He’ll be a literal military genius (or just perceived to be?). (Revelation 13:4)

He’ll be charismatic. He’ll be able to “wow” the crowds with his great speaking ability. (Daniel 7:8) (He’ll make Hitler look like an amateur.)

He’ll be a “law breaker.” He’ll operate illegally. He’ll be destructive (of institutions?). (2 Thessalonians 2:3)

He’ll be morally bankrupt.

He’ll lead astray those whose hearts aren’t Christ’s. (2 Thessalonians 2:10)

He’s alive on planet earth even as we speak (some believe). (1 John 2:18)

“Children, it is the last hour; and…[Antichrist] is coming.” (1 John 2:18)

And He’ll step into history (make himself known) at the time of the great apostasy (falling away from the faith). (2 Thessalonians 2:3)

He’ll be a miracle worker ~ but not by God’s power. (2 Thessalonians 2:9) He’ll perform a mimicking of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead (scholars believe). (Rev. 13:3)

He’ll make a peace treaty with Israel. (Daniel 9:27) He’ll break the treaty in 3 1/2 years (according to the Futurist/Dispensational approach to Bible prophecy). That’s when all hell breaks loose. (Jeremiah 30:7)

He won’t let anyone buy or sell without his mark. (Revelation 13:17) He’ll demand all of mankind’s worship. (2 Thessalonians 2:4)

He’ll be Satan’s masterpiece.

“‘But when you see the Abomination of Desolation standing where it should not be (let the reader understand), then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains.’” (Mark 13:14)

(Picture above under the under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Germany License: click here.)

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10 Mistakes People Make with Horoscopes (plus 1 bonus):

1. See them as harmless (a common response).
2. Miss that they are a part of an overall system of the occult that the Bible condemns. (Deuteronomy 18:10-12)
3. Forget that no one knows the future except God alone. (Daniel 2:27-28)
4. Overlook that they are crafted as generalizations to mean whatever the reader determines/concludes.
5. Consulting them shows a distrust in Jesus Christ who is the only One that can save. (Isaiah 47:13-14)
6. Don’t realize that there are wicked spirits behind them. (1 John 4:1; 2 Corinthians 4:4)
7. Overlook that it is an affront to God Himself to consult them. (Deuteronomy 18:12)
8. Miss that it is a form of idol worship. (Deuteronomy 4:19; Exodus 20:4-6)
9. Still turn to them as a “Christian” and expect God’s blessing (not possible). (2 Corinthians 6:16-18)
10. Hold them at a level with the Scriptures (are you kidding me?). (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

BONUS Are oblivious to the fact that every last single horoscope reading is a lie (Jesus is the truth about your life and future to be pursued and asked about what’s ahead). (1 Kings 22:1-37; John 14:6; Romans 12:1-2)

(Picture above under the GNU Free Documentation License: click here.)

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And of course the story goes on from here, but I wanted to stop right there. Because right there in the verse and in the midst of the conversation that takes place, I couldn’t help but have the thought come to me: “Why might Samson’s mother not interrupt the angel and shake her fist in his face and say to, ‘Behold now, you are barren and have borne no children,’ why might she not say?, ‘Yeah, that’s right! I haven’t been able to have kids. And it’s all your fault, God. It’s all your fault!’” (Feel the emotion?)

And when life’s been unfair to you, it isn’t hard to become bitter over it.

And I’ve had this conversation with my daughter before. She’ll say, “But that isn’t fair.” Can you remember having that kind of a conversation with your daughter or son in the past? “But that isnt fair,” my daughter’ll say. And then I’ll answer in my most wisest and adult-like tone of voice I can muster: “Life isn’t fair.” Right?

And it isn’t, is it? Life isn’t fair. It’s true. I don’t know where we got it into our heads that somehow life was different than that. In a fallen world, things happen ~ for example, good people die while bad people go on living. So what’s up with that? It isn’t fair.

Yeah! Life isn’t fair.

And people get bitter over it. And then they go on, some of them, living in bitterness for years.

And you may even happen to find out what certain ones are bitter over. And you say, “So that’s what’s had you mad all these years.” And these may even have made themselves sick over it. Who knows? Bitterness does that, you know. It can even make you physically sick.

But the point I really wanted to make here (based on the first part of Judges 13:3) is Samson’s mother doesn’t give in to bitterness.

She could have been the most bitterest pill over her barrenness. She could have been.

And as she’s seen everyone else of her friends in her neighborhood with kids. And they’re out pushing their strollers around with their little ones. And then there’s the new mom’s group at Samson’s mother’s church that meets every Tuesday morning at 10, but she can never go.

“Life isn’t fair” ~ she could have been thinking it when the angel showed up. And she could have been shaking her fist in his face. But she doesn’t.

And I just feel so strongly about this point.

Do you know somebody like this? Life’s been unfair to them like only life can be and they’re bitter over it and they’re away from God and unless a miracle takes place they’ll never be free?

And the application for us is: Don’t allow life’s unfairness to become an excuse to be angry with God. (You see how it’s applicable beyond mothers?)

And Samson will never be born if his mom is bitter and angry with God. And so it makes a difference ~ a huge and significant one ~ when it comes to Samson and it has an impact on his life. He won’t be born ~ and it’s likely the angel never visits his mother? ~ if she’s bitter.

And what won’t be given birth of God’s purpose in our own life and it’s because we won’t let go of bitterness?

“Let all bitterness … be put away from you.” (Ephesians 4:31ac)

(Picture above in the public domain: click here. PD-US)

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10 Mistakes People Make with Peace (plus 1 bonus):

1. Think there is such a thing apart from its Prince, Jesus Christ. (Isaiah 9:6g; Colossians 1:20)
2. Miss that Christ brought peace to the world and He also DID NOT bring peace. (Matthew 10:34; Luke 12:51)
3. Don’t understand that a lack of peace is to typify the entire age and intensify just before the world ends. (Revelation 6:4; Matthew 24:6a)
4. Think it can be gained aside from a habit of prayer and casting one’s cares upon the Lord regularly. (Philippians 4:6-7; 1 Peter 5:7; Isaiah 26:3)
5. Miss that only the sons and daughters of God experience peace (through being born again). (Matthew 5:9; Luke 2:14; Galatians 5:22)
6. Misapply the world’s peace (absence of outward conflict) versus Christ’s (an inner calm that only the Holy Spirit can produce and despite outward conflict). (John 14:27; Philippians 4:6-7; Galatians 5:22)
7. Overlook that it is to be pursued as the basis of all relationships. (Romans 12:18; 14:19; 1 Corinthians 7:15)
8. Don’t realize that it will be in a context where the “spin” (untruth/lie) is, “Peace and safety!” that the end of the world occurs. (1 Thessalonians 5:3)
9. Forget that it is a primary quality required of those who would pursue Christian ministry. (1 Timothy 3:2-4)
10. Think there is another way aside from Christ and Christ alone (and belief in His work of salvation on the cross) that a man or woman can attain peace with God and his fellow man. (Romans 5:1; Ephesians 2:12-16; Colossians 1:20)

BONUS Are oblivious to the fact that antichrist (a Satan-possessed man) will arrive on the world scene to make a treaty of peace with Israel (according to the Futurist / Dispensational approach to interpreting Bible prophecy). That’s when all hell breaks loose. (Daniel 9:27)

(Picture above in the public domain: click here. PD-US)

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10 Mistakes People Make with Prayer (plus 1 bonus):

1. Pray to a false god. (Titus 2:13)
2. Do it for attention. (Matthew 6:5)
3. Think that God only hears someone else’s prayers and not theirs. (1 John 5:14-15)
4. Think that God gets upset (mad) when they miss their prayer time (He does not).
5. Think that only when prayer is done early in the morning is it valid. (Luke 6:12)
6. Coddle (“indulge, baby, humor, spoil”) sin in their life and think God still hears. (Psalm 66:18)
7. Think they’re too busy to pray (in other words, prayer is a waste of their time).
8. Misunderstand that prayer is really all about agreeing with God on what He has already decided to do. (Matthew 18:18; Luke 22:42)
9. Think that only long and “flowery” prayers get God’s attention. (Matthew 6:7-8; 14:30d)
10. Think that praying for someone after they have died accomplishes something.

BONUS Forget that for prayer to be effective, forgiveness must be offered to all who have done them wrong. (Mark 11:25)

(Picture above in the public domain: click here. PD-US)

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Oh, but I see persecution. Oh, but I see Christians hated and put out and rejected and turned upon and killed. And you know what it was for? It was for not being “inclusive.” I see THAT in the New Testament. That’s what I see. (Acts 7:54-60; Hebrews 11:35-38)

And if only we were around back then (in New Testament times). I mean, we could set Paul and Peter straight since they missed it. (Right?) And they could have avoided and they really didn’t need to endure the lashes and beatings ~ Paul (Acts 16:20-22) ~ and then being crucified upside down ~ Peter (John 21:18-19). If they just would have been more interfaith-minded and cooperative across religions.

