 4:10; Malachi 7:5-6, it behooves us to prove worthy of what Paul calls mercy and grace in times of need (Hebrews 4:16), which comes from God and no other divine agency.  We find evidence of this during the Exodus plagues (Exodus 9:6,26, 10:23, 12:23); during the siege of Jerusalem by the Babylonians (Ezekiel 9:4); and it is scheduled to take place during the Great Tribulation (Revelation 7:2-3)—‘Mary’ is nowhere to be found in any of these.  So put her out to pasture, because when the unthinkable comes, it will be her puppet master doing unthinkable deeds to you and your loved ones.

   And ditto idols of any kind, be them graven images or human staples like reliance on social status, wealth, or weaponry.  We know the first will be upended (1Samuel 2:8; Isaiah 40:4; Ezekiel 21:26; Lamentations 4:5); the second will avail naught (Ezekiel 7:19; Luke 16:22-25); and even if Satan is powerless against God, what can men deploy against Him?  As to inanimate idols…well, if men feel idols have their backs, God throws the gauntlet down:  “When you cry out, let your collection of idols deliver you! The wind will carry them off, a breath will take them away.  But whoever takes refuge in Me shall possess the land and inherit My holy mountain” (Isaiah 57:13).

Closing Thoughts

   We could go on and on but the time is short; and frankly, if as of this late date none of these messages has sunk it, it never will.

   The point in this series has been to illustrate the methodology discussed in Part I:  That one can reassemble the Biblical jigsaw into a comprehensive whole and partake of the “solid food” pre-ordained for the spiritually mature to distinguish sound doctrine from erroneous dogma (Deuteronomy 29:29; Hebrew 5:14).  The Bible requires work, meditation and contemplation, which Satan has done his best to undermine by prioritizing fun and hooking mankind on the mind-numbing addiction to social media.

   While we will be the first to exhort everyone not to take anything or anyone at face value, please note that we have followed New Testament methodology, particularly Paul’s, in presenting our dissertation.  Everything brought to bear has to be rooted in Scripture; and everything binding must be corroborated by two or three Biblical writers.  The latter is a distinction of great importance, because not everything that appears in the Bible, specifically amongst Mosaic teachings, needs be obeyed.  For example, Moses told the people to stone to death Sabbath violators and adulterous women (Leviticus 20:10; Numbers 15:32-36); but Jesus countermanded those orders by investing them with a higher sense of morality (Matthew 12:1-8; John 8:4-11).  It was no longer enough to follow blindly the letter of the Law but to give sinners greater latitude in acting according to the spirit of the Covenant of Faith (Mark 23:23; Romans 9:30-32), whose quintessence is love in all its applications.

   Readers might be beholden to rabbis, popes, priests, pastors, televangelists, or what have you, but none of them has the Biblical imprimatur to hold—let alone exercise—their offices.  Jesus swept away such pretentiousness (Luke 16:16; John 16:13; 1John 2:27); and our human teachers, such as they are, were delimited to New Testament Apostles.  It was them who fleshed out the methodology we were to use in order for all Judeo-Christians to be on the same page (Psalms 22:30-31; Matthew 13:17; 1Peter 1:10-12); to plumb the Scriptures to achieve the full understanding of Jesus’ person and mission; and to catalog the enemies, angelic and human, keeping us from salvation.  For though we are all ultimately saved by grace (Ephesians 2:8-9), the boon of that grace is predicated on having chosen the narrow path to salvation, on having taken those first steps towards a destination as yet unseen (Hebrews 11:13,39) via a journey fraught with trials and tribulations.  When Jesus assured Paul that every crew member would be saved in a foundering ship, the temptation was great to jump overboard, but what saved everybody was staying Jesus’ counter-intuitive course (Acts 27:15-38).

   It all begins with God:  Salvation is His show and He runs it as He sees fit.  So you, readers, must always pray to Him for enlightenment (Jeremiah 33:3; Luke 11:13; James 1:5) and break free from the shackles of human error.  Your self-appointed teachers are in no wise superior to you or privy to some understanding denied you; Jesus himself told you this (Matthew 20:25-27), so why disobey him?  Why rely on the very people he warned would mislead believers at end-times (Matthew 23:13, 24:24-26)?

