Because He Loves Us
It Is From His Great Love He Steps In To Save Us From Ourselves
Our lives begin to crumble and crash when we turn from them. It affects our home life, which affects the family which affects society which affects our ability to continue mankind. His ways are good to keep us. When we turn from Him we are fodder for the enemy that would drag us to Hell anyway he can. He will lie and cheat and make false promises. He is deadly. He is our adversary, Satan who seeks to destroy us. From the beginning of mankind he interfered. Mankind fell from grace with Father God, yet God in His infinite wisdom had a plan even before this event. It has been unfolding for six thousand years.
We know this now because of Father God overseeing and keeping His word, written by men whom He chose and inspired by His Holy Spirit, which has been kept for us that we would not be ignorant. We are on the precipice of an event of a magnitude which has never happened before in the history of mankind nor will it happen again. The warnings are going out, but mankind has tragically stopped their ears to His truth and embrace that very lie from Satan. In His word God has written and warned us of what He is about to do. He wants us to know so that we will turn our hearts toward Him and be saved. If we repent and believe and follow the LORD Jesus Christ, our soul will be cleanse from ALL sin and we will enter into His Kingdom when this life is over. For those who do this He will give His Holy Spirit to help us. With His Word and the Holy Spirit we can be spared much hardship in this life and maintain the hope of being with Him forever after this life. He gives us peace beyond understanding. Because He loves us He told us . . .
“When you come into the land which the LORD your God is giving you, shall not learn to follow the
abominations of those nations. There shall not be found among you
anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or
one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets
omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a
spiritualist, or one who calls up the dead. For all who do these
things are an abomination to the LORD, and because of these
abominations the LORD your God drives them out from before you. You
shall be blameless before the LORD your God. For these nations which
you will dispossess listened to soothsayers and diviners; but as for
you, the LORD your God has not appointed such for you.
~ Deuteronomy
18:9-14 ~
“And if it seems evil to you to serve
the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, the
gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the
River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as
for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” ~ Joshua 24:15 ~
And Elijah came near to all the people
and said, "How long will you go limping between two different
opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, then follow him.” ~ 1 Kings 18;21 ~
In
reading God's Scriptures in the Old Testament (Jewish Tanakh) one may
wonder why He dealt differently with cities He was going to give to
Israel. Take note that the destruction of cities comes at a time
when the inhabitants of that city have become so corrupt that it is
impossible for that nation to continue. The evil is so rampant that
the children become the sacrifices for their gods. God brings and
end because of His mercy. Here are three points in one section of
Scripture:
10 “When you go near a city to fight against it, then
proclaim an offer of peace to it. 11 And it shall be that if they
accept your offer of peace, and open to you, then all the people who
are found in it shall be placed under tribute to you, and serve
you.12 Now if the city will not make peace with you, but war against
you, then you shall besiege it. 13 And when the LORD your God
delivers it into your hands, you shall strike every male in it with
the edge of the sword. 14 But the women, the little ones, the
livestock, and all that is in the city, all its spoil, you shall
plunder for yourself; and you shall eat the enemies’ plunder which
the LORD your God gives you. 15 Thus you shall do to all the cities
which are very far from you, which are not of the cities of these
nations.
16 "But of the cities of these peoples which the LORD
your God gives you as an inheritance, you shall let nothing that
breathes remain alive. 17 but you shall utterly destroy them: the
Hittite and the Amorite and the Canaanite and the Perizzite and the
Hivite and the Jebusite, just as the LORD your God has commanded you
18 lest they teach you to do according to all their abominations
which they have done for their gods, and you sin against the LORD
your God." ~ Deuteronomy 20:10-18 ~
Six thousand years have nearly
passed and we who believe watch for the rapture. We see many signs
quickly coming to past that the Tribulation, the Great Tribulation
and the Wrath of God is about to begin. This will be that last seven
years of six year millennial. After which the LORD Jesus Christ will
return to earth and begin His millennial reign. As His Word moves
forward from where we are today in January 2020 mankind in the
doorway of the last book, Revelation. Looking at world events we see
many who continue to refuse the call to repent. Literally Hell bound
and determined to fight Him, the LORD gives every chance for them to
turn and stop the evil and yet they do not.
"But the rest of mankind,
who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of
their hands, that they should not worship demons, and idols of gold,
silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor
walk. And they did not repent of their murders or their sorceries or
their sexual immorality or their thefts.
