💥 Lies are one of the ways to destruction seen all around us today

 

Barbara Preston, member of the body of Christ

 

Matthew 7:13-14  (Jesus said) Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:

14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

Earlier today I was thinking about the above scripture and the "strait gate and narrow way" that Jesus was talking about.

In the world today there are so many lies we hear on tv or read online with absolutely no regard for truth.

When you allow yourself to lie to others you put yourself on a very broad road. Which lie do you want to tell so you can get what you want? 

I understand this because before God gave me His Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth, this was the way I lived. The only fear I had was getting caught in one of my lies.

Now I have a very strong desire to live in truth and I am so grateful that God had mercy on me and changed me. 

 

I think this explosion of lies we are seeing today is another sign of how close we are to God's judgment coming upon this world. It reminds me of the following scripture ...

Revelation 22:14-15  Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. 

15 For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.

 

 

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💥 Podcast: None of the wicked will understand the plagues of the last days but the righteous will understand and be purified

 

 

(This podcast was previously recorded and published on December 18, 2020) 

 

During the great tribulation that God sends upon this earth, we read: 

 

Daniel 12:10   Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand. 

 

God sends HIS wrath upon this earth:  great hail stones, fire mingled with blood, a great mountain moves into the sea, a great star falls and the waters are poisoned and many die, the solar system changes and there is 1/3 less sun, moon, and stars, locust come out from the bottomless pit and "sting" men who have not the seal of God in their foreheads and hurt them for 5 months with torments of their stings, 4  angels come from the river Euphrates and kill 1/3 part of the men upon this earth, the 7th angel declares there shall be time no more.  (Revelation 8 & 9) 

 

Then the vials of the wrath of God are carried by the next 7 angels and they are poured out one by one upon the earth and the men who have the mark of the beast on their bodies: great smelly sores came on these men who worshiped the beast, the sea became as blood and every living soul in the sea died, the fountains and rivers became blood, the sun scorched men with fire, the kingdom of the beast was filled with great darkness whereby men of the beast suffered pain and gnawed their tongues, spirits of devils working miracles were loosed from the river Euphrates and the water dried up, the 7th angel pours his vial into the air and announced, "It it done," and there were voices and thunders and lightnings and a great earthquake and the cities of the nations fell and every island fled away and every mountain disappeared, and great hail fell ... "and men blasphemed God."  (Revelation 16) 

 

Revelation 9:20-21  And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: 

 

21 Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts. 

 

Even when the plagues came, they could not repent and they did not repent.  They had taken on the mark of the beast, antichrist.  They blasphemed God instead in the midst of the plagues. 

 

"None of the wicked shall understand."  (Daniel 12:10) 

 

The main way we recognize antichrist today in the churches today is when we speak they cannot understand what we are saying for they do not have the Spirit of God but the spirit in them is another spirit. 

 

Jesus said: 

 

John 8:43-45 Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word. 

 

44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. 

 

45 And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not. 

 

The Holy Spirit is The Spirit of Truth.  They do not have the Holy Spirit in them though they say "Jesus is Lord".  So like their father, the devil, when they speak they speak lies and they do not understand the truth therefore they do not repent of their sins. 

 

*  But the righteous understand  ... and are therefore refined and purified in the tribulations ... and repent of their past sins. 

 

But none of the wicked understand.  (Daniel 12:10)

 

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💥 Scriptures:

 

Matthew 7:13-14  (Jesus said) Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:

14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

 

 ***

 

Psalms 28:8  The LORD (the Word) is their strength, and HE is the saving strength of HIS anointed. 

 

***

 

Mark 10:27  And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.

 

 ***

 

Psalm 32:10-11  Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the Lord (the Word), mercy shall compass him about. 

 

11 Be glad in the Lord (the Word), and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.  

 

 ***

 

Psalm 63:3-4   Because Thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise Thee.

4 Thus will I bless Thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in Thy name.

 

 ***

 

Joshua 1:9  God said ... Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed; for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.

 

 

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💥 Revelation 12 (Reading through the Bible)

And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: ² And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.

³ And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. ⁴ And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.

⁵ And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to HIS throne.

⁶ And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.

⁷ And there was war in heaven: Michael and HIS angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, ⁸ And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.

⁹ And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him
.
¹⁰ And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of HIS Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

¹¹ And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

¹² Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. 

Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.

¹³ And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.

¹⁴ And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.

¹⁵ And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.

¹⁶ And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.

¹⁷ And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

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💥 Podcast: Christmas? Where is that in the Bible? Christ's mass?

 

 

(This podcast was previously recorded and published on December 15, 2020) 

 

According to Wikipedia (Internet Encyclopedia) "Christmas actually evolved from pagan traditions celebrating the winter solstice."

It was a long winter so they met to celebrate the sun ... they worshipped the sun.

Christmas is not mentioned in the Bible. We are not told by GOD to do any of these things the people of this world do concerning their holiday, Christmas.

At one point, God even said HE hated those solemn feasts:

Isaiah 1:13-17   Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto ME; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting. 14 Your new moons and your appointed feasts MY soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them.  And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide MINE eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood. 16 Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before MINE eyes; cease to do evil;  17 Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.