     Consider too that such ‘one-on-one’ is not only proof that we believe God exists and He rewards us for that (Hebrews 11:6); but that it provides the opportunity to access Him, spend quality time with Him, and bond with Him in spiritually rewarding ways that defy explanation.  However much he merits our reverence and respect, Jesus is essentially one of us (Hebrews 2:11); but inasmuch as God’s nature can be understood, the one human quality He associates Himself with is jealousy (Exodus 20:5, 34:14); not the destructive variant, but a jealousy that does not brook room for half-hearted ways of loving, which is the reason why people definitively find Him when they long for Him with all their hearts (Deuteronomy 4:29; Jeremiah 29:13).

   And so we come to the very character of the Bible:  It is a tale of unrequited love, of God loving men so absolutely but of men not responding in kind.  Satan was made perfect but he wanted more (Isaiah 14:13-14; Ezekiel 28:12-18).  Adam was literally given the world but Eve seemed the better deal.  Cain chose to offer his brand of sacrifice rather than follow rules like Abel did; and instead of emulating his brother, Cain chose to deprive God of a beloved worshipper (Genesis 4:3-8).  From this early on, the template for human transgressions was set and cast in diamond, so that the unrighteous far and wide, throughout the ages, would follow suit in their rejection of God’s love—with Jesus as the ultimate exemplar of insult added to injury.

  Now, we are all human and all of this should be easy to understand.  When we love, we demand to be loved in equal measure; we love our pets because we assume them to love us unconditionally; but when something is done us betraying that commitment, we are hurt and angry.  Then we expect some sort of correction, some form of reparation that proves to us we are valued for our feelings and that the subjects of our devotion feel motivated to make amends.  Why should a loving God feel any different?  And yet as He is divine, should not His hurt be all the most compelling?

   Yes, He allows Satan to torment us for our transgressions but even then He suffers for us (Isaiah 63:9).  He might be the quintessence of Love, but that Love will not override His sense of Justice, of being in charge of a creation He willed into being and must be run according to His protocols.  So that if He permits human suffering due to transgressions, He does not do so out of spite but necessity (Lamentations 3:32-33,37-38) with a double-objective in mind:  To force men to abide by the terms of His covenants (Ezekiel 20:37), so that they be made worthy of His bounties (Jeremiah 29:11; Daniel 7:18; Revelation 21:3-7).  All God wants is to integrate our fragmented selves back into the wholeness of His Being (Ephesians 4:6).

   In the final analysis nothing is about life in this world but in the next.  Israel did not enter the Promised Land, for that chunk of territory which is so vital to Jews today is but shadow of a Kingdom as yet unconquered and un-manifested­—as long as there is a remnant to be gathered (Jeremiah 23:3; Romans 11:5).  It is that other order of things which true Judeo-Christians long for (Hebrews 11:13-16, 13:4), not this vale of tears which truth be told a great deal of humanity is loathe to part with.  As with any lover demanding proof of love, it is by rejecting the world that God gauges our faith, our commitment to, and our longing for Him (John 12:25; Romans 8:24-25; Philippians 1:23; Revelation 12:11).

   Do not make the mistake of taking God for granted, or believing that His love will override His sense of justice.  We all must pay our dues one way or another; and following the rules of Biblical interpretation is a prerequisite for spiritual maturity and graduation.

   When push comes to shove, no matter their charisma or self-promoting ways, false leaders and prophets will go down with the rest of transgressors.  If they are the Titanic, abandon ship; for in this case, at least, God has provided enough boats for every lover of Christ to find a place and be saved.

¹ Pre-figuring Jesus ascension to Heaven to remain there until his second coming. See Proverbs 7:17-22, and substitute for these variables:  absent husband = Jesus (Isaiah 54:5; John 3:29; 2Corinthians 11:2-3); wife = adulterous church; the misled = congregants whose souls are ensnared by erroneous, denominational teachings.

² Only those preaching “doctrines of demons” do (1Timothy 4:1-3).

³ Something to remember when misinterpreting Genesis 6:1 to mean that the “the sons of God,” assumed to be angels, began copulating with mortal women.  As is the norm, the meaning is more nuanced:  Men are sons of God having been directly created by Yahweh of hosts from non-living matter [i.e., the resurrection↔Isaiah 26:19; Ezekiel 37:5-8]; women are “daughters of men” because they were taken from Adam’s flesh.  This follows the spiritual template:  Jesus is God’s personal creation (Psalms 2:7); mankind is Jesus’ creation; but the redeemed, Jesus’ Church, share his—not God’s—immortal flesh (1Corinthians 15:50-54; Ephesians 5:30; 1 John 3:2).

   God is Spirit (John 4:24) but Jesus resurrected in bodily form (Luke 24:39-43; John 20:27), further proof they are neither one nor co-substantial.