Category: Creation

New Life

  “He spreads out the northern skies over empty space; He suspends the earth over nothing. He wraps up the waters in His clouds, yet the clouds do not burst under their weight. He covers the face of the full moon, spreading His clouds over it. He marks out the horizon on the face of the waters for a boundary between light and darkness. The pillars of the heavens quake, aghast at His rebuke. By His power He churned up the sea; by His wisdom He cut Rahab to pieces. By His breath the skies became fair; His hand pierced the gliding serpent. And these are but the outer fringe of His works; how faint the whisper we hear of Him! Who then can understand the thunder of His power?” – Job 26:7‭-‬14 NIV
New LIFE. That’s what the Creator has breathed into the world, and into to us. As we move into spring, we see the renewing of the earth in the early daffodils and hyacinths and tulips, trees bursting out in blossoms, and babies being born all through creation. Beauty surrounds us when we open our eyes enough to behold it. Jesus chose the time when the earth begins to stir to new life to sacrifice His life so that humanity could have new life. Beautiful, indeed! Are we spending our time of renewal sleeping with the Apostles, or praying with our LORD?

  Then [Jesus] returned to His disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” He asked Peter. “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” – Matthew 26:40‭-‬41 NIV

Hurting, feelings of depression, believing that we are not worthy are all coming directly from the enemy. Look to Jesus Christ! As C.S. Lewis said “Look for yourself, and you will find in the long run only hatred, loneliness, despair, rage, ruin, and decay. But look to Christ, and you will find Him, and with Him everything.” 

(Scriptures from http://bible.com)

Christmas Is Coming 

​This is what Christmas is all about:

  “So the Word became human {flesh} 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. 

  John testified about Him when he shouted to the crowds, “This is the One I was talking about when I said, ‘Someone is coming after me Who is far greater than I am, for He existed long before me.’” 

  From His abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another.  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. 

  The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look! The LAMB OF GOD Who takes away the sin of the world!” – John 1:14‭-‬18‭, ‬29 NLT  (http://bible.com/116/jhn.1.14-29.NLT)

Our God, the Creator of this incredibly complex universe, left heaven and came to earth. His sole purpose was to provide us salvation from our sin-filled lives. Think on that for today.

Beloved and Blessed

​Oh, I am Beloved!

  “Concerning the Gentiles, God says in the prophecy of Hosea, “Those who were not My people, I will now call My people. And I will love those whom I did not love before.” (Hosea 2:23) And, “Then, at the place where they were told, ‘You are not My people,’ there they will be called ‘children of the Living GOD.’” (Hosea 1:10) ” – Romans 9:25‭-‬26 NLT 

Do you consider yourself God’s Beloved? 

Sometimes I am just a little envious of the Jews, the Israelites. I mean, GOD chose them to be His people! Why the Israelites? And where did the split from being just “people” to being Israelites and Gentiles happen, exactly?

 Adam and Eve were the first humans, and as such are the founders of the human race. “This is the written account of the descendants of Adam. When God created human beings, he made them to be like himself. He created them male and female, and he blessed them and called them “human.” ” – Genesis 5:1‭-‬2 NLT 

For generations, people were called by their tribe, which came from the founder of each tribe, such as the tribe, or sons, of Seth, and the tribe, or sons, of Enoch. Then came Noah and his family. Did you know that Noah was 500 years old before his 3 sons were born? Or that the Flood began when he was 600 years old? Perhaps we should be reconsidering how we treat our seniors……

  “From these three sons of Noah came all the people who now populate the earth.” … “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 9:19; 10:32 NLT

Can we please stop arguing about “race” now…. we are all the same!! God created a rainbow of colors in us, just as He did with animals and plants. Look for beauty instead of ugliness. Sometimes we put so much emphasis on the ugly that we even forget there ever was beauty. There are, unfortunately, people who thrive on the ugly – and that is exactly what the enemy wants to happen. By getting our attention off of God and onto Satan, it is easier to subvert our good intentions. Rather, we can show the world of our love for Jesus through the gifts of the Spirit.

