Issued: 03/05/22  Revised: 2/11/24

“If a ruler listens to lies, all his officials will be wicked.”

Proverbs 29:12

PLEASE NOTE:  Because Bible versions sometimes differ from each other in crucial ways, the version quoted here will be the one that best clarifies the point being made.  For a quick comparison between versions, please go to: http://www.biblehub.com.

   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.”  The symbol “↔” is used to connect verses corroborating each other and so establishing doctrinal truths (Matthew 18:16↔2Corinthians 13:1).

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

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

Short Review

 As used in this series, casinos are metaphors for the world at large.  Because the percentages of defeat are built into every game, odds are stacked against players.  The latter are plied with food, drink, fun, expectations of financial windfalls—in short, every addictive behavior that keeps them unfocused on spiritual priorities.  Every casino owner, official, and employee is committed to maximizing and capitalizing on players’ weaknesses.

   This is the modus operandi in Satan’ human realm (1John 5:19):  Non-stop deceptions keeping men hooked to their passions while ‘cleaning out’ their spiritual assets.  Towards that end, Satan waged a battle in Heaven and lost (Revelation 12:7-9).  Knowing he is toast—figuratively and literally, he will try again at Armageddon, taking down with him as many of his minions as possible (Revelation 20:7-20).  What are they good for if not for securing him absolute power?  And why should they enjoy what has been denied him? This type of mindset, glaringly obvious in current American politics, is at work everywhere.

   Deploying his malevolence on mankind, Satan has spent millennia tripping people up (Genesis 3:4-5; 1Kings 22:21-22; 1Chronicles 21:1; Job 1:9-10, 2:4-5; Zechariah 3:1; Luke 4:2-13, 22:3,31; 2Corinthians 4:3-4; Ephesians 2:1-3, 6:16; Revelation 12:10,12-17, 13:2,11, 20:8); which answers the question of why worldwide destruction is a must:  There is no option but extermination for people perennially helping their worst enemy dig their own graves (Proverbs 1:24-33; Isaiah 5:1-6; Jeremiah 12:7, 23:15-20, 25:29, 29:19, 51:58; Matthew 21:33-41).  The problem has always been that henchmen and complicit victims are on the same un-spiritual page (Genesis 6:5; Ecclesiastes 7:29, 9:3; John 8:44).  Father has decided that if such synergy makes men happy, let them totter on their way to the slaughter.

   However much Satan and his angelic host love to torment men, they are not entirely free to do so:  Their actions are controlled and allowed by Father and Jesus, the Old Testament’s Yahweh Son, Father‘s proxy Co-ruler.  The “homicidal sword” Satan wields can strike only if permitted to—in some cases, by Yahweh Son (Exodus 12:23; 2 Samuel 24:16; 1Chronicles 21:15).  In Ezekiel 21:3-17, the giver of Satan’s sword, the “slayer” (Ezekiel 21:11), is Father, which is obvious when He talks about the “scepter of His Son” which Satan despises (Jeremiah 51:19; Ezekiel 21:13).  Paul tells us about the mystery of lawlessness at work, but restrained by someone until the appointed hour for its unfolding (2Thessalonians 2:7).  The so-called Horsemen of the Apocalypse,¹ one of whom is named “Death” and so Satan himself (Hebrews 2:14; Revelation 9:11), are given their weapons and assigned their respective domains of destruction (Revelation 6:2-8).  And to open the pit where his angels are imprisoned, Satan is given a key (Revelation 9:1-11).

   One of Satan’s most enduring forms of ‘fake propaganda’ has been the suggestion that he is powerful enough to prevail over Father’s servants, which is not done by reciting prayers or sprinkling holy water, but by the simple act of spiritual resistance (James 4:7) guided by Father’s “hidden wisdom” (Deuteronomy 29:29; 1Corinthians 2:6-15↔John 16:13).  It should be obvious to everyone that men are no match against Satanic forces, a fact that Peter acknowledged while disparaging bad-mouthing, evangelical loose cannons (2Peter 2:10-12).  Had Satan and his angels been free to do as they wished, mankind would not have a stood a chance.  People would have been skewered in boiling lakes of fire and brimstone as master and host gleefully looked on—the perverse scenario conceived and propagated by Roman Catholic dogma.

   Thus Father’s covenants were struck with men, since they had a free will—as did Satan and his angels—to obey or disobey His laws while being told of the consequences of their choice:  “Servants you are whom you obey; whether of sin to death, or of obedience to righteousness” (Romans 6:16).  And lots of Scripture, too many to list here but repeated exhaustively, enumerated punishments for defaulting on such covenants; which though unilaterally deployed and conceived by Satan, have never been personally ordained or executed by Father—Who men nevertheless blame for misfortunes brought on by their actions (Proverbs 19:3).

