MISENCOUNTERING GOD

Many people encounter God, but many more miss him. They overlook him unintentionally or deliberately. In Matthew 7:21-23 many people mis-encountered God and Jesus. They were serving him alright but they blundered. Jesus plainly told them, “I never knew you” (Mt. 7:23). This means, they and Jesus never had any relationship whatsoever. The Living Bible (Paraphrase) renders verse 23 like this, “You have never been mine. Go away, for your deeds are evil.” The first part of this verse is striking. These people claim to know Christ and serve him, yet Jesus vehemently told them they don’t belong to him to begin with, they missed him and he doesn’t know them. How ironic and tragic to think that you belong to God and Jesus only to be told later you don’t. Imagine the shock of very many hoping to enter heaven only to be thrusted out and sentenced to an eternity in hell.

Another example of a man who missed God or Jesus was the thief on the cross. When Jesus was hanging on the cross, two other thieves were also hanging beside him. One on his right and the other on his left. To one of the thieves Jesus said, “Today shalt thou be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43 KJV). But the other missed Jesus. His fellow thief rebuked him and said, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong” (Luke 23:40,41 ESV). This man was condemned not only in the crucifixion but also for all eternity for missing Jesus. Salvation was so near and yet he missed it unlike the other thief who on the same day went to be with Jesus in paradise. Many people have had the greatest opportunity of their lives to be saved and yet they missed it and went down to eternity condemned rather than saved. What a great mistake and mis-encounter indeed.

Believers can also miss or neglect God. The author of Hebrews warns them saying, “For this reason we must pay closer attention to what we have heard. Then we won’t drift away from the truth” (Heb. 2:1 GW). The pronoun “we” mentioned three times. He was not talking to unbelievers but to fellow Christians. Can Christians miss God? Sure. They miss God by failure to “pay closer attention” to what they have heard. Many people including Christians have a hearing problem. They hear but don’t understand because they do not pay closer attention. Their minds are drifting elsewhere. Not only that many only want to hear what they like to hear and ignore the sound teaching of Scripture (2 Tim. 4:3). As a result, Christians can “drift away from the truth.” If this happens they will not “escape punishment” (v. 3) and they “won’t enter his place of rest” (4:1). God himself said twice to Christians who neglect him, “They will never enter my place of rest” (4:5 see also 3:11). In the context of Hebrews chapter three Christians miss God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit by stubbornness, unbelief, rebellion and sin.

We cannot afford missing God and Jesus starting with salvation and then all throughout our lives as believers. Encountering God is a lifetime task. We engage him daily in our lives and we must not forget that he is our environment (Acts 17:28). Encountering God involves a “fight,” a “race” and “faith” (2 Tim. 4:7). Once we are done with these three, then our encounter with him will endure forever in the next world. Until then, let us not miss God and Jesus but rather engage and enjoy him. “Whoever eats (continuous action) my flesh and drinks (continuous action) my blood remains in me and I in him…the one who feeds (continuous action) on me will live because of me…he who feeds (continuous action) on this bread will live forever” (John 6:56-58 NIV).

ENCOUNTERING GOD

It is the desire of many to encounter or to experience God. But unbeknownst to many encountering God is a daily occurrence. We all encounter God but we just don’t know it. An encounter with God is not a one time event or something that is planned, programmed and predetermined. You cannot put God in a box. It is something that normally happens. The way encounter with God is described in Scripture is his NEARNESS. Paul preached to the Athenians and said, God “is not far from every one of us” (Acts 17:27 KJV).

PERSONAL CHOICE. Encounter with God is a personal choice. This means you do not need anyone to prop you into this, rather it is something that you do. “I am always aware of the LORD’s presence; HE IS NEAR, and nothing can shake me” (Ps. 16:8 GNB). Notice the phrase “I am always aware.” A godly person always encounters God. He fully knows God’s presence is with him. Note too the confidence expressed in this verse. The psalmist has the faith and conviction that his encounter with God is continuous for the simple reason that “he is near.” God is not far from all of us. As a matter of fact, the New Testament assures us of his presence and person inside of us.

AMONG THE BROKENHEARTED. Encounter with God often occurs among the brokenhearted. “The LORD IS NEAR to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit” (Ps. 34:18 ESV). Are you going through brokenness and pain in your spirit right now? Then be happy. You can encounter God in that condition. When you are having a bad time of your life and everything is not going right with you, cheer up. That is the time when you can encounter God. With God nothing is wasted. Our saddest, difficult and painful moments are blessings in disguise. Through them you can encounter God if we know how to look at them the right way.

CALL UPON THE LORD. “The LORD IS NEAR to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth” (Ps. 145:18 ESV). Calling upon the Lord is our responsibility. Also, Scripture says God is calling on us all (Isa. 50:8). We are admonished to call upon the Lord because he “is near to all.” Peter said, “And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Acts 2:21 KJV, also in Romans 10:13). You are afraid of dying and not sure if you are saved or not? Than call upon the Lord and he will save you. You can also call upon the Lord in other matters as well. Call to him when you need healing, a job, guidance, etc. But when we call upon the Lord it has to be “in truth.” This means when we call out to him the wrong way he will not answer us. When Peter was drowning he called out, “Lord, save me” (Mt. 14:30 KJV). Call on the Lord alone. Don’t add someone else’s name, just the Lord Jesus alone.

GOD IN US. Finally, encountering God takes place within us. That started when we got saved or born again. At the moment of salvation the Trinity took residence inside every believer. God is “in us” (2 Cor. 6:16), Jesus is “in us” (Rom. 8:10; 2 Cor. 13:5; Col. 1:27, 3:16; 2 Thess. 1:13) and the Holy Spirit is “in us” (Ezek. 36:27; John 14:17; 2 Cor. 1:21,22; 1 John 2:20,27). The presence of God “in us” is the person of the Holy Spirit indwelling us. It is in this sense that an encounter with God is an ongoing event because lives in us through his Spirit. Paul said, “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God” (Rom. 8:16 ESV). It is within “our spirit” that we encounter God through the Holy Spirit. The phrase “bears witness” is an ongoing event in our lives; it never stops. The Spirit of God always encounters us from the inside.

Don’t seek for a dramatic encounter with God. Don’t rely on spiritual experiences. Know and understand that encountering God is a normal thing for believers whether they are aware of it or not. Most of all it is God through the Spirit that initiates an encounter with us. Not all so-called “encounters” are of God no matter how spiritual it may sound or look like. Be knowledgeable. Be wise and discerning. Know too that in the last days wicked spirits can masquerade themselves and pretend to be from God. Do not be deceived.

The reason many are duped into false and inaccurate spirituality is because they long for and hunger for an encounter with God. The correct way to encounter God is through his Son Jesus Christ. God the Father said, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him” (Mt. 17:5 KJV). Listen to Jesus Christ if you want an authentic encounter with God. Another thing too is that encounter with God happens only “in truth” (Ps. 145:18) and Jesus is “the truth” (John 14:6). Any so-called encounter that is not truth (error) is not of God. All spiritual experiences have to be measured by the Word of God. In the last days false encounters with God will happen. “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils” (1 Tim. 4:1 KJV). Seducing spirits and false doctrines (from demons) will lead many astray including believers. Why? Because they had an encounter with something powerful, supernatural and out of this world. But not everything powerful, supernatural and out of this world is of God!

Another thing too, when the Holy Spirit moves the focus is not himself but Jesus. The Holy Spirit exalts Jesus, not himself and no one or nothing else. “But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me” (John 15:26 KJV). Notice the phrase “he shall testify of me.” The Spirit exalts Christ and Christ exalts the Father. This is always the order of giving glory to God. Any so-called encounters that exalts the Spirit alone should be carefully examined.

WITH YOU THERE IS FORGIVENESS

“But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared” (Ps. 130:4 ESV)

Men may not forgive you.  Your husband or wife may not forgive you.  Your children may not forgive you.  Other Christians may not forgive you.  Your colleagues may not forgive you.  Your so-called friends may not forgive you.  Your neighbors may not forgive you.  Your debtor may not forgive you. You may not even forgive your own self.  But our God is a forgiving God. 

People express unforgiveness in many ways.  Some resort to silence or cold treatment.  They never treat you the same.  Others resort to distancing themselves or forsaking you.  This is very common in life and ministry.  It’s ironic that the very place where forgiveness ought to be seen – the Church – is not there. Conversely, others never cease stabbing you behind your back.  Those who gossip do not forgive.  Others simply fight you up front and despise you to your face.

But there is good news.  God forgives!  God can forgive the vilest and grievous sins you ever did and you will ever do.  And when God forgives, he reconciles and restores (2 Cor. 5:19; Gal. 6:1).  When God forgives, he “remembers our sins no more” (Jer. 31:34; Ps. 25:7).  When God forgives, he “will not destroy” us (2 Chron. 12:7).  God forgives because “he delights in mercy” (Micah 7:18).

No one is sinless or faultless.  As long as we live, we will sin against ourselves, others and God, thus, we are always in need of forgiveness.  Forgiveness is a perennial need.  Forgiveness is an adventure of a lifetime.  And some phases of this adventure are more difficult than others.  It is said, “It is easier to forgive an enemy than a friend.”  But then if enemies are to be forgiven and loved (Mt. 5:44; Luke 6:27,35) so much so friends.  What an adventure to forgive erring friends!  For people to forgive they give themselves peace and freedom.  Billy Graham once said if 75 per cent of people forgive, they would have healthier lives.

God’s forgiveness often results to godly fear – “that you may be feared”.  Those who receive forgiveness are humbled, thankful and revere or respect their benefactor.  “He is feared, not only because of his great judgment and harshness, but also because of his great love in forgiving. The godly respond with godly fear and love,” said one commentator.

In the last days many people, even those who profess to be Christians will be unforgiving (2 Tim. 3:3).  But it doesn’t really matter.  What matters most is that God forgives.  Let God deal with the unforgivers, but you, receive your forgiveness from the Lord God.  Come to God for forgiveness, receive your forgiveness and live a forgiven life.

OF THE DEVIL

Aside from God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit and prominent godly men and women in the Bible, the devil is also one of the most talked about individual.  The Bible begins with the devil in Genesis 3 in the form of the seducing and talking serpent and ends with the devil being cast into the lake of fire (Rev. 20:10).  The Bible have much to say about the devil too.  Notice the following.

1.  THE TEMPTATION OF THE DEVIL.  “Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil” (Mt. 4:1 KJV, see also Luke 4:2).  Jesus was tempted by the devil.  Not all temptations comes from the devil but he sure does is the chief cause of it.  If he tempted Christ he can tempt anyone of us as well.  It is quite easy for Satan to tempt humans because of their sinful proclivities.  Our world is riddled with temptations of all sorts.  Believers and unbelievers alike are tempted.  The temptations to become rich, independent, happy, powerful, popular, smart and be somebody beckons everyone. 

2.  THE MADNESS OF THE DEVIL.  “For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For oftentimes it had caught him: and he was kept bound with chains and in fetters; and he brake the bands, and was driven of the devil into the wilderness” (Luke 8:29 KJV).   The devil in this verse is a demon named Legion speaking in behalf of other demons possessing a man in the country of the Gadarenes.  There are people who are mad on their own, but others are mad because of the influence of evil spirits.  Mad men are not just mad by themselves, they are mad because the devil drives them.  I am of the opinion that not only religious but many of our civil leaders, especially world leaders are influenced or driven by the devil through what they believe and by the people that surround them. 

3.  THE LUSTS OF THE DEVIL.  “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it” (John 8:44 KJV).  John says “the devil sinneth from the beginning” (1 John 3:8 KJV).  This is the sin of lust.  The devil lusted to dethrone and replace God (Isa. 14:12-14; Ezek. 28:11-17).  Lust is alive and well in our world today.  The lust for power, money, knowledge and control is everywhere.  Lust is a very deadly sin.  “When when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death” (James 1:15 KJV).

4.  THE OPPRESSION OF THE DEVIL.  “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him” (Acts 10:28 KJV).  Jesus set free people who were oppressed by the devil.  In the gospels we see this oppression in the form of possession, and sicknesses and diseases.  Not all sicknesses and diseases are of the devil, but many sure are.  The devil can us natural causes to inflict men with terrible pain, heartaches and diseases just like he did to job (Job 1& 2).  The devil too uses men to oppress men.  The decisions and choices of very rich and very powerful people does affect everyone and a modern and subtle form of slavery is already at work.

5.  THE CHILDREN OF THE DEVIL.  “And said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?” (Acts 13:10 KJV).  Jesus said the religious Pharisees were children of the devil (John 8:44).  John says there are only two kinds of people in the world:  the children of God and the children of the devil (1 John 3:10).  And because they belong to the devil they commit the same sins the devil commits (1 John 3:8).  In Acts 13 Paul calls Elymas the sorcerer or the false prophet Bar Jesus a child of the devil.  Occult practitioners are no doubt children of the devil.  The devil has more children than the children of God and they oppose the work and workers of Jesus Christ.  All people because of sin are born children of the devil.  Only through the new birth can these children of the devil become children of God according to Jesus (John 3:1-21).  “Ye must be born again,” Jesus said (John 3:7KJV).

6.  THE WILES OF THE DEVIL.  “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil” (Eph. 6:11 KJV).  The word “wiles” come from the Greek methodeia where we get the word “method.”  It also means “tricks.”  The devil is a trickster and he is very good and successful at it.  The devil knows the weak and vulnerable spots of the believers’ armor and they better be careful. Like God the devil is no respecter of persons.  He doesn’t care if you are a baby Christian, a church leader, a mature believer, a missionary, a bible scholar, or a Spirit-filled son or daughter of God.  When he gets his chance he will deceive and seek your destruction.  But through the same armor and by the Holy Spirit believers in Christ can overcome him.  Both James and Peter admonish Christians to “resist the devil…and he will flee from you” (James 4:7; 1 Peter 5:8,9).

