"But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber." 2 Peter 2:1-3 (NKJV)
It's an inescapable fact that we were created by the same God that created the heavens and the earth and everything in them. Mankind may say or declare, even forcefully, anything contrary against it, but mankind's warbling has no effect on the truth of what God's said and it'll be proved out when He avenges against their wickedness in defense of His own name. There are those among the secular scholars and Darwinists- the "intellectuals", that dispute the inerrant word of God and are not shy about making their views known. The height of their arrogance in disbelieving God, as Lucifer once did, may well prove to have formed the basis of their eternal undoing and shattered brokenness when God finally judges them. So many among mankind may think that they've actually gotten away with their arrogance and rebellion because of God's patience in dealing with them, but God's undeterrable justice is coming for those who don't repent while breath still inhabits their physical bodies. What will we be able to say of the unrepentant then, except that they made their own foolish choice, on that day when they come face to face with the horrific price of their own arrogant mistake? If they were as wise as they think they are, they'd be fearing God right now, while they have breath to repent.
"And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being." Genesis 2:7 (NKJV)
There are even some that I hear of among those who call themselves Christian, that are increasingly doubting the veracity of events in the bible as actual history- preferring instead to refer to them more like biblical fairy tales. Perhaps they're condemning scripture in their own minds to sit on the same shelf as a volume of Aesop's Fables- fictional children's stories intended to impart some moral truth, rather than the true history of true events that God dictated for our benefit. For their sake, I'd remind them that we're limited in every way and are used to living that reality, so we more naturally tend to think within the realm of our own limitations, but our limitations and limited thinking have no bearing on God's person and abilities. I contend that what we call "miracles" are just those things that God does without effort, continually. Do they also doubt that this same God created the heavens and the earth as He said?
"Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said: “Who is this who darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Now prepare yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer Me. Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements? Surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? To what were its foundations fastened? Or who laid its cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?"" Job 38:1-7 (NKJV)
I think it's important to consider that people who've taught others to inherit their own brand of fallacies may draw God's particular scrutiny for having led other souls that He loves and cherishes to believe an error. I think also that the number of days that those doubting God have to repent and seek remedy to their error, grow continually shorter. No man has control of the number of his days. At the time that God determines, every man, woman or child will give up the life of his or her physical body, quite possibly without any warning ... and then comes God's judgment of their souls that remain.
“All flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, and its flower falls away, but the word of the Lord endures forever.” 1 Peter 1:24-25 (NKJV)
I'm confounded by the idea that anyone who doubts any part of what God's said can still have any confidence in the parts of scripture that they prefer to cherry pick to believe. If we're unable to believe what God's said at any point- essentially calling Him a liar by the way, how can we trust anything else that He's said? I have absolutely no doubt that God Himself will avenge on behalf of His reputation against those who dispute Him unrepentantly to their end. And for those who fear that the true spirit of everything God has said has been misrepresented in scripture by those that He chose to dictate to, or by those who have translated, I'd ask them to consider something. If it were so important to God that mankind know what He wanted him to know throughout time, would not that same God, having such power over all issues of His will, protect and preserve the very essence of His message in scripture to the very last frail figure of mankind? Would He leave us to become orphans, blind to the truth, and the message of His grace to be lost? No. It's time for those doubting to doubt their doubting and cling to the clear essence and message of God found within His Word and be saved.
"For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works." Titus 2:11-13 (NKJV)
I despise the sharing of an understanding of scripture that is so watered down that it no longer carries the complete truth in the fullness of what God's said. I've actually heard long ago, what I felt was a teacher making apology for the harshness of something that God's said, and attempting to soften the impact of it. I'm personally convinced that if God meant for it to be softened, that He would have softened it Himself and that those who presume to edit God may well find themselves edited in ways they would not like to think about as they cause others to miss the seriousness or fullness of what God's said and then suffer because of it. And how about those who only teach focus on certain aspects of God's character, leaving out the rest, perhaps perpetuating a lie of omission by misrepresenting the perfection of His Holiness- the completeness of all that God is? God is indeed Love, but what about the towering height of His majesty and the terrifying might of His power to just speak all that we know into existence? How about His unmatchable wisdom, perfect righteousness and inescapable justice? How unpleasantly surprised may their students be when they meet the true God that is and they cry out to Him that they were misled?
"Now see that I, even I, am He, and there is no God besides Me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; nor is there any who can deliver from My hand." Deuteronomy 32:39 (NKJV)
There are some who misuse or pervert the context of scripture to gain a "following"- some of them geared more toward serving those who only desire to hear what they want to hear- desiring to consume only spiritual dessert to their detriment, avoiding the meat that would nourish them spiritually? Will those serving up such an unhealthy diet to those that God loves escape His notice when accounts are called due?
"For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables." 2 Timothy 4:3-4 (NKJV)
I even have concern for some of us who are attempting to follow Christ more carefully, because I think that we may be at risk of becoming lulled by the continuity of days and traditions, and therefore more distant from the necessity of fearing God- that is, from the continually offering of the ultimate of respect due to Him for all that He is and all that He's said. I'm not suggesting that we who have truly accepted Jesus Christ as Savior have any reason to worry about our salvation, but what of God's possible displeasure over our conduct here when meting out rewards in the life that we were actually created for- the life after this one? How about the idea that we might be offending the very One who sacrificed His all to save us and adopt us as His very own? We need to be actively consulting our Lord regarding anything in us or in our lives that He may find offensive more urgently rather than leaving them to be addressed at some later point when we might find it more convenient. I believe that it's entirely possible that our time could be much shorter than we have reason to expect and that if we actually have proper respect for The True And Living God, we'll be seeking His approval much sooner than later.
"Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.” But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil." James 4:13-16 (NKJV)
"He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?" Micah 6:8 (NKJ)
“And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments of the Lord and His statutes which I command you today for your good? Indeed heaven and the highest heavens belong to the Lord your God, also the earth with all that is in it." Deuteronomy 10:12-14 (NKJ)
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