  “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!” – Galatians 5:22‭-‬23 NLT 

Be a positive influence today. If you are broken, it is so that God’s Light can show more brightly through the cracks! Never be ashamed of your brokenness. God doesn’t need perfect people, He needs us, the broken. 


( All scriptures quoted are from http://bible.com/NLT )

Fall, Falling, Fallen

🍃 Interesting word, Fall. It can be both a noun and a verb; a thing, or an action. “I love Fall”; “I will fall if I stand there.”

We use it to define the third season as the earth prepares for winter. Leaves fall from trees, creating an inviting cushion to walk on and play in. Seeds fall from plants to lie fallow on the ground until the time of renewal, and grains and fruits and nuts ripen to feed all manner of creatures. The sun moves lower in the sky and the nights grow longer as the earth rests before its renewal in the Spring. 🍁

In scripture, we read that Lucifer, whom God called  and the angels who rebel against God “fall” from heaven. “How you are fallen from heaven, O shining star, son of the morning! You have been thrown down to the earth, you who destroyed the nations of the world.” – Isaiah 14:12 NLT (http://bible.com/116/isa.14.12.NLT)

Adam and Eve fell from God’s Grace when they sinned in the Garden. Because of their action, all humanity is banned from the garden and have fallen into sin. No matter how hard we try to be “good”, we constantly fall because of our imperfect nature. Because of their action, all of the earth has fallen from the perfection God created. 

  “But You, O LORD, are a Shield around me; You are my Glory, the One Who holds my head high.” – Psalms 3:3 NLT (http://bible.com/116/psa.3.3.NLT)

By ourselves; through our “goodness,” We are nothing. It is only through God by way of Jesus Christ that we are anything. “For we were not making up clever stories when we told you about the powerful coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. We saw His Majestic Splendor with our own eyes when He received Honor and Glory from GOD the Father. The Voice from the Majestic Glory of GOD said to Him, “This is my dearly loved Son, Who brings Me great joy.”  We ourselves heard that Voice from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain. Because of that experience, we have even greater confidence in the message proclaimed by the prophets. You must pay close attention to what they wrote, for their words are like a lamp shining in a dark place—until the Day dawns, and Christ the Morning Star shines in your hearts. Above all, you must realize that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophet’s own understanding,  or from human initiative. No, those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God.” – 2 Peter 1:16‭-‬21 NLT (http://bible.com/116/2pe.1.16-21.NLT) 

Whether you choose to stay among the fallen star, satan, or stand up with Jesus, the Morning Star, is up to you. God gave us free will to make our choice. Have you made yours? It’s not too late! 

  “GOD raised Jesus from the dead, and we are all witnesses of this. Now He {Jesus} is exalted to the place of highest honor in heaven, at God’s Right Hand. And the Father, as He had promised, gave Him the Holy Spirit to pour out upon us, just as you see and hear today…. Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to GOD, and be baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” – Acts of the Apostles 2:32‭-‬33‭, ‬38 NLT (http://bible.com/116/act.2.32-38.NLT)

There is a God

Afternote: This has been a significantly difficult post to write. When typing words, they morphed into completely different words than I was typing. As I  have gone back to re-read this, I have found words and odd misspellings randomly interspersed throughout. Why? I can only guess, but I expect that it the enemy doing his best to undermine my efforts to glorify God. Satan, GET BEHIND ME. Jesus is my Joy and my Salvation! 

  “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” – Genesis 1:1 (http://bible.com/116/gen.1.1.NLT)

THERE IS A GOD.

He defies explanation and description.

How do I know there is a God? Easy. I open my eyes and look around me. I close my eyes and listen to the symphony of His creation. I reach out and touch. Babies have a distinct smell and their skin is incredibly soft. The various types of fur and hair of the animals is almost like a signature, and the plants of the earth are distinctive in smell and touch. Even the earth itself, from the highest mountain peaks with their rocks and crags to the deepest valleys; soft sandy beaches and the endless plains to the darkest forests…. add the warm dark loam of a fertile river valley and the smell that can overwhelm your senses.