Men establish so many feasts and holidays which are not appointed by God and they become idols of worship to men.  Much sorrow comes through these things which are not called for by God.

In the early Christmas, it was a worship to the "sun" for the long winter was ending in the north countries.

When God commands something, how often does the world flock to do that commandment?

The vast popularity of Christmas testifies to it being something of man that he thought to be a good idea.

There is no word from God in the Bible to "celebrate" Christmas or Easter.  These were ideas of man and set up by pagan men and became idols of men.

 

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💥 Scriptures:

 

Proverbs 29:25  The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe.

 

 ***

 

2 Corinthians 12:9-10  And He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for whenI am weak, then am I strong.

 

 ***

 

Psalm 119:36-37  Incline my heart unto Thy testimonies, and not to covetousness.

37 Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity; and quicken Thou me in Thy way.

 

*** 

Deuteronomy 28:13  And the Lord shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the Lord thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them:

 

*** 

 

Psalm 18:32  It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect.  

 

 

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💥 Revelation 11 (Reading through the Bible)

And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein. ² But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.

³ And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.

⁴ These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.

⁵ And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed.

⁶ These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.

⁷ And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.

⁸ And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.

⁹ And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves.

¹⁰ And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.

¹¹ And after three days and an half the spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them.

¹² And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.

¹³ And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.

¹⁴ The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly.

¹⁵ And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and HE shall reign for ever and ever.

¹⁶ And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God, ¹⁷ Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because Thou hast taken to Thee Thy great power, and hast reigned.

¹⁸ And the nations were angry, and Thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that Thou shouldest give reward unto Thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear Thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.

¹⁹ And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in His temple the ark of His testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.

 

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💥 Podcast: Why do men allow other men to call themselves "Reverend"?

 

 

(This podcast was previously recorded and published on December 14, 2020)

 

A man wrote to me and at the bottom of the letter he called himself "Reverend."

Immediately I told him he should not call himself "Reverend", for only God in the Bible is called "Reverend."  

Psalm 111:9  HE (God) sent redemption unto His people: HE hath commanded His covenant for ever: holy and reverend is HIS name.

This man said he went to Bible college and they told them now they could call themselves "Reverend".

God said to me:  "But you wouldn't allow them to call you Reverend."

 

(I thought about this.)

 

How is it that I wouldn't allow this when they do?

Then I realized it was because I have the Holy Spirit of Truth in me and they do not.  They have another spirit.

Then I saw the following scripture, concerning the mark of the beast.

Revelation 13:8  And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him (the dragon & the beast), whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

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💥 Scriptures:

 

1 Thessalonians 5:18  In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

 

 ***

Romans 12:2  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

 

 ***

 

Hebrews 4:14-16  Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.

15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

 

*** 

 

1 Samuel 12:24  Only fear the LORD, and serve Him in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things He hath done for you.

 

 ***

Ecclesiastes 3: 12  I know that there is no good in them, but for a man to rejoice, and to do good in his life. 

 

13 And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God. 

 

14 I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before HIM.  

 

 

 

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💥 Revelation 10 (Reading through the Bible)

And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire: 

² And he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth,
³ And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices. 

⁴ And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not.

(There are times God stops us from writing or speaking those things we have seen from HIM.)

⁵ And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven,
⁶ And sware by HIM that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer:

⁷ But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as HE hath declared to His servants the prophets.

⁸ And the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me again, and said, Go and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which standeth upon the sea and upon the earth.

⁹ And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. 

And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey.

¹⁰ And I took the little book out of the angel's hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter.

¹¹ And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.

(We love the Word God gives us and we eat that word and it is sweet to us ... but it comes bitter to those who hate the word of God when we "prophesy" to them.)

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💥 Podcast: Many in the church are weak and sickly and many die because they mishandle the Word of God

 

 

 

(This podcast was previously recorded and published on December 9, 2020) 

 

In both the Old and New Testament we have strong warning about the misuse of the Word of God. 

 

God gave very specific instruction concerning the building of the ark of the covenant.  It was to be made from specific wood and covered inside and outside with pure gold.  For the ark was to contain the most precious thing of all things on this entire earth.  What did they carry in the ark?  rubies, gold, diamonds?  

 

No that which they carried was far more precious than the most precious things of this world. 

 

 God said:  "And thou shalt put into the ark the testimony which I shall give thee." 

 

And only select men could carry the ark.  When a man who was not appointed to touch the ark, reached up and steadied the ark when the oxen stumbled, God struck this man dead.

 

II Samuel 6:1-7  Again, David gathered together all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand.  And David arose, and went with all the people that were with him from Baale of Judah, to bring up from thence the ark of God, whose name is called by the name of the LORD of hosts that dwelleth between the cherubims. 

 

And they set the ark of God upon a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab that was in Gibeah: and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, drave the new cart.  And they brought it out of the house of Abinadab which was at Gibeah, accompanying the ark of God: and Ahio went before the ark. And David and all the house of Israel played before the LORD on all manner of instruments made of fir wood, even on harps, and on psalteries, and on timbrels, and on cornets, and on cymbals.

And when they came to Nachon's threshingfloor, Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark of God, and took hold of it; for the oxen shook it.

And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for his error; and there he died by the ark of God.

Uzzah was not one of the men who was appointed by God to touch the ark, the Bible.

Paul explains to us that because men use the Bible unworthily, many are weak and sickly and many die.

*****

In the New Testament, Paul says, I Corinthians 11:27-31 Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.

30 For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep (die).

31 For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.

(In this scripture, Paul is speaking of the way we use the Bible.)

Using the Bible is a very serious matter.  The examples of the Old Testament show how precious the Word of God is and how it must be handled carefully.  This is confirmed in the New Testament.

Jesus, The Word of God, is above rubies and all other things to see or desire.

Because of the misuse of the Word of God, many today are weak and sickly and many die.

 

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💥 Scriptures:

Proverbs 1:7  The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

 

 ***

 

Psalm 37:25-26  I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor His seed begging bread.

26 He is ever merciful, and lendeth; and His seed is blessed.

 

*** 

 

Philippians 4:6-7  Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 

 

***

Matthew 23:12  (Jesus says) And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.

 

*** 

 

Psalm 62:7-8  In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.

8 Trust in HIM at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before HIM: God is a refuge for us. Selah. 

 

***

 

Isaiah 40:8  The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.

 

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💥 Revelation 8-9 (Reading through the Bible)

And when HE had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.

² And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets.

³ And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.

⁴ And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand.

⁵ And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake.

⁶ And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.

⁷ The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.

⁸ And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood; ⁹ And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed.

¹⁰ And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters; ¹¹ And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.

¹² And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise.

¹³ And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!


Revelation 9

And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.  ² And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.

³ And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. ⁴ And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.

⁵ And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man.

⁶ And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.

⁷ And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men. ⁸ And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions. ⁹ And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle. ¹⁰ And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months.

¹¹ And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon.

¹² One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter.

¹³ And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, ¹⁴ Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.

¹⁵ And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.

¹⁶ And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them.

¹⁷ And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone.

¹⁸ By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.

¹⁹ For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt.

²⁰ And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk:

²¹ Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.

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💥 Be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers

Pam Padgett, member of the body of Christ

 

Several years ago I was engaged to marry a man named Chuck, who said he was a Christian.

 

One evening as we talked on the telephone, Chuck told me his adult-aged son, who was in the military and stationed in Germany, had just become engaged to be married.  He was very excited for his son and in telling me about the young woman he was to marry, he mentioned that she was divorced.  

 

I shared with Chuck what we're told in Matthew 5:32, that a man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

Matthew 5:32  But I (Jesus) say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.

 

After I shared this, Chuck became very quiet, then terminated the phone call. 

 

Over the next few days it became clear that my sharing this had greatly upset Chuck, and he didn't want any more to do with me.  We landed up breaking our engagement.

 

I was shocked.  As I was trying to grasp what had just happened, the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, said to me, "Be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers."  (2 Corinthians 6:14)

 

At first I didn't understand why I was being reminded of this scripture, but the Holy Spirit explained to me that Chuck is an unbeliever because he doesn't believe what we're told in Matthew 5:32, that a man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.  For if he believed this scripture, he would have warned his son rather than turning away from me.

 

Healing for me started with these truths spoken by the Holy Spirit, and I no longer hoped for a reconciliation with Chuck. 

 

2 Corinthians 6:14-18  Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? 

15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?

16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be MY people.

17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.

18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be MY sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

 

 What a comfort this is!

 

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At the time this happened I was working at a secular job.  Those I worked with knew I had been planning to marry, and that the engagement had been suddenly stopped.  

 

Only two people asked me what had happened.  Both of these people were church-going people.  When each of these people asked, I explained to them exactly what had happened, sharing Matthew 5:32.  In each case, the person said nothing in response to what I shared.  Neither showed any understanding.  After a short silence, they changed the subject to something else.  Nothing more was ever said to me by either of these people about what had happened to stop my engagement.  

 

1 Corinthians 2:14  But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 

 

 

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💥 Podcast: One says, "I'm Baptist." Another says, "I'm Methodist." Paul says they are carnal and divide the body of Christ. (I Cor. 3)

 

(This podcast was previously recorded and published on December 13, 2020)

 

People think they witness to God when they tell the name of the church they attend.  But when a person does this, he shows he is carnal and he brings division to the body of Christ according to the apostle Paul. 

 

I Corinthians 3:1-4  And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.  I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.  For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?  For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal? 

 

If we speak of God, we should speak of that which God has done with us or of that which God has said to us.  

(They don't do that!  They speak of their church and love to tell where they go to church.  They think they witness to God when really they are promoting their church group.)

If we feel we have to identify ourselves, we should just say, "I am a Christian." 

 

Ephesians 4:3-6    

 

3 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 

 

4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;

 

5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism,

 

6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

 

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