Category: Food for thought

The number 3 in the bible represents completeness.

In part 3, your’re going to see the whole picture of Romans 8:35 with several infographics that will give you new insights to overcome the 7 types of attacks against us [especially the second pyramid].

Romans 8:35
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

3. Persecution: 

Strong’s Concordance #1375
diógmos: persecution
Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine
Phonetic Spelling: (dee-ogue-mos’)
Definition: chase, pursuit; persecution.

HELPS Word-studies
Cognate: 1375 diōgmós (from 1377 /diṓkō, “follow, pursue”) – properly, pursuit (chase); persecution – literally, “the hunt to bring someone down like an animal,” trying to suppress (punish) their convictions. See 1377 (diōkō).

1375 /diōgmós (“religious persecution”) literally refers to those seeking to punish God’s messengers with a vengeance – like a hunter trying to conquer (obliterate) someone as their “catch.”

[1375 (diōgmós) is used in ancient and biblical Greek for persecution (hostility) shown by confused, spiritual “leaders.” For example, it applies to the Roman Emperor, Decius (ad 250-251). He killed thousands of Christians who refused to offer sacrifices in his name.]

A perfect example of this is the apostle Paul before he got born again.

Philippians 3:6
Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless

Its important to note that the persecution is coming from the religious leaders.  Paul was a Pharisee after all.

Isn’t that a bit ironic and hypocritical?

Acts 8
3 As for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling [dragging] men and women, committed them to prison.
4 Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word.

Havock means: to affix a stigma to, to dishonor, spot, defile; to treat shamefully or with injury, to ravage, devastate, ruin.

Imagine that – putting people in prison for speaking the truth, while the guilty ones are falsely accusing us of evil!

That never happens in our society, does it???

You may remember from part 2 that distress was basically a more intense version of tribulation, so where does persecution fit in?

The 7 attacks start off with mental pressure and end in death, with everything else somewhere in between.

How to conquer: 

First, we need to understand that no matter what we think, say or do, we may still encounter persecution.

Some people say that because you screwed up, you are being persecuted.

That can be true in some situations.

If we are habitually breaking sound biblical principles in our life, we will receive what we have been sowing.

Galatians 6
7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

Colossians 3:25
But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.

If we are volatile, and don’t control our thoughts, emotions, words or actions, we may stir up a lot of people against us that could lead to persecution, but if we exercise self-control [one of the 9 fruit of the spirit] and use God’s wisdom, then many potentially bad situations can be avoided altogether.

On the other hand, Jesus Christ was a perfect man who lived perfectly for God, but was persecuted more than anybody else I know, so whether or not we are persecuted is not a guaranty that we are responsible.

If we are a spiritual couch potato, never doing anything against the devil, then why would the devil even attack us?

Figuratively, if we are in a boxing ring against the devil, we’re going to get bruised a time or two. It’s simply the nature of the fight.

We just can’t avoid persecution 100% of the time.

Psalm 119:161
Princes have persecuted me without a cause: but my heart standeth in awe of thy word.

II Timothy 3
10 But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience,
11 Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me.
12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
13 But evil men and seducers shall wax [grow] worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.

Why?

Because the devil is the God of this world and his whole purpose is to steal, kill, and destroy.

II Corinthians 4
3 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

John 10:10
The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

Strategies to overcome stress and persecution

There are offensive and defensive strategies we can use to defeat persecution, which points back to the stress flowchart we saw in the last article.

In any given situation, we have 2 options at our disposal: problem-focused or emotion-focused.

Both can work, depending on variables.

So here are just a few of the verses that we need to be aware of and can use to our advantage.

Problem-focused verses: change the situation itself

Leviticus 26:8
And five of you shall chase an hundred, and an hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight: and your enemies shall fall before you by the sword.

Joshua 1
6 Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them.
7 Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper withersoever thou goest.
9 Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.

Joshua 23:10
One man of you shall chase a thousand: for the Lord your God, he it is that fighteth for you, as he hath promised you.

2 Samuel 22:30
For by thee I have run through a troop: by my God have I leaped over a wall.

Psalms 7:1
O Lord my God, in thee do I put my trust: save me from all them that persecute me, and deliver me:

Remember that God’s deliverance is past, present and future.

Acts 8:4
Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word.

We can go on the offensive by speaking the word of God.

God’s light dispels the spiritual darkness.

Romans 8:37
Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

I Corinthians 15
57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

As we keep the hope of Christ’s return in mind, knowing that we have rewards waiting for us, we can stand stedfast and unmoveable in the work of the Lord.

Remember, if we’re rooted and grounded in God’s love, we can be steadfast and unmoveable.

2 Corinthians 4:13
We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak;

II Corinthians 10
3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:
4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

Ephesians 6
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

12 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.
13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

16 Above all, taking the shield of faith [believing], wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
19 And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,

20 For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

James 4:7
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Romans 8:28
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

We can rest in the confidence that God will deliver us, no matter what attack is thrown against us.

No Fear!

Finally, as a spiritual athlete, it’s important to not be afraid because it will just make matters worse.

Job 3
25 For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me.
26 I was not in safety, neither had I rest, neither was I quiet; yet trouble came.

Psalms 34:4
I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.

Look what the apostle Paul did when he was captured and locked up in prison!

Acts 16
24 Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks.
25 And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.
26 And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed.

Paul & Silas’ believed that God would rescue them out of this bad situation and he did according to their believing.

Emotion-focused verses: change relation to the situation 

We all know that the past can’t be changed.   Therefore, the problem-focused strategy is not an option to fix past problems because it attempts to change situations that cannot be changed.

So for issues in the past, the only option is to use the emotion-focused strategy that can change the relation to the situation; in other words, we can change the meaning of the past and/or our attitude about it.

All those horrible things you went through long ago take on a life-changing new perspective with God’s deep spiritual insights.

For example, suppose you were abused as a child.  The precision of God’s word can bring great relief to many people because:

• We know that it was not God punishing us because we were unlovable or unworthy
• We know that we are not to blame [many child molesters blame the victim or manipulate them into feeling guilty or being shamed]
• We can rejoice knowing that the devil considered us worthy opponents, [even as a child!] in the spiritual competition [Acts 5:41; II Thessalonians 2:5]
• We can smile knowing that we will be getting rewards in heaven for looking forward to Christ’s return

The parable of the sower and the seed sheds new light on how to overcome persecution.

Matthew 13
5 Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth:
6 And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.

20 But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon [King James old english = immediately] with joy receiveth it;
21 Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth [endures] for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by [right away] he is offended.

Verse 21, definition of offended:

From the Greek word skandalon; to entrap, i.e. Trip up (figuratively, stumble (transitively) or entice to sin, apostasy or displeasure) — (make to) offend.

If we stumble and fall, then we can’t walk for God.  We must learn from our mistakes and get back up again so we can walk for God again.

Proverbs 24:16
For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.

Ephesians 5
2 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.
8 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:
15 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,

If we’re rooted and grounded in God’s love, we will be able to survive and thrive during in any attack of persecution.

Ephesians 3
16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;
17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;

A tree that’s got a deep and strong root system can withstand a storm or drought, but one with a shallow root system will die when circumstances are against them.

Jeremiah 17
7 Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is.
8 For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful [anxious] in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.

The largest tree by volume is believed to be a giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) known as the General Sherman Tree in the Sequoia National Park in Tulare County, California. Only the trunk is used in the calculation and the volume is estimated to be 1,487 m3 (52,500 cu ft).

Matthew 5
10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

Acts 5
40 And to him they agreed: and when they had called the apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.
41 And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name.
42 And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.

James 1 [amplified bible]
2 Consider it nothing but joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you fall into various trials.
3 Be assured that the testing of your faith [through experience] produces endurance [leading to spiritual maturity, and inner peace].
4 And let endurance have its perfect result and do a thorough work, so that you may be perfect and completely developed [in your faith], lacking in nothing.

Remember, the trials are not from God, but are from God’s enemy instead.

During persecution, there is great comfort knowing that God’s justice will be done in the future.

II Thessalonians 2
4 So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith [believing] in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure:
5 Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer:

6 Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense [repay] tribulation to them that trouble you;
7 And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,

8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:
9 Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;

Verse 5 again states our worthiness, establishing it.

In verse 7, we have rest with the other saints who were persecuted also.

II Corinthians 12:9
And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

II Corinthians 9:8
And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:

God’s grace is defined as unmerited divine favor.  That’s an unlimited supply!

My mom always said that everything will come out in the wash.    This saying has 2 basic meanings:

1. used for saying that people will always find out the truth about something

2. used for saying that you are sure you will find a solution to the problem that you have

When you combine them, you come up with the conviction that you will discover the truth and that everything will be OK as a result.

Hebrews 4
15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Famine: 

There is no fancy definition here, so we go to a regular dictionary.

noun
1. extreme and general scarcity of food, as in a country or a large geographical area.
2. any extreme and general scarcity.
3. extreme hunger; starvation.

The word “famine” is used 87 times in the KJV of the bible.

Why are there famines?

When there is a disaster such as famine, ask yourself these questions:

Is this a man-made problem, despite what the news says?

Many crisis you hear on the news are either lies or man-made crisis that originate from the treacherous dealers we learned about in the last article.

Are famines an act of God?

We often see the phrase “acts of God” in insurance policies, letting you know that the insurance company won’t cover you in such circumstances.

Satan, the accuser of God’s people, works through the systems of the world to falsely accuse God of what he is guilty of himself.

If there is a drought that results in a famine, sure, there may be geological or meteorological [weather] related things going on, but don’t exclude the spiritual factors.

Genesis 1
14 And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:

The devil is cursed more than any other living thing and so are his children [the treacherous dealers].

17 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;
18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;

Cursed ground produces thorns and thistles, which don’t produce fruit.

Genesis 4 [amplified bible]
11 And now you [Cain, the first son of the devil in the bible] are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s [shed] blood from your hand.
12 When you cultivate the ground, it shall no longer yield its strength [it will resist producing good crops] for you; you shall be a fugitive and a vagabond [roaming aimlessly] on the earth [in perpetual exile without a home, a degraded outcast].”

The spiritual reason there are many desert areas around the globe that don’t produce good crops is because of the spirituality of the people of the land.

Is there actually a shortage of food, or is it a distribution problem?

Numerous good quality sources on the internet clearly say it’s a distribution problem.

How to conquer: 

God will supply our need as we trust in him

Job 5
19 He shall deliver thee in six troubles: yea, in seven there shall no evil touch thee.
20 In famine he shall redeem thee from death: and in war from the power of the sword.

21 Thou shalt be hid from the scourge of the tongue: neither shalt thou be afraid of destruction when it cometh.
22 At destruction and famine thou shalt laugh: neither shalt thou be afraid of the beasts of the earth.

Psalms 33
18 Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear [reverence] him, upon them that hope in his mercy;
19 To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine.

20 Our soul waiteth for the Lord: he is our help and our shield.
21 For our heart shall rejoice in him, because we have trusted in his holy name.
22 Let thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us, according as we hope in thee.

Psalm 37:25
I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.

Why are there famines, swords and pestilences?