Look at the stars and the planets. Hold a baby. Pet an animal. Hug someone. See the flowers and grasses and trees and rocks and sands of the earth. Look in a microscope. Can you say where it all of this came from? Very intelligent people maintain the “Big Bang Theory” – and I love the show by the way – but my question to them is this: where did the ‘ingredients’ for the Big Bang come from? If 2 atoms colliding made all this, where did the atoms come from? Who made them?

The “Big Bang” is a theory. Evolution is a theory. A theory defined is “… possibly true … but not proven to be true …” Although I respect the intelligence of the scientists who believe this theory to be true, I challenge them to prove the theory so they can stand on fact, rather than standing on supposition. I stand on the reality of this earth. God created this incredible universe and all that it contains, including us humans with all of our senses. In addition, He set us to be in charge of the care of the earth and all of its inhabitants . … and we aren’t doing a very good job being caretakers. It seems that if we could take the energies of all the people who spend their days trying unsuccessfully to prove God doesn’t exist, and channel that energy into ways to save our planet, we would all be much better off!

Whether or not you agree, GOD exists. Not a god, but GOD, the God of the Universe. Creator of all things. The reason bad things happen is because as humans with free will we have chosen to live outside of God’s Love and Mercy and Grace. When we are outside of His shelter, we are susceptible to the lies and coercion and manipulation of the enemy of God, who is Satan. So live your life as you choose to today, but remember this fact: Jesus is returning, and we don’t know when it will happen. Our lives can end in an instant – no matter how healthy or carefully we live, we can die at any time. 

So, how will you live? What do you choose? Who do you choose? A theory that cannot be proven, or the awesome creation around us and the Creator of it all; the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit? I choose God.

  “For God is not unjust. He will not forget how hard you have worked for Him and how you have shown your love to Him by caring for other believers, as you still do.” – Hebrews 6:10 (http://bible.com/116/heb.6.10.NLT)

AMEN.

And All of Creation…

I am Blessed. Even though I am still unemployed  (and actively looking for work!), last week I was able to go to Colorado and New Mexico with my best friend. All of God’s beautiful creation spoke to us throughout our trip.

    “Then God looked over all He had made, and He saw that it was very good! And evening passed and morning came, marking the sixth day.” – Genesis 1:31 NLT

Not only did we enjoy virtually perfect weather, we were there very close to the peak of the aspens turning gold, and saw a tremendous amount of wildlife. From butterflies to bison, valleys to mountain peaks; from racing rivers to desert. Incredible. How is it even possible for anyone to see the leaves changing colors on the plants and trees, or the breathtaking scenery of the mountains and valleys, or the variety of wildlife, and not believe in the Creator God??? AmNot believing is something I just can’t comprehend!

“And all of creation sing with me now

Lift up your voice and lay your burden down

And all of creation sing with me now

Fill up the heavens let his glory resound…”

(The Artist is MercyMe, from the album: The Generous Mr. Lovewell )

Listen to the song. I love to sing it out loud:”And ALL of creation sing with me now…” That’s what I felt was happening as we drove through all of this amazing country. When we actually open our eyes to the world around us, and open our ears to experience it, it can blow our minds. One stop we made was between Cimarron NM and Pagosa Springs CO so that we could step off the road and be close to the river. Even being so close to the road, the water running over the rocks made it so easy for me to tune out the modern sound of traffic,  and immerse myself in the sounds and colors and smells and the feel of the air as it poured over me. Powerful.

These are words I use to describe our God: Blessed, beautiful, perfect, incredible, breathtaking, amazing, powerful… when we immerse ourselves in God, He overwhelms us with His Grace and His Mercies.

Are you immersed and overwhelmed today?

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?????

 

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: