Issued: 10/15/22

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.

The Synergy between Satan and Men

   The gist of James 1:13-15 is that whatever suffering Satan inflicts on mankind is made possible by men’s actions.  God does not compel men to transgress:¹  Their evil inclinations (Genesis 6:5; Ecclesiastes 8:11, 9:3) match Satan’s (John 8:44), leading to sin and alienating God.  We always forget that good standing with God is predicated on compliance to contractual terms; as is the case in business dealings, defaulting on terms results in penalties (Jeremiah 46:28).

   Both the Mosaic and Jesus’ faith covenants demand obedience in order to accrue benefits.  Deuteronomy 28 is all about the pros and cons of obedience:  Do as I want and receive these benefits from Me; do what you like and get what the Adversary dishes out (Jeremiah 31:32).²  Jesus’ covenant is rooted in faith and morality; but here again defaults are inexcusable once rules and regulations are known (John 15:22; Romans 7:7).  In both cases, however, there is the clause of grace: The way back to God is never altogether shut (Deuteronomy 30:1-3; Jeremiah 29:13; Ezekiel 33:11; Joel 2:31-32; Zechariah 1:3; Ephesians 2:8-9)—except for those reneging on their oaths of fealty (Hebrews 6:4-6, 10:26-29,38). 

   When Eve was tempted, she and Adam had been told that eating from the Tree of Life would result in death (Genesis 2:16-17).  Satan then instigated disobedience by arguing equality with God (Genesis 3:5).  Eve ate; Adam chose to follow her lead; and the rest is human history.  Satan misled but did not force—could not—Eve to transgress; as the proverb goes, “you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink.”  Since there is absolutely no way men are able to resist Satan were it not for the fact that he is under God’s absolute control, all people can do is either resist him (Genesis 4:7; James 4:7) or give in to his prodding (John 8:44).  Sin is always a human choice freely made.

   Naturally “serpent” does not mean that Satan was a slithery reptile or that he had shape-shifted into one to seduce Eve.  We are told of his presence in the Garden of Eden (Ezekiel 31:8-10, 16-18↔Isaiah 14:8-19; Jude 1:6; Revelation 12:4,9), not as the bogeyman of Roman Catholic imagination, but as the seal of beauty and perfection (Ezekiel 28:12-14).  “Serpent” is Satan’s AKA moniker (Revelation 20:2) and evocative of the predatory behavior of real snakes;³ just as the dogs and pigs Jesus warned about were human beings behaving like those animals (Matthew 7:6).

   Furthermore the insinuation that independence from God made men god-like is what has fueled human endeavors from the get-go to modern times—especially scientific and technological advances.  It is one of Satan’s most seductive “fiery darts” (Ephesians 6:16) and men take to it faster than a duck on a June bug.  Another bull’s-eye winner is the notion that loyalty and partisanship trump morality no matter the unconscionable acts leaders ask of their followers.  Yet a third is that celebrities of all stripes merit considerations they do not extend to fans and admirers. 

    To paraphrase John, the world is not big enough to archive this irrationality (John 21:25); so what follows are generic and brief commentaries on human endeavors channeling Satan’s agendas.

The Empiricists

   According to Isaiah 14:14, Satan wanted to be like the Most High God.  This may give the impression that Satan’s objective was ousting God Himself, but Isaiah 14:13 makes it clear Satan was not after the Most High’s throne, but another one he could occupy amongst the angels in Heaven.  The being Satan sought to dethrone was Yahweh of hosts, the Most High’s proxy God, whose appointment in that capacity is the subject of Hebrews 1:1-14.⁴   Since Satan was the seal of wisdom and perfection, he must have thought Yahweh of hosts did not hold a candle to him; ergo, he was the man for the job.

   This opens the door to understanding some of Satan’s ploys.  Whereas Father and Son have their enclave in the Heavenly Jerusalem (Isaiah 11:9; Daniel 2:35, 9:16; Revelation 21:10)⁵, Satan has his city and his throne (Revelation 2:13) in seven-hilled Rome (Revelation 17:9).  Whereas Father and Son have their Sabbath of worship, Satan has his Sunday.  Whereas Father has Son as His intermediary with men (1Timothy 2:5), Satan has “Mary” as “Mediatrix of Graces.”  Whereas Father has Son as His King/High Priest (Psalms 110:4; Ezekiel 37:24; Revelation 19:16), Satan has his Roman-styled pontiff/assorted ilk (Ezekiel 28:1-5).

