Month: August 2016

The Sun Will Come Out

It has been a few days since I have written anything. There has been a fog – whether physiological or spiritual, I don’t know – that I am working to overcome. The sun will come out from behind the clouds; that’s God’s promise. As I write this, the morning sun has raised it’s self over the clouds gathered on the horizon and is shining brightly on me, full in it’s glory and majesty. Isn’t God good?? In the same way, we have the Light of the Son, Jesus Christ. His Glory and Majesty are often obscured by the clouds and the darkness of the world when we don’t focused on Him. He isn’t hiding; we are. Silly people, won’t we ever understand that He is always with us, even we turn our backs and try to hide in the fog?

 Initially, this was titled “Who Do You Follow?” God often has other plans and I need to listen to Him. These verses called me today and I have to share my thoughts on them. As Paul writes to the Corinthian church, his words apply even to us today. Substitute the names of Paul and Apollos and Peter with the names of any well-known pastors today and consider Paul’s words.

  “Dear brothers and sisters, when I was with you I couldn’t talk to you as I would to spiritual people. I had to talk as though you belonged to this world or as though you were infants in Christ. I had to feed you with milk, not with solid food, because you weren’t ready for anything stronger. And you still aren’t ready, for you are still controlled by your sinful nature. You are jealous of one another and quarrel with each other. Doesn’t that prove you are controlled by your sinful nature? Aren’t you living like people of the world? When one of you says, “I am a follower of Paul,” and another says, “I follow Apollos,” aren’t you acting just like people of the world? After all, who is Apollos? Who is Paul? We are only God’s servants through whom you believed the Good News. Each of us did the work the Lord gave us. I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow. It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow.” 

  “Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you? God will destroy anyone who destroys this temple. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.” So don’t boast about following a particular human leader. For everything belongs to you— whether Paul or Apollos or Peter, or the world, or life and death, or the present and the future. Everything belongs to you, and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God .”

(http://bible.com/116/1co.3.1-23.NLT)

That last verse really gets to me. Think about it. In Biblical financial studies, we learned that everything belongs to God. Did you get that? Everything….. my house, your apartment, all of the appliances and furnishings inside, animals, vehicles, gardens – children, parents, siblings, spouse, significant other, and etcetera. It all belongs to God. 

I tend to forget that. “Mine, all mine; my Precious!” For those who have read JRR Tolkien or have seen the movie “The Fellowship of the Ring,” you should get this. We can easily become like Gollum, whose obsession with a ring turned him into a sort of monster. Our obsession with things can be just as overwhelming as his was. We don’t change our physical form, but our spirit becomes warped and ugly. Even our spiritual leadership run this risk. The power to influence people is a pretty heady thing. Whenever I see a pastor or church leaders teaching the “gospel of prosperity,” or teaching that you have to make monetary contributions in order to be healed, or sitting in their throne-like chairs on stage in their expensive clothes and makeup and jewelry…. these are not from God!

A pastor’s job is teach about Jesus, not to promote themselves or their amusement park or their “ministry.” I don’t dispute that every ministry has to have a certain amount of monetary backing, but it is not the preacher’s job to extort his people for financial gain. Being a Pastor isn’t about getting rich, it’s about bringing people into the Kingdom of God and teaching us the Bible. Read verses 21-23 again:

  “So don’t boast about following a particular human leader. For everything belongs to you— whether Paul or Apollos or Peter, or the world, or life and death, or the present and the future. Everything belongs to you, and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.” 

Our choice – my choice – is this. I can focus on Jesus and trust that His Light will shine through the fog and burn it away (eventually!), or I can put my faith in a man or woman and trust them to take me out of the fog…. The difference is this. With Jesus, the fog may linger or it may be burned away, but it doesn’t matter which because I have the best navigation and protection system ever in Jesus and the Holy Spirit and His angels. With man, they may temporarily drag me out of the fog, but it’s still there, able to roll in and overtake me at any time.

I choose Jesus, Light of the world. The SON will come out and Shine! Amen!

Men – “Can’t live with ’em; can’t live without ’em.” 

Reading on in Genesis (see previous blog posts), I am astounded at how stubborn and prideful men are. Not that it is any surprise, because I have witnessed it first-hand in my own life. And not just men…. look at Lot’s wife in chapter 19. When he and his family left Sodom, the angels told them to hurry and not to look back. What does his wife do? She looks, and is turned into a pillar of salt.

  “When they were safely out of the city, one of the angels ordered, ‘Run for your lives! And don’t look back or stop anywhere in the valley! Escape to the mountains, or you will be swept away!’ …. But Lot’s wife looked back as she was following behind him, and she turned into a pillar of salt.” – Genesis 19:17‭, ‬26 NLT  (http://bible.com/116/gen.19.17-26.NLT)

Abraham (Abram) continually pushes at God, as does Sarah (Sarai) his wife. Lot’s daughters sinned by having sex with their father – and Lot sinned by drinking himself into a stupor. In spite of all of these failings, God has continued to love them and bless them. There are wonderful stories of miracles throughout Genesis. There is fighting and intrique; there are love stories and deception. Every kind of story, because it is the true history of the human journey from creation through Joseph, a Hebrew boy who became second only to Pharaoh because of his faith and faithfulness to the LORD. 

The Bible is fascinating, because all of human history is contained in it. Science proves it’s accuracy, over and over again, through archeological discoveries and manuscripts. 

Why do we [not me, but so many people] insist that it is wrong? Is it our free will that causes us to be so stubborn and prideful? How can anyone look at nature and the diversity of all living things; the precision, of it all, and not believe in a Creator? The Big Bang could be the result of God clapping his hands…. but it had to come from something. Space dust, or whatever, had to come from somewhere. Plants and living creatures have certainly evolved over the years, but again, it wasn’t random. Don’t know about you, but I am certain that I did not evolve from an ape.

Men. As the saying goes, “Can’t live with ’em; can’t live without ’em.” Men say the same about women, because it’s true. We can’t live without each other, and we can’t LIVE without God. Over the ages, God has proven over and over how Faithful He is, just as mankind has proven how fickle and selfish we are. As much as we like to look back at our pasts, instead of focusing on the future God has for us, we should probably all be turned into pillars of salt. Fortunately for us, God is also Merciful.

  “For this is how God loved the world: He gave His ONE and ONLY SON, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have ETERNAL LIFE.  God sent His Son into the world not to judge the world, but to Save the world through Him. There is no judgment against anyone who believes in Him. But anyone who does not believe in Him has already been judged for not believing in God’s One and Only Son.” – John 3:16‭-‬18 NLT  (http://bible.com/116/jhn.3.16-18.NLT)

Eternal Life. No judgement. Why would anyone in their right mind refuse a gift like This? Expecially since it’s FREE?????

 

What a Fool I Am…

​  “Control your temper, for anger labels you a fool.” – Ecclesiastes 7:9 NLT (http://bible.com/116/ecc.7.9.NLT)

How many times in my life I have played the fool, and how many more will I before I meet Jesus. I lived much of my life in anger, coming out in sarcasm and biting “humor” and gossip. Not so much now that I have turned my life to God, but my human-ness still comes out at times. James addresses this same thing to the early Christians. Even as we attempt to curb our anger, and our tongues, we fail. We are far from perfect – and I am the furthest from perfection of all mankind. 

  “If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless. Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.” – James 1:26‭-‬27 NLT (http://bible.com/116/jas.1.26-27.NLT)

  “Indeed, we all make many mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way. People can tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and fish, but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison. Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right! Does a spring of water bubble out with both fresh water and bitter water? Does a fig tree produce olives, or a grapevine produce figs? No, and you can’t draw fresh water from a salty spring.” – 

James 3:2‭, ‬7‭-‬12 NLT (

http://bible.com/116/jas.3.2-12.NLT)

In a way, James makes it sound so hopeless of ever having our tongue under control. On our own, even though we might be full of “religion”, we are unable to control it. It is only through Christ Jesus that we can speak without anger and malice. 

  “But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere.” – 

James 3:17 NLT (

http://bible.com/116/jas.3.17.NLT)

While I am unable on my own to control my temper and my anger, by surrendering it to Jesus, HE can control it. Allowing the Holy Spirit into my life allows me to let go of those human emotions that used to control me. I was all of these things: “But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart, don’t cover up the truth with boasting and lying. For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind.” – James 3:14‭-‬16 NLT (http://bible.com/116/jas.3.14-16.NLT)

I can’t even express what a tremendous amount of of guilt and frustration were lifted from my heart by giving these up to Jesus. The immense weight I carried on my shoulders; all of the baggage like hauled around for years…. Gone. All through realizing that my temper and the anger I projected did nothing except hurt me. I was the one who looked the fool when I was busy trying to make everyone else look bad. Temper and anger are incredibly harmful to your physical, emotional, and spiritual life. You might give letting it go a try. I know I feel much lighter – and free.

The Promised Land

​  “So the LORD made a covenant with Abram that day and said, “I have given this land to your descendants, all the way from the border of Egypt to the great Euphrates River…” – Genesis 15:18 NLT (http://bible.com/116/gen.15.18.NLT)

There are a lot of maps out there! I found this site shows me the best representation of how big the land is that God promised to Abram:

https://biblechartsandmaps.com/product/giant-holy-land-map-poster-past-and-present

Absolutely amazing. Today, there is so much fighting going on in the middle east between the many different cultures and belief groups. Seems like every newscast includes a story about fighting there – ISIS, Palestinians, Russians and the Chinese, American troops, Israeli troops….. and so on. I would absolutely love to see it all end, but until Jesus comes again, I’m certain it will only get worse. The fighting for little bits of land (little in the overall scheme of things) has been going on since the first men settled in the area thousands of years ago. Do you really think anything we say or do is going to stop it? I think we are well into the prophecies of the Revelations. Seems to me that we are waiting on the 6th Seal to be broken, and that will be more terrible than what we have endured to this day.

   “As I watched, the Lamb broke the first of the seven seals on the scroll. Then I heard one of the four living beings say with a voice like thunder, “Come!” I looked up and saw a white horse standing there. Its rider carried a bow, and a crown was placed on his head. He rode out to win many battles and gain the victory. 

  When the Lamb broke the second seal, I heard the second living being say, “Come!” Then another horse appeared, a red one. Its rider was given a mighty sword and the authority to take peace from the earth. And there was war and slaughter everywhere. 

  When the Lamb broke the third seal, I heard the third living being say, “Come!” I looked up and saw a black horse, and its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard a voice from among the four living beings say, “A loaf of wheat bread or three loaves of barley will cost a day’s pay. And don’t waste the olive oil and wine.” 

  When the Lamb broke the fourth seal, I heard the fourth living being say, “Come!” I looked up and saw a horse whose color was pale green. Its rider was named Death, and his companion was the Grave. These two were given authority over one-fourth of the earth, to kill with the sword and famine and disease and wild animals. 

  When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of all who had been martyred for the word of God and for being faithful in their testimony. They shouted to the Lord and said, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you judge the people who belong to this world and avenge our blood for what they have done to us?” Then a white robe was given to each of them. And they were told to rest a little longer until the full number of their brothers and sisters —their fellow servants of Jesus who were to be martyred—had joined them.” – Revelation 6:1‭-‬11 NLT (http://bible.com/116/rev.6.1-11.NLT)

Are you ready? Because the LORD will give the whole land of Israel to the descendants of Abraham when it is time, and that time is coming soon. The first 5 Seals appear to have been broken. Are you ready for the next one? Read on in chapter 6:

  “I watched as the Lamb broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake. The sun became as dark as black cloth, and the moon became as red as blood. Then the stars of the sky fell to the earth like green figs falling from a tree shaken by a strong wind. The sky was rolled up like a scroll, and all of the mountains and islands were moved from their places. 

  Then everyone—the kings of the earth, the rulers, the generals, the wealthy, the powerful, and every slave and free person—all hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains. And they cried to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. For the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to survive?” – Revelation 6:12‭-‬17 NLT (http://bible.com/116/rev.6.12-17.NLT)

Only the ones who have been cleansed by the Blood of the Lamb, Jesus, get to skip that day of wrath. Our sins have been covered and we have been walked by the Blood. I ask you again, are you ready?

Morning Has Broken…

Mornings like this bring my Grandma to mind. The crispness in the air, looking out over my little patch of earth, I miss her and her way of making me feel so special. Her yard contained the biggest garden, and she tended it faithfully well into her 80’s. I remember little flowers she called sweetpeas, and tall corn, and neat rows of veggies. Her root cellar for the potatoes was like a cool, inviting cave with its deep, earthy smell. From the grape arbor with the huge purple concord grapes, she made the best grape jelly ever. (Sorry, Welch’s, Grandma’s was better!) Just being with her in her little kitchen and home that overflowed with love. I wish she could come help me with my garden! Her home was just as warm and inviting as she was. I always felt loved when I was with her.

