Wishing None to Perish

Who is He speaking of here in Peter? If it were all people, hell would be empty since God does all His pleasure.

The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, NOT WISHING THAT ANY SHOULD PERISH, but that all should reach repentance.
2 Peter 3:9 ESV

Do you know who He is talking about? His sheep. His little ones.

What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray?  And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray.  So it is NOT THE WILL OF MY FATHER who is in heaven THAT ONE OF THESE LITTLE ONES SHOULD PERISH.
Matthew 18:12-14 ESV

Who then are the "little ones"? Little children? No. It is those who are "like children", the believing ones.

“Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and BECOME LIKE CHILDREN, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.  Whoever humbles himself LIKE THIS CHILD is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.  Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me,  but whoever causes one of THESE LITTLE ONES WHO BELIEVE IN ME to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea."
Matthew 18:3-6 ESV

God will not lose a single one of His sheep, because He wills that none of them shall perish. Period

Will Jesus be Sad When He Returns?

Yesterday a brother told me that he believed it was going to break Jesus' heart that so many are to be cast away into eternal damnation. This is a logical from an Arminian view, but it is not Biblical.

God delights in judgment and righteousness.

But let him who glories glory in this, That he understands and knows Me, That I am the Lord , exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight,” says the Lord .
Jeremiah 9:24 NKJV

When Jesus returns He will not come with a sorrowful heart. He will come to execute the righteous judgment of God, and to destroy those who hate Him. He will not be sad because some of those He tried to saved were not saved. He will be perfectly satisfied as He tramples out the winepress with the wrath of God because all that He came to save are saved.

Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND Lord OF LORDS.
Revelation 19:11-16 NKJV

And another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also will drink the wine of God’s wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name.”

Revelation 14:9-11 ESV

Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?”

Revelation 6:16-17 ESV

These Little Ones

People believe that these verses apply to all children. I hear it all the time. Do you also believe these apply to all children?

“Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.  Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes! Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven.  For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost. What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying?  And if he should find it, assuredly, I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray.  Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish."
Matthew 18:6-7, 10-14 NKJV

That is an absolutely erroneous reading of this Scripture. There are important parts that one must miss in order to think these verses apply to all children.

First off Jesus defines who the "children" and "little" ones are. It is the "converted" ones.

Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are CONVERTED and BECOME AS LITTLE CHILDREN, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.  Therefore whoever humbles himself AS THIS LITTLE CHILD is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.  Whoever receives one little child like this IN MY NAME RECEIVES ME. Whoever causes one of these little ones WHO BELIEVE IN ME to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.  Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!
Matthew 18:2-7 NKJV

These Scriptures further verify the same, because IF He were speaking of every child born, EVERYONE will be saved since not a single "sheep" will be lost.

“Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven.  For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost. What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying?  And if he should find it, assuredly, I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray.  Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish."
Matthew 18:10-14 NKJV

The Floods. What are they in the Bible?

Can you SEE?

So shall they fear The name of the Lord from the west, And His glory from the rising of the sun; When the enemy comes in like a flood, The Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him.
Isaiah 59:19 NKJV

So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood. But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth.
Revelation 12:15-16 NKJV

“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock:  and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand:  and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”
Matthew 7:24-27 NKJV

Don't We All Believe in Jesus?

You know why there are so many beliefs about God and Jesus? I will tell you.

The Bible says that the names of the elect were written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world. It also says that the beast, false religion, will rise up and EVERYONE whose names were NOT written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world will worship the beast. The only ones who will not be swept away into false religion are the elect.

Revelation 13:8 NKJV

All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

Revelation 17:8 NKJV

The beast that you saw was, and is not, and will ascend out of the bottomless pit and go to perdition. And those who dwell on the earth will marvel, whose names are not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world, when they see the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.

Matthew 24:24 NKJV

For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.

So that means that ONLY THE ELECT WILL BE KEPT BY GOD from being fooled and worshipping the beast. Guess what happens to everyone who worships the beast? Whose names were not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world.

Revelation 14:9-11 NKJV

Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his  mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.”

One of us is dead wrong, and it is going to carry catastrophic eternal consequences. Forever is a long time.