    As we can see, Satan has mimicked everything divine, not only to tarnish it but also to lead men astray.  In terms of a Gospel, Satan sowed conflicting dogmas amongst Christian denominations, so that while they all lay claim to Jesus, their deviations from the canon tells a different story.  What men call Christianity and Jesus’ doctrine need not be the same thing, anymore than all cakes flavored with sugar are chocolate cakes:  Only the ones with chocolate are the real McCoy.  So while Jesus may be the “sugar” that sweetens denominational dogmas, the defining Jesus’ “flavor” is missing from their recipes. 

   This worked dandy as far as Abrahamic religions were concerned [Judeo-Christianity and Islam with its anathematized Koran↔Galatians 1:8-9]; yet Satan needed a gospel that would negate faith and question the existence of God worldwide:  The falsely called science (1Timothy 6:20-21).  Because science relies on quantifiable/verifiable evidence, it is the antithesis of faith; and since science dismisses God’s existence (Hebrews 11:6) and strips Him of His role as Creator, God gave back tit for tat by preempting scientific theories (Isaiah 29:14; 1Corinthians 1:19).

   While Biblical chronologies posit a world in existence for more or less 7,000 years, scientific wisdom suggests billions of years.  While Creation and Flood accounts do not factor in dinosaurs—in theory extinct 65 millions ago, their fossilized remains practically keep popping out of the ground.  While Genesis belies evolution, studies of plants and animals suggest morphological changes over eons.  While the amazing James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) peers into the depths of the cosmos, Scripture treats the latter like a scroll capable of being rolled up from end to end or literally going up in smoke (Isaiah 34:4, 51:6; Revelation 6:14).

   The perennial Judeo-Christian conundrum:  Who or what to believe?  Scripture, if we choose to walk by faith and not by sight (2Corinthians 5:7); for we are told that eyes can be prevented from seeing supernatural realities [2Kings 6:17↔as did Stephen in Acts 7:55-56 but not pre-conversion Paul or others who were present (Acts 7:57-60)] or made to see things not in their true form (Luke 24:16).  If Isaiah 34:4 is true, the cosmos is not as we perceive it or as the JWST transmits it.  If scientific instruments yield readings contradicting Scripture, who is to say that these are not the work of a great Deceiver given carte blanche to trip unbelievers (Matthew 24:24; 2Thessalonians 2:9-12)?  Can science, as Creationists believe, be relied upon to nurture faith while negating it?  Can good and bad issue from the same source (Matthew 7:17-18; James 3:11-12)?  No; which is the reason why there can be no fellowship between light and darkness (2Corinthians 6:14); and why neither Satan nor science play a role in Christian endeavors (John 14:30).

   Is it any wonder, then, that “what this world considers to be wisdom is nonsense in God’s sight…[and that He] traps the wise in their cleverness” (1Corinthians 3:19)?  Or that He should turn His back on those who fail to honor Him (1Samuel 2:30); or that He would permit Satan to deceive His detractors with all sorts of prodigies and heavenly signs (Matthew 24:24; 2Thessalonians 2:8-12; Revelation 13:13)? 

   Is there a synergy between Satan and scientific crusaders?  According to 1John 4:1-3 there is.  And if by their deeds we shall know them (Matthew 7:6), we have repeatedly seen that scientific and technological progress comes with consequences more destructive and soul-eroding than the visionary goals they promised—Satan’s typical stab in the back.  Revelation 13:13 suggests space weaponry—the offshoot of flight.  Revelation 13:16-17 points to digital enslavement­—the offshoot of technology.  Revelation 16:8-9 may reference the dreaded, tipping point in global temperatures—the offshoot of industry-driven climate change and if interpreted literally, with attendant sea-rise predicted by Jesus in Luke 21:25.

   Once more let us refrain for listing endless examples; but pay attention to the fact that what Satan suggested to Eve, “You will be like God,” encapsulates the very aims of science:  Independence from God.  And since men love the means of science, it may justify our collective, proverbial ends.

The Pied-Pipers

   Every leader has a vision, or at least promises one that he is never capable of fully delivering on; yet failure after failure does not instill wisdom amongst the disappointed.  This forms the basis of Solomon’s “political loop”:  “I saw all the living under the sun [following him] who replaced the king.  Endless crowds stand around him, but then another generation grows up and rejects him, too. So it is all meaningless—like chasing the wind” (Ecclesiastes 4:4:15-16).  The perennial human folly:  Rallying around leaders promising the sky off the top of their heads.  What have we been told?  The Most High does as He pleases in heaven as on earth (Daniel 4:35); it is He who frustrates national agendas (Psalm 33:10); it is He who brings prosperity or creates disaster (Isaiah 45:7).  Men are pawns rather than initiators given one choice:  Join God or join Satan (Psalms 143:10; Matthew 6:10, 12:50; Luke 4:6; John 14:30; Romans 6:16; 2Corinthians 4:4; Ephesians 2:2; James 4:7; 1John 5:19).

   It is not as if we were not warned what to expect from the powers that be:  1Samuel 8:9-17 gives us a pithy preview, from using subjects as cannon fodder in wars; to placing cronies in positions of authority; to depriving rightful owners of assets to reward lackeys; to taxation subsidizing leaders’ agendas and privileged lifestyles.  In short, pied-pipe nationalistic sound bites and the mindless will fall into the hole.  Someone astutely observed that men think in herds, go mad in herds, and recover their senses one by one—albeit too late.  The corollary is that the masses never learn from past experience; and when it comes to be taken for another ride by some new “charismatic” person, the herd mentality will grip them all over again.

   If there is a lesson in all of this, Solomon stated it in Ecclesiastes 3:18:  God wants us to realize we can behave as irrationally as animals, like dogs if out of blind loyalty to chosen masters or like pigs unable to distinguish the precious from the vile (Jeremiah 15:19; Matthew 7:6).  Still if we want to empower our destroyers, God is all for letting us dig our own graves.

   We have gone from empires to democracies so that all systems of government have had the chance to prove their mettle; yet their collective failures boil down to peoples being had.  Since God has a different agenda, there was never any real possibility of lasting success:  His ways and men’s do not jibe (Isaiah 55:8).  An end to wars, promises of world peace?  God pooh-poohs those notions (Jeremiah 12:12; Ezekiel 21:2-7, 32:18; Matthew 24:7; Revelation 6:8).  An end to world poverty?  Not likely, according to Jesus (Mark 14:7).  A bright new future for humanity?  Not in this order of things (2Chronicles 36:16; Proverbs 1:27, 24:22; Ezekiel 7:26; Matthew 24:21; Luke 21:26; 1Thessalonians 5:3; 2Peter 3:10; Revelation 16:17-21).

   Why?  Because God has an agenda; He will accomplish what He intends to do and no power in heaven or earth can stop Him (Numbers 23:19; Job 23:13; Isaiah 14:24; Daniel 4:35).  This is the gist of Proverbs 1:7:  Not that men should cower in fear of a tyrannical deity but that however loving He is, men must do as He says—or else.  It was on grounds of that power that both Jesus (Matthew 10:28) and Paul (1Conrinthians 10:22) preached submission to God, as well as others who understood that God-sanctioned ordeals were temporary and would eventually be rewarded (Psalms 50:5, 51:4; Micah 7:9; James 4:7-10; 1Peter 2:20-21, 5:6).

   On the opposite camp we have Satan, the “sword” alluded to in Ezekiel 21:2-7, who in Ezekiel 21:19↔Isaiah 14:4 is identified as the King of Babylon destroying nations and slaying his people (Isaiah 24:12,20).  Not the Babylon of Nebuchadnezzar, but that of end-times, located in Rome; so that as both ancient empire and capital city shared the same name, so do Satan’s contemporary global realm (Jeremiah 51:44↔Revelation 16:13; 1John 5:19) and city-state atop seven hills (1Peter 5:13; Revelation 2:13, 17:5,9).  Let us not overlook the fact that the correspondence between the Babylon/Roman monarch and his prince [meaning “high priest”↔Acts 23:5) is the same as in Ezekiel 28:1-19.