I realize now that her garden was her living; her grocery store, and that she had very little financially, yet she seemed content. I regret that I didn’t spend more time with her, but I made choices that took me away from her and the rest of my family. I fought with my Daddy over my choices, and it cost me precious time with him. Even though my parents lived as good examples of God’s command to honor our parents, I chose me over opportunities to spend time with him and my Mom and my family. My rebellion cost me, emotionally, physically, and spiritually. I missed out on so much – the consequences of my decisions, and I have watched from a distance as some of my siblings, and nieces and nephews and cousins have done the same. I want to give each of them (and myself!) a good wake-up shake! Family is precious. Our time on earth with them is limited, and treating each other with disdain and disrepecting our parents is so incredibly wasteful of our lives.

God makes it so clear what we are to do and how we are to act toward our parents: “Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the Lord your God is giving you.” – Exodus 20:12 NLT and Deuteronomy 5:16 (http://bible.com/116/exo.20.12.NLT)

  “Honor your father and mother. Love your neighbor as yourself.” – Matthew 19:19; Mark 7:10; Ephesians 6:2-3 NLT (http://bible.com/116/mat.19.19.NLT)

As I read these verses and their background, I saw the following verse. I don’t recall seeing it before, even I have probably read it many times. “For instance, God says, ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and ‘Anyone who speaks disrespectfully of father or mother must be put to death.’ ” – Matthew 15:4 NLT (http://bible.com/116/mat.15.4.NLT)

Does that freak you out a little? It did me! Read on a little further in Matthew:

  “Then Jesus called to the crowd to come and hear. ‘Listen,’ He said, ‘and try to understand.  It’s not what goes into your mouth that defiles you; you are defiled by the words that come out of your mouth… Don’t you understand yet?’ Jesus asked. ‘Anything you eat passes through the stomach and then goes into the sewer.  But the words you speak come from the heart—that’s what defiles you.  For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander.  These are what defile you…’ ” – Matthew 15:10‭-‬11‭, ‬16‭-‬20a NL (http://bible.com/116/mat.15.10-20.NLT)

 You know what sustains me, even though my own mouth has been a sewer and defiled? Jesus. Without Him I am nothing. By His own words in Matthew 15:4 I should be put to death for my words against my parents. Even though I am the worst sinner who ever lived, I can take my hope for Life through this passage of His interaction with another Gentile woman. 

  “But she came and worshiped Him, pleading again, ‘Lord, help me!’ Jesus responded, ‘It isn’t right to take food from the children and throw it to the dogs.’ She replied, ‘That’s true, Lord, but even dogs are allowed to eat the scraps that fall beneath their masters’ table.’ ‘Dear woman,’ Jesus said to her, ‘your faith is great. Your request is granted.’ And her daughter was instantly healed.” – Matthew 15:25‭-‬28 NLT (http://bible.com/116/mat.15.25-28.NLT)

One of my favorite hymns; Amen.

“My Hope is Built on Nothing Less”
by Edward Mote, 1797-1874

1. My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

2. When darkness veils His lovely face,
I rest on His unchanging grace;
In every high and stormy gale
My anchor holds within the veil.
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

3. His oath, His covenant, and blood
Support me in the whelming flood;
When every earthly prop gives way,
He then is all my Hope and Stay.
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

4. When He shall come with trumpet sound,
Oh, may I then in Him be found,
Clothed in His righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne!
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

Hymn #370 
The Lutheran Hymnal
Text: 1 Timothy 1:1
Author: Edward Mote, c. 1834, cento
Composer: John Stainer, 1873, arr.
Tune: “Magdalen”

His Promise

Imagine living on a livestock ship for over a year with no contact with the outside world. No radio, no TV, no electronics, no books or games. The ship is built for cargo; the length of 1 1/2 football fields and about half as wide, and it’s over 4 stories high. It has the same storage capacity of 500 semi-trailers, and has 3 decks full of different species of animals. Your job, with your 2 brothers and your dad, is to look after them all, feeding and cleaning …. and it’s all manual labor. Your mom and wife and sisters in law are in charge of the kitchen and living quarters – nothing fresh, because everything has been preserved. The eight of you are alone in the world, but you have the LORD to sustain you.
  “With them in the boat were pairs of every kind of animal—domestic and wild, large and small—along with birds of every kind. Two by two they came into the boat, representing every living thing that breathes. A male and female of each kind entered, just as God had commanded Noah. Then the Lord closed the door behind them.” – Genesis 7:14‭-‬16 NLT (http://bible.com/116/gen.7.14-16.NLT)

