Steps To Spiritual Maturity, Bible Study

Monday's Bible Study for June 10, 2013

(Steps To Spiritual Maturity, Bible Study)

I have dealt with people who thinks that I am judging them by telling them the Truth from the Word of God and they seem to get mad or upset and try to prove that they are right and they try to say that I have no clue. These people attend to say things like, “You don’t know me, you don’t live in my shoes and don’t know what I go through, so don’t tell me how to live or what to say”. Does this sound like you? What the problem here is, the Bible has already condemned you because you have chosen to disobey God and His Word. You can’t handle the Truth, so you attend to yell and scream at the messengers of God’s Word, even worse, you are having a spiritual battle with God Almighty and fighting with Him. I may not know some of you and don’t know what you have been through, but with you acting out like this show’s how immature you are and how ignorant you are to the teachings of God’s Word. To be one with God, you have to learn how to crawl before you can walk. You have to learn by hearing the Gospel of Jesus Christ, I know that some of you don’t go to Church on a regular basis. You need to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, I can feel that some of you have not done that. You need to confess to Jesus Christ that you are in in the need of a Savior. You need to repent all of your sins to God and walk completely away from them and get water Baptized and you will receive the free Gift of God, which is Eternal Life in Heaven, not hell. We will talk about Baptism here in a bit. Many of you are just like Babies, even though you may be an adult, but you are not ready for pure spiritual food, because you may not be ready to handle it. I have some steps to help you to become a mature adult and I pray that it will help you become spiritually mature in the likeness of Jesus Christ. The way you act here on earth, shows what maturity level you are on. Lets dive right into this and I pray that you will learn to follow Jesus Christ today. 

(Steps To Spiritual Maturity, Bible Study)