I mean, they shouldn’t have said (let alone lived by) things like…

If any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed! (Galatians 1:6-10)

And there is salvation in no one else (except Jesus Christ); for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved. (Acts 4:12)

Oh, I know “interfaith” is defined and presented as different than “interreligious” and syncretism (“a union of different or opposing principles”), but that’s what happens. Ultimately, Christianity becomes watered down, compromised, irrelevant.

I don’t care if even the President of the United States asks you to take part in an interfaith ministry.

(I am not saying we ought not to love our neighbor. I am not saying that at all.)

(To read John MacArthur on the subject of interfaith, click here.)

(Picture above under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license: click here.)

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“So why even try?” You may have come across someone like this who – they have all their eggs in the basket that God has already decided to exclude certain persons from heaven, and so – I always wonder why these think that God has decided that they’re excluded – but some people come down on this side that God decides and no one else has a choice but to go along. Do you think that’s true? Or do you think that somehow we choose aside from God’s plan and we can alter “fate” by our choices?

By the way, the answer is BOTH are true at the same time as crazy as it sounds. And it makes your head spin to try and get your mind around it! Both are true at the same time!

We do indeed have a free will and can make our own decisions freely in life, like Naomi in the Old Testament book of Ruth (Ruth 3:1-18) comes up with this bold idea to get her daughter-in-law Ruth (whose been widowed) and Boaz together in marriage, while at the same time God has already determined this course ahead of time that Naomi should make this proposal and Ruth will follow along, so things are moving in that direction according to God’s plan in the story. (My head is spinning just from that sentence. How ’bout yours?)

HUMAN WILL COOPERATING WITH THE DIVINE PURPOSE

The entire book of Ruth is an illustration of this truth (for that matter, the entire Bible is): the human will cooperating with the divine purpose.

Ultimately, the divine purpose in the book of Ruth is that King David would be a descendant of Ruth and Boaz (and then Jesus will come through this relationship, too!). But both Ruth and Boaz must cooperate with the divine purpose and decide to participate of their own free will. (Romans 11:33-36)

But how can you cooperate with the divine purpose when you don’t necessarily know what it is?

I mean, it’s not like God necessarily sends you an email – at least, I’ve never received one! – that says, “Okay, now Ruth, this is what I have in mind. So now you need to do this, this and this so it’ll take place. But if you don’t do this, this and this, you’re gonna mess it up.” God, could do that and sometimes He does give us information that’s helpful to keep us on track through supernatural means (Jesus’ dad, Joseph, was given dreams telling him what to do! – marry Mary and go to Egypt; Herod will try to kill the boy), but most often, instead, the answer to the question, “How can you cooperate with the divine purpose when you don’t necessarily know what it is?” – well, you do it – the answer is: through obedience!

A good question to ask here is: Are you obeying God in your own life?

And this is why preachers harp so much on the subject of obedience. Because God has set it up that way. You’ll find His will and walk in His purposes on the path of obedience. And there’s just no way you’re going to fulfill God’s plan for your life and receive all God has for you and be able to say when you find yourself in heaven someday, “Wow, that was something, what God did with my life and how He blessed me,” unless you obey what He says. It’s God’s means to keep us on track – obedience is!

I’m talking about choices: ours or God’s? It’s both!

(Picture above in the public domain: click here. PD-US)

I want to begin to answer this question by emphasizing the fact that God is good and that God’s goodness is not open for debate. Some would say that since evil is allowed to exist, then that necessarily implies an evil God. But that just simply isn’t the case.

When God created the various things that are part of the creation sequence in Genesis 1, after each day it was said (do you remember?), “And God saw that it was good.” Only a good God can bring into being a creation that is good.

Also, keep it in mind how creation started. It was a good world that God created. It was a GOOD world.

And let me just continue on for a moment in this vein of God’s goodness. There is also Jesus’ statement to the rich young ruler who referred to our Lord as, “Good Teacher.” Do you remember how Christ answered? He said, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except (who?) GOD ALONE.” (Luke 18:19b) Jesus said it. (So I believe it!)