There are 24 verses in the bible that contain the words “famine”[which can result in death], “sword” [representing war & death] and “pestilence” [disease, which can result in death also] because these go together.

The common thread is death.

Hebrews 2
14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
15 And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

Here is why they occur:

Ezekiel 6:11
Thus saith the Lord God; Smite with thine hand, and stamp with thy foot, and say, Alas for all the evil abominations of the house of Israel! for they shall fall by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence.

What goes on in a land spiritually [evil abominations] will determine what goes on in the 5-senses realm.

War, famine and disease are common in many sections of the world right now, such as parts of the middle east or areas of Africa where idolatry in the land reign.

Galatians 6
7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

Psalms 91
5 Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;
6 Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.

Many diseases considered incurable today are because those diseases “walk in darkness” – their true cause and cure has been hidden by the lies from the treacherous dealers who are in the darkest degree of darkness.

But no matter what the cause is, we can be delivered from them all!

Pyramids and Romans 8:35

Now we are going to zoom out and see the whole picture of Romans 8:35 in light of the pyramid below.

Psychologist Abraham Maslow’s [1908 – 1970] famous hierarchy of needs pyramid enables us to get a better view of the overall picture, leading to new insights.

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs pyramid.

• Physical realm: the bottom 2 layers – Physiological and Safety needs.
• Psychological realm: the middle 2 layers – Love/belonging and Esteem needs.
• Spiritual realm: the top, the pinnacle – Self-actualization needs [including the meaning of life].

Interestingly, all 12 characteristics of the self-actualized person that Dr. Maslow wrote about follow biblical and spiritual principles.

Mankind’s greatest and highest potential is spiritual and to become: a son of God; an athlete of the Spirit; to be redeemed, justified, righteous and sanctified in the sight of God; an ambassador for Christ; being seated in the heavenlies with Christ; receiving a brand-new spiritual body at the return of Christ.

On the scale of eternity, the tip of the pyramid actually represents our greatest need, as the bible reveals.

Job 23
11 My foot hath held his steps, his way have I kept, and not declined.
12 Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.

Job had his priorities right.

Jeremiah 15:16
Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O Lord God of hosts.

Jeremiah depended upon the word of God to sustain him.  So did Jesus.

Matthew 4:4
But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

So we need both physical food and spiritual food.

John 4
31 In the mean while his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat.
32 But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of.
33 Therefore said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him ought to eat?
34 Jesus saith unto them, My meat [nourishment] is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.

Philippians 4:19
But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

God can supply all our need, which makes the spiritual top of the pyramid the most important.

The spiritual famine

Right now, there is a spiritual famine going on all around the world.    Billions of people are unsaved and the majority of those that are saved have multiple major misunderstandings of God’s word.

For example, most Christians believe:

• that you go to heaven when you die
• that God caused the flood of Noah
• that the trinity is of God, even though it violates the laws of logic and math that God invented
• that God forsook Jesus on the cross
• the gospels are written to them
• believe the mis-called gifts of the spirit are not for them or are of the devil or haven’t been taught how to operate them in their lives or what the 18 benefits are
• Jesus died on good Friday and was resurrected on Sunday morning, despite the fact that the bible says Jesus was in the ground 72 hours
• that God caused the chaos and destruction in Genesis 1:2 or he simply wasn’t finished making the heavens and earth yet

The list is virtually endless…

Hosea 4:6
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge…

Matthew 5:6
Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

The purpose of this blog & website is to teach people how the bible interprets itself and how to research the bible using sound logic, critical thinking skills and what resources we can use to verify the truth of the word of God.

Once you know how to study the bible and how to understand it, you will no longer be stuck in a spiritual famine.

Below is the pyramid of the hierarchy of human needs with a Romans 8:35 overlay.

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs pyramid with Romans 8:35 overlay

• The first thing attacked is the spiritual realm.
• The second thing attacked is the psychological area
• The third thing attacked is the physical arena

Why this is and what is behind it is the subject of my article next month…

Now that we understand the overview of Romans 8 through the eyes of figures of speech, let’s break Romans 8:35 down into smaller components and details so we can get a clearer and more accurate understanding.

After that, we’ll ascend to higher ground and see from God’s heavenly vantage point with a full 360 degree view.

There won’t be any blind spots because we’ll be flooded with his perfect light and learn how to overcome the 7 different ways the world can attack us.

As is always the case, since the word of God is an inexhaustible resource of profound truth and deep insights into the very heart of life, this research study ended up being a jillion times deeper and bigger than I initially thought, so out of necessity, I’m breaking it up into several different parts in sequence.

This part 2 covers the first 2 ways of attack: tribulation and distress.

And no, this tribulation doesn’t have anything to do with the great tribulation in revelation!

Jesus Christ has already saved us from having to go through that [I Thessalonians 4:13-18].

Funny thing is, I don’t even know how many articles on Romans 8:35 there will be yet, but we will find out soon enough.

First off, if you are in any way the cause of any of these 7 methods of attack, or even a contributing factor, don’t condemn yourself, live in guilt or regret for the next 10, 20 or 30 years!

You only live once.  Redeem your time wisely.

Get God’s forgiveness NOW and move on.

I John 1
8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Don’t go to a priest’s confessional booth.

Go directly to God because he has already supplied the finest and final high priest of all time for all time: Jesus Christ, who makes intercession for us according to the will of God.

Ephesians 3:12
In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.

Psalms 103
11 For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear [reverence] him.

Mercy is deserved judgment withheld. Whew!

12 As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.

If you go north or south far enough, you will end up going in the opposite direction. In other words, you will get smacked in the face with your past sins that God has already forgotten.

[This brings up another issue: if you do ever have your sins haunt you and God has already forgiven & forgotten, then they could not be originating from God.

Therefore, they are coming from another source, which ultimately will be Satan].

But if you go either west or east, you will never end up going in the opposite direction.

globe-1491

Romans 8:35
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

Galatians 5
7 Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth?
8 This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you.

In verse 7, the question was not when, why, what, where or how, but WHO.

Who attacks us?  Certainly not God who wants us to obey his truth.  It is the devil who indirectly attacks us 7 different ways.

An entire teaching could very easily be taught on Galatians 5:7 & 8 alone, so we’ll just hit the highlights.

Galatians 5:8 – Definition of persuasion:

Thayer’s Greek Lexicon
treacherous or deceptive persuasion

Isaiah 24:16
…the treacherous dealers have dealt treacherously; yea, the treacherous dealers have dealt very treacherously.

Treacherous dealers are as evil as they get.

They have been and are the dark spiritual movers and shakers throughout history.

They are the ones who have infiltrated, contaminated, saturated and dominated cultures and countries around the world with confusion, drugs, fear, idolatry, lies, lust, murder, pride and wars, just to name a few.

Although they operate in virtually every industry that has money and power, they are especially concentrated in politics and religion.

That’s where the treachery really begins.   We must be able to separate truth from very subtle errors.   Ultimately, confusing and foggy gray areas will be exposed by God’s light and laser-sharp truth.

As God’s spiritual athlete, the competition is in our mind.

That’s where this chart and the word of God can be so helpful in understanding how to properly process things in our environment and still be victorious.

How to process stress and distress in Romans 8:35

The secondary appraisal section is where the stress begins.

The bible calls a non-christian the natural man because he or she does not have the gift of holy spirit within.

In other words, they only have a body and soul, but not holy spirit.  They are missing the third and most important part.

With only a body and soul, our resources and abilities are limited, so when faced with situations that require more than what we have, stress is produced.

The effects can be anywhere from merely annoying to fatal.

But as a Christian, we not only have the gift of holy spirit within, but we have the word of God and a powerful connection to God.

That’s priceless.

II Corinthians 3
4 And such trust have we through Christ to God-ward:
5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God;
6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.

II Corinthians 9
7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.
8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:

Psalms 18 [amplified bible]
1 “I love You [fervently and devotedly], O Lord, my strength.”
2 The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and the One who rescues me;
My God, my rock and strength in whom I trust and take refuge;
My shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower—my stronghold.
3 I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised;
And I am saved from my enemies.

Psalms 147
4 He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names.
5 Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.

As Christians, we can tap into God’s deep and infinite understanding of life.

Romans 8
26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities [infirmity]: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

This is THE spiritual stress-killing app, knowing “that all things work together for good to them that love God”.

Defeat stress with God’s infinite resources 24/7/365!

Enter the figure of speech Anaphora

Romans 8: 33-35 contain the figure of speech anaphora.

“Anaphora Definition
In writing or speech, the deliberate repetition of the first part of the sentence in order to achieve an artistic effect is known as Anaphora.

Anaphora, possibly the oldest literary device, has its roots in Biblical Psalms used to emphasize certain words or phrases. Gradually, Elizabethan and Romantic writers brought this device into practice. Examine the following psalm:

“O LORD, rebuke me not in thine anger, neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure.
Have mercy upon me, O LORD; for I am weak: O LORD, heal me; for my bones are vexed.  My soul is also sore vexed: but thou, O LORD, how long?”

The repetition of the phrase “O Lord,” attempts to create a spiritual sentiment. This is anaphora.

Functions of Anaphora
Apart from the function of giving prominence to ideas, the use of anaphora in literature adds rhythm to it and thus, making it more pleasurable to read and easier to remember. As a literary device, anaphora serves the purpose of furnishing artistic effect to the passages of prose and poetry.

As a rhetorical device, it is used to appeal to the emotions of the audience in order to persuade, inspire, motivate and encourage them“.

Romans 8
33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth.
34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

We are going to analyze each of the 7 attacks in the order they occur in the verse, then see how they all fit together.

1. Tribulation definition:

Strong’s Concordance #2347
thlipsis: tribulation
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Phonetic Spelling: (thlip’-sis)
Definition: persecution, affliction, distress, tribulation.

HELPS Word-studies
2347 thlípsis – properly, pressure (what constricts or rubs together), used of a narrow place that “hems someone in”; tribulation, especially internal pressure that causes someone to feel confined (restricted, “without options”).

2347 /thlípsis (“compression, tribulation”) carries the challenge of coping with the internal pressure of a tribulation, especially when feeling there is “no way of escape” (“hemmed in”).

[By contrast, 4730 (stenoxōría) focuses on the external pressure exerted by circumstances.]

This is mental pressure in a stressful situation, something we all get trapped in sometimes.

Some synonyms are harassment and vexation.

How to conquer:

One thing that can really help is to understand the purpose of mental pressure, harassment or vexation.

Romans 15:13
Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of holy spirit.

From one point of view, there are 3 great principles of life: believing, love and hope.

There is joy and peace in believing.

In other words, at least 2 of the ingredients of believing are joy and peace.

If you are making food according to a recipe, what happens if you leave an ingredient out?

It doesn’t come out right.

The same happens with believing.  If joy or peace are missing, then you can no longer believe according to God’s word and that’s the point.

The purpose of these first 2 attacks of mental pressure and distress is to corrupt, disrupt or steal your believing.

Mental pressure and distress are fundamentally the same.  The only difference is that distress is a greater degree of mental pressure.

Back in Genesis 3, the first thing that the serpent did was steal away Eve’s believing in what God had said by introducing doubt and confusion.

So now that you know that, you can be better prepared to defeat it.

If your mental stress is caused by temptations, then this section is for you. 

I Corinthians 10:13
There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer [allow] you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

Tribulation is “especially when feeling there is “no way of escape””; yet when we trust in God, he makes “a way to escape”.

But I want to make it extremely clear who is providing the temptation and who is not!

It wouldn’t make sense that God would stress us out, then provide a way to escape that same stress.

God doesn’t play games with us, but somebody else does…

Matthew 4
1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.
2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.
3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.

Israel wilderness similar to the one Jesus was tempted in.

The tempter is one of many names of the devil, highlighting one of his many negative attributes.

James 1:13
Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:

God doesn’t tempt anybody, so stop blaming him.

One antidote to temptation is just one verse back.

James 1:12
Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.

How do we know that we actually love God?  We can’t go by OUR definition of love, but GOD’S definition.

I John 5
2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.
3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.

I’m not talking about the 10 commandments in the old testament because they were written directly to the Israelites.

I’m talking about the many commandments in the new testament that are written directly to Christians today.

1 Thessalonians 4:11
And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you;

At the judgment seat of Christ, we will receive a crown of life for defeating temptations!

Hebrews 4
14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.
15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Since we have Christ in us the hope of Glory, and Jesus Christ defeated all temptations, we can too.

Philippians 4:13
I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

Another way to defeat stress and feeling trapped is to seek God’s peace.

Philippians 4
6 Be careful [anxious] for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
7 And the peace of God, which passeth [surpasses] all understanding, shall keep [guard] your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

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.
9 Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.

John 14:27
Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Spending too much time with ungodly people or getting into toxic relationships can be a source of vexation and stress you don’t need.

Numbers 33:55
But if ye will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you; then it shall come to pass, that those which ye let remain of them shall be pricks in your eyes, and thorns in your sides, and shall vex you in the land wherein ye dwell.

II Corinthians 6
14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?

Job 19:2
How long will ye vex my soul, and break me in pieces with words?

A good friend or acquaintance will build you up, not tear you down.

We can overcome the world, the source of the stress.

I John 4:4
Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

I John 5:5
4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith [believing].
5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?

Don’t let this counterfeit trap destroy your believing!

Ecclesiastes 4:6
Better is an handful with quietness, than both the hands full with travail and vexation of spirit.

God’s wisdom can provide tremendous relief from stress!

Table: the 8 characteristics of God’s wisdom from James 3:17.

2. Distress definition: 

Strong’s Concordance #4730
stenochória: narrowness of space, fig. difficulty
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Phonetic Spelling: (sten-okh-o-ree’-ah)
Definition: a narrow space, great distress, anguish.

HELPS Word-studies
4730 stenoxōría (from 4728 /stenós, “narrow, confined” and 5561 /xṓra, “space, territory, area”) – properly, a narrow place; (figuratively) a difficult circumstance – which God always authorized and hence only produces a temporal sense of confinement. Through Christ’s inworking of faith (4102 /pístis, “divine persuasion”), internal distress (sense of pressure, anguish) is ironically the way He shows His limitless work – in our “limitations”!

[Ro 2:9 however uses 4730 (stenoxōría) for negative confinements (inner distress), that result from living outside of God’s will.]

Stess: mental, emotional, or physical strain or tension

Distress: great pain, anxiety, or sorrow; acute physical or mental suffering; affliction; trouble.

One of the meanings of the prefix dis is “expressing intensive force”, so distress is a greater or stronger version of stress [wait until you see how this fits into the pyramid in a future article!].

This word distress is only used 4 times in the bible.  4 is the worldly number and Satan is the god of this world, so this distress ultimately originates from him.

How to conquer:

The opposite of distress is comfort, which is why so many of us reach for comfort foods like chocolate, hamburgers or pizza when the going gets rough.

God has already provided 5 good things to help us heal and relieve distress: music, nature, sex, sleep and most importantly, his word.

Emerald Bay on lake Tahoe. In the bible, the color blue represents the peace of God.

II Corinthians 1
2 Grace be to you and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort;

4 Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.
5 For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ.

6 And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation.
7 And our hope of you is stedfast, knowing, that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation.

8 For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life:
9 But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead:
10 Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us;

In this section, the root words console and comfort are used 9 times!

Nine in the bible indicates finality.  God’s consolation and comfort are the final answers for our heart’s distress.

God’s deliverance is past, present and future.

Verse 4 uses the same root word comfort 4 times.  Here is one definition.

Strong’s Concordance #3874
paraklésis: a calling to one’s aid, i.e. encouragement, comfort
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Phonetic Spelling: (par-ak’-lay-sis)
Definition: a calling for, summons, hence: (a) exhortation, (b) entreaty, (c) encouragement, joy, gladness, (d) consolation, comfort.

HELPS Word-studies
Cognate: 3874 paráklēsis – properly, a call (urging), done by someone “close beside,” i.e. a personal exhortation that delivers the “evidence that stands up in God’s court.”

[3874 (paráklēsis) is cognate with 3875 /paráklētos (“legal advocate”) and thus has legal overtones.]

3874 (paráklēsis) is an “intimate call” that someone personally gives to deliver God’s verdict, i.e. “the close-call” that reveals how the Lord weighs in the relevant facts (evidence). 3874 /paráklēsis (“holy urging”) is used of the Lord directly motivating and inspiring believers to carry out His plan, delivering His particular message to someone else. The core-meaning of 3874 /paráklēsis (“personal urging”) is shaped by the individual context, so it can refer to: exhortation, warning, encouragement (comfort), etc.

Another way God can comfort us is by way of the 9 manifestations of holy spirit, [often mis-called the gifts of the spirit].

I Corinthians 14:3
But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort.

When the worship manifestations of speaking in tongues with interpretation and prophecy are operated accurately and in order, they give us 3 great forms of relief from distress:

1. Edification:  God gives us hand-delivered, just what the doctor ordered words to build up our hearts that can strengthen, heal and restore our wounds from the world
2. Exhortation: this is #3874 defined above
3. Comfort: this is tenderness, consolation and comfort

#3 is this word:

HELPS Word-studies
Cognate: 3889 paramythía (a feminine noun) – “primarily ‘a speaking closely to anyone’ (para, ‘near,’ mythos, ‘speech’); hence it denotes ‘consolation, comfort,’ with a greater degree of tenderness than 3874 (paráklēsis)” (Vine, Unger, White, NT, 111, italics added). See 3888 (paramytheomai).

When we operate the manifestations of holy spirit with precision and order [I Corinthians 12-14], we will receive the fruit of holy spirit, like a cluster of grapes on a grapevine.

The 9 fruit of holy spirit are the result of operating the 9 manifestations of holy spirit. The fruit of holy spirit is like a cluster of grapes. Attribution for image is “Fir0002/Flagstaffotos”.

Galatians 5 [amplified bible]
22 But the fruit of the Spirit [the result of His presence within us] is love [unselfish concern for others], joy, [inner] peace, patience [not the ability to wait, but how we act while waiting], kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Who in their right mind wouldn’t want these?!

Defeat distress with perfect love

I John 4:18
There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

Definition of torment:

Strong’s Concordance #2851
kolasis: correction
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Phonetic Spelling: (kol’-as-is)
Definition: chastisement, punishment, torment, perhaps with the idea of deprivation.

HELPS Word-studies
Cognate: 2851 kólasis (from kolaphos, “a buffeting, a blow”) – properly, punishment that “fits” (matches) the one punished (R. Trench); torment from living in the dread of upcoming judgment from shirking one’s duty (cf. WS at 1 Jn 4:18).

Perfected love casts out tormenting fear (2851 /kólasis)

“Punishment that “fits” (matches) the one punished”.

Why is fear like this?

Enter the law of believing.

Job 3
25 For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me.
26 I was not in safety, neither had I rest, neither was I quiet; yet trouble came.

Fear is negative believing and what you are believing for, you will receive.

Romans 1:17
For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith [from the Greek word pistis = believing].

In other words, believing, whether positive or negative [fear] will yield proportional results in your life, so how do you overcome it?

As we’ve seen, God’s love casts out fear, but now we’ll see the whole picture.

II Timothy 1:7
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

• God’s power overcomes the ultimate source of the fear, the devil
• God’s love casts out the fear itself
• The sound mind of Christ prevents the fear from coming back

How to overcome fear with power, love and a sound mind!

Fear is one of the many sources of distress that we can eliminate with God’s resources.

II Corinthians 12 [amplified bible]
9 but He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you [My lovingkindness and My mercy are more than enough—always available—regardless of the situation]; for [My] power is being perfected [and is completed and shows itself most effectively] in [your] weakness.” Therefore, I will all the more gladly boast in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ [may completely enfold me and] may dwell in me.

10 So I am well pleased with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, and with difficulties, for the sake of Christ; for when I am weak [in human strength], then I am strong [truly able, truly powerful, truly drawing from God’s strength].

In verse 10, the root word distress is the same in Romans 8:35.

II Corinthians 9
6 But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.
7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.

8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:
9 (As it is written, He hath dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor: his righteousness remaineth for ever.

10 Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness;)
11 Being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God.

Amen.

The seven categories of spiritual attacks against us are listed in Romans 8:35

Romans 8:35
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

But before we dig into all the glorious details of this verse, we first need to understand the context of Romans 8.

Romans 8 is the pinnacle of doctrinal truth of the book of Romans to the believer.

That enables us to be more than a conqueror in all situations as we believe God’s word to overcome the world.

But sometimes we choke in the ocean of chaos, lies, and darkness.

An in-depth and accurate knowledge of God’s truth can heal our hearts, enlighten our path and inspire us to victory.

The purpose in handling this section of Romans 8 with such an intricate overview, depth & detail is summed up in one of my favorite verses.

Nehemiah 8:8
So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.

By having a deeper understanding of God’s word, we can believe it greater and love God even more, which energizes our believing even greater.

See the pattern of growth?

In part 1 we will get a broad overview on how to conquer the 7 methods of spiritual attack against us with some enlightening figures of speech on Romans chapter 8.

In part 2 we’ll dig into the many deep diamonds of truth in Romans 8:35 and get our answer to life’s questions once again.

Overview: figures of speech on the structure of Romans 8:1-39

Figures of speech are an exacting grammatical science.

Their objective is to precisely and deliberately deviate from the normal pattern of grammatical rules in a specific and documented way.

The purpose of figures of speech is to reveal what is most important in God’s word by emphasizing a particular word or phrase, a verse, a whole group of verses, or even an entire book of the bible or perhaps just a concept.

Figures of speech eliminate a trainload of confusion and conflict about what any given bible verse really means.

The beautiful symmetry and profound truth of figures of speech inspire awe, love and trust in God’s word.

The first figure of speech we’re going to look at covers the entire 8th chapter of Romans and is called Correspondence, which has 3 sub categories: alternate, introverted and combined.  Combined, as the name implies, is simply a combination of the previous two.

Correspondence enables us not merely to perceive the symmetrical perfection of the passage, but to understand it’s true sense; to see its scope and thus be guided to a sound interpretation.

What may be obscure in one element may be clear in its corresponding element.

The way introverted correspondence [introversion] works is, for example, let’s say there are 2 series of elements.