   But the subjects Satan has killed are not limited to ages past:  He will again deceive the nations in a last putsch against the Heavenly City (Revelation 20:7-10), for if he cannot get what he wants, of what use are them?  Which is the MO of some of his clones in current politics, be them in Asia, Europe, or America:  Help me wield absolute power or I’ll crush you; it is all about me.  This illustrates for us the reason why there is no hope for humanity:  There will always be hordes enabling and abetting their destroyers; and in the process dooming others who know better.

   We should remember that the state, in cahoots with church, has been the persecutor of the faithful, whether Ahab/Jezebel of Elijah (1Kings 18:4, 19:1-18); Herod/Herodias of John the Baptist (Mark 6:14-29); Pilate/Jewish priests of Jesus (John 18 and 19).  Assuming the heads of the beast of Revelation 13:1 to be the European nations making up the Holy Roman Empire, it is to be noted a) they shared Satan’s dragon-like body, which implies symbiosis/synergy with him (13:2↔20:2↔Ezekiel 29:3); and b) that complicit with the wounded head representing Vatican Rome (13:3),⁶ they collectively received authority from Satan “to wage war against the saints and to conquer them” (Revelation 13:7).  This takes us back to Daniel 8:23-25, where a “master of intrigue” wreaks destruction with armies not his own; which in turn leads us back to Revelation 17 and the harlot church atop the beast of Revelation 13:1, whose horns⁷ will at some point turn against her, for “God is the one who made these kings all think alike and decide to give their power to the beast [which] they will do until what God has said comes true” (Revelation 17:17).  Add to this Daniel 7:24 and we have confirmation of a leader in might unlike the ten horns representing founding kings/tribes of European nations; but which manages to uproot two similar rivals:  Avignon and Constantinople?

   The symbolism is suggestive but not conclusive; yet it fits history as it played out.  The point to remember is that the persecution of the faithful by church would not have been possible without the abetting and complicity of state powers.  And that this synergy will again take place in our times is the subject of Revelation 13:11-18, where again one beast with two horns “with the voice of a dragon” will force everyone to worship the wounded head (13:14); only that this time the two-horned beast is capable of zapping non-compliers with “fire” from above (13:13).  Orbiting laser weapons?  Guided missiles?

   As vectors for evil in political circles proclaim liberation by dismantling democracy, their deeds and their words tell us on whose side they stand; and the prophecies in Revelation 13:11-18 confirm they will succeed for a time—until they too get their comeuppance.  Jesus told us the reasons why in Matthew 24:12-24, as did Paul in 2Timothy 3:1-4.  No matter rosy prognostications of global, spiritual revivals attributed to God’s intervention, the blunt truth is that He has given Satan leeway to take humanity to the brink of extinction; for like Adam and Eve, or the Israelites putting their trust on secular rather than divine powers, men rely on themselves by cutting off God (Jeremiah 17:5; Ezekiel 8:12; Zephaniah 1:12).

The Betrayers

   These would be all Judeo-Christian religious leaders who have defaulted on their commission to preach Scripture as written.  Since we have talked about these things at length in previous series, only essential points will be rehashed here.

   God set up the Levitical priesthood to address the spiritual needs of His people; yet like all endeavors placed in men’s hands, it was doomed—if not foreknown—to be a failure.  Priests did not regurgitate Scripture as taught (Malachi 2:7-8); they used their preeminence to fleece the people (Ezekiel 22:26-27, 34:2-10; Matthew 23:14); and plied congregations with the pious bromides the latter wanted to hear (Isaiah 30:10).  Aaron set the tone (Exodus 32:1-6,25); and every rabbi, priest, or pastor has followed his lead ever since.

