Pam Padgett ... teacher
Psalm 139:19 Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, O God: depart from
me therefore, ye bloody men. 20 For they speak against thee wickedly,
and thine enemies take thy name in vain. 21 Do not I hate them, O LORD,
that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against
thee? 22 I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies.
Enemies are those in opposition to, or on the opposite side of,
someone. As I thought about who are enemies of God, and whether I count
them my enemies as well, I thought of how those of the world are enemies of God, and recalled that in the sight of God we are His
enemies if we are friends with the world ...
James 4:4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.
friend:
- a person with whom one has a bond of mutual affection
- a person who acts as a supporter of a cause by giving help
- a person who is not an enemy or who is on the same side
When we see and hear people of the world, they sometimes seem pleasant
and friendly to us and we can be drawn to them. But if we are alert, we
realize that evil comes forth as well as the friendliness. Sometimes
we witness disregard for what is true, decent, and just. Sometime other
"gods" are being worshiped, such as greed for money, chasing after
beauty and health, praising worldly wisdom, approving fornication and
homosexuality, and striving to succeed and be important in this world.
All of these things rise up against God, and are opposite to His ways.
But if we start being a friend to them, being on the "same side" in some
way with them and supporting them, we start trying to overlook and
approve these things, entering into the evil ourselves. Their
friendliness can be a snare to us.
If we belong to God, we can't be on the same side as those who
are the enemy of God, going along with them as they go
about doing evil. Instead, we need to recognize that they are our
enemy, trying to pull us to ways which are opposite to God. We honestly
speak truth to them when we
have it. And we take whatever action we need to in order to
cling to the word of God and be strengthened in it, so that we go in
the ways of God.
Instead of being friends with the world, we need to be a friend
to God, agreeing with what He has said, and binding ourselves to
Him by doing what He has said. I was reminded that Abraham was
called a friend of God, as he believed God and went that way, acting upon what
God said ...
James 2:23 And the scripture was fulfilled which saith,
Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for
righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.
Comments by Joan Boney
Antichrist ... a "spirit" ... opposes all that is called God or worshiped ... Enemy of God ...This is happening now inside church groups which have become like the world ... opposing scripture and falling away from scripture to set up a doctrine contrary to scripture.
Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 4Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. 5Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? 6And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. 7For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. 8And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: 9Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, 10And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: 12That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. II Thess. 2
Those people who go against scripture will consider they have a special wisdom which others just haven't understood. Notice they are deceived by God because they did not love the truth when truth was presented. And they are deceived by God that they might believe a lie that they might be damned.
They had pleasure in unrighteousness and rejected the truth. Now they walk in a delusion that is from God Himself.
This is like Romans 1 ... where they are turned over to a reprobate mind ... a mind without God's judgment.
These are people who still call themselves Christians but cannot see things of God nor can they see scripture although they may cling to a few isolated scriptures that suit them.
But those who really love God and are known by God will make personal adjustment to fit scripture instead of changing scripture.