Ultimately, it is Self-idolatry Vs Biblical Christianity

Matthew 7:21-23 (context Mat 16:24-26)
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’


In examining the human condition, we inevitably arrive at a critical intersection: the distinction between the Creator and the created. At the core of this conflict lies self-idolatry, a form of narcissism where man exalts himself over his neighbour, like he were a God to himself. This desire for autonomy is not merely a modern phenomenon; it traces back to the very origins of mankind. The Biblical narrative tells us that humanity, from the fall (Gen 3:1-6), was deceived into self-idolatry—that is loving oneself first and rejecting God in whose image were made.

Self-idolatry Desires Autonomy From God
Self-idolatry is fundamentally about mankind’s desire for autonomy, as you may read in Psalm 2. In valuing what is given over the giver, mankind follows after Satan in a life of selfish ambition to act in mutiny and demand independence from their Maker. History, both ancient and modern, reflects this pattern. A poignant example can be found in the story of Steve Jobs and Apple. Jobs, the founder of the company, who was famously ousted from it. This narrative mirrors the broader human story: God creates mankind, and mankind, in its pursuit of autonomy, attempts to push God out of His own creation. It’s a sobering reflection of the human desire to live without divine constraint, because these bastards are gods to themselves from the fall.

​The Reality of Human Nature
In light of Satan’s deception, the Bible brings man back to reality, describing man as vapor, as dust, like grass that is here today and gone tomorrow (Gen 3:19) [in teaching men to humble themselves before God Almighty, who is good]. In contrast, God who is God is eternal and unchanging. This fundamental disparity is what self-idolatry attempts to mask. Self-idolators strive to construct their own reality when they are as God, the very center to the solar system with all the planet revolving around them; a mentality characterized by a desire to appear superior, often by belittling or making fools of others, a behavior driven by the ego’s need to assert its dominance, and Lord it over their subordinates without being helpful in any way, because these fools are so full of themselves (Psa 14:1/Mat 20:25-28). In such a society, actions are often transactional; good deeds are performed not out of genuine love, but from an expectation of what one can get out of it, because these bastards of Satan are gods to themselves from the fall.

​The Ten Commandments Rebuke Self-idolatory
The Ten Commandments rebukes this self-centered paradigm as the very first commandment says, “You shall have no other gods before me,” establishing God not man as the ultimate authority. It is a declaration that God is God, and man is not. The subsequent commandments—concerning honoring parents, not murdering, not stealing, not coveting, and not committing adultery—are guidelines for human conduct, being fully aware of what self-idolators will stoop to in the worship of self. In the light of Matthew 22:36-40, wherein we are to love God first, and in doing so, Christian societies are trained to love their neighbor as themselves, and so do things for people and walk away like we expect nothing in return, because that which we did out of concern for our neighbour, we did for the Lord (Luke 17:7-10/Mat 25:40). True love and concern for one’s neighbour is therefore not based on one’s own image but centres on even doing that which is hated in society, in recognizing our responsibility before the Lord God Jesus Christ, unlike pagan individuals whose thought and actions are based on what every is doing and/or what will everyone think.

​Self-idolatry Represented As 666
To understand the depth of this conflict, we must examine the concept of “666” in Revelation 13. Going by the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20, where the latter 6 commandments outline man’s responsibility towards man. While the number 3 or anything that occurs thrice is considered complete. The number “666” in this understanding reveals that wishful and wicked mutiny where demands complete autonomy from God, to use and abuse his neighbour without any repercussions. Looking at Revelation 13:15-18 in the light of Psalm 2 and Luke 6:31-38, we see laugh and righteously scoff at mankind, for these fools who say in their heart, there is no God when they murder, steal, covet and commit adultery, against their neighbour as established by their self-worth (Gen 3:4-5), in living out a lie where each makes believe they are gods to themselves.

​Nothing Serving Self-Idolatry Like Money
In such a society, money often becomes the ultimate tool for self-idolatry. Matthew 6:24 states, “No one can serve two masters… You cannot serve both God and money.” Money is therefore pursued by self-idolators because it offers the illusion of ultimate control and makes them feels like gods in justifying their selfworth — with the ability to acquire anything they want when they want it. However, a life devoted to the pursuit of wealth is a life turned away from God. This does not mean Christians cannot be wealthy, but rather that their primary allegiance is not to the acquisition of riches, but to God (Mat 6:24, 33).

​How Christian Societies Stack Up Against Pagan Shitholes
The contrast between a society built on godly principles and one built on self-idolatry is stark. When individuals acknowledge God’s sovereignty and strive to live according to His commandments, the resulting society is often more just, compassionate, and stable. This is why regions influenced by Christian principles are often sought after, even by those who do not share the faith. The parable of the mustard seed (Matthew 13:31-32) beautifully illustrates this: a small seed grows into a large tree, providing a nesting place and an ecosystem for all. Conversely, a society driven by narcissism and self-idolatry can become parasitic, where individuals constantly seek their own advantage at the expense of others. Hindu society, is an excellent example of narcissism, where within their own religion these have caste and sub-caste, which discounts human dignity for those who are neither wealthy nor influential, and are therefore undesirable to these damn self-idolators who worship money and whose entire religion is based on covetousness.

Self-Idolatry: The Death of Society And Culture
As God warned Adam and Eve in Genesis 2:17, self-idolatry is the very death society. When relationships are based on covetousness, wherein people so commonly say “What has he got, for me to hang out with him!?” [rather than seeing another whom you share some good chemistry with weather rich or poor because he/she is made in the image of God], like the drops of water that make an ocean, this mindset serves in making godless societies a damn death row where the dead bury the dead. The commandment “You shall not covet” in Rom 7:7, hereby stands guard against such destructive mindset (Psa 119:29, 109), urging us to study God’s law to understand how living in harmony with each other, begins by first living in harmony with God (Prov 8:34-36).  

Self-idolatry is therefore like self-imprisonment and is particularly severe among women (Prov 31:30), who are always harrowed by what others will think and the simplest of things are complicated because their beauty is not established on the teaching of Christ but on self-idolatory, wherein their self-worth is based on what others make of them. So much so many women who are repeatedly raped and say nothing, and while it tears them up on the inside, what keeps their mouth shut, is what everyone will think if the truth is revealed… because self-idolatry doesn’t allow people to see beyond themselves, finite creatures who are infinite in their own eyes. Like a carrot and stick, Satan dangles a woman’s self-worth in front of here, while he screws them from behind, and these women who value themselves over truth being far more depraved as self-idolators compared to men, are unable to fight for themselves, because what will everyone think, if the truth is revealed. Sadly these degenerates don’t understand fighting for truth does not change the truth, but hiding the truth because you believe you are more important than the truth, while trying to prove yourself to those who hate on you, only makes things worse for you, and there is also no place in heaven for you… you truth-hating people-pleasing self-idolators (Jer 17:5-9, Mat 10:33).

Statistics of Sexual Abuse across India reveal a heartbreaking reality: about 40% of all rapes happen to women under 15 years of age and 80% of these are never reported, because they are cases of incest. As self-idolatry has ensured pagan society’s obsession with image, compels many to suffer in silence, fearing the shame exposure truth brings to their family’s honour, because it is built on nothing but lies. This is the reason Christianity is hated in India (Jn 5:10-12), because the truth reveals these pagans to be something they are not, and let’s also not forget that the truth which is Christ (Jn 14:6), even makes the demons these Hindus worship as gods, shudder (Jam 2:19).

As Safeguard From Stockholm Syndrome
Biblical Christianity also safeguards you from Stockholm Syndrome, where self-idolators in loving their own wellbeing over truth, try persistently and desperately to prove themselves to those who hate on them, only the suffer the karma of getting more hate, to keep that loyalty flowing to the haters from these self-idolators, which helps you understand when God-the-Son, laughs at these damn fools in Psalm 2, because they don’t even know what they are asking for.

It is helpful to also mention that you know you are saved when the world hates you because Jesus loves you, and you are a new creation in Christ who doesn’t please others to serve his own selfish interests like a god to himself but pleases the same god (Jn 15:18-25), while true Christians please the same God they serve that is Christ (Psa 115:1).

Even if we look at the Parable of the Sower in Mat 13:22-23, we see those who are held back from bearing fruit are those who are more concerned of what people will make of them, than those who live for Christ (Jn 1:12-13, 15:6) and bear fruit (Mat 13:23), despite the slander from friends, family and even pastors/priests who are nothing more than wolves in sheep clothing.

Conclusion: Climbing a Mountain, Only to Realise it was a Grain of Sand
In conclusion, Biblical Christianity thereby culminates at who is God, like the verse quoted in the start (Mat 7:21-23), there are many who call Jesus Lord but live as gods to themselves, using and abusing their neighbour to serve their own vested interests… 666, while these posers self-identify as Christians.

Unlike even the Quran, where Allah supposedly required all the angels to bow to Adam and Eve, like an ego massage for man’s fallen pride. The Bible on the contrary, brings the elect to a realization: God is God, and man is not God. This realization requires the courage to admit our brokenness and our need for a Savior. It demands humility by coming to terms with the facts, which directly counters that fallen pride which stems from self-idolatry.

C.S. Lewis, a former atheist, eloquently captured this necessary shift from damning unbelief to saving faith in Christ alone, when he acknowledged that coming to faith was realizing… “God is God, and I am not”. Elementary, you would think, but not to the unbeliever, a damn fool who says in his heart there is no God (Psa 14:1), as he goes about life living like a damn god to himself, and so coming to faith is indeed very humbling, just as profoundly revealed in that song “So Small” by ItalioBrothers (Jn 3:30)…

‘Cause sometimes that mountain you’ve been climbing
Is just a grain of sand (Is just a grain of sand)

Post Tenebras Lexus

This is a creative take from Lexus by Toyota, in the light of Martin Luthers “Post Tenebras Lux” meaning from darkness to light.

If we look at the Lexus log, it is an acute angle (Psa 115:1), less than 90˚, which is a right angle. So, if we were to consider, that God-the-Son is that diving line, that right angle (Rev 12:7-10), which separates acute angles from obtuse angles like sheep [one in Christ (Jn 17:21)] from the goats [all to themselves] (Mat 25:31-46). As there is none perfect in the sight of God but God himself, and Christ is hence seated at the right hand of God-the-Father (Mat 21:44), and as the Angle of the Lord (Jn 1:18), the Almighty arm of God, who goes by the name Gabriel [meaning strength of God] and Michael [meaning Who is like God!].

For Jesus is much more than an angle (Heb 1:5-8) and much more than a prophet (Isa 9:6/Jn 1:1, 14) but the very materializer of God’s plan in creation as well as in redemption (Col 1:16-20), the one and only mediator between God and men (1Tim 2:5), because being both fully, Jesus understands both sides completely, and is hence perfectly qualified to be mediator between God and mankind, our great high priest of the order of Melchizedek (Heb 7:17-25).

Jn 15:18-19 #LexusFromToyota (chosen out of the world to believe in God)
“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.
context: #LotusesInTheMire
Psa 49:14-15/Jn 16:33/Gen 32:28

So in the light of Isa 14:12-21 & Rev 12:1-10… contrary to Acute, the word Obtuse (from Obtuse angle), means stupid and slow to understand, or unwilling to try to understand, in reference to Satan and his band of bastards who were so full of themselves that they rebled against God Himself (Ezek 28:11-19), their maker. Obtuse also refers to the unbeliever (Psa 14:1), who in following after Satan, loves himself first and hates God, because man from the fall is law to himself and a god to himself. So much so, he pleases others to serve his own selfish interest, and bows to his haters while venting out like a coward on those who are good to him. When instead man was made in the image of God, to please the same God he serves, that is Jesus, bow before God, and stand up to God haters (Mat 5:10-12).

So, in Christ, we who are called out by God from a world of pussies [those who love vain flattery], are transformed to not be ashamed of the truth (Rom 1:16), because in our pilgrimage to seek the truth of God (Psa 105:4/Jn 4:23-24), available in Christ alone (Acts 4:11-12), we are called to repentance and humility is accepting who we are as sinners, before Christ’ Holy Majesty (Phil 2:9-11).

Hating God: The Unbelievers Self-destruction!

Have you noticed how India was able to fight for the liberation of Bangladesh in 1971, a war that lasted only 9 months and ended in victory! All this was done by a Hindu majority nation aka Hindustan, to please the oil-rich Arabs, showing them how philanthropic India is, fighting Muslims in Pakistan for Muslims in Bangladesh. This war was hailed as a great victory, while the reality is- even today any Indian non-Muslim who are working or visiting Bangladesh is treated like dirt, as Bangladesh joins forces with Pakistan to send terrorists across the border.

Mat 22:24-26
You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26 Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.

In stark contrast to India’s speedy victory for Bangladesh, is India’s fight for PoK, which continues even today since 26th October 1947, when the Maharaja of Kashmir, Hari Singh, signed the Instrument of Accession, agreeing to join India. Did you know… from 1389 AD to 2000 AD, there have been 7 exoduses of Kashmiri Pandits due to the Muslim majority persecuting the Hindu minority in the region. However, post India’s independence, the Kashmir region witnessed 2 of these 7 exoduses happen between the 1950s to 2000. The 7th Exodus saw 4 lakh Kashmiri Pandits leave Kashmir in just a span of two months between February to March 1990, this was after 319 documented acts of violence, including 114 blasts, 112 cases of arson, 21 armed attacks, and 72 incidents of mob violence, which Kashmiri Pandits suffered from January 1st to January 19th, so much so- that January 19th is recognised as Holocaust Day among Kashmiri Pandits.

Prov 8:34-36
Blessed is the one who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting beside my doors.
For whoever finds me finds life and obtains favour from the Lord, but he who fails to find me injures himself; all who hate me love death.”

In 1971 Bangladesh’s population was estimated at 68 million, and it is strange that India could fight for the freedom of 68 million in a foreign country but couldn’t protect about 4 million of its own citizens in India itself in 1990, because fighting for ourselves isn’t as pleasing to the Arabs, as is fighting for our enemy Bangladesh, which anyone with a head on their shoulders knows is united in their hate with Pakistan for India on the count of the religious divide. Hindutva patriots may euphemise the PoK issue as an issue of geopolitics in the region, but the truth is no one, even India, can’t fight for itself by kissing butt… because selfless duty that comes from putting Jesus (true God of true God) first, as compared to serving one’s selfish interests by kissing butt… are two mutually exclusive traits in people, not just in India but across the world.

John 16:33
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

John 22:36-40
“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Mat 25:37-40
“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

If you have watched the film Kashmir Files, which accounts for things that happened in 1990 that led to the 7th exodus of Kashmir Pandits. In this film, Mithun Chakraborty, who played the role of IAS Brahma Dutt, admits somewhere towards the end of the film, that India had abandoned Kashmir in this blood bath of a civil conflict.

John 3:16-18
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.

Such is the legacy of unbelievers who believe in themselves, that these will bend even backwards to add to their prestige and image by pleasing those whose attention they seek for their own vested and selfish interests… but in chasing this as though these unbelievers think of themselves as gods… they forget whose image they were made in (Gen 1:26)… and in this they forget their duty, because their love is a selfish self-serving love, not a selfless sacrificial love which puts Jesus first, to see to one’s neighbour with equal concern and love thy neighbour as self, for such Christian love is zealous love, fierce love, love that requires strength, and God’s blessing, for such love isn’t selfish or self-centred but true Christian’s duty, which counterfeit gods aka predestined unbelievers will never know, experience or even taste, for this blessing is reserved for God’s elect alone, called out from the world from every tribe, race and nation for God’s glory alone (Rev 7:9:17). This blessing isn’t meant for Satan’s bastards, whether these are Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, Atheists, or lukewarm/false/wussy Christians but only for true Christians, whom God loves unconditionally as He blesses these to put Jesus first in their lives unconditionally (Ezek 36:27).

Ephesians 5:25-27
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.

Such love is true love, it is a will-powered masculine love that is blessed to imitate the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and pleasing in the sight of God, it is not wayward mood-dependent feminine love epitomised godless convenience, which is a cursed abomination in the sight of the One true Triune God, that this world is succumbing to. We see it in the self-love of India, yearning for the attention of the Arab world while forsaking its duty towards its own is like two sides of the same coin; all because these damn pagans in authority are all gods to themselves, they are in govt only to serve their own selfish interests as their ignorance of who God really is (Jn 15:21), has allowed these to live like they are gods to themselves (Psalm 14:1), and so they take up positions in govt not to serve the people but to serve themselves only. For this reason, it is those very corrupt politians in the Indian govt. who have the most black money (taxpayers’ money) in India, which they have safely hoarded for themselves in Swiss Banks.

Psalm 14:1-3
The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”
They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good.
The Lord looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God.
All have turned away, all have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.

We therefore see that the unbelievers’ hatred of his/her Maker, is his/her own undoing, which is why Jesus referred to the unbelievers’ legacy as one in which the dead bury the dead… a self-destructive legacy which the Christian is called out from (Luke 9:60), for God’s glory alone (Rom 8:28-30). The world may call this Stockholm Syndrome, following an incident in Stockholm back in 1973, when hostages fought for their captors against armed personnel who were fighting to free them. Such is the self-destructive self-love of unbelievers, who are delusional, loving themselves first, not God, and in doing so, they fight for those who harm them, as their own wellbeing is prized over truth, God, and common sense too. In doing so, their lives are lame, aimless, and extremely boring, as we see of many of those backsliding Christians in Europe, and even of the rich upper caste Hindus here in India, who have more money than brains and for the most part don’t know what to do with their lives/time.

John 6:44
“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day.

John 14:6
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

It’s almost as though the Shivling in pagan temples is meant for Hindus to screw themselves over with, that’s why they believe in Karma right… because what goes around comes around (Luke 6:38)… such is the legacy and undoing of those who hate truth and hate God, that what these do from selfish interests only furthers their own destruction, unless they repent and believe in the Gospel.

Mat 21:32
For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.

Food For Thought For Our Palm Sunday Celebration!!!

John 12:13 (The masses on Palm Sunday)
So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!”

John 19:15 (Five days later)
They cried out, “Away with him, away with him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.”

Matthew 16:13-17 (Point of reference)
Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.

The irony of unbelief is that it is very much like Stockholm Syndrome, where the people who grumble and complain against the system are very much part of the system and the corrupt syndicates they are in cahoots with, because they each love themselves so much that any threat to their wellbeing is sufficient cause to viciously turn on anything even the truth and Almighty God, as these unbelievers must override even common sense in serving their own selfish interest, especially when under duress of their own wellbeing.

As we go through the Bible, we see God changing the names of people whom He influences… Old Testament Jacob is named Israel (Gen 32:28). Apostle Simon is named Peter (Mat 16:18), while Saul becomes Apostle Paul (Acts 13:9).

Let’s take a look at the meaning of these names-

Jacob: means “supplanter,” which can interpret as a person who seizes, circumvents, or usurps by way of deceit.
Israel: One who strives against God & the world and prevails. Meaning a believer whom God sanctifies in the world, like it were a furnace burning out the impurities in the believer, in perfecting the believer like silver or gold is purified in the furnace. So, when the believer comes out of that furnace, as in crosses the point of the grave, his/her soul reflects the nature of his maker perfectly whose image he/she was made in (Gen 1:26/Rom 8:29/Col 1:13-16).

Simon: means “reed.” i.e. a Reed that is easily swayed (1Jn 5:19) or blows in the direction of the wind. 
Peter: means a rock i.e., a life founded in Christ (Mat 7:24-27). 

Saul: Asked for (from Sheol [land of the dead]) (Jn 1:12-13/Luke 10:20/1Peter 1:17-19)
Paul: means small or humble. No longer boasting in himself as a pharisee but boasts in the Lord, in being made redundant (small) to the world.

2Cor 5:17 (For Your Reference)
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

John 15:18-23 (Also For Your Reference)
“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. Whoever hates me hates my Father also. 

We therefore see- that in the context of 2Cor 5:17, the transforming/redeeming power of the Lord Jesus Christ, wherein a person no longer kisses the butt of the who’s who in this damn world to serve his own selfish interests but finds the strength to stand for the truth and stand up the world because this person has been called out of the darkness into the light of Christ (Jer 17:5-9). So, while the unbeliever wears the mark of the beast (666) on their right hand and forehead (Rev 13:16-17), as Satan gets these to do his wicked pleasure by lighting a fire under their butts, by way of loving themselves beyond everything else, even God and truth for that matter… the Christian on the contrary, wears the Law of God (Mat 22:36-40) on his/her forehead and right hand (meaning thinks and acts according to God’s glory and good pleasure) (Deut 6:8), because he/she loves God/truth beyond all things and in carrying his/her cross and following after the Lord Jesus (Mat 16:24), this true believer becomes a living sacrifice for God’s glory alone (1Pet 2:4-6). This after all is the defining factor of God’s Church/Israel aka Jesus’ sheep (Jn 17:21-23).


Mat 21:18-22 (such is Seasonal faith/fruit aka Lenten faith)
In the morning, as he was returning to the city, he became hungry. And seeing a fig tree by the wayside, he went to it and found nothing on it but only leaves. And he said to it, “May no fruit ever come from you again!” And the fig tree withered at once.

When the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, “How did the fig tree wither at once?” And Jesus answered them, “Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen. And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”

2 Timothy 3:16-17
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

Unlike the world, that exploits its people and leads them to dead-ends repeatedly, while expecting the impossible out of them (Mat 23:4), so as to assert their tyrannical rule over these, by way of unholy fear, the One true Triune Lord our God Almighty, will part the Red Sea if He must, to make a way for His people, because our life, its sustenance, and our salvation is in Him (Jn 14:6) and that will be proven repeatedly as God so wills. The fig tree in the above verse shows us what is typical in a world where Christianity is atypical because the Christian who is acquainted with his Lord & Saviour Jesus Christ through scripture is fully equipped to act righteously for God’s glory and good pleasure alone.

Eph 2:8-10
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

So, coming back to Palm Sunday, we see Christianity has less to do with going with the flow of this damn frivolous world, like it were some fair-weather friendship with God. Rather true Biblical Christianity is about standing for what God loves and standing against what God hates, knowing there are none who stand with you, because in any case, that life you live as a believer, your only audience is God Himself. So, it follows… that in that stand you take, all you need on your side is Jesus.

This is the Christian life: a living sacrifice, wherein you carry your cross and follow the Lord Jesus Christ, the author and perfector of our faith (Heb 12:2) because Jesus is worthy (Rev 7:9-12), and the payoff is not where moth and vermin can destroy (Mat 6:19-21), nor is the happiness like that which defines self-indulgences, that suffer ludicrous aftermaths like: laughing till you cry, or like hangovers that follow stints of debauchery, or like any other justified withdrawal symptoms that come from living a satanically inspired lie, that says we are gods to ourselves, from the fall (Gen 3:4-5); and contrary to this spiritual crap of the world, the Christian life aka a religiosity based on truth… sees the light of day, not in the mire of this sick world but forever with the Lord, where real happiness has no assuaging factor.

1Chronicles 29:15
For we are strangers before you and sojourners, as all our fathers were. Our days on the earth are like a shadow, and there is no abiding.

Psalm 84:10
For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.

Romans 8:18-20, 31
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.
…
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

John 12:24-26
Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honour him.

The above-mentioned verses sum up the Christian life in this world because in Christ we are not encouraged to allow the pursuits of this world to take over our lives (Psa 14:1) at cost of losing our souls (Mat 16:26). So, unlike the world who are held in the sway of the evil one (1Jn 5:19), our sight is fixed on that heavenly prize (Psalm 37:4/Phil 3:14) because that is where our happiness is without any wicked mitigating factor, and the glory all belongs to the One true Triune God Almighty alone, and we are so fortunate to taste that the Lord is good (Psa 34:8/Jn 10:14-15), and know Jesus Christ (aka God-the-Son Almighty in the flesh) as both our Lord and our Saviour (Psa 98:1Rev 5:5), having being counted not only among the called (Palm Sunday crowd) but also among His chosen (Mat 22:1-14/Lk 15:3-7/Jn 1:12-13 & 10:26).

Counterfeit gods & false religions

It is not a mere coincidence that spurious and counterfeit products come mostly from cultures and nations which are estranged from the truth about God revealed to mankind in the Lord Jesus Christ. For man makes only a reflection of what he himself is spiritually. Just as you are what you eat, if you eat healthy food, you are healthy… so also what you believe is who you are as a person, if what you sincerely believe in is authentic then the One true Triune God whose nature defines good morals will reflect in you as a person, for we human beings as believers are restored to reflect God’s very nature and character as our own (Ps 37:4), in which there is tremendous joy without any regret. The unbeliever, on the other hand, is a god to himself because his whole life revolves around what is best for himself, he is therefore a counterfeit god, and his law is all about putting himself first and loving the people around only as far as he has something to gain from it. So, whether this unbeliever is Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist or false Christian all his religiosity revolves around satisfying his own craving for power, pleasure and pride. So, given that the very idea of the unbeliever being god is a lie, his means of serving himself is only accomplished through wickedness because the truth is, he is not god. So, while the One true Triune God is good in nature, accomplishing righteousness as He loves Himself and serves His own interest because He is God Almighty indeed. The unbeliever leaves nothing but regret and destruction in his wake, which inadvertently catches up with him in time as he loves himself and serves his own selfish interest because he is living a damn lie, living for himself like he is his own god.

Deut 6:5-8 (true religion)
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.

Mat 22:36-40 (true region)
“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Mat 28:18-20 (true religion)
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Rev 13:4-8 (counterfeit religion)
And they worshiped the dragon, for he had given his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?”
And the beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months. It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling, that is, those who dwell in heaven. Also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them. And authority was given it over every tribe and people and language and nation, and all who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain.
The second beast was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that the image could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed. It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name.

If you were to look at the above verses, you will notice that the Law is bound to the right hand and forehead of the believer while counterfeit religion requires Satan’s image to be bound to the people’s right hand and forehead. In the account of the fall of Adam in Genesis 3:1-6, we see that Satan tempted Adam and Eve to follow after himself with self-righteousness. In this Adam and Eve were bastardised, forsaking God’s law, which is God’s very nature and character whose image we are made in; to receive a righteousness of our own. Herein mankind became a law to self, and did not see God eye to eye concerning righteousness and sin. However, He who created us also restored us back to His purpose for us (Rom 5:17), and mind you… not a soul who God planned to save before the very foundation of the world shall ever be lost (Eph 1:4/Jn 1:12-13).

Revelation 22:16 (Jesus is really God)
“I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.”

Psalm 37: 4
Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Isaiah 14:12 (Satan is a damn counterfeit god)
“How you have fallen from heaven,
O star of the morning, son of the dawn!
You have been cut down to the earth,
You who have weakened the nations!

Like champagne is only champaign if is sourced and made exclusively in the Champagne region of France, while everything else is just sparkling white wine. So, also true religion is exclusively of the Lord Jesus Christ (Ps 3:8 & 62:1), wherein Almighty God turns us around from our ever-regretful sinful nature to the boundless joy of knowing and serving him, whose very nature is a joy to reflect on without any mitigating regret, for this is mankind’s very purpose, that we were made to reflect Jesus’ nature as our own (Rom 8:29).

1 Peter 5:8 (Counterfeit Power)
Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

Rev 5:1-5 (Real Power)
Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals. And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”

If you know what it means to be someone’s righthand man, you know who wields all that person’s power. In the case of Almighty God, God-the-Son aka the Lord of lords Jesus Christ is God-the-Father’s right-hand man, and what is really so marvellous about the Lord Jesus, is that despite being the most powerful person in all eternity, He is good, which is not something Satan or his damn bastards will ever understand because their dominion is built and maintained on tyranny, and great is as far as they can get but for those who haven’t read the Bible as yet, here’s a spoiler alert… Satan’s power compared to God-the-Son is like a candle to the Sun, and I guess all those BDSM and death metal freaks love binding themselves in chains because their father Satan is in chains too, and these fools are sadly deceived to think that is cool. After all, they share in everything but truth and righteousness because all they get from their father is everything but the truth and righteousness.

Mat 6:2-4 (Selfless Godly Pleasure)
“Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Psalm 64:5 (Selfish Satanic Pleasure)
They hold fast to their evil purpose; they talk of laying snares secretly, thinking, “Who can see them?”

Psalm 101:5 (Selfish Satanic Pleasure)
Whoever slanders his neighbour secretly I will destroy. Whoever has a haughty look and an arrogant heart I will not endure.

Nothing is more intimate about a person’s character than the secrets he keeps. This is why Jesus teaches his sheep that everything we do in good or kind is to be kept secret, as this good pleasure, which is without regret is only between God and the genuine Christian. The unbeliever, on the other hand, his secrets range from everything like connivingly plotting a person’s downfall, to extra-marital affairs he has at the workplace to even incest which is why the Game of Thrones series is so popular among the unfaithful, for as self-serving bastards of Satan their pleasure which is soaking with regret is all about how they secretly exploit people around them to serve their own damn vested interests.

Genesis 3:9-12 (unbelievers aren’t men of their word)
But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.”

Mat 26:63-66 (Jesus – a man of His Word)
But Jesus remained silent. And the high priest said to him, “I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.” Jesus said to him, “You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.” Then the high priest tore his robes and said, “He has uttered blasphemy. What further witnesses do we need? You have now heard his blasphemy. What is your judgment?” They answered, “He deserves death.”

Another interesting observation is that unlike the unbeliever who learns from his father Satan to blame others for his wrongs while taking to himself undue credit for what others have done… the true believer learns from Jesus to lay down his life for his friends (Jn 15:13) if it ever comes to that and give glory to the One true Triune God alone for all his accomplishments and blessings, which he enjoys day-to-day (Mat 5:45). For unlike the first Adam, who had no guts to stand up to the Devil when he was tempting Eve, and then blamed Eve for passing him the fruit of self-righteousness (Gen 3:12), the second Adam, who is God-the-Son in the flesh did not backout from His mission to save sinners even in the face of suffering to the point of certain death (Mat 26:63-66).

Col 2:20-23 (Showbiz false religosity)
If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations— “Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch” (referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to human precepts and teachings? These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.

Mat 5:34-37 (True Religion)
But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.

Further, I would like to say that the evidence of God is so great, that the devil has fabricated thousands of lies to cover up the truth about God. Take for instance that there are over 4000 religions around the world, some are monolithic like Islam, while others are polytheistic like Hinduism, which has over 33 million gods, and though these gods are for real, in the sense they are demons and aliases, they don’t compare to the might of the Good Shepherd i.e. Lord Jesus Christ, and this is why Christianity is not just the best religion in the world, it is the only true religion which is of the One true Triune God in this world; and we know Christianity is true from the fact that people of various beliefs including atheists, leaves their countries to settle in developed nations whose culture has been shaped by the Gospel, because these heathen folk find the environment in Christian countries to be more comfortable and congenial than their own atmosphere back home.

John 13:34-35 (True Love Is Selfless)
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Mark 4:30-32 (Christianity Makes The World A Better Place To Live In)
And he said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown on the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth, yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.”

Jesus’s Strength Is Perfected In Our Weakness

Have you ever wondered what it is to prostrate before God? Yes, it is to submit to Him but there is so much more than just that. It is about putting God before everything, even yourself. It is to magnify Him, even if comes at the cost of lowering yourself. It is to say, that Lord you are my God, in the sense, you know Jesus reigns over all and you surrender to that irresistible grace, wherein your sinful rebellion waves that white flag of surrender, like a soldier in a war, for God has done more than destroyed sin in your life, He has also saved you. Unlike the unbeliever who is destroyed with his/her sin, only know Jesus as Lord (Phil 2:10-11) but never as a saviour as God did not choose to bestow His mercy on him/her, as He does so with the believer who knows Jesus as both Lord & Saviour, having been saved by His unmerited and unconditional love.

2 Cor 12:7-10
So, to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

John 4:21-24
Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

From the above two verses, we understand that true worship is based on truth, it is about worshipping the One true Triune God who is revealed to us in the Lord Jesus Christ (John 1:18), and the God-the-Holy-Spirit (John 14:16-17, 26) through scripture (2Tim 3:16-17). So, going back to the account of the fall of Adam, where mankind became a law unto themselves (Gen 3:1-6), we understand that our weakness in the area of our will be done (like we are gods to ourselves), is where God’s strength is perfected in us. For in that weakness, we are given repentance unto salvation, giving up our godhead which we achieve through nothing more than deceit and wickedness, to receive the One true Triune God as our Lord.

2 Cor 7:10
For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.

Psalm 119:71-75
It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes. The law of your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces. Your hands have made and fashioned me; give me understanding that I may learn your commandments. Those who fear you shall see me and rejoice, because I have hoped in your word. I know, O LORD, that your rules are righteous, and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me.

Psalm 23:4
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

Now, before I come to the next point about Christian discipline, I would like to quote Charles Spurgeon…

“So, whatever has happened to you, see the hand of God in it. A dog, if it be struck with a stick, bites the stick. Well, that may be all that we can expect from a dog; but you who are no dog must look to the hand that holds the stick, and not to the instrument with which you are smitten, and then you dare not bite the blessed hand that only intends your good in striking you. See God’s hand, then, in all that happens to you, and that will help you on the way to a very blessed state of contentment.”
-C. H. Spurgeon

“God’s Sovereignty is the pillow upon which the believer rests his head at night.”
-C. H. Spurgeon

I am not perfected in discipline and neither do I believe that you should not take righteous action against those who cause harm to you, your family or your property. After all, if Satan will glorify God’s justice forever in hell, the unbeliever/non-Christian will also get their dues paid in full, with some foretaste of it while they live on the earth, thanks to people who will stand up for what is right and be conduits of delivering God’s justice unto these illegitimate children of God. For this reason, the state is also an institution of God (Isaiah 9:6), which dishes God’s justice on the deserving. However, with the apostate state trying to play God, suddenly the Biblical reference that an eye for an eye will make the whole world blind comes up when prosecuting criminals, while it is somehow ok to prosecute the innocent for the crimes of others, as these are two sides of the same coin.

Mat 5:38-39
“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.

Rom 12:19
Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”

So, as much as you wouldn’t bite a rabid dog for biting you. We understand that the Biblical context of an eye for an eye and turn the other cheek, is not to give way for wickedness but to persevere in continually exercising the righteousness of God, which this damn world hates, and we are not to respond by resorting to their own wicked devices, in getting back at them. Instead, just as you would put down a rabid dog and not bite it for biting you, so also the wicked need to be put down for their crimes as defined by the judicial law in the Bible, which is given to the Christian State (not the Church).

Hebrews 12:3-8 (About being disciplined)
Consider him (Jesus) who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.” It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.

Coming back to the subject of discipline, in view of 2 Cor 7:10, Psalm 119:71-75, Psalm 23:4 and the Charles Spurgeon quotes cited above, we understand from the Biblical context of God’s sovereignty that these measures of discipline are all for our good (Rom 8:28), put in place by God, that even if it has to come by the hand of Satan himself, it is at Jesus behest (Mat 28:18-20/Job 1:12 & 2:3/Luke 12:31-33). This discipline keeps the God-fearing man or woman out of sin harm’s way and builds a hedge in securing the believer. even if it has to come at the cost of the Christian losing his/her life (Mark 9:42-50/Mat 10:28).

Mat 11:25-30
At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Also, considering the verse above, we understand that just as a yoke placed on the neck of an animal, lowers the animal’s head as the animal labours for its master. So also, the believer is brought to prostrate before the Lord Jesus, in which he/she sums up the courage to do the will and good pleasure God (James 1:22-25) by the power in Christ working in the Christian. For as much as a person hates those who hate what he/she loves, and loves those who love whom he/she loves… these in whom the strength of God is perfected in their weakness, their prostration before the Lord, is their very strength in which they stand up to a godlessly-totalitarian and tyrannical world.

Jeremiah 17:5-8 Thus says the LORD:
“Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the LORD. He is like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see any good come. He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land.
“Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.”

We therefore, see throughout scripture that spiritual prostration/obedience is a delightful thing, wherein the Christian who exercises his/her Christian faith even in the face of the world’s hostility, finds freedom. For the truth has set the Christian free (John 8:31-32), who once as an unbeliever, sucked up to tyrants to serve his/her own damn vested interest but in coming to faith in the Lord Jesus, the Christian finds his/her sustenance in yielding to Jesus and serving God’s interest over his/her own. Therefore, every circumstance the Lord decrees in the life of the believer, brings to mind the message of Jeremiah 30: 22, which says “And you will be My people, and I will be your God”. This inadvertently echoes the same message where God’s strength is perfected in the believer’s weakness, so as to repeatedly emphasise and reemphasise the truth/Gospel in the mind of the Christian.

Genesis 1:26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

Romans 8:1, 29-30
There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
…
For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

This spiritual prostration is thereby genuine and serves as evidence that the believer has transitioned from being a self-serving dastardly devious slave to sin to becoming a slave to righteousness in Christ (Psalm 37:4/2Cor 5:17), wherein the Christian finds his/her ultimate purpose, having been restored in Jesus, to reflect the very nature of God, which is His Law that we ought to live by, as our own nature (1Pet 2:4-8). This is where beauty is so deep that it springs forth from the soul (Mat 13:23) which has been regenerated by the saving power of the Lord Jesus Christ. So, unlike the superficial beauty of the people of the world that stays for a time, the beauty or handsomeness of the true Christian is eternal, carried beyond the grave and perfected in Christ (Phil 1:6) for the glory of the One true Triune God alone.

Living For God’s Glory

From The Westminster Larger Catechism
Q. 1. What is the chief and highest end of man?
A. Man’s chief and highest end is to glorify God, and fully to enjoy him forever.

From the fall account of Gen 3:1-6, we see Adam & Eve forsook the Law of God in eating the fruit of self-righteousness. In this mankind became each a law unto themselves because they were gods unto themselves serving their own chief end from the fall. The very life-giving breath which God breathed in Adam’s nostrils died, and the image of God, which mankind was made in, to reflect God’s very nature and character was broken.

Gen 2:7 (Creation Account)
Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living person.

Rom 5:17
For if by the offense of the one, death reigned through the one, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.

John 20 (Redemption Account)
20 And when He had said this, He showed them both His hands and His side. The disciples then rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21 So Jesus said to them again, “Peace be to you; just as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” 22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.

The above 3 pieces of scripture, cites the creation & redemption of God’s elect through His Son Jesus. Now, I would like to you understand, that just like how fallen mankind uses everything to serve their own motives… take the world’s counterfeit of the 10 Commandments for example. Originally in the 10 commandments, the first 4 commandments highlight mankind’s duty unto God while the next 6 commandments specify man’s duty unto His neighbour… but how the fallen world counterfeits this is by putting themselves first instead of God and then loving their neighbour from covetousness according to who serves their best interests… and the reason this is done from wickedness is because fallen man even though he acts like god, he is not truly God, & so the only way he establishes himself as god is by serving himself, as his own chief end through wickedness. The Triune God Almighty on the other hand is truly God, and so His very law or shall I say nature & character, which establishes His Godhead is righteous because He truly is God and that’s no lie. Hence, when a man is restored in Jesus to reflect God’s nature and character, he is a new creation in Christ (2Cor 5:17), who no longer enjoys sin as he get’s a taste of living for God’s glory, which hooks him into finding mankind’s original Godly purpose in being that radiant image of God’s nature and character.

Ephesians 2
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

Col 3:17 
And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

1Cor 10:31
Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all things for the glory of God.

The above 3 pieces of scripture highlights the change of nature that overtakes the believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the victorious life, where the believer goes from sucking up to people in covetousness to serve his own vested interest from unbelief… to worshipping God in His righteousness and serving His interest for God’s glory. Also, I must say there is nothing more satisfying in life than living for the glory for God. Go take a look at the world, who is seeking in after themselves take to sexual immorality, debauchery and acting from covetousness; but do these poor fools find any satisfaction in seeking after themselves? No! For they have lost sight of the very purpose they were made for by God, & that is to live for God’s glory and reflect God’s very nature and character as their own.

Psalm 37:4
Delight yourself in the Lord;
And He will give you the desires of your heart.

Psalm 84:10
For a day in Your courtyards is better than a thousand elsewhere.
I would rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God
Than live in the tents of wickedness.

Mat 6
28 And why are you worried about clothing? Notice how the lilies of the field grow; they do not labor nor do they spin thread for cloth, 29 yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! 31 Do not worry then, saying, ‘What are we to eat?’ or ‘What are we to drink?’ or ‘What are we to wear for clothing?’ 32 For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided to you.

You know, looking at the above three pieces of scripture I would like to say there is nothing to stop you from getting what you want, when you want what God wants (Ps 37:4/Rom 8:1). For the Christian who lives for God’s glory is like the salt of the earth, that though we are few we influence the nature of things around us by reflecting God’s nature & character as our own, and we are so hooked by the power of God presented to us in the Gospel that though the world may slay us for making them feel insecure about the way they go about as gods serving their own chief end from wickedness and self-righteousness, the truth is that even if obedience unto God cost us our lives, it is worth it because the Jesus is worthy (Rev 7:10-14) of such true worship (Phil 1:21/John 4:23). So, this New Year 2021, I pray you may know the Lord God and live for His glory in blessed to become a new creation in Christ.

Separated From The World And United In Christ!

I have been moved to write on this because of the #BlackLivesMatter movement that has been wreaking havoc in the name of fighting racism. The truth is faith in Jesus is mankind’s only dividing line which really matters, because there is an earth and sky difference between those who truly believe in Jesus and those who don’t, and this is not because of any personal quality a believer may have but what makes a believer special is the Spirit of Jesus Christ who works in the believer (1John 4:4), and that is far greater than the spirit of Satan in whose sway the wicked people of the world are (1Jn 5:19). This sway is made evident in the degenerate actions of Black Lives Matter that’s all justified in the self-righteous fighting of systemic racism.

John 3
18 He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

1John 3
10 By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.

To give you some context for the 1John 3:10 verse mentioned above, I will need to take you back to Gen 3:1-6, to the account of the fall of man, where mankind was bastardized by Satan by being deceived into becoming a law to themselves. This happen by eating the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil, in which Adam forsook God’s standard of righteousness only to receive his own righteousness, whereby mankind became gods to themselves, from here stems mankind’s self-serving nature because in becoming a law to ourselves, we also became counterfeit gods to ourselves. However, unlike God who exercises righteousness in serving His own interest because He truly is God. When we seek after ourselves, we do nothing but act and thinks deviously like Satan because the truth is, we are not truly God.

John 1
12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

Ephesians 2
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

Romans 8
29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; 30 and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.

From the verses mentioned above, we see how God chooses a people for Himself from fallen mankind. From Col 1:16, we know everything in creation exist for the glory of God. Also, from Gen 1:26 we learn mankind was made for God’s glory. Yes, we were made in the image of God, to be a reflection of His nature and character but in the fall, we forsook His nature to receive a righteousness of self and in this we became children of Satan for whom the wrath of God is reserved. However, as much as God’s attribute of love is perfect, so is His justice. So, He sent us His only begotten Son, who added to Himself complete human form in womb of Mary but without Sin and offered Himself as a substitutionary sacrifice to atone for our sin, while at the same time crediting His righteousness to those whom He died to save from Sin. These are the elect, whom God adopted into His family, who are restored to God’s image by the atoning power of Jesus Christ.

Revelation 7
9 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands; 10 and they cry out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.”

John 17
11 I am no longer in the world; and yet they themselves are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, that they may be one even as We are.

From Col 1:17 & Eph 4:16 we know in Christ all things hold together whether these are heavenly bodies like stars and galaxies or various members of His Church from every nation and tribe. This is made possible by God’s love availed in Jesus Christ. However, for those who are outside Christ, like Black Lives Matter, Antifa and the KKK, these are each a law to themselves, who do nothing but exercise their father’s Satan’s desire (John 8:44 & 10:10) is accomplishing what they have been deceived to believe is right.

Gen 3:15
And I will put enmity
Between you and the woman,
And between your seed and her seed;
He shall bruise you on the head,
And you shall bruise him on the heel.”

John 15
18 “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. 

Looking at the above verse in the light of John 6:39-44 we understand that this division is something God has established between the believer and the unbeliever because when a person comes to faith, he or she is a new creation in Christ (2Cor 5:17). Jesus separates this person from his/her desire for sin as far as the east is from the west (Ps 103:12) and so when you no longer have the same interests and enjoyments, there is no longer any common ground for fellowship. Sometimes when I myself think back of all the things I used to enjoy and laugh at with my unbelieving friends, it makes my stomach churn today. In Salvation, God turns a person around from loving their sin to loving Him and like the two nations that struggled with each other in Rebbecca’s womb (Gen 25:23), is the struggle between the believer and unbeliever in this world. One is united by their saving love & fear of God while the other is united by the hatred for truth in general, & their every thought/action reveals they have no fear of God, as they can’t help but put away His wrath for a time God decrees (Rom 9:22).

2Cor 6
14 Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? 15 Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever?

2Cor 7:10
For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death.

We therefore see the real dividing line between mankind, is not based on sex, caste, skin colour or ethnicity, it is based on those who have accepted the truth about themselves as sinners before a righteous God and in doing so have received the truth about God by the redeeming power of Jesus Christ (2Cor 7:10), while the rest struggle with the truth about themselves in every area of life, and continually blaspheme God with the world’s trending lies which are circulated and recirculated from generation to generation (Ecc 1:9).

Why be satisfied with goat-food… aka the Rapture!

Mat 24
3 As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” 4 And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. 5 For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. 6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.
9 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. 10 And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. 11 And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. 12 And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
…
36 “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. 37 For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, 39 and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. 42 Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.

Among those who believe in the rapture, these see the rapture as either happening Pretribulation, Post-tribulation & Mid-tribulation, where the common ground among these is that all these believe that the tribulation occurs before the millennium of Christ rule, which is supposedly initiated by Jesus 2nd coming, where Jesus will come back with the saints who died, and rule the earth with all His saints (both those who died in Christ & those who are raptured). Coming to the pretribulation-rapture, it is of the disposition that Jesus will rapture the believers, so as to provide an escape hatch for the believers to escape the tribulation, while the post-tribulation-rapture believes that the believers will be raptured after the tribulation at the same time as His second coming. Then you have the mid-tribulation-rapture, where people supposedly believe that believers will be rapture in the midst of the tribulation. 

So, what’s the problem… you’re probably asking!

Mat 24
6 “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. 37 For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, 39 and they were unaware until the flood came and took them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. 42 Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.

Mat 13
36 Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” 37 He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. 40 Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, 42 and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.

If you look at Mat 13:40-42, you will notice that the weeds in this parable are dealt with first and then if you care to notice what Mat 24:39 says, those who were “taken away” by the flood (the reprobate), is the context applied to the “taking away” of the one in the field and grinding the mill in Mat 24:40 & 41. So, from the purview of Mat 13:30 where the angels will first bundle the weeds/tares and cast them into the flames, after which they proceed to gather the wheat into the barn; we understand that the second coming of Jesus i.e. judgement day will happen at the end of Jesus’ thousand year reign, where the dead – both the just & the unjust will rise (Acts 24:15/Rev 20:11-15) and be reunited with their bodies, as judgement is pronounced on both the living and the dead (2Tim 4:1). Here the just who share in the first resurrection (have come to faith in Jesus Christ (John 3:33)), will receive glorified/unperishable bodies (1Cor 15:52), and the second death has no power over because there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ (Rom 8:1). Also, these who are just are those whom the Lord Jesus Christ has saved by offering Himself as a substitutionary sacrifice for their sin (Rom 6:23-24) while at the same time working in them (Phil 1:6) to conform them to God’s own image/nature/character (Rom 8:29/Gen 1:26), which is mankind’s very purpose in the sight of God.  

Acts 24:15
…there will be a resurrection of both the just and the unjust.

Rev 20
11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. 13 And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. 14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

Another thing which is seriously wrong with the premillennialist rapture idea, is the thought that the saints who are in their heavenly abode with Christ will come back to an earth stained with sin and rule for a thousand years with the Lord after the rapture. Now, if there is one rule about interpreting scripture it is that scripture should be interpreted in the light of scripture and not in the light of pleasing the flesh. So, in the light of Ecc 9:6, people beyond the grave are cut-off from the world never to get involved again with matters of the world ever again. Hence there is no question of the saints coming back to the earth to live among the reprobate. Somehow, I am beginning to see that the premillennialists of today are like the Jews of Jesus’ time, who were looking for a military ruler kind of Messiah who would help the Jews rid their land of the Romans. So too, the premillennialist sees the 2nd coming of Christ somewhat like an initiation of God’s military rule on the earth. It’s almost as though the premillennialist believes in the sovereignty of God only in the area of God’s Salvation, but not in their eschatology. In the light of scripture, we also understand that Jesus’ second coming is not about coming to keep a check on evil that’s getting out of hand in the world. On the contrary, we are to hasten His second coming by exercising righteousness in the world (2Pet 3:11-12) because the groom will only come for His bride/Church when she is ready, and the Almighty Holy Spirit is absolutely competent is making sure this happens. So, let us not look at wickedness in the world as an opportunity to throw caution to the wind to hasten His second coming, rather we are take the bull by the horns and live righteously like lambs unto God (John 10:16) and lions unto the world (Gen 49:9/Rev 5:5/Ps 84:10) in typifying the nature of Christ (Rom 8:29) that is prevalent in the living spirit God has blessed us with in Jesus Christ (1Cor2:14-16).

Isaiah 65
19 I will rejoice in Jerusalem
    and be glad in my people;
no more shall be heard in it the sound of weeping
    and the cry of distress.
20 No more shall there be in it
    an infant who lives but a few days,
    or an old man who does not fill out his days,
for the young man shall die a hundred years old,
    and the sinner a hundred years old shall be accursed.
21 They shall build houses and inhabit them;
    they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
22 No longer will they build houses and others live in them,
    or plant and others eat.
For as the days of a tree,
    so will be the days of my people;
my chosen ones will long enjoy
    the work of their hands.

Isaiah 11
8 The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra,
    and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder’s den.
9 They shall not hurt or destroy
    in all my holy mountain;
for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord
    as the waters cover the sea.
10 In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples—of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious.

Hebrews 8
10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel
    after those days, declares the Lord:
I will put my laws into their minds,
    and write them on their hearts,
and I will be their God,
    and they shall be my people.
11 And they shall not teach, each one his neighbor
    and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’
for they shall all know me,
    from the least of them to the greatest.

Talking about what the work of the Holy Spirit on the earth to hasten the coming of the Lord. I would like to help you see the 3 pieces of scripture mentioned above in the light of God reconciling all creation to Himself through the redeeming sacrifice of His Son (Col 1:16-20). Also, in the above three pieces of scripture, we see how far we are from this state of peace because right now we are nothing more than human beings with appetites for sin, prevalent in us like animal instincts. So, you somehow notice that there is a restoration process in place for mankind by the redeeming power of the Lord Jesus Christ (Rom 5:17), when you compare Isaiah 65:20 mentioned above to Gen 6:3, where God limited the age of mankind to 120 year to restrain their sin after the fall from mankind in Adam.

Mat 24
29 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

Rev 7
After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, that no wind might blow on earth or sea or against any tree. 2 Then I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, with the seal of the living God, and he called with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm earth and sea, 3 saying, “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.”
…
9 After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” 
…
13 Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” 14 I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

Gen 32
28 Then he said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.”

Mat 28
18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Mat 22:44
“‘The Lord said to my Lord:
    “Sit at my right hand
until I put your enemies
    under your feet.”’