As much as I love animals – and my family – I’m not sure I could stand a whole year cooped up on a livestock boat with them. Especially not being able to go out on deck and see the sky, and not having my books or any contact with anyone else. Not knowing, really, what was going on outside the boat. Solid rain for almost a month and a half after the doors were closed and sealed, and at first, hearing people outside, many of whom were friends and acquaintances, screaming and crying and pounding on the doors to please let them in. Finally it got quiet, and for the rest of the year the only sounds from outside were the waves against the hull, and the whales when they would come alongside.

  “And the floodwaters covered the earth for 150 days.” – Genesis 7:24 NLT (http://bible.com/116/gen.7.24.NLT) 

The earth was completely covered by water, even the tallest mountains. Obviously, after 5 months of being completely underwater, every living thing that breathed on  the earth had drowned. If you think on it, and look at archeological finds throughout the centuries, it all makes sense. Why are there fossilized shells and fish found on mountaintops? How did the dinosaurs end up in piles?  Because the earth was completely covered in water for 5 months. It would be easy for God to do it again, and get rid of all of the corruption and evil in the world, except for His Promise:

  “Then Noah built an altar to the LORD, and there he sacrificed as burnt offerings the animals and birds that had been approved for that purpose.  And the LORD was pleased with the aroma of the sacrifice and said to Himself, “I will never again curse the ground because of the human race, even though everything they think or imagine is bent toward evil from childhood. I will never again destroy all living things. As long as the earth remains, there will be planting and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night.” – Genesis 8:20‭-‬22 NLT (http://bible.com/116/gen.8.20-22.NLT)

Aren’t you glad He promises not to again destroy all living things? He even gave us a sign to remember His covenant with us: “I have placed My rainbow in the clouds. It is the sign of My covenant with you and with all the earth.” – Genesis 9:13 NLT (http://bible.com/116/gen.9.13.NLT)

Thankfully, we don’t have to go to an altar and make sacrifices of animals and birds like Noah and his sons did. In spite of God’s Mercy, humans continued to sin and made sacrifices to cover their sins. The earth recovered from the flood and became green and fertile again, the animals repopulated the earth with their offspring, and so did Noah and his sons. 

  “The sons of Noah who came out of the boat with their father were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. (Ham is the father of Canaan.) From these three sons of Noah came all the people who now populate the earth.” – Genesis 9:18‭-‬19 NLT (http://bible.com/116/gen.9.18-19.NLT)

  “These are the clans that descended from Noah’s sons, arranged by nation according to their lines of descent. All the nations of the earth descended from these clans after the great flood.” – 

Genesis 10:32 NLT (

http://bible.com/116/gen.10.32.NLT)

See? ONE race for all mankind. If you will continue to read Genesis 10-11, the reason for our different languages and cultures will be explained.

But to God’s Ultimate Promise. 

  “In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through Him, and nothing was created except through Him. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and His life brought Light to everyone. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it. 

  So the Word became human and made His home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen His Glory, the Glory of the Father’s One and Only Son. For the law was given through Moses, but God’s unfailing Love and Faithfulness came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. But the Unique One, who is Himself God, is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us. I didn’t know [Jesus] was the one, but when God sent me to baptize with water, He told me, ‘The One on whom you see the Spirit descend and rest is the One who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ I saw this happen to Jesus, so I testify that He is the Chosen One of God. ” 

  Then [Jesus] said, “I tell you the truth, you will all see heaven open and the angels of God going up and down on the Son of Man, the One who is the stairway between heaven and earth. ” – John 1:1‭-‬5‭, ‬14‭, ‬17‭-‬18‭, ‬33‭-‬34‭, ‬51 NLT (http://bible.com/116/jhn.1.1-51.NLT)

The Word is Jesus, and Jesus is God’s ultimate Promise to us. Because of Him, we no longer need a priest as an intermediary between God and ourselves, and no more animals need to be sacrificed. Jesus is our Intermediary and our Advocate, and He was the sacrifice to end sacrifices. Can I get an Amen for that??