What a Glorious Salvation

Leviticus 6:7 NKJV

So the priest shall make atonement for him before the Lord , and he shall be forgiven for any one of these things that he may have done in which he trespasses.

Hebrews 9:7 NKJV

But into the second part the high priest went alone once a year, not without blood, which he offered for himself and for the people’s sins committed in ignorance;

Hebrews 10:1-4 NKJV

For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? For the worshipers, once purified, would have had no more consciousness of sins. But in those sacrifices  there  is a reminder of sins every year. For it  is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins.

Hebrews 10:11-14 NKJV

And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.

Hebrews 10:19-21 NKJV

Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God,

BECAUSE OF THIS WE WILL NEVER KNOW THE COST AND CONSEQUENCE OF OUR SINS.

Hebrews 10:16-18 NKJV

“This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord : I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them,” then  He  adds,  “Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” Now where there is remission of these, there  is no longer an offering for sin.

This is the salvation of God. The thing is that Jesus' atonement, since it covers ALL of our sins EVER, is not applied to everyone.

Revelation 14:10-11 NKJV

he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.”

THIS IS WHY THIS TOPIC IS SO IMPORTANT. PEOPLE SEEM TO NOT EVEN KNOW WHAT THEIR SALVATION IS.

Doctrine of Election Enforces Christ Centered Theology

No man can humble himself in truth unless it is by the power of the Holy Spirit. Finding truth is Christ centered because He does it for us, not man centered. Let me repost these verses you must have missed sir.

This is why the doctrine of election is so very important. The very doctrine itself is undermined by every aspect of LDS religion sir, yet it is a key part of the Gospel. You all bank on your "free agency", which is an abomination in the face of the sovereign and living God.

John 3:27 NKJV

John answered and said, “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven."

Luke 10:22 NKJV

All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him."

Matthew 11:27 NKJV

All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him."

John 6:65 NKJV

And He said, “Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.”

John 6:44 NKJV

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

Romans 11:5-7 NKJV

Even so then, at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace. And if by grace, then it  is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it  is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work. What then? Israel has not obtained what it seeks; but the elect have obtained it, and the rest were blinded.

Acts 13:48 NKJV

Now when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord. And as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed.

Ezekiel 36:22-28, 32 NKJV

“Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord God : “I do not do this for your sake, O house of Israel, but for My holy name’s sake, which you have profaned among the nations wherever you went. And I will sanctify My great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst; and the nations shall know that I am the Lord ,” says the Lord God , “when I am hallowed in you before their eyes. For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land. Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.  Then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; you shall be My people, and I will be your God. Not for your sake do I do this, ” says the Lord God , “let it be known to you. Be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel!”

John 10:26-28 NKJV

"But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you.  My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.  And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand."

Whatever it Takes

All the time as God has me witnessing  to people I hear their problems and I see the calamity that lays before them, and I do not attempt to steer them from it. I know that God brings us to a place of brokenness so that we can be humbled before Him, and ANYTHING a person must endure to get there is absolutely worth it. In fact, to the contrary, I pray that God will crush their pride, whatever it takes, so that they may turn to Him. If Hell served that same purpose, then I would not feel the need to prevent it.

I went to prison for 20 months, and it was an absolute blessing that I would never change. It was an opportunity that most people don't get, because I got to spend 6 to 8 hours a day in prayer and reading the Bible for 20 months. To some that would suck, but anything that brings us closer to Jesus is well worth it.

Here is a very real example in my life... I have men in my life that God has given me to love from when I was in prison. One guy in particular has gotten out and violated, got out again and violated again, and got out again. When I talk to him I tell him that if he belongs to God He will do whatever is necessary to bring him to Himself. Him going back to prison doesn't even cause me to flinch because I see the scope of the eternal. Whatever it takes will be well worth it. I know how bad prison sucks because I too was there, but who cares how bad it hurts if that is what is required to bring about the glory of God?

I have another friend, a very dear brother of mine, who has served 25 years in prison so far. He is a godly man now (has been for the last 15 years), and I would love to see him free. The thing is that we both know that our lives are God's, and we are willing to endure whatever He has called us to for His glory. We know that anything we endure for ANY amount of time is worth eternity with Christ.

If Hell was a duration of time that would end, and the result was eternal life, I would encourage anyone to endure whatever God has called them to knowing that the end result was eternal life.