And so we have also the testimony of Christ (who cannot lie) about the goodness of God.

And so God is good and not evil.

And yet God allows evil to exist.

“But it didn’t start out that way,” as I’ve already quoted the first chapter of Genesis. It was a good world that God created. And then what caused the world to go bad? Do you remember? It was through man’s choice that evil was introduced into the world (Adam and Eve in Genesis 3). Some people conveniently dismiss that it was through man’s choice that evil was introduced. And so (spell it) m-a-n ~ MAN ~ if we’re pointing fingers at anybody, we ought to point fingers at him. Man is responsible for evil and its entering the human experience.

Man is responsible.

And I was thinking about how bad things happen. And then God gets blamed. “It was an act of God that the tornado ~ It was an act of God that this or that happened and people were injured or killed.” It was an “act of God.” In other words, it was God’s fault.

No, it wasn’t.

It was our fault.

It started back in the garden of Eden with the choice of our parents where evil was introduced into creation.

And the entire creation is messed up because of it (including weather, etc). And the Bible is about God picking up the pieces! The Bible is about God fixing our mess!!

And He allows for evil so that we would have a choice in the matter of whether or not to love Him or reject Him. God allows for evil ~ though He hates it ~ though He knows the depth of the misery and pain that results because of evil.

And have you ever thought about that?

I came across a quote in McDowell and Stewart’s book, “Answers To Tough Questions” (pg 98-99), where they quote Dorothy Sayers. It’s just powerful what this lady says. Her quote speaks of a God who allows for evil though He hates it ~ about a God who knows the depth of the misery and pain that results because of evil. Do you remember what happened to Jesus at Calvary? (John 19:1-2, 16, 23)

Here’s the quote from Dorothy Sayers (this really ministers to me personally in my afflictions especially the last line ~ I’m convinced it will minister to you, too)…

For whatever reason God chose to make man as he is ~ limited and suffering and subject to sorrows and death ~ He had the honesty and the courage to take His own medicine. Whatever game He is playing with His creation, He has kept His own rules and played fair. He can exact nothing from man that He has not exacted from Himself. He has Himself gone through the whole human experience, from the trivial irritations of family life and the cramping restrictions of hard work and lack of money to the worst horrors of pain and humiliation, defeat, despair and death. When He (God) was a man, He played the man. He was born in poverty and died in disgrace and thought it well worthwhile. (Dorothy Sayers, Creed or Chaos?, pg 4)

I don’t fully know how a God who is good can allow evil to exist. But I do know that there must be something worthwhile to it that even God Himself would see fit that He should partake.

And I choose to defer to an infinite Lord today who knows all and cannot help but do all things well. God knows best. And for whatever reason, that some day I’m expecting to know the answer to it when I meet Him, the “best” in this life has been deemed by God to include the putting up with evil for a time.

Ultimately, all evil will be vanquished. (Revelation 19:11) Until that happens I’m trusting in a God who is good. (Romans 8:28)

(Picture above in the public domain: click here. PD-US)

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10 Mistakes People Make with Worship (plus 1 bonus):

1. Forget that worship is not just a one time event on Sunday, but a lifestyle (every action, word, thought, moment). (Luke 10:27)
2. Replace the true God with a false one. (Exodus 20:3, Titus 2:13)
3. Underestimate the devil who would offer anything to gain theirs. (Matthew 4:8-10; Luke 4:5-8)
4. Overlook that only Jesus Christ who died for our sins and rose again from the dead is worthy of worship. (Revelation 5:12)
5. Neglect the corporate expression of it (the gathering with other believers to worship together). (Hebrews 10:25)
6. Miss that the Lord Jesus is truly present in the midst. (Psalm 22:3; Matthew 18:20)
7. Are more worried about what others think (when they raise their hands, sing, shout praises, etc) instead of what God thinks.
8. Bow down at the feet of popularity, power, prestige, people instead of a Person. (Mark 8:36)
9. Forget that worshiping God is a powerful tool in spiritual warfare. (1 Samuel 16:23)
10. Miss that there are many false worshipers filling churches on Sundays (some of them are in the pulpit). (Matthew 2:8; 15:9)

BONUS Are oblivious to the fact that antichrist (a man) will arrive on the world scene and demand it from all (we are on the precipice of that?). (Revelation 13:4, 8; 2 Thessalonians 2:9-10)

(Picture above of the worship of Mammon in the public domain: click here. PD-US)

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