7.  THE CONDEMNATION OF THE DEVIL.  “Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil” (1 Tim. 3:6 KJV).  When the devil tried to usurp God he was immediately condemned.  Jesus said, “I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven” (Luke 10:18 KJV).  In Ezekiel 28:17 God said, “Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee” (KJV).  Both Paul and Ezekiel tells us pride was the cause of Satan’s fall and condemnation.  At the cross the devil and his fallen angels and demons were also condemned (Col. 2:14,15) and his final condemnation will be in the lake of fire (Rev. 20:10).  The devil’s condemnation is three tiered: at the onset of his rebellion, at the cross and finally in the lake of fire.

8.  THE SNARE OF THE DEVIL.  “Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil” (1 Tim. 3:7 KJV, also in 2 Tim. 2:26).  The devil is a hunter and he loves to trap sinners.  He traps sinners through their sinful nature, through the world, and through false doctrines.  Those whom the devil has caught “are taken captive by him at his will,” that is, they obey him.  I find it amazing that sinners easily obey the devil than believers obeying God.  While Christians struggle to obey the Lord, sinners happily comply the devil’s wishes.   

9.  THE POWER OF THE DEVIL.  “To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me” (Acts 26:18 KJV).  The devil is a formidable foe but he is not omnipotence.  Even angels respected the devil while rebuking them (Jude 9).  As “god of this world” (2 Cor. 4:4) the devil is a force to be reckoned and he works “with all power and signs and lying wonders” (2 Thess. 2:9 KJV).  But all that changed when Jesus came.  Jesus came to destroy the devil and his power (Heb. 2:14).  Our verse above tells us four things Jesus did when he came: (1) to open blind eyes (eyes of sinners), (2) to turn them to light from darkness, (3) to forgive sinners their sins, and (4) to give them the kingdom of God, their “inheritance.”  The devil may be powerful but he is weak compared to Jesus Christ and to God the Father.  That is why believers are admonished not to be afraid of the devil. 

10.  THE DEPTHS OF THE DEVIL.  “But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden” (Rev. 2:24 KJV).  The depths of Satan is “the deep secrets of Satan.”  Many people in the church in Thyatira through Jezebel followed the depths of Satan.  How deceitful this can be.  Even Christians can be deceived.  If God has his “deep things” (1 Cor. 2:10), Satan too has his own version of it.  Have you ever noticed that false teachers inside the church often claim to have received something “deep” from God that upon closer scrutiny is actually deviant from Scripture?  The depths of Satan is alive and well today and permeates churches.  If this refers to Gnosticism then, it simply means Gnosticism still exist today and afflicts churches.  I may even infer that inside the church the “synagogue of Satan” (Rev. 3:9) is very much alive.  The “church of Satan” inside “the Church of Christ” may very well be existing incognito because of this so-called depths of the devil. 

STOP THAT NONSENSE!

“When I was a child, I spoke like a child, thought like a child, and reasoned like a child. When I became an adult, I no longer used childish ways” (1 Cor. 13:11 GW). 

There are many nonsensical, silly and stupid things in this world.  It used to be that stupid things are often hidden away in a recluse.  Not anymore.  With today’s technology you can choose which stupid thing you like to see and invite or share it to others quickly.  Some silly things are harmless (e.g. a baby trying to talk) while others can be quite annoying (e.g. a boisterous neighbor singing with the karaoke).  Others however are very dangerous and have terrible consequences.  When a world leader makes a stupid decision because he was given a stupid advice the effects are far reaching and devastating.  Our world has become an unsafe place to live because of stupid people in power with stupid decisions surrounded by stupid people.  Worse of all stupidity is on the increase.  “Evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived” (2 Tim. 3:13).

To blame God for all the evil in this world is stupid.  God didn’t make this world evil.  “And God saw everything that he had made and that it was very good” (Gen. 1:31).  God’s original creation was superior and better in all things.  This goodness however was ruined and marred by Adam and Eve’s stupidity.  Instead of believing and following God, they chose to follow the serpent.  Their stupidity affects all of us today and we suffer because of it.  Your stupid decisions now will not only hurt you, it will hurt many others later on.

Everyone makes stupid decisions.  Even godly men and women do stupid things.  In the Bible they lied, cheated, stole, sued each other in pagan courts, gossiped, got drunk, followed false teachers and false teaching, fought their pastors, wish others were dead, were greedy and so much more.   Paul told the Corinthians he was done making nonsensical things.  He said, “I no longer use childish ways.”  Childish ways are stupid ways.  For a literal child it may look innocent and funny, but for believers who want to live out the faith it is not.  There is nothing funny seeing an adult in church, years in the Lord, making stupid actions and decisions. 

The biggest stupidity Christians have is when they lack of love toward God and toward others.  Many Christians are wise and gifted, but without love stupidity steps in.  The only way to stop this nonsense is to have love.  When a church is devoid of love their stupidity become obvious to everyone.  Stupidity and love cannot be hidden.  But the difference between the two is that stupidity hurts and destroys, whereas love heals, binds and unites.  “Love covers a multitude of sins,” says Peter and James (James 5:20; 1 Peter 4:8).

We all go through phases of stupidity, but as we mature in the Lord our stupidity diminishes and wisdom and love grows and develops.  “When I became an adult, I no longer used childish ways,” says Paul.  Have we become spiritual adults?  Are our nonsensical ways over?  In the world to come stupidity will be no more.  But love is the one big thing that will remain.  “The greatest is love” (1 Cor. 13:13) and hope we all have this greatest thing in us today.  And we do have it because of the indwelling Spirit (Rom. 5:5) and because our God will make sure this love in us grows (Phil. 1:6; 2 Thess. 3:5).    

THE RULERS OF THIS AGE

Who are the rulers of this world?  What do they do?  Twice the apostle Paul mentions the rulers of this age or rulers of this world.

“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Eph. 6:12 KJV)

Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory” (1 Cor. 2:8 KJV) 

These rulers are not men.  They are wicked spirit beings that influenced men in the days of Jesus to have him killed.  It was at the behest of these rulers that made the Sanhedrin and the Roman authorities crucified Christ.  Wicked men (the Jewish religious leaders and the Romans) merely followed the dictates and promptings of these evil spirits.  Had these wicked ruling spirits knew that by crucifying Christ their demise will become certain they would not have crucified him.  This proves that God is much wiser than they all.  In their wicked and corrupt wisdom they never realized that by killing Christ through their human minions the kingdom of God would be inaugurated and their doom sealed.  By killing Christ they gave themselves an eternal death sentence. 

The rulers of this world are the “sons of God” who were allotted by God the nations according to Deuteronomy 32:8.  Following Satan’s footsteps, they sinned and corrupted themselves and became the objects of human worship.  They are “the angels that sinned” and “not having kept their first place, but having deserted their dwelling-place” (2 Peter 2:4; Jude 6).  They shrewdly influence men and promote sin and idolatry and all sorts of evil in the world.  They are unseen powers behind human powers that rule the nations.  In the book of Daniel we see a glimpse of their titles.  One was called “the prince of Persia” and the other “the prince of Greece” (Dan. 10:20).  It is obvious that these malevolent ruling spirits are the real powers behind the human powers we see.  Human leaders lead their people to a certain extent, but are like puppets held by unseen strings at the dictate of these spirits.  That is why Christians are to pray for their human leaders that they be not overly influenced by these evil spirits for them to rule well and justly (1 Tim. 2:1,2).

Not only are human rulers invisibly influenced by these wicked spirits, I believe every unsaved person as well.  Jesus said, “I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me” (John 14:30).  The devil has no “claim” on Christ because he has no sin nature.  This means the devil has a claim on every unsaved individual through sin.  Sin in every person and the devil are always in cahoots with one another.  Every sinner is an unwary victim of the devil, following his desires and wishes.  “And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will” (2 Tim. 2:26).

When Satan was on the verge of killing Christ he subtly influenced one of his disciples to betray him (Luke 22:3-6).  The devil knew Judas’ weakness and through it he manipulated his thoughts and feelings to betray Jesus in exchange for some money.  Not only does the devil easily manipulate unbelievers he can also do the same to believers because of their sinful nature.  Carnal Christians are marionettes of the devil and evil spirits.  By the sins they love and enjoy they can be controlled and governed unbeknownst to them by these evil spirits.  That is why the carnal Christian has to grow in Christ and know and learn how to crucify the flesh so as not to be at the mercy of evil spirits.  The Holy Spirit too will help believers to overcome the flesh and the devil. 

It is to these rulers that the church fights against.  Five times the world “against” is repeated by Paul in Ephesians 6:12.  This suggest there is a hierarchy among these rulers with Satan himself as the head of them all (Eph. 6:11; 2 Cor. 4:4).  We may not exactly and fully know how they relate to one another and how the church contends with each one of them, but it is certain the Church fights them all.  Jesus at the cross defeated all these unseen spirit rulers (Col. 2:14,15) and has given the church his power and authority to enforce this victory (Mt. 28:18-20). 

The rulership of these evil spirits is only for a time, only in this age.  This means they will not rule forever and their power and authority will come to an end.  They all know their time of judgment is getting closer and certain doom awaits them in the lake of fire (Rev. 12:12, 20:10).  The ones who will replace them one day, the ones who will outrank them all is no one but the Church.  It is to these new “sons (and daughters) of God” that the coming world will be subjected to.  In the coming world the Church will reign with Christ as kings and priests and will judge angels (2 Tim. 2:12; Rev. 1:6, 5:10; 1 Cor. 6:3).  The Church is destined to reign and rule with Jesus Christ forever and ever and not these present spirit rulers.  Glory be to God!  Thus, there is nothing to be afraid of these rulers.  They are already defeated and powerless against the Church through Christ.  The Church will be victorious and the cause of God in Christ will win.

THE DEFEAT OF THE GODS

The movie Black Adam depicts a dead slave rising from the dead to become a god.  His famous words were, “I was a slave until I died.  Then I was reborn a god.”  A man becoming a god.  How novel.  Nowhere in Scripture do we see dead men rising again to become gods.  The fascination with superheroes, human and supernatural is undoubtedly one of the devil’s way to deceive countless gullible people. 

In the Bible “god” is often is an unsuitable and negative term.  Satan is “the god of this world” (2 Cor. 4:4).  In Acts 14 Paul and Barnabas were addressed as gods which they promptly dismissed and rejected (vv. 11-14).  In Psalm 82 we see God presiding among the gods and proclaiming judgment on them (v. 1).  Moses and Paul believe the “gods of the nations are demons” (Deut. 32:16,17; 1 Cor. 10:19,20).  When the dead prophet Samuel appeared to the desperate king Saul in spirit form the witch said she saw “a god coming out of the earth” (1 Samuel 28:13).    Gods are disembodied spirits and the Hebrew words used to refer to them is elohim.  Paul refers to these gods as “rulers, authorities, cosmic powers over this present darkness, spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Eph. 6:12).  Idols are also called gods (Exod. 32:4; Nahum 1:14).  Behind every idol are demons.  That is the reason why idols do miracles.     

The gods mentioned in Psalm 82 are not idols but spirit beings called in verse 6 “sons of the Most High.”  These gods are severely rebuked by God and will receive judgment from him and “will die like mere men” and “fall like every other ruler” (v. 7).  Their death and fall is a future event.  These “sons of the Most High” are angels who rule their allotted earthly domain by evil and corruption when they sinned and turned reprobate (cf. Deut. 32:8).  Aligned to Satan who is “the god of this world” these gods not only catch the ire of God, one day all of them will be cast into the lake of fire with their leader Satan (Rev. 20:10). 

There are named gods and goddesses in the Bible.  Artemis or Diana (Acts 19:27,37), Baal and Ashtaroth (Judges 2:13), Bel (Isa. 46:1, 50:2, 51:44), Dagon (Judges 16:23; Isa. 5:2), Milcom (1 Kings 11:5,33; 2 Kings 23:13), Jupiter (Acts 14:12,14, 19:35), Moloch and Remphan (Acts 7:43).  Among the Romans Jupiter (or Zeus to the Greeks) is the king of the gods.  I believe this “king of the gods” is none other than Satan himself.  Aside from demon gods the Bible also mention astral gods like Milcom and fertility gods like Artemis.  There are gods in “high places” (1 Kings 14:23; 2 Chron. 14:3).  Interestingly, there are well-meaning Christians who teach believers are gods.  This is bad theology. 

Gods are not fictional characters but real entities, wise and wicked powerful spirit beings that affect people all over the world.  The gods according to the book of Revelation are returning but only to judged and destroyed by Jesus Christ (Rev. 9:1-11, 19:11-21).  During the tribulation period the visible head of these gods is not other than the antichrist himself who will “who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God” (2 Thess. 2:4).

And it was at the cross that Jesus Christ defeated all these gods – fallen angels and demons.  Colossians 2:15 in the God’s Word Translation reads, “And on that cross Christ freed himself from the power of the spiritual rulers and authorities; he made a public spectacle of them by leading them as captives in his victory procession.”  On the cross Christ triumphed over all the gods.  In ancient days when victorious kings return from war a grand parade is made in their honor and defeated and humiliated enemies are displayed for all to see.  God through his Son Jesus Christ won a complete victory against all these gods divesting them all of power, authority, ridiculing them and demonstrating the superiority of Christ above them all.  The gods know their time is getting short (Rev. 12:12).  In the Gospels this brevity is seen in the great fear the demons displayed when they met Christ, the Holy One of God (Luke 4:34).  They know they are already conquered and their power and authority are hallow.  The Church engages these spiritual powers through evangelism and kingdom building and by the power of the Holy Spirit wrest souls from Satan’s kingdom and bring them into the kingdom of Christ (Col. 1:13).

GIANTS AFTER THE FLOOD

Giants existed before the Flood and after the Flood.  “The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown” (Gen. 6:3 ESV).   Nephilim (from the Hebrew nephil) is another term for giants.  A Nephilim is a feller, a bully and a tyrant.  The definition suggest giants are cruel and evil beings.  Some scholars say the term also means “fallen ones.”  Giants or nephilims are hybrids, a mixture of angelic and human genes, the results of the sin committed by the fallen “sons of God.”  Giants or nephilims are not what God had in mind when he created the world. 

The Bible mention some of these giants by name.  We have Goliath (1 Samuel 17:4), Lahmi the brother of Goliath (2 Samuel 21;19; 1 Chron. 20:5-7), Og king of Bashan (Deut. 3:1-11), Anak (Joshua 15:14; Num. 12:22), Gath (2 Sam. 21:22), Saph (2 Sam. 21:18) and an Egyptian giant (1 Chron. 11:23).  Today there are people who stand tall above the others and are giant like and could probably be descendants of giants or victims of some genetic anomaly. 

The pre-flood giants were all killed by God through the Flood and only Noah and his family survived.  All humans who aligned themselves with the fallen “sons of God” and the giants also died.  God will begin anew in the world through Noah and his descendants.  But then the giants started coming back.  Perhaps another cohabitation between the fallen “sons of God” and Noah’s descendants happened that produced these post-flood giants.  These giants were the object of Moses, Joshua and David’s mission to completely annihilate as sanctioned by God himself.  Much has been documented, taped and written about giants.  Biblical evidence reveal God does not want giants to cohabit with men and wants them all eradicated.  This is the opposite of what the movies and media want us to believe.  When God told the Israelites to destroy the “ites” people, to leave no one alive, they were not only idolaters but also descendants of giants (they had giant genes) and their loyal supporters and followers.  For example, David and the Israelites showed no mercy to Goliath and the Philistines.  They had them all killed (1 Samuel 17).

I want to point out however that I believe the giants are coming back.  The post-flood giants were not limited to the Old Testament days.  If you have been searching or studying about giants, you probably have encountered the story of the Kandahar giant (Kandahar is in Afghanistan) who was killed by U.S. special forces in 2002.  The story is told that the U.S. military took the giant’s body, brought it somewhere for “safekeeping” and the soldiers who killed it and brought his body were told to be quiet about it.   Every time bones or bodies of giants are known, they mysteriously disappear and stashed somewhere not only for safekeeping but also I believe for scientific purposes – genetic purposes – for future use.  Some even suggest some real giants today are hidden somewhere in stasis mode awaiting their awakening in the future. 

What are they going to do with the body of that giant?  Will there be some genetic experiment done to it that will significantly alter human lives in the days ahead?  Many movies depict giants – human giants, giant dogs, giant gorillas, giant monsters – most of them evil and some gentle and docile.  They are genetically produced or the results of some kind of genetic anomaly.  I believe genetic engineering will play a big role in the comeback of giants or the nephilims in the days ahead.  The recent movie I saw Morbius depict genetic engineering that will make one a human-vampire hybrid.  These hybrids are depicted in movies as superheroes which the Bible describes as “men of renown” or “great heroes and famous men.”

I am inclined to believe that the giants of the future will also be big and terrible people, aside from the nephilims who will look like men and women but are not fully such.  Also, I am inclined to believe the coming antichrist will either be a man of gigantic size or a regular person that looks human but not fully human.  After all, Genesis 3:15 tells us he is both angelic (of the seed of the serpent) and human – he will be a hybrid.  If the antichrist is a nephilim or a hybrid, his main minions will also be hybrids.  During the tribulation period humans and hybrids will co-exist and the antichrist will cause so much desolation in earth through his mark 666 (Rev. 13). 

But the good news is this.  When these giants or nephilims come back the Church will not be here then.  The rapture will precede the return of the giants and the nephilims.  That is why now is the time to repent, believe the gospel and accept Jesus Christ as Lord of your life before it is too late.  Come to God through Jesus Christ and you will not be here when the giants return.  No one in his right mind wants to live next to giants.

WHAT WE OUGHT TO DO

WHAT WE OUGHT TO DO

There are three Greek words for “ought” in the New Testament (dei, ophielo, chre). Altogether, these words show believers are commanded and obligated to do certain things for one another. The word “ought” is best seen in the King James Version of the Bible.

1. Prayer. “…ought always to pray…” (Luke 18:1).
2. Humble service. “…ye also ought to wash one another’s feet” (John 13:14).
3. Obedience. “…we ought to obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29).
4. Support the weak. “…ye ought to support the weak…” (Acts 20:35); “…ought to bear the infirmities of the weak…” (Romans 15:1).
6. Forgive. “…ye ought rather to forgive him, and comfort him…” (2 Corinthians 2:7).
7. Love. “So ought men to love their wives” (Ephesians 5:28).
8. Answer. “…know how ye ought to answer every man” (Colossians 4:6).
9. Listen well. “…we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard…” (Hebrews 2:1).
10. Confession. “…ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that” (James 4:15).
11. Holy. “…ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness” (2 Peter 3:11).
12. Christlike life. “…ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked” (1 John 2:6).
13. Sacrifice for others. “…we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren” (1 John 3:16).
14. Love others. “…we ought also to love one another” (1 John 4:11).
15. Help others. “…ought to receive such, that we might be fellow helpers to the truth” (3 John 

There are three Greek words for “ought” in the New Testament (dei, ophielo, chre). Altogether, these words show believers are commanded and obligated to do certain things for one another. The word “ought” is best seen in the King James Version of the Bible.

1. Prayer. “…ought always to pray…” (Luke 18:1).
2. Humble service. “…ye also ought to wash one another’s feet” (John 13:14).
3. Obedience. “…we ought to obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29).
4. Support the weak. “…ye ought to support the weak…” (Acts 20:35); “…ought to bear the infirmities of the weak…” (Romans 15:1).
6. Forgive. “…ye ought rather to forgive him, and comfort him…” (2 Corinthians 2:7).
7. Love. “So ought men to love their wives” (Ephesians 5:28).
8. Answer. “…know how ye ought to answer every man” (Colossians 4:6).
9. Listen well. “…we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard…” (Hebrews 2:1).
10. Confession. “…ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that” (James 4:15).
11. Holy. “…ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness” (2 Peter 3:11).
12. Christlike life. “…ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked” (1 John 2:6).
13. Sacrifice for others. “…we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren” (1 John 3:16).
14. Love others. “…we ought also to love one another” (1 John 4:11).
15. Help others. “…ought to receive such, that we might be fellow helpers to the truth” (3 John 

CHRIST IS GREATER

CHRIST IS GREATER

By: Benjamin Lyndon D. Alvarez

As believers and followers of Jesus, he ought to be the greatest in our lives. No one and nothing can be equal to him or greater than him. The Bible explicitly says Christ is greater than all things – “God put all things under Christ’s feet and gave him to the church as supreme Lord over all things” (Ephesians 1:22 GNB). He is greater than anyone or anything else in this life and he is worth our everything.

In the book of Hebrews we find Christ our Lord greater.
1. He is greater than the prophets (1:1-3).
2. He is greater than angels (1:4-14, 2:5).
3. He is greater than Moses (3:1-6).
4. He is greater than Joshua (4:6-11).
5. He is greater than the Aaronic priesthood (5:1-10, 7:26-8:2).
6. He is greater than the Levitical priests (6:20-7:25).
7. He is greater than Abraham (7:1-10).
8. He is greater than the tabernacle ministry (8:3-6, 9:1-28).
9. He is greater than the Old Covenant (8:7-13).
10. He is greater than the Old Testament sacrifices (10:1-14).
11. He is greater than the experience on Mount Sinai (12:18-24).

If you are to extend the thought further…
12. He is greater than your dreams and ambitions.
13. He is greater than your career and pursuits in life.
14. He is greater than all the money you could ever have.
15. He is greater than any person you love and cherish.
16. He is greater than all the material possessions you could ever amass.
17. He is greater than all that could ever satisfy you. He alone can fully satisfy your soul.
18. He is greater than all your worldly accomplishments.
19. He is greater than all that you could ever imagine.
20. He is greater than all your pains, sicknesses and diseases. “By his stripes we are healed” (Isa. 53:5; 1 Peter 2:24).
21. He is greater than you!

Jesus Christ our Lord surpasses them all! No wonder knowing Christ was the apostle Paul’s goal in life and ministry – “that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death” (Phil. 3:10 ESV). Fix your thoughts and eyes on Jesus (Hebrews 3:1, 12:2) and make him the object and goal of your life. You will never be disappointed.