Who are the Wicked? and Who are the Righteous?

• Are there any righteous people? - Man justifies himself thinking I am not wicked, I am a decent, moral person, surely the good I have done in my life far outweighs whatever bad I have done. On the contrary, by God’s standard of righteousness even the most moral person is looked upon by God as desperate sinner on his way to Hell. God knows the secrets of the heart of man, where sin resides. The Bible teaches that no one is good enough in himself to go to Heaven. Our problem with God is not just “bad behavior, errors, and mistakes”. Because all men have broken God’s Laws in the Bible repeatedly, we are all sinners, and we are all guilty before God. Since Adam and Eve represented the human race, God’s curse of eternal death was transmitted to all of their descendants, as Rom 5:12 instructs. Furthermore, Psa 51:5 indicates that this happens at the moment of conception. Thus man is born physically alive, yet spiritually dead. Before salvation, there is none righteous, no not one. Neither Noah, nor Job, nor David, nor Moses, nor Zechariah the father of John the Baptist, nor anyone else in himself was righteous. We are all sinners. It is important to remember that sin has to be punished, and that man is completely accountable to God for his sin, since he was created in the image of God. As a just Ruler or Judge, God must punish sin, which the Bible defines as “transgression of the law” in 1 John 3:4. One of the chief characteristics of God is His perfect justice. This means that He is an altogether holy and righteous judge, as quoted in Acts 17:31: “... he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man [Jesus Christ] whom he hath ordained;...”. The good news of the Gospel of the Bible is, he has provided a substitute as quoted in 2 Cor 5:21, “For he [God the Father] hath made him [God the Son] to be sin for us [the elect], who [Christ] knew no sin; that we [the elect] might be made the righteousness of God in him [Christ]”. Simply put, God is indisputably in control of life and death, Heaven and Hell, and is in control of this universe which he brought into existence by His Word.

Rom 5:12 “Wherefore, as by one man [Adam] sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death [spiritual] passed upon all men, for that all have sinned…”

Psa 51:5 “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.”

Rom 3:10-12 “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: 11There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. 12They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.”

• Can anyone get right with God by following the God’s law? - First of all God's Law is not just ten commandments but the whole Bible. 1 John 3:4 declares that sin is “…the transgression of the law…”, and the “Law” that is being disobeyed is God’s Word, the Bible. God’s Word says that our breaking of just one of God’s commandments means that we’ve broken the whole Law. In the eyes of God, one’s thoughts are identical to one’s actions, and are thus sufficient to incur His eternal wrath. Even our “good works” are considered wicked by God because they are tainted with our sin. What about the people without God's law? God has written law in every human being's conscience. We all know wrong from right. You do not have to teach your child to sin, to steal a cookie or to tell a lie. We know that it is wrong to murder or commit adultery. The fact remains that man cannot be righteous by anything he does on his own. The purpose of the Law of God, even to the people who never heard the law, since the law is written in everyone's heart, is to expose sin, so that we might be driven to see the need for the Savior and go back to God.

Jam 2:10 “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.”

Matt 5:27-28 “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: 28But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.”

1 John 3:15 “Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.”

Isa 64:6 “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.”

Rom 2:12 “For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law;”

Rom 2:14-15 “For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: 15Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)”

Rom 3:20 “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.”

Rom 3:19 “Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.”

Gal 3:24 “Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.”

• Without Shedding of Blood is NO Remission of Sin -  The Bible teaches much about forgiveness and how it is intimately associated with blood atonement. But why blood atonement? In Lev 17:11 we find this principle, “For the life of the flesh is in the blood”. In order for there to be spiritual life, a blood “atonement” for sin is mandatory. This explains why the Old Testament is replete with accounts of lambs, oxen, and turtledoves which were sacrificed on the altar in the temple – like in an animal “slaughter house” – on a daily basis. Heb 9:22 also declares, “And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission [of sin]”. However, those sacrifices – which were only a “shadow”, or representation of Christ’s atonement – could never atone for sin in reality, as Heb 9:1-4 teaches. God used earthly visible things to teach heavenly, invisible spiritual truths. Sacrifices offered by the law are only a pattern of heavenly things and pointed to the perfect sacrifice “with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world”. One can only be saved by the blood atonement of Christ.

Lev 17:11 “For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul”

Heb 9:1-4 “For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.”

Rev 13:8 “And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.”

1 Pet 1:18-20 “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; 19But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: 20Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,”

• Can men be “made” righteous? if so, how? - Our own works of righteousness cannot save us, as we learn from Tit 3:5. Rom 10:3 also underscores this important fact, “For they [national Israel] being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God”. That was the condition of the Apostle Paul until he was saved and freed from a life of spiritual bondage in trying to keep the law, according to Php 3:9. The robe of Christ’s righteousness [given in Salvation] is absolutely needed in order for one to escape from the inevitable broad road that leads to Hell. One can be made Righteous only “through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith”. Noah was “perfect” and “walked” with God because he was saved by grace. God looks upon a person whom He has saved as “walking uprightly” because his sins have been paid for by the Lord Jesus Christ at the cross; and God's Spirit works in the person and causes the person to walk uprightly as a result of his salvation.

