False Prophets

In memory of Leo Ramos

It's amazing how HELL is right smack in the middle of these verses about false prophets and false teachers, those who cunningly deceive people, sometimes deceive even born-again Christians (Get in the WORD!). God spared not the angels that sinned, nor the world before Noah's flood, and judgement is reserved for false prophets and false teachers even now. Since they claim to know Holy Scripture, what motivates false teachers and false prophets to purposely deceive people?  

COVETOUSNESS 

"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. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not. For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to 

HELL, 

and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly; And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly; And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;) The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished . . . " 2 PETER 2:1-9

~dkg 

The Word Made Flesh

In memory of Leo Ramos
The Gospel of John starts, "IN THE BEGINNING," just as is written in Genesis 1:1, "In the beginning..."

• "In the beginning was the Word" John 1:1
• "In the beginning God" Genesis 1:1

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." John 1:1

John 1:14 declares, "THE WORD BECAME FLESH and dwelt amoung us."  It's plain in this verse that the Word is Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ is God.

In the Gospel of John, God pulls back the curtain on the creation of the world just as He does in Genesis. "He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not."  John 1:10. God's Word - Jesus - spoke the world in to existence!

Unbelief in who Jesus is - God -  was the impetus for Jesus' crucifixion.  God's plan from the foundation of the world was to one day incarnate Himself so that He would die a sacrificial death in our place to take away the penalty for our sin. 

Jesus proved that He is God when He rose from the dead! 

God's Word - Jesus - implores us today, "Ye believe in God, Believe also in me." 

Suffering

In memory of Leo Ramos
Some people believe that it's not God's will for Christians to suffer. I beg to differ based on Scripture (below). 

We ALL suffer. Suffering is inherent in our mortality. We suffer for doing good and for doing evil. God's Word tells us that IF it is God's will for us to suffer then it's better to suffer for doing good, and for believing in Jesus Christ. Suffering for evil is the worst reasons to suffer. Note how God turns the concept of suffering upside down! 

Ultimately, Christians sometimes suffer for WHO WE ARE IN CHRIST. Due to unbelief in who Jesus is (the Son of God), Jesus suffered at the hands of unjust religious rulers, "good people", sinners, and even one of his closest followers Judas Iscariot. Jesus suffered mocking, false accusations, betrayal, scorn, scourging, and crucifixion, but not for doing evil - He was sinless - and not for anything good that He had done, but Jesus suffered for WHO HE IS. In the deepest darkest moment of His suffering, Jesus cried, "Father into thy hand I commend my spirit." (Luke 23:46). . . and in our suffering we can pray that, too. God is faithful to bring us out of our suffering and into His glorious rest. Trust Him.

~dkg

1 Peter 4:12-19

"Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:

13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.

14 If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.

15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters.

16 Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.

17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?

18 And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?

19 Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator."