The Lawless Nations

It has been some time since my last article. I wish to continue sharing my thoughts and discoveries with anyone who is interested I. The hopes that it may give some hope and encouragement. 

As I have stated before on why I started this blog and decided to share these things, it’s because I believe there are many good people who do desire the truth.  At times we can all get discouraged or distracted. 

As of this writing as all of you will know, the times have gotten very interesting. I do not desire to delve into politics but I do wish to share some insights and provoke some serious thought on these events.  Just as a quick recap many of the nations have just been through a pandemic lockdown and at least in the United States there have been widespread protests many of which have been accompanied with widespread looting, vandalism, and murder.  But I want this article to focus on the general principles not the specific events because times will change but human nature remains the same.  

I have long known that human nature is selfish, materialistic, and prideful. These traits are most strongly seen in trying times. It is during times of crisis, not in times of peace that we see what character individuals have fostered in themselves. 

Many of my articles touch upon the Ten Commandments and the intent and spirit of those commandments.  So this article is going to go through each of the Ten Commandments to see how the nations are doing in regards to abiding these basic laws. 

 The nations in general, the majority of people, have forgotten God. Now the reason this is important is because without establishing this as a constant going forward, morality and thus right and wrong, becomes relativistic and it is human nature to justify their actions instead of reconciling against fixed truths. The nations have broken the first commandment by denying the existence of God. 

The nations have created their own gods in place of their true God. In most cases they have made men into their gods. They exalt and elevate the advise of experts, they put their trust in politicians, doctors, scientists, and professors. This despite the fact that all of them have proven to be unreliable and none of them possess the power to change us or heal us.  The nations have broken the second commandment by replacing God. 

As the nations or at least the leaders of many of the nations have taken upon themselves the place of God. They treat lightly the things of God and blaspheme his name.  Cursing and swearing is of course rampant, but I advocate that it is Gods right to rule since only He is truest a good and righteous ruler. As such only men or women who uphold God’s laws and standards should occupy leadership. Im not saying that only people who claim to be religious should govern. But I’m saying that anyone who occupies such positions does need to uphold the standards that God has set forth. Interesting thought, many critically thinking atheists will actually conclude that the laws that make up the Ten Commandments are the best laws to base a functioning society upon.   The nations have broken the third commandment by appointing leaders that blaspheme God and teach contrary to his commandments. 

They nations have attempted to end the observance of a sabbath. They have attempt to shut down churches and have openly persecuted both those who try to hold church services as well as those who attempt to attend such services.  The wicked have long persecuted those who try to do what is right, but recent events have taken it to the next level.  Now in my view church attendance is not of itself a requirement put forth by God, but it is to most a powerful aid to the faithful and the wicked are attempting to use it to drive those who are trying to find fellowship in Christ further away from the things of God and fill their hearts and minds with the things of Babylon.  As such I will hold this as an example of breaking the 4th commandment and any nation that continues to persecute the lawful observance of Sabbaths and other holy days will be marked down as Sabbath braking nations. 

Traditional values and teachings have been forgotten and discarded.  The younger generations rebel and mock their parents and the older generations. They twist and distort the history. Not just the younger generation, but the leadership and many of the people have taken part in a massive effort to rewrite the history. They place false motives and narratives on their forefathers and teachers. Many people now believe all many of incorrect or misleading information about how the nations were formed, what actually happened and why previous generations did what they did. Furthermore because many have been raised without being taught proper respect for their parents, authority in general, or the rights of others, these generations rebel against the very principles that are essential for a safe and lawful society. As such they have not honored, but rather disgraced their forefathers and foremothers and have broken the fifth  commandment. 

Many leaders and those they employ have killed the innocent and are using their power and influence to allow more people to be ruthlessly murdered.  In this time much of the violence and rioting is blamed on the terrible death of a civilian at the hands of a law enforcement officer, a scene that plays out more often than it should, but I will leave the names and other details out and focus on the broader story. Those who are supposed to uphold the law and protect liberty and justice have no right to oppress the people, let alone injure them or kill them or allow them to be killed. This is a disgrace and an abomination in the eyes of God. Now I do know that often law enforcement is put in a difficult situation, and they are human. But that does not justify wrongdoing in their part and I think all to many have lost sight of what they are supposed to be doing. But our outrage for any perceived or real injustices in no way justifies us in retaliating and murdering law enforcement or any others.  Murder is murder and is not justified.  You are not justified in confronting or provoking law enforcement, or slandering them, or destroying their property. Yes, those who are entrusted to protect the people must not murder or violate the people. This is an abomination. This practice must cease and any law enforcement that violates the trust of the people needs to be held accountable and appropriate justice measures do need to be taken. But on the flip side of this is the people.  And the people need to learn to govern themselves. They need to try to solve the issues that their communities face. Law enforcement (and governments in general) only exist because people  have not learned how to govern themselves.  If the people insist on violating each other or murdering each other then they are just as evil as the corrupt police they are retaliating against.  And I will add and emphasis that defending those who break the law or commit murder is to rake upon yourselves that crime. I personally condemn all who commit crimes regardless of their role. I would hold cops more accountable as they are specifically charged to uphold the law, but everyone is responsible for their own actions.  In addition most of the nations do openly promote abortion and abortion is murder of the innocent. I could continue on this point for some time but I’ll leave it at this. The nations have violated the 6th commandment by embracing murder. 