Tit 3:5 “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.”

Gen 7:1 “And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.”

Heb 11:7 “By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.”

Rom 4:1-8 “What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? 2For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. 3For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. 4Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. 5But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. 6Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, 7Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. 8Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.”

Phil 3:9 “And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:”

2 Cor 5:21 “For he [God the Father] hath made him [God the Son] to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”

Isa 61:10 “I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.”

• Do we then make void the law through faith? - We establish the Law, answers Rom 3:31. How so? Obedience is the distinctive hallmark of the child of God, as we read in John 14:15, “If ye love me, keep my commandments”. God is essentially telling us in these verses in John 14:15 and John 15:10, “You must become saved in order to have a right relationship with Me”. This is comparable to Jesus’ words in John 3:7, “Ye must be born again [born from above]”. No one can fear and love God and keep His commandments until God saves him. The test or evidence of salvation is a desire to be obedient to the Word of God – the Bible. It is against this backdrop of salvation by the grace and will of God that we are exhorted to “be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves”. A “doer of the Word” is one who has become saved. The Bible differentiates between the “carnally minded” and “spiritually minded”. To be “carnally minded” is not merely defining one’s physical existence, but is a statement of one’s spiritual condition, the nature of one who is unsaved and in the kingdom of Satan. On the other hand, to be “spiritually minded” refers to someone who has become saved by the will and Word of God and illustrates the nature of a true Christian – one who has become a citizen of God’s kingdom. Obviously, only a heart that has been made alive spiritually and infused with the Spirit of God will want to be obedient to the Word of God. So God must sprinkle the clean water of the True Gospel on him to cleanse him from his sins, give him a new heart, and put His Spirit within him, as we read in Eze 36:26-27.

Rom 8:7-8 “Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. 8So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.”

Rom 3:31 “Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.”

John 15:10 “If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.”

Rom 2:13 “For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.”

Eze 36:26-27 “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.”

When was the actual birth date of Jesus?

• Who was the first to celebrate Jesus birth? - Heaven itself, “a multitude of the heavenly host praising God” (Luke 2:13-14). And it says in verse 11 of Luke 2, the angel brought the “good tidings of great joy” to the shepherds: “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord”. This good news is not just for the shepherds but “which shall be to all people”. Christ is the Gospel, the good news is the Gospel, and that is what we desperately need to hear. What did the shepherds do? did they keep quiet? “they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child”. We are to declare to the world the good news that man now can have a right relationship with God. He has made it possible now for us to come from under His condemnation. Christ came into the world to share with mankind that there is a way of escape from hell itself. Christ came into the world — to bring the Gospel and to be the Gospel.

Luke 2:8-11 “And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. 10And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.”

Luke 2:13-14 “And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 14Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”

Luke 2:17 “And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.”

• Which year was Jesus born? - Historically the tradition of “Christmas”, commemorating the birth of Lord Jesus Christ, is fixed on December 25th, a pagan holiday, the time of the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere, when the day begins to become longer than the night. Roman calender made an error with the assumption that Jesus was born in year zero. In truth, the actual day is insignificant in the celebration of His birth, because we are not commanded to, nor are we commanded not to observe it. We can remember and celebrate the significance of Jesus' birth every day of the year. The year and date were not revealed in the Bible directly. But there is enough information in the Bible to come to the year of Jesus Birth, though we do not know with correct precision. Herod the Great, according to historical and secular evidence, reigned from 37–4 BC and died in 4 BC at the age of 70. So Jesus was definitely born before 4 B.C because Herod was still living in 4 B.C. The wise men found that a king would be born to be connected to the star through the prophesy of Balem in Num 24:17, and that Christ is going to come from the tribe of Judah, from Jacob's prophecy in Gen 49:10. And considering that two years passed after King Herod had inquired of the wise men (Matt 2:16), and before he had the Children of bethlehem killed, we can add at least another two years to the date (He obviously, was alive 2 years after he inquired of the wise men to make this proclamation). So it is clear Jesus must have been born 2 years before 4 BC, which would be sometime around or before 6 BC.

Matt 2:7 “Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared”

Matt 2:16 “Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying,...”

Matt 2:19-20 “But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, 20Saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead which sought the young child's life.”