‘I could not talk to you as spiritual adults but as to nonspiritual, or as infants in our Messiah. I fed you with spiritual milk not spiritual meat for you were not mature enough and even now you are not strong enough, for you are still too carnal’ (1 Corinthians 3:1 to 3) Prolonged spiritual childhood is carnality and it is often mentioned in the scriptures. Acting like immature Christians had reduced the Corinthian people to the status of spiritual babes. There was no distinction between carnality, immaturity and spiritual babes, because carnal people act childishly. If a person does not grow as they should in Christian character, then they are immature babes. Having a good memory for scriptures does not signify maturity. Christianity has to be of the heart, not head knowledge. Growing up as a Christian does not mean being able to quote many scriptures, it means to produce spiritual fruit or good Christian character. If a Christian goes whimpering off to the church leadership about silly trivialities, they are childish and that signifies immaturity. At this early stage of their Christian walk, weaker people are more likely to give up their faith (Matthew 13:19 to 21). It takes strength of character to remain faithful to God through difficult times. Ongoing sin or a reactive dislike of parts of the Bible are signs of immaturity. Many Christians love the excitement and joy of the house of God and see a lot of miracles but will not accept the discipline of church leadership. Many people hate the way the Bible describes some sins as abominations to God. They will not tolerate being told their sin is their sin and not someone else’s fault. They hate being told they will have to give an account to God on Judgement Day for their actions, both good and bad (2 Corinthians 5:10). Some people cannot accept solid teaching from the Word of Truth where a strong foundation can be laid. God cannot work through a church where He is not Lord and Head of that assembly, nor can Head just the relationships of people within the church to create strong disciples, or touch on their greed, their materialism or their worldly lifestyle. These same ‘babes’ might grow up if they could see the Christians in Africa for example, who dress in bark because they have no clothes and cannot easily access fresh drinking water, or having one Bible shared amongst 5,000 people like in some countries. The Corinthian church had many gifts but they also had many problems caused by immaturity. Gifts given by the Lord are not a sign of growth, but of grace. Maturity is knowing how to handle the gifts to glorify God and to edify the whole body of believers. The scriptures need to be understood by the mind but experienced by the heart. We all need to seek the Word of God and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal those areas where we need to grow up in God. Spending time with the Lord, being completely silent in His Presence, waiting for His Word to come, worshiping, fasting, listening to Christian music, attending church and being involved in church activities will all help with spiritual growth. Once a person feels they cannot get enough of God’s presence even after spending hours with Him, that individual is growing up. If every Christian spent two or three hours reading His Word, praising, worshiping and praying, every single day, we would have very few spiritual infants. People who refuse to read the Bible, will not mature in God. The story of the elder brother of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11 to 32) shows a very immature man who complained about the father’s welcoming home party for the prodigal. Many Christians are like that. They do not realize Jesus has made the way of deliverance for them, nor do they realize they have an inheritance. They are still struggling to gain the victory, but they do not have to gain the victory for it has already been given to us by the blood of Jesus, so all we have to do is walk in that victory. Some people take a long time to grasp the concept of deliverance from sickness, spiritual weakness, sin and carnality, and walk in the liberty of salvation. ‘Whom the Son sets free is free indeed’ (John 8:36). At this stage of spiritual growth, there are still people who walk away from their faith when things get tough (Matthew 13:22). Other people turn to ‘alternative’ teaching. ‘Do not be carried away by various and strange teachings for it is good for the heart to be established by means of grace’ (Hebrews 13:9). A mature Christian will produce the fruits of the Holy Spirit and behave graciously. ‘Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control and those who have crucified the flesh with its desires. If we live by the Holy Spirit let us also walk by the Spirit. Let us not be conceited, provoking and envying one another’ (Galatians 5:22 to 26). The scriptures say the doctrine of the carnal person is unstable. ‘We should no longer be spiritual children, tossed to and fro between various winds of doctrine, following unscrupulous men in every form of trickery, inventing errors to mislead, but speaking truth in love, let us grow up in every way to be like Jesus Who is our Head’ (Ephesians 4:14 & 15) The scriptural steps of spiritual maturity are water, milk, meat and oil. When we slowly grow up through the steps, we will see God is building His church gradually, step by step. The first step, water, is for spiritual cleansing, and for spiritual thirst quenching. Consistently reading the Bible washes us spiritually. This ‘water’ is figurative or spiritual. The Bible is the cleansing water of the Word (Ephesians 5:26). Jesus is the Word of God (John 1:1 & 14; Revelation 19:13). He came with water and blood (1 John 5:6). We are washed by His blood (Revelation 1:5). The blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin (1John 1:7). The water of the Word washes us clean from sin when we give our lives to Jesus, then after our salvation we should then be baptized in real water, which is very significant for our salvation. Jesus was baptized by full immersion so we should be baptized by full immersion. Jesus Himself is the Saviour and the Head of His body, the church because He gave Himself up for the church so He could cleanse the church by the washing of water with the Word, so He could then present the church to Himself in glorious splendour, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing ... Wives need to submit to their husbands; husbands need to submit to Jesus ... Husbands are the head in a household; Jesus is the Head of the church ... Wives are to submit to their husbands; the church must submit to Jesus ... Husbands must love their wives; Jesus loved the church so much He gave Himself up for her ... Jesus sanctified the church by washing her with the water of the Word ... Jesus nourishes the church as a husband provides nourishment for his wife ... The God given sanctity of earthly marriage was given as an example of the church being the Bride of the Lamb, our Messiah (Ephesians 5:22 to 33). The water of the Word quenches our spiritual thirst or need for God. ‘As the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants after you, God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God’ (Psalm 42:1 & 2). ‘Listen, everyone who is thirsty! Come to the waters ...’ (Isaiah 55:1). Jesus said, "Everyone who drinks of this (normal) water will thirst again but whoever drinks of the (spiritual) water I will give them will never thirst again. The (spiritual) water I give will become in them a well of living water springing up to eternal life" (John 4:13 & 14). ‘To the thirsty, I will give (spiritual) water without price from the fountain of the water of Life’(Revelation 21:6). ‘The Holy Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” Let those who are listening say, “Come!” Let everyone come who is thirsty and whoever will, let them come, take of the Water of Life without cost’ (Revelation 22:17). Moving on from the watery steps, we come to the ‘milk’. ‘Like newborn babies you should crave the pure spiritual milk, so by it you may be nurtured and grow into salvation since you have already tasted the goodness of the Lord’ (1 Peter 2:2 & 3). As brand new baby Christians, we began our walk by listening to preachers tell us all about the Word of God. Most of it went right over our heads. When we first begin to read the Bible, it leaves us wondering. As new baby believers, we are not expected to know more than the basic doctrine of salvation. New Christians are called babes or infants. Jesus called His disciples babies, yet they were all strong, adult men, but they were new babes in the New Covenant (Matthew 11:25). Jesus called young Christians, lambs (John 21:15). John calls them little children (1 John 2:1, 12 & 28). As a new Christian, we need a long time to grow, just human babies do. The milk of the Word nourishes us until we learn to ‘walk’ in the Lord, unaided. The first step is as a spiritual baby, then a little child. After we learn to walk in the Lord, we are called ‘boys’ or ‘lads’ or young men (1 John 2:18). As we grow spiritually and learn more, so the steps of spiritual growth as mentioned in the Bible become deeper, more interesting, more exciting and we begin to get to know more about God’s personality. Once we become ‘children’ rather than ‘babes’, God begins His discipline and we grow faster, spiritually. ‘By this time you ought to be teachers but you still need someone to teach you the basic principles of God’s Word. You have come to need spiritual milk not solid food. Everyone who feeds on milk is immature in the Word of righteousness, for he is a spiritual infant’ (Hebrews 5:12 & 13). Paul said he could not talk to the people as spiritual adults, but he had to speak to them as though they were spiritual infants because they were too carnal and unspiritual, behaving like unchanged people. They were arguing amongst themselves and Paul told them off (1 Corinthians 3:1 to 23). We need to grow up in God, mature and see things through spiritual ‘eyes’, not through worldly eyes. God will tolerate carnality in a new Christian for a while, but eventually He will start to deal with us as sons and purge the sinfulness out of us. Jesus said His words and teaching cleansed and pruned the disciples (John 15:3). Later on He said He could not tell them everything He wanted to because they were not ready for it (John 16:12). After a few years, we come to the next step in our spiritual growth. The next step is the need to go on to meat or more solid spiritual food. ‘Meat is for full-grown adults who are able to distinguish between good and evil’ (Hebrews 514). At this level we should be able to seek out for ourselves the deeper oracles of God written in the Bible. We should be past the stage where we believe everything the pastor says, just because he says it. We should be able to search both Old and New Testaments and cross reference scriptures. We should be able to line up the latest sermon from church with the scriptures. The Bible should be making a lot more sense than before because the more we read, the more the Lord opens our spiritual eyes, and so the more we can see. Jesus said, “Blessed are your eyes because they do see, and blessed are your ears because they do hear” (Matthew 13:16). Jesus was speaking about spiritual eyes and ears. The things of God are foolish to the natural, nonspiritual man, and it takes time to learn and discern the things of God (1Corinthians 2:14). Mature Christians are called sheep who should mature into shepherds. The next step is when we get to the point where we can teach others. The Bible calls mature Christians, fathers (1 John 2:13 & 14). It is a time when the Lord expects mature Christian behaviour and He will no longer tolerate immaturity or bad conduct. We are to be examples of Christianity to the outside world, to our families and especially, to new Christians in the church. This is the time when we are aware God is watching every move. He always has been, but we are more aware of it. We become more aware of the sin nature that lurks in our bodies. We strive to become as holy as mere humans can be because we know our purity brings us closer to God. We are also aware of the greatness of our Creator and are able to have long, involved conversations with Him. He tells us secrets He becomes more real than ever before. We can experience His kiss on our cheek, His wonderful perfume filling the room; we can sense the warmth and love in His eyes. He becomes a real Person. We are far more aware of what He expects of His people in the terms of holiness, honesty, kindness and other attributes He has, we are to attain to. This is when He reveals the weaknesses in our character He disapproves of, and the new fresh clean aspects of our character are revealed. At the same time, we are able to search the scriptures in a much deeper way and get to know God in a deeper, more mature way. He becomes our whole life, our breath, our constant companion and our lifeblood. This is the point where we know we can never live without Him, and there are no more stumbling blocks. If people make it to this stage in their walk with the Lord, they are much less likely to slip away (Matthew 13:23). Another step is the ‘oil’ of the Holy Spirit. This can come at any time in our lives, or any time in our walk with God. Some people receive the Holy Spirit the day they receive Jesus as their Saviour. Other people are not filled with the Spirit for years afterwards. Some are baptized in water before being baptized in the Holy Spirit, others receive the Holy Spirit before baptism in water. Every person is different and there is no set sequence for receiving the Holy Spirit, but once we do, we receive power to do God’s will. We receive the internal ‘fire that gives us the desire to get out there and preach. We receive the guidance we need (John 16:13). Praying in tongues, or praying in the Spirit gives us the strength to live in this sinful world without being tainted by sin (Jude 1:20, 24 & 25). We have learned to listen to the tiny voice of God so we are able receive answers to problems and questions we often want to ask Him. We receive the power to walk by faith, walk in the Spirit and walk in a totally new way of life. All we have to do is ask, receive by faith and learn to listen to His still, small voice. If you are a new Christian and are wondering why the Bible is so hard to understand, keep reading it because God will show you new things in His time. Just as we would not overload a young child with information they are too young to understand, so God also does not overload us with information we cannot yet absorb. Be patient with yourself and allow God to reveal the steps and stages of spiritual growth for you, slowly, as you are able to deal with each new piece of information. It gets better, more interesting and more exciting as God slowly reveals things to us; things we would never have dreamed possible. ‘They (Christians) have a garland (hope) for ashes (broken lives), the oil of joy (the Holy Spirit) for mourning (distress of any kind), the garment of praise (praise and worship) for the spirit of heaviness (depression, sadness) so they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord so He may be glorified’ (Isaiah 61:3). We are not to live for the flesh and of the world. Living the way of the world will only bring you sadness, hatred, sorrow, pain, aguish, misery, emptiness and it leads to destruction in hell fire. There is no Life if there was no God and you will have no eternal Life if you die without Jesus Christ in your heart, mind, body and soul. There is one person and way that you all need to belike, live like and follow and Jesus Is Our Example. ‘Come to Me all you who labour and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light’ (Matthew 11:28 to 30). Those are wonderful words of Jesus. The idea of the ‘yoke’ is like a farmer or our ‘Master’. A yoke makes oxen go where the Master wants them to go, and do what the Master wants them to do. The whole message of the Bible is ‘God wants to give us salvation’. He wants to transform us, prepare us for heaven and finally, introduce us to a whole new existence. We need to concentrate on being transformed into the likeness of Jesus and that includes being totally obedient like He was. We need to learn from Jesus and apply the knowledge to our lives. Just reading the Bible is not enough to change us. ‘Receive with humility the implanted Word, which is able to save your souls. Be doers of the Word of God, and not merely listeners to it’ (James 1:21 & 22). We need to form a one on one, close relationship with Jesus in order to learn from Him. We need to spend time in His company and get to know Him intimately, just as Jesus knows the Father intimately. ‘I have set you an example, that you should do as I have done for you’ (John 13:15). We need to make Jesus our Lord and our Master and follow His example. If we follow the Lord, we are not pushing against His will, and that makes our lives flow easier and we will find peace. Jesus also once had a ‘yoke’. He was, and still is connected to His Father, and in obedience went to the cross to save and liberate us humans, and in return we need to be committed to the Father’s purpose. His yoke is all about service and obedience to God. What kinds of things will Jesus teach us? He has told us He is gentle and humble in heart. Just as Jesus learned from His Father and did the things God told Him to do, so we also need to learn to do the things Jesus did and said. Jesus said if we do that, we will find rest for our souls. We will be at peace with in ourselves. The soul who learns from Jesus, is a soul at rest. If we are proud confused and live for ourselves, or striving to live without Jesus’ yoke to guide us, we cannot learn from God. The Pharisees were a good example of what not to do. Allowing Jesus to guide us will bring spiritual growth, and to do that, we need to be close to Him. What motivated Jesus? The close, loving relationship with the Father motivated Jesus to fulfil the task given to Him, and that is the yoke we need to have too. We must be obedient and fulfill whatever tasks are given to us, just as our Example, the Lord Jesus did. By taking His yoke and completing our tasks, we glorify God the Father. Jesus was speaking to the Father when He said, “I have glorified You on earth by completing the work that You gave Me to do” (John 17:4). Jesus showed us His ‘yoke’ by only ever doing what God the Father told Him to do. ‘I am able to do nothing from Myself ... because I do not seek My own will, but only the will of the Father Who sent Me’ (John 5:30). Several times in the four Gospels we read about Jesus saying just that; that He came solely to do God’s will. ‘For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will but to do the will of Him Who sent Me, and this is the will of Him Who sent Me; that I should not lose any of all that He has given Me, but that I should give them new life and raise them up at the last day’ (John 6:38 & 39). In other words, God the Father wants to give us salvation through Jesus the Son. Jesus delighted to do God’s will. Jesus life was dominated by the desire to please the Father and to accomplish all that the Father had given Him to do; and He never once wavered from that thought. That thought determined Jesus’ attitude to life; made Him become our servant; He was utterly selfless; Jesus was never negative or selfish, ungracious or unloving. He was always wanting to direct people to the Father and teach people about the Father. That is what made Him reach out to touch sick people; reach out to bless the children; raise the dead; and finally, that is what took Him to Jerusalem and to the cross. That is why at the end He cried out with a loud voice, “It is finished” (John 19:30). The Father was at the centre of what Jesus did, and we must also desire to do God’s will in its entirety, right to the end of our lives. Jesus taught us how to face life, but He also taught us how to face death. His very last words were, “Father, into Your hands I commit My Spirit” (Luke 23:46). That is faith, because when we are dead, there’s nothing more we can do. Faith is the way we face death. We all need to face life by living to please the Father and to honour and glorify Him. We need to follow His example and allow that to bring us the greatest delight. We need to learn from the Lord Jesus daily. In the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus suffered anguish but He prayed, “Not My will but Yours be done” (Luke 22:42). We also read that although Jesus is God’s Son, He learned obedience by what He suffered. Jesus became the Source of salvation to all those who obey Him (Hebrews 5:8 & 9). Jesus lived in total submission to the Father, His plans and His purposes. Jesus is the most influential Person in all of earth’s history. The Apostle Paul had the same determination to follow the Father. He faced beatings and death but did not waver from ‘fighting the good fight’. “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7) In the book of Daniel we see that Daniels three friends from the tribe of Judah, Hananiah (Shadrach), Mishael (Meshach) and Azariah (Abednego) were also prepared to die in order to be obedient to the Father, and were delivered by the Angel of the Lord (Jesus) from an extremely hot, fiery furnace (Daniel 1:6 & 7; 3:12 to 27). Daniel was delivered from the hungry lion’s mouth (Daniel 6:16 to 23). The obedience of these four incredibly brave men changed history in favour of the Jews. Nebuchadnezzar made a decree that everyone had to honour God (Daniel 3:29). Later King Darius made a decree that every person had to fear the Lord (Daniel 6:25 to 27). We are all capable of pushing God out to the fringes of our lives instead of keeping Him at the centre where He should be. Jesus – who is our example – never once did this even as a teenage boy. Every year Jesus and His family went to Jerusalem for a Passover feast. One year when Jesus was about 12 years old, He failed to return home with His parents. They searched for Him for three days, and when they found Him, His mother Mary firmly scolded Him for worrying them. Jesus reply was; “Did you not know that it is necessary for Me to be in My Father’s house doing My Father’s business?” An example for teenagers to follow is; Jesus was always obedient to His parents (Luke 2:41 to 52) We need to follow Jesus’ example of obedience and dedication to God. Fierce determination did it for Jesus, and will do it for us too, and with God’s help, we will succeed. We cannot, cannot, cannot, do this on our own. We must be submitted to God, humble ourselves and ask His help, and by the grace of God we will achieve total obedience like Jesus did. If we fail, we need to repent, confess our sins, and get right up and press on to the goal. Total submission to God can actually keep us from falling into sin (Jude 1:24). But if we do fall we know we have an Intercessor, Who intercedes on our behalf and can pull us back up again (Romans 8:27; Hebrews 7:25). We all have different calling’s so we need to ask God what our task is and do what He asks of us. We will not succeed if we try to do someone else’s job. The example for this is found in the scriptures. The body of believers is made up of many parts. If God calls us to do a task, we should not try to do a different one. If we are a ‘hand’, we should not try to be a ‘foot (1Corinthians 12:12 to 25). We all belong in our own place, doing our own job, in obedience to God’s will. Just as Jesus was obedient and was completely and totally successful in His purpose;which was the plascripturesn of salvation the Father gave to Him for us; so our obedience to God is the key to a successful Christian life. ‘According to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Holy Spirit, that you may obey Jesus and be washed in His blood. Grace to you and peace be multiplied. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus our Messiah, Who according to His great mercy, became our Father again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, to an incorruptible and undefiled inheritance that does not fade away, reserved in Heaven for you, who by the power of God are guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last days’ (1 Peter 1:2 to 5). As we close in prayer tonight, if you want God’s Holy Spirit to come into your life and to make that transformation in your life, then you need to live your life for God and not for yourselves. Living your way is what got you into the poor situation that you are in, in the first place. Many of you has been blinded by satan’s darkness, for way to long. Now is the time to make that change, by living your life to the fullest for Jesus Christ, God Almighty. Come to God and get right in His sight so you can be in Heaven when you die. Lets Pray.