Promiscuity and sexual immorality have continued to reach new highs. During this time of crisis when people were placed into quarantine, the viewing of pornographic material has increased dramatically. I will make this statement clear. Indulging in promiscuity is adultery.  This stuff is filth. Be faithful to your spouse. As a whole marriage is under attack and people having extramarital associations is openly encouraged. Ultimately how you apply this is up to you, but one of the foundational building blocks of society is a stable family structure. A stable structure cannot consistently exist outside the traditional marriage structure and study after study and the current state of our society proves this point. As such, the 7th commandment has been broken.  

During the riots, people’s property has been vandalized (theft), stolen, people’s livelihoods destroyed (theft), homes and property has been burned and destroyed (theft).  And many if the leaders and law enforcement have allowed it to happen, often defending these wrongful actions, applauding the wonton wickedness and trying to pass it off as righteous indignation. Theft is a disgrace. If the leaders embrace it or justify it, they are guilty of it themselves. And any people who justify this lawlessness are taking part in it even if they have not directly participated. The only correct course is to condemn all theft and vandalism. It is wrong and never was and never will be the right way to accomplish good. The only thing that comes of evil is more evil. Those that have participated in these acts have broken the 8th commandment. 

During all this the leaders, media, and many of the people are promoting, fabricating, and propagating false information. Much of it is intended to encourage division. Much of it is intended to encourage lawlessness. Much if it is intended to spread fear. Much of it is intended to spread confusion. Regardless lies are lies and no good nation can be based upon lies. The truth, even if it’s not what we want to hear, brings peace, hope, and encouragement. It teaches us what is required of us to become better people. The lies that have become the accepted truth and the nations embrace it.  I will add that many people aren’t just being lied to. They want the lies. They know that much of what they hear is false, but they accept it and convince themselves that it’s true because a part of them prefers it to the truth. The nations have broken the 9th commandment by both lying to the people and the people have broken the commandment by accepting the lies. 

Many of the people in this age feel entitled to the fruits of the labors if others. The final commandment states that man is not to envy the property of his neighbor. Yet the cry of the people is to take the possessions if those who they perceive to be wealthier than themselves and redistribute that wealth. They want things that are not their own, that they haven’t worked for, and they are upset that others have.  And they have rallied behind leaders and revolutionaries that have promised to deliver.  I will be very clear on this point. If you desire to take other people’s stuff, that is the very definition of envy and if you act upon that desire it is theft. And if you elect or empower someone to do it on your behalf you have still committed this same offense. The peoples and nations of the earth have embraced this evil idea, this sickness of the heart. As such I will boldly declare that they have broken the 10th commandment. 

Now obviously this doesn’t apply to all individuals. But if the peoples of this nation and other nations don’t kick out the lawbreakers and those that empower lawbreakers from their public offices and demand leaders that keep the laws of God, and encourage others to keep the laws of God, then the result will be that this unrest and lawlessness will continue and it will affect the nations.  I will even declare if there are any nations that can honestly say that they as a nation keep even one of these commandments they would be spared all the bulk of the crises that come as a result. The storm that is sweeping across the nations is the result of their breaking on a large scale every single one of the basic laws that are required for a society to even function.  

The Forbidden Fruit

In a related note to my previous article, I want to discuss this forbidden fruit that is mentioned in the Genesis account. What is it?  What is it’s significance?

You will often see this reference in western culture to an apple. Now just to set the record straight, while the account does talk about a tree, it never says what the fruit is.  But if one becomes more familiar with Hebrew culture, you will find this symbolism of trees, fruits, branches, harvest, etc. is common throughout the scriptures. This is a symbol. Many creationists and biblical defenders often make this mistake of trying to defend a literal interpretation of what they find in Genesis. The reality is that the story of Adam and Havah is a parable. I’m not saying it doesn’t have many true aspects rooted in fact, or that it didn’t really happen. What I’m saying is that the story is still presented as a parable with symbols meant to teach certain ideas. 