• Day of Atonement significance - What was the historical or ceremonial feast day connected to the proclamation of liberty in Leviticus 25? It is the Jubilee. Jesus is the very essence of the Jubilee, who came to proclaim the liberty (Luke 4:18). Jesus might have been born on the Day of atonement in the month of Tisri (Lev. 25:9), which was the ushering in of the Jubilee year of 7 B.C., or the feast of tabernacles. According to the Jewish calender, 7 B.C is the jubilee year. This of course would also explain why Mary and Joseph found no room in the Inn, as Jerusalem and the neighboring communities would have no doubt been inundated with Jews who would have come from all over Israel to celebrate the Jubilee and feast days of the seventh month. It not only fits with circumstantial evidence of Herod and the timing of the star, but also fits perfectly with Biblical teaching of unfolding of God's plan. Remember all the feast days and ceremonial laws are the shadows that point to Christ. For example, Jesus was crucified on the ceremonial feast day of the Passover. When Jews were observing Passover, Jesus hung on the cross as a God's Passover Lamb. Jesus was announced as the Lamb of God by John the Baptist on the first day of seventh month of AD 29, which also is a special feast day, also identified with Jubilee. The Holy Spirit is poured out in AD 33, when Jews were observing the Pentecost.

Lev 25:9-10 “Then shalt thou cause the trumpet of the jubile to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month, in the day of atonement shall ye make the trumpet sound throughout all your land. 10And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubile unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family.”

Luke 4:17-19,21 “And there was delivered unto him [Lord Jesus] the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, 18The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, 19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. 21 And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.”

• What date was Jesus born? - As far as the day Jesus was born, God has given us couple of clues. In connection with John's birth (6 months prior to our Lord's) and the Priestly office of Zecharias, there is also a great deal of evidence which would lead us to believe that the date is in October. First clue is in Luke 1:5, speaking of Zacharias, father of the John the Baptist, it is written that he is from course of Abia or in Hebrew called Abijah. We see in 1 Chronicles 24:10, in connection to the conduct of temple worship, King David established 24 courses. Eighth was the course of Abijah (1 Chr 24:10). Eighth is the end of 1/3 of all 24 courses, served over period of 12 months of the Biblical calender. That means, the priests are officiated in the temple in the 4 month after the first day of the year. Since we know, Jesus was born in 7 BC, the Priestly office of Zecharias was in a year before, that would be 8 BC. In 8 BC, the last day of the 4th month of the Biblical calender was in the first week of July, when he received angel visitation about the birth of John the Baptist and finished his course. So Elizabeth might have conceived in the month of July in 8 BC and John the Baptist might have been born in April the following year. The second clue is in Luke 1:36 “behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her”. So John the Baptist is about 51/2 months older than Jesus. So Jesus was born sometime between September and October. In the year 7 B.C., the day of Atonement is on October 2nd. Day of Atonement has everything to do with Jesus Birth. So we have every reason to believe that Lord Jesus Christ was born on October 2nd in 7 B.C.

Luke 1:5 “There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia [Abijah]: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth.”


Luke 1:31,36 “31And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. 36And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren”

Why does God Allow Man made Disasters?

• God's Compassions Fail NOT - Many people suffer because of the actions of others, whether it be at individual actions, or Government actions/laws or Nation's actions/laws. Be it genocide, mass starvation, disease, greed, or pollution, there are real consequences to sinful actions. Mankind has always been quick to blame others – even God – for his sins, failures, problems, sorrows, and frustrations. However, this blame is altogether misplaced, since the Bible clearly explains that our problems stem from us – from our own sins, pride, greed and lust. Pride is the root of all sin, and the one that God especially despises. Not only man, in his pride, is guilty of disobeying God's commands, but he is guilty of changing the commandments of God by putting himself over the authority of the Bible. Pro 14:12 says, “There is a way that seems right to man, but its end is the way of death”. We live in a universe of cause and effect that God has established by His Word. Not only is that true in a physical sense, its spiritual ramifications are devastating. The end result of sin, if left unchecked, leads to suffering, pain, death, and eventually complete destruction. The more the world isolates away from God and His Word, the more evil it will become and sin will multiply. There are two sides to sin, one we have to face the God's punishment for sin and the other we have to face the consequences of the sin. Everyone of us are equally guilty of sin before God, as Jesus reminds us in Luke 13:3. It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed (Lam 3:22). There is a way to live that leads to long lasting peace and happiness. However, to achieve such results, like the city of Nineveh, we must collectively turn to the God of the Bible and repent of breaking His laws. God’s compassion is accentuated in providing His Son Jesus Christ as a propitiation for our sins. Christ endured the wrath of God for His people, by making payment for their sins by shedding His own blood and made provision to the eternal life.

Rom 5:12 “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:”

Luke 13:1-5 “There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things? 3I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. 4Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? 5I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.”

Lam 3:22-24 “It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not 23They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness”

Rom 3:23-25 “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; 24Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: 25Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;”

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

• The God of All Comfort; Who Comforteth Us in ALL our Tribulation - The various evils affecting our planet today such as, murder, robbery, theft, kidnapping, rape, deceit, or any other sin, all have devastating effects not only on the ‘sinner’ but on society at large. God's Elect are also effected by the natural and man made disasters. God allows or disallows disasters according to his divine plan, and uses sinful intentions of men for the greater good of His Elect, as he works in their lives. The ultimate good God looks at is the eternal Glory He gives for His Children. In the process He draws them and molds them into likeness of Christ through various events and chastisements. For one thing, such events shake our confidence in this life and force us to think about eternity. They remind us how fragile and temporal this life is and drive us to God. They help us to set our eyes on things above. God’s mercy manifests itself along with the comfort< that God alone abundantly supplies to His children, in turn they can comfort others, as 2 Cor 1:3-4 affirms. And the means of mercy and comfort is found in the Scriptures as we learn from Rom 15:4. So the believer in Christ can have the utmost confidence and comfort on his death bed or in a death of a loved one, that they would be with the Lord the moment they close their eyes, as Php 1:20-21, 2 Cor 5:6-8 and 1 Pet 1:3 acknowledges. Only when Christ returns will the new heavens and the new earth be established (Rev 21:1). In this new earth and in the new heavens, “[God] will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Rev 21:4).

2 Cor 1:3-4 “Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; 4Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.”

Rom 15:4 “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.”

Job 2:9-10 “Then said his [Job] wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die. 10But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.”

Php 1:20-21 “According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”

2 Cor 5:6-8 “Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: 7(For we walk by faith, not by sight:) 8We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.”

1 Cor 15:16-22 “For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: 17And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. 18Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. 19If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. 20But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. 21For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. 22For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.”

1 Pet 1:3 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively [or living] hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead”

1 The 4:13-18 “But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. 14For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 15For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 16For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 18Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”

Rom 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

1 Cor 2:9 “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.”

Why did God Reject Cain's Offering and Accept Abel's?

• Without Faith It is Impossible to Please God - How can a human being please God? This has been the main preoccupation with all religions and codes of ethics since the Garden of Eden. God makes it very clear that apart from His salvation man can never please God as Heb 11:6 asserts: “ ...without faith it is impossible to please him”. Remember, the Scriptures state that man cannot save himself. God has to give him salvation (or faith) as a gift and fruit of the Spirit, as Eph 2:8-9 and Gal 5:22 declares. Only a born-again believer has been qualified to please God because after salvation, it is God who works in us “…both to will and to do of His good pleasure”, according to Php 2:13. So, we see that God is the One who is causing the “good works” in the Christian’s life, as Heb 13:21 teaches, “... working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ...”.

Heb 11:5-6 “By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God. But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”

Rom 8:5-10 “For they that are after the flesh [unsaved] do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit [saved] the things of the Spirit. 6For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. 8So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. 9But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. 10And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.”

Eph 2:8-9 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

Gal 5:22 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”

Heb 13:21 “Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen”

• I will have Mercy, and NOT Sacrifice - In this very important verse, Matt 9:13, God insists that salvation has to do with God’s mercy and not man’s works. The sacrifice that God is looking for is the sacrifice of Christ Himself. For this reason, we understand why the Lord Jesus Christ is “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Rev 13:8). John the Baptist recognized this when he first saw Christ and announced in John 1:29, “...Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world”. Christ is indeed “the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel”, as Heb 12:24 tells us.

Hos 6:6 “For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge [knowing him as a savior] of God more than burnt offerings.”

Matt 9:13 “But go ye and learn what [that] meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous [which trusted in themselves that they were righteous], but sinners [broken hearts] to repentance.”

Psa 51:16-17 “For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.”

• God had Respect unto Abel and to his Offering - Both Cain and Abel brought offerings to the Lord according to their occupation. Abel brought of the firstlings of his flock and Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground. We see that early on, right after the fall of man, man knew that they had to bring an offering to God because of their sin. In all probability, God had given them some direction in this, which he demonstrated dramatically, when we find God Himself shedding the blood of an animal, and then covering Adam and Eve with those bloody skins without saying anything to them about the futility of the fig leaves they were wearing. Those skins pictured the righteousness of Christ, which is the only adequate covering for any person’s sin. So they knew that their sinfulness and their rebellion against God required an atonement. We read that God had respect unto Abel and to his offering, but to Cain and his offering He did not have respect. This was what brought about Cain’s anger and wrath, so that he became jealous of his brother Abel, to the point of murder. Why was it that Cain’s offering was not accepted, but Abel’s was? As far as the character of the offerings themselves, both are acceptable to God. But, “By faith” Abel brought his offering, the “firstlings of his flock” (Heb 11:4) reflecting his saved condition. He was not trusting in that offering itself – he did not think that the work of bringing the firstling of his flock and offering it up to God would justify him in God’s sight. He knew that there must be an acceptable sacrifice, a more excellent sacrifice – that speaketh better things than that of Abel and that God would be pleased with. God accepted the Abel's sacrifice because it was given by faith, counting on God's righteousness. He was looking to the day when the perfect sacrifice of Messiah, the Lamb of God, would atone for his sins and justify him before God. On the other hand, Cain brought his offering, and he thought that the very act of bringing the first fruit of the ground as offering unto God would justify him in the sight of God. Cain's sacrifice is rejected because it was offered in self-righteousness and NOT mixed with faith. He is counting on getting right with God using his own good works. The anger and hatred of Cain in murdering His brother Abel, not only highlights the pervasiveness of sin throughout this planet and the whole universe, but also reflects his unsaved condition and was underscored by his remark in Gen 4:9, “Am I my brother’s keeper?”. This sin – as is all sin – is connected to pride. To be our brother’s keeper is the essence of love. This is what is in view when the Bible speaks about loving “your neighbor as yourself”. Gal 5:14 affirms, “For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself”. 

Gen 4:1-5 “And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD. And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD. And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering: but unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.”

Heb 11:4 “By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous [heir of the righteousness which is by faith – through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith], God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh [making a statement].”

1 John 3:11-12 “For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. 12Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil [self-righteous counting on his own act of sacrifice] , and his brother's righteous [counting on God's righteousness and sacrifice of lamb of God, Jesus Christ].”

• Woe unto them! for they have Gone in the Way of Cain - Jude 1:11 says “Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core”. Man had greatly fallen from grace and from the glory of God! Yet God tells us that there are some who go in the way of Cain. “Woe unto them”, He says, “who go in the way of Cain”. When God speaks of “the way” in the Bible, it has to do with the Gospel that someone is following – “Gospel of Grace” or “Gospel of Works”. Natural (unsaved) man in his spiritually dead condition loves the “Gospel of Works” because the true Gospel of salvation by God’s sovereign, electing grace is repugnant to him. Man’s natural, sinful pride causes him to reject the notion that God is totally in charge of His Own creation and salvation program. An unsaved person cannot bring himself to acknowledge that salvation is totally God’s work for His glory, as is clearly described in Rom 9:13-16: “... I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy”. Satan and his demonic hosts have been relentlessly – but unsuccessfully – seeking to thwart God’s salvation plan for His elect by deceiving mankind about the true nature of God and essentials of the Gospel of Christ – sin, righteousness and judgment (John 16:8). There are a plethora of counterfeit “gospels”, or belief systems, that claim to be based on the Bible but are distortions of the Truth. Obviously, a “gospel”, or doctrine, that is false is no gospel at all (Gal 1:6-9; 2 Cor 11:3-4). Satan deceived our first parents with “the lie” in the Garden of Eden, and they tried to “hide” from God (Gen 3:8). Ever since that time, people want to hide spiritually from God behind various false doctrines, or the imaginations of their own minds, that are more pleasing to contemplate than the True Gospel that speaks of God’s judgment of sin and His eternal wrath. They want to cover themselves with the “fig leaves” of their religious works (Gen 3:7; Isa 59:6) instead of the robe of Christ’s righteousness (as we read about in Isa 61:10). This is “the way of Cain” – Cain sought to become right in God’s sight through his own works, but his own works were evil. That is true of any man who would attempt to “work” their way into Heaven using a “form” of godliness – not genuine godliness, which is salvation. In other words, what is missing is the spiritual reality, or substance. A man can think that he is doing good works – he can give his money to the poor, he can carry the Gospel message,he can prophesy and declare the Word of God, and he can faithfully gather together with the people of God, yet if he in any way thinks that these things will justify him in the sight of God then this same statement holds true for him: “his own works are evil”. Everything that we do is tainted by sin: “All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags”, as Isa 64:6 says.

Jude 1:3-4 “Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. 4For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Jude 1:10-12 “But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally [natural or unsaved man cannot discern spiritual things (1 Cor 2:14)], as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves. 11Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core. 12These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water [water typifying pure Gospel], carried about of winds [carried about by every wind of doctrine (Eph 4:14)]; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots;”

Matt 23:13,16,28,33-35 “But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! [typifying unsaved and self-righteous] for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.... 16Woe unto you, ye blind guides, ... 28Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity... 33Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell? 34Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes [typifying the saved]: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city: 35That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.”

• Woe unto them! for they have Gone in the Way of Balaam and Korah - In Jude 1:11 “Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core”,  God identifies three Old Testament figures to represent the false prophets or teachers, with those who profess the name of Christ yet who have never been born again. They always think that there is something that they can do, and they thereby pervert the Gospel of grace; they change it into a gospel of works.  Balaam, as we read his historical account in the book of Numbers, is a person whose language might cause us to believe that he is a child of God. He sounds very faithful as he says, “... If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of the LORD my God, to do less or more” (Num 22:18). How faithful he sounds as he makes statements like that, yet as we consider everything that the Bible has to say about Balaam, we know that Balaam is likewise he is a false prophet (2 Pet 2:15) who brought about great trouble for the Israelites. Then finally we have Korah as God says, “They perished in the gainsaying of Core”. Korah was one of the chief men of Israel who rose up in rebellion against Moses and Aaron and against their spiritual rule over the congregation. He said, “Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them [which trusted in themselves that they were righteous], and the LORD is among them: wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the LORD?” (Num 16:3). Each one is a false prophet, someone standing for and representing “another gospel”. The lying false-gospel teachers are “unproductive” with respect to the Gospel of Christ. In our day when apostasy abounds and false gospels are legion, we would do well to keep in mind the admonition of Gal 1:6-9.