Now as I move to debunk the premillennialist escapist view of the tribulation followed by their millennial view of Jesus’ reign. I would like to state that from Mat 22:44, we know that when Jesus rose from the dead and sat the right father, a position of absolute authority, we understand from scripture that He sits at the right hand of God-the-Father until His enemies are subdued under His feet. Also, from the Great Commission in Mat 28:18-20 we learn of Jesus’ authority on heaven, earth & the world below, as given in the present tense. He doesn’t speak of it sometime in the future, and from Psalm 119:71, 75 we know that God uses affliction to teach His children obedience. It’s called sanctification and our sanctification is what makes us Jesus’ Sheep/Israel, that by the power of Christ in us (1John 4:4) we strive against the world under the sway of Satan who in turn yields under duress to God, who is sovereign (Gen 32:28). So, if you look at Rev 7:14, you will notice that the saints across time came through the tribulation by the saving power of Jesus Christ. Meaning the very duration of the tribulation was the very period of Christ reign because God’s sovereignty is not conditional and even the tribulation serves his mighty purpose (Isaiah 14:27/Job 42:2).

Rev 20
7 When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—and to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore. 9 They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God’s people, the city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them. 10 And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

1Cor 15
51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— 52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”
55 “Where, O death, is your victory?
    Where, O death, is your sting?”
56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

In the context of Rev 21:12 & Jn 3:3, we realize that the city God loves are a people who are born from above, those who are a new creation in Jesus Christ (2Cor 5:17). To conclude, the millennial reign of Christ is not a literal 1000 years but only symbolic of a very long time (Psalm 90:4 & 2Peter 3:8), and going by Isaiah 65:20-22, we know we are very far away from young people dying at 100 and people living as old as trees. So, there is still a lot of time for Judgement Day i.e. the Second Coming of Christ, where towards the end of the millennial rule of Christ, Satan will be released as mentioned in Rev 20:7-10 above, and you must note that Satan’s release doesn’t mark the end of Jesus’ reign. Rather, like Pharaoh in Rom 9:17 this fool is released to serve the purpose of the Almighty Triune God Himself and then after the Almighty Son deals Satan that final deadly blow, Jesus will make His glorious Second Coming to earth (Mat 26:64), where the reprobate will be sent packing first to hell before he brings Salvation to His people who have been waiting on Him (Heb 9:28). Then after destroying all creation with the consuming fire of His presence (Heb 12:29), Jesus will put a heaven and earth in place that is unstained with sin for His people to occupy and be righteous stewards over, for God’s own glory.   

Rev 21 (The New Heavens & The New Earth)
Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

Finding Peace In God!

Mat 11
28 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Have you ever been so spiritually tired that even though you are the most happening person in your friends’ circle, you cry when you are alone? You are all ok on the outside but you’re a mess on the inside and your smile does a good job of covering up for you. The truth is, you have no peace and that is only between you and God. You ought to know that humankind was made to glorify God and enjoy him forever. However, from the fall, humankind became a law unto ourselves (Gen 3:1-6), and in becoming a law unto ourselves, we became gods to ourselves and our chief-end was not living for God’s glory but living for our own glory, and this is why humankind has no peace, estranged from God.

Isaiah 9:6 (makes reference to Jesus as the Prince of Peace)
For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.

Mat 10 (the yoke of Christ as mentioned in Mat 11:29 above)
34 “Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; 36 and a man’s enemies will be the members of his household.

Mat 10 (The Context)
16 “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves. 17 But beware of men, for they will hand you over to the courts and scourge you in their synagogues; 18 and you will even be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. 19 But when they hand you over, do not worry about how or what you are to say; for it will be given you in that hour what you are to say. 20 For it is not you who speak, but it is the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.
21 “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. 22 You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.

If the above 3 pieces of scripture appear as a contradiction to you, allow me to explain these to you in the context/light of scripture. However, before I come to this, I would like to stress on the importance of doing what’s right, no matter how inconvenient or out of the way it is for us personally. The Bible says that God is looking for those who will worship him in spirit & truth (John 4:23-4), and the Bible also says that the kingdom of heaven is like a narrow gate and the way to God is narrow (Mat 7:13-14) because pleasing God is only possible in Jesus Christ. The truth however is, that there is peace in all that righteous striving because when you act according to the righteousness that is revealed in scripture, though the people of the world may hate you (Mat 5:11-12) for your righteous indignation against homosexuality, counterfeit religion, abortions and immorality, you will know the peace of God in your striving against the wickedness of the world.

Philippians 4
4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Coming back to the seeming contradictions that exist in the Mat 10:34-36 & Isaiah 9:6, mentioned above. We must understand that true peace can only be found in the truth, and truth is what God thinks. Sweet lies may flatter the world, but they don’t really bring peace. Sweet lies only help people sweep their sin under the carpet instead of dealing with it head on by way of repentance unto Jesus and believing in His Gospel. So, if you are ok with wearing a smile on the outside while you have an emotional storm brewing on the inside, which you cannot do anything about, you can continue dealing with your life by way of sweet lies.

Ezek 36
27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. 28 You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God. 29 And I will deliver you from all your uncleannesses. And I will summon the grain and make it abundant and lay no famine upon you. 30 I will make the fruit of the tree and the increase of the field abundant, that you may never again suffer the disgrace of famine among the nations. 31 Then you will remember your evil ways, and your deeds that were not good, and you will loathe yourselves for your iniquities and your abominations.

John 12
24 Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. 25 Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.

So, if I have to say so, peace is a byproduct of your stand for God and his righteous. If you look at the above verses, you may notice a striking similarity between Ezek 36:31 & John 12:25. If I am to explain this to you, I would reiterate the fact that we are all sinners from the fall of Adam, a law to ourselves, gods to ourselves. We each have gone our own way; our self-righteousness is devious and meets the means of serving ourselves by deeds that are nothing short of wicked. When this realization dawns on us, we understand that God is the real God and the chief-end of our being is to serve His purpose, because He truly is God, and this self-serving nature we have, does nothing but flies in the face of God. The peace we are therefore looking for, lies in finding our purpose in God, and that lies in reflecting the light of His nature (which is His Law), even in the midst of the darkness of this world (Luke 8:16-17), because we were after all made/restored in His image (Gen 1:26/Rom 8:29). So, we are to carry His nature in our hearts, so dearly that it is as good as having it written on our hearts (Jer 31:33), and in doing so wear this heart on our sleeve (Ps 119:102-103), in a world that wickedly tries to suppress the righteousness of God by supporting the likes of abortion as a woman’s right to murder, Islam as a religion of peace, homosexuality in marriage & every other form of immorality, which God hates.

Mat 28 (Great Commission)
18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

John 3 (the word of God never returns void)
16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 

1 Cor 6:2 (this is part of the great commission observing that teaching Jesus commandments)
Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases?

There is peace in bearing witness to the righteousness of God in this dark world. The true Christian is like the salt of the earth (Mat 5:13), and though true Christians may be few, we are enough, just like the little salt that is enough to flavour a whole lot of food, and we find peace in it because the joy of the Lord is our strength. So, I call out to you, whoever you are, wherever you are, come out of the lies you are hiding behind, come into the light and the truth will set you free (John 8:31-32), you no longer have to pretend to be at peace or even pretend to be happy for that matter. The apostle Paul (2Cor 7:4), found joy sharing the Gospel in prison and that joy can be yours, all you need to do is seek the Lord your Maker in prayer, know Him in Jesus Christ (John 1:18) through the knowledge of scripture (66 books of the Bible), learn His nature and delight in it (Psalm 37:4) and that peace of God will fill up that emptiness in you, which nothing awesome enough but God can fill.