Have you called on Him today?


Heroes and Warriors

​  “In those days, and for some time after, giant Nephilites lived on the earth, for whenever the sons of God had intercourse with women, they gave birth to children who became the heroes and famous warriors of ancient times.” – Genesis 6:4 NLT (http://bible.com/116/gen.6.4.NLT)

Nephilites. Some translations simply say “sons of God,” but all of them say that from these unions between the sons of God, or Nephilites, and women (who are also called daughters of man) came the giants and heroes and famous warriors. The Greek and Roman gods and myths and fables we have came from these unions and their descendents. 

How would Moses, who wrote and compiled the book of Genesis and the next 4 books of the Bible, know all of this? Obviously, part of it was written from first hand knowledge because he lived it. The earlier history was both written and passed down verbally, so it was just a matter of him putting it on paper… or papyrus, or clay… The final verses dealing with Moses’ death were probably added by Joshua, who arguably knew Moses better than anyone except perhaps Moses’ wife.

I’ve been researching the terms “Nephilites” and “sons of God” for a couple of days, and there is a lot of controversy and disagreement over who they really were. Some scholars say that they are angels, and fallen angels, while other scholars maintain that they were aliens or giant apes. Among the theories and explanations, the one I can hold on to and has the best historical support, is that the Nephilites or Nephilim were the progeny of fallen angels and human women. Look at the myths of the the gods. They all contain stories of gods and humans interacting and procreating, and of their offspring eventually being wiped out from the earth. I believe that fallen angels still visit us and their goal is to deceive us and lead us away from God. Everything described in the Bible is being backed by scientists and archeologists, sometimes when they are trying to prove it’s wrong! 

The Nephilim were real. The so-called gods of the ancient earth and the violence that surrounded them; the heroes and warriors of legend that are described in cultures around the world, were real. Perhaps their tales are exaggerated, but they are the same stories told in the Bible. The story of the flood is real, and it is also repeated (although distorted a bit) in every culture. The Bible is real, and the best record of the earth and our history as a human race that exists. There are many supplemental historical texts that aren’t inspired by God but are still valid historic texts, and they parallel the Bible account. 

What difference does it make, anyway, who or what the Nephilim were? What does it have to do with us? The actions of the Nephilites and the consequences of those actions bring us to Noah. 

  “This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless person living on earth at the time, and he walked in close fellowship with God. Noah was the father of three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Now God saw that the earth had become corrupt and was filled with violence. God observed all this corruption in the world, for everyone on earth was corrupt. So God said to Noah, “I have decided to destroy all living creatures, for they have filled the earth with violence. Yes, I will wipe them all out along with the earth!” – Genesis 6:9‭-‬13 NLT (http://bible.com/116/gen.6.9-13.NLT)

The human race was about to be completely destroyed and wiped out, along with every creature and plant. God was preparing a clean slate – that’s how evil and disgusting the earth had become. God’s beautiful creation had been destroyed through human willfulness and the blatant sins of angels and men. Without Noah and his righteousness, we wouldn’t be here. I believe the earth is being prepared for another cleansing; the ultimate “ethnic” cleansing. Look, really look, at the earth and it’s inhabitants today. “… the earth ha[s] become corrupt and [i]s filled with violence…. everyone on earth  [i]s corrupt.” (verses 11a,‬12b) 

Are we any better than the people of Noah’s time? I know we aren’t. I don’t know if God could find even one truly righteous person today. There are are lots of good people, and many godly people – and many more self-righteous people, but a man that God would hold us as righteous in HIS eyes?  The one outstanding difference and our saving grace is Jesus. Jesus won’t stand in the way of the cleansing; in fact, He will be (He is) leading the angel army as they clean up the earth. Even as we speak, God has started reconfiguring the earth and preparing it  as the Apostle John describes in his book of Revelations.