~ Revelation 9:20-21 ~
Non-Exhaustive List of Satanic Snares ~
- Astrology: Deuteronomy 4:19; Isaiah 47:13; Daniel 1:20; 2:2, 10:27; 5:7, 11, 15 . Charming: Deuteronomy 18:11; Psalms 58:5; Isaiah 19:3; Jeremiah 8: 17.
- Divination: Numbers 22:7, 23:23; Deuteronomy 18:10; 14; 2 Kings 17:17; Isaiah 15:23; 28:8; Ezekiel 13:6-7, 18-23; 21:21-23; 29; Jeremiah 14:14; 27:9; 29:8;Acts 16:16.
- Enchantments: Exodus 7:11, 22; 8:7; Leviticus 9:26; Numbers 23:23; 24:1; Deuteronomy 18:10; 2 Kings 17:17; 21:6; 2 Chronicles 33:6; Ecclesiastes 10:11; Isaiah 47:9, 12; Jeremiah 27:9.
- False gods: Exodus 20:3-4; Exodus 23:13; Exodus 34:14; Deuteronomy 32:16-17; Psalm 4:2; Psalm 40:3-5; Psalm 97:7; Ezekiel 23:49; Matthew 6:24; Romans 1:25; Philippians 3:19; 1 John 2:16-17; 1 John 5:21; Revelation 21:27
- Magicians: Genesis 41 :8, 24; Exodus 7: 11; 22; 8:7, 19; 19: 11; Daniel 1:20, 2:2, 10, 27; 4:7, 9; 5:11; Acts 19:19.
- Necromancy: Deuteronomy 18: 11. Observing Times: Leviticus 19:26; Deuteronomy 18:10,14; 2 Kings 21:6; 2 Chronicles 33:6.
- Prognosticators: Isaiah 47:13.
- Soothsaying: Joshua 13:22; 11; Isaiah 2:6; Daniel 2:27; 4:7; 5:7; Mic 5:12;
- Sorcery: (pharmakeia in N.T.): Exodus 7:11; Isaiah 47:9, 12; 57:3; Jeremiah 27:9; Daniel 2:2; Malachi 3:5; Acts 8:9, 11; 13:6, 8; Rev 9:21; 18:23; 21:8; 22:15.
- Witches/Warlocks/Wizards: Leviticus 19:31; 20:6, 27; Deuteronomy 18:11; I Samuel 28:3, 9; 2 Kings 21:6; 23:24; 2 Chronicles 33:6; Isaiah 8:19; 19:3.
- Witchcraft: Exodus 22:18, Deuteronomy 18:10; I Sam 15:23; 2 Kings 9:22; 2 Chronicles 33:6; Micah 5:12; Nah 3:4; Gal 5:20
FALSE gods
The false gods mentioned in
the Old Testament were worshiped by the people of Canaan and the
nations surrounding the Promised Land. Consider if these idols were
imagined or did they actually possess supernatural power? There are
some Bible scholars who are convinced some of these worshiped beings
could indeed do amazing acts because they were demons, or fallen
angels, disguising themselves as gods.
"They sacrificed to demons, which
are not God, gods they had not known...," ~ Deuteronomy 32:17 ~
When Moses confronted Pharaoh, the
Egyptian magicians with their secret arts were able to duplicate some
of his miracles, these were; turning their staffs into serpents,
water into blood, causing frog to come up on to the land (though
apparently not able to make them go back) and from here they were not
able to recreate God's miracles. Some Bible scholars attribute those
strange deeds to demonic forces.
Prominent False Gods of the Old
Testament
Ashtoreth or Astarte - a goddess
of the Canaanites was connected with fertility and maternity.
Worship of Ashtoreth was strong at Sidon. She was sometimes called a
consort or companion of Baal. King Solomon, influenced
by his foreign wives, fell into Ashtoreth worship, which led to his
downfall. Baal, ba'l (Semetic) or Bel (Mesopotamia),
Baal, though not considered
a proper name was worshiped in many forms for many applications;
weather god (Addu, Ba'luis, Mitdim, Haddu (Break, crash)
(Ugaritic), Amarna and more. The supreme god among the
Canaanites often as a sun or storm god. Also a fertility god
believed to cause the earth to bear crops and women to bear children.
Rites involved with Baal worship included cult prostitution and
sometimes human sacrifice.
A famous duel occurred between the
prophets of Baal and Elijah at Mount Carmel.
"And Elijah drew near to all the people and said, "Until when are you hopping between two ideas? If the Lord is God, go after Him, and if the Baal, go after him." And the people did not answer him a word." ~ 1 Kings 18:21 ~
27 And so it was, at noon, that Elijah mocked them and said, “Cry aloud, for he is a god; either he is meditating, or he is busy, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened.” 28 So they cried aloud, and cut themselves, as was their custom, with knives and lances, until the blood gushed out on them. 29 And when midday was past, they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice. But there was no voice; no one answered, no one paid attention." ~1Kings 18:27-29 ~
36 And it came to pass, at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near and said, “LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and I am Your servant, and that I have done all these things at Your word. 37 Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that You are the LORD God, and that You have turned their hearts back to You again.”38 Then the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench. 39 Now when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, “The LORD, He is God! The LORD, He is God!”40 And Elijah said to them, “Seize the prophets of Baal! Do not let one of them escape!” So they seized them; and Elijah brought them down to the Brook Kishon and executed them there.Worshiping Baal was a recurring temptation for the Israelites, as noted in the book of Judges. Different regions paid homage to their own local variety of Baal, but all worship of this false god infuriated God the Father, who punished Israel for their unfaithfulness to him." ~ 1 Kings 18:36-39 ~
Chemosh Chemosh, the subduer, was the national god of the Moabites and was also worshiped by the Ammonites. Rites involving this god were said o be cruel also and may have involved human sacrifice. Solomon erected an altar to Chemosh south of the Mount of Olives outside Jerusalem, on the Hill of Corruption.
"And the high places that were before Jerusalem, which were on the right hand of the mount of corruption, which Solomon the king of Israel had builded for Ashtoreth the abomination of the Zidonians, and for Chemosh the abomination of the Moabites, and for Milcom the abomination of the children of Ammon, did the king defile.”
Dagon - Deity of fertility of the Philistines. It is represented by the body of a fish with the head and hands of a human man. Samson, the Hebrew judge, met his death at the temple of Dagon.
"And the Philistines seized him, and gouged out his eyes. And they brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with copper chains, and he did grind in the prison house. 22 And the hair of his head began to grow after he was shaven. 23 And the lords of the Philistines gathered to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god and to rejoice. And they said, "Our god has delivered our enemy Samson into our hands." 24 And the people saw him and praised their god, because they said, "Our god has delivered into our hands our enemy and the destroyer of our land, and who has slain many of us." 25 And it was when their hearts were merry, that they said, "Call for Samson, and he will make sport for us." And they called for Samson out of the prison-house, and he made sport before them, and they stood him between the pillars. 26 And Samson said to the lad that held him by his hand, "Allow me, and let me feel the pillars whereupon the house rests, that I may lean upon them."
27Now the house was full of men and women, and all the lords of the Philistines were there. And upon the roof (there were) about three thousand men and women, the spectators of Samson's sport. 28 And Samson called to the Lord and said, "O Lord God, remember me and strengthen me now, only this once O God, that I may be avenged the vengeance for one of my two eyes from the Philistines." 29 And Samson grasped the two pillars of the center, upon which the house rested, and leaned upon them, (the) one with his right hand and the other with his left. 30 And Samson said, "Let my soul die with the Philistines," and he bent with (his) might, and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein. And the dead that he killed at his death were more than he had killed in his lifetime. 31 And his brothers and all his father's household came down, and carried him, and brought him up and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the burying place of Manoah his father. And he judged Israel twenty years." ~ Judges 16:21-31 ~
The image of Dagon met with decapitation when the Philistines had captured the Ark of the Covenant belonging to God and kept by Israel.
"Now, the Philistines had taken the Ark of God, and brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. 2 And the Philistines took the Ark of God and brought it to the house of Dagon, and set it up beside Dagon. 3 And the Ashdodites arose early on the morrow, and behold, Dagon was falling face downward to the ground before the Ark of the Lord, and they returned him to his place. 4 And they arose early the next morning, and behold, Dagon was falling face downward to the ground, before the Ark of the Lord, and Dagon's head and the two palms of his hands were cut off, (and lying) on the threshold; only Dagon('s trunk) alone remained upon him. 5 Therefore, the priests of Dagon and all those who come to the house of Dagon, do not tread upon the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod until this day."
"And the high places that were before Jerusalem, which were on the right hand of the mount of corruption, which Solomon the king of Israel had builded for Ashtoreth the abomination of the Zidonians, and for Chemosh the abomination of the Moabites, and for Milcom the abomination of the children of Ammon, did the king defile.”
~ 2 Kings 23:13 ~
Dagon - Deity of fertility of the Philistines. It is represented by the body of a fish with the head and hands of a human man. Samson, the Hebrew judge, met his death at the temple of Dagon.
"And the Philistines seized him, and gouged out his eyes. And they brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with copper chains, and he did grind in the prison house. 22 And the hair of his head began to grow after he was shaven. 23 And the lords of the Philistines gathered to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god and to rejoice. And they said, "Our god has delivered our enemy Samson into our hands." 24 And the people saw him and praised their god, because they said, "Our god has delivered into our hands our enemy and the destroyer of our land, and who has slain many of us." 25 And it was when their hearts were merry, that they said, "Call for Samson, and he will make sport for us." And they called for Samson out of the prison-house, and he made sport before them, and they stood him between the pillars. 26 And Samson said to the lad that held him by his hand, "Allow me, and let me feel the pillars whereupon the house rests, that I may lean upon them."
27Now the house was full of men and women, and all the lords of the Philistines were there. And upon the roof (there were) about three thousand men and women, the spectators of Samson's sport. 28 And Samson called to the Lord and said, "O Lord God, remember me and strengthen me now, only this once O God, that I may be avenged the vengeance for one of my two eyes from the Philistines." 29 And Samson grasped the two pillars of the center, upon which the house rested, and leaned upon them, (the) one with his right hand and the other with his left. 30 And Samson said, "Let my soul die with the Philistines," and he bent with (his) might, and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein. And the dead that he killed at his death were more than he had killed in his lifetime. 31 And his brothers and all his father's household came down, and carried him, and brought him up and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the burying place of Manoah his father. And he judged Israel twenty years." ~ Judges 16:21-31 ~
The image of Dagon met with decapitation when the Philistines had captured the Ark of the Covenant belonging to God and kept by Israel.
"Now, the Philistines had taken the Ark of God, and brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. 2 And the Philistines took the Ark of God and brought it to the house of Dagon, and set it up beside Dagon. 3 And the Ashdodites arose early on the morrow, and behold, Dagon was falling face downward to the ground before the Ark of the Lord, and they returned him to his place. 4 And they arose early the next morning, and behold, Dagon was falling face downward to the ground, before the Ark of the Lord, and Dagon's head and the two palms of his hands were cut off, (and lying) on the threshold; only Dagon('s trunk) alone remained upon him. 5 Therefore, the priests of Dagon and all those who come to the house of Dagon, do not tread upon the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod until this day."
~ 1 Samuel 5:1-5 ~
Egyptian gods ~Ancient Egypt had more than 40 false gods, although none are mentioned by name in the Bible. They included Ra, creator sun god; Isis, goddess of magic; Osiris, lord of the afterlife; Thoth, god of wisdom and the moon; and Horus, god of the sun. Oddly, the Hebrews were not tempted by these gods during their 400+ years of captivity in Egypt. The Ten Plagues of God against Egypt were humiliations of ten specific Egyptian gods.
Golden Calf ~ Golden calves occur twice in the Bible: first at the foot of Mount Sinai, fashioned by Aaron, and second in the reign of King Jeroboam
“Jeroboam then said to himself, "Now, the kingdom may return to the House of David. 27 When this people goes up to offer sacrifices in the Temple of the Lord, in Jerusalem, the hearts of this people will turn to their master to Rehoboam the king of Judah, and they shall kill me and return to Rehoboam, the king of Judah.”28 The king took counsel and made two golden calves, and he said to them, saying, "It is far for you to go up to Jerusalem; here are your gods, O Israel, that have brought you up from the land of Egypt." 29 And he placed one in Beth El and the other he placed in Dan. 30 And this thing became a sin, and the people went before the one even until Dan.”
“Jeroboam then said to himself, "Now, the kingdom may return to the House of David. 27 When this people goes up to offer sacrifices in the Temple of the Lord, in Jerusalem, the hearts of this people will turn to their master to Rehoboam the king of Judah, and they shall kill me and return to Rehoboam, the king of Judah.”28 The king took counsel and made two golden calves, and he said to them, saying, "It is far for you to go up to Jerusalem; here are your gods, O Israel, that have brought you up from the land of Egypt." 29 And he placed one in Beth El and the other he placed in Dan. 30 And this thing became a sin, and the people went before the one even until Dan.”
~ 1 Kings 12:26-30 ~
Marduk This god of the Babylonians was associated with fertility and vegetation. Confusion about Mesopotamian gods is common because Marduk had 50 names, including Bel. He was also worshiped by the Assyrians and Persians.
Milcom This national god of the Ammonites was associated with divination, seeking knowledge of the future through occult means, strongly forbidden by God. Child sacrifice was sometimes connected with Milcom. He was among the false gods worshiped by Solomon at the close of his reign.
Moloch, Molech, and Molek were variations of this false god which was used in child sacrifice. The metal image would be heat with fire and coals and the baby or child would be put in its arms to burn to death.
A statue of Moloch, the pagan deity to which children were sacrificed in the ancient world,
Jesus Christ Himself gave us warnings written in Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 17:20-37, Luke 21
now sits at the entrance to the Colosseum in Rome ~ November 9, 2019
Jesus Christ Himself gave us warnings written in Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 17:20-37, Luke 21
of what to watch for before His return.
There are yet more prophecies that need to be completed. We are not done, yet.
There are yet more prophecies that need to be completed. We are not done, yet.
CONCLUSION God has used ungodly leadership as a form of disciplining a nation. We see it in Scripture as He corrected the nation of Israel and as well as Judah. He sent His messengers and prophets but they continued and the decadence increased. He gave them over to their sins and the the king they deserved. Fewer and fewer in our nation can hear His voice. Fewer and fewer follow as a great falling away is occurring. He is calling through many earthly events; some hear, most do not. Through the generations He calls.
"Hearken, My people, and I shall admonish you, Israel, if you hearken to Me.
No strange god shall be within you, neither shall you prostrate yourself to a foreign god.
I am the Lord, your God, Who brought you up from the land of Egypt; open your mouth wide,
and I shall fill it. But My people did not hearken to My voice, neither did Israel desire to [follow] Me.
So I let them go after their heart's fantasies; let them go in their counsels.
If only My people would hearken to Me, if Israel would go in My ways.
In a short time I would subdue their enemies and upon their enemies
I would return My hand."
~ Psalm 81:9-15 ~
God is ready to forgive anyone of all their sins. All sins will be forgive except for one and that being blaspheming the Holy Spirit, that is to reject His calling. If you reject Him then you remain in your sins and when this life is over He will have to separate you from Himself as sin will NOT be allowed in His Kingdom. He is holy. He has given us so much grace and opportunity to turn to Him.
RECEIVE THE LORD JESUS CHRIST
Receive the LORD Jesus Christ and He will give you the Holy Spirit to guide you in all truth. Trust Him, learn from Him. His yoke is easy and His burden is light. He loves you so much. Do not rely solely on the church and the Pastor. We have access to God's word like never before in history. God will meet with any heart who is honestly searching in whatever circumstance they are in.
Ask Him now with a true desire and He will answer. God loves us deeply and desires to have us with Him throughout all eternity. And though mankind has also separated himself by sinning against God, yet God is willing to forgive and restore us. He has made a way through His only begotten Son Jesus Christ who took on flesh and was crucified to pay our dept to clear the way for us to be with God after this life.
Please visit this page; Receive Eternal Salvation to learn more and to receive the LORD Jesus Christ if you are not already a Born Again believer. The LORD Jesus Christ said that we must be born again to see the Kingdom. Please do not delay. It is indeed a spiritual battle in which we live.
The Apostle Paul wrote:
"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers,
against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
~ Ephesians 6:12 KJV ~
Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Trent C. Butler, general editor
Smith's Bible Dictionary, by William Smith
The New Unger’s Bible Dictionary, R.K. Harrison, editor
The Bible Knowledge Commentary, by John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck
Easton's Bible Dictionary, M.G. Eastonegyptianmyths.net
gotquestions.orgbritannica.com
learnreligions.com/false-gods-of-the-old-testamentjewishvirtuallibrary.org/baal-worship-jewish-virtual-library
Smith's Bible Dictionary, by William Smith
The New Unger’s Bible Dictionary, R.K. Harrison, editor
The Bible Knowledge Commentary, by John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck
Easton's Bible Dictionary, M.G. Eastonegyptianmyths.net
gotquestions.orgbritannica.com
learnreligions.com/false-gods-of-the-old-testamentjewishvirtuallibrary.org/baal-worship-jewish-virtual-library