Paul is the most blessed man with spiritual maturity in the Bible after Jesus came (in my opinion), and if I have this eternal perspective even though I am nobody how much more did He?! In Romans 9 he expresses his great sorrow for the Jews who could not receive the promises. If their missing out was only for a duration of time I am sure his response would have been of joy instead of sorrow.

I know it isn't though, so I preach the Kingdom of God and call people urgently to repentance.

God Will Avenge His People

God will avenge the death of His people, of which Jesus is foremost.

Luke 11:49-51 NKJV

Therefore the wisdom of God also said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and persecute,’  that the blood of all the prophets which was shed from the foundation of the world may be required of this generation,  from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah who perished between the altar and the temple. Yes, I say to you, it shall be required of this generation.

Deuteronomy 32:39-43 NKJV

‘Now see that I, even I, am He, And there  is no God besides Me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; Nor is  there  any who can deliver from My hand. For I raise My hand to heaven, And say, “ As I live forever, If I whet My glittering sword, And My hand takes hold on judgment, I will render vengeance to My enemies, And repay those who hate Me. I will make My arrows drunk with blood, And My sword shall devour flesh, With the blood of the slain and the captives, From the heads of the leaders of the enemy.” ’ “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people; For He will avenge the blood of His servants, And render vengeance to His adversaries; He will provide atonement for His land and His people.”

Revelation 18:24 NKJV

"And in her was found the blood of prophets and saints, and of all who were slain on the earth.”

Revelation 6:9-11 NKJV

When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. And they cried with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the  number  of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed.

Who Did Jesus Come to Save?

Who are the promises of salvation made to, and who did Jesus come to save?

Matthew 15:24 NKJV

But He answered and said, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

John 4:22 NKJV

You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews.

Acts 5:31 NKJV

Him God has exalted to His right hand to  be  Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.

Since Jesus obviously came for Israel, it is good that we allow God to define who Israel is.

Romans 9:6-8 NKJV

But it is not that the word of God has taken no effect. For they are not all Israel who are of Israel, nor are  they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, “In Isaac your seed shall be called.” That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed.

Romans 2:28-29 NKJV

For he is not a Jew who is  one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; but he  is a Jew who is  one inwardly; and circumcision is  that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God.

II Corinthians 1:20-22 NKJV

For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us. Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.

Galatians 3:26-29 NKJV

For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Propitiation for the Whole World.

You know why it says that Jesus is the propitiation for the whole world? Because Jesus is THE ONLY acceptable payment. That is why. Not because all people are to be saved. There is NO OTHER payment that can ever satisfy. God says that the consequence of sin is death. Only a Life can fill that debt. Jesus IS the Life. Either He paid paid your debt or He didn't. Period. Any man who drinks of the wrath of God will not recover from it.

I John 4:10 NKJV

In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to  be the propitiation for our sins.

Acts 4:12 NKJV

Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

I John 2:2 NKJV

And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.

I Timothy 2:5-6 NKJV

For there  is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time,

II Corinthians 5:17-21 NKJV

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he  is  a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to  be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Here Paul is obviously not talking of every man, because if He does not "impute their trespasses to" every man their would be none who drink of the wrath of God as judgment.

Revelation 14:9-11 NKJV

Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his  mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.”

What is Fruit?

What is the "fruit" that Jesus speaks of? Remember... A tree doesn't produce fruit because it wills itself to do so. A tree produces fruit because it is a fruit tree. Likewise, the fruit the tree bears is not contingent upon the will of the tree, but simply the result of the kind of tree it is.

Matthew 7:16-20 NKJV

"You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?  Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.  A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.  Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.  Therefore by their fruits you will know them."

Good fruit:

Galatians 5:22-23 NKJV

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

Bad fruit:

Galatians 5:19-21 NKJV

Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

The Word

The difference between a Spirit filled believer and the rest of the world is that a believer is in complete submission to the Word as absolute Truth, evidencing that Jesus Christ is Lord, and interpret scripture with scripture.

The spirit is the Word, Jesus is the Word, the Word is truth, Jesus is the Truth, we are sanctified by the truth, which is the Word. I am not confining Jesus to the written Word, as He is in a physical body right now in Heaven, but as scripture interprets scripture, the written Word is absolutely a part of Him.