Satan’s Human Croupiers

   Going back to the casino metaphor, the ‘Royal Flush’ alluded to in this series are concerns that govern much of the human experience.  In poker, a royal flush is the highest hand possible and therefore unbeatable; as employed by Satan, fear of death, family values, religion, science/technology, and nationalism/politics are the ‘cards’ he relies on to maximize his kitty of souls.  But as he is not at liberty to ‘deal’ them as would be his wont, only through human beings is he able to ‘discard’ them.  Men/women, therefore, are Satan’s mortal croupiers; people whose instincts he is so much in sync with that he knows which of their buttons to push.  Satan’s endeavors have been so spot-on that his score card brims with victories continuing until Jesus’ second coming (Revelation 9:20-21).  Without complicit human beings, Satan would be dead on the ‘waters’ of mankind [↔Revelation 17:15].

   While Father and Jesus appeal to the best in people, Satan appeals to their worst attributes,² although to minimize pangs of conscience—if any, Satan wraps deceptions within high-minded concepts.  These are some of the “darts” (Ephesians 6:16) he throws targeting every agenda that gratifies human vindictiveness and spitefulness.

Satan’s Scoring

The Ace Card: ³  Fear of Death

   Fear of death is intrinsic to every living creature; the great majority of mankind would rather live another day despite daunting challenges and existential threats now piling upon humanity.  Nobody is in a hurry to leave this world, not even some awaiting relocation from this ‘vale of tears’ to a ‘better’ heavenly destination—not as long as there is earthly partying going on.  Thus Satan makes the neo-Christian case for enjoying life to the fullest because ‘the Lord wants us to be happy’; whereas Jesus bequeathed us his crown of thorns (John 15:18-20, 16:33); Paul advised being “dead” to worldly pursuits (Romans 6:11-13; 2Timothy 2:4);⁴ James railed against Christian double-standards (James 4:2-4); and Revelation 12:11 profiled Jesus’ true followers as despising life from the moment of conversion unto death [↔John 12:25].

 Jesus was very clear regarding the gist of his doctrine:  One either followed the ways of the world or the roadmap to spiritual redemption (Matthew 7:13-14↔James 4:4).  To the mourning son prioritizing his father’s burial:  “Leave the dead [the unconverted alive and thus spiritually dead] to bury their own [factually] dead” (Luke 9:60).  To the would-be disciple prioritizing self-preservation:  “For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it” (Mark 8:35).  Jesus himself would have preferred being spared his own torment—and he had the means to do it; but because Father required it in order to preserve the integrity of Scripture, he literally choked on the cross (Matthew 26:52-54; John 19:34).⁵  And because he did it for love of us, he demands we do the same for love of him (John 13:15).

   In dire straits, most human beings will do the unmentionable, whether cannibalizing their children to stave off hunger (Deuteronomy 28:53-57; Lamentations 4:10), or betray kin and friends to save their own skins (Matthew 10:21-22, 24:9-10; Mark 13:12).  These horrors are in the Bible as warnings from Father of what Satan is capable of unleashing once he is given carte blanche to act.  To repeat:  It may appear as if Father were willing these things to happen; but the implicit message is that He will hold Satan at bay if obeyed or unleash him if not (Deuteronomy 30:11-20; Psalms 81:11-14; Ezekiel 33:11)—yet always willing, after repentance and atonement, to let bygones be bygones (Leviticus 26:43-45; Psalm 51:17; Jeremiah 30:11, 31:34; Micah 7:9) and to make amends for human suffering (Isaiah 25:8; Revelation 21:4).

The King Card: Family Values

   Ironically, this neo-Christian ‘value’ is shared by all mankind.  Blood is thicker than water; loyalty to family is paramount, no matter relatives’ immoral deeds or personal shortcomings; family is ‘us’ against the world.  A family that prays together stays together, or so the saying goes—until something calls the bluff.  Maybe Father allows adversity to test such convictions [↔1Peter 1:6-7], though when the chips are down, as history amply shows and Scripture predicted (Deuteronomy 28:53-57; Micah 7:6; Matthew 10:21; 2Timothy 3:1-5), more ‘family’ stalwarts fail the test than ace it.

   What was it that Solomon said about Father’s righteous judgments?  “As for the sons of men, God tests them, so that they may see that they themselves are like animals” (Ecclesiastes 3:18)—though truth be told, with some animals as with some men, they rise to the occasion contrary to their instincts.  The purpose of tests is proving people’s mettle:  In school, their knowledge; in jobs, their skills; and in Christianity, the strength and conviction of their faith (Joshua 1:5-9; Jeremiah 1:17-19; Hebrews 12:5-8; 1Peter 1:6-7, 5:9).  We may value family above anything else; but when push comes to shove, pray to Father they will remunerate our commitment to them.

   In Luke 12:51-53, Jesus obviously was not aiming to cement family ties:  He went out of his way to discourage such inclinations (Matthew 10:35).  No sooner had he started his ministry, he detonated the bomb Micah had spoken off centuries before:  “The enemies of a man are those of his household” (Micah 7:6; Matthew 10:36); though “household” in this context includes religious affiliation and nation, both of which put Jesus through the grinder (Mark 15:11-14,29-31).  At least in his case Jesus’ family relatives did not play an active role in his demise; though his behavior towards them, truth be told, bordered on the dismissive and appalling (Matthew 12:46-50; John 2:3-4).  Even when dying on the cross no solacing words for the grieving Mary, just the reminder that John was as much her spiritual relation as Jesus had been;⁶ better yet, a surrogate son now that Jesus was going back to the only Progenitor he had ever acknowledged (Matthew 23:9; John 17:1-5, 19:26).  Poor Joseph may be a big deal in Roman Catholic dogma, but in Jesus’ ministry he was a mere blip.

   Despite his so-called ‘hard sayings’ in Matthew 10:35-37, Luke 12:52-53 and Luke 14:26, Jesus was not being mean or disrespectful, but was laying the groundwork for divine priorities:  1) In order to please Father, loyalty to kinfolk had to be secondary (Psalm 45:10-11), as Abraham had done when leaving Ur (Hebrews 11:8-10) and Jesus by leaving parents both in heaven and home [↔Genesis 2:24; Ephesians 5:31-32]; 2) the reaffirmation that mankind was one family spiritually (Matthew 23:8);⁷ and 3) that if men failed to obey such demands, they could not be his disciples.  Most importantly, he had to leave a record of Mary’s relative unimportance post-resurrection, as a warning to future generations that Satan would conscript her in revamping the reviled cult of the queen of heaven (Jeremiah 44:17-25; Revelation 2:13, 18:2).

   The objective in Jesus’ kinless agenda was to unite all followers regardless of DNA, gender, ethnicity or nationality into one body, the Church making up his mystic body, so that the indwelling Father could also inhabit every human heart (Colossians 2:9; Galatians 3:28; Ephesians 4:4-6, 5:23-32).  This is the reason why there will be no Temple in the Heavenly Jerusalem (Revelation 21:22); and why Jesus’ body, the Church, is Father’s human-bricked Holy of Holies (Ephesians 2:19-22; Hebrews 3:6; 1Peter 2:5).  Since by His own admission He is a jealous God (Exodus 20:5), Father wants the proverbial piece of every worshipper.

The Queen Card: Religion

   Religion is Satan’s most powerful and effective card.  The reason for equating it with the Queen card has to do with gender, for in the Bible female symbols are Satan’s preferred vectors for ensnaring souls—whether it be Eve, goddesses, cities, churches or synagogues.  It is not that the Bible is paternalistic and misogynistic:  It is that where adulterous, female entities predominate, be them symbolic, spiritual, carnal, or institutional, men’s souls are reduced to morsels in danger of being devoured by Satan (Proverbs 6:26↔1Peter 5:8; Revelation 12:4).

   We have discussed priests and pastors betraying their commission (Ezekiel 22:26; Malachi 2:7-8); fleecing their congregations (Ezekiel 34:2-10; Acts 20:29-30); and plying pious bromides catering to congregants’ expectations (Isaiah 30:9-11; Jeremiah 6:10-14, 8:8-11).  Because men could not be trusted to follow instructions (Isaiah 3:12; Zephaniah 3:3-4; Malachi 2:7-8), Jesus did away with spiritual leaders altogether (Luke 16:16↔Ezekiel 13:18-23), with him as sole Teacher and Anointer of the Holy Spirit, the conduit for Father’s “hidden wisdom” (Deuteronomy 29:29; Matthew 23:8; John 15:26, 16:13; 1Corinthians 2:10-12).  The objective was to empower his followers with the truth (John 8:32); and specifically to liberate them from middle-men whose services were no longer required (1John 2:27).

   Lo and behold with Jesus long gone, priestly orders proliferated in Satan’s Petri dishes and reprised the customs Father railed against in the Old Testament, from idolatry to changing not only an iota of the Law but the entire breadth of divine jurisprudence (Jeremiah 8:8; Daniel 7:25).  In time ‘reformers’ became head honchos in Jesus’ pastures, upstaging his act with theirs; Balaam/Aaron clones became pandemic throughout Christendom; and congregations of all stripes lapped the whole thing up (Jeremiah 5:30-31).  This is why neo-Christian daughter harlots [i.e., denominations] sprang from one seminal neo-Christian mother harlot (Revelation 17:5).

   How did modern Judeo-Christian places of worship violate divine parameters?

1)  They became social clubs as opposed to fraternal enclaves as first conceived (Acts 2:43-47).  Rather than venues for pointless rituals and self-celebratory claims of piety (Isaiah 1:11-19; Jeremiah 5:28, 16:10-12), Father entrusted them with moral objectives implicit in Jesus’—ever the socialist—second greatest priority:  Loving and tending to the needs of others as one’s own (Matthew 22:39) without placing relatives’ needs over strangers’ (Luke 6:31-33).  Jesus was implementing Father‘s doctrine (Deuteronomy 10:17-18; Psalms 68:5; John 5:19); and as such moral acts on behalf of the needy had to be enshrined in righteous behaviors (Matthew 25:35-40).

   Accordingly, Paul exhorted his audience to follow Jesus’ lead (2Corinthians 8:11-15).  But as in the past, congregations are now split between the haves and have-nots, with the haves trickling down their surplus into congregation coffers [↔Mark 12:41-44] while stashing their considerable principal in bank accounts.  Since Heaven’s vaults do not pay interest to recoup charitable contributions [the IRS does—a win-win strategy], why embrace anonymous almsgiving like the poor widow Jesus exalted?  Not for them Matthew 6:19-20, but the ego-gratification of Matthew 23:4-6.

2) Ditto neo-Christian leaders, the prophesied rapacious wolves masquerading as sheep but dressed in designers’ clothing (Acts 20:29-30).  3John 1:9-10 gives evidence that they were early at work eliminating the old guard, as their un-spiritual mentors had done with Jesus himself (Luke 20:14).  Jesus bemoaned not having worldly perks (Matthew 8:20), but evangelical ‘sinisters’ (sic) set out to amass them in spades:  Their real estate holdings and lifestyles are a matter of public record.  With all the walking they did, Jesus’ and Paul’s feet took a toll, something unacceptable to evangelists requiring limousines and jets for their ministerial work and expensive shoes to keep up their image.  And knowing full well that Satan had grown roots in Judas’ heart (John 6:70), Jesus entrusted Judas with the money bag (John 12:4-6)—perhaps transmitting to us what to expect from Mammon-like devotees?

   The ‘threat-est’ (sic) spectacle in modern churches is that of self-appointed evangelists turning the Gospel into Psych/Family-Counseling 101-PowerPoint presentations.  The Apostles laid the ground rules to follow; but they understood they were adjuncts, as John the Baptist had (John 3:28,30), to Jesus, not tenured teachers like him but temps, the “oxen” tilling the fields he seeded with Father’s word (Matthew 13:37-38; 1Corinthians 3:6-7, 9:9-10).  Thus Jesus alone, as giver of the Holy Spirit, is men’s sole spiritual guide (Matthew 23:8), as well as their exclusive mediator before Father (1Timothy 2:5)—not any heavenly mediatrix of graces, no pope, no head of church, prophet, elder, pastor, minister, rabbi or whatever Judeo-Christian gurus may profess to be.  What part of Jesus being the only Teacher and giver of the Spirit making it unnecessary for anyone to teach us anything do we not understand?

 The role of any true Christian preacher is simple:  Point the way to Jesus and Jesus will open the listener’s understanding, as in Lydia’s case (Acts 16:14↔John 20:22; Romans 10:17).  Ask Father for the “hidden wisdom” He predestined for true believers and He will deliver (Deuteronomy 29:29; Jeremiah 33:3; 1Corinthians 2:7-10; James 1:5-6).  Then move out of the way and let divine beings run their show in their own way—which is not what Satan wants nor what his evangelical minions aim for.  Satan wants to usurp Jesus’ roles; evangelical Balaamites are in it big bucks (Ezekiel 34:2-8; 2Peter 2:12-15); and evangelical Aaronites are there to gratify congregants’ whims for assorted benefits (Exodus 32:1-6; Isaiah 30:9-11; Jeremiah 6:13-14).

3)  Since faith is not equally shared by all (2Thessalonians 3:2), congregations are battlegrounds where spiritual skirmishes are waged between wielders and non-wielders of the Holy Spirit’s “sword” (Ephesians 6:17). There is a purpose in this:  To separate the chaff of unfaith from the wheat of faith (Luke 21:15; 1Corinthians 11:19; 2Timothy 2:24-26, 3:16).

    How do these things play out in Scripture?  In Acts 19:2 Paul’s asks the Ephesian disciples, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?”  To which they replied, “No, we haven’t even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”  Immediately Paul laid his hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit.  Then and only then were they empowered to make sense of Paul’s preaching; which even Peter found difficult (2Peter 3:16), or rather complex, especially in view of Paul’s understanding between levels of spiritual knowledge (Hebrews 5:12-14).  Thus these Ephesians graduated from the “rudiments of milk” (Acts 19:3-4) to “solid food.”  They had been given the wherewithal to make informed choices; they had been freed to stand or fall on the merits of their subjective reasonings [↔Romans 2:12-16].

   These disciples were believers, yet un-anointed by Jesus with the Holy Spirit and so lacking in “hidden wisdom.”  It is interesting to note that Apollos had been previously in Ephesus; and that he, although “powerful” in matters of Scripture, had to be taught Father’s way “more accurately” (Acts 18:26).  This tells us that Apollos was not Paul’s equal in terms of “hidden wisdom,” but only in quoting chapter and verse.  Also Priscilla’s involvement in this teaching is puzzling, knowing how Paul stood on the issue of women teaching Scripture to men (1Corinthians 14:33-35).  Who Priscilla was is a moot point; perhaps Aquila undertook most of Apollos’ teaching; but as is always the case with men, Scripture attests to Paul’s divine calling (Acts 9:10-15; Romans 15:15-16; Galatians 2:7-9), whereas Priscilla lacks that imprimatur. Still there are cases in Scripture where a woman not divinely commissioned sets the man who was on the right path (Judges 4:4-9).

   Amongst the Ephesian disciples, it was not Paul’s aim to monopolize and rule over their minds but to enable the spiritual objective implicit in preaching:  “There must be factions among you so that those who are approved may be revealed among you” (1Corinthians 11:19) vis-à-vis those who will flunk, “that we may be delivered from perverse and evil people, for not all have faith” (2Thessalonians 3:2).  He was there to clarify points of doctrine and to offer personal advice, as he did regarding marriage (1Corinthians 7:7-8,12,25,32-35,39-40), ever carefully differentiating between his personal opinions and what Jesus demanded (1Corinthians 7:10-11).

   Both Paul and Peter wrote about women’s dress and conduct (1Timothy 2:9-10; 1Peter 3:2-4), but these were personal opinions, not instructions ascribed to the Jesus for whom dress codes, as everything else, had to be personal decisions informed by what lay in a person’s heart:  Their rightness or wrongness in the mind of the wearer.  Paul at least acknowledged that servants of the same Lord were in no position to judge each other’s behaviors (Romans 14:4-5).

   Notwithstanding, neo-Christians evangelists categorically tell people how to behave, dress, vote, or offer perspectives on climate change or health issues.  They have undermined the balance Jesus espoused between Father and Caesar (Luke 20:25), church and state, in favor of partisan agendas agreeable to political base groups and profitable to them—the apple Satan dangled to whet Balaam’s greed (Numbers 22:15-17).  Modern evangelism has reduced Jesus’ doctrine to a lot of sound bites and usury, signifying nothing.

4)  As Joel prophesied, women might be broadcasters of pertinent events during the so-called “late rain” at end-times (Isaiah 32:15; Joel 2:23,28); but in matters of preaching Jesus’ Gospel, they add controversy and divisiveness:  Satan’s IEDs [Improvised Erroneous Doctrines] of choice to undermine secular and religious groups (Luke 11:17).  Plus by disobeying their divine directive, women, like Eve, impede access to Father (Proverbs 28:9; John 9:31) by becoming vectors for Satan.

   This is why there is a Biblical ‘template’ delimiting gender roles.  In Biblical parlance “sons of God” means men; as Woman was taken out of Man, so are females “daughters of men” (Genesis 6:1).  This is the point behind “Son of Man” when referring to Jesus; and the reason for all those teachings where women are portrayed as subservient/obedient to male parents/husbands—all of which reiterate the symbolism implicit in Jesus’ one-name-identifies-all body, his Church (Genesis 5:2; 1Corinthians 7:4,34-38, 11:11-12; Ephesians 5:23,29-32).  Let us be honest, folks:  If Father had meant for woman to be independent of and equal to man, He would have made her out of another lump of clay and not out of Adam’s rib—the site, by the way, where Jesus, the last Adam (1Corinthians 15:45), was pierced (John 19:31-37).

   Furthermore it was Adam who Father had instructed not to eat from the Tree of Knowledge (Genesis 2:16-17)—before Eve had entered the picture.  If she knew about the prohibition, it was because Adam had told her; and Satan, knowing she was the weakest link in the chain of command, appealed to her vanity.  Not surprisingly, this was the precedent Paul relied on to forbid female preaching (1Timothy 2:11-14).

   Since Father always announces to men where He stands on matters of divine law (Amos 3:7), there were plenty of opportunities for Him to establish a Biblical precedent validating female preaching.  There is a mention of a Hulda in 2Chronicles 34:22, but her role was a fleeting one:  She was at hand to deliver Yahweh’s message to the people of Judah.  There is Deborah, who in the Book of Judges ruled over Israel, but not necessarily by divine appointment:  As she later claimed in Judges 5:7, she self-appointed herself “as a mother in Israel” to give a synopsis of events which, however accurate, were not mediated by the Holy Spirit.  The true judge Yahweh had personally picked at the time was Barak, who chose to drag his feet despite receiving a divine directive to make mincemeat out of Sisera and his army; but as Barak relied more on Deborah’s guidance than Yahweh’s, Father paid him in kind by giving his victory to a woman (Judges 4:6-9).  And there were Philip’s four daughters, all of them gifted with prophetic powers, but mere postscripts in Christian history (Acts 21:8-9).