   Come Jesus they were all sacked and sent packing (Luke 16:16).  As the Anointer of the Holy Spirit, Jesus was to be sole Teacher and all men pupils of equal standing.  In his absence, self-professed Judeo-Christians leaders could not be trusted; so the so-called “hidden wisdom” would be revealed not through mortal intermediaries, but from God via His Holy Spirit directly and individually to each believer (Matthew 23:8; John 15:26, 16:13; 1Corinthians 2:7-10; 1John 2:27).  Which tells us there are no teaching positions open in any synagogue, temple or church:  In essence, these places serve as venues for fraternizing, mutual assistance, and spiritual pep talks (Acts 4:32-35; Hebrews 10:24-25).

   This time around the vetting of people’s hearts would be supervised by Heaven, as was Lydia’s case (Acts 16:14).  Quoting chapter and verse means nothing in the scheme of things.  Apollos was a preacher “mighty in the Scriptures,” but even he had to be given remedial education in Christian doctrine (Acts 18:24-26).  Why?  Because Jesus had not anointed him with the Holy Spirit:  Apollos’ eloquence was based on religious precepts and commentary, the very deficiency Paul overcame amongst disciples in Ephesus by infusing them with the Holy Spirit (Acts 19:1-6).  Given their respective platforms, it is safe to say that most modern evangelicals have missed the boat.

   Before leaving for Jerusalem, Paul harkened back to Ecclesiastes 1:9-11 to predict not only the incursion of predators amongst the flock (Acts 29:30), but also of times when Jesus’ Gospel would be adulterated every which way to legitimize dogmas palatable to acolytes of every race and nationality (2Timothy 4:3-4).  By the time of the Apostles, both Peter (2Peter 2:12-16) and John (3John 1:9-10) were giving witness to cancerous lesions on the Church’s body.

   Today we have lots of the same, easily discernible by their words and actions; participation in partisan politics; bartering of souls for votes in exchange for political payola; in personal portfolios overflowing with material assets and cushy lifestyles; in bankrupt assurances of peace and safety to be bestowed by a God Who has gone on record saying that there are no such things in store for any flesh (Jeremiah 12:12).  The “sword” Jeremiah is referring to is Satan [as did Ezekiel 21:3-19]; so that anyone believing there is safety in numbers, think again:  “Because you said: ‘We have entered into a covenant with death [Satan↔Revelation 6:8], and we have an agreement with Sheol, so when the overwhelming scourge makes its choice, it cannot reach us, since we have made lies our refuge and have concealed ourselves inside falsehood’… Your covenant with death will be annulled, and your agreement with Sheol will not stand; when the overwhelming scourge [Satan] sweeps by, you will be trampled by it…For Yahweh will rise up…[to] do His work, His unusual work, and to accomplish His task, His strange task” (Isaiah 28:15,18,21).

   Which is the reason for Jeremiah 5:31:  “The prophets prophesy falsely, the priests rule by their own authority, and my people love it this way. But what will you do in the end?”

The Foolish

   Paul—or rather, the Holy Spirit through him (2Peter 1:20-21)—gave us a preview of the human condition at end-times:  The Christian experiment would end in apostasy (2Thessalonians 2:3) and the hearts of men would brim over with Satan-like behaviors (2Timothy 3:1-4).  Again, he was extrapolating from the Old Testament:  Leaving aside the fact that for the ungodly evildoing is an enduring pastime (Proverbs 4:16), some who profess to know God are incapable of recognizing how they failed Him (Jeremiah 16:10-12; Titus 1:16).⁸    We forget to our peril that Biblical statistics—such as they are—do not support the evangelical mantra that a spiritual revivals are afoot:  Of the Israelites who left Egypt, only two entered the promised land (Numbers 14:21-24,30); only 7,000 were chosen amongst Elijah’s generation  (1Kings 19:18); and only 144,000 from a world population approaching 8 billion will be exempted from suffering the final plagues (Revelation 7:3-4).  None of which should surprise us:  “Many are called but few chosen” (Matthew 22:14); and, “Many will tell me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name, in your name cast out demons, and in your name do many mighty works?’  Then I will tell them, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you who work iniquity’” (Matthew 7:22-23).