2 Pet 2:1-2 “But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.”

2 Pet 2:12-18 “But these, as natural [natural or unsaved man cannot discern spiritual things (1 Cor 2:14)] brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption; 13And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to riot in the day time. Spots they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you; 14Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children: 15Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; 16But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man's voice forbad the madness of the prophet. 17These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever. 18 For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error. ”

Gal 1:6-9 “I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: 7Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. 8But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed [or damned]. 9As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed [or damned]. ”

Same Sex Marriages - Are we on the right track?

• Male and Female Created He Them - God created man in his own image. No other creature that God made during the six days of creation is quite like man. The reason for this is because man has an eternal soul (unlike the animals), and he was made in the image of His Maker. Man was created perfectly by God – that is, he was endowed with mental, physical, and spiritual capabilities in order to serve God and enjoy fellowship with Him. God has given man the capacity to communicate, to reason, to work, to feel emotion, to nurture, to explore, to invent – to name just a few capabilities. In Gen 2:20, in connection with the creation of man, we see “... but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him” and in Gen2:18, “And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him”. So God created Woman out of Man, from his bone, from his flesh, divinely designed them to form an intricate and intimate union with one another and God instituted marriage, as seen in Gen 2:21-24. God created Woman to be alongside Man as his “other half”, to be his aid, his helper, his companion and his life partner. In Gen 1:28 we learn that Adam and Eve were blessed by God to bear children and rule over the rest of God’s magnificent world. The biblical concept of marriage is a oneness between two individuals, husband and wife, that pictures the oneness of Christ with His Bride, the Church.

Gen 1:26-27 “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.”

Gen 2:21-24 “And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.”

Mark 10:6-9 “But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife; And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.”

Gen 1:28 “And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.”

• Men with Men and Women with Women - Man was made to serve and obey God and man chose to rebel. Unfortunately, this idyllic situation in Garden of Eden was short-lived because they tragically failed a test that was set up by their Creator: “... God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. ... And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food [lust of the flesh], and that it was pleasant to the eyes [lust of the eyes], and a tree to be desired to make one wise [pride of life], she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat” (Gen 3:1-6). However, a tragic event unfolded that sent eternal shockwaves throughout the universe, infected every single human being in the process, and sentenced all (unless redeemed) to eternal death in Hell: “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned” (Rom 5:12). Man, who had been perfectly created in the image and likeness of God had rebelled against His Maker. Adam and Eve and all the rest of us are deceived by three factors, as 1 John 2:16 tells us – a very real and insidious problem of life on this sin-cursed earth is that man is captivated by “… all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life...”. Man’s innate sinfulness, pride and rebellion against God continued. Not only is he in complete rebellion against God and His Law, the Bible, throughout history man has attempted to create the Infinite, Eternal God “in man’s own image”, reducing God to man’s level, to something he can control – a portable, practical kind of a god – very much like a puppet of sorts. Though many today do not worship so-called “idols”, they are just as guilty for worshiping their own minds, or humanity, or education, or science, or fame or power, or money, or politics. Man is guilty of changing God’s laws of the Bible, especially regarding marriage, to suit his own sinful inclinations. Marriage has everything to do with the family, and the family is the foundation of society. Same-sex marriages cannot be fruitful nor can they multiply. Man is setting up for his own extinction. The family is the cornerstone of every nation. When the families are destroyed, the destruction of the nation is not far behind. Luke 17:26-33 is a fitting commentary of our day, as we are in the period known as “Great Tribulation”. It is important to remember that God has obligated Himself to punish sin, and that man is completely accountable to God for his sin because he was created in the image of God. Although God is extremely patient with mankind, that does not in any way diminish the fact that He hates sin and hates sinners: “God judgeth the righteous [saved], and God is angry with the wicked [unsaved] every day” (Psa 7:11). Man will be brought to justice on the dreadful Judgement Day as 2 Pet 2:9 states: “The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished.”

Rom 1:18 “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; 19Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. 20For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: 21Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, 23And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. 24Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: 25Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. 26For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: 27And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. 28And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; 29Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, 30Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: 32Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.”

Luke 17:26-29 “And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. 27They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. 28Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; 29But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.”

Isa 5:20-26 “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! 21Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight! 22Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink: 23Which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him! 24Therefore as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust: because they have cast away the law of the LORD of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel. 25Therefore is the anger of the LORD kindled against his people, and he hath stretched forth his hand against them, and hath smitten them: and the hills did tremble, and their carcases were torn in the midst of the streets. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still. 26 And he will lift up an ensign to the nations from far, and will hiss unto them from the end of the earth: and, behold, they shall come with speed swiftly:”

• The Ultimate Male and Female – Christ and His Bride - God alone provided the solution for man’s sin. You see, though through woman sin entered, it was through the woman, Eve, that help would one day come, as Gen 3:15 and 1 Tim 2:13-15 alludes. So, who is the seed of the woman? it is Christ as Gal 4:4-5 elaborates. God also likens the union of a husband and wife to the mysterious union between Christ and His Bride, the eternal church, in Eph 5:31-32. The language God used to describe the intimacy of Christ and the Church “we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones” is same as the one he used to describe how woman is the integral part of man, “This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man”. In other words, God is assuring us that He has made a spiritual commitment that the church is to be forever the bride of Christ. Once Christ had committed to build a church from and for Himself, He will never revoke His commitment to love that church [eternal body of believers] eternally. In this intimate, wonderful example of the church being the bride of Christ, God looks at the physical marriage relationship, and admonishes husbands to follow the same pattern.

Gen 3:15 “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it [Christ] shall bruise thy [Satan] head, and thou [Satan] shalt bruise his [Christ] heel.”

1 Tim 2:13-15 “For Adam was first formed, then Eve. 14And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. 15Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing [Christ] ...”

Gal 4:4-5 “But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law…”

Eph 5:25, 28-32 “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it. 28So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. 29For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: 30For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. 31For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. 32This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.”

God Removes Kings, and Sets Up Kings. Read more...

• God Removes Kings, and Sets Up Kings - God’s majestic name is “Jehovah”, usually written as “LORD” in all capital letters in the Old Testament of the King James Version of the English Bible, and Psa 83:18 declares, “That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH , art the most high over all the earth”. Psa 93:1, proclaims: “The LORD reigneth, he is clothed with majesty”. The Hebrew word for “reigneth” [malak] means “to reign”, or “to rule”, as a king and is the word from which “king” (melek) is derived. God raises up kings and He puts down kings, as we read in the below verses. God sets up all rulers, presidents and people in authority, and works in their hearts to accomplish His will throughout the history of the world. God's Will, no way implies that He causes the ruler to act sinfully but uses the rulers sinful intentions to accomplish His Will, as Pro 16:9 teaches, “A man’s heart deviseth his way: but Jehovah directeth his steps”. It applies to earthly rulers such as King Nebuchadnezzar. God is the one that brought him against His own people of Judah. Remember what the Bible says concerning God’s relationship with King Nebuchadnezzar in Jer 25:9 “... saith JEHOVAH, and Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will bring them against this land, and against the inhabitants thereof, and against all these nations round about, and will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, and an hissing, and perpetual desolations”. We also have a great example with Pharaoh, where God says in Rom 9:17, “For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth”. He was raised up to be a ruthless king and to be someone who would not let the Israelites go. This was all according to God’s plan and God’s purpose and Kings like Nebuchadnezzar and Pharaoh were established in their position of power and rule in order to accomplish God’s purpose as His servants of destruction. We do not understand a lot of things, but we do understand that God is in charge and that we are not to reply against God. God is a God who is righteous and He is a God who does everything perfectly and He makes it clear in Romans 9 that it is His sovereign right to do so. His divine will will ultimately sustain His everlasting glory. And sometimes, He will raise up the basest of men to be a king. Whatever government, whoever is in charge, God will make a way for His people and God is the One who is in control of the whole process. Finally, whoever is ruling will do so only at the will of God. They cannot do anything more or less than God will permit. And so, we just trust God. We do not necessarily trust the particular government, if it is a dictatorship or a communist rule or something where they are not maybe being all that honest. But no matter what the situation of the government, God’s people can be confident, they can just trust in the Lord, that He is going to work it out. Jesus Christ is the Supreme Ruler over all the kings of the earth, as Rev 19:15-16 proclaims. Rom 13:1 admonishes, “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God”.

Psa 75:5-7 “Lift not up your horn on high: speak not with a stiff neck. For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another.”

Dan 2:20-21 “Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his: And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding:”

Dan 4:17 “This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones: to the intent that the living may know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men.”

Pro 21:1 “The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.”

John 19:10-11 “Then saith Pilate unto him, Speakest thou not unto me? knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee? 11Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin.”

Rev 19:15-16 “And out of his [Jesus Christ] mouth goeth a sharp sword [Word of God], that with it he should smite [judge] the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”

• The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD - Literally, this is true of all kings, rulers and presidents. Let us look at what this means spiritually. We read in Psalm 23 verse 5, “Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over”. It was customary to anoint the head of a new king of Israel with oil to signify that he was officially taking that position of authority. The Greek word for “Christ”, christos, is a translation of the Hebrew word rendered as “Messiah”, which means “anointed”. That is because the Lord Jesus is King of kings and Lord of lords, and those who have become saved are spiritually “anointed” as kings, prophets (Rev 1:5-6). We, the believers, are “a royal priesthood”, as we read in 1 Peter. We are, in principle, ruling with Christ in Heaven even while we are still on earth (Eph 2:6). What God accomplishes in saving someone from spiritual death to spiritual life is equivalent to what the Lord Jesus Christ experienced through His death, burial, and resurrection, as Eph 1:19-20 indicates. God is in complete control of the lives of His children - the Kings. And our heart is in His hands, as the hand represents the will, and He will turn us whither soever He would have us to go, “as the rivers of water”. God gave us a new heart that He will direct and guide, according to His way and according to His plan.