   And what shall we say about Miriam, Moses’ own sister?  When she grew too big for her britches and sought gender equality in a wholly male endeavor, she was zapped with leprosy—which begs the question of why the complicit Aaron was not.  Simple:  Because as the appointed high priest, he could neither be impure nor ostracized; worthy or not, he was Yahweh Son’s middle-man between Moses and men (Exodus 7:1), foreshadowing the relationship between Father and Jesus as High Priest (Hebrews 5:5-6, 6:19-20, 10:19-22).  Since Miriam was given no rank in the chain of command, she could be made an example of in order to discourage like-minded women in generations to come (Exodus 28:1; 29:9; Numbers 12:1-15).

   The prophetic heavyweights were all men, every single one of them, and they all were personally invested by Yahweh Son:  Moses (Exodus 7:1); Isaiah (Isaiah 6:5-8); Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:4-19); Ezekiel (Ezekiel 2:3-10, 3:1-15); and Daniel (Daniel 9:20-23, 10:11-12).  And Jesus himself followed suit:  Though some female disciples served him (Luke 8:1-3), not one of them, not even Mary Magdalene [as The Da Vinci Code would have us believe], were chosen by Jesus to preach the Gospel—only men (Matthew 10:1-4).  When Judas’ place became vacant, lots for successors were cast amongst men (Acts 1:23-26).  And to preach amongst the Gentiles, where sibyls and female oracles were a dime three dozen and widely respected, Jesus chose Paul (Acts 9:15).

   In our politically-correct times gender inclusiveness may sound enlightening; and some women have become evangelical heavyweights to contend with.  Scripture has told them what their place should be; but like Eve, the allure to meddle in things not within their purview is too hard to resist.  Scriptures like Isaiah 3:16-26, 4:1, 32:9-13 do not bide well for women; though we must always remember that women in Scripture may be symbols for churches/synagogues where their human counterparts play active roles in leading men astray (Deuteronomy 7:3-4; Nehemiah 13:25-27; Ecclesiastes 7:26-28; Jeremiah 44:19; 1Corinthians 7:32-33).

   If at this late date women professing Jesus’ faith have not learned their place, they never will.  Their die is cast.  It may be coincidental or nothing at all, but in Sevens Dice Game, rolling seven is a bad thing; and the “women” in trouble both in Isaiah 4:1 and Revelation 2, 3, and 4, are seven in number.

The Knave Card: Science & Technology

   Paul advised Timothy to stay clear of the “falsely” called science (1Timothy 6:20-21); and since the world science means knowledge, we must surmise that for Paul true science was Father’s “hidden wisdom,” making the former irrelevant and immaterial in terms of faith (Proverbs 14:8; Hebrews 11:1).  Therefore, though human science and technology are destroying our planet and current events prove so, we do not want to belabor the environmental assaults laying the groundwork for the hellish Earth we will have to contend with;⁸ but only to comment on a handful of Scriptures that may be linked to our Knave card.

  The first one is Matthew 24:14:  “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the world as a witness to all nations, and then the end will come.”  This is a process that has been ongoing for millennia, first entrusted to the Jews and then to Christians, through whose respective diasporas have seeded worldwide religious and philosophical systems of knowledge—the reason why there are common threads running through all.  But the Internet and social media have had the greatest and most far-reaching influence.  Wrong, inaccurate or distorted though some on-line neo-Christians endeavors may be, they all focus on Jesus and the Bible, and for Jesus that was good enough (Mark 9:38-40).  Anyone with access to Biblical teachings meets the criteria of Deuteronomy 30:11-20, for he/she has been made aware of divine laws vis-à-vis Satan’s ceaseless subversion of them.  Were it not for that knowledge, transgressors could not be judged; but knowing the score, the ball is in their court (Ezekiel 3:18-21; John 15:22; Romans 3:20, 4:15, 5:13, 7:7).

   Revelation 13:16-17 points to computers, or at least the technological means to control people’s identities, purses, and purchasing power, a reality already at work in godless China.  Technology brims with satanic double-whammies:  Benefits on one side; back stabs on the other.  Nuclear energy does wonders shrinking cancer tumors and powering electric grids, but nuclear waste deposits buried on land or at sea are leaking Pandora’s boxes.  Fracking facilitates the extraction of natural gas and oil, but the associated fracturing of the earth’s crust and the injection of fluids to fill left-behind voids may increase earthquake frequency/underground water contamination.  Burning fossil fuels elevate global temperatures, contributing to melting glaciers, rising seas, Gulfstream disruptions, encroaching desert areas, and the bouncing back of the earth’s crust.  Our planet is a closed system powered by heat, solar-generated or by pressurized magma which if suddenly released spews tons of volcanic ash into the atmosphere and torrents of molten lava—perhaps the reason for present-day ongoing volcanic eruptions and worldwide seismic events?