HEAVEN AND HELL ARE REAL PLACES, Bible Study.

Monday's Bible Study for 6/3/13

HEAVEN AND HELL ARE REAL PLACES, Bible Study.

Life is a test, a test of faith and learning how to live right in the sight of God. I have seen many of you claim to be Christians, but yet, you still live as of the world, we need to live Godly and not earthly, meaning living in sin. whatever it is that you say you do in secrete, is no secrete at all. God see’s it all, from the Heavenly realms and what sin you may be doing, can keep you out of Heaven, your constant cursing and foul living, smoking, drinking, is a good start for a set of perfect examples. You have to be living right in the sight of God, specially at the time of your death. Your last words and your last sinful activities can result in eternal damnation. I know that many of you are thinking, how can he be so judgmental? Well, guess what my friends, God’s Word has already condemned you, not me. I am just a messenger of God’s, meaning His faithful disciple, that is what Christians are suppose to be. Messenger’s of God’s Word, in hopes to bring others to God in repentance and to lead others to get right with God. God has created us to Praise Him, Edify, Glorify and Worship Him. That is done by living right with every aspect of our lives in His righteousness. Many of you are failing God and just may be subject for hell. I can only teach and preach it, I cannot make you do what you need to do. You have to do that part. In this study, I am sure that you are going to learn something here to apply in your lives. I pray and hope that you will seek and truly find God in your lives and stop living for the flesh, that type of living will send you to hell, start living for God Almighty instead. God did not come here as Jesus Christ and die for nothing, He died for you, so you can be saved from hell fire. We are going to dive into something that most people who are ignorant to God’s Word about, they cannot seem to understand and say’s that these places are not real, that is Heaven and hell. Many of you may end up there and you then will know that it is real. The Bible is the Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth, instruction manual. The King James Bible is the “WARNING LETTERS FOR ALL OF US TO FOLLOW AND LIVE BY, IF YOU WANT TO BE IN HEAVEN”.

Heaven And Hell Are Real Places.