   Evil people see themselves as stalwarts of Judeo-Christian orthodoxy; and they gain ascendancy over their base groups because the latter cleave to them no matter how false and wrong they are proven to be.  Psychology identifies this as the “bandwagon effect” or dislike for admitting errors in judgment, but Scripture is clear:  People become slaves of whom they freely submit to (2Peter 2:19), be them agents of righteousness or evil (Romans 6:16).  Despite the many times Scripture has profiled evildoers in all walks of life for us (Jeremiah 8:10, 9:4-5, 10:21, 50:6; Lamentations 2:14; Ezekiel 22:26-27, 34:2-3; Daniel 9:5-6,11; etc.), men’s instinctive reaction is to embrace more of the same:  liars, manipulators, exploiters, grafters—you name it.  Our daily news is full of them:  a pastor berating his congregation for not buying him an expensive watch [the reason why they were poor and busted for failing to honor him]; a “bishop” fleecing a gullible congregant of thousands of dollars to put a down payment on a $4 million estate; a wife-beater running for office on a platform decrying such abuse; a professed anti-abortionist who urged a woman to abort his child.⁹   Truth is as meaningless to these as it was to Pilate (John 18:37-38).     

   If we go over Paul’s list in 2Timothy 3:1-4, we can recognize the royalty, celebrities, politicians, leaders of industry, rappers, athletes, and “enlightened” minds who collectively are lionized and admired by the masses at large—the telltale sign of whose side they are really on (John 15:19; James 4:4).  Thus in terms of a moral, fair and just society, where is the logic of expecting any of the above to address—let alone care—for the interests of the latter, when they obsequiously get for free the ego-boosting adoration and privileges they remunerate with smiles at photo-ops and hand waves from passing limousines or at red-carpet events?

   Why should not politicians hoodwink the people?  Evidence no longer matters in proving the presence or absence of moral fiber in “charismatic” leaders lusting for high office, especially those who normalize and appeal to the worst instincts bubbling in their base groups.  Let us remark on the busing of undocumented aliens to “enemy” camps.  The mistreatment of foreigners is a sore spot with God (Exodus 22:21; Deuteronomy 10:19, 26:11; Leviticus 19:34; Ezekiel 22:29), while coming to their aid is one of Jesus’ standards for justification (Matthew 25:35-40).  Yet evangelicals stand behind politicians who make a mockery of such duties, even when shooting their constituents in their feet by siphoning off taxpayers’ contributions to fund such ploys.  Thus not only do they betray their oaths of office to their needy constituents, but create havoc in targeted states by aggravating budgetary constraints that would have taken care of compatriots on welfare.

   H.L Mencken observed that “the men the American public admires most extravagantly are the most daring liars; the men they detest more violently are those who try to tell them the truth.”  It is a sad but true commentary on the soul of a nation that boasts of divine protection, but which god:  Jesus’ Father or the god of this age (2Corinthians 4:4)?  That politicians should appeal to the worst in people in order to secure pre-election votes is the soul of politics:  Cling to power no matter who or what is betrayed or hurt—if God Himself, so be it.  Mencken was being myopic, though:  His assessment was equally applicable to the whole of mankind.

   What is the appeal for base groups?  The fact that nothing is asked of them except to act as is their wont—or as Jesus said, as is Satan’s wish (John 8:44).  Intractable people hate to be reminded of their shortcomings (Proverbs 9:8), one reason why they have continued to oppose/eliminate God’s envoys (Matthew 23:29-36; 2Timothy 3:12) for raining on evil’s parade.  Consequently, there is truth to the adage that people get the leaders they deserve:  No matter the age or the political ideology, every nation driven into ruins put those leaders in the position to do so.

   Which brings us to Psalms 2:1-3, God’s question to the illogic of it all:  “Why are the nations in an uproar and their people involved in a vain plot?  The kings of the earth take a stand, and the rulers take counsel together, against Yahweh, and against his Anointed, saying, ‘Let’s break their bonds apart, and cast their cords from us.’”  Why indeed when God’s stated objective is to give us everything that neither rulers with their visionary agendas nor science with its mixed bag accomplishments will ever be able to give us (Isaiah 2:4; Jeremiah 29:11; 2Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:4)?  When Judeo-Christian doctrine is about taking care of each other’s needs; respecting each other’s assets; dispensing justice without biases or prejudices; where no one is above the law or anybody else in status and importance; where everyone is truly equal and collectively at peace.  Guess what?  By the look of it, save for a few voices crying out in the wilderness, mankind at large has adapted to surviving under the contempt and lash of the powers that be.

   Still let us examine the argument that life must go on with Divinity being spoken about while missing in action.  Peter offered his view in 2Peter 3:9, as did Paul in Hebrews 11:39-40.  Both valid opinions given the written evidence of Scripture; but for the sake of argument, let us ask, like God’s detractors posit, whether non-compliance of solemn promises is proof of God’s inexistence.  The caveat here is that what Judeo-Christians are sure of internally cannot be externally communicated; and though God and Jesus cannot be empirically proven to exist, they are as real to the faithful as the sun that rises and sets day in and day out.

   Yet even here we have a 50-50 chance of promises manifesting themselves on God’s own timing; after all it is His show and He brings the curtain down when He pleases.  On the other hand we have thousands of years of historical evidence proving that men subject humanity to roller-coasters of highs and lows; to wars and tenuous peace; to scientific progress leavened with dire consequences; to technological advances turning men into electronic junkies and digitalized avatars; to turning nature into a morass of environmental exploitation and contamination; to driving species and habitats into extinction; to altering natural dynamics to terra-disform the world into an environment exponentially more hostile to human life.

   Which bottom line means that while with Heaven we have a 50-50 chance of possible relief, with men we have 100% certainty of encroaching doom; so that if we apply the metrics of Ecclesiastes 3:18, we are no better than lemmings following leaders into oblivion.  It is not failure on God’s part to appeal to the best in us in order to regain our sanity “one by one”; or to use that trendy word, to “reinvent” ourselves into what He meant us to be originally:  Holy like Him (Hebrews 12:10; 1Peter 1:16), part of Him (Ephesians 4:6), and in His true image (1John 3:2).

   But the die has been cast; even those perhaps to be redeemed amongst humanity at large will not change their ways until compelled to do so (Luke 14:23).  Still as societies and the natural order continue to deteriorate (Ezekiel 7:26); as evil men enjoy successes until God decides to upset the applecart (Psalms 10:13, 12:4, 49:6, 73:7-9; Isaiah 29:15; Ezekiel 21:26), nothing takes place without God’s authority; so that whatever horrors are slated to befall mankind, and whatever execrable leaders are put in power to undo men, all will be as foretold and every one will get his/her just desserts in due course.  God is in control:  Grin and bear it.

   What was it Jesus said?  “By your patient endurance, you will gain your souls” (Luke 21:19).  For all his love, Jesus could not transpose our bodies from this world (John 17:15), not until scores were settled and penalties paid.  All he could leave us with were unsubstantial things, like faith itself:  a sword that was not actual weapon but a gospel (Matthew 10:34; Ephesians 6:17); advice to hold our heads up high as night approached (Luke 21:28; John 9:4); and a vision of universal brotherhood in a better order of things to inspire and sustain us throughout personal ordeals.

   There is no earthly ruler equal to a Sovereign Who prioritizes the needs and aspirations of His people (Jeremiah 29:11; 1Corinthians 2:9; Hebrews 11:16; Revelation 21:4).  There is no leader like Jesus who forfeited power and privileges to throw his lot with his beloved subjects, enduring privation and crucifixion to share his inheritance with them  (Romans 8:17; Philippians 2:6-8).  And there is no family like those who put their lives on hold, forsook blood relatives, and carried Jesus’ cross to ensure our inclusion into the ranks of those returning joyfully to the City God has prepared for all of us (Psalms 126:6; Isaiah 51:11; Micah 2:13; Hebrews 11:16; Revelation 21:2-3).

¹ Which brings us to Matthew 6:13:  God personally tempts no one (James 1:13), but He allows Satan to tempt people.  Jesus was very much aware of this dynamic, so what he was telling us between the lines is that we should pray to God not to allow Satan to test us lest we might fail the test.  God, however, will delimit Satan’s powers to the point where the person being tempted can resist (1Corinthians 10:13).