   Technology is to people what the asp was to Cleopatra:  Their slayer.  We are willingly and willfully enslaved by it.  It not only controls our lives:  It clings to us like barnacles to whales, leeching off our intellectual, spiritual, and emotional resources drop by inexorable drop.  Perhaps our addiction to electronic gizmos makes Amos 8:11-12 possible:  “’Behold, the days come,” says the Lord Yahweh [of hosts], “that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of Yahweh.  They will wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east; they will run back and forth to seek the word of Yahweh, and will not find it.”⁹

   How could this be with a functioning Internet?  But what makes this “famine” for divine guidance possible is found in Revelation 16:8-9: Will this solar event be severe enough to fry all communication grids and satellites, in which case the Internet will go dark, and with it, all access to digitalized Scriptures?  Mind you, this “great heat” may be a contributing factor to flooding coastal lines prompting inland, human mass exoduses.  We know from experience that people behave brutally towards each other when thrown together and food resources are scarce.  Are these part of worldwide anxiety “over the roaring of the sea and the surging waves, men fainting at heart from fear, and expectation of the things coming on the world” (Luke 21:25-26)?

The Ten Card: Nationalism & Politics

   Current world events and political landscapes in every nation are proof enough of the effectiveness of this satanic card.  They are all driven by elements associated with Satan:  Lust for absolute power (Isaiah 14:13-14); killing (Ezekiel 14:20; Ezekiel 21:3-15); war mongering (Isaiah 14:6,16-17); sowing discord (Proverbs 11:29; Mark 3:24-25; Luke 11:21-23; Titus 3:10-11; Jude 1:18-19); xenophobia; engaging in false witness and character assassinations (Exodus 23:7; Proverbs 6:16-19, 18:15, 24:28; Psalms 101:5; Ecclesiastes 7:15; Isaiah 5:23; Matthew 11:18-19); and fomenting partisan shenanigans where political chaff and associated base—pun intended—groups proliferate (Exodus 23:2; Proverbs 28:15-16, 29:12).

   The damning behavior, of course, is fear of exposure (John 3:20), the reason why those who have much to hide resist investigative committees and releases of private documents.  If everything is above board, why the resistance to prove their naysayers wrong and false?  Instead the political spectacle of aspersions and evasions, which go to prove that where there is smoke and mirrors, there is collusion and public images lacking substance.  And why not, “since Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light; therefore it is not surprising his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness” (2Corinthians 11:14-15)?”

   Let us also remember that it was in name of national security that both Jeremiah (Jeremiah 38:4) and Jesus (John 11:49-52) were eliminated once religion became the complicit handmaiden of the state.  Thus the priests of Jesus’ time, pious observers of Mosaic Law, went to Pilate in order to indict Jesus on charges of blasphemy and disrespect for Caesar (Luke 23:2; John 18:31, 19:7,12,15).  Roman Catholicism exacted an egregious toll of life amongst Father’s saints via armies of nations beholden to papal rule (Daniel 8:23-25; Revelation 13:2-7,18).  If past men of political wisdom understood anything, it was that any umbilical cord between church and state should be permanently severed, for any synergy between them would turn Satan’s trickles into torrents of spiritual corrosion–which is exactly what is driving today’s religious apostasy and political agendas.  Readers are encouraged to apply Christian metrics in tempering their political loyalties/inclinations (Matthew 7:6, 16-21; Luke 6:45; John 6:15; James 3:11, 4:4; 1John 5:19).

   One point of interest is Revelation 13:11-16:  Two superpowers [equal-sized horns?] sharing a common body [ethnicity/heritage?], operating as vectors for Satan [speaking like the dragon]; technologically mighty [deploying fire from heaven]; and forcing people to submit to one religious entity [in order to institute a one-world religion?].  Since these are future events, they cannot be elucidated by the Biblical record; but we are told that the name of the religious entity is “the number of a man,” or rather his descriptive epithet in a language whose letters serve as numbers [Latin?], so that by adding each letter’s numerical value, we arrive at the number “666.” We have discussed this entity in Part IV(b): The Great Pretender.

   Be that as it may, one thing is certain:  For such a scenario to come to pass, repressive tactics and widespread martial law must be central to end times, which would be the case once Father withdraws His protection from the world and Satan is wholly unleashed.  Satan’s goal was trying to usurp Father’s sovereignty; and though he failed at that, the next best thing will be to banish Father from human affairs in order to occupy the vacuum.  That Satan will accomplish this is prophesied in Psalms 2:1-3 and 74:8.  And if past is prelude to future, as Solomon argued (Ecclesiastes 1:9-10), we can wager that the dominant church at end-times, like Miriam [its female counterpart], will get too big for her britches and try to overstep her authority, for which reason she too will be zapped not with leprosy, but with multinational obliteration (Revelation 17:16-17).

   To conclude, let us not fall into the trap of passing the buck for our willful mistakes onto some bogeyman.  Satan is nothing without men:  He may be the energized, ‘crummy’ world-steward, but mankind is his batteries.  Current social upheavals are blamed on country’s leaders, but while they stay far behind battle lines expecting others to die for them to consolidate their dominion, it is their obedient “dogs” who abet, enable, and wreak the mayhem. Mankind is Satan’s dog pound.