  “But the people who did not die in these plagues still refused to repent of their evil deeds and turn to God. They continued to worship demons and idols made of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood—idols that can neither see nor hear nor walk! And they did not repent of their murders or their witchcraft or their sexual immorality or their thefts.” – Revelation 9:20‭-‬21 NLT (http://bible.com/116/rev.9.20-21.NLT)

These are the verses that frighten me. From Genesis to Revelations, we – the human race as a whole, including Nephilites and all, have refused to acknowledge God’s Sovereignty. Satan wants us to think that we are as good as God, and as smart as God, and as immortal as God. These are all lies from the enemy. He used a serpent to coerce Eve. He used fallen angels to deceive and bring down humanity in Noah’s time. He caused the tower of Babel to built, causing mankind to be divided by language, and he caused Sodom and Gomorrah to be destroyed through his evil and ungodly influence. In history, he has used distortion of God’s Word to help instigate the Crusades and the Spanish Inquisition. Even today, he works through men in the pulpit to distort and deceive to promote racism and favoritism and false doctrines. 

How much longer do you think God will tolerate this evil? I don’t know the answer to how long He will let us go on as we are, but I do know this:

Ouch – God hit me again

​  “If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities.” – Luke 16:10 NLT (http://bible.com/116/luk.16.10.NLT)

No, He didn’t physically hit me, although I am convinced that He has handed out corporal punishment in the past. NOT by way of abuse, because God does not abuse or do evil.

 I believe He does punish us in physical ways when we disobey Him (that also includes disobeying parents 😉). Did you ever break a bone or hurt yourself while doing something you knew you weren’t supposed to? Yep, me, too. Wrecked or been involved in a wreck; gotten a ticket, were involved in a fight? How about detention, stood in the corner, or put in a time out? Gone to the principals office for ‘licks’? Thankfully I was never spanked by the principal, but I did make the walk of shame to his office and couple of times…. Shudder! 

Imagine what it will be like, standing before God’s Great White Throne, and having all of the wrong things you’ve done throughout your lifetime read out in front of the God of the Universe and all of His heavenly hosts. THAT idea makes me shudder!! I have broken all of God’s commandments. Before you throw out judgment, think on these words from Jesus: 

  “You have heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.’  But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell!” – Matthew 5:21‭-‬22 NLT (http://bible.com/116/mat.5.21-22.NLT)

And in Proverbs 23:7 KJV – 

  “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he….” (

http://bible.com/1/pro.23.7.KJV)

So, by this, I have broken all of the commandments in my heart; therefore, I have to bear the consequences. I have been unfaithful in small things, and I have been dishonest in small things. I have to bear the consequences for those things, too. Sounds pretty hopeless, doesn’t it. Ah, but here’s the best part of this post:

  “For this is how GOD Loved the world: He gave His One and ONLY Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.  God sent His Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through Him. 

  There is no judgment against anyone who believes in Him. 

  But anyone who does not believe in Him has already been judged for not believing in God’s One and Only Son.  And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s Light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil.  All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed.  But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what GOD wants.” – 

John 3:16‭-‬21 NLT (

http://bible.com/116/jhn.3.16-21.NLT)

NO judgement; NO condemnation!

Think on this for a bit…. 

Mocking = Gossip

​  “Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers,  but whose delight is in the Law of the LORD, and who meditates on His Law day and night.” – Psalm 1:1‭-‬2 NIV (http://bible.com/111/psa.1.1-2.NIV)

Really? Not fond of this verse, because I like mocking people. Not in public, or to their faces (that would just be cruel – and wrong). I make comments on the way people are dressed (“Seriously? Those are not baseball game shoes!” or “Walmart person! Oh my!) or their makeup or hair (“He needs a good barber!”). Yep, I am seriously flawed….. but then, we already knew that 😆.  

I am a sinner saved by Grace, not for anything I have done or could do, and I will continue to sin despite my best intentions. Unfortunately, that is the human condition. We have some great news, though. Once we have accepted the Gift of eternal Life from Jesus, we can count on this:

  “Who shall separate us from the Love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 

  As it is written: “For Your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

   For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the Love of GOD that is in Christ Jesus our LORD.” 

  – Romans 8:35‭-‬39 NIV (http://bible.com/111/rom.8.35-39.NIV)

I’m convinced; are you? It doesn’t mean that I can go out and do anything I please without any consequences. What it does mean is that I won’t be forsaken by my LORD in spite of my sins….EVER. Nothing can separate me from Him. I will face consequences when I face the Great White Throne Judgment, but I know that Jesus will be next to me as my Advocate, and I will spend eternity with Him instead of the enemy. Hallelujah!

As always, I am interested in hearing about your thoughts and appreciate the time you take to read these.