The first of one series of elements corresponds to the last element of the second series.

The second element of the first series corresponds to the second-to-last element of the second series, and so forth as illustrated below.

Correspondence is by far the most stately and dignified presentation of a subject; and is always used in the most solemn and important portions of scripture.

Screenshot of Companion Reference Bible; Figures of speech overview of Romans 8

If we rearrange the sections we can better understand the correspondence.

1. Beginning [1-4]: no condemnation to those in Christ and why
2. Ending [28-39]: no separation from Christ and why  [this is the context of part 2]

1. First middle [5-15]: holy spirit in us, leading us
2. Second middle [16-27]: The Holy Spirit’s [God] witness with our spirit, leading it

Screenshot of Companion Reference Bible. Romans 8:33-39 figures of speech.

• Beginning section [33]: God’s love in securing us against all who would accuse
• Ending section [38 & 39]: God’s love in Christ in securing us against all separation from the nature of things

• First middle section [34]: Christ’s love [manifested in death & resurrection] securing us against all who would condemn
• Second middle section [35 – 37]: Christ’s love [thus manifested by Him that loved us] securing us against all separation arising from the operation of things.

Another way to summarize the attacks against us in verses 33 – 39:

1. Accuse
2. Condemn
3. Separate by operation of things
4. Separate by nature of things

But of course, God has already covered us from all of these!

screenshot of companion-reference bible – Romans-8:28-39 – figure of speech

The third screenshot references standing and state.   What are they?

Our standing with God is that of a son, which can never change because we are born of incorruptible spiritual seed.   Seed is always permanent because it’s what determines the true nature of things.

Our state is our fellowship with God, which can vary, depending upon how well our thoughts, beliefs, actions, communications, etc line up with God’s will, which is his word, the bible.

We are secured by God’s purpose and perfect love, in regards to our sonship and fellowship with him.

In Romans 8:31 – 35, there are 9 rhetorical questions in a row, which is a figure of speech, but you can’t see this in the KJV unless you really work at it.

I have bolded & italicized the same words as the KJV does so we can have an accurate starting point, then we will see the real impact of what God has already done for us.

Romans 8
31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?
32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?

33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth.
34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

In verse 33 in the Greek, the word “charge” means to summon, to accuse, to [legally] charge someone with a crime.

Who would do that to us and why?

Revelation 12:10
And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

The accuser is one of the many names of the devil, emphasizing his accusative nature, which can attack us in the form of self condemning thoughts [internal attack] or false accusations against us from others [external attack].

The why is because of the devil’s dark and unholy nature [more on that later].

What was God’s response?

Verse 33 – “It is God that justifieth”.  [justifieth definition below]

Strong’s Concordance #1344
dikaioó: to show to be righteous, declare righteous
Part of Speech: Verb
Phonetic Spelling: (dik-ah-yo’-o)
Definition: I make righteous, defend the cause of, plead for the righteousness (innocence) of, acquit, justify; hence: I regard as righteous.

HELPS Word-studies
Cognate: 1344 dikaióō (from dikē, “right, judicial-approval”) – properly, approved, especially in a legal, authoritative sense; to show what is right, i.e. conformed to a proper standard (i.e. “upright”).

The believer is “made righteous/justified” (1344 /dikaióō) by the Lord, cleared of all charges (punishment) related to their sins. Moreover, they are justified (1344 /dikaióō, “made right, righteous”) by God’s grace each time they receive (obey) faith (4102 /pístis), i.e. “God’s inwrought persuasion”

Verse 33 – “It is God that justifieth”.

The italicized words were added by the kjv translators, so they have no divine authority.    They should be reversed to make more sense in English.  A question mark and exclamation mark belong at the end of the sentence to see the divine impact of the figures of speech, i.e. the rhetorical questions.

33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect?  Is it God that justifieth?!

The answer to the first question is: “Nobody!”

The answer to the second question is: “Of course not!”

How can the one who acquits us be the same one who accuses us?  In a court of law, the defense cannot be the prosecution.

34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

Contrast the definition of condemneth with intercession!

Strong’s Concordance #2632 [condemneth]
katakrinó: to give judgment against
Part of Speech: Verb
Phonetic Spelling: (kat-ak-ree’-no)
Definition: I condemn, judge worthy of punishment.

HELPS Word-studies
2632 katakrínō(from 2596 /katá, “down, according to” intensifying 2919 /krínō, “judge”) – properly, judge down, i.e. issue a penalty (exactly condemn); to judge someone “decisively (decidedly) as guilty.”

Is mankind guilty?  Absolutely.   Although it’s not our fault, it’s still our problem.

Psalms 51:14
Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.

All mankind has a corrupted bloodstream, courtesy of Adam.

God has already accomplished our redemption, justification, made us righteous and sanctified us through the work of Christ almost 2,000 years ago.

Matthew 27
3 Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,
4 Saying, I have sinned in that  I have betrayed the innocent blood [Jesus Christ] And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that.

Romans 5 has an absolutely magnificent explanation and soul – ution!

Romans 5
12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
13 (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law.

14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.
15 But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.

16 And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification.
17 For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)

18 Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.
19 For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.

20 Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:
21 That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.

We are still contrasting the definitions of condemneth with intercession in Romans 8:34.

34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

Strong’s Concordance #1793 [intercession]
entugchanó: to chance upon, by impl. confer with, by ext. entreat
Part of Speech: Verb
Phonetic Spelling: (en-toong-khan’-o)
Definition: (a) I meet, encounter, hence: (b) I call (upon), make a petition, make suit, supplication.

HELPS Word-studies
1793 entygxánō (from 1722 /en, “in,” which intensifies 5177 /tygxánō, “to obtain by hitting the mark”) – properly, “light upon (meet with), obtain” (LS); “to go and meet a person to converse, consult,” i.e. to intervene (“intersect with”).

The root of 5177 (tygxánō) means “to strike, hit the bulls-eye” (“spot on”). Accordingly, it is used in classical Greek as the antonym of harmartia (“to miss the mark, sin”)

God’s solution to mankind’s guilty blood was spot on.  He hit the bull’s eye with Jesus Christ’s innocent blood.

So here is the better translation:

34 Who is he that condemneth?  Is it Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us?!

Who is he that condemneth?  Nobody!

Is it Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us?!

Of course not!

Romans 5
6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

All of the questions in this 9-step section are answered by a profound rhetorical question, to which the literal answer is a resounding no!

Here is the final version so we can feel the real impact of what God has done for us:

1. What shall we then say to these things?
2. If God be for us, who can be against us?
3. He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?
4. Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect?
5. Is it God that justifieth?!
6. Who is he that condemneth?
7. Is it Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us?!
8. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?
9. Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

The number 9 in the bible is the number of finality and judgment.   God’s final judgment is that we are justified in his sight and nothing shall separate us from his perfect and eternal love.

Stay tuned!  In part 2, we are going to see what the 7 attacks against us actually are, how to defeat them and how all of them are intertwined with Maslow’s hierarchy of needs pyramid and how God fits into all this.

For a very unique overview of the entire book of Romans that will really open up the book for you, take a look at this: A unique parenthetical overview of Romans

INTRODUCTION

February 16, 2021: this is being updated and is an ongoing project.

Some Christians have at least heard of speaking in tongues, and others are more familiar with it, and some have actually spoken in these foreign languages.

How many Christians actually know any bible verses that document Satan’s attacks against speaking in tongues?

Here are the central verses that document Satan’s 6 attacks against speaking in tongues in the bible:

• Acts 2:13
• Acts 8:17
• Romans 1:18 & 21
• I Corinthians 12:1
• I Corinthians 12:3
• I Corinthians 14:1

But we’re going to look at the subject of speaking in tongues from a very different perspective: that of the spiritual competition we are in.

Ephesians 6:12
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.

One of the ways to gain better insights into the bible is to classify words.

“Wrestle” is an athletic term and not military, so this sets the correct context, which is also an allegory, defined below:

1. a representation of an abstract or spiritual meaning through concrete or material forms; figurative treatment of one subject under the guise of another.
2. a symbolical narrative:

Furthermore, this athletic allegory is also a figure of speech, emphasizing what is most important in the word of God.

Although there are some accurately used military words and imagery in the bible, the overall theme after the day of Pentecost [28A.D.] is that of an athlete.

ATTACK #1: ACTS 2:13

Acts 2
1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.

3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

5 And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.
6 Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language.

7 And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans?
8 And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?

9 Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia,
10 Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes,

11 Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.
12 And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this?

13 Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine. 

14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:
15 For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day.

16 But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;
17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:

18 And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:
21 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Although punctuation, chapter headings, center references, etc in the bible are man-made, [and therefore do not have any divine authority] its still intriguing that Satan’s very first attack against speaking in tongues in the KJV of the bible just happens to be in the 13th verse of Acts 2.

The #13 in the bible indicates rebellion, apostasy, defection, corruption, disintegration & revolution
“Hence every occurrence of the number thirteen, and likewise of every multiple of it, stamps that with which it stands in connection with rebellion, apostasy, defection, corruption, disintegration, revolution, or some kindred idea”.

the biblical significance of the number 2
“It is the first number by which we can divide another, and therefore in all its uses we may trace this fundamental idea of division or difference”.

“where man is concerned, this number testifies of his fall, for it more often denotes that difference which implies opposition, enmity, and oppression”.

In verse 13, the word “mocking” comes from the Greek word diachleuazo and is only used twice in the entire bible: here and in Acts 17:32.

So just from a numerical perspective alone, we have in Acts 2:13 rebellion against speaking in tongues, which causes apostasy, corruption and division within the body of Christ.

Coincidence?

Acts 17:32
And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked: and others said, We will hear thee again of this matter.

The word “mocked” is the Greek word diachleuazo [some sources say its just chleauzo], which breaks down into the prefix dia and the root word chleuazo.

Definition of Chleuazo:
HELPS Word-studies
5512 xleuázō (from xleuē, “a joke”) – properly, to joke (jest), i.e. to scoff (ridicule) using barbed humor and mocking jeers (used only in Ac 17:32).

Here is the definition of ridicule:

noun
1. speech or action intended to cause contemptuous laughter at a person or thing; derision.

Antonyms
praise.

The fact that the antonym [opposite] of mocking is praise is very significant in light of Acts 2:47 which is the figure of speech called symperasma, a summary and concluding statement for Acts 1:1 to Acts 2:47.

Symperasma is used 8 times in the book of acts and sets up its entire structure.

Acts 2:47
Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.

The day of Pentecost in Acts 2:1-4 occurred in the open area of the temple in Jerusalem.

Speaking in tongues is praising God.

John 4
23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

In verse 23, “in spirit and in truth” is the figure of speech hendiadys, which literally means two for one.   Its referring to rules of grammar where 2 words are used, but only one thing meant.  The first word is a noun [spirit] and the second noun is used as an adjective, describing the first noun.

Thus its true meaning is:  “…shall worship the Father truly by the spirit”.

The spirit is referring to the gift of holy spirit we receive from God when we get born again.

There is only one way to worship God using the gift of holy spirit within us and that is by speaking in tongues.

Acts 2:11
Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.

Acts 10:46
For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter,

Thus, one aspect of the first attack against speaking in tongues is the concept of contradiction.

Contradiction is one of Satan’s ways of causing:

• confusion
• division
• doubt [1 of the 4 types of weak believing]

Throughout the bible, we can see this pattern: first the truth from God’s word, followed by contradicting lies from Satan.

Here is one example:

John 9
1 And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth.
2 And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?
3 Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.

34 They [the Pharisees] answered and said unto him, Thou wast altogether born in sins, and dost thou teach us? And they cast him out.

Look at the consequence:

John 9:16
Therefore said some of the Pharisees, This man is not of God, because he keepeth not the sabbath day. Others said, How can a man that is a sinner do such miracles? And there was a division among them.

James 3:16
For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.

Titus 1
9 Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.
10 For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision:
11 Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre’s sake.

In verse 9, the word “gainsayers” comes from the Greek word antilego, meaning “to contradict, especially in a hostile (argumentative) way – i.e. to dispute in order to thwart”.

Antilego is used 11 times in the bible, the number of disorder, disorganization, imperfection, and disintegration.

How incredibly precise and appropriate God’s word is.

Acts 17:32
And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked: and others said, We will hear thee again of this matter.

Jesus’ resurrection from the dead by the power of God is totally unique and unprecedented in the history of mankind, irrefutably marking him the one and only true redeemer.

Romans 1:4
And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:

Jesus Christ stands out among the crowd and this makes him a natural target for Satan’s lies, who sows confusion about Jesus Christ’s true identity so people don’t flock to him in droves.

Speaking in tongues is critically important because its proof of Jesus Christ’s resurrection from the dead!

Acts 1:3
To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:

Look at the definition of “infallible proofs”!

Strong’s Concordance #5039
tekmérion: a sure sign
Part of Speech: Noun, Neuter
Phonetic Spelling: (tek-may’-ree-on)
Definition: a sign, certain proof.

HELPS Word-studies
5039 tekmerion – properly, a marker (sign-post) supplying indisputable information, “marking something off” as unmistakable (irrefutable). “The word is akin to tekmor a ‘fixed boundary, goal, end’; hence fixed or sure” (WS, 221).

Thayer’s Greek Lexicon
that from which something is surely and plainly known; an indubitable evidence, a proof.

Indubitable means: “that cannot be doubted; patently evident or certain; unquestionable”.

God wants us to have absolute certainty regarding the trustworthiness of his word.

When you speak in tongues for the very first time, it takes your belief in God up to the next level.

So this first attack was mocking and despising speaking in tongues in order to stir up confusion and every evil work for the purpose of stopping people from speaking in tongues.

Mocking and despising speaking in tongues contradicts what speaking in tongues is: true spiritual worship and praise unto God and absolute proof that Jesus Christ was the only person in the history of mankind to ever be resurrected from the dead by the power of God.

ATTACK #2: ACTS 8

This attack is not as obvious as the first one.  

We will see that trying to prevent people from speaking in tongues is the hill that Satan is willing to die on…

This is a figure of speech meaning that Satan is willing to give up all other positions except this one.  He will defend this “hill” [position] to the death.

That speaks volumes…

Acts 8
5 Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them.
6 And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did.

7 For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them: and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed.
8 And there was great joy in that city.

9 But there was a certain man, called Simon, which beforetime in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one:
10 To whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is the great power of God.

11 And to him they had regard, because that of long time he had bewitched them with sorceries.
12 But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.

13 Then Simon himself believed also: and when he was baptized [in the name of Jesus Christ, not with water], he continued with Philip, and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs which were done.
14 Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John:

15 Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost:
16 (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.)

17 Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost.

18 And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Ghost [spirit] was given, he offered them money,
19 Saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost [holy spirit].

20 But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money.
21 Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God.

22 Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee.
23 For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity.
24 Then answered Simon, and said, Pray ye to the Lord for me, that none of these things which ye have spoken come upon me.

Verse 15 has some translations issues, so we need to fix them in order to correctly understand what’s going on.

15 Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost:

This verse is part of an entire series of Felony Forgeries in the bible known as the Holy Ghost Forgeries.

• the word “the” was added to the KJV of the bible.  It does not occur in the Greek texts from which it was translated as you can see from the screenshot of a Greek interlinear.
• the words “Holy Ghost” are capitalized, indicating it’s God himself when that is entirely inaccurate.    It’s referring to God’s gift of holy spirit within a believer and not God himself.
• Furthermore, this introduces one of the persons of the trinity and the confusion that always goes with it.
• the phrase “Holy Ghost” are the Greek words hagion pneuma, which means “holy spirit”, referring to the gift of holy spirit we receive when we get born again.

So now a much more accurate translation of Acts 8:15 is:

Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive [the gift of] holy spirit:

Now that we have a better understanding of it, there is one more critical piece of the puzzle to put together and that is the definition of “receive”, which makes all the difference in the world!

The word receive is the Greek word lambano [Strong’s #2983], which means to receive into manifestation.   This refers to manifesting the gift of holy spirit, which is speaking in tongues.

When somebody gets born again, they receive the gift of holy spirit subjectively, for which the Greek word dechomai is used.

The people in Acts 8 had subjectively received [dechomai] the gift of holy spirit already.  They were already born again of God’s gift of holy spirit, the spiritual incorruptible seed, but they had not received [lambano] the gift of holy spirit into manifestation.  In other words, they had not spoken in tongues after being born again of God’s spirit.

That was a problem because this is the first time that the first century believers hadn’t spoken in tongues after being born again.

It was such a big problem that the apostles Peter and John were called in from Samaria to Jerusalem to get the problem resolved.  This was a distance of about 40 – 70 miles, [depending on the exact location], and traveled by camel or on foot.

Acts 8:17
Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost.

Just as in verse 15, we have the exact same 3 problems:

• If you look at a Greek interlinear from which the king james version was translated, you can clearly see that the word “the” was added by the translators, which is actually a trinitarian forgery.
• Second, the words “Holy Ghost” are capitalized, indicating it’s God himself when that is entirely inaccurate.    It’s referring to God’s gift of holy spirit and not God himself.   The mistranslation and capitalization of hagion pneuma into “Holy Ghost”, plus adding the word “the” adds a person of the trinity into the mix, further confusing the matter. 
• Third, the words  “Holy Ghost” are the Greek words hagion pneuma, which means “holy spirit”, referring to the gift of holy spirit we receive when we get born again.

So here is the much more accurate rendering of this verse:

Acts 8:17
Then laid they their hands on them, and they received holy spirit.

The word “received” is again the Greek word lambano, which means to receive into manifestation: i.e. they spoke in tongues.

How did the apostles get the people to speak in tongues?

First they prayed for them in verse 15.  Then in verse 17 they operated the manifestations of holy spirit called: word of knowledge, word of wisdom and discerning of spirits.

Translation: God showed them what was going on spiritually and they cast devil spirits out of the people in the name of Jesus Christ.

This is the hill Satan decided to “die” on.  He was willing to let everything else “slide”.  He was willing to compromise in every area but this one.

His last stand against the believers was to prevent them from speaking in tongues with devil spirit power!

That speaks volumes.

How do we know they cast devil spirits out of people?  Look at the context.

Acts 8
6 And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did.
7 For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them: and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed.
8 And there was great joy in that city.

Philip spoke the word of God and he cast devil spirits out of people.

I John 1:5
This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

Acts 26:18
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 8
9 But there was a certain man, called Simon, which beforetime in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one:
10 To whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is the great power of God.

11 And to him they had regard, because that of long time he had bewitched them with sorceries.

Its very significant that the root word “sorcery” is used twice and the word “bewitched” is also used twice: both pairs are mentioned in verses 9 & 11.

Simon was operating devil spirits, to deceive the people.

This is the root cause of the problem.   The word “sorcery” in verse 9 and the word “sorceries” in verse 11 have the exact same root word – magos [Strong’s #3097], which is used to describe a false prophet named Elymas in Acts 13:6 & 8, who was another sorcerer.

It was the operation of devil spirits that blocked the believers from operating the power of God by speaking in tongues.

Many got the devil spirits cast out of them just by the preaching of the word of God, but these particular devil spirits wouldn’t budge.

So when the big guns were called in [the apostles], they cast those devil spirits out in the name of Jesus Christ and the believers were able to carry out God’s commandment of speaking in tongues and receive the 18 different blessings that come with it.

I John 4:4
Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

ATTACK #3: ROMANS 1:18 & 21

Romans 1:21
Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

There are many ways to glorify God. Corinthians talks about us being living epistles.

We can certainly glorify God by our speech, actions, attitudes, material things, how we handle our finances, etc.

Speaking in tongues is the only way we can do this directly with the gift of holy spirit.

John 4
22 Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.
23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

“when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth” is the figure of speech hendiadys and means that we must worship him truly in the spirit, which means to actually use our gift of holy spirit.

The only way we can do that is to speak in tongues.

Acts 1:11
Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.

Acts 10:46
For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter,

Romans 1:18
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;

The key to understanding this verse is the word “hold”:

It’s the Greek word katecho [Strong’s # 2722] which means to hold down, to suppress.

The very first attack in Romans 1 was to gradually and subtly mention speaking in tongues less and less over a long period of time [suppression of the truth] and at the same time, throw in distractions, which are further categorized as pressures and pleasures.

This got the believers away from worshiping and glorifying God like it says in verse 21.

Another aspect of the suppression of truth related to speaking in tongues is how many christians and denominations are aware of, understand and celebrate the day of Pentecost that happened in 28A.D.?

Extremely extremely few.

Yet its one of the most important days in the history of mankind!

One time I talked to a girl who was in a baptist church and she never even heard of the day of Pentecost, much less knew anything about it, yet it has been in our bibles for almost 2,000 years.

This is the suppression of the truth in unrighteousness.

ATTACK #4: I CORINTHIANS 12:1

I Corinthians 12:1
Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant.

In verse 1, the word “spiritual” comes from the Greek word pneumatikos [Strong’s #4152] and basically means spiritual things or matters.

Many people say that speaking in tongues is one of the gifts of the spirit and you just have to wait for it.

Let’s think this through logically and we’ll see why this teaching is one of Satan’s many clever tricks.

They say its a gift as opposed to earning it, like wages are.

So if it truly is a gift, then you have no control over whether or not God gives it to you, just as you have no control over whether John Doe gives you a present or not.

Therefore, whether or not you receive the gift of tongues or not is not within the realm of believing, but is transferred over to the category of hope, which, by definition is always future.

Romans 8
24 For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?
25 But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.

Hope is for future things, not presently available.  Believing is for things that can be brought to pass in your life in the present.

Mark 11:24
Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

Hebrews 11 is packed full of great believers in the Old Testament who did many great things by their believing.

Hebrews 11:11
Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised.

The word “faith” comes from the Greek word pistis and is much more accurately translated believing.

So if you think that speaking in tongues is a gift from God that you just have to wait for, then you will never receive it because you can actually only hope it comes to pass instead of being able to actually believe to bring it to pass now.

And that’s exactly where Satan wants you to be: to hopelessly go in circles for the rest of your life for something that the devil knows you will never receive.

Why?

I John 4:4
Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

Do you think that Satan, God’s enemy, wants you [his enemy too!] to operate the power of God in your life that is much more powerful than himself???

Of course not.

Why?

Look at the powerful threat you could be to him!

Ephesians 1
19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working [energizing] of his mighty power,
20 Which he wrought [energized] in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,

21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:
22 And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
23 Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.

Speaking in tongues is proof of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, the one who defeated the devil, so why would he want to be reminded of his defeat???

We are far above all the devil spirit powers of the world!

That is why there is the ungodly teaching in the world that speaking in tongues is a gift: Satan wants all the christians to run in circles of despair, hoping for something that will never come to pass in their lives.

Unless they discover the truth!

I Corinthians 12:7
But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.

God calls speaking in tongues a manifestation of the spirit.

The word “manifestation” comes from the Greek root word 5319 phaneróō (from 5457 /phṓs, “light”) – properly, illumine, make manifest (visible); (figuratively) make plain, in open view; to become apparent (“graspable”).

That’s right: the root word of that is phos – light.  Whenever a believer speaks in tongues, he is blasting out God’s light, which dispels the devil’s darkness.

Furthermore, let’s look at this from a different angle entirely.

If God gives me the gift of tongues and word of wisdom, but he doesn’t give you any of the nine gifts of the spirit, then he has violated his own word because he has become a respecter of persons.

Proverbs 24:23
These things also belong to the wise. It is not good to have respect of persons in judgment.

Acts 10:34
Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:

Romans 2:11
For there is no respect of persons with God.

James 2:9
But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors.

So speaking in tongues is a manifestation that a believer can operate anytime they want to and not something that they should hope for.

I Corinthians 14:32
And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets.

As sons of God, we have 100% control of the holy spirit within us, which includes manifesting it in the form of speaking in tongues, which is shining God’s spiritual light.

So don’t let anyone convince you that you have to wait for one of the gifts of holy spirit to hit you!  Every born-again Christian has all 9 manifestations of holy spirit built into that incorruptible seed within.

ATTACK #5: I CORINTHIANS 12:3

I Corinthians 12:3
Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.

We have the same problems with this verse as with the others: “Holy Ghost” should be translated “holy spirit”, referring to the gift of holy spirit within each believer, the spiritual incorruptible seed of Christ within.

The phrase “but by the Holy Ghost” has the word “the” added to the Greek texts.

So a much more accurate translation would be:

I Corinthians 12:3
Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by holy spirit.

“speaking by the Spirit of God” is speaking in tongues, so when this verse said ” no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by holy spirit” is saying that no Christian can really say that Jesus is Lord except by speaking in tongues because it takes a higher level of knowledge, believing, commitment and spiritual maturity.

Anybody can say that they are a Christian, but the only way to actually prove it is by the irrefutable evidence of speaking in tongues.

Acts 1:3
To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:

Now into the details of the fourth attack…

“Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed:”.

Why would God give the apostle Paul the revelation that the believers were not cursing Jesus when they spoke in tongues?

Because that’s the lie that had infiltrated, contaminated and dominated their culture.  It was believed that if you spoke in tongues, you were cursing Jesus!

However, there is a big controversy regarding speaking in tongues, with many divergent opinions and beliefs about it.

Here is a partial list of the lies and distortions about speaking in tongues:

• It died with the first century apostles
• It’s of the devil
• It’s one of the 9 gifts of the spirit
• Some people have seen people speak in tongues while handling poisonous snakes
• Some people have seen christians get slain in the spirit or rolling on the floor while speaking in tongues
• others have walked into a room and seen everybody speaking in tongues all at once

Ultimately, that had to have been inspired and orchestrated by the devil for the purpose of deterring Christians from speaking in tongues.

It had the secondary consequence of corrupting the attitude towards speaking in tongues in the minds of the believers from such an honorable act as praising God into cursing Jesus.

Psalm 40:5
Many, O Lord my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.

God’s wonderful works can’t even be numbered!

Acts 2:11
Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.

Acts 10:46
For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter,

The idea that speaking in tongues is calling Jesus accursed is a lie, and lies can only come from the devil, who is the originator of lies! [John 8:44].

The heathen would sometimes curse their gods for various reasons and this got associated with speaking in tongues, contaminating and corrupting Christianity.

Overall, this was a consequence of the Corinthian believers not living their sonship right of sanctification [holiness], which is being separate from the world, uncontaminated.

II Corinthians 6
14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?
16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

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.

I Corinthians 1
30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:
31 That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.

This was the first of 8 steps down a dark, confusing path of deception and error that degraded Bruce Jenner, from a gold medal Olympian, to a transvestite.

Hard to see, the dark side is…

ATTACK #6: I CORINTHIANS 14:1

I Corinthians 14
1 Follow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy.
2 For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries.

3 But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort.
4 He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself; but he that prophesieth edifieth the church.

5 I would that ye all spake with tongues but rather that ye prophesied: for greater is he that prophesieth than he that speaketh with tongues, except he interpret, that the church may receive edifying.

In verse 1, once again, the word gifts is in italics, indicating that it was deliberately added to the bible by the King James translators.

Therefore, if it is removed, then the word of God remains unchanged.

Once again, the word “spiritual” is the exact same Greek word for “spiritual” in I Corinthians 12:1 that we have handled already and it simply means spiritual things or spiritual matters and NOT gifts.

II Corinthians 9
6 But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.
7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.

8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:
9 (As it is written, He hath dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor: his righteousness remaineth for ever.

10 Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness;)
11 Being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God.

In verse 10, we’re going to get some great enlightenment on God’s power to provide his lavish abundance.

Definition of minister
Strong’s Concordance #5524
chorégeó: to lead a chorus (i.e. a group of performers), to defray the cost of a chorus
Part of Speech: Verb
Phonetic Spelling: (khor-ayg-eh’-o)
Definition: I furnish abundantly, supply.

HELPS Word-studies
5524 xorēgéō (from xorēgos, “a person who both funds and directs an epic, ancient chorus,” and 2233 /hēgéomai, “lead”) – properly, to fund and lead a grand event, bearing all the expenses necessary to stage the grand event.

5524 /xorēgéō (“richly supply”) in both NT occasions refers to God lavishly supplying all believers need, in every scene of life – so each becomes a grand (eternal) event! See 2 Cor 9:10; 1 Pet 4:11.

[5524 (xorēgéō) is used in classical Greek for funding a chorus, supplying everything needed to make it an event! “The provision of a chorus at public festivals was a costly business for the Athenian public offices, who supplied in abundance” (P. Hughs).]

This word choregeo is only used twice in the bible. The only other usage is in I Peter 4:11, translated “giveth”.

I Peter 4
8 And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.
9 Use hospitality one to another without grudging.

10 As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
11 If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

Once again, this word choregeo is used in the context of God’s grace. When we walk in God’s manifold grace, we will have fabulous abundance in all categories of life.

The word “manifold” means multi-colored, varied. God’s grace is so versatile that it can fit into anybody’s life, in any situation, at any time or in any place.

Look at God’s amazing abundance to us as we simply apply a few basic principles in his word! Now that’s something to be merry about.

If we sow bountifully, with cheerfulness in our heart, God will lavishly supply all our need!

How are we to properly balance love and knowledge?

1 Corinthians 8:1
Now as touching things offered unto idols, we know that we all have knowledge.
Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth.

What is the difference between being puffed up and being edified?

Definition of “puffeth up”
Strong’s Concordance #5448
phusioó: to puff or blow up
Part of Speech: Verb
Phonetic Spelling: (foo-see-o’-o)
Definition: I inflate, puff up; passively: I am puffed up, arrogant, proud.

HELPS Word-studies
5448 physióō (from physa, “air-bellows”) – properly, inflate by blowing;
(figuratively) swelled up, like an egotistical person spuing out arrogant (“puffed-up”) thoughts.

Definition of “edifieth”
Strong’s Concordance #3618
oikodomeó: to build a house
Part of Speech: Verb
Phonetic Spelling: (oy-kod-om-eh’-o)
Definition: I erect a building, build; figuratively. of the building up of character: I build up, edify, encourage.

HELPS Word-studies
3618 oikodoméō (from 3624 /oíkos, “a house” and domeō, “to build”) – properly, to build a house (home, edifice); (figuratively) to edify – literally, “build someone up,” helping them to stand (be strong, “sturdy”).

If we get prideful and arrogant with knowledge and don’t walk in the love of God, then we become puffed up with “hot air”, like a balloon.  That makes us vulnerable to Satan’s poisonous winds of false doctrines.

Proverbs 16:18
Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.

1 Timothy 3:6
Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil.

Ephesians 4:14
That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;

In contrast, charity [the love of God operated in our life] edifies us, it builds us up [I Corinthians 8:1].

An edifice is a large building made of solid materials like wood, steel or concrete that is anchored to the ground for strength and stability.

Ephesians 3:17
That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith [believing]; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,

If we are rooted and grounded in love, then we can’t get blown around by Satan’s winds of false doctrines.

This is where operating the manifestations of holy spirit come into play.

The root word edify occurs 7 times in I Corinthians 14.  Seven is the number of spiritual perfection in the bible.

The definition of charity is to build up, to encourage.

I Corinthians 14
1 Follow after charity [the love of God], and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy.
2 For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries.

In verse 1,  the word “gifts” is in italics in the KJV, which means that the translators are telling us right up front that they deliberately added it to the verse.  Thus, its nothing more than their own opinion and has no divine authority.   Therefore, if we remove it, then we are not changing the actual word of God.

The word “spiritual” comes from the Greek word pneumatikos and is more accurately translated spiritual matters or spiritual things, so the overall subject of I Corinthians 14 is spiritual things.

3 But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort.

4 He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself; but he that prophesieth edifieth the church.
5 I would that ye all spake with tongues but rather that ye prophesied: for greater is he that prophesieth than he that speaketh with tongues, except he interpret, that the church may receive edifying.
37 If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord.

Imagine that – speaking in tongues is a commandment of the Lord!

This brings us full circle and we get back to the love of God.

I John 5
2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.
3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.

However, Colossians tells us to increase in knowledge…

Colossians 1:10
That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God.

And Thessalonians tells us to increase in our love for one another too.

I Thessalonians 4
9 But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another.
10 And indeed ye do it toward all the brethren which are in all Macedonia: but we beseech you, brethren, that ye increase more and more;

In order to have a balanced walk with God, our love for him should grow in proportion to our increase in knowledge.

Matthew 7
24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.

26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

28 And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine:
29 For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

In verse 24, it says whosoever doeth them…this is the love of God, to carry out the word of God in our lives.

This gets us rooted and grounded in love so that we can withstand the storms of life when they hit.   Having a solid foundation is the key…

Ephesians 2
18 For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.
19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;

20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;
21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:
22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.

Once again, we must go back to the great truths of Ephesians.

Ephesians 4:1
I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,

Definition of “worthy”
Strong’s Concordance #514
axios: of weight, of worth, worthy
Part of Speech: Adjective
Phonetic Spelling: (ax’-ee-os)
Definition: worthy, worthy of, deserving, comparable, suitable.

HELPS Word-studies
514 áksios (an adjective derived from aksō, “to weigh”) – properly, to weigh in, assigning the matching value (“worth-to-worth”); worthy, i.e. as the assessment in keeping with how something “weighs in” on God’s balance-scale of truth.

514 /áksios (“weighed-in”) “properly means, ‘drawing down the scale’ hence ‘weighing as much as,’ ‘of like value, worth,’ befitting, congruous, corresponding” (J. Thayer).

[514 (áksios) is the root of the English term, “axis.” This also refers to a balance-scale, operating by off-setting weights.]

The love of God must be balanced out with the knowledge of God so that we have a good and stable walk with God.

Jesus Christ is the solid foundation upon which we can base our lives on, living a balanced walk of knowledge and love, being victorious in all we do.

Proverbs 4:7
Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.

Nehemiah 8
8 So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.

13 And on the second day were gathered together the chief of the fathers of all the people, the priests, and the Levites, unto Ezra the scribe, even to understand the words of the law.

Matthew 13:19
When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.

This is why I teach people how the word interprets itself, so that they can understand the word and be rooted and grounded in love.

Ephesians 3

3 How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words,
4 Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)

If anybody ever tells you that because we have an incomprehensible God, we should expect to not understand his mysteries is contradicting God’s word itself.

16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;
17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;
19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.
20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,
21 Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

Zechariah 2:6
Ho, ho, come forth, and flee from the land of the north, saith the Lord: for I have spread you abroad as the four winds of the heaven, saith the Lord.

While this bible joke seems funny in our culture, in Zechariah’s time [about 410-403 B.C.], it wasn’t so humorous.

According to the Brown-Driver-Briggs concordance, [Definition of Ho] the word ho comes from the Hebrew word “hoy” and usually expresses dissatisfaction and pain, the opposite of Santa Clauses’ HO HO HO.

This word is used 51 times in the bible, and is translated “woe” 34x, “alas” 11x, “ho” 2x, “ho there” 2x and “ah” 2x.

This verse also has the figure of speech epizeuxis, which literally means duplication.   Its the use of the same word in the same sense in the same verse.  Its purpose is to emphasize what is being said by repeating it twice, repeating it twice.

British Dictionary definitions for ho
interjection
1. Also ho-ho. an imitation or representation of the sound of a deep laugh
2. an exclamation used to attract attention, announce a destination, etc: what ho!, land ho!, westward ho!

What’s an interjection?

British Dictionary definitions for interjection
noun
1. a word or remark expressing emotion; exclamation
2. the act of interjecting
3. a word or phrase that is characteristically used in syntactic isolation and that usually expresses sudden emotion; expletive interj.

British Dictionary definitions for alas
sentence connector
1. unfortunately; regrettably: there were, alas, none left

interjection
2. an exclamation of grief, compassion, or alarm

The important point is that we properly understand the verse and that we are just having a little fun for the holidays with a bible joke.

Happy Holidays everyone!

Ever been so confused by so many confusing and contradictory doctrines and theologies that you’re ready to give up?

God’s word, the perceived source of the confusion, is your answer!

Definition of confusion
verb (used with object), confused, confusing.
1. to perplex or bewilder: The flood of questions confused me.
2. to make unclear or indistinct: The rumors and angry charges tended to confuse the issue.
3. to fail to distinguish between; associate by mistake; confound: to confuse dates; He always confuses the twins.
4. to disconcert or abash: His candor confused her.
5. to combine without order; jumble; disorder: Try not to confuse the papers on the desk.
6. Archaic. to bring to ruin or naught.

Synonyms
1. mystify, nonplus. Confuse, disconcert, embarrass imply temporary interference with the clear working of one’s mind.

Satan’s objective of confusion is to interfere with the clear working of a person’s mind.

Satan also has at least 5 goals or purposes of confusion:

1.  To cause you to not be approved by God by the wrong dividing of his word.

II Timothy 2:15
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

If you’re confused and can’t think clearly, then how is it possible to rightly divide God’s word?

Its not.  That’s the point.

The bible isn’t actually confusing.

Its the doctrines of devils, commandments of men and lack of knowledge on how the bible interprets itself that are to blame.

2. To stop you from understanding God’s word.

Confusion is a direct contradiction against God’s word.

Nehemiah 8:8
So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.

The word “sense” is a Hebrew word that means insight and is used 16 times in the bible.

The reason that’s important is because 16 is 8 x 2.  Eight in the bible is the number of a new beginning.  2 is the number of establishment or division, depending on the context [here its establishment].

So when we have a clear, distinct teaching on God’s word, with the critical insights provided for our understanding, then its a new beginning established for us.

Even mysterious things in the bible are meant to be understood.

Ephesians 3
3 How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words,
4 Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)

3. If he can get you to not understand God’s word, then he can steal the word away from you.

Matthew 13:19
When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.

This is why understanding how the bible interprets itself is so critical.

That way you can rightly divide God’s word and hold onto it.

Titus 1:9
Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.

The word of God is like a football: the opponent is always trying to take it away from you.

4. To slip in his corrupted gospel unnoticed.

Galatians 1:7
Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.

God’s word is perfect. Therefore, the order of the words in his word is perfect.

In Galatians 1:7, the word “trouble” comes before the word “pervert”.

Definition of trouble:
Strong’s Concordance #5015
tarassó: to stir up, to trouble
Part of Speech: Verb
Phonetic Spelling: (tar-as’-so)
Definition: I disturb, agitate, stir up, trouble.

HELPS Word-studies
5015 tarássō – properly, put in motion (to agitate back-and-forth, shake to-and-fro); (figuratively) to set in motion what needs to remain still (at ease); to “trouble” (“agitate”), causing inner perplexity (emotional agitation) from getting too stirred up inside (“upset”).

With confusion, if Satan, the god of this world, can get you to be agitated with various negative emotions, then he has succeeded in obtaining his objective: interfering with the clear working of your mind.

Once that is accomplished, then he has an open door to walk right in with his distorted version of the gospel and mess you up.

If you simply look up the word “another” in a bible dictionary, you arrive at this, which is a more accurate translation of Galatians:

Galatians 1
6 I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel of a different kind or type:
7 Which is not another of the same kind or type; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.

So the adversary, the devil, just has to get you all riled up, mixed up and confused first.  Then you can’t see his subtle lies and distortions of the truth, like a gospel teaching about Jesus Christ that sounds real religious, but contradicts the bible.

5.  To make you psychologically and spiritually unstable so that you can’t stand against him.

So when confusion hits you, it can’t come from God.  Therefore, it must come from another source.

II Corinthians 4
3 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

So if somebody tells you that they believe in God, just ask them, “which one?” You will almost always get a very confused response!

Why?

Because people simply haven’t been taught the integrity and precision of God’s word.

The bible teaches that there are 2 Gods:

• The God who designed & created the universe, who is the father of the Lord Jesus Christ
• The God of this world, who is Satan, the devil.

His true purpose was revealed by Jesus Christ in the gospel of John.

John 10:10
The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

Yet another verse reveals the true nature of the devil.

I Peter 5:8
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

So how does the devil operate?

II Corinthians 2:11
Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices [plans, schemes, etc].

God does not want us to be ignorant of how Satan operates, so he gives us simple, logical and clear instructions in his word so that we can be victorious in all our endeavors of life.

One of the psychological and spiritual weapons of the devil is confusion.

James 3
14 But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.
15 This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.
16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.

But God does things in an orderly manner, that is peaceful and organized, in contrast with the devil, who instigates chaos and confusion.

I Corinthians 14
33 For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.
40 Let all things be done decently and in order.

Let’s take a closer look at the definition of confusion, as it will reveal one of Satan’s purposes of it.

Greek lexicon of I Corinthians 14:33  From here, go to the Strong’s column, link #181

Definition of confusion
Strong’s Concordance #181
akatastasia: instability
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Phonetic Spelling: (ak-at-as-tah-see’-ah)
Definition: disturbance, upheaval, revolution, almost anarchy, first in the political, and thence in the moral sphere.

HELPS Word-studies
181 akatastasia (from 1 /A “not,” 2596 /kata, “down” and stasis, “status, standing,” cf. 2476 /histemi) – properly, can not stand (remain steady); unsettled, unstable (in tumult); (figuratively) instability bringing on disorder (disturbance).

181 /akatastasia (“commotion”) generates confusion (things being “out of control”), i.e. when “up for grabs.” This uncertainty and tumult inevitably generates more instability.

Its not rocket science: if Satan, by way of the systems of the world, can make you confused, then you are, by definition, spiritually unstable, unable to stand.  You’re a pushover to him now, with no balance, solid footing or strength to fight back.

Ephesians 4:14 [KJV]
That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;

You will be blown around by every wind of doctrine that Satan blows against you if you are unstable, off balance and unable to stand, by being confused.

Ephesians 6
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12 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.
13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

The word “stand” is used 3 times in this section, and “withstand” once, so 4 times we are told to stand or withstand:

1. against principalities
2. against powers
3. against the rulers of the darkness of this world
4. against spiritual wickedness in high places

So by believing confusing doctrines, [often claiming to be christian!], we can become pawns to Satan, without even knowing it.

Here are some examples:

• Almost all the christians I’ve talked to believe that Jesus was crucified on a Friday, died that afternoon at 3pm and was resurrected from the dead on Sunday morning.  Yet the bible teaches that Jesus was in the grave 3 days and nights, which is 72 hours.   Not even God himself can squeeze 72 hours between 3pm Friday and Sunday morning!  This breeds confusion.  Either the bible is wrong or the confusing doctrines of man are wrong.  You must decide which one to believe.
• The trinity: it states that there is God the father, God the son, and God the Holy Ghost [which wasn’t established until the 4th century AD, not the first].   Just that alone is confusing!  But it gets worse – one website I read says, “But in God there are not three entities nor three beings. God is a trinity of persons consisting of one substance and one essence. God is numerically one. Yet, within the single divine essence are three individual subsistences that we call persons.”  That’s a contradiction of terms based upon simple definition of words alone.   Its so confusing & contradictory that many scholars have stated that its simply impossible for any sound minded person to understand.
• When Jesus was hanging on the cross, he supposedly said, “My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?”  Yet Jesus himself stated in John 16:32 “yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me.”   This is another contradiction, which breeds more confusion.  Jesus either lied or he told the truth when he said the father is with me – only you can decide.
• Nearly every christian on the planet believes you go to heaven when you die, yet this contradicts I Thessalonians 4:16 that says, “…the dead in Christ shall rise first:“.  If the dead in Christ are in the grave, then how can they be in heaven already?   This is another contradiction and breeds more confusion

I dare you to compare the bible to any other religious book!

It is light-years ahead of all of them put together!

First, let’s take a look at the book of Mormon, chapter 8, verse 12.

Book of Mormon 8:12
And whoso receiveth this record, and shall not condemn it because of the imperfections which are in it, the same shall know of greater things than these. Behold, I am Moroni; and were it possible, I would make all things known unto you.

So the book of Mormon openly admits it has imperfections in it.

Points to ponder:

• Since the word “imperfections” is in the plural, by definition, there has to be at least 2 errors in the book of Mormon. but there could be 19 or 163 or several hundred or…
• The book of Mormon does not specify where they are, causing doubt [a sign of weak believing], confusion or fear in any thinking person
• Nor does it tell us how severe they are either,  so the errors could be minor technical errors or major ones that could make the difference between whether or not we are saved!
• but at this point it doesn’t really matter because its too late already. The book of Mormon has openly admitted to being a flawed book.
• Here’s a quote from Joseph Smith, the translator of the book of Mormon, in 1830: “I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book.” (History of the Church, 4:461.)
• Joseph Smith knew of its errors when he proclaimed that the book of Mormon “was the most correct of any book on earth” making it a deliberate fraud.

Compare to the bible:

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.

Titus 1:2
In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;

Hebrews 6:18
That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:

Psalms 12:6
The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.

The number 7 in the bible is the number of spiritual perfection. The bible was spiritually perfect when it was originally given.

To be honest and objective about this, all current bibles are imperfect since we don’t have any original bibles, so why should we trust them? Because God says we can get back to the truth of his original word.

Everybody knows that with all the translations out there, the incongruity of translating language x to language y, you often lose something in the translation. And how about all the copies made of copies, made of other copies, etc? And there are also many known, proven forgeries in the bible as well.

II Timothy 2:15
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

God wouldn’t command us to rightly divide his word if it wasn’t possible. With all the thousands of different manuscripts available, plus the knowledge of how the bible interprets itself, and using the laws of logic, plus sound scientific and historical data, it is absolutely possible to get back to the original, God-breathed word without having to become a scholar of advanced study.

So now the question is: do you want to trust in the bible that at least was perfect when it was originally given, or in a book that states its imperfect?  For more information, go here: 3 research articles on the book of Mormon

Doing due diligence between the different religious books isn’t rocket science.  Comparative religions is simply comparing one verse of a religious book to another verse in another religious book.  Sooner or later, you have to decide which one to use as a standard of truth, or to believe that there is no truth to begin with.

Next!

What about the Koran? The Muslim religion has been in the news more often in the past few years, so how can we know if its the right book to follow? Good question.

The Koran online

As this link from the University of Michigan library shows, the Koran consists of 114 different books, the first one is called “the opening” [The final written version, considered the authoritative account, was completed under the direction of Caliph Uthman ibn Affan, the third leader of the Muslim community, in about A.D. 650, and was distributed to the main cities under Muslim rule].

Here is the entire first book:
The Opening

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.
[1.1] All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds.
[1.2] The Beneficent, the Merciful.
[1.3] Master of the Day of Judgment.
[1.4] Thee do we serve and Thee do we beseech for help.
[1.5] Keep us on the right path.
[1.6] The path of those upon whom Thou hast bestowed favors. Not (the path) of those upon whom Thy wrath is brought down, nor of those who go astray.

So far, so good. Now let’s do a very simple examination of the very first verse in the very first book of the Koran.

[1.1] All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds.

Notice the similarity to a verse in Corinthians.

II Corinthians 4
3 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
5 For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake.

What else can we find out? The dictionary will help us.

Definition of Lord
Look at definition #8.
8. (initial capital letter) the Supreme Being; God; Jehovah.

Therefore, based on definition #8, the first verse of the Koran could accurately read:

All praise is due to Allah, the God of the Worlds.

So now let’s do a direct, line by line, word by word comparison of the first verse in the Koran and II Corinthians 4:4.

Koran: All praise is due to Allah, the God of the Worlds.
Bible: [KJV] —————–In whom the God of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not [the bible], lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

In the bible there is a strong, clear, distinction between the “world” and the “earth”.

Earth refers to the planet that God created back in Genesis 1:1.

World refers to systems of mankind on the earth.

Matthew 11:25
At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.

Notice the great precision in Jesus’ use of words.  God, the creator, is Lord of heaven and earth, but never the Lord or God of the world.

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.

Colossians 2:8
Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

James 1:27
Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

II Peter 1:4
Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

II Peter 2:20
For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.

I 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.
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.
17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

I John 4:4
Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

I John 5:5
Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?

So who is Allah and do you trust him and the Koran or God and the bible?

Next!

How about the apocrypha? You know, those lost books of the bible that are in some versions, but not in others.

Definition of apocrypha
a poc ry pha [uh-pok-ruh-fuh]
noun [often used with a singular verb]
1. [initial capital letter] a group of 14 books, not considered canonical, included in the Septuagint and the Vulgate as part of the Old Testament, but usually omitted from Protestant editions of the Bible.
2. various religious writings of uncertain origin regarded by some as inspired, but rejected by most authorities.
3. writings, statements, etc., of doubtful authorship or authenticity. Compare canon 1 [defs 6, 7, 9].

Origin:
1350-1400; Middle English – Late Latin – Greek, neuter plural of apokryphos hidden, unknown, spurious, equivalent to apokryph- [base of apokryptein to hide away; see apo-, crypt] + -os adj. Suffix

Definition of spurious
spu ri ous [spyoor-ee-uhs]
adjective
1. not genuine, authentic, or true; not from the claimed, pretended, or proper source; counterfeit.
2. Biology – [of two or more parts, plants, etc.] having a similar appearance but a different structure.
3. of illegitimate birth; bastard.

Look at that! The definition of the name alone [apocrypha] already proves:

1. It is of uncertain origin
2. It is of doubtful authorship or authenticity
3. It is a counterfeit
4. It is not true
5. It is not authentic
6. It is not genuine
7. It is not from the proper source
8. It has already been rejected by most authorities

Definition of counterfeit
coun ter feit [koun-ter-fit]
adjective
1. made in imitation so as to be passed off fraudulently or deceptively as genuine; not genuine; forged: counterfeit dollar bills.
2. pretended; unreal: counterfeit grief.

noun
3. an imitation intended to be passed off fraudulently or deceptively as genuine; forgery.
4. Archaic. a copy.
5. Archaic. a close likeness; portrait.
6. Obsolete . impostor; pretender.

Therefore, by definition, a counterfeit is inferior to the genuine.

II Peter 1:16
For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.

So, how do the lost books of the apocrypha correlate or contrast to the bible?  See the entire research report here

You cannot tell that a counterfeit is a counterfeit by only studying the counterfeit.  You must compare the counterfeit to the genuine in order to distinguish the difference and decide what that difference means.

The closer the counterfeit is to the genuine, the more effective it is.

Next!

Ever hear of a course in miracles? I know some people who have taken it, so its to our advantage to observe and analyze it & then compare it to the bible.

How a course in miracles came about

The voice
“It talked about a system I don’t know anything about, and confused me no end. I’m still cross-eyed.”

What does God say about confusion?

I Corinthians 14
33 For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.
40 Let all things be done decently and in order.

James 3
14 But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.
15 This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.
16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.

Now were going to examine confusion in more detail and see its spiritual consequences and true purpose.

Greek lexicon of I Corinthians 14:33   From here, go to the Strong’s column, link #181

Definition of confusion
Strong’s Concordance #181
akatastasia: instability
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Phonetic Spelling: (ak-at-as-tah-see’-ah)
Definition: disturbance, upheaval, revolution, almost anarchy, first in the political, and thence in the moral sphere.

HELPS Word-studies
181 akatastasia (from 1 /A “not,” 2596 /kata, “down” and stasis, “status, standing,” cf. 2476 /histemi) – properly, can not stand (remain steady); unsettled, unstable (in tumult); (figuratively) instability bringing on disorder (disturbance).

181 /akatastasia (“commotion”) generates confusion (things being “out of control”), i.e. when “up for grabs.” This uncertainty and tumult inevitably generates more instability.

Ephesians 6
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12 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.
13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 Above all, taking the shield of faith [believing], wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

The word “stand” is used 3 times in this section, and “withstand” once, so 4 times we are told to stand or withstand against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Therefore, according to I Corinthians 14:33, if we are confused, by definition, we can’t stand against Satan, so we must eliminate confusion if we are to be successful Christians in the spiritual competition.

Confusion is a psychological weapon that Satan uses to prevent believers from standing against him with God’s superior power. Beware of confusing doctrines!

Confusion also contradicts the characteristics of God’s wisdom, the 9 fruit of the spirit, and the very nature of God himself.

See the whole story about the course in miracles

So, there you have it: this is your mini comparative religions course that compares the bible to the book of Mormon, the Koran, the apocrypha, and a course in miracles.

Obviously, there are hundreds, perhaps thousands of other comparisons that could be made between the bible and some other religion or man-made system of thought, but we don’t have the time or space to check all of them out 🙁

So here is a partial checklist, a guide to go by when comparing the various other religious books to the bible:

• Does it give you true life and blessings?
  Deuteronomy 30:19
  I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:

Keep in mind that as a christian, I don’t believe in blind faith, which is actually a contradiction of terms.  I want power and proof!

• Does it offer any proof?

Acts 1:3
To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:

I can speak in tongues anytime I want & I’m in complete control. Its a language I don’t know anything about, but I still have the power to do it. Go ahead, speak in a language you have never even heard of, much less spoken before!  Its impossible for a human to do that on their own. Therefore, they must have an external source of power in order to do it, so where does that power come from?

I Corinthians 14:22
Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not: but prophesying serveth not for them that believe not, but for them which believe.

Does your religion offer undeniable power, undeniable proof and is it from the one true God, the creator of the universe, the father of the Lord Jesus Christ?

• Does it match the characteristics of God’s wisdom?

James 3
17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.
18 And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.

• Is it confusing or simple and logical?  The trinity is impossible for any human to understand and its very contradictory.  Therefore, it can’t be from the one true God.   The bible, when rightly divided, is actually a simple logical book.
• Has it stood the test of time?  The bible has been around for thousands of years and has a ton of archeological, astronomical, historical and many other valid sources of evidence.

I Peter 1:25
But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.

• Was it written before the bible or afterwards?  If afterwards, and it sounds religious, like the bible, then be suspicious because it could be a counterfeit of the bible.  The book of Revelation was the last book of the bible written, [approximately 100AD], so if it was written afterwards, then take notice.  The bible is God’s final revelation.  I’ve read about other religious books & religions who say that their book is God’s final revelation.  Make sure you read the last 4 verses of the bible at the end of this article so you don’t become the next victim deceived.
• Who is getting true worship?

John 4
23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

To truly worship God with the gift of holy spirit is to speak in tongues.  Anything else is just man-made religion.

Compare God’s way of worship to the devil’s.

Luke 4
5 And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.
6 And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.
7 If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.

The devil bribes people to worship him indirectly, since idolatry is to worship anything other than the one true God.

• Is the founder or writer of religion x still alive?  Even after almost 2,000 years, Jesus Christ is still alive and well, doing God’s will as his only begotten son, intercessor, mediator, high priest, and a whole bunch of other things.

Ephesians 1
19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working [energizing]of his mighty power,
20 Which he wrought [energized] in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,
21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:
22 And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
23 Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.

• Does religion x ever change or waver?  If so, then you may want to put your trust into something that will never change because the bible was made right the first time.   It will always be there for you when you need it the most.

Hebrews 13:8
Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.

Malachi 3:6
For I am the Lord, I change not…

And note the very last 4 verses of the bible. Please use this as a guide when choosing which religious book to believe in.

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:
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.
20 He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
21 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.