I Peter 1:2 NKJV

elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace be multiplied.

John 6:63 NKJV

It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.

John 17:17 NKJV

Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.

John 14:6 NKJV

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

John 1:1 NKJV

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Matthew 4:4 NKJV

But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ”

Jeremiah 15:16 NKJV

Your words were found, and I ate them, And Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; For I am called by Your name, O Lord God of hosts.

Revelation 10:8-11 NKJV

Then the voice which I heard from heaven spoke to me again and said, “Go, take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel who stands on the sea and on the earth.” So I went to the angel and said to him, “Give me the little book.” And he said to me, “Take and eat it; and it will make your stomach bitter, but it will be as sweet as honey in your mouth.” Then I took the little book out of the angel’s hand and ate it, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth. But when I had eaten it, my stomach became bitter. And he said to me, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings.”

Every Knee Shall Bow

It is so sad how "self" completely renders us as subjective. God says His people die from lack of knowledge. We try to filter through the Word subjectivity, which does not allow the Truth to change us but rather we try to change it to fit us. What God has done in me over the last four years is a direct result of my loss of self. It was when I accepted that Jesus IS the Word, that the Bible IS the infallible Word of God, and thee ONLY absolute in creation.

Matthew 24:35 NKJV

"Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away."

It was to make Jesus, the Word, my Lord and God. It was time to humble myself in complete submission before the living God. From that point forward ANYTHING that crosses the Word of God, the very creative power of the Universe, is rendered false and a lie. This is a necessary requirement to call Jesus Lord. To not do so is an oxymoron and a lie.

With this view the Word revealed so many things in me that were lies, and completely melted away all of the religious BS put there by being raised in a Christian environment. For the first time in my life, Jesus was really Lord. I take every single Word of the infallible Word of God to the bank, and throw every ounce of my being into it's trustworthiness.

Not only does the Word melt away and reveal all lies in my own heart, but also every other lie in all of creation. If there is anything that does not agree with the Bible, IT MUST FOLD IN SUBMISSION for EVERY KNEE WILL BOW TO HIM. All things must submit to the Word. If they don't, they are exposed for the lie that they are. This is how I evaluate every part of my life, through Jesus, my Lord, my God, and my Hope. He is my everything, and so my life should prove it. Regardless of how bad I want to believe a thing, if it opposes Him I must choose whom I will serve. If Jesus is my LORD, then by definition I must submit to the Word's authority over my life.

Either Jesus is who He says He is, or I am to fall flat on my face. All praise be to Him who makes me stand, for He promises we will not be ashamed. He will surely catch and lift up the ones whose trust is entirely in the Word, namely Jesus.

Either God is sovereign and THE MOST HIGH as the Bible says He is, which means that the Bible is EXACTLY the way a SOVEREIGN God desires it to be, or He is not the Almighty.

What do we choose to believe? God, or ourselves?

I read the lyrics to this song, and I am compelled to stand in the gap for truth.

https://www.lds.org/music/text/hymns/if-you-could-hie-to-kolob

If all of the "gods" were created, then where did they come from?

What if I dare propose this food for thought...

The God of the Bible is eternal. No beginning, and no end, by definition. In fact, the Jesus of the Bible is eternal.

John 8:58 NKJV

Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.”

Revelation 1:8 NKJV

“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

In the Bible the angels are created beings, and they are called "the sons of God".

Job 1:6 NKJV

Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord , and Satan also came among them.

To me it is plainly obvious that the God of the Bible is the eternal and great "I AM", and that the god of the Book of Mormon is not the same God. The God of the Bible, Jesus, is the source of all things that stands outside and above the gods of the Book of Mormon. That being said, the god of the Book of Mormon not being the Most High by definition, would be one of the created beings, one of "the sons of God".

Is this not logical reasoning based on the Word?

Line Upon Line

Reading the Bible apart from the Holy Spirit is like a first grader trying to do Calculus. They may know some of the numbers they see, just as a person may recognize the words they read, but how everything comes together will not make sense. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth.

 

"However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you."

- John 16:13-14

 

When reading the Bible it MUST ALWAYS interpret it's self. Rules of logic, as they help discern absolutes, is also part the interpretation. How does one come to an understanding of the Word?

