God’s Popularity Through Successive Ages

The AMP Bible uses the term “successive ages” to indicate the “time line” for God’s workings in the events of His creation from before time began to the time of creation, then down through the successive ages to this present time and place in history and on into the future.
Hebrews 11:3 By faith we understand that the worlds [during the successive ages {down and through time and place in history}] were framed (fashioned, put in order, and equipped for their intended purpose) by the word of God, so that what we see was not made out of things which are visible. AMP

PART 1

The Created Angels Intellectual Mindset, Freewill, Emotions, and Spiritual Heart.

Prolog

I have been pondering how these five Booklets could dovetail into a series of teachings helping to reveal some of God’s character to us, how His creation came about and the immensity of it, His relationship with His creation, and Who He is in the lives of His living creatures who have a God given spirit, an intellect, a free will, and emotions which includes BOTH angels and man. As I was preparing this study, it became very apparent to me that angels and man are spiritually very similar but yet very different creatures created by God. This study is about the relationship the angels had with God from their creation at the beginning of creation to Satan’s sinning, and God’s subsequent separating of the demonic angels from those “saved” angels – those whom I believe are our “spiritual brothers” by their faith in Christ Whom they worship and serve as God and as fellow servants to us adopted Children of God.
Revelation 19:10 Then I {John} fell prostrate at his feet {an angel} to worship (to pay divine honors) to him, but he [restrained me] and said, Refrain! [You must not do that!] I am [only] another servant with you and your brethren who have [accepted and hold] the testimony borne by Jesus {Angels are supposedly “sexless” spiritual creatures and as such cannot be our “brothers in Christ,” but they can be “another servant” with us through their true faith in Christ.} Worship God! For the substance (essence) of the truth revealed by Jesus is the spirit of all prophecy [the vital breath, the inspiration of all inspired preaching and interpretation of the divine will and purpose, including both mine and yours]. AMP

My Sisters and Brothers, let’s stretch our spiritual intellectual thinking using the “sound mind” of Christ. I MUST keep prodding you to earnestly pray for and seek the depth of the spiritual supernatural riches and knowledge and wisdom of God so that you do NOT short change yourself of God’s riches for you! This can ONLY be done by praying for and seeking the sound mind of Christ, and receiving the gifting of the Spirit of the Lord.
Romans 11:33-34 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unfathomable (inscrutable, unsearchable) are His judgments (His decisions)! And how untraceable (mysterious, undiscoverable) are His ways (His methods, His paths)! 34 For who has known the mind of the Lord and who has understood His thoughts, or who has [ever] been His counselor? [Isa 40:13, 14.] AMP
1 Corinthians 2:16 For who has known or understood the mind (the counsels and purposes) of the Lord so as to guide and instruct Him and give Him knowledge? But we have the mind of Christ (the Messiah) and do hold the thoughts (feelings and purposes) of His heart. [Isa 40:13.] AMP
2 Timothy 1:7 For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear), but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind {sound mind KJV, NKJV} and discipline and self-control. AMP
Isaiah 11:2 And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him {Son of Man/ Jesus Christ} — the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the reverential and obedient fear of the Lord — AMP {If this is the intellect that God the Holy Spirit gave to Jesus Christ and we have the sound mind of Christ, then we as “True Believers” in Jesus Christ should have the SAME gifting of intellect!!!}

As I study God and His creation, I have come to believe that none of His creation whether the seemingly lifeless/inanimate parts in the heavens – stars, black holes, planets, asteroids, etc. or whether the living/animate parts on the earth including the spiritual angels who can live in the heavens or on the earth or man who lives on the earth along with the other created creatures, or created plants or any and all other organisms on the earth – can exist or function without God lovingly being directly and continuously involved in all segments of His creation in the whole of the universe from before time began down through the successive ages of time and history!
Hebrews 1:3 He {God the Son} is the sole expression of the glory of God [the Light-being, the out-raying or radiance of the divine], and He is the perfect imprint and very image of [God’s] nature, {continually and constantly} upholding and maintaining and guiding and propelling the universe {every nanosecond of all of His creation} by His mighty word of power…… AMP

I believe we need to study God and ALL of His creation – the animate and seemingly inanimate portions, and as we do, we will find that all of it is living but not necessarily living as man defines life. Excluding the angels, the life in the outer space of the First and Second Heavens is seemingly inanimate ONLY, and it includes in its immensity the formation/birthing and disappearance/death of the stars. But I believe these stars are ALIVE because they produce light, heat, and energy and only God knows what else happens as “life” in His creation out there!

Chapter I

I would like to introduce you to the first creatures who were created as the epitome/the very spirit and soul of God’s personification/image/likeness of His character in His creation – the angels. Angels will NEVER be God!!! But those who are truly “Born Again,” those who claim, “I am [only] another servant with you and your brethren who have [accepted and hold] the testimony borne by Jesus” will have some spiritual characteristics like Him! I will get into more on the angels being God’s “redeemed adopted spiritual children” later in this study.

Before I start the study on the angels, I would like to briefly share a few characteristics and thoughts about God. Study the following list of characteristics about God and compare them to what you know about angels. There are similarities!:

#1) God is eternal, incorruptible, immortal and invisible. There is no other living, loving “god” like Him PERIOD!:
1 Timothy 1:17 Now to the King of eternity, incorruptible, immortal, and invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever (to the ages of ages). Amen (so be it). AMP
Isaiah 45:18 For thus says the Lord — Who created the heavens, God Himself, Who formed the earth and made it, Who established it and did not create it to be a worthless waste; He formed it to be inhabited — I am the Lord, and there is no one else. AMP

#2) God’s omnipresence – His immense and sheer presence in His Kingdom which includes ALL of His creation:
2 Chronicles 6:18 {Solomon speaking} But will God actually dwell with men on the earth? Behold, heaven {first and second heavens} and the heaven of heavens {third heaven} cannot contain You; how much less this house which I have built! AMP
Jeremiah 23:23 Can anyone hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? says the Lord. Do not I fill heaven and earth? says the Lord. AMP
Daniel 4:35 And all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing. And He does according to His will in the host of heaven {angels and the stars} and among the inhabitants of the earth, and none can stay His hand or say to Him, What are You doing? AMP

#3) His omniscience – His intellect:
1 Corinthians 2:16 For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, THAT HE WILL INSTRUCT HIM? But we have the mind of Christ. NASU
1 John 3:20 Whenever our hearts in [tormenting] self-accusation make us feel guilty and condemn us. [For we are in God’s hands.] For He is above and greater than our consciences (our hearts), and He knows (perceives and understands) everything [nothing is hidden from Him]. AMP
Isaiah 44:7-8 Who is like Me? Let him [stand and] proclaim it, declare it, and set [his proofs] in order before Me, since I made and established the people of antiquity. [Who has announced from of old] the things that are coming? Then let them declare yet future things. 8 Fear not, nor be afraid [in the coming violent upheavals]; have I not told it to you from of old and declared it? And you are My witnesses! Is there a God besides Me? There is no [other] Rock; I know not any. AMP
Acts 15:17-18 So that the rest of men may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles upon whom My name has been invoked, 18 Says the Lord, Who has been making these things known from the beginning of the world. [Isa 45:21; Jer 12:15; Amos 9:11, 12.] AMP

#4) His omnipotence – His majestic and unlimited power:
Isaiah 43:13 Yes, from the time of the first existence of day and from this day forth I am He; and there is no one who can deliver out of My hand. I will work, and who can hinder or reverse it? AMP
Job 42:2 {Job speaking to God} I know that You can do all things, and that no thought or purpose of Yours can be restrained or thwarted. AMP
Luke 18:27 But He {Jesus} said, What is impossible with men is possible with God. [Gen 18:14; Jer 32:17.] AMP

#5) God is Agape – His love for ALL of His creation – including angels and man – is beyond our imagination:
1 John 4:19 We love Him, because He first loved us {angels and man from BEFORE time began as He also made plans for ALL of His creation}. AMP
John 3:16 For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world {generally believed to apply to man ONLY but I believe His love also applies to the angels} [He even] gave up His only begotten (unique) Son, so that whoever {angels and man} believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life {with God in His Kingdom}. AMP
Revelation 13:8 And all the inhabitants of the earth will fall down in adoration and pay him homage {the Beast}, everyone whose name has not been recorded in the Book of Life of the Lamb that was slain [in sacrifice] from the foundation of the world. {I believe the act of the Lamb that was slain from the foundation of the world can be applied to the redemption of the angels.} AMP
Revelation 19:10 Then I {John} fell prostrate at his feet to worship (to pay divine honors) to him {the angel}, but he [restrained me] and said, Refrain! [You must not do that!] I am [only] another servant with you and your brethren who have [accepted and hold] the testimony borne by Jesus {Luke 4:43}. Worship God! For the substance (essence) of the truth revealed by Jesus is the spirit of all prophecy [the vital breath, the inspiration of all inspired preaching and interpretation of the divine will and purpose, including both mine and yours]. AMP

#6) God is spirit:
John 4:24 God is a Spirit (a spiritual Being) and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth (reality). AMP
1 Timothy 1:17 Now to the King of eternity, incorruptible, immortal, and invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever (to the ages of ages). Amen (so be it). AMP

#7) God is unchanging:
Malachi 3:6 For I am the Lord, I do not change; that is why you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed. AMP
Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ (the Messiah) is [always] the same, yesterday, today, [yes] and forever (to the ages). AMP
Isaiah 41:4 Who has prepared and done this, calling forth and guiding the destinies of the generations [{of the peoples} of the nations] from the beginning? I, the Lord — the first [existing before history began] and with the last [an ever-present, unchanging God] — I am He. AMP

Chapter II

The above are a few of the many awesome characteristics about God which should help us to understand a little bit more “beyond our thinking/imagination” of the immensity of our true living loving God, I am now going to share with you a few facts about the size of His creation/universe, and I pray that you do not become confused but rather “dig in” and try to understand the enormity of all of the aspects
of creation in their entirety. The following section is NOT complete by any means! If you are interested in more facts and knowledge about God and His creation, go to Google with your questions – see what you can find.

First of all, here are some questions that are guesstimates about the universe: #1) How many dimensions are believed to be in space? Most of us know about something being single sided i.e. having a single dimension. When you add another side, you have something that is two sided and if we add a third side – length, width, and height – then we can have a three sided cube. This dimension is what most of us are familiar. But there are scientists who believe there are up to 26 dimensions. I do not know about you, but this is way beyond my comprehension!

#2) Have you ever thought about the “light” that we have during day light periods on earth? What is the source of our “light?” Our natural light comes from our sun which is a star. A star is a nuclear reactor that generates light, heat, and energy. I believe stars and black holes to be “living” entities! Our sun is some 93 million miles from the earth, and it takes about 8 minutes and 20 seconds for light to leave the sun to reach the earth. The speed of light is 186 thousand miles per second. Many of us have traveled on motorized vehicles that have gone over 100 MPH, and if you have traveled on a jet liner your speed is about 550+ MPH. This is a far far cry from 186 thousand MPS! Again, I cannot really understand physical man ever traveling that fast. I DO believe though that when death comes to physical man, the spirit of man will travel many many many times faster than 186 thousand MPS to be raised from the dead to be with God!
1 Corinthians 15:52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye {eleven one hundredths of a second}, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. NKJV

#3) At 186 thousand MPS, how far does light travel in one earth year {365 days}? This is equivalent to about 5.9 trillion miles in an earth year. There are many people who have not traveled very far from where they were born and raised. Some of us may have traveled 100 thousand miles or more in our lifetime, and there are astronauts who have traveled many many many thousands of miles in one trip orbiting the earth. This is beyond me!

#4) What is your guesstimate for the diameter of the universe? It is guesstimated from 90 – 156 billion light years and even beyond. To make this easy to understand take the distance light travels in one earth year – 6 trillion {12 zeros} X the diameter of the universe – 156 billion {9 zeros} which equals – 936 followed by 21 zeros equals the guesstimated diameter in miles of the universe. Please do NOT become confused or discouraged by the size of these numbers. God is MUCH BIGGER than all of this!!! How did God the Son create His creation? Out of NOTHING!!! Think on this!
Hebrews 11:3 By faith we understand that the worlds [during the successive ages] were framed (fashioned, put in order, and equipped for their intended purpose) by the word of God, so that what we see was not made out of things which are visible. AMP

#5) How does God the Son control His creation?
Hebrews 1:3 He {God the Son} is the sole expression of the glory of God [the Light-being, the out-raying or radiance of the divine], and He is the perfect imprint and very image of [God’s] nature, upholding and maintaining and guiding and propelling the universe by His mighty word of power. When He had by offering Himself accomplished our cleansing of sins and riddance of guilt, He sat down at the right hand of the divine Majesty on high, AMP

#6) How many stars in the observable universe? It is guesstimated there are 70 billion trillions of stars. It is guesstimated these stars are contained in 100-200 billion plus galaxies. The number of planets in the universe is guesstimated at 1 followed by 24 zeros. These figures will increase as more information is gleaned from the universe by scientists.

#7) Lets bring this a little closer to home to our Milky Way Galaxy. Our sun and our planet earth with its moon are located in what is called the Milky Way Galaxy.
Our earth is an extremely miniscule dot in our galaxy. From the earth to about 50+ miles to the outer edge of our blue sky is the ionosphere. This area from the earth to the outer edge of our blue sky is the Biblical name for the “First Heaven.” Beyond the “First Heaven” is space to the edge of the universe which contains all of the stars, planets, Black Holes, etc. of space, and its Biblical name for this area is the “Second Heaven.”

#8 Beyond the outer edge of space/the Second Heaven is the “Third Heaven” containing “Eden the Garden of God” {Ezekiel 28:13 also known as the “Garden of Eden” [Genesis 2:8]} and is situated in the Kingdom of God/kingdom of heaven – the home of God.
2 Corinthians 12:2, 4 {Paul talking} I know a man in Christ {presumably him} who fourteen years ago–whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows–was caught up to the third heaven. 4 Was caught up into paradise, and he heard utterances beyond the power of man to put into words, which man is not permitted to utter. AMP
Luke 23:43 And He {Jesus} answered him {one of the thieves on the crosses who asked Jesus to remember him when He came into His Kingdom}, Truly I tell you, today you shall be with me in Paradise. AMP
Revelation 2:7 {Jesus speaking} He who is able to hear, let him listen to and give heed to what the Spirit says to the assemblies (churches). To him who overcomes (is victorious), I will grant to eat [of the fruit] of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God. [{Tree of life was located in the “Garden of Eden” on earth at one time} Gen 2:9; 3:24.] AMP

#9) Who knows how huge God’s Kingdom/dwelling place is! We do know that His Kingdom where God the Father and God the Son are sitting on their “thrones” is in the third heaven.
Revelation 3:21 He who overcomes (is victorious), I will grant him to sit beside Me on My throne, as I Myself overcame (was victorious) and sat down beside My Father on His throne. AMP

Chapter III

I believe that when God the Son said, “Let there be light; and there was light.” {Genesis 1:3} AMP is when the creation of the stars took place, and at about the same time He created His spiritual angels. All of the original spiritual angels were created without sin i.e. they were pure and holy invisible spiritual creatures of light.
Acts 12:7 And suddenly an angel of the Lord {“AN” angel of the Lord indicates a “Born Again”/loyal angel – one who worships and serves God.” THE” angel of the Lord indicates the incarnate appearing of Christ.} appeared [standing beside him], and a light shone in the place where he was. And the angel gently smote Peter on the side and awakened him, saying, Get up quickly! And the chains fell off his hands. AMP
Matthew 1:24-25 Then Joseph, being aroused from his sleep, did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him: he took [her {Mary} to his side as] his wife. 25 But he had no union with her as her husband until she had borne her firstborn Son; and he called His name Jesus. AMP

Created man is a creature that is similar to the created angels BUT with one major difference. God created the angels as spiritual beings ONLY although there are instances when they appeared as human to other human beings!
Matthew 28:2-4 {At Jesus’ resurrection} And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled the boulder back and sat upon it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his garments as white as snow. 4 And those keeping guard were so frightened at the sight of him that they were agitated and they trembled and became like dead men. AMP
Luke 1:11-13 Zacharias was in the sanctuary when suddenly an angel appeared, standing to the right of the altar of incense! Zacharias was startled and terrified {To startle Zacharias, the angel had to have a form}. 13 But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Zacharias! For I have come to tell you that God has heard your prayer, and your wife, Elizabeth, will bear you a son! And you are to name him John. TLB
Hebrews 13:2 Do not forget or neglect or refuse to extend hospitality to strangers [in the brotherhood–being friendly, cordial, and gracious, sharing the comforts of your home and doing your part generously], for through it some have entertained angels without knowing it. {These “strangers” must have looked like man. Otherwise they would not have blended and we would have taken noticed of them.} [Gen 18:1-8; 19:1-3.] AMP
Revelation 22:8-9 And I, John, am he who heard and witnessed these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell prostrate before the feet of the messenger (angel) who showed them to me, to worship him. 9 But he said to me, Refrain! [You must not do that!] I am [only] a fellow servant along with yourself and with your brethren the prophets and with those who are mindful of and practice [the truths contained in] the messages of this book. Worship God! AMP

God’s holy and righteous angels are messengers sent to be our guardians. I believe them to be our “spiritual brothers” to us truly “Born Again” Saints!
Hebrews 1:14 Are not the angels all ministering spirits (servants) sent out in the service [of God for the assistance] of those who are to inherit salvation {God wants ALL of mankind to be “saved.” Is His love for His angels the same – for them to be “saved?”}? AMP
1 Timothy 2:4 {God} Who wishes all men to be saved and [increasingly] to perceive and recognize and discern and know precisely and correctly the [divine] Truth. AMP

Satan and his demonic angels masquerade as counterfeit angels luring BOTH sinful and redeemed man to worship and serve Satan in the “kingdoms of the world.”
2 Corinthians 11:14-15 And it is no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light; 15 So it is not surprising that his servants {BOTH fallen demonic angels and sinful man} also masquerades as ministers of righteousness. [But] their end {judgment} will correspond to their deeds.

When Satan sinned 2/3 of the angels also fell, they were no longer creatures of spiritual light but creatures of spiritual darkness. But because Satan once was a creature of light, he will try to outwit us as an “angel of light.” This is why we MUST be aware of his schemes!
2 Corinthians 11:14 And it is no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light; AMP
2 Corinthians 2:11 {Paul speaking} in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes. NIV

Chapter IV

Actually, angels are very interesting creatures! I believe the “redeemed” angels to be fellow servants with us – Christ’s redeemed Saints to Jesus Christ. I actually believe them to be “spiritual Brothers in Christ” to us! Again, let me use their testimony:
Revelation 19:10 Then I {John} fell prostrate at his feet to worship (to pay divine honors) to him, but he {the angel} [restrained me] and said, Refrain! [You must not do that!] I am [only] another servant with you and your brethren who have [accepted and hold] the testimony borne by Jesus. Worship God! For the substance (essence) of the truth revealed by Jesus is the spirit of all prophecy [the vital breath, the inspiration of all inspired preaching and interpretation of the divine will and purpose, including both mine and yours]. AMP
Revelation 22:8-10 And I, John, am he who heard and witnessed these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell prostrate before the feet of the messenger (angel) who showed them to me, to worship him. 9 But he said to me, Refrain! [You must not do that!] I am [only] a fellow servant along with yourself and with your brethren the prophets and with those who are mindful of and practice [the truths contained in] the messages of this book. Worship God! 10 And he [further] told me, Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book and make no secret of them, for the time when things are brought to a crisis and the period of their fulfillment is near. AMP

How did the angels became “fellow servants” to Christ? What caused Satan and the angels to sin? Please remember the angels are very intelligent creatures! Let’s read 2 Thessalonians 2:11-12. This phenomenon is continually happening down through the “successive ages” from the time of the angels and now to man. The planet earth which was introduced to the angels in Job 38:4-7 is of the SAME misleading influence as when God created man and placed him on the earth. I believe that because this beautiful planet which was capable of having intelligent life caused Lucifer and a large number of God’s angels to fall away from God in sin desiring to be as “god” over the earth and its intellectual inhabitants.
2 Thessalonians 2:11-12 Therefore God sends upon them {angels and man} a misleading influence {this beautiful planet earth which would and now does teem with various kinds of life}, a working of error {in their calculated thinking} and a strong delusion {of people in physical worldly kingdoms} to make them believe what is false {Satan and his angels first desired and now sinful man wants to also control the earth, its inhabitants, and its kingdoms thus attempting to become “god” in the process.}, 12 {Now comes God’s testing of beings who have an intellect to see what they do with this delusion down through the successive ages.} In order that all may be judged and condemned who did not believe in [who refused to adhere to, trust in, and rely on] the Truth {of the Gospel Message which was contained in the names God gave to the stars}, but [instead] took pleasure in unrighteousness {loving and serving the world rather than loving and serving God in His Kingdom}. AMP
Job 38:4-7 {God speaking with Job} Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Declare to Me, if you have and know understanding. 5 Who determined the measures of the earth, if you know? Or who stretched the measuring line upon it? 6 Upon what were the foundations of it fastened, or who laid its cornerstone, 7 When the {original} morning stars sang together and all the sons of God {ALL of the angels} shouted for joy? AMP {Astronomers know there is birthing and death in the stars in the universe. God made this phenomenon so that life and death would not only happen on the earth but is also be happening in the entire universe. What we must remember is that each star is a living entity – an atomic furnace capable of generating huge amounts of light, power, and energy that lights and heats a huge area around it.}
Romans 8:19-23 For [even the whole] creation (all nature {and the universe}) waits expectantly and longs earnestly for God’s sons to be made known [waits for the revealing, the disclosing of their sonship].
20 For the creation (nature {and the universe}) was subjected to frailty (to futility, condemned to frustration), not because of some intentional fault on its part, but by the will of Him Who so subjected it–[yet] with the hope [Eccl 1:2.] 21 That nature (creation) itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and corruption {be restored to its original created condition along with the adopted children of God} [and gain an entrance] into the glorious freedom of God’s children.
22 We know that the whole creation {in the universe including rational and} [irrational creatures] has been moaning together in the pains of labor until now. [Jer 12:4, 11.] 23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves too, who have and enjoy the firstfruits of the [Holy] Spirit [a foretaste of the blissful things to come] groan inwardly as we wait for the redemption of our bodies [from sensuality and the grave, which will reveal] our adoption (our manifestation as God’s sons). AMP

I believe the angels were at liberty to roam the universe to discover the mysteries of what God had written in the stars when He named them with the “Gospel Message” of the Kingdom of God. The angels had to make a decision for or against Christ as their personal Savior from the foundation of the world. For information on God’s naming of the stars with the Gospel Message click on: www.mysteryworldview.com/mystery/category/study/ and scroll down to the heading: “What Did the Names of the Created Stars Reveal?”
Isaiah 40:26 Lift up your eyes on high and see! Who has created these? He {God the Son} Who brings out their host by number and calls them all by name; through the greatness of His might and because He is strong in power, not one is missing or lacks anything. AMP
Mark 13:31 Heaven and earth will perish and pass away, but My words will not perish or pass away {because they are eternally stored in the names of the stars in the second heaven}. AMP
Psalms 119:89 Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven [stands firm as the heavens {in the second heaven}]. [Ps 89:2; Matt 24:34, 35; 1 Pet 1:25.] AMP
Hebrews 1:6 Moreover, when He {God the Father} brings the firstborn {God the} Son again into the habitable world, He says, Let all the angels of God worship Him. AMP
1 Peter 1:19-20 But [you were purchased] with the precious blood of Christ (the Messiah), like that of a [sacrificial] lamb without blemish or spot. 20 It is true that He {Christ} was chosen and foreordained (destined and foreknown for it) before the foundation of the world{/universe}, but He was brought out to public view (made manifest) in these last days (at the end of the times) for the sake of you. AMP
Revelation 12:7-9 Then war broke out in heaven; Michael and his angels went forth to battle with the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought. 8 But they were defeated, and there was no room found for them in heaven any longer. 9 And the huge dragon was cast down and out–that age-old serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, he who is the seducer (deceiver) of all humanity the world over; he was forced out and down to the earth, and his angels were flung out along with him. [Gen 3:1,14, 15; Zech 3:1.] AMP
Revelation 13:8 And all the inhabitants of the earth will fall down in adoration and pay him homage, everyone whose name has not been recorded in the Book of Life of the Lamb that was slain [in sacrifice] from the foundation of the world{/universe}. AMP

God has foreknown and predestined plans for all of His creatures who have a spirit and an intellect. Please realize and understand this principle applies to BOTH the angels and to man! As I was studying for this teaching, I realized how parallel and similar the mindsets and desires of the spiritual hearts of the angels and man are. Sad to say, we are similarly created species of creatures having a spiritual nature, an intellect, and a free will that can but does NOT necessarily seek God nor His Kingdom! Again, I have come to the conclusion and firmly believe the angels are spiritual brothers to all truly “Born Again” Saints {See Revelation 19:10 and Revelation 22:8-9}.
Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you {each of His created angels and each naturally conceived human offspring. His plans also include the whole universe.}, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome. AMP
Titus 1:2 [Resting] in the hope of eternal life, [life] which the ever truthful God Who cannot deceive promised before the world or the ages of time began. AMP
John 3:16 For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world {His angels and His naturally conceived human offspring} that He [even] gave up His only begotten (unique) Son {Jesus Christ}, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life. AMP {God’s “naturally conceived human offspring” is every person who was conceived by natural means – sexual intercourse between a man and a woman. God’s “adopted children” [those who are grafted in – Romans 11:1-25] are those who are spiritually “Born Again” [John 3:3-8; John 1:12-13].}
1 John 4:16 And we know (understand, recognize, are conscious of, by observation and by experience) and believe (adhere to and put faith in and rely on) the love God cherishes {values} for us. God is love, and he who dwells and continues in love dwells and continues in God, and God dwells and continues in him {God’s Agape’ love is unconditional throughout all the ages! The “saved” angels and the “adopted children of God” each have a spiritual ONENESS with Him}. AMP

Let’s continue on with the angels. God did NOT create sin! Then with whom did sin originate? Satan’s mindset was to elevate his throne above God’s Throne thus becoming as God. I believe Satan envisioned himself as “god” and desired to deceive the people on earth to form “kingdoms/nations of evil” for himself and his cohorts/followers with him and for him to be over them as their “god.”
Ezekiel 28:15-16 You {Lucifer/Satan} were blameless in your ways from the day you were created until iniquity and guilt were found in you. 16 Through the abundance of your commerce you were filled with lawlessness and violence, and you sinned; therefore I cast you out as a profane thing from the mountain of God and the guardian cherub drove you out from the midst of the stones of fire. AMP
Isaiah 14:13-14 And you {Lucifer/Satan} said in your heart, I will ascend to heaven; I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will sit upon the mount of assembly in the uttermost north. 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High. AMP {Satan stated 5 “I will’s” that reveal his spiritual heart and mindset.}

When God cast Satan out of heaven, He allowed him to become the “god of this world” on the earth.
Ezekiel 28:15 You {Lucifer/Satan} were blameless in your ways from the day you were created until iniquity {sin} and guilt were found in you. AMP
Luke 10:18 And He {Jesus} said to them, I saw Satan falling like a lightning [flash] from heaven {to the earth}. AMP
John 8:44 For you are the children of your father the devil and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning and a hater of truth-there is not an iota of truth in him. When he lies, it is perfectly normal; for he is the father of liars. TLB
1 John 5:19 We know [positively] that we are of God, and the whole world [around us] is under the power of the evil one {Satan}. AMP
2 Corinthians 4:4 For the god of this world has blinded the unbelievers’ minds [that they should not discern the truth], preventing them from seeing the illuminating light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ (the Messiah), Who is the Image and Likeness of God. AMP

The angels lived with God in His Kingdom in the third heaven for billions of years {approximately 9 billion years} before the earth was created and then they fell away from Him. How many angels had the SAME sinful mindset as Satan? The Bible talks about the “apostasy” – the great falling away of the Make Believers in the Christian Church from their faith in Jesus Christ as their personal Savior which is happening now at this time and place in history! Did the angels also go through an apocalyptic time?
2 Thessalonians 2:3 Let no one deceive or beguile you in any way, for that day will not come except the apostasy comes first [unless the predicted great falling away of those who have professed to be Christians has come], and the man of lawlessness (sin) {Satan} is revealed, who is the son of doom (of perdition), [Dan 7:25; 8:25; 1 Tim 4:1.] AMP
Revelation 12:7-9 Then war broke out in heaven; Michael and his angels went forth to battle with the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought. 8 But they were defeated, and there was no room found for them in heaven any longer. 9 And the huge dragon was cast down and out–that age-old serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, he who is the seducer (deceiver) of all humanity the world over; he was forced out and down to the earth, and his angels were flung out along with him. [Gen 3:1,14, 15; Zech 3:1.] AMP

I believe apostasy also happened to them! They witnessed God’s love, majesty, intellect, and power for eons. How and why did they fall away from their faith in Him? Remember God’s sending a powerful delusion – the earth {2 Thessalonians 2:11-12}? I believe that 2/3’s of the angels sinned and were cast out of God’s Kingdom in the third heaven. Of that number, 1/3 were flung to the earth by Satan as his demonic cohorts and 1/3 are in chains in the Abyss in Hell. 1/3 remained faithful and loyal to Christ and God and are His servants along with us Christians who hold to our/their testimony of Christ.
Revelation 12:4 His {dragon/Satan’s} tail swept [across the sky] and dragged down a third of the stars and flung them to the earth {to be his demonic cohorts}. And the dragon stationed himself in front of the woman who was about to be delivered, so that he might devour her child as soon as she brought it forth. [Dan 8:10.] AMP
Revelation 13:8 And all the inhabitants of the earth will fall down in adoration and pay him {Satan} homage, everyone whose name has not been recorded in the Book of Life of the Lamb that was slain [in sacrifice] from the foundation of the world. AMP
1 Peter 1:19-20 But [you were purchased] with the precious blood of Christ (the Messiah), like that of a [sacrificial] lamb without blemish or spot.20 It is true that He was chosen and foreordained (destined and foreknown for it) before the foundation of the world, but He was brought out to public view (made manifest) in these last days (at the end of the times) for the sake of you. AMP
Jude 6 And angels who did not keep (care for, guard, and hold to) their own first place of power but abandoned their proper dwelling place {Kingdom of God in the third heaven}–these He has reserved in custody in eternal chains (bonds) under the thick gloom of utter darkness until the judgment and doom of the great day {locked in the Abyss in Hell}. AMP
2 Peter 2:4 For God did not [even] spare angels that sinned, but cast them into hell, delivering them to be kept there in pits of gloom till the judgment and their doom. AMP

God’s popularity with the angels was small in comparison to the length of time they had fellowship with Him. Why did so many “fall away” in their faith to Him? Remember, they KNEW the Gospel Message of the Kingdom of God and Its consequences. You have to know the true Gospel Message in order to attempt to corrupt or counterfeit It!
Galatians 1:8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to and different from that which we preached to you, let him be accursed (anathema, devoted to destruction, doomed to eternal punishment)! AMP

Did the lure of the planet Earth with its creatures who have a spiritual nature, could think and reason make the fallen angels believe they could have relationship with them? Or rather, did they just want to become their “god and master?”