   If there is one single, absolute proof about Satan’s existence, it is his irrational hold over peoples’ mindless subservience to secular and religious powers that be (Romans 6:16; Galatians 2:4-5; 2Peter 2:19).  Men will gladly die for or die in fear of leaders promising national greatness or new ages of spiritual revival.  The fact that no one throughout history—and amongst modern-day execrable counterparts—has achieved lasting versions of either con does not seem to trouble men:  Like hope, foolishness springs eternal in the human breast.

   Will Judeo-Christians ever learn the score?  No; except for the 144,000 (Revelation 7:3, 14:4-5) to be spared suffering at end-times, apparently not.  The millions upon millions who will be redeemed (Revelation 7:9,13-14) but fell victim to Satan’s shenanigans will pay some hefty price for their pigheadedness; and Satan will have his field day after all at their expense.

   For the faithful the double consolation of timely assistance in hard times (Psalms 9: 9-10, 27:5, 34:19, 37:19; Matthew 24:22; Hebrews 4:16) and the promise that no one will be tested beyond his/her endurance to resist (1Corinthians 10:13).

  For the pigheaded but redeemable, the firm assurance that learning at last in the midst of suffering to grope for Father with all their hearts, they will finally find Him (2Chronicles 15:2-7,15; Jeremiah 29:13).

¹ Whose coming had been prophesied (Jeremiah 15:3; Ezekiel 5:12,17, 14:21; Zechariah  1:8, 6:1-5↔Revelation 7:1).

² As his political minions unceasingly do.

³ In poker the Ace can be used in sets with number or face [Knave, Queen, King] cards.  Fear of death plays a crucial role in every ‘card’ of Satan’s Royal Flush.

⁴ It makes sense, does it not, to be in mourning while so much of mankind wallows in misery and want?  That is what we normally do for departed relatives, but if the shoe is on another foot, what is it to us?  Not to mention demanded changes in behavior as befits spiritual rebirth instead of the godless pursuit of temporal delights (Isaiah 22:12-14; Roman 6:13; 1Peter 1:18).

⁵ Nailed to the cross through hands and feet and unable to prop up his sagging body, Jesus’ lungs would have filled with water, the reason why the soldier’s spear, aimed at Jesus’ heart but possibly piercing a lung, drew both blood and water (John 19:36).

   Though Scripture tells us that Jesus hands were transfixed by nails (John 20:27), detractors have made the case that the fleshy tissue/small bones of the hands could not have supported Jesus’ weight and would have been torn; so—the argument goes—he probably was transfixed through the wrists.  This scenario does not preclude the possibility that Jesus’ hands were sandwiched between a piece of wood and the crossbeam, so that the nails were driven through all three; or that his lower arms were roped against the crossbeam.

   The transfixed-wrists motif is one of the highlights of the Shroud of Turin, which is purported to be Jesus’ burial shroud.  Though venerated as a holy relic, it can be no such thing since it stands in violation of the Second Commandment (Exodus 20:4-5):  Not only it depicts a forbidden image, but it incites the unenlightened to venerate it.

   Satan knows idolatry is encoded in human DNA and the Shroud is a clever trick; but Scripture empowers us to see through it.

⁶ Never truly “blood” relative since neither she nor Joseph had contributed a single nucleotide to the physical body the pre-existent Yahweh Son was encased in.  Also as de facto Creator of mankind, it can be argued that both Joseph and Mary were Jesus’ ‘offspring’ in terms of flesh, and spiritual ‘offspring’ in terms of faith (Luke 1:34-35; John 17:5; Colossians 1:15-19; Hebrews 12:2).  Abraham, of course, was Jesus’ symbolic precursor as Judeo-Christians father of faith (Romans 4:16; Galatians 3:7); but Jesus was the Author and Perfecter of that faith (Hebrews 12:2).

⁷ Whether of the flesh through Adam, or spiritual through Abraham (Romans 4:16; Galatians 3:7).  Jesus himself conferred spiritual lineage upon sincere conversion (Luke 19:8-9).  Hence Paul’s legalese involving upgraded covenants (Hebrews 7:18-19, 9:15-17) and notions of spiritual legitimacy (Hebrews 12:7-8).

⁸ Satan is already at work allaying fears.  Science predicts things will go to pot in matters of decades if not centuries—though former estimates have proven alarmingly wrong as the world burns.  Then again science pooh-poohs spiritual involvement in natural matters; and since these can neither be observed nor quantified, Biblical catastrophes will befall incrementally and irrevocably (Luke 21:34-35; 1Thessalonians 5:2-3; 2Peter 3:10).

⁹ These verses must be supplemented with Ezekiel 7:11,24-26, a period following the expiration of the time of grace Father allotted men to reconcile with Him (Isaiah 49:8; Zephaniah 2:2).  By turning the world completely over to Satan, all hell will literally break loose; and Father’s truth will be Satan’s first casualty.