‘In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth’ (Genesis 1:1). ‘The heavens and the earth were finished and all the host of them (their vast array) ... This is the history of the heavens and the earth when they were created in the day the Lord God made the earth and the heavens’ (Genesis 2:1 & 4). The Lord created heaven out of nothing – He spoke it into existence. The last three letters in a Hebrew word; ‘h.i.m’ (pronounced heem) is plural in the Hebrew language, like ‘s’ is in English. Heaven is presented in Hebrew as plural; shemayim. The area called heavens is so vast, so great in size, the only word that can describe it, is the ‘expanse’. ‘God called the expanse, Heavens ... ’ (Genesis 1:8). The ‘host of them’ the ‘vast array’ infers the heavens are vast, huge, enormous and a host are many. We can see there are not only numerous heavens, but there are several armies in these heavens and they all worship God (Nehemiah 9:6; Psalm 33:6; Revelation 19:14). ‘You stretch out the heavens like a curtain’ (Psalm 104:2; Isaiah 40:22). ‘Behold, the heavens and the heaven of heavens belong to the Lord your God, the earth also, with all that is on it’ (Deuteronomy 10:14). ‘Behold, the heavens and the heaven of heavens cannot contain You’ (1 Kings 8:27; 2 Chronicles 6:18). ‘Sing praises to Him Who rides on the heavens of the heavens, the ancient heavens’ (Psalm 68:33). ‘The heavens are the work of Your hands’ (Psalm 102:25). Jesus ascended far above all heavens so His presence could fill the whole universe (Ephesians 4:10). ‘The heavens were made by the Word of God’ (Hebrews 11:3; 2 Peter 3:5). Jesus Himself is the Word of God (John 1:1; Revelation 19:13), so Jesus created all of the heavens (John 1:1 to 3; Colossians 1:16). As we can see in all of these verses, the heavens, as they are written in the Bible, are always plural. There are several separate levels in the heavens mentioned in the Bible and the Lord God is not restricted to any of them but moves freely around, and fills all of them with His presence. “Do not I fill heaven and earth?” says the Lord (Jeremiah 23:24). Paul was taken to the third heaven, so logically speaking, if there is a third heaven, then there has to be a first and second (2 Corinthians 12:2 to 4). There are several names for the plural heavens written in the scriptures: Firmament, expanse, Kingdom of Heaven, Kingdom of God, Paradise, New Jerusalem, Kingdom of the Father, Kingdom of Jesus, House of the Father, Mount Zion – the City of the living God the Heavenly Jerusalem, Holy of Holies, Holy Place, Holy Habitation, Life, Eternal Life, the Joy, the Heavenly Country and Temple of God. The first or the lowest heaven is the visible heaven we see and breathe the air. It is the area of our atmosphere and airspace from the earth’s surface where dew forms, to where smoke rises, up to where eagles fly, where storms form, up as far up as the sun, moon, planets and stars. Foundations are the lowest area of any building and are necessary for its stability and development. Earth is the necessary foundation for heaven. ‘The earth quaked and the foundations of the heavens trembled and shook’ (2 Samuel 22:8). ‘You Lord, did lay the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the works of Your hands’ (Hebrews 1:10). The gifts from heaven are dew and the sun (Deuteronomy 33:13, 14 & 28); dew is formed in our atmosphere and the sun, moon and stars are in the area we call ‘space’ but all of it is called heaven (Psalm 8:3). Smoke rises to the heavens (Joshua 8:20) but it does not go into space, so the area where our air is on earth is called heaven. Heaven is the area where thunder, lightning, hail and storms form (Exodus 9:23). Eagles fly through the heavens (Proverbs 30:19). Jesus was walking on earth, yet He said He was in heaven (John 3:13). We live on the surface of the earth; in the area God calls the foundations of the heavens; the first heaven; the lowest heaven. The mid, or second heaven is logically located between the first and the third. There are two verses that speak of the mid-heaven. ‘Then I looked and saw an eagle flying in mid-heaven’ (Revelation 8:13). ‘Then I saw another angel flying in mid-heaven’ (Revelation 14:6). If we read the chapters of Revelation between mid-heaven in chapter 8, and mid-heaven in chapter 14, we see a whole picture from ‘woe’ to ‘victory’. In chapter 8, the eagle is crying, “Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth.” In chapter 14, the angel has the Eternal Gospel, Babylon has fallen and all of creation is worshipping and adoring our Saviour. The war in heaven is not completely over, but victory is on its way. The devil is cast out of heaven permanently mid-way through these two chapters (Revelation 12:7 to 10), and complete victory is written in chapter 20. So what was happening? The devil was about to be evicted from mid-heaven, once and for all time, and he was putting up an enormous struggle. Of course we know it ends with the devil being thrown into the eternal lake of fire (Revelation 20:10) but until that time, he inhabits the mid-heaven. This can be confirmed by studying Daniel chapters 10, 11 & 12. As Daniel was praying and fasting for an answer to prayer, an angel was sent from God to give the answer. After the angel left a high level of heaven to come to earth, somewhere between heaven and earth, the angel had to fight an evil spirit that ruled over Persia. The angel was assisted by the Archangel Michael and managed to get through to earth. The same angel was accosted again as he was returning to God. Obviously, the evil spirit was midway between heaven and earth, in the heavenly realm and tried to stop Daniel’s prayer being answered. These were two opposing angels that came into conflict – they were not people. Our battle is not with people, it is in the spiritual realm. Michael is the Archangel responsible for watching over Israel. There are holy angels who have tasks given to them for us, to do us good. There are evil beings that have tasks given to them for evil. It is all played out in the heavenly sphere. The holy angel who spoke to Daniel said he had to go back and fight again in the heavenlies. That shows us the holy angel had to pass through the devil’s territory when he came down to Daniel and again to get back to his own place in heaven. The evil prince of Persia (an evil spirit) fought with the holy angels over ancient Israel, and in our modern time the prince of Persia (now Iran) is still fighting over Israel. The area the evil prince of Persia has been allotted, covers the whole of what was ancient Persia and that was a huge area. That battle has been going on for thousands of years and it may help some people understand what is actually going on in Israel and the surrounding areas in our present time. It is a spiritual battle being played out on earth. ‘We are not wrestling against flesh and blood, but against the powers of darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly sphere’ (Ephesians 6:12). The heavenly sphere, or mid-heaven is where the headquarters of the devil, the principalities, evil powers and evil rulers of wickedness are. ‘The wisdom of God ... might now be made known to the principalities and powers in the heavenly sphere’ (Ephesians 3:10). The devil was evicted from heaven because he said he would ascend to a higher heaven and wanted to exalt his throne above the stars of God in the uttermost north, or the highest of the high heavens. Instead he was cut down to the ground (Isaiah 14:12 to 14). Jesus saw the devil fall like lightning from heaven (Luke 10:18).The fallen angels are in hell in chains awaiting judgement because they left their place of power and abandoned their proper dwelling place (2 Peter 2:4; Jude 6) but the devil is not with them. After the final judgement he will be thrown into the eternal lake of fire along with the beast, the false prophet and all non-believers (Revelation 19:20; 20:10 & 15). In the meantime, the devil’s place of habitat is the heavenly realm because that is the natural place of angels. The devil lives amongst the angels and presents himself to God (Job 1:6 & 7; 2:1 & 2). Evil spirits can also present themselves to God in heaven (1 Kings 22:21; 2Chronicles 18:20). Jesus said the powers in the heavens would be shaken (Mark 13:25), that is the principalities and powers and rulers of darkness that currently inhabit the mid-heaven. Paradise is the third heaven and is above the first and second heavens. ‘I know that this man was caught upto the third heaven into Paradise’ (2 Corinthians 12:2 to 4). Paradise is also called Abraham’s Side and the Kingdom of Heaven. Paradise was never written about in the Old Testament. Jesus was the first to ever mention Paradise and that was when He told the repentant thief on the cross beside Him, he would be with Him in Paradise (Luke 23:43). Heaven was not open to people until Jesus was baptised. ‘No one has ever gone up to heaven’ (John 3:13). The exceptions were Enoch and Elijah who both were taken up into heaven while still alive (Genesis 5:24; Hebrews 11:5; 2 Kings 2:11). ‘When Jesus was baptised, He went up at once out of the water; and behold, the heavens were opened’ (Matthew 3:16; Mark 1:10). When Stephen was stoned to death, he went straight to heaven (Acts 7:56 & 59). Jesus said Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are all in the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 8:11: 22:32). The Tree of Life, once in the centre of the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:9) is now in Paradise (Revelation 2:7). People in Paradise and people in hell can see and speak to one another, but there is a chasm between heaven and hell so nobody can pass from one to the other (Luke 16:19 to 31). Paradise is where all born-again believers go immediately after death. We all share in the heavenly calling (Hebrews 3:1). Our hope is laid up for us in heaven (Colossians 1:5). There is an inheritance reserved for us in heaven (1 Peter 1:4). The other heavens are very much the Lord’s domain and we do not know in what order they are set. What we do know is they are above the first three heavens, and God would have to be higher than them because He looks down from His Holy Habitation into heaven (Deuteronomy 26:15; Psalm 113:6) and God sits in the highest heaven above all things. There is the highest heaven – the ‘Uttermost North’ – the heaven where His throne is – the place called His Holy Temple – the heavens of the heavens, which are self-explanatory. They are the heavens for all the other heavens and the Lord God is not restricted to any of them, but moves freely around, and fills all of them with His presence. Jesus ascended and passed through the heavens (Hebrews 4:14). There is peace in heaven and glory in the highest heaven (Luke 19:38). The Lord is above the heavens (Psalm 108:5). ‘Is not God in the highest of heaven? Behold the height of the stars, how high they are!’ (Job 22:12). ‘Heaven, even the heaven of heavens, cannot contain Him’ (2 Chronicles 2:6). God has set His glory above the heavens (Psalm 8:1). Heaven is God’s throne (Isaiah 66:1). God’s throne is above the dwelling place of the angels and cherubim. ‘God is enthroned above the cherubim’ (2 Kings 19:15; Isaiah 37:16; Ezekiel 10:1). ‘Behold, a throne stood in heaven, with One seated on the throne ... Twenty-four other thrones surrounded the throne, and seated on these thrones were twenty-four elders’ (Revelation 4:2 & 4). The twenty four elders certainly have a high place in heaven. The throne of the Lord is in the highest heaven, the highest of places where angels and the Lord live. There are so many angels they are called armies (1 Kings 22:19; 2 Chronicles 18:18; Luke 2:13). Only when God opens our spiritual eyes, are we able to see into heaven (Isaiah 6:1 to 3 Daniel 10:7). Only when God takes us in the spirit, are we able to visit heaven (2 Corinthians 12:2 to 4). Obviously the highest heavens are an incredible distance from earth, yet God can hear our thoughts and prayers from there (1Kings 8:30 & 49; 2 Chronicles 6:21 & 39). ‘The cry of the sufferers reached heaven’ (1 Samuel 5:12). Hezekiah and Isaiah prayed and cried to heaven for help, then the Lord sent an angel to assist them (2 Chronicles 32:20 & 21). God sits in heaven and laughs at the foolishness of sinners (Psalm 2:4). God sees us from His throne in heaven (Psalm 11:4). Heaven is the Lord’s sanctuary and temple. ‘For He looked down from the height of His sanctuary, from heaven did the Lord behold the earth’ (Psalm 102:19); ‘Praise God in His sanctuary, praise Him in the heavens of His power’ (Psalm 150:1); The Lord God rides through the heavens and majestically through the skies (Deuteronomy 33:26). ‘God bowed the heavens and came down. He rode on a cherub and flew. He was seen on the wings of the wind’ (2 Samuel 22:10 & 11; Psalm 18:9 & 10; 104:3). ‘The temple of God in heaven was thrown open and the ark of His covenant was seen standing inside His temple’ (Revelation 11:19). ‘He stretches out the Uttermost North over empty space’ (Job 26:7). The scriptures make it clear God owns both heaven and earth. Melchizedek stated, “God Most High, Possessor and Maker of heaven and earth,” then Abraham seconded that, “Lord, God Most High, the Possessor and Maker of heaven and earth” (Genesis 14:19 & 22). ‘All that is in the heavens and the earth is the Lord’s’ (1Chronicles 29:11). ‘Whatever is under the whole heavens is Mine’ (Job 41:11). ‘The heavens are Yours, the earth also is Yours; the world and all that is in it. You have founded them’ (Psalm 89:11). God has given all authority in heaven and on earth to Jesus (Matthew 28:18). Jesus ascended into heaven and is sitting down at the right hand of God the Father (Mark 16:19; Ephesians 1:20), with all angels, authorities and powers made subservient to Him (1 Peter 3:22). Jesus must stay in heaven and cannot come again until all things have been restored, that is until Israel and the church is restored (Acts 3:21). Before the Lord returns, there will be great signs from heaven (Luke 21:11). Israel is the house of God and the gateway to heaven (Genesis 28:12 & 17). That is because Israel is the land God has chosen to show the world the way of salvation, through our Jewish Messiah (John 4:22). Israel is the land of the Jews and is therefore our gateway to heaven, and Jacob was aware of that. The area Jacob named Bethel (Genesis 28:19) is still there and is still called Bethel which means ‘house of God’. The Children of Israel ate Manna, which was angel’s food (Psalm 78:25). It was bread from heaven and Jesus is the Bread from heaven (John 6:31 to 33). Jesus is the Lord from Heaven. We will bear the image of the Man of heaven (1 Corinthians 15:47 & 49) and there is no other name under heaven by which we can be saved (Acts 4:12). We sit in heavenly places because we have been saved by Jesus (Ephesians 2:6). The names of genuine believers are written down in heaven (Luke 10:20). Through God the Father, by the blood of Jesus, there will be reconciliation and peace in heaven, as well as on earth (Colossians 1:20). Jesus is the Master in heaven (Colossians 4:1). At the name of Jesus, every knee must bow, in heaven and on earth (Philippians 2:10). Jesus has been exalted higher than the heavens (Hebrews 7:26). The Holy Spirit is from heaven (1 Peter 1:12). There are various positions or gradient levels in heaven that are allotted to us, according to the lives we live on earth and according to the works we do. There are people who will only just get into heaven and will suffer loss because they will receive no rewards whatsoever. Some people will be least in the Kingdom of Heaven and some will be great in the Kingdom of Heaven. ‘For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and He will reward everyone according to their deeds’ (Matthew 16:27). ‘For we must all appear before the judgement seat of the Lord, so that each one may receive his pay according to what he has done in the body, whether good or evil’ (2 Corinthians 5:10). ‘If anyone builds on the Foundation, whether it be with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay or straw, the work of each person will become known, for the day (of judgement) will declare it. It will be revealed with fire, and the worth of the work each person has done will be tested by fire. If any person’s work is burned up, he will suffer the loss, losing his reward, though he himself will be saved, but only as one who has passed through the fire (1Corinthians 3:12 to 15). ‘Whoever breaks the commandments and teaches men so, will be called least in the Kingdom of heaven, but he who practices them and teaches others to do so, will be called great in the Kingdom of heaven’ (Matthew 5:19). ‘Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist, yet he who is least in the Kingdom of heaven, is greater than John’ (Matthew 11:11; Luke 7:28). ‘At that time the disciples asked Jesus, “Who then is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?” Jesus answered, “Whoever will humble himself ... is greatest in the Kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:1 & 4). ‘The Lord is going to shake earth and the heavens yet once more. This expression, ‘yet once more’ indicates the final removal of all that can be shaken – of what has been created – in order, that what cannot be shaken may remain’ (Hebrews 12:26 & 27). The Lord is going to burn the first and second heavens and earth because of sin and wickedness, and He will remove from heaven all causes of offence (Revelation 21:27). Heaven and earth will pass away (Matthew 24:35; Mark 13:31; Luke 21:33). ‘The heavens will vanish away like smoke and the earth will melt like an old garment (Isaiah 51:6) ‘The heavens and earth have been stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgement... The heavens will vanish with a thunderous crash and the elements of the universe will be burned with extreme heat, and the earth will be burned up ... The flaming heavens will be dissolved and the universe will melt with extreme heat, but we look for a new heavens and a new earth according to His promise (2 Peter 3:7, 10, 12 & 13). Genuine believers will then live on a newly created, new heavens and new earth. ‘For behold, I create a new heavens and a new earth ... For the new heavens and the new earth I will make, will remain before Me’ (Isaiah 65:17; 66:22). ‘Then I (John) saw a new heavens and a new earth, for the former heavens and the former earth had passed away and there no longer existed any sea. I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem descending out of heaven from God ... then I heard a mighty voice from the throne saying, “See! The abode of God is with men ... but only those whose names are recorded in the Lamb’s Book of Life” (Revelation 21:1 to 3 & 27). To get into heaven we have to be righteous, not religious, and we have to do the will of God (Matthew 5:20; 7:21). There is joy in heaven every time a sinner repents and comes to God (Luke 15:7). The heavens can open up (John 1:51; Acts 10:11; Revelation 4:1; 19:11). We are not to make an oath by using heaven because it is where God the Father lives, and so we may not fall under condemnation (Matthew 5:34; James 5:12). Nobody marries once they get to heaven because we will be like the angels (angels were not given permission to marry and reproduce) (Matthew 22:30; Mark 12:25). Blessings come from heaven (Genesis 49:25). We are not to make images of anything that is in heaven (Exodus 20:4; Deuteronomy 5:8). The Lord spoke to Moses and the children of Israel from heaven (Exodus 20:22; Deuteronomy 4:36; Nehemiah 9:13). On several occasions the Lord called on heaven to be a witness for Him (Deuteronomy 4:26; 30:19; 31:28; 32:1). Whatever there is in heaven, there is a copy here on earth (Hebrews 9:23). There is time in heaven, just like on earth. ‘There was silence for about half and hour in heaven’ (Revelation 8:1). ‘Yielding each month, its fresh crop of fruit’ (Revelation 22:2). When we sin, we sin against heaven (Luke 15:18 & 21) and the wrath of God is revealed from heaven (Romans 1:18). God rules heaven and His will is done in heaven (Matthew 6:10; Luke 11:2). The Lord has set laws in heaven, and heaven rules the earth. ‘Do you know the law of the heavens? Can you establish their rule on the earth?’ (Job 38:33). ‘The Lord has established His throne in the heavens and His Kingdom rules over all’ (Psalm 103:19). ‘God is in the heavens and He does whatever He pleases’ (Psalm 115:3). ‘Whatever the Lord pleases, that He has done in the heavens and on the earth and in the sea’ (Psalm 135:6). All of our eternal treasures are in heaven (Matthew 6:20; Mark 10:21; Luke 12:33). All our spiritual rewards will come to us once we get to heaven (Luke 6:23; 18:22). Some of the rewards we will receive are called the Crown of Life (James 1:12), Crown of Righteousness (2 Timothy 4:8), Crown of Glory (1 Peter 5:4),Incorruptible Crown (1 Corinthians 9:25), Great Reward (Matthew 5:12), Glorious Inheritance (Ephesians 1:18) and Eternal Inheritance (Hebrews 9:15). Whatever happens on earth or in heaven, the Lord has the last say. ‘Your Word is settled in heaven’ (Psalm 119:89). Hell is just as real as heaven. Jesus spoke about hell as much as He spoke about heaven. ‘He (Jesus) will say to those at His left hand, “Begone from Me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41). ‘Whoever says, “You cursed fool” will be unable to escape the fire of Gehenna’ (Matthew 5:22). ’He will be driven into outer darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth’ (Matthew 8:12). ‘Be afraid of Him Who can destroy both soul and body in hell’ (Matthew 10:28). ‘It is better for you to enter eternal life maimed than to be thrown into everlasting fire’ (Matthew 18:8 & 9). ‘Tie him hand and foot and throw him into outer darkness where there will be weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth; for many are called but few are chosen’ (Matthew 22:13 & 14). ‘God will scourge him and put him with the hypocrites; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth’ (Matthew 24:51). ‘Throw the good-for-nothing servant into the outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth ... Then they will go away into eternal punishment ...’ (Matthew 25:30 & 46). ‘It is better for you to go into eternal life maimed than go to hell; into the fire that cannot be put out. It is better to go into eternal life crippled, than to be cast into hell. It is better for you to enter the Kingdom of God with one eye than be thrown into hell with two eyes. Hell is where their ‘worm’ does not die and the fire is not extinguished’ (Mark 9:43 to 48). ‘There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the Kingdom of God, but you, yourselves, being banished and driven out’ (Luke 13:28). Jesus said so much about hell, outer darkness, eternal punishment and other phrases for the same place, we cannot write everything He said. Hell is a real place where unsaved souls go to wait for the final judgement of mankind. Hell has not been invented by fundamentalists to frighten people into being ‘good’. The subject of hell is so distasteful, many pastors and preachers will not teach on the subject for fear of scaring parishioners away. Many people today feel that ‘hell fire and brimstone’ preaching has no place in our modern churches and have ‘watered down’ the truth and the terrible, terrible reality of eternity without God. That thinking is wrong. Christians forget John the Baptist, Jesus and the apostles all preached about hell and so should we. John the Baptist was not being negative when he called the Pharisees and Sadducees ‘vipers’. John encouraged everyone to face up to the truth about themselves, rather than blaming others for their sin. We, who know the truth, have an obligation to tell the truth to others. God does not give us divine revelations so we can enjoy them and sit on them. God gives us revelations so we can share that knowledge with as many people as possible. Christians have the God-given responsibility to tell the unsaved, the consequences of rejecting our Saviour and we should be out there telling everybody we can. It would be a terrible feeling to be safely going into eternity with God, only to have a loved one – a grandparent for example – say to you, “I could have been going with you – if only you had told me – now I am destined for eternity without God. ” Stop for a moment and close your eyes. Picture that scenario. A loved one on their way to hell, screaming for mercy because you chose not to tell them! We must open our mouths and speak of the love of God and the only way of salvation – which is through Jesus. In the Old Testament hell was known as Sheol, which means ‘the place of the dead’. Sheol burns with the Lord’s anger. ‘A fire is kindled by My anger and it burns to the depths of Sheol’ (Deuteronomy 32:22). From the first recorded death of Abel right up to the time of Jesus’ resurrection, every adult who died went to Sheol. When Jesus was baptised and the heavens were opened (Mark 7:34), all righteous people waiting in Sheol went to heaven (Matthew 8:11), and now all righteous people who die go straight to heaven (Acts 7:59). Children always go straight to be with God because they are too young to be considered sinners. King David had accepted the death of his baby boy and knew he was in heaven, and David said he would one day go to join his baby (2 Samuel 12:23). A person has to make a conscious decision to reject God, before He blots their name out of His book that was written before the foundation of the world (Exodus 32:32 & 33; Psalm 9:5; Revelation 17:8); but they will still fall down and worship Jesus (Revelation 13:8). Once a person repents, their names are re-written into the Lamb’s Book of Life where only the righteous people have their names written (Psalm 69:28; Philippians 4:3; Revelation 3:5; 20:12; 21:27). The words Hades and Gehenna were only used in the New Testament but mean the same as Sheol. When Jesus was dead for those three days, He went into Hades/Sheol and preached to the people there, and notice Sheol was called prison (1 Peter 3:19 & 20; 4:6). If there was no chance of repentance then preaching to the dead would have been pointless so logically, there must have been some chance of saving those people. When Jesus walked out of Hades then rose from the dead, He overcame death and Hades (Revelation 1:18). The righteous who had died, rose from their graves and walked around Jerusalem for a month (Matthew 27:52 & 53). Everybody who has ever lived and died will be resurrected on the last day (John 6:40). ‘Many of those who are buried will awake. Some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting contempt’ (Daniel 12:2). ‘If anyone’s name was not recorded in the Book of Life, he was thrown into the lake of fire’ (Revelation 20:15). John the Baptist knew hell was real. ‘You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath of God? Bring forth fruit worthy of repentance ... He (Jesus) will burn the chaff with fire that cannot be extinguished’ (Matthew 3:7, 8 & 12). ‘Even now, the axe is laid to the root of the about trees, so every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and cast into the fire. But the chaff He (Jesus) will burn with fire that cannot be extinguished’ (Luke 3:9 & 17). Jesus told this story of devastation. ‘There was a certain rich man who clothed himself in purple and fine linen. He revelled, feasted and made merry in splendour every day. At his gate there was a certain utterly destitute man named Lazarus, covered with sores. The dogs even came and licked his sores. Lazarus desired to be satisfied with what fell from the rich man's table. Lazarus died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus at his side. He cried out and said, “Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.” Abraham said, “Child, remember you in your lifetime received comforts and delights and Lazarus in like manner the discomforts and distresses? Now he is comforted here and you are in anguish. Besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so those who want to pass from heaven to you may not be able, and no one may pass from Hades to us.” The man said, “Then, father, I beseech you to send him to my father's house for I have five brothers, so he may give testimony and warn them, lest they too come into this place of torment.” Abraham said, “They have Moses and the Prophets, let them listen to them.” He pleaded, “No, father Abraham, if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.” Abraham said to him, “If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, neither will they believe even if someone should rise from the dead” (Luke 16:19 to 31). Those above verses show us Jesus was serious about the reality of hell and everlasting punishment. Hell is real. It is a waiting place for those who are headed for the lake of fire which is much worse, and eventually, even Hades itself will be thrown into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:10, 14 & 15). Hell is torment and suffering. People in hell will see the righteous in heaven and vice versa. It is not possible to move between hell and heaven. Hell is full of sadness, regret, pain and anguish. The devil, the beast and the false prophet will be thrown into the lake of fire along with unsaved people and fallen angels (2 Peter 2:4; Jude 1:6) who are already in pits of gloom and darkness while they too wait for the final judgement. When people see the devil in the lake of fire, he will be in the same situation as unsaved people and will therefore not be so scary. People will be amazed at the devil’s hopeless situation (Isaiah 14:12 to 19). The lake of fire was designed for the devil and his fallen angels – not for people (Matthew 25:41), but sadly there will be more people in there than in heaven. What is startling and real is the terribleness of the lake of fire. It is so terrible,demons know they are going there and are terrified of the place (Matthew 8:29; Mark 5:7; Luke 8:28;James 2:19). If they are terrified, then so should people be terrified. The apostles said a lot about hell. We learn from Paul we have the victory over the fear of death and there is no fear of damnation. ‘Death, where is your sting? Hades, where is your victory?’ (1 Corinthians 15:55). The wonderfully great news is: ‘If you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved’ (Romans 10:9). ‘Repent therefore and be baptised, every one of you in the name of Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit’ (Acts2:38). ‘If we confess our sins to God, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness’ (1 John 1:9). If you have done these things and God has cleansed you from unrighteousness – then you will be righteous and your name is in the Lamb’s Book of Life! Hallelujah!! As we close out this study tonight, if you want a chance to go to heaven and be saved from going to hell at the end of your time, then I want to encourage you to invite Jesus Christ, whom is God Almighty, to come into your hearts and allow His Holy Spirit fill you from head to toe, allow the Holy Ghost to transform your life. I hear many say that you don,t not have to change to please anyone, you just need to be you. That is all wrong, you being you is what got you into being hell bound. You have to change to please 1 person, that is God, the Holy Spirit, He is the spirit that can destroy your life and the one who gives Life. If you fail His love and fail what He has commanded of you to do, you will end in hell and not Heaven. There are so many preachers who should not be behind the pulpit. They tend to blasphemy against the Holy Spirit and seem to sugar coat the Truth. Those preachers will lead people to hell, don’t get caught up into satan’s lies. To be free of sin and to gain the guarantee of Eternal Life in Heaven, you need to do what God has commanded. He told us that we need to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we need to accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we need to confess that Jesus Christ is the Son of the Living God, we need to believe on what Jesus Christ did on the Cross for you and Believe. With your new found belief and faith in Jesus Christ, get water Baptized. If not, your faith and belief is dead. At the completion of your Baptism, the heavens will open to you and you will be baptized by the Holy Spirit and filled with the Holy Ghost. That is how a sinner can be rebourn again and Saved from hell fire. That is how a person becomes perfect, just as He is perfect. If a Christian steps out of line, can repent and be back into God’s perfection. If a sinner does not do what God has commanded for us to do in the new testament, which we just read, will not see heaven. If a Christian steps out of line and continues to live in sin and does not repent, will be in hell, even though that he or she has been baptized by water. If he or she does repent, then he or she will be in Heaven. There are false teachers and preachers who will say, “once saved, always saved”. They are eternally dead wrong and those false teachers and preachers will be in hell, and those who listens to them and lives by their false teachings, will be joining them in the eternal ever lasting punishment. Follow and live by the writings from God’s Word, from the King James Bible and you can’t go wrong. Any Bible that is not a King James Bible, is not a Bible at all, but is considered toilet paper. Go with God and be Baptized by water and of the Holy Spirit, today. Lets Pray.