   Luke 4:1-13 provides the template:  Since Jesus was to leave an example to follow (John 13:15), his temptation had to be mapped out in order for followers to know the steps.  Who orchestrated the conditions for Jesus’ temptation?  The Holy Spirit; but since He does as the Most High instructs (John 16:13), the buck stops with the Most High:  The purpose of going to the desert was to allow Satan to tempt Jesus.  Satan did; Jesus resisted; and as James 1:13 states, Satan departed from Jesus for a while.

² Contrary to what God’s detractors may say, the horrible punishments outlined in Deuteronomy 28 are not mandated by God:  They are warnings of what to expect from Satan once he has been green-lighted to beset defaulters.  God is love and in the sense that good and bad cannot issue from the same source (Matthew 7:18; James 3:11), He cannot dispense evil anymore than Satan practices philanthropy.

   This is one of Satan’s spins that understandably resonates with unbelievers, but what excuse do “people of faith” have for parroting it?  Are they not fond of ascribing dread diseases to God as punishment for immorality, even when on this issue at least, diseases are ascribed to Satan (Job 2:7; Luke 13:16; Acts 10:38) and cures to God (Luke 4:27, 5:12-13)?

³ The notion behind the expression “snake in the grass?”

⁴ See points of commonality between Ezekiel 1, Daniel 7:9, 10:5-6,8-10, and Revelation 1:12-20.  That the Most High and His Son, Yahweh of hosts, should look alike is no big mystery:  If we can call their outward features “human-like,” it is because men were made in Their image (Genesis 1:26-27).  However clear distinctions in Daniel identify who is who:  Daniel 7:9 refers to the Most High [cross-reference with Revelation 1:14], but Daniel 7:10 to Yahweh of hosts/Jesus, the Judge of all flesh (John 5:22; Acts 17:31↔Romans 14:11].

   Also Daniel 10:5 and Revelation 1:13 identify Yahweh of hosts/Jesus as the speaker; and let us not overlook the fact that in both cases Yahweh of hosts/Jesus is speaking directly to them, which the Most High has never done with any human being (John 5:37).

⁵ The earthly Jerusalem on Mount Moriah is shadow to the substance of the heavenly one.  Everything divine has a mortal counterpart; in fact lots of the narratives in the Old Testament—the Exodus, the Babylonian Captivity, the reconstruction of the Temple—mirror divine agendas.  Just as Moses was shown a model of some existing sanctuary outside reality to fashion his desert tabernacle (Hebrews 8:2), there must also be some supernatural Mount which Satan located “in the far reaches of the north” (Isaiah 14:13).

⁶ Following events from 1806 to 1814.

⁷ As per Daniel 8:20-22, horns are indicative of the founding leaders whose domains evolved into modern nations.  Note that while Daniel’s horns protrude from different bodies, the transfer of power follows the chronology implicit in Nebuchadnezzar’s statue, from Babylon to modern Europe (Daniel 2:37-43), the giveaway being verses 42-43 with its emphasis on alliances capable of being broken.

⁸ Let us not overlook the fact that Jeremiah 16:16 predicted the coming of Jesus’ Apostles (Matthew 4:19) in a last ditch effort to set divine matters right; but most importantly that transgressions would always be punished (Jeremiah 16:18).

   Also using “fishes” as symbols for men relates to Satan’s sovereignty over the word and to human minions “stuck” to him as Yahweh announces their collective destruction (Ezekiel 29:3-5).  Again Satan is presented as a dragon in the midst of rivers symbolizing nations (Revelation 17:15), the Leviathan cavorting in the sea of humanity, from which he emerges as the beast of Revelation 13:1 (Job 41:1,15-17,25,33-34; Psalms 104:26).

⁹ The grafter claims to have the word of the Lord in his mouth to knock out critics in the name of Jesus; and the reinvented abortionist gets a free pass from supporters for whom political partisanship is more important than moral legitimacy. When caught in the lie, he claimed absolution on grounds of being born again.