In symbology, trees represent many things, the most common things are family, life,and knowledge. In the case of this store you have a tree of like and a tree of knowledge.  The tree of knowledge is described in the account as knowledge of both good and evil. 

So to continue I will explain an idea, which is an idea presented in the very story itself. There are many things which are true, but that you must be prepared to grasp and understand before you can receive it. If this truth is given to you prematurely, it can actually be harmful.  Now in the account we know the “tree” was placed there, such that it could be taken. Now one could argue in this story that if God didn’t want them to partake, why did He put it there?  

To answer this I am going to give an example.  When you were a young child, no doubt your parents told you not to EVER touch the stove. Why did they say this?  Because as a young child the stove can be very dangerous.  At that age you didn’t understand how to use it properly. It can burn and could cause very serious harm if not treated with the utmost respect. But did this mean that you could never touch it, EVER?  Of course not. In that state you are not ready, but with preparation one day you may be. 

So it is with the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The whole idea was that it was to be partaken of, but Adam and Havah needed to be prepared to do so. They needed to learn and grow first so that they could be properly prepared.  Along comes Satan and he convinces Havah to partake by telling her the benefits of partaking in that knowledge, but he deceives by not telling the consequences of doing so, and of course he doesn’t tell her his motives.  I think an important part in this is understanding Satan’s motive.  His plan was to get Adam and Havah to do what they were destined to do anyway, but try to get them to do it in a wrong way.  If he could introduce a corruption to it from the very beginning, then he could do as much damage to the plan of salvation as possible from the very foundation.  I just wanted make this distinction clear. There is a big difference between God telling them that they were ready to partake and them partaking on their own prematurely. 

Hopefully this sheds a new light and makes you think a little differently of our first parents. Hopefully this gives you a new love and respect for them. I intend to continue this discussion, but I leave this with you for now to ponder and consider and pray upon. 

To Be Like God

In my last article I struggled to figure how I wanted to say what I had been trying to say. But I figured there really isn’t that delicate of a way to introduce the idea. If you read my previous articles on the subject I have been introducing this concept of the plurality of Gods. Showing how Elohim is plural, how Adonai is plural, and in an important way YHVH is also plural. 

My goal is not to tear God down and make us think of him as just a man, even as great an idea as the first man is. I’m trying to teach my readers who they are. I am trying to teach my readers who Adam actually was, and what he actually did. And very importantly Eve Havah  too. Understanding the plan of Salvation in this context is important because it cuts through the false teachings and doctrines. It cuts through the excuses. 

So hear this version of the account. Elohim created the heaven and the earth. This is both symbolic and literal. Many think this means the stars, the moon, the planets, the sun, and the earth itself. And it does. But the heaven and the earth are also symbolic of a bigger picture. The Elohim, the council of the Gods created the heavens. The heavens are all things spiritual. And they created the earth. The earth representing mortality, all things we thing of as physical.  Then in Genesis and the other accounts, it details this process. Understanding that when it says God did this it is actually saying Elohim did this, or a council who is perfectly united in goal and purpose. They are so united that they are referred to as one. 

Then when this process is completed, one of them chose to give up His Immortal God form.  A being of incredible power and knowledge chooses to give that up an instead become human. A being that by comparison is fragile, weak, lacking in knowledge, lacking in understanding, prone to sickness, and death. And when the time is right He brings with Him another. 

And all this for what purpose?  To take this mortal form and make it like God. To bring about more Gods, if they will. Before I continue, I want to clarify a point lest pride convince men of something they are not. I will repeat this as often as necessary because it is important. Man is a god in embryo. That is man is capable of becoming a god. That does not mean that man is a god. Man is not perfect, man must purify this flesh of everything that is unlike God, in order to become a god. 

But that’s what this mortal earth and life is about. It is a testing and proving. It is an opportunity. What God did in becoming Adam was an act of love. Pure love. God knew that in becoming mortal He was falling. He knew that by becoming mortal that he was going to make mistakes. He knew that by becoming mortal he would himself be in need of salvation. But because of the great love he has for us, he will gladly give up his immortality for the chance that we might become like Him. 

I see so many criticize what Adam and Havah did. That they introduced sin into the world. But know this. They did what they did, knowing that if they didn’t, you would not be here now.  The story is true, but it is also a parable.  I plan on continuing this further, but I think I’ve said enough for now.   But please to all who read this. Pray about it and ask God for understanding and a confirmation of these words. 

Adam and Eve

Today I wish to share with you a truth about Adam and Eve. Or rather the original Hebrew version. Who are they?  Why are they so important?  Why is the story shrouded in mystery?  

Let's first examine Adam. If we look at the hebrew letters, Adam is  אדם. Let's examine these three letters to see the meaning. The first letter is Aleph א, which firstly is the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet. It is fitting here because it is used to represent the first man. Fatherhood is also symbolized. The formation of the letter contains two Yods. Recall that the Yod י is a symbol for God and the source of everything and is contained in everything. 

Next we will examine Eve. The first element is that Eve doesn't exist in the original Hebrew. Or rather not by that name.  

The original Hebrew text and Jewish tradition both tell us that the proper name is Havah, spelled in Hebrew as HVH הרה.  Havah basically means "mother of all living."  This is an accurate description.

But what many scholars miss is the full significance of the story. In this I want to point out that in the old Hebrew, HVH and YHVH are spelled so similarly. And this is not an accident or coincidence. This is deliberate. 

In this article I am going to outright say an eternal truth. I have been discussing and showing by the ancient scriptures themselves that God exists in plural. That God is one in purpose and truth, but that there are multiple Gods. Adam was one of them. And Havah was his wife. Now these names are really more titles, as they went by and today go by different names. As mortals, they were Adam and Havah. They were members of the council that created this Earth (Elohim), immortal Gods, who choose to risk their immortality in order that their children could receive the experiences necessary for them to likewise become Gods. The fall or Adam, often referred to as his transgression or the original sin, was nothing more than his choosing to become a mortal man so that he could produce mortal offspring. This was not a sin, it was an act made out of pure devoted love. And Havah choose to do likewise. 

Now I know this raises a lot of questions regarding the creation story. I plan to discuss that at some point, but for now I will summarize by simply stating that the creation story as contained in Genesis is a parable. It represents a general outline of the creation process. But it does not produce an accurate depiction of specific events. It is not intended to. 

Now my point in trying to teach this concept is to bring to our minds a realization that man, mortal men, can in fact become like God. And that an important part of that is the unity between man and woman. If we as mortals cannot become united in a real, true, pure love then we will never be able to become like our Heavenly Parents. 

What is prophecy?

In response to recent questions and statements I thought I would discuss this idea of what prophecy is, what it is not, and how to recognize it.  And by extension to define exactly what a prophet is. 

I’ll start by clearing up a misconception about prophecy. There is this popular idea that prophecy is this fortelling the future. That prophets speak of things to come.  Now it is true that this can be a part of prophesy, this idea actually diminishes and distracts from prophesy.  This is an idea that is really more closely related to pagan beliefs, tied in very much with ideas of magic, Druidism, Shamanism, and occultism. 

If one looks at biblical prophets you will see a pattern in their actions, words, and teachings.  Was it predicting the future that made them prophets?  Or was it something else?  And in reading the Bible it becomes apparent that at times there were many prophets at once.   In fact let me show a few examples of this. 

“And Moses went out, and told the people the words of the Lord, and gathered the seventy men of the elders of the people, and set them round about the tabernacle.  And the Lord came down in a cloud, and spake unto him, and took of the spirit that was upon him, and gave it unto the seventy elders: and it came to pass, that, when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied, and did not cease.

26 But there remained two of the men in the camp, the name of the one was Eldad, and the name of the other Medad: and the spirit rested upon them; and they were of them that were written, but went not out unto the tabernacle: and they prophesied in the camp.

27 And there ran a young man, and told Moses, and said, Eldad and Medad do prophesy in the camp.

28 And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of Moses, one of his young men, answered and said, My lord Moses, forbid them.

29 And Moses said unto him, Enviest thou for my sake? would God that all the Lord’s people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his spirit upon them!”  Numbers 11:24-29 

“For it was so, when Jezebel cut off the prophets of the Lord, that Obadiah took an hundred prophets, and hid them by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water.”  1st Kings 18:4 

There are many more examples, but my point here is to illustrate that prophets are not these “special” people that are maybe one in a generation or as many think today that there haven’t been prophets for centuries.  As though this is a special thing that only happened in biblical times. 

So what is prophesy?  Prophesy is the truth. The truth past, present, and future. Prophesy is the Spirit of God.    So what is a prophet?  It is one who through righteous living and heeding the words of God has become attuned to His spirit and can speak that truth. A prophet of God is one who has learned to know the voice of God apart from all others, and testifies of that truth.  That truth may be things to come, it may be things as they are now, and it may be the past as it actually was. 

So how are we to recognize and know a prophet. By the fruits they bear. A false prophet will try to get gain. He will tell people what they want to hear, or tell things to get gain, or to impress men. He may tell of things that might be factual, and yet be misleading.   

By contrast the prophets of God always say the same thing and work towards the same goal. True prophets bear a message of repentance, to turn to God, a message of humility. The seek to glorify God, and to help those who will hear and obey how they too can come to know God for themselves. In other words, true prophets teach people that through righteous living and obeying the commandments of God, they can come to know God for themselves, and when they are filled with the Spirit of God, they too become prophets. 

No Need for Justification

On a number of occasions a frequent critique made both of myself and others who are attempting to do the same work as I is one that we are “self-righteous”. 

Now let me clarify this with a reiteration of this responsibility I am called to bear. My duty is to help those in suffering, to help the weak, to bear the grief and pain of others, and most importantly to teach and spread to gospel of Christ. The gospel of Christ is primarily a call to repentance. Now this by its very nature does mean that ofimes I have to address matters.  It means that I must at times point out when things are leading people away from God rather than towards him. 

I will relate a story which is absolutely true. I know a young man who has had powerful spiritual experiences and has been called like myself to spread the gospel of Christ. And for time he seemed to be striving for the same kind of work and even seemed to have a great deal of success in helping others. . Unfortunately as is often the case this individual attempted to mingle the things of the world with the things of God. He began pursuing business ventures and acquiring wealth. And began encouraging others to do likewise. Out of concern both for himself and the possible damage that he could do to others I began asking him questions. These questions were directed of course to cause him to check his own motives and to help him see where this course will lead.  Unfortunately he began justifying himself in his actions, claiming that he has always been poor.  That the Lord has required him to go without, so that he could learn the lessons of being poor. Then he told me that in this stage of his life the Lord desires him to enjoy a little wealth. He claimed the Lord instructed him in how to invest his money in order to obtain more money. 

I pointed out that this was inconsistent with the teachings found in the Scriptures and with the teachings I have received from beyond the veil. To this he replied that was just my perspective, which was a result of my traditions and upbringing and that there was nothing wrong in obtaining a little wealth. . And he laid down the typical charge that I was being self righteous. 

I do not claim to be better than anyone else. I do not claim to be perfect. I do not claim to be worthy. I am filled with weakness. I am as much in need of repentance and forgiveness as anyone. 

Here is the lesson I am trying to teach. Whether I do right or wrong justification is not needed. If I do right I do right. The fruits of my actions will be good. If I do wrong I do wrong and the fruits of my actions will be evil. In either case I do not need to justify myself because the consequences will be the result of the action.  

In the case of this friend the results of his actions are that he and his followers are actually moving away from God. They are caught up in materialism, and they may not realize it, but they have begun persecuting those who are not doing the same as they are.  They are spending less of their time and effort in repentance and more of their time and effort in getting gain.  

This saddens me. My goal is not to make myself look better. My goal is not to say I’m right. My goal is not to make an example of others to make myself look good or impress anyone. I don’t need to. This is my point. We don’t need to justify our actions. We need to do right. 

The Adversary Is Real

An issue I feel I must address at this time is in regards to the idea of the existence of devils and what they can and cannot do. I believe I must address this for two reasons. 

The first reason is that many in Christendom take this attitude that Christ has taken all sin upon himself. This is a discussion for another time and I will get into this in further detail, but in summary at this time, Christ’s atonement is meant for those who repent. Repentance requires acknowledging that sin is real. And in acknowledging that sin is real that also means that a counter to Christ, an equivalent opposite also exists that strive to prevent us from repenting. 

This leads me to the second reason which is connected to the first. I will go into more detail on this second form because at this time I feel this is what the Lord wants me to bring forward. 

There is a growing movement driven largely by people who claim to have met Christ face to face. These experiences range from near-death experiences, open visions, etc. Now to clear the air beforehand I have nothing against such claims as I know for myself that such experiences are real. And to any of my readers who have a problem with this, now might be a good time to stop, since if you don’t believe in personal experiences with Heavenly beings there is no point in proceeding any further. 

My second point is to understand this, that not all spiritual experiences are heavenly. In ancient Hebrew you find this term occasionally used. Mastema. What does this mean?  Mastema is a plural for devil. It refers to not a singular being but a group or variety of fallen beings. Even though Mastema is plural it is used in a singular sense because these entities are united in one area. They wish nothing more than the overthrow and destruction of all that is good. 

Among their skills and tactics is to create counterfeits to truth and right. That is something that will deceive all but the elect. Among these deceptions is that they can pretend to be Christ. These counterfeits Often include principles that are true, but are mixed with lies to twist the meaning into something that does not lead to God. 

“