Rev 19:15-16 “And out of his [Jesus Christ] mouth goeth a sharp sword [Word of God], that with it he should smite [judge] the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”

Rev 1:5-6 “And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.”

Eph 1:19-20 “And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he [God the Father] raised him [God the Son] from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places.”

Eph 2:5-6 “Even when we [true believers] were dead in sins, hath quickened us [made us alive] together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”

Pro 21:1 “The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: He turneth it whithersoever He will.”

God Blesses Those Who Bless Israel and Curses Those Who Curse Israel?

• Promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob - God first called Abram in Genesis 12 to leave his country and go to a land that He would show him. God promised in verse Gen 12:3, “I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed” and in Gen 26:4, “in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed”. God repeated that promise to Abraham many times afterwards. Moreover, after Abraham’s death, He reassured Isaac of that promise in Genesis 26 and to Jacob in Genesis 28. God also changed Abram’s name to Abraham (which means “father of a multitude” ), He said in verse 5, “for a father of many nations have I made thee”. However, it is vital to understand that God gave Scriptures veiled in shadows and types and figures. To see the Spiritual truths that God wants us to see, we have to compare “spiritual things with spiritual” (that is, “Scripture with Scripture”), as we are instructed to do in 1 Cor 2:13.

Gen 12:2-3 “And I will make of thee [Abraham] a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 3And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.”

Gen 13:14-15 “And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward: 15For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.”

Gen 17:8 “And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.”

Gen 26:2-4 “And the LORD appeared unto him [Isaac], and said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of: 3Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father; 4And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed;”

Gen 28:13-14 “And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou[Jacob] liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; 14And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.”

• Is the Promised Land Earthly Jerusalem? - In Gen 17:8, It’s highly significant that the promised land was to be given to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their seed for an everlasting possession. But according to 2 Pet 3, God will destroy this present universe by fire and create everlasting New Heavens and a New Earth. So the promised land has to be new creation. Even in the Old Testament we read in Isa 65:17, “For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind”. This promised land, where righteousness dwells, will be inhabited by God and His people. So the Promised Land is type or figure of the new heavens, new earth and new Jerusalem from Heaven according to Rev 21:1-2.

Heb 11:8-10 “By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. 9By faith he sojourned in the land of promise [earthly], as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: 10For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.”

Heb 11:13-16 “These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. 14For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. 15And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. 16But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he [>God] hath prepared for them a city”

2 Pet 3:10,13 “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. 13Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.”

Rev 21:1-2 “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. 2And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband”

• Who are All the Families or All the Nations that will be blessed? - Notice that, God linked the giving of promised land to His promise that in them shall all nations be blessed. Actually, that was also a reiteration of what God had previously promised Abraham. Back in Genesis 13, when Abram and Lot separated, later, in Genesis 17, when God changed Abram’s name to Abraham (which means “father of a multitude” ), He said in verse 5, “for a father of many nations have I made thee”. All Families or All Nations, that will be blessed, are type or figure of the God's Elect from all over the world [Jews and Gentiles] and this is the Gospel that was preached to Abraham, according to Gal 3:8.

Gen 12:2-3 “And I will make of thee [Abraham] a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 3And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.”

Gen 17:5 “Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.”

Gal 3:8 “And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.”

Gen 26:3-4 “... I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy [Isaac] father; 4And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed;”

Gen 28:14 “And thy [Jacob] seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.”

Heb 4:2 “For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them [Israel as a nation]: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.”

Rom 9:27,30-31 “27Esaias also crieth concerning Israel, Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved: 30What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith. 31But Israel [as a nation], which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness.”

Rom 4:16-17 “Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law [remnant of Israel], but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham [remnant of Gentiles]; who is the father of us all, 17(As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.”

• Are the Earthly Jews Recipients of these Promises? - In Gal 3:16, the apostle calls particular attention to the word “seed”, as distinguished from “seeds”. And that singular seed that God had in Christ, NOT all the blood descendants of Abraham. The Recipients of these Promises are the Israel of God, the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus, according to Gal 3:29.

Gal 3:16 “Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.”

Heb 11:17-18 “By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, 18Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: 19Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him [Isaac] in a figure [figure of Christ].”

Rom 9:6-8 “Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel: 7Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. 8That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.”

Rom 2:28-29 “For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: 29But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.”

Gal 6:15-16 “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature. 16And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.”

Gal 4:22-28 “For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman. 23But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh [unbelievers from both Jews+ Gentiles]; but he of the freewoman was by promise [believers from both Jews+ Gentiles]. 24Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar. 25For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. 26But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all [all who are in Christ]. 27For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband. 28Now we [the born-again believers], brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.”

Gal 3:26-29 “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. 27For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. 29And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.”