 

What is the Word?

 

"You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life."

- John 5:39-40

 

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.

- John 1:1-2

 

The "He" in these verses is Jesus, which is easily discerned as you continue to read the proceeding verses. The Greek word used here for "Word" is logos. It literally means the creative power of the Universe. This verse says that Jesus is the Word, that He "was in the beginning with God", that He "was God", that He "was with God", and that He was "in the beginning". Easy enough since the words and wording mean exactly what they say.

 

Knowing then that Jesus IS the Word, when Jesus says to abide in Him it is easy to know what that looks like. We must abide in the Word.

 

"If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you."

- John 15:7

 

It is by abiding in Him, the Word, that we become more like Him as we are separated from the world.

 

"Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth."

- John 17:17

 

Once again though, these truths of themselves mean nothing without the power of the Holy Spirit.

 

But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

- 1 Corinthians 2:14

 

A person MUST be born of the Spirit before they can come to KNOW Jesus as the creative power of the Universe, that He "was in the beginning with God", that He "was God", that He "was with God", and that He was "in the beginning".

 

"Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit."

- John 3:5-6

 

Without the Holy Spirit people blindly search the scriptures looking for something they do not know, because they reject Jesus entirely.

 

But their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ. But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

- 2 Corinthians 3:14-17

 

Therefore a person MUST repent and believe in Jesus, and be filled with the Spirit before the Word will come to life in them.

 

 

 

 

IMPOSSIBLE

Think about this. Math is an absolute, though many must deny the existence of absolutes in order to make morals relative, but that is a whole other topic. The accuracy of the Biblical prophecies is 100% to date. That being said, any rational person could deduce that the rest of the unfulfilled prophecies in the Bible would inevitably come to pass at the same accuracy percentage.

Just the 332 distinct prophecies of the life of the Messiah being fulfilled in one man is near mathematically impossible. The odds are 1/840,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 (That's ninety-seven zeroes!) Since math is a concrete truth, we might as well consider it impossible for a single man to fulfill all 332 prophecies. However, Jesus of Nazareth did just that. Think about that for a moment. Jesus is God, and He CHOSE the nails.

This is an astronomical figure, but all 332 prophecies are absolutely fulfilled in the life of Jesus Christ. You know what? God is absolutely sovereign. It is always plan A, He never fails, He doesn’t readjust. When the Bible tells us He repents and so on, it is written to explain to us how it might look like but it was never a change of God’s mind. He is sovereign from the beginning to the end.

And so my friends, this is the plan of God. It is sovereign. You are not a victim of cruel fate, of misfortune, of bad luck. You are in the safe hands of the sovereign all-wise and good God. Our Lord God Omnipotent reigns. This is the God we worship and as you see the way He ministers, you see the way He works in the nation of Israel. Rejoice! He is sovereign, He has a plan.

FREEDOM

Through my recent struggles I have learned this: I have learned that love must be unconditional, consistent, and unwavering. I have learned what that looks like. It must be unattached to any specific outcome or circumstance, and be entirely for the best interest of the person whom I love. Furthermore God has shown me this truth with absolute certainty: If I do not let her go entirely, yielding in surrender before God and His will, then she sits on the throne of my heart. This cannot be. God must be first, and Jesus must be supreme. Only in this reality am I truly free and empowered with the confidence and courage that I need to be the man God has made me to be. If I hold to her instead of God, then I am a slave to her, and as a consequence I suffer the torment of never being fulfilled. In God’s faithfulness He has brought me to a place where I must let go, yet He has gracefully given be the understanding to go along with it. I yield. I let go entirely of her, of my ideas, of my hopes, and my dreams. I surrender to the will of God. I do not know what lies ahead, but I know that I do not own the outcome. I find great peace and rest in this understanding. My love for her is no less, for I know what real love is, but I have been made free from the enslavement of my own mind. God must be first. Anytime anyone, or anything, comes before God it is idolatry. God is in the business of destroying idols. He loves us too much let us be enslaved in our sin. True freedom only lies in Him. Whatever, or whoever, sits on the throne of your heart, I pray that you might re-evaluate your life. Do not force God to remove what keeps you dead and enslaved, just so that He can save your soul and give you life. It hurts to have things torn from our hands. Much better to willing yield them.