DEVILS SCHEMES Bible Study

Bible Study for Monday 5/27/13

DEVILS SCHEMES Bible Study

How many of you live your lives by thinking it is ok to say whatever you want? Many of you do. How many of you live your lives by thinking its ok to do whatever you want? Many of you do. How many of you still listen to music that God forbids and watch movies that God forbids? Many of you do. Are you proud of your kids? Do you have any pride lingering in your lives? How many of you really love God, but still lives a two faced life style? These questions are not to condemn you, these questions are meant for you to self examine yourselves. Many of you have fallen into the devils schemes. I used to be that way when I was younger, until God totally transformed my life. If God is truly in your lives and heart, then the devil will not be, because, when God comes into your life, there is no room for the devil and his foolish schemes. When I was a younger, my early teens, I was brain washed, just as much as some of you are. When I was going to Church in Worthington Ohio, our teen group would go to, what they call Christian rock concerts. One of the bands that I was introduced to in person, was petra. Friends introduced me to srtyper, then came along white cross, I heard from a source that Christian rock is evil and its not of God. I was ignorant at the time and denied it. I just heard recently the same words again, I then researched it for myself and discovered that they are right. I immediately destroyed that filth and went through my movies selections as well. I have friends that tells me that I am taking this Jesus and the Bible too seriously, I told them, well, Jesus Christ took me seriously when He took my sins and nailed them to the Cross and died for you and me. God took me seriously when He had His disciples take the time to right down His living instructions for you and I to follow, so we can make to Heaven and not hell, with satan. We are not to have any statues, figurings, carven images that is in Heaven above or under the waters beneath and any cuttings or markings on our bodies, meaning tattoos of any kind. All of these is the tools of the devil and are the devils schemes. Behaviour considered idolatrous or potentially idolatrous may include the creation of any type of image of the deity, or of other figures of religious significance such as prophets, saints, and clergy, the creation of images of any person or animal at all, and the use of religious symbols, or secular ones. Denying God’s rules and following the schemes of satan, is pride and proudness. Are you proud about something? Do you have pride in something? If you do, you truly don’t have God in your life. Pride and proudness takes God, out of the equation, it tells God that you are above and better than He is. Are you still buying into the devils schemes? Pride and proudness of any kind is truly of the devil. If you are a Christian, its time to destroy these things. Every time you buy these products, you are supporting satan and his play ground, there is nothing Christian about them, that goes for smoking, drinking, suicide, murder, gambling, for some, its even going to the bingo halls, which is no difference, like the waist of skin and time at the casino’s. They all are of the devils schemes and has satan written all over them. God did not create you to be a follower and worshiper of satan, the false god. We are created in the image of Jesus Christ, to worship, edify, glorify and praise God and God alone and not the flesh. Whom are you living and serving? Is it the devil? Or is it God? If it is God, then I think you know what you need to do in your life, if you are a Christian. Sinners are going to end in hell fire, if they don’t repent, turn away from sin and get Baptiaed by water, just like what Jesus Christ as shown us and what God commanded of us to do, you don’t have to join them. Your life here on earth is a test, a test of faith, if you fail this test, consider the consequences. James 1, King James, 8A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways. Bible Verses About The Human Mind, Romans 12:2 - And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what [is] that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. Philippians 2:5 - Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Genesis 1:27 - So God created man in his [own] image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. Luke 11:29-36 - And when the people were gathered thick together, he began to say, This is an evil generation: they seek a sign; and there shall no sign be given it, but the sign of Jonas the prophet. 30 For as Jonas was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of man be to this generation. 31 The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation, and condemn them: for she came from the utmost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon [is] here. 32 The men of Nineve shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas [is] here. 33 No man, when he hath lighted a candle, putteth [it] in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which come in may see the light. 34 The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when [thine eye] is evil, thy body also [is] full of darkness. 35 Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness. 36 If thy whole body therefore [be] full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle doth give thee light. 1 Thessalonians 5:23 - And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and [I pray God] your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Jeremiah 1:5 - Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, [and] I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. Ecclesiastes 12:7 - Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it. Genesis 1:1 - 1:31 1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness [was] upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. 3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. 4 And God saw the light, that [it was] good: and God divided the light from the darkness. 5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. 6 And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. 7 And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which [were] under the firmament from the waters which [were] above the firmament: and it was so. 8 And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day. 9 And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry [land] appear: and it was so. 10 And God called the dry [land] Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that [it was] good. 11 And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, [and] the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed [is] in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. 12 And the earth brought forth grass, [and] herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed [was] in itself, after his kind: and God saw that [it was] good. 13 And the evening and the morning were the third day. 14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: 15 And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. 16 And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: [he made] the stars also. 17 And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, 18 And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that [it was] good. 19 And the evening and the morning were the fourth day. 20 And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl [that] may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.

21 And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that [it was] good. 22 And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth. 23 And the evening and the morning were the fifth day. 24 And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. 25 And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that [it was] good. 26 And 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 fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. 27 So God created man in his [own] image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. 28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. 29 And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which [is] upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which [is] the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. 30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein [there is] life, [I have given] every green herb for meat: and it was so. 31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, [it was] very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day. Romans 6:23 - For the wages of sin [is] death; but the gift of God [is] eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Exodus Chapter 21:22-25 22 If men strive, and hurt a woman with child, so that her fruit depart [from her], and yet no mischief follow: he shall be surely punished, according as the woman's husband will lay upon him; and he shall pay as the judges [determine]. 23 And if [any] mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life,

24 Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25 Burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe. Bible Verses About Rock Music Psalms 33:3 - Sing unto him a new song; play skilfully with a loud noise. John 4:24 - God [is] a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship [him] in spirit and in truth. Ephesians 5:19 - Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; 2 Corinthians 6:17 - Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean [thing]; and I will receive you, 1 John 2:15 - Love not the world, neither the things [that are] in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. Colossians 3:16 - Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. Psalms 96:9 - O worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness: fear before him, all the earth. James 4:4 - Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. Philippians 4:8 - Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things [are] honest, whatsoever things [are] just, whatsoever things [are] pure, whatsoever things [are] lovely, whatsoever things [are] of good report; if [there be] any virtue, and if [there be] any praise, think on these things.

Psalms 40:3 - And he hath put a new song in my mouth, [even] praise unto our God: many shall see [it], and fear, and shall trust in the LORD. Psalms 29:2 - Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness. 2 Timothy 3:5 - Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. Galatians 5:24 - And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. Romans Chapter 12

1I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, [which is] your reasonable service. 2And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what [is] that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. Luke 16:15 - And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God. Proverbs 12:15 - The way of a fool [is] right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel [is] wise. Leviticus 19:30 - Ye shall keep my sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary: I [am] the LORD. Ephesians 5:11 - And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove [them]. 2 Timothy 4:2 - Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. 2 Corinthians 5:17 - Therefore if any man [be] in Christ, [he is] a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 2 Corinthians 5:10 - For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things [done] in [his] body, according to that he hath done, whether [it be] good or bad. If any Christian music has any form of darkness, hard rytheme, is not Christian, it opens up the demon world into that persons life. Bible Verses On Pride Scriptures Taken From (King James Version) Lev 26:19 And I will break the pride of your power; and I will make your heaven as iron, and your earth as brass: 1Sa 17:28 And Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spake unto the men; and Eliab's anger was kindled against David, and he said, Why camest thou down hither? and with whom hast thou left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know thy pride, and the naughtiness of thine heart; for thou art come down that thou mightest see the battle. 2Ch 32:26 Notwithstanding Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart, both he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of the LORD came not upon them in the days of Hezekiah. Job 33:17 That he may withdraw man from his purpose, and hide pride from man. Job 35:12 There they cry, but none giveth answer, because of the pride of evil men. Job 41:15 His scales are his pride, shut up together as with a close seal. Job 41:34 He beholdeth all high things: he is a king over all the children of pride. Psa 10:2 The wicked in his pride doth persecute the poor: let them be taken in the devices that they have imagined. Psa 10:4 The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts. Psa 31:20 Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man: thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues. Psa 36:11 Let not the foot of pride come against me, and let not the hand of the wicked remove me. Psa 73:6 Therefore pride compasseth them about as a chain; violence covereth them as a garment. Pro 8:13 The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate. Pro 11:2 When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom. Pro 13:10 Only by pride cometh contention: but with the well advised is wisdom. Pro 14:3 In the mouth of the foolish is a rod of pride: but the lips of the wise shall preserve them. Pro 16:18 Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall. Pro 29:23 A man's pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit. Isa 9:9 And all the people shall know, even Ephraim and the inhabitant of Samaria, that say in the pride and stoutness of heart, Isa 16:6 We have heard of the pride of Moab; he is very proud: even of his haughtiness, and his pride, and his wrath: but his lies shall not be so. Isa 23:9 The LORD of hosts hath purposed it, to stain the pride of all glory, and to bring into contempt all the honourable of the earth. Isa 25:11 And he shall spread forth his hands in the midst of them, as he that swimmeth spreadeth forth his hands to swim: and he shall bring down their pride together with the spoils of their hands. Isa 28:1 Woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim, whose glorious beauty is a fading flower, which are on the head of the fat valleys of them that are overcome with wine! Isa 28:3 The crown of pride, the drunkards of Ephraim, shall be trodden under feet: Jer 13:9 Thus saith the LORD, After this manner will I mar the pride of Judah, and the great pride of Jerusalem. Jer 13:17 But if ye will not hear it, my soul shall weep in secret places for your pride; and mine eye shall weep sore, and run down with tears, because the LORD'S flock is carried away captive. Jer 48:29 We have heard the pride of Moab, (he is exceeding proud) his loftiness, and his arrogancy, and his pride, and the haughtiness of his heart. 