SUMMARY

I believe the spiritual journey of BOTH the angels and man to be very similar even though it happened eons in difference in time and place in history. When the angels watched God as He placed the earth on its foundation and with their knowledge of the Gospel Message of His Kingdom and using their intellect and free will, they knew the planet earth would inhabit creatures who had a spirit, could think, reason, and also have a free will to be able to worship and serve someone. A large majority of angels followed Satan in his sin of wanting to have these creatures worship and serve him/them rather being true angels without sin serving God by being spiritual servants to man.
Hebrews 1:14 Are not the angels all ministering spirits (servants) sent out in the service [of God for the assistance] of those who are to inherit salvation? AMP

The Gospel Message of God’s Kingdom the angels witnessed in the stars is the SAME Gospel Message that we have in our Protestant Bible. Those demonic angels that worship and serve Satan can masquerade as ministers of righteousness to lead us astray!
2 Corinthians 11:14-15 And it is no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light; 15 So it is not surprising if his servants also masquerade as ministers of righteousness. [But] their end will correspond with their deeds. AMP

To me, this shows the problem that having a “free will” can have on all creatures who have an intellect – angels or man. Their ability to be able to choose which “{G}god and his {K}kingdom they desire to worship and serve.

God did NOT create sin! Satan’s pride and his desire to use his throne to make himself like the most High God revealed his spiritual heart and mindset AGAINST God. Satan is the origin of sin and the spiritual darkness that goes with it. This resulted in a war in the third heaven which Satan and his demonic cohorts lost and were cast to the earth where he became known as the “god of this world.” I believe that even though the angels dwelt with God in the third heaven their created ability to think and have a free will eventually caused two thirds of them to sin against God and to be doomed to eternal separation from Him.

The reason God created the angels as spiritual beings with an intellect, a free will, and emotions was to have creatures that could have spiritual fellowship with Him in Eden the Garden of God in His Kingdom in the Third Heaven.

AMEN and AMEN
The Mystery Revealed of Who and What Is God About?
1 Corinthians 2:7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, NKJV

PART 2

Created Man’s Spiritual Mindset, Spiritual Heart, Freewill, and Emotions.

Prolog

Have you ever thought about how long man has been a part of God’s thoughts and plans for His creation? It may be MUCH longer than you think! His thoughts and plans for you and ALL of His creation were formed from BEFORE time and history began when there was nothing but God – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and His Book of Life in His Kingdom in the third heaven! God foreknew in His plans that sin would enter His creation and spiritually separate the angels and man from Him. In His plans He foreknew the need for a Savior for His creatures both angels and man who have a spirit that can communicate with Him, who have an intellect, emotions, and a free will. Follow along with God and His thoughts and plans for you as man.
Psalms 139:16 Your {God’s} eyes saw my {David’s/our “yet” – NKJV} unformed substance, and in Your book all the days [of my life] were written before ever they took shape, when as yet there was none of them {from BEFORE time and history began}. AMP
Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome. AMP
Titus 1:2 [Resting] in the hope of eternal life {through our faith in Jesus Christ as our personal Savior, Lord God, and Master}, [life] which the ever truthful God Who cannot deceive {lie} promised before the world or the ages of time began. AMP
Ephesian 1:3-5 May blessing (praise, laudation, and eulogy) be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah) Who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual (given by the Holy Spirit) blessing in the heavenly realm! 4 Even as [in His love] He chose us [actually picked us out for Himself as His own] in Christ before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy (consecrated and set apart for Him) and blameless in His sight, even above reproach, before Him in love. 5 For He foreordained us (destined us, planned in love for us) to be adopted (revealed) as His own children through Jesus Christ, in accordance with the purpose of His will [because it pleased Him and was His kind intent] — {Our “spiritual” adoption results when one is “Born Again” – John 3:3-8.} AMP
John 1:12-13 But to as many as did receive and welcome Him, He gave the authority (power, privilege, right) to become the {adopted} children of God, that is, to those who believe in (adhere to, trust in, and rely on) His name — [Isa 56:5.] 13 Who owe their birth neither to bloods nor to the will of the flesh [that of physical impulse] nor to the will of man [that of a natural father], but to God. [They are {spiritually} born of God!] AMP
1 Peter 1:19-20 But [you were purchased {as a “new creation” – 2 Corinthians 5:17}] with the precious blood of Christ (the Messiah), like that of a [sacrificial] lamb without blemish or spot.20 It is true that He was chosen and foreordained (destined and foreknown for it) before the foundation of the world, but He was brought out to public view (made manifest) in these last days (at the end of the times) for the sake of you. AMP
Revelation 13:8 And all the inhabitants of the earth will fall down in adoration and pay him {the beast} homage, everyone whose name has not been recorded in the Book of Life of the Lamb that was slain [in sacrifice] from the foundation of the world. AMP

Chapter I

I would now like to introduce you to a very special creature that was created as the epitome/the very spirit and soul of God’s personification/image/likeness of His character in His creation on the earth – man. Please note that man will NEVER be God!!! But as His redeemed adopted children – those who are truly “Born Again” will have some spiritual characteristics like Him! What is God’s foreknow thoughts about man? For more information on the character of you as a “new creation” in the image and likeness of God, click on the following link: www.mysteryworldview.com/2013/09/10/profile/ and read the following three sections of that study.
Genesis 1:26-28 God said, Let Us [Father, Son, and Holy Spirit] make mankind in Our {spiritual} image, after Our {spiritual} likeness, and let them have complete authority over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the [tame] beasts, and over all of the earth, and over everything that creeps upon the earth. [Ps 104:30; Heb 1:2; 11:3.] 27 So God created man in His own {spiritual} image, in the {spiritual} image and likeness of God He {physically} created him; male and female He created them {Man has BOTH a “physical nature” and a “spiritual nature”}. [Col 3:9, 10; James 3:8, 9.] 28 And God blessed them and said to them, Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it [using all its vast resources in the service of God and man]; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and over every living creature that moves upon the earth. AMP
Hebrews 2:5-8 For it was not to angels that God subjected the habitable world of the future, of which we are speaking. 6 It has been solemnly and earnestly said in a certain place, What is man that You are mindful of him, or the son of man that You graciously and helpfully care for and visit and look after him?
7 For some little time You have ranked him lower than and inferior to the angels; You have crowned him with glory and honor and set him over the works of Your hands, [Ps 8:4-6.] 8 For You have put everything in subjection under his feet. Now in putting everything in subjection to man, He left nothing outside [of man’s] control. But at present we do not yet see all things subjected to him [man] {because the Kingdom of God has not yet been fully revealed}. AMP

We will see this “personification” – our individual personal spiritual image revealed/manifested/come to fruition in Booklet 3 “Our Oneness with God.” I pray these five studies will help you with your overview of God, His intricacy, and His intimacy with His creatures that He made with a spirit, an intellect, with emotions, and a free will – BOTH angels and now man. Genesis 1:26 above states that man was made in God’s image and His likeness. What is the “image/likeness of God?”
John 4:24 God is a Spirit (a spiritual Being) and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth ({because man has a spiritual nature, he is able to worship God in spirit and truth} reality). AMP

What man must understand is in order for sinful man to be in the image and likeness of a holy and righteous God, he/she must be spiritually “Born Again” to become a “new creation.”
2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any person is [ingrafted] in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old [previous moral and spiritual condition] has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new {moral and spiritual condition} has come! AMP {Please read Chapters 3 and 4 in the following links for more information on what it means for us Christians being a new spiritual creation in Christ.}
http://mysteryworldview.com/mystery/2014/11/30/chapter-3-as-the-residents-of-the-spiritual-supernatural-kingdom-of-god-what-is-our-standard-spiritual-profile/
http://mysteryworldview.com/mystery/2014/11/30/chapter-4-the-new-saint-is-imputed-the-divine-nature-of-god-gods-dna-divine-nature-of-the-almighty/

The Bible shares with us that the adopted Children of God will have numerous “Crowns” awarded to us in the spiritual realm by God for our faith and righteousness in Christ.
Revelation 22:12-13 {Jesus speaking as the Judge} Behold, I am coming soon, and I shall bring My wages and rewards with Me, to repay and render to each one just what his own actions and his own work merit. [Isa 40:10; Jer 17:10.] 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last (the Before all and the End of all). [Isa 44:6; 48:12.] AMP

But what MUST man do to receive these spiritual crowns?:
#1) We MUST admit that we are “sinners” who have a need for a Savior – Jesus Christ i.e. we MUST be “Born Again:”
Romans 3:23 Since all have sinned and are falling short of the honor and glory which God bestows and receives. AMP
Acts 4:12 And there is salvation in and through no one else, for there is no other name {Jesus Christ} under heaven given among men by and in which we must be saved. AMP
John 3:3-8 Jesus answered him, I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, that unless a person is born again ({spiritually} anew, from above), he cannot ever see (know, be acquainted with, and experience) the kingdom of God. 4 Nicodemus said to Him, How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter his mother’s womb again and be born?
5 Jesus answered, I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, unless a man is born of water and [even] the Spirit, he cannot [ever] enter the kingdom of God. [Ezek 36:25-27.] 6 What is born of [from] the flesh is flesh [of the physical is physical]; and what is born of the Spirit is spirit {is a “new spiritual being”}.
7 Marvel not [do not be surprised, astonished] at My telling you, You must all be born anew (from above). 8 The wind blows (breathes) where it wills; and though you hear its sound, yet you neither know where it comes from nor where it is going. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit. AMP
2 Timothy 4:8 [As to what remains] Henceforth there is laid up for me the [victor’s] crown of righteousness [for being right with God and doing right], which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me and recompense me on that [great] {judgment} day–and not to me only, but also to all those who have loved and yearned for and welcomed His appearing (His return). AMP

#2) To receive our crowns as a truly “Born Again” Christian, we MUST live a life that reflects Christ not only our personal Savior:
1 Thessalonians 2:19 For what is it we live for, that gives us hope {of eternal life} and joy and is our proud reward and crown? It is you {as a “Born Again Child of God}! Yes, you will bring us much joy as we stand together before our Lord Jesus Christ when he comes back again. TLB
Titus 1:2 {We are} [Resting] in the hope of eternal life, [life] which the ever truthful God Who cannot deceive {lie} promised before the world or the ages of time began. AMP
James 1:12 Blessed (happy, to be envied) is the man who is patient under trial and stands up under temptation, for when he has stood the test and been approved, he will receive [the victor’s] crown of life which God has promised to those who love Him. AMP
Revelation 2:10 Fear nothing that you are about to suffer. [Dismiss your dread and your fears!] Behold, the devil is indeed about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested and proved and critically appraised {evaluated}, and for ten days you will have affliction. Be loyally faithful unto death [even if you must die for it], and I will give you the crown of life. [Rev 3:10, 11.] AMP

But we MUST also recognize Jesus Christ/God the Son as our Lord God and Master:
John 20:28-29 Thomas answered Him {Jesus}, My Lord and my God! 29 Jesus said to him, Because you have seen Me, Thomas, do you now believe (trust, have faith)? Blessed and happy and to be envied are those who have never seen Me and yet have believed and adhered to and trusted and relied on Me {as their Lord God}. AMP
Matthew 23:10 {Jesus speaking to the crowd} And you must not be called masters (leaders), for you have one Master (Leader), the Christ. AMP

#3) We MUST hold steadfast to our faith in Christ unto His Second Coming in order to receive our crowns:
1 Peter 5:4 And [then] when the Chief Shepherd {Jesus Christ} is revealed {at His Second Coming}, you will win the conqueror’s crown of glory. AMP
Revelation 3:11 I am coming quickly; hold fast what you have, so that no one may rob you and deprive you of your crown. AMP

What is the position in creation that God gave to created man? What authority was given to him? Man was created a “little lower” than the angels and given great authority over God’s physical creation.
Psalms 8:3-8 When I view and consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained and established, 4 What is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of [earthborn] man that You care for him? 5 Yet You have made him but a little lower than God [or heavenly beings], and You have crowned him with glory and honor. 6 You made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet: [1 Cor 15:27; Eph 1:22, 23; Heb 2:6-8.] 7 All sheep and oxen, yes, and the beasts of the field, 8 The birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatever passes along the paths of the seas. AMP

Scripture says that we Christians will “judge and govern the world,” and this includes us “judging the angels.” Are you ready for such responsibility? We will rule alongside of Christ.
1 Corinthians 6:2-3 Do you not know that the saints (True Believers) will [one day] judge and govern the world {At Christ’s Second Coming, all of the nations of the world will be united with God’s kingdom under Christ’s reign – Revelation 11:15}? And if the world [itself] is to be judged and ruled by you, are you unworthy and incompetent to try [such petty matters] of the smallest courts of justice? 3 Do you not know also that we [Christians] are to judge the [very] angels and pronounce opinion between right and wrong [for them]? How much more then [as to] matters pertaining to this world and of this life only! AMP
Revelation 11:15 The seventh angel then blew [his] trumpet, and there were mighty voices in heaven, shouting, The dominion (kingdom, sovereignty, rule) of the world has now come into the possession and become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ (the Messiah), and He shall reign forever and ever (for the eternities of the eternities)! [Ps 22:28; Dan 7:13, 14, 27.] AMP

Chapter II

I am going to make a very “brash” statement – I sincerely believe that, “God is Sovereign Over ALL Things Whether You or I Like It Or Not!!!” Or whether you are seeking Him in and for your life! He is in you giving you your “spirit of life!” My question to you – “As a supposedly ‘True Believer’ in Christ, why are you so unaware of His existence and presence in your life?”
Isaiah 14:24 The Lord of hosts has sworn, saying, Surely, as I have thought and planned, so shall it come to pass, and as I have purposed, so shall it stand — AMP {But what if you do NOT think the “thoughts and plans” are of God and indifferent towards them or work against them?}
Acts 5:39 But if it is of God, you will not be able to stop or overthrow or destroy them; you might even be found fighting against God! AMP
Genesis 2:7 Then the Lord God {God the Son – John 1:3} formed man from the dust of the ground and {God the Holy Spirit} breathed into his nostrils the breath or spirit of life, and man became a living being. [1 Cor 15:45-49.] AMP
Isaiah 42:5 Thus says God the Lord — He Who created the heavens and stretched them forth, He Who spread abroad the earth and that which comes out of it, He Who gives breath to the people on it and spirit to those who walk in it: AMP
Job 12:10 In His {God’s} hand is the life of every living thing {all creatures} and the breath of all mankind. AMP

Are you fighting against God? Are you one of the many “Christians” who are considering leaving the Christian Church or have you already left? Is your excuse for stopping worshipping with other believers is that, “God is just not measuring up to what I want Him to be doing for me in my life!” Please take some of your precious time to read and consider the following booklets and see if God the Holy Spirit speaks to you about your faith in God and your worship and service to Him.

How much do you know about God? Do you ever think about Him? We cannot see nor touch God so is He real? To start us off, what does God declare about Who He is i.e. His intellect and character as compared to man?
For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, says the Lord. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts. AMP

Well, this is NOT a very good way to start to get to know God! How are we supposed to worship and serve Him IF He does not have a place for us to start to know Him, or IF His intellect is so high and lofty above our puny intellectual ways? Is God knowable? What is His character compared to man’s? How can we find out about Him? What has God made available to us to find out about Him – to know Him?
Numbers 23:19 God {character} is not a man, that He should tell or act a lie, neither the son of man, that He should feel repentance or compunction [for what He has promised]. Has He said and shall He not do it? Or has He spoken and shall He not make it good? AMP
Titus 1:2 [Resting] in the hope of eternal life, [life] which the ever truthful God Who cannot deceive {lie} promised before the world or the ages of time began. AMP
John 17:17 Sanctify them {us adopted children of God} [purify, consecrate, separate them for Yourself, make them holy] by the Truth; Your Word is Truth {The Protestant Christian Bible is our Word of Truth!}. AMP

But God in His love for us has provided a way to “level the playing field” – to help us to be on the SAME page with Him helping Him in His Kingdom work. It is found in His Word – the Bible! I ask you to pray to God to receive the “sound mind of Christ” to understand and implement His Word in your life. From personal experience, I can claim to you that you are “short changing” your personal intellect IF you are NOT prayerfully seeking the “sound mind of Christ!” What and why does God tell us to seek His intellect?
Jeremiah 33:3 {You} Call to Me {Pray to Me} and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things, fenced in and hidden {many mysteries}, which you do not know (do not distinguish & recognize, have knowledge of and understand). AMP

This is an awesome and marvelous promise from God!!! The reason to seek His spiritual supernatural knowledge and wisdom is because It can be applied to us Saints to better understand BOTH the workings of the physical kingdoms of the world and our work and service to God in His spiritual supernatural Kingdom as we live in the world.

How is God going to be able to merge/join together His knowledge and wisdom with our intellect so that it will be useable and advantageous to us – His Adopted Children? We MUST transform our thinking from the physical realm to the spiritual realm.
Romans 12:2 Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you {in His spiritual Kingdom}]. AMP
Colossians 1:21-23 And although you at one time were estranged and alienated from Him {God} and were of hostile attitude of mind in your wicked activities, 22 Yet now has [Christ, the Messiah] reconciled [you to God] in the body of His flesh through death, in order to present you holy and faultless and irreproachable in His [the Father’s] presence. 23 [And this He will do] provided that you continue to stay with and in the faith [in Christ], well-grounded and settled and steadfast, not shifting or moving away from the hope [which rests on {His promise of eternal life} and is inspired by] the glad tidings (the Gospel), which you heard and which has been preached [as being designed for and offered without restrictions] to every person under heaven, and of which [Gospel] I, Paul, became a minister. AMP

So how does this “change of mindset” happen? Scripture shares with us in 1 Corinthians 2:4-16 one of the works of God the Holy Spirit is to be able to discern God’s thoughts and to discern our thoughts and join them together so that we can have and use the characteristics of the “sound mind of Christ” to apply God’s Word in our daily lives. This calls for some really “deep” spiritual supernatural thinking on your part! Please follow along very carefully!
1 Corinthians 2:4-16 {Paul talking} And my language and my message were not set forth in persuasive (enticing and plausible) words of wisdom {he did NOT try to talk and act as though he was of special importance/a well educated big shot, but instead he acted in humility}, but they were in demonstration of the [Holy] Spirit and power [a proof by the Spirit and power of God, operating on me and stirring in the minds of my hearers the most holy emotions and thus persuading them], 5 So that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men (human philosophy), but in the power of God.
6 Yet when we are among the full-grown (spiritually mature Christians who are ripe in {spiritual supernatural wisdom and} understanding), we do impart {/reveal} a [higher] wisdom (the knowledge of the divine plan previously hidden) {from BEFORE time began. Paul is applying the mysteries of God by praying to God to be able to discern His thoughts and ways [Isaiah 55:8-9, Jeremiah 33:3]}; but it is indeed not a wisdom of this present age or of this world nor of the leaders and rulers of this age, who are being brought to nothing and are doomed to pass away. 7 But rather what we are setting forth is a wisdom of God once hidden [from the human understanding] and now revealed to us by God–[that wisdom] which God devised and decreed before the ages for our glorification [to lift us into the glory of His presence]. 8 None of the rulers of this age or world perceived and recognized and understood this, for if they had, they would never have crucified the Lord of glory.
9 But, on the contrary, as the Scripture says, What eye has not seen and ear has not heard and has not entered into the {spiritual} heart of man, [all that] God has prepared (made and keeps ready) for those who love Him [who hold Him in affectionate reverence, promptly obeying Him and gratefully recognizing the benefits He has bestowed]. [Isa 64:4; 65:17.] 10 Yet to us God has unveiled and revealed them by and through His Spirit, for the [Holy] Spirit searches diligently, exploring and examining everything, even sounding the profound and bottomless things of God [the divine counsels and things hidden and beyond man’s scrutiny]. 11 For what person perceives (knows and understands) what passes through a man’s thoughts except the man’s own spirit within him? Just so no one discerns (comes to know and comprehend) the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.
12 Now we have not received the spirit [that belongs to] the world, but the [Holy] Spirit Who is from God, [given to us] that we might realize and comprehend and appreciate the gifts [of divine favor and blessing so freely and lavishly] bestowed on us by God. 13 And we are setting these truths forth in words not taught by human wisdom {worldly reason/common sense} but taught by the [Holy] Spirit, combining and interpreting spiritual truths with spiritual language [to those who possess the Holy Spirit].
14 But the natural, nonspiritual man {Unbeliever} does not accept or welcome or admit into his heart the gifts and teachings and revelations of the Spirit of God, for they are folly (meaningless nonsense) to him; and he is incapable of knowing them [of progressively recognizing, understanding, and becoming better acquainted with them] because they are spiritually discerned {they are unable to understand the spiritual realm} and estimated {cannot assess what’s happening in it} and appreciated {even recognize the spiritual realm}. 15 But the spiritual man tries all things [he examines, investigates, inquires into, questions, and discerns all things], yet is himself to be put on trial and judged by no one [he can read the meaning of everything, but no one can properly discern or appraise or get an insight into him {figure him/her out because as a “new creation” he/she is so different from what they used to be when we were in and of the world.}].
16 For who has known or understood the mind (the counsels and purposes) of the Lord so as to guide and instruct Him and give Him knowledge? But we have the mind of Christ (the Messiah) and do hold the thoughts (feelings and purposes) of His heart. [Isa 40:13.] AMP

While we can have the “sound mind of Christ,” we must understand that God the Son as God has a vastly extra capacity of the full riches of complete knowledge and wisdom of God. Does man have the mental capacity to take in let alone utilize the complete intellectual knowledge and wisdom of God? I believe it is up to God the Holy Spirit to disseminate His gifts to those True Believers as He equips them for their ministry.
Colossians 2:2-3 {Paul speaking} My purpose is that they {us Saints} may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge {as God the Son}. NIV
1 Corinthians 12:11 All these [gifts, achievements, abilities] are inspired and brought to pass by one and the same [Holy] Spirit, Who apportions to each person individually [exactly] as He chooses. AMP

In the following Scripture, we have revealed to us the amount of knowledge and wisdom that the Holy Spirit imputed to the Son of Man – Jesus Christ. Because we have the Holy Spirit living in us, He will impute to us this SAME “sound mind of Christ” which is available to us IF we ask God for it {Jeremiah 33:3}.
Isaiah 11:2 And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him {Jesus Christ giving to Him} –the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the reverential and obedient fear of the Lord—{and by using the “sound mind of Christ,” God the Holy Spirit is able to anoint us to intellectually know things beyond anything we can humanly imagine.} AMP

There is another text that reveals the short comings of the “mind trained and controlled by worldly thinking” when compared to the Spirit controlled “sound mind of Christ.” Which mindset would you like to have to lead and guide you in your KT and KL in your life?
Romans 8:5-9 For those who are according to the flesh {have carnal/worldly desires} and are controlled by its unholy desires set their minds on and pursue those things which gratify the flesh {because they are Make Believers and Unbelievers}, but those who are according to the Spirit and are controlled by the desires of the Spirit set their minds on and seek those things which gratify the [Holy] Spirit {because they are True Believers in Jesus Christ}. 6 Now the mind of the flesh [which is {common} sense and reason {which is earthy, unspiritual, and demonic – James 3:15} without the Holy Spirit] is death [death that comprises all the miseries arising from sin, both here and hereafter]. But the mind of the [Holy] Spirit is life and [soul] peace [both now and forever]. 7 [That is] because the mind of the flesh [with its carnal thoughts and purposes] is hostile to God, for it does not submit itself to God’s Law; indeed it cannot.
8 So then those who are living the life of the flesh [catering to the appetites and impulses of their carnal nature] cannot please or satisfy God, or be acceptable to Him. 9 But you are not living the life of the flesh, you are living the life of the Spirit, if the [Holy] Spirit of God [really] dwells within you [directs and controls you]. But if anyone does not possess the [Holy] Spirit of Christ, he is none of His [he does not belong to Christ, is not truly a child of God] {Correctly stated – “YOU ARE NOT SAVED!!!”}. [Rom 8:14.] AMP

Dear Heavenly Father, as we continue with this study, please help us to have and utilize the “sound mind of Christ” to understand what You did from the successive ages from before time began through this present time and place in history. In Jesus’ Most Wonderful and Precious Name! Amen! and Amen!

Chapter III

As I was watching Ravi Zacharias – a well-known Christian teacher, lecturer, and apologist, on T.V., he stated that one of the most frequently asked questions in his travels is, “Can Man Live Without God?” Maybe this is a question that you have had others ask you or maybe you are asking this of yourself.

I pray these five booklets so connect as to help you to answer that question. I pray they reveal more about God and His intricate and intimate relationship with you and I from BEFORE time began through this present time and place in history and into the future. Apparently, the great majority of people on the earth THINK and REASON using DEMONIC WORLDLY COMMON SENSE they can live WITHOUT the true loving, living God being part of their lives, and in essence as one looks around at all of the chaos in the world, this seems to be true! Please know that this demonic worldly thinking, reasoning, common sense is caused by sin and originated with Satan! The THINGS of the world are what he wants you to seek! But what does the Bible say?
James 3:14-16 But if you have bitter jealousy (envy) and contention (rivalry, selfish ambition) in your {spiritual} hearts, do not pride yourselves on it and thus be in defiance of and false to the Truth {which is found ONLY in God’s Word – John 17:17}. 15 This [superficial {shallow thinking}] wisdom is not such as comes down from above {from God the Holy Spirit}, but is earthly {concerned ONLY with matters of the world}, unspiritual (animal) {worldly behavior}, even devilish (demoniacal {originated with Satan}). 16 For wherever there is jealousy (envy) and contention (rivalry and selfish ambition), there will also be confusion (unrest, disharmony, rebellion) and all sorts of evil and vile practices {sins}. AMP
Psalms 14:1 THE [empty-headed] fool has said in his heart {mindset}, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable deeds; there is none that does good or right. [Rom 3:10.] AMP
Psalms 10:4 The wicked in his proud countenance {appearance/composure} does not seek God; {the true living loving} God is in none of his thoughts. NKJV

There is an old saying that simply says, “Out of sight, out of mind” which “TODAY” the huge majority of people around the world are applying to their relationship with the true, living, and loving God. Because I cannot see, touch, or feel our spiritual God, I cannot believe nor even want to know Him to be real! Recent articles in Charisma Magazine state that Christian church goers are not going to church because “God is just not measuring up to what I want Him to be doing in my life for me!” Is God the servant to His creation – to man? NO!!! Again, God is Sovereign over ALL of His creation!
Proverbs 18:2 A [self-confident] fool has no delight in understanding {Godly knowledge and wisdom as found in the Bible} but only in revealing his personal opinions and himself. AMP
Numbers 23:19 God is not a man, that He should tell or act a lie, neither the son of man, that He should feel repentance or compunction [for what He has promised]. Has He said and shall He not do it? Or has He spoken and shall He not make it good? AMP
Isaiah 46:11 {God speaking} Yes, I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed it, and I will do it. AMP

I cannot leave this portion of this study without reminding you to pray daily seeking the “Sound mind of Christ.” We will be dealing with some Scriptures from BEFORE time began and the magnitude of their truths that go with them will be hard for us to understand, hard for us to apply to our lives, and hard for us to share with others. In other words, they can cause YOU much confusion IF you cannot put them into their proper perspective in the events that are taking place in your life and around the world! We will be needing God the Holy Spirit’s discernment and instruction to have spiritual understanding of these end time events!

Chapter IV

I believe the answer to the question, “Can Man Live Without God?” is a resounding NO!!! and the answer can ONLY be found in the Christian Bible and in the knowledge and wisdom of Its Scriptures. In these Scriptures, we will be looking mainly at man who have a God given spirit, and applies ONLY to those human offspring who are born using the natural procreation process of a husband/man and a wife/woman having sexual intercourse resulting in the woman becoming pregnant and producing an offspring. I believe man’s attempted use of technology in assisting God in the human procreation process using Artificial Insemination, In Vitro Fertilization, and human cloning is totally denying and thwarting God the Holy Spirit’s work in human procreation! Man’s use of technology in selecting the sperm and egg or tissue to form the human zygote/ offspring is blasphemous to the works of God the Holy Spirit because it denies His work of putting the right sperm from the foreknown and predestined man with the right egg from the foreknown and predestined woman to produce the right foreknown and preplanned offspring which then thwarts His future work in bringing this offspring to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ as their personal Savior in this person’s life.
Mark 3:29 But whoever speaks abusively against or maliciously misrepresents the Holy Spirit can never get forgiveness, but is guilty of and is in the grasp of an everlasting trespass {unforgiven sin}. AMP
Click on the following website for more information on the human procreation process: http://mysteryworldview.net/mystery/2013/09/10/involvement/

I pray that in these five Booklets, I will have presented sufficient Scriptural proof that man does not live apart from God! I pray that you will earnestly study the Scriptures to prove this to yourself. My answer to the question, “Can Man Live Without God?” is a resounding and deafening NO!!! I believe man cannot live apart from God’s intricate and intimate nanosecond by nanosecond foreknown and predestined plans in and for our lives, but our worldly mindset cannot fathom or comprehend such a question and God’s response. The world has taught and continues to teach us that “Man CAN live without God! Satan wants you to believe the Christian God is irrelevant to man!” But what does the Bible say about such a mindset?
Job 34:14-15 If [God] should set His heart upon him [man] and withdraw His [life-giving] spirit and His breath [from man] to Himself, 15 All flesh would perish together {including all the living creatures}, and man would turn again to dust. [Ps 104:29; Eccl 12:7.] AMP
Romans 8:5-8 Those {“Christian” Make Believers and Unbelievers} who let themselves be controlled by their lower {human sinful} natures live only to please themselves, but those {Christian True Believers} who follow after the Holy Spirit find themselves doing those things that please God. 6 Following after the Holy Spirit leads to life and peace, but following after the old {human sinful} nature leads to death 7 because the old sinful nature within us is against God. It never did obey God’s laws and it never will. 8 That’s why those who are still under the control of their old sinful selves, bent on following their old evil desires, can never please God. TLB

We MUST also understand and accept that worldly teaching actually originated with Satan! It is his “kingdom of the world teaching” that has come down through successive ages. This worldly teaching began with Satan in the third heaven and continued eons later on earth with Cain and later from Nimrod down throughout the successive ages in history through “TODAY” in unsaved man’s mind and is highly offensive and diametrically opposed to God’s Kingdom teaching and living!
Isaiah 14:13-14 And you {Satan} said in your heart, I will ascend to heaven; I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will sit upon the mount of assembly in the uttermost north. 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High {God}. AMP
1 John 3:12 We are not to be like Cain, who {in his thoughts and actions} belonged to Satan and killed his brother. Why did he kill him? Because Cain had been doing wrong and he knew very well that his brother’s life was better than his. TLB
Genesis 6:5-6 The Lord observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil. 6 So the Lord was sorry he had ever made them {man} and put them on the earth. It broke his heart. NLT

God’s Kingdom teachings {KT} and Kingdom living {KL} are diametrically opposed to the teachings and living in the kingdoms of the world! You MUST accept and realize the kingdom of the world teachings are about the world ONLY and are demonic because they originated with Satan! His intent was to unify the works of the fallen angels and peoples of the world into thinking they could live without the true living loving God in their lives and substitute him – Satan in God’s place. This saga will play out in time and place in history terminating at Christ’s Second Coming.
Genesis 11:6, 9 {God at the Tower of Babel} said, “Look! If they {the peoples of the world} are able to accomplish all this when they have just begun to exploit their linguistic and political unity {In his rebellion against God, Cain prematurely founded the “New World Order” with its “One World Government,” now Nimrod at the Tower of Babel, the people prematurely established the “One World Religion” – these were NOT part of God’s plans for that time and place in history! This was the magnitude of the rebellion against God at this early time in history. They were supposed to be introduced into history on earth beginning in the latter part of the 1900’s.}, just think of what they will do later! Nothing will be unattainable for them! 9 That is why the city was called Babel (meaning “confusion”), because it was there that Jehovah confused them by giving them many languages, thus widely scattering them across the face of the earth {God had to slow down the proliferation of man’s rebellion on earth}. TLB

Chapter V

Before we can resolve the above question, “Can Man Live Without God?,” we must ask some questions about the origin of God’s Personal Relationship with YOU and find their Scriptural answers. Can you accept that God is intricately and intimately involved in every nanosecond of YOUR life? Please notice the Biblical “references to time” in God’s relationship with you. There are numerous references declaring “time periods” – before the foundation of the world, before the world or the ages of time began, before ever they took shape, when as yet there was none of them, etc. which some scholars believe to be separate and different times in precreation history which is possibly true, but I am going to treat all of them as ONE time period in history from BEFORE creation began to the creation itself in time and history of the universe/world.

Let’s ask some questions about God’s foreknowledge about you from BEFORE time began:

Question #1) When and where did God first know you? {Think about God in the intimacy of Eden the Garden of God in His Kingdom in the third heaven as He wrote about you – made plans for you in His Book of Life.}
Psalms 139:16 {God} Your eyes saw my {put your name here} {yet – NKJV} unformed substance, and in Your book all the days [of my life] were written before ever they took shape, when as yet there was none of them {BEFORE time and history began}. AMP
Ezekiel 28:13 {God sharing about Satan’s origin in the third heaven} You were in Eden, the garden of God; your clothing was bejeweled with every precious stone-ruby, topaz, diamond, chrysolite, onyx, jasper, sapphire, carbuncle, and emerald-all in beautiful settings of finest gold. They were given to you on the day you were created. TLB
Luke 10:20 Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are enrolled in heaven {in God’s Book of Life}. [Ex 32:32; Ps 69:28; Dan 12:1.] AMP

Question #2) As God was writing His plans for you in His Book of Life, what all did they include?
Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans {for you in My Book of Life written from BEFORE time and history began} for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome. AMP {God’s HOPE for our final outcome/judgment rests in our salvation through our faith in Jesus Christ and His shed blood as our personal Savior.}
Titus 1:2 [Resting] in the hope of eternal life, [life] which the ever truthful God Who cannot deceive {lie} promised before the world or the ages of time began. AMP
Romans 5:8-9 But God shows and clearly proves His [own] love for us by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One) died for us. 9 Therefore, since we are now justified (acquitted, made righteous, and brought into right relationship with God) by Christ’s blood, how much more [certain is it that] we shall be saved by Him from the indignation and wrath of God. AMP

Question #3) When did God “first love us?” Could it have been as He was in His heavenly Kingdom “lovingly” writing all of our plans for our lives in His Book of Life from before time and history began that He poured out His Agape for us showing His desire for us to be saved?
1 John 4:19 We love Him, because He first loved us {as He was developing our plans and character as He was writing about us in His Book of Life BEFORE time and history began}. AMP
Ephesians 1:4 Even as [in His love] He {God the Father} chose us [actually picked us out for Himself as His own {in His plans for our salvation}] in Christ before the foundation of the world {BEFORE time, history, and creation began}, that we should be holy (consecrated and set apart for Him) and blameless in His sight, even above reproach, before Him in love. AMP

Question #4) The above events were planned from before time, history, and creation began. Let’s now continue on with creation being set in motion including its successive ages – time and place in history to “TODAY” including your physical conception by your parents, and your being born into the world:
Psalms 139:13-14 For You {God the Holy Spirit} did form my inward parts {according to God the Father’s foreknown and predestined plans and timetable from before time and history began}; You did knit me together in my mother’s womb. 14 I will confess and praise You for You are fearful and wonderful and for the awful wonder of my birth! Wonderful are Your works, and that my inner self knows right well. AMP
Ecclesiastes 11:5 As you {unsaved man} know not what is the way of the wind, or how the spirit comes to the bones {of the human zygote} in the womb of a pregnant woman, even so you know not the work of God, Who does all. AMP
Zechariah 12:1b Thus says the Lord, Who stretches out the heavens and lays the foundation of the earth and forms the spirit of man within him: AMP

Question #5) How did God the Holy Spirit cause man to become a living being?
Genesis 2:7 Then the Lord God {God the Son/Creator} formed man from the dust of the ground and {God the Holy Spirit} breathed into his nostrils the breath or spirit of life, and man became a living being. [1 Cor 15:45-49.] AMP
Job 27:3 {Job speaking} All the while my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils {I have life}; KJV

Question #6) God the Holy Spirit was at your conception joining your father’s right sperm with your mother’s right egg to produce you at the correct time and place in history according to God’s foreknown and predestined plans for you in His Book of Life. God foreknew you by name! God had ministry plans for the prophet Jeremiah from before time and history began just as He had foreknown and predestined thoughts and plans for your and my and ALL of His offspring’s lives and ministries.
Exodus 33:12 Moses said to the Lord, See, You say to me, Bring up this people, but You have not let me know whom You will send with me. Yet You said, I know you by name and you have also found favor in My sight. AMP
Isaiah 49:1 LISTEN TO me, O isles and coastlands, and hearken, you peoples from afar. The Lord has called me from the womb; from the body of my mother He has named my name. AMP
Jeremiah 1:5 {In My plans BEFORE time and history began [Jeremiah 29:11} Before I formed you in the womb I knew [and] approved of you [as My chosen instrument], and before you were born I separated and set you apart, consecrating you; [and] I appointed you as a prophet to the nations. [Ex 33:12; Isa 49:1, 5; Rom 8:29.] AMP
Romans 8:29-30 For those whom He foreknew [of whom He was aware and loved beforehand], He also destined from the beginning [foreordaining them] to be molded into the image of His Son [and share inwardly His likeness], that He might become the firstborn among many brethren. 30 And those whom He thus foreordained, He also called; and those whom He called, He also justified (acquitted, made righteous, putting them into right standing with Himself). And those whom He justified, He also glorified [raising them to a heavenly dignity and condition or state of being]. AMP

Question #7) God’s plans for you from BEFORE time and history began also included the number of days and months allotted to your life in the future.
Job 14:5 Since a man’s days are already determined, and the number of his months is wholly in Your control, and he cannot pass the bounds of his allotted time. AMP

Question #8) At your conception, God the Holy Spirit formed your spirit within you {Question #4}. Upon your physical death, your spirit returns to God the Son/ Jesus Christ for judgment of your faith and deeds.
Ecclesiastes 12:7 Then shall the dust [out of which God made man’s body] return to the earth as it was, and the spirit shall return to God Who gave it {for judgment}. AMP
Hebrews 9:27 And just as it is appointed for [all] men once to die, and after that the [certain] judgment, AMP
2 Timothy 4:1 I {Paul} CHARGE [you] in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, Who is to judge the living and the dead, and by (in the light of) His coming and His kingdom: AMP
Romans 2:16 On that day when, as my Gospel proclaims, God by Jesus Christ will judge men in regard to the things which they conceal (their hidden thoughts). [Eccl 12:14.] AMP
Acts 24:15 Having [the same] hope in God which these themselves {redeemed Saints} hold and look for, that there is to be a resurrection both of the righteous and the unrighteous (the just {True Believer/saved} and the unjust{“Christian” Make Believer and the Unbeliever/unsaved}). AMP
John 5:29 And they {those awaiting judgment} shall come out — those who {are True Believers/righteous/saved} have practiced doing good [will come out] to the resurrection of [new] life, and those who have done evil {are Make Believers/Unbelievers/unrighteous/unsaved} will be raised for judgment [raised to meet their sentence {of eternal separation from God}]. [Dan 12:2.] AMP

Question #9) What will YOUR judgment be? God had foreknown and predestined plans for your “work” for Him. What “work” for God and his Kingdom are you accomplishing in your lifetime? I believe the work/fruit that God foreknew and predestined was for us to win sinners to Jesus Christ as their personal Savior, and then to disciple them in their faith to come to know Him as their Lord God and Master.
Ephesians 2:10 For we are God’s [own] handiwork (His workmanship), recreated in Christ Jesus, [born anew {John 3:3-8}] that we may do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us [taking paths which He prepared ahead of time], that we should walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live]. AMP
John 15:16 {Jesus speaking} You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you and I have appointed you {Jeremiah 29:11} [I have planted you], that you might go and bear fruit and keep on bearing, and that your fruit may be lasting [that it may remain, abide] {the spirits of “saved” sinners for all eternity}, so that whatever you ask the Father in My Name [as presenting all that I AM], He may give it to you. AMP
Luke 9:23-24 And He {Jesus} said to all, If any person wills to come after Me, let him deny himself [disown himself, forget, lose sight of himself and his own interests, refuse and give up himself] and take up his cross daily and follow Me [cleave steadfastly to Me, conform wholly to My example in living and, if need be, in dying also]. 24 For whoever would preserve his life and save it will lose and destroy it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he will preserve and save it [from the penalty of eternal death]. AMP

I believe the ONLY LASTING fruit for all of eternity that we Christians can produce for God are the “saved spirits” of sinners that each of us witnessed to during our lifetime who accepted Christ as their personal Savior! The numbers used in some of the parables indicate potential sinners that each of us witnessed to about Christ and their acceptance of Him as their personal Savior! In Matthew 25, the parable of the talents is an excellent illustration of us as servants to Christ winning sinners to Christ as their personal Savior and us receiving our “reward” for this work from Him.
Matthew 25:23 His master {Jesus Christ} said to him {the Saints who multiplied their salvation 5X in verse 20 and 2X in verse 22}, Well done, you upright (honorable, admirable) and faithful servant! You have been faithful and trustworthy over a little; I will put you in charge of much. Enter into and share the joy (the delight, the blessedness) which your master enjoys {Come into My Kingdom and share eternity with Me!}. AMP
Revelation 22:12 {Jesus speaking} Behold, I am coming soon, and I shall bring My wages and rewards with Me, to repay and render to each one just what his own actions and his own work merit. [Isa 40:10; Jer 17:10.] AMP

But IF during your Christian lifetime, you did NOT lead any sinners to accept Jesus Christ as their personal Savior your judgment will be diametrically opposed to a Christian who did! In His parables, Jesus used sowing seeds, finding lost money, finding lost animals, finding lost treasure – things of physical worldly importance to convey the interpolation of the spiritual Kingdom of God’s “fruit” – the redemption of sinners to Christ as their personal Savior.
Matthew 25:26-30 But his master {Jesus Christ} answered him {a “Christian” Make Believer}, You wicked and lazy and idle servant! Did you indeed know that I reap where I have not sowed and gather [grain] where I have not winnowed {My servants are to do their work of winning sinners to Jesus Christ as their personal Savior!}? 27 Then you should have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received what was my own with interest {5 repented sinners in vs. 20 and 2 repented sinners in vs. 22}. 28 So take the talent away from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. 29 For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will be furnished richly so that he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have will be taken away. 30 And throw the good-for-nothing servant into the outer darkness; there will be weeping and grinding of teeth {into Hell}. AMP
1 John 3:10 By this it is made clear who take their nature from God and are His children and who take their nature from the devil and are his children: no one who does not practice righteousness [who does not conform to God’s will in purpose, thought, and action] is of God; neither is anyone who does not love his brother (his fellow believer in Christ). AMP
Matthew 7:21-23 Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father Who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me on that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name and driven out demons in Your name and done many mighty works in Your name? 23 And then I will say to them openly (publicly), I never knew you; depart from Me, you who act wickedly [disregarding My commands] {Not doing My work in the world nor living according to KT and KL}. [Ps 6:8.] AMP

Christ’s teachings in the Parables must be interpolated to receive their full spiritual message and reveal the processes of Justification, Sanctification, Glorification, and Condemnation for the Kingdom of God/heaven. For more teachings on the PARABLES click on the following link:
http://mysteryworldview.com/mystery/catagory/parables/

Chapter VI

As I study the Bible and God’s creature – man – I have come to the conclusion that man is an extremely unique being because of his mental intellect. Man is extremely brilliant! Because of man’s mindset and ingenuity, he has brought forth many concoctions that have greatly benefitted mankind! But it is also his mindset that causes him all of his dilemmas. From the beginning, Satan’s mindset is what caused him to desire to be as God, the same with Cain who would NOT submit to God’s authority, also to Nimrod, and so it continues through “TODAY” – I am my own “boss!”
1 John 2:16 For all that is in the world {thinking} — the lust of the flesh [craving for sensual gratification] and the lust of the eyes [greedy longings of the mind] and the pride of life [assurance in one’s own resources or in the stability of earthly things] — these do not come from the Father but are from the world [itself]. AMP

Over the centuries, Satan has deceived the peoples of the world to assume they do NOT need the true living loving God and His guidance if they will just rely on their own mishmash of philosophies. But what does Scripture say about this?
Isaiah 55:8-9 {God states} For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, says the Lord. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts. AMP