Jer 49:16 Thy terribleness hath deceived thee, and the pride of thine heart, O thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, that holdest the height of the hill: though thou shouldest make thy nest as high as the eagle, I will bring thee down from thence, saith the LORD. Eze 7:10 Behold the day, behold, it is come: the morning is gone forth; the rod hath blossomed, pride hath budded. Eze 16:49 Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. Eze 16:56 For thy sister Sodom was not mentioned by thy mouth in the day of thy pride, 

Eze 30:6 Thus saith the LORD; They also that uphold Egypt shall fall; and the pride of her power shall come down: from the tower of Syene shall they fall in it by the sword, saith the Lord GOD. Dan 4:37 Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase. 

Dan 5:20 But when his heart was lifted up, and his mind hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him: Hos 5:5 And the pride of Israel doth testify to his face: therefore shall Israel and Ephraim fall in their iniquity; Judah also shall fall with them. Hos 7:10 And the pride of Israel testifieth to his face: and they do not return to the LORD their God, nor seek him for all this. Oba 1:3 The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground? Zep 2:10 This shall they have for their pride, because they have reproached and magnified themselves against the people of the LORD of hosts. Zep 3:11 In that day shalt thou not be ashamed for all thy doings, wherein thou hast transgressed against me: for then I will take away out of the midst of thee them that rejoice in thy pride, and thou shalt no more be haughty because of my holy mountain. Zec 9:6 And a bastard shall dwell in Ashdod, and I will cut off the pride of the Philistines. Zec 10:11 And he shall pass through the sea with affliction, and shall smite the waves in the sea, and all the deeps of the river shall dry up: and the pride of Assyria shall be brought down, and the sceptre of Egypt shall depart away. Zec 11:3 There is a voice of the howling of the shepherds; for their glory is spoiled: a voice of the roaring of young lions; for the pride of Jordan is spoiled. Mar 7:22-23 Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man. 1Ti 3:6 Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil. 1Jn 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. Bible Verses On Proud From (King James Version Bible) Job 9:13 If God will not withdraw his anger, the proud helpers do stoop under him. Job 26:12 He divideth the sea with his power, and by his understanding he smiteth through the proud. Job 38:11 And said, Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further: and here shall thy proud waves be stayed? Job 40:11 Cast abroad the rage of thy wrath: and behold every one that is proud, and abase him. Job 40:12 Look on every one that is proud, and bring him low; and tread down the wicked in their place. Psa 12:3 The LORD shall cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaketh proud things: Psa 31:23 O love the LORD, all ye his saints: for the LORD preserveth the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer. Psa 40:4 Blessed is that man that maketh the LORD his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies. Psa 86:14 O God, the proud are risen against me, and the assemblies of violent men have sought after my soul; and have not set thee before them. Psa 94:2 Lift up thyself, thou judge of the earth: render a reward to the proud. Psa 101:5 Whoso privily slandereth his neighbour, him will I cut off: him that hath an high look and a proud heart will not I suffer. Psa 119:21 Thou hast rebuked the proud that are cursed, which do err from thy commandments. Psa 119:51 The proud have had me greatly in derision: yet have I not declined from thy law. Psa 119:69 The proud have forged a lie against me: but I will keep thy precepts with my whole heart. Psa 119:78 Let the proud be ashamed; for they dealt perversely with me without a cause: but I will meditate in thy precepts. Psa 119:85 The proud have digged pits for me, which are not after thy law. Psa 119:122 Be surety for thy servant for good: let not the proud oppress me. Psa 123:4 Our soul is exceedingly filled with the scorning of those that are at ease, and with the contempt of the proud. Psa 124:5 Then the proud waters had gone over our soul. Psa 138:6 Though the LORD be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly: but the proud he knoweth afar off. Psa 140:5 The proud have hid a snare for me, and cords; they have spread a net by the wayside; they have set gins for me. Selah. Pro 6:17 A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, Pro 15:25 The LORD will destroy the house of the proud: but he will establish the border of the widow. Pro 16:5 Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD: though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished. Pro 16:19 Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud. Pro 21:4 An high look, and a proud heart, and the plowing of the wicked, is sin. Pro 21:24 Proud and haughty scorner is his name, who dealeth in proud wrath. Pro 28:25 He that is of a proud heart stirreth up strife: but he that putteth his trust in the LORD shall be made fat. Ecc 7:8 Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit. Isa 2:12 For the day of the LORD of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be brought low: Isa 13:11 And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible. Isa 16:6 We have heard of the pride of Moab; he is very proud: even of his haughtiness, and his pride, and his wrath: but his lies shall not be so. Jer 13:15 Hear ye, and give ear; be not proud: for the LORD hath spoken. Jer 43:2 Then spake Azariah the son of Hoshaiah, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the proud men, saying unto Jeremiah, Thou speakest falsely: the LORD our God hath not sent thee to say, Go not into Egypt to sojourn there: Jer 48:29 We have heard the pride of Moab, (he is exceeding proud) his loftiness, and his arrogancy, and his pride, and the haughtiness of his heart. Jer 50:29 Call together the archers against Babylon: all ye that bend the bow, camp against it round about; let none thereof escape: recompense her according to her work; according to all that she hath done, do unto her: for she hath been proud against the LORD, against the Holy One of Israel. Jer 50:31 Behold, I am against thee, O thou most proud, saith the Lord GOD of hosts: for thy day is come, the time that I will visit thee. Jer 50:32 And the most proud shall stumble and fall, and none shall raise him up: and I will kindle a fire in his cities, and it shall devour all round about him. Hab 2:5 Yea also, because he transgresseth by wine, he is a proud man, neither keepeth at home, who enlargeth his desire as hell, and is as death, and cannot be satisfied, but gathereth unto him all nations, and heapeth unto him all people: Mal 3:15 And now we call the proud happy; yea, they that work wickedness are set up; yea, they that tempt God are even delivered. Luk 1:51 He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. Rom 1:30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 1Ti 6:4 He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, 2Ti 3:2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Jas 4:6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. 1Pe 5:5 Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. Bible Verses About Worshipping Idols Matthew 6:33 - But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Revelation 22:18 - For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: Revelation 9:11 - And they had a king over them, [which is] the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue [is] Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath [his] name Apollyon. John 20:17 - Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and [to] my God, and your God. John 19:41 - Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new sepulchre, wherein was never man yet laid. Luke 8:28 - When he saw Jesus, he cried out, and fell down before him, and with a loud voice said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, [thou] Son of God most high? I beseech thee, torment me not. Mark 7:7 - Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching [for] doctrines the commandments of men. Revelation 9:1 - 9:3 1 And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. 2 And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. 3 And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. 2 Peter 3:9 - The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. 2 Peter 2:9 - The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished: James 2:19 - Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. Hebrews 9:27 - And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: 2 Timothy 3:16 - All scripture [is] given by inspiration of God, and [is] profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: Romans 10:9 - That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. Acts 2:38 - Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Acts 2:37 - 2:38 37 Now when they heard [this], they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men [and] brethren, what shall we do? 38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Mark 9:43 - And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: Matthew 23:9 - And call no [man] your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven. Matthew 22:37 - 22:39 37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second [is] like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Matthew 3:16 - And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: Matthew 2:2 - Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. Deuteronomy 5:9 - Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God [am] a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth [generation] of them that hate me, Exodus 20:4 - 20:5 4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness [of any thing] that [is] in heaven above, or that [is] in the earth beneath, or that [is] in the water under the earth: 5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God [am] a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth [generation] of them that hate me; Revelation 22:19 - And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and [from] the things which are written in this book. Mark 16:16 - He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. Once again, Behaviour considered idolatrous or potentially idolatrous may include the creation of any type of image of the deity, or of other figures of religious significance such as prophets, saints, and clergy, the creation of images of any person or animal at all, and the use of religious symbols, or secular ones. This means Crosses and pictures of what is in heaven, even a picture of Jesus Christ, Angels, prophets, under the waters beneath which would be like satan and his demons and of any other figures. These things also have pride and proudness with them. If you have any pride in your life? If you have and proudness in your life? As you can see, you are not of God the Father, you are of your father, the devil. Its time to tare and destroy these things and do not give them away, if you do, you will be spreading satan’s messages and you will have life and eternal life problems and it may keep you out of Heaven. Turn away from sin today, it maybe be your only chance, tomorrow is not promised to you. Your life can be snuffed out, in a blinking of an eye. Get on the Lords side and get right with God today. Its time to wake up Christians. Don’t mess with the schemes and lies of the devil no more, it will destroy you. Lets pray.