God has been deceptively pushed out of the minds and lives of men and replaced by rebellion against God’s holiness and righteousness. You MUST understand that it is men’s minds/thinking that bring sins into our lives {Ezekiel 16:30 – lust of the mind and heart AMP; James 1:12-16 – the process of lust becoming sin}. This has been man’s relationship with God through the “successive ages!” Read what Scripture has to say as to how this happened. Especially note men’s corrupted thinking and minds and how these things led men astray from God.
Romans 1:18-32 For God’s [holy] wrath and indignation are revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who in their wickedness repress and hinder the truth and make it inoperative. 19 For that which is known about God is evident to them and made plain in their inner consciousness {of their minds and thinking}, because God [Himself] has shown it to them. 20 For ever since the creation of the world His invisible nature and attributes, that is, His eternal power and divinity, have been made intelligible and clearly discernible in and through the things that have been made (His handiworks). So [men] are without excuse [altogether without any defense or justification], [Ps 19:1-4.] 21 Because when they knew and recognized Him as God {in their minds and thinking}, they did not honor and glorify Him as God or give Him thanks. But instead they became futile and godless in their {worldly} thinking [with vain imaginings, foolish reasoning, and stupid speculations] and their senseless minds were darkened.
22 Claiming to be wise {in their worldly thinking}, they became fools [professing to be smart, they made simpletons of themselves]. 23 And by them the glory and majesty and excellence of the immortal God were exchanged for and represented by images, resembling mortal man and birds and beasts and reptiles.
24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their [own] {spiritual} hearts {and minds} to sexual impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves [abandoning them to the degrading power of sin], 25 Because they exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature {beautiful bodied humans} rather than the Creator, Who is blessed forever! Amen (so be it). [Jer 2:11.] 26 For this reason God gave them over and abandoned them to vile affections and degrading passions {homosexual behavior/lifestyle}. For their women exchanged their natural function for an unnatural and abnormal one, 27 And the men also turned from natural relations with women and were set ablaze (burning out, consumed) with lust for one another — men committing shameful acts with men and suffering in their own bodies and personalities the inevitable consequences and penalty of their wrong-doing and going astray, which was [their] fitting retribution {incurable diseases causing physical death}.
28 And so, since they did not see fit to acknowledge God or approve of Him or consider Him worth the knowing, God gave them over to a base and condemned mind to do things not proper or decent but loathsome, 29 Until they were filled (permeated and saturated) with every kind of unrighteousness, iniquity, grasping and covetous greed, and malice. [They were] full of envy and jealousy, murder, strife, deceit and treachery, ill will and cruel ways. [They were] secret backbiters and gossipers, 30 Slanderers, hateful to and hating God, full of insolence, arrogance, [and] boasting; inventors of new forms of evil, disobedient and undutiful to parents. 31 [They were] without understanding, conscienceless and faithless, heartless and loveless [and] merciless. 32 Though they are fully aware {in their minds and thinking} of God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve to die, they not only do them themselves but approve and applaud others who practice them. AMP
Ezekiel 16:30 How weak and spent with longing and lust is your heart and mind {for worldly things}, says the Lord God, seeing you do all these things, the work of a bold, domineering harlot {chasing after the “gods” of this world}, AMP
James 1:12-16 Blessed (happy, to be envied) is the man who is patient under trial and stands up under temptation, for when he has stood the test and been approved, he will receive [the victor’s] crown of life which God has promised to those who love Him. 13 Let no one say when he is tempted, I am tempted from God; for God is incapable of being tempted by [what is] evil and He Himself tempts no one. 14 But every person is tempted when he #1) is drawn away, enticed and baited #2) by his own evil desire (lust, passions). 15 Then the evil desire, #3) when it has conceived, gives birth to sin, and #4) sin, when it is fully matured, #5) brings forth death {unrepented sin brings eternal spiritual separation from God}. 16 Do not be misled, my beloved brethren. AMP

Chapter VII

Christians must NOT allow the teachings of the world to influence them to accept the world and the things of the world as the “STANDARD” for our lives. One of the “new” teachings that has recently surfaced has Pope Francis and many Protestant Pastors who now believe there are MANY ways to God! Think about the following Scripture texts and place them into context of what is happening and continues to be encouraged in the world “TODAY”:
James 3:11-12 Does a fountain send forth [simultaneously] from the same opening fresh water and bitter water {Can the teachings of the Kingdom of God be intermingled with the teachings of the kingdoms of the world? NO!!!}? 12 Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine figs {NO!!! Each species naturally reproduces after its own kind}? Neither can a salt spring furnish fresh water {for drinking, but let’s look at the spiritual water that Jesus gives from the Kingdom of God teachings}.
John 4:13-14 Jesus answered her, All who drink of this {fresh} water will be thirsty again. 14 But whoever takes a drink of the water {of the spiritual Gospel Message} that I will give him shall never, no never, be thirsty any more. But the water that I will give him shall become a spring of water welling up (flowing, bubbling) [continually] within him unto (into, for) eternal life {Jesus’ teachings as found in the Bible are sufficient for a full complete human life unto an eternal spiritual life.}. AMP
John 14:6 Jesus said to him, I am the Way and the Truth and the Life; no one comes to the Father except by (through) {from the beginning to the end by} Me. AMP

How does God want His “Born Again” Children to live in the world around them? Too many of us Christians are living with the worldly mentality of jealousy and selfish ambition that are SIN which indicates that we are still walking in sin and serving the “god of this world.”
James 3:13-16 Who is there among you who is wise and intelligent? Then let him by his noble living show forth his [good] works with the [unobtrusive] humility [which is the proper attribute] of true wisdom {being able to discern between the kingdoms of the world teaching and the Kingdom of God teachings}. 14 But if you have bitter jealousy (envy) and contention (rivalry, selfish ambition) in your hearts, do not pride yourselves on it and thus be in defiance of and false to the Truth. 15 This [{worldly} superficial] wisdom is not such as comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual (animal), even devilish (demoniacal {Satanic in origin}). 16 For wherever there is jealousy (envy) and contention (rivalry and selfish ambition), there will also be confusion (unrest, disharmony, rebellion) and all sorts of evil and vile practices {sin}.
2 Corinthians 4:4 For the god of this world has blinded the unbelievers’ minds [that they should not discern the truth], preventing them from seeing the illuminating light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ (the Messiah), Who is the Image and Likeness of God. AMP

We have seen what some of the wisdom of the world – sin – looks like. What does the wisdom from God look like?
James 3:17 But the wisdom from above is first of all pure (undefiled); then it is peace-loving, courteous (considerate, gentle). [It is willing to] yield to {spiritual Biblical} reason, full of compassion and good fruits {winning and discipling “redeemed sinners” to Jesus Christ as their personal Savior, Lord God, and Master}; it is wholehearted and straightforward, impartial and unfeigned (free from doubts, wavering, and insincerity). 18 And the harvest of righteousness (of conformity to God’s will in thought and deed) is [the fruit of the seed] sown in peace by those who work for and make peace [in themselves and in others, that peace which means concord, agreement, and harmony between individuals, with undisturbedness, in a peaceful mind free from fears and agitating passions and moral conflicts]. AMP

Can you now begin to see why God does NOT want you to love the world nor the things of the world, nor are we – Christ’s soldiers – to get entangled in its affairs.
1 John 2:15-16 Do not love or cherish the world or the things that are in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world — the lust of the flesh [craving for sensual gratification] and the lust of the eyes [greedy longings of the mind] and the pride of life [assurance in one’s own resources or in the stability of earthly things] — these do not come from the Father but are from the world [itself] {and its “god”}. AMP
2 Timothy 2:3-4 Take [with me] your share of the hardships and suffering [which you are called to endure] as a good (first-class) soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 No soldier when in service gets entangled in the enterprises of [civilian] life; his aim is to satisfy and please the one who enlisted him. AMP

How can I make such an audacious and absurd, preposterous statement in comparing the intellect and thinking between God and His Kingdom and man and his kingdoms of the world and calling the world’s teaching demonic – of Satan? Because when God compares His thoughts and ways of His Kingdom to the thoughts and ways of the world kingdoms, sinful man falls way short!
Isaiah 55:8-9, 11 {God states} For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, says the Lord. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts. 11 So shall My word be that goes forth out of My mouth: it shall not return to Me void [without producing any effect, useless], but it shall accomplish that which I please and purpose, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. AMP

The Christian Church is not following Christ’s command for us “True Believer” Christians to FIRST seek His Kingdom and then His righteousness. We do not understand nor have the spiritual wisdom to put this teaching together in our daily lives to know “How to live a righteous Kingdom Life here on earth!”
Matthew 6:33 But seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His kingdom and {second of all} His righteousness (His way of doing and being right), and then all these things taken together will be given you besides. AMP

To help you know who you are as a “new creation” in Christ, click on the following link: Also please read chapters 4 and 5.
http://mysteryworldview.com/mystery/2014/11/30/chapter-3-as-the-residents-of-the-spiritual-supernatural-kingdom-of-god-what/is/our/standard/spiritual/profile/

My Sisters and Brothers. I MUST keep prodding you to earnestly pray for and seek the depth of the spiritual supernatural riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! This can ONLY be done by praying for and seeking the sound mind of Christ.
Romans 11:33-34 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unfathomable (inscrutable, unsearchable) are His judgments (His decisions)! And how untraceable (mysterious, undiscoverable) are His ways (His methods, His paths)! 34 For who has known the mind of the Lord and who has understood His thoughts, or who has [ever] been His counselor? [Isa 40:13, 14.] AMP
1 Corinthians 2:16 For who has known or understood the mind (the counsels and purposes) of the Lord so as to guide and instruct Him and give Him knowledge? But we have the mind of Christ (the Messiah) and do hold the thoughts (feelings and purposes) of His heart. [Isa 40:13.] AMP
2 Timothy 1:7 For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear), but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind {sound mind KJV, NKJV} and discipline and self-control. AMP
Isaiah 11:2 And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him {Son of Man/ Jesus Christ} — the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the reverential and obedient fear of the Lord — AMP {If this is the intellect that God the Holy Spirit gave to Jesus Christ and we can have the sound mind of Christ, then we as “True Believers” in Jesus Christ should have the SAME gifting and intellect!!!}

The Christian Church is NOT teaching this principle to Christ’s Saints and we are being “short-changed” in our intellect to decipher the Bible in our daily reading and to learn to apply these principles with the physical and spiritual events taking place in our daily lives. As a True Believer Christian, you MUST be able to distinguish between what the world presents as “truth” and what and Who God’s Word/Bible declares as “TRUTH.”
John 17:17 Sanctify them [purify, consecrate, separate them for Yourself, make them holy] by the Truth; Your Word is Truth. AMP
Jeremiah 10:10 But the Lord is the true God and the God of truth (the God Who is Truth). He is the living God and the everlasting King. At His wrath the earth quakes, and the nations are not able to bear His indignation. AMP
John 14:6 Jesus said to him, I am the Way and the Truth and the Life; no one comes to the Father except by (through) Me. AMP
John 16:13 But when He, the Spirit of Truth (the Truth-giving Spirit) comes, He will guide you into all the Truth (the whole, full Truth). For He will not speak His own message [on His own authority]; but He will tell whatever He hears [from the Father; He will give the message that has been given to Him], and He will announce and declare to you the things that are to come [that will happen in the future]. AMP
1 John 4:6 We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood. NIV

Chapter VIII

So what is this worldly mindset WITHOUT God causing to happen to the peoples of the societies around the world down through the successive ages? This rebellion against God and His Kingdom have been happening from the beginning of man, but in these last days, they are happening with such rapidity and open access to worldwide events on TV that we can watch these events unfold around the world daily. Many of the peoples of the world are bewildered by what is happening in their communities. They are afraid for their lives! Christians and people of other religions are being killed, raped, uprooted, fleeing for their very lives. It is becoming increasingly hard to maintain any kind of normal standards without getting caught up the chaos!

Our morals and ethics are unraveling! There are people around the world who are running for high political government positions who have very questionable morals and ethics, but their character does not seem to matter to their constituents as long as they keep promising them “pie in the sky” that will seemingly benefit ME!!! And at no cost to ME!!! Because of the greed and lust for power and prominence of many of the world’s leaders, our worldwide economic stability continues to deteriorate every year. More nations are teetering on the brink of financial collapse all of the time. How close are we to a worldwide financial meltdown which will destroy modern civilization? What does Jesus call us to do?
Luke 12:15 And He {Jesus} said to them {His disciples}, Guard yourselves and keep free from all covetousness (the immoderate {extreme} desire for wealth, the greedy longing to have more); for a man’s life does not consist in and is not derived from possessing overflowing abundance or that which is over and above his needs. AMP
1 Timothy 6:10 For the love of money is a root of all evils; it is through this craving that some have been led astray and have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves through with many acute [mental] pangs{/longings}. AMP

There are legal and illegal immigrants living in numerous countries around the world demanding they be allowed to live in that country according to the laws of their religion rather than being subject to the laws of the nation they are living in. In fact, these Muslim immigrants are in the process of literally high jacking the governments of several nations at this time. Some governments are “rebelling” against the demands of these immigrants and are sending them back to their homeland.

Many people worldwide are seeking fame, glamour, and power regardless as to how much lying, cheating, scheming, and conniving they have to do. And during their “15 minutes” of fame/shame they hope to accumulate for themselves as much wealth as possible to live as they desire to carry them and their family through whatever worldwide crisis might happen. “Today” modern man’s corruption is fast approaching the wickedness of early man whose every thought was wicked and his sexual wickedness was an abomination to God. But does God’s Word/Bible say how long their conniving and scheming to obtain their goals will last?
Revelation 18:17 In one hour such great wealth has been brought to ruin!’ NIV

Is God now arranging around the world the events that just precede Christ’s Second Coming? How many of you are asking God about what He is doing and how you/we can work alongside of Him to prepare for this event?
Matthew 6:19-21 Do not gather and heap up and store up for yourselves treasures {gold, silver, precious gems, property} on earth, where moth and rust and worm consume and destroy, and where thieves break through and steal. 20 But gather and heap up and store for yourselves treasures {your winning lost sinners to Jesus Christ as their Savior} in {the third} heaven, where neither moth nor rust nor worm consume and destroy, and where thieves do not break through and steal; 21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. AMP
Genesis 6:5-6 The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination and intention of all human thinking was only evil continually. 6 And the Lord regretted that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved at heart. AMP
Genesis 18:20 And the Lord said, Because the shriek {extremely high pitched screams} [of the sins] of Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin {of homosexuality including numerous other sexual sins} is exceedingly grievous {to a Holy Righteous God}, AMP

Christian Biblical truths are being distorted and undermined and incorporated to fit the itching ears of “TODAY’S” worldly mindset in the “Christian Church.” The peoples of the world and Christian Church are becoming “morally and ethically corrupt” with each doing as he/she desires. Did this happen before in time, place, and history? What are man’s consequences unless he changes his ways?
2 Timothy 4:3-4 For the time is coming when [people] will not tolerate (endure) sound and wholesome instruction, but, having ears itching [for something pleasing and gratifying], they will gather to themselves one teacher after another to a considerable number, chosen to satisfy their own liking and to foster the errors they hold, 4 And will turn aside from hearing the truth and wander off into myths and man-made fictions. AMP
Judges 17:6 In those days there was no king in Israel; every man did what was right in his own eyes. AMP {This occurred about 1400-1350 B.C.}
Psalms 12:4 Those who say, With our tongues we prevail; our lips are our own [to command at our will]–who is lord and master over us? AMP
Proverbs 14:12 There is a way which seems right to a man and appears straight before him, but at the end of it is the way of death. AMP
Ecclesiastes 11:9-10 Rejoice, O young man, in your adolescence, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your [full-grown] youth {Live it up the best that you can!}. And walk in the ways of your heart and in the sight of your eyes, but know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment. 10 Therefore remove [the lusts that end in] sorrow and vexation {displeasure} from your heart and mind and put away evil from your body, for youth and the dawn of life are vanity [transitory, idle, empty, and devoid of truth]. [2 Cor 7:1; 2 Tim 2:22.] AMP

As a Christian, what should YOUR response be to these happenings? You should be on your knees asking God for the sound mind of Christ for you to be so equipped that you will NOT fall into the trappings of the world!
Proverbs 16:2-3 All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirits (the thoughts and intents of the heart). [1 Sam 16:7; Heb 4:12.] 3 Roll {commit} your works upon the Lord [commit and trust them wholly to Him; He will cause your thoughts to become agreeable to His will, and] so shall your plans be established and succeed. AMP
This falling away – apostasy/peoples rebellion – against God MUST happen to the Christian Church before Christ’s Second Coming. It is God’s way of “cleansing/ purifying” Christ’s Bride Church of the many “Make Believers” that believe and claim they are True Believers to Christ.
2 Thessalonians 2:3 Let no one deceive or beguile you in any way, for that day will not come except the apostasy comes first [unless the predicted great falling away of those who have professed to be Christians has come], and the man of lawlessness (sin) is revealed, who is the son of doom (of perdition), [Dan 7:25; 8:25; 1 Tim 4:1.] AMP
1 Timothy 4:1 BUT THE [Holy] Spirit distinctly and expressly declares that in latter times some will turn away from the faith, giving attention to deluding and seducing spirits and doctrines that demons teach, AMP
Daniel 11:35 And some of those who are wise, prudent, and understanding shall be weakened and fall {True Believers}, [thus, then, the insincere among the people will lose courage and become deserters {the Make Believers will be revealed as Unbelievers}. It will be a test] to refine, to purify, and to make those among [God’s people] white {make them pure, white as snow}, even to the time of the end, because it is yet for the time [God] appointed. AMP

What does this falling away cause in the societies of the world? Simply put, this is happening because of the people’s worldwide rebellion against God, and He and His Word continues to decline in importance in their daily lives, but this will NOT stop Him in His Love and Sovereignty from bringing to fruition His foreknown and predestined plans!

“TODAY,” what is happening to the people of the worldwide Christian Church reminds me of the scenario of the frog that was put into the pot of water and the heat was slowly turned up until the frog died/was defeated/overcome. If you stand back and look at the current worldview, it reminds me of the places in the Bible that share with us that the in the end times the Saints will be defeated for a short time. This is happening NOW in many parts of the world! Can you see it?
Daniel 7:21-22 As I {Daniel} watched, this horn {anti-christ} was waging war against the saints and defeating them, 22 until the Ancient of Days came and pronounced judgment in favor of the saints of the Most High, and the time came when they possessed the kingdom. NIV
Revelation 13:7-10 It was also given to him {the beast} to make war with the saints and to overcome them, and authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation was given to him. 8 All {Make Believers and Unbelievers} who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain. 9 If anyone has an ear {faith in God}, let him hear. NASU

The rebellion of the world’s people against the true living loving God is as great as it has ever been! Again, the true, living, loving God Who created the universe is “being thrown under the bus” in favor of the “god of this world/Satan” and his philosophy/his evil misguided worldly kingdom way of thinking. We MUST be aware of Satan and His tactics! Satan and his deceptions and schemes are causing God’s worldwide “popularity” to be at an all-time modern low although there are hints of revival in parts of Africa, parts of Asia, parts of the Middle East, and even parts of the U.S.A.! How close are we to having God the Holy Spirit being removed from His role in creation in preparation for Christ’s Second Coming?
2 Corinthians 2:11 To keep Satan from getting the advantage over us; for we are not ignorant of his wiles and intentions. AMP
2 Thessalonians 2:6-7 And now you know what is restraining, that he {the man of lawlessness} may be revealed in his own time. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He {God the Holy Spirit} who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. NKJV

My brothers and sisters. We MUST understand what Solomon said in the Book of Ecclesiastes about there being “nothing new under the sun.” A modern way of saying this is, “What goes around, comes around.” I firmly believe ALL of the events ever to take place in creation are similar to an endless loop “video tape” running from the beginning of time to the end of time with minor adjustments to fit their successive ages in time and place in history. As you carefully study the Bible, this pattern becomes apparent. In the Book of Exodus chapters 3-12, God delivers His People the Jews out of Egypt. I believe a similar event is now happening worldwide with God bringing forth Christ’s Bride Church in the world in 2016.
Ecclesiastes 1:9-10 The thing that has been–it is what will be again, and that which has been done is that which will be done again {history repeats itself}; and there is nothing new under the sun. 10 Is there a thing of which it may be said, See, this is new? It has already been, in the vast ages of time [recorded or unrecorded] which were before us. AMP

CHAPTER IX

Who do YOU think man is to God?
Psalms 144:3-4 Lord, what is man that You take notice of him? Or [the] son of man that You take account of him? [Job 7:17; Ps 8:4; Heb 2:6.] 4 Man is like vanity{/insignificant} and a breath {and in the overall scheme of things, “where did he go?”}; his days are as a {elusive} shadow that passes away {“Here today but gone tomorrow.”}. AMP

Yet with man’s short lifespan, how does God view/look at sinful man?
Psalms 17:8 {King David asks God} Keep me as the apple of Your eye {Someone God loves the most, but this applies to ALL of God’s human offspring because He does NOT show favoritism!}; Hide me under the shadow of Your wings, NKJV
Luke 20:21 Then they {Pharisees} asked Him {Jesus}, saying, “Teacher, we know that You say and teach rightly, and You do not show personal favoritism, but teach the way of God in truth: NKJV
Job 7:17-18 What is man that You should magnify him and think him important? And that You should set Your mind upon him? [Ps 8:4.] 18 And that You should visit him every morning and try {test} him every moment? AMP
Job 15:14 What is man, that he could be pure and clean? And he who is born of a woman, that he could be right and just? {To make him/her this, we MUST be truly “Born Again!”} AMP
Job 22:2 Can a man be profitable {of any good use} to God? Surely he that is wise {as a Christian who wins sinners to Christ} is profitable to himself {will gain eternal life with God}. [Ps 16:2; Luke 17:10.] AMP
Proverbs 11:30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, And he who wins souls is wise. NKJV

Chapter X

Let’s look at some people who sinned and fell short of the glory of God and others who will receive crowns as holy and righteous Saints in Christ. How popular was/ is God at the time and place in history of Adam and Eve; Cain and Abel; Nimrod; Noah; Abraham; Jesus; and us sinners now saved by Grace.

Adam and Eve – God’s first created humans. The serpent/Satan easily led Eve to sin in the Garden of Eden and then she led Adam to sin. The first two humans fell away from the holiness and righteousness in which they were created {Genesis 3:1-5}, but God the Son shed the blood of an animal to cloth them and atone for their sin {Genesis 3:21}. I believe they were/are “saved” by God the Son’s love for them/us and brought them back into His holiness and righteousness. I do not believe that you or I would have behaved any differently given the same naivety. But their sinning/disobedience came with a price of God putting them out of the Garden of Eden – separating them from His physical presence and into the Land of Nod – into the setting of the earth/secular world.
Hebrews 9:18, 22 So even the [old] first covenant (God’s will) was not inaugurated and ratified and put in force without the shedding of blood.
22 [In fact] under the Law almost everything is purified by means of blood, and without the shedding of blood there is neither release from sin and its guilt nor the remission of the due and merited punishment for sins. AMP
Genesis 3:17-19, 23-24 And to Adam He {God} said, Because you have listened and given heed to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, saying, You shall not eat of it, the ground is under a curse because of you; in sorrow and toil shall you eat [of the fruits] of it all the days of your life. 18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth for you, and you shall eat the plants of the field. 19 In the sweat of your face shall you eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you shall return {This new setting/environment was very opposite to the setting/environment of the Garden of Eden. This punishment was not the highlight of their relationship with God!}. AMP
Genesis 3:23-24 Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the Garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken {Land of Nod}. 24 So [God] drove out the man; and He placed at the east of the Garden of Eden the cherubim and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep and guard the way to the tree of life. [Rev 2:7; 22:2,14, 19.] AMP

Cain – the eldest son of Adam and Eve was not naïve like his parents. He mindset and spiritual heart was very evil and wicked, and he very calculating in his wickedness. He was demon possessed from the “get go” with the SAME evil and wicked spiritual mindset and spiritual heart as Satan. He was continually “pure evil!” I believe that he knew about God’s relationship with his parents and their testimony of His love in providing for and cleansing them. But that did NOT detour him of his pride and desire to be the “captain of his own destiny.”

I believe he completely “loathed” God! He did NOT do ONE thing that God the Son counselled him to do! He murdered his brother Abel for no reason but being evil!
1 John 3:12 [And] not be like Cain who [took his nature and got his motivation] from the evil one {Satan} and slew his brother. And why did he slay him? Because his deeds (activities, works) were wicked and malicious and his brother’s were righteous (virtuous). AMP
John 8:44 {This verse can also be attributed to Cain.} You are of your father, the devil, and it is your will to practice the lusts and gratify the desires [which are characteristic] of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a falsehood, he speaks what is natural to him, for he is a liar [himself] and the father of lies and of all that is false. AMP

He continually sinned against God the Son’s counsel and left the Garden of Eden of his own accord and settled in the Land of Nod. Rather than trust God with his life and future, he forsake any relationship with God and built a “city” for him and his own kind/followers. The term “city” indicates there were many other people at that time who were also rebellious and shared his evil sinful mindset and spiritual heart.

Please think about this! This city was actually the origin and foundation in time and place in history for the “New World Order” that we thought it to be of modern origin {late 1900’s}. This was man’s desire to be the ruler over the world from his beginning! And the infrastructure needed to govern that city was the origin and foundation in the time and place in history of the “One World Government.” But was this the time and place in history for God’s foreknown and predestined plans for a “New World Order” with its “One World Government” on the earth? No!!! But this was the beginning of sinful man’s rebellion against God and His authority over the governing of the coming peoples of the nations of the world!
Romans 13:1 LET EVERY person be loyally subject to the governing (civil) authorities. For there is no authority except from God [by His permission, His sanction], and those that exist do so by God’s appointment. [Prov 8:15.] AMP

Now Abel was the younger brother of Cain and was declared righteous by God but murdered by Cain in a demon possessed rage. I believe that any Old Testament person who is declared righteous in Scripture to be “saved” through their faith in Jesus Christ and will stand with us when we receive our rewards!
Hebrews 11:4 By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead {he speaks by the testimony of his shed blood}. NIV
Genesis 4:8 Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed {murdered} him. NKJV
Hebrews 11:39-40 And all of these {Old Testament Saints}, though they won divine approval by [means of] their faith {declared by God as righteous}, did not receive the fulfillment of what was promised, 40 Because God had us {New Testament Saints} in mind and had something better and greater in view for us, so that they [these Old Testament heroes and heroines of faith] should not come to perfection {redemption} apart from us {be acknowledged separately from us} [before we could join them {for our rewards}]. AMP
Revelation 22:12 Behold, I {God the Son/Jesus Christ} am coming soon, and I shall bring My wages and rewards with Me, to repay and render to each one just what his own actions and his own work merit. [Isa 40:10; Jer 17:10.] AMP

Nimrod – There is not much about him in the Scriptures, but if you look on the internet, you will learn that he was a man of extremely dubious character whom I believe was also demon possessed with the SAME spiritual mindset and spiritual heart as Satan and Cain. He is believed to be a major contributing factor in the building of the “Tower of Babel” which was the origin and foundation in the time and place in history for the “One World Religion.” The Bible gives him credit for building the “first kingdom of cities” of the world with him as the first “king” in the world.
Genesis 10:8-12 Cush became the father of Nimrod; he was the first to be a mighty {powerful, of great influence} man on the earth. 9 He was a mighty hunter before the Lord; therefore it is said, Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the Lord. 10 The beginning of his kingdom {with him as the first “king” in the world} was {the cities of} Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar [in Babylonia]. 11 Out of the land he [Nimrod] went forth into Assyria and built {the other cities of} Nineveh, Rehoboth-Ir, Calah, 12 And Resen, which is between Nineveh and Calah; all these [suburbs combined to form] the great city {for another kingdom of which he was “king.”}. AMP

Let’s put together the meaning of the “city” that Cain built that introduced early in the time and place in history the “New World Order” with its “One World Government” and later the “Tower of Babel” that Nimrod worked on that revealed sinful man’s evil spiritual mindset and spiritual heart for a “One World Religion” with its “gods.” It is guesstimated that the Tower was built about 3,000 B.C. Nimrod later joined four cities together with him as their king to form the FIRST kingdom in the world. GOD DID NOT CREATE ANY OF THE KINGDOMS/ NATIONS OF THE WORLD EXCEPT FOR THE NATION OF ISRAEL!!!
Isaiah 43:1 BUT NOW [in spite of past judgments for Israel’s sins], thus says the Lord, He Who created you, O Jacob, and He Who formed you, O Israel: Fear not, for I have redeemed you [ransomed you by paying a price instead of leaving you captives]; I have called you by your name; you are Mine. AMP

Think of the huge amount of people who were in opposition to God during this time. These rebellious people were rejecting God and His spiritual supernatural Kingdom and choosing to build and form their own physical and secular kingdoms/nations with their cities and in doing so they were intentionally forming the “New World Order” with its “One World Government” and its “One World Religion” all of this well BEFORE God’s planned time and place in history of the twentieth century {late 1900’s}.
Genesis 11:4-7 And they {people of Babel} said, Come, let us build us a city and a tower whose top reaches into the sky {so we can worship “our spiritual gods”}, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered over the whole earth. 5 And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. 6 And the Lord said, Behold, they are one people and they have all one language; and this is only the beginning of what they will do, and now nothing they have imagined they can do will be impossible for them {This is God’s profession of this being the beginning in time and place in history of the “New World Order” with its “One World Government” and its “One World Religion” eons BEFORE God’s successive ages timetable. This may have been the closest that God ever came to saying “OPPS” in His predestined plans for man. God expressed His thinking and emotions over these rebellious people when He said previously in Genesis 6:6, “And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.” NKJV}.
7 Come, let Us go down and there confound (mix up, confuse) their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech {and they will be unable to continue to form the “New World Order” at this time and place in history. The invention and advent of the computer in the early 1940’s would enable man to negate God’s confusion of man’s language and restore sinful man’s desire for the “New World Order” and this is what is happening at this time and place in history – 2000+AD}. AMP
Genesis 10:10 The beginning of his {Nimrod formed the first} kingdom {in the world with him as its “king.” It consisted of the cities} was Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar [in Babylonia]. AMP

We know the introduction to the modern concept for the “New World Order” with its “One World Government” and its “One World Religion” was around 1930 AD, and that Bible prophesy declares this concept is to come to fruition in the 21st century A.D. NOT 3,000 B.C. This being the case, God had to scatter these rebellious people over the face of the earth and to confuse their language so they could NOT form the “New World Order” at that time and place in history. God had to do this so that His foreknown and predestined plans would come about according to the successive ages of His timeline in history.

Again, I ask you to study the eternality of God’s foreknown and predestined plans and His power to bring them to fruition at His appointed time and place in history.
Ecclesiastes 1:9-10 The thing that has been–it is what will be again, and that which has been done is that which will be done again {what goes around comes around}; and there is nothing new under the sun. 10 Is there a thing of which it may be said, See, this is new? It has already been, in the vast ages of time [recorded or unrecorded] {through the successive ages} which were before us. AMP

Noah – How many righteous people lived on the earth during Noah’s time? ONLY ONE – NOAH! The population on earth at Noah’s time has been guesstimated to be have been from hundreds of millions to many billions of people. God’s popularity was at an all-time low, but praise God for Noah’s faithfulness! Again, can you see why God said He was sorry to have created man?
Genesis 6:9 He {Noah} was the only truly righteous man living on the earth at that time. He tried always to conduct his affairs according to God’s will. TLB {Can God say this about you/me?}
Genesis 6:5-6 The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination and intention of all human thinking was only evil continually. 6 And the Lord regretted that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved at heart. AMP {How much different are we TODAY?}

Abram/Abraham was also declared righteous by God and because of his faith, he is called the “father of our faith.” Because of his faith, Abraham was “justified by his faith” and called God’s “friend” – God credited him with being “Born Again” – along with all the other Old Testament Saints whom He declared as “righteous.” Abraham was a “mighty man” of God, and we should study him and his walk with God.
Romans 4:11d So Abraham is the spiritual father of those who believe and are saved without obeying Jewish laws. We see, then, that those who do not keep these rules are justified by God through faith. TLB
James 2:23-24 And [so] the Scripture was fulfilled that says, Abraham believed in (adhered to, trusted in, and relied on) God, and this was accounted to him as righteousness (as conformity to God’s will in thought and deed), and he was called God’s friend. [Gen 15:6; 2 Chron 20:7; Isa 41:8.] 24 You see that a man is justified (pronounced righteous before God) through what he does and not alone through faith [through works of obedience as well as by what he believes]. AMP
Hebrews 11:39-40 And all of these {Old Testament Saints}, though they won divine approval by [means of] their faith, did not receive the fulfillment of what was promised {at their time and place in history}, 40 Because God had us in mind and had something better and greater in view for us, so that they [these heroes and heroines of faith] should not come to perfection apart from us [before we could join them]. AMP

While Abram/Abraham became the father of a great nation, I believe it was God changing Jacob’s name which revealed that God created/brought into being this nation as Israel.
Genesis 12:2 And I {God the Son} will make of you {Abram} a great nation, and I will bless you [with abundant increase of favors] and make your name famous and distinguished, and you will be a blessing [dispensing good to others]. AMP
Genesis 32:28, 30 And He {God the Son} said, Your name shall be called no more Jacob [supplanter], but Israel [contender with God]; for you have contended and have power with God and with men and have prevailed. [Hos 12:3-4.] 30 And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel [the face of God], saying, For I have seen God face to face, and my life is spared and not snatched away. AMP

We now come to the time and place in history for God the Son/Jesus Christ to be introduced to creatures who had spirits, intellect, emotions, and free will – angels and man. In Part I, we found the 2/3’s of God’s angels rejected Jesus Christ. Now we find that His own people and gentile man rejected Him!
Hebrews 1:6 But when He {God} again brings the firstborn {God the Son/Jesus Christ} into the world, He says: Let all the angels of God worship Him.” NKJV
John 1:10-11 He {God the Son/Jesus Christ} came into the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world {those creatures – angels and man} did not recognize Him [did not know Him]. 11 He came to that which belonged to Him {all of His creation} [to His own–His domain, creation, things, world], and they who were His own {the Jews} did not receive Him and did not welcome Him {which is still happening big time TODAY}. AMP

Regardless as to the rejection of God the Son by His creation, He still continues with His love toward it and its inhabitants.
1 John 4:19 We love Him, because He first loved us {from BEFORE time and place in history began with our names written in His Book of Life}. AMP
John 3:16 For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world {put YOUR name} that He [even] gave up His only begotten (unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life. AMP
Romans 5:8 But God shows and clearly proves His [own] love for us by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed one) died for us.

All of naturally conceived mankind are God’s “offspring” and have the potential to be “made in His image” as an “adopted child” of God. As an “adopted child” of God {Born Again Believer}, this “True Believer” is now of the spiritual image of God making God the Son our Everlasting Father.
Acts 17:28-29 For in Him we live and move and have our being; as even some of your [own] poets have said, For we are also His offspring. 29 Since then we are God’s offspring, we ought not to suppose that Deity (the Godhead) is like gold or silver or stone, [of the nature of] a representation by human art and imagination, or anything constructed or invented. AMP
Genesis 1:27 So God {the Son creator of all things – John 1:3} created man in His own image, in the image and likeness of God He created him; male and female He created them. [Col 3:9, 10; James 3:8, 9.] AMP
Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son {Jesus Christ} is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. NKJV

But only those of us who are truly “Born Again” become His “adopted children” made in God’s image and likeness.
John 3:3-8 Jesus answered him, I assure you {Nicodemus}, most solemnly I tell you, that unless a person is born again (anew, from above), he cannot ever see (know, be acquainted with, and experience) the kingdom of God. 4 Nicodemus said to Him, How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter his mother’s womb again and be born? 5 Jesus answered, I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, unless a man is born of water and [even] the Spirit, he cannot [ever] enter the kingdom of God. [Ezek 36:25-27.] 6 What is born of [from] the flesh is flesh [of the physical is physical]; and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Marvel not [do not be surprised, astonished] at My telling you, You must all be born anew (from above). 8 The wind blows (breathes) where it wills; and though you hear its sound, yet you neither know where it comes from nor where it is going. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit. AMP
John 1:12-13 But to as many as did receive and welcome Him, He gave the authority (power, privilege, right) to become the children of God, that is, to those who believe in (adhere to, trust in, and rely on) His name– [Isa 56:5.] 13 Who owe their birth neither to bloods nor to the will of the flesh [that of physical impulse] nor to the will of man [that of a natural father], but to God. [They are born of God!] AMP
Ephesians 1:5 For He foreordained us ({pre}destined us, {pre}planned in love for us) to be adopted (revealed) as His own children through {our faith in} Jesus Christ, in accordance with the purpose of His will [because it pleased Him and was His kind intent]—AMP
2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any person is [ingrafted] in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new {spiritual} creature altogether); the old [previous moral and spiritual condition] has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new {spiritual condition} has come! AMP

Chapter XI

God foreknew that neither He nor Christ was going to be popular, AND He foreknew that His adopted “Born Again” children would NOT be popular also.
John 15:20-25 Remember that I told you, A servant is not greater than his master [is not superior to him]. If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word and obeyed My teachings, they will also keep and obey yours. 21 But they will do all this to you [inflict all this suffering on you] because of [your bearing] My name and on My account, for they do not know or understand the one Who sent Me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin [would be blameless]; but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 Whoever hates Me also hates My Father. 24 If I had not done (accomplished) among them the works which no one else ever did, they would not be guilty of sin. But [the fact is] now they have both seen [these works] and have hated both Me and My Father. 25 But [this is so] that the word written in their Law might be fulfilled, They hated Me without a cause {He was just revealing the truth of sin to the peoples of the world. This is why the “world” hates God!}. [Ps 35:19; 69:4.] AMP
Matthew 5:10 Blessed and happy and enviably fortunate and spiritually prosperous (in the state in which the born-again child of God enjoys and finds satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation, regardless of his outward conditions) are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake (for being and doing right), for theirs is the kingdom of heaven! AMP
Luke 6:22 Blessed (happy–with life-joy and satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation, apart from your outward condition–and to be envied) are you when people despise (hate) you, and when they exclude and excommunicate you [as disreputable] and revile and denounce you and defame and cast out and spurn your name as evil (wicked) on account of the Son of Man. AMP
2 Corinthians 12:10 So for the sake of Christ, I am well pleased and take pleasure in infirmities, insults, hardships, persecutions, perplexities and distresses; for when I am weak [in human strength], then am I [truly] strong (able, powerful in divine strength). AMP

A number of years ago, I numerically calculated the percentage of “True Believing” Christians in the world down through the “Successive Ages.” I do not remember how I calculated the number but it came to only about 2% of the entire world’s human population are “True Believers!” Just think about what all God planned and created in the universe with all of the stars and their planets, the angels, all of the planning of the generations of man from the beginning through “TODAY” and the continual rejection that God faced from the living part {with a spirit and an intellect – angels and man} of His creation.
Isaiah 41:4 Who has prepared and done this, calling forth and guiding the destinies of the generations [of the {peoples of the} nations] from the beginning? I, the Lord–the first [existing before history began] and with the last [an ever-present, unchanging God]–I am He. AMP
John 1:5 And the Light shines on in the darkness, for the darkness has never overpowered it [put it out or absorbed it or appropriated it, and is unreceptive to it]. AMP
John 17:25 O just and righteous Father, although the world has not known You and has failed to recognize You and has never acknowledged You, I have known You [continually]; and these men understand and know that You have sent Me. AMP
1 Corinthians 1:21 For when the world with all its earthly wisdom failed to perceive and recognize and know God by means of its own philosophy {its own way of thinking}, God in His wisdom was pleased through the foolishness of preaching [salvation, procured by Christ and to be had through Him], to save those who believed (who clung to and trusted in and relied on Him). AMP

Summary

In closing, I have shared about the worldwide decline in the morals and ethics that is overtaking the societies of the world. I believe this is happening because God is preparing the world for Christ’s Second Coming. In order for this to happen, sinful man’s morals and ethics of his spiritual heart and evil mindset will be revealed for what they truly are – evil and wicked lovers of themselves ONLY!
2 Timothy 3:1-5 But understand this, that in the last days will come (set in) perilous times of great stress and trouble [hard to deal with and hard to bear]. 2 for people will be lovers of self and [utterly] self centered, lovers of money and aroused by an inordinate [greedy] desire for wealth, proud and arrogant and contemptuous{/disrespectful} boasters. They will be abusive (blasphemous{/ungodly}, scoffing), disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, and profane{/not religious}. 3 [They will be] without natural [human {man and woman}] affection (callous and inhuman), relentless (admitting of no truce or appeasement{/no compromise}). [they will be] slanderers (false accusers, trouble-makers), intemperate {unreasonable} and loose in morals and conduct, uncontrolled and fierce haters of good. 4 [They will be] treacherous, [betrayers], rash {thoughtless}, [and] inflated with self-conceit. [They will be lovers] of sensual pleasures {anything that is extravagant and bizarre} and vain amusements {odd events only for themselves and their friends} more than and rather than God. 5 For [although] they hold a form of piety (true religion), they deny and reject and are strangers to the power of it [their conduct belies {lies about} the genuineness of the profession {of faith in Christ}]. Avoid [all] such people [turn away from them]. AMP

The universal love and desire for money and the power and glamour that accompanies it will rule and lead many astray! I ask you to NOT let the “greed/the love of money, fraud/dishonesty/deception, and your NOT loving or caring for others” that is rampant in the world replace or interfere with your love, worship, and service for God and to others!
Matthew 6:24 No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will stand by and be devoted to the one and despise and be against the other. You cannot serve God and mammon (deceitful riches, money, possessions, or whatever is trusted in). AMP
1 Timothy 6:10 For the love of money is a root of all evils; it is through this craving that some have been led astray and have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves through with many acute [mental] pangs. AMP
Hebrews 13:5 Let your character or moral disposition be free from love of money [including greed, avarice, lust, and craving for earthly possessions] and be satisfied with your present [circumstances and with what you have]; for He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!] [Josh 1:5.] AMP

It is very easy to get caught up in the schemes of the world. Many of the world’s schemes are out and out “fraud/dishonesty/deception.” I am suggesting that Christians stay away from the offers we receive via the telephone, mail, email or the internet for instant and great riches and success. Stay in the fellowship of Christ’s Church and the work of winning sinners to Jesus Christ as their Savior.
Hebrews 12:1-2 THEREFORE THEN, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses [who have borne testimony to the Truth], let us strip off and throw aside every encumbrance (unnecessary weight) and that sin which so readily (deftly and cleverly) clings to and entangles us {loving the world and the things of the world – 1 John 2:15}, and let us run with patient endurance and steady and active persistence the appointed course of the race that is set before us, 2 Looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus {lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and one’s boastful pride of life – 1 John 2:16} , Who is the Leader and the Source of our faith [giving the first incentive for our belief] and is also its Finisher [bringing it to maturity and perfection]. He, for the joy [of obtaining the prize] that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising and ignoring the shame, and is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God {His and our Father in the third heaven}. [Ps 110:1.] AMP
Matthew 10:16-17 Behold, I am sending you out like sheep in the midst of wolves; be wary and wise as serpents, and be innocent (harmless, guileless, and without falsity) as doves. [Gen 3:1.] 17 Be on guard against men [whose way or nature is to act in opposition to God]; for they will deliver you up to councils and flog you in their synagogues, AMP

We MUST be very aware of what is happening around us and not get sucked into the things of the world! IF the opportunity is too good to be true – IT IS!!!
Acts 13:10 and {Paul} said, “You who are full of all deceit and fraud, you son of the devil {Satan}, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease to make crooked the straight ways of the Lord?” NASU
Luke 16:10-11 He who is faithful in a very little [thing] is faithful also in much, and he who is dishonest and unjust in a very little [thing] is dishonest and unjust also in much. 11 Therefore if you have not been faithful in the [case of] unrighteous mammon (deceitful riches, money, possessions), who will entrust to you the true riches {in ministry of God’s Kingdom}? AMP

It appears to me that the world is right on track for Christ’s Second Coming! But how does God demand that we – His True Believers – worship and love Him?
John 4:23-24 A time will come, however, indeed it is already here, when the true (genuine) worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth (reality); for the Father is seeking just such people as these as His worshipers. 24 God is a Spirit (a spiritual Being) and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth (reality). AMP
Mark 12:30-31 And you shall love the Lord your God out of and with your whole heart and out of and with all your soul (your life) and out of and with all your mind (with your faculty of thought and your moral understanding) and out of and with all your strength. This is the first and principal commandment. [Deut 6:4, 5.] 31 The second is like it and is this, You shall love {and care for} your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these. [Lev 19:18.] AMP {The above commandment fulfills the “Law of Christ.}
Galatians 6:2 Bear (endure, carry) one another’s burdens and troublesome moral faults, and in this way fulfill and observe perfectly the law of Christ (the Messiah) and complete what is lacking [in your obedience to it]. AMP

The reason God created man as physical and spiritual beings with an intellect, a free will, and emotions was to have creatures who would be able to physically have spiritual fellowship with in His Kingdom here on earth and eventually in His heavenly Kingdom for all of eternity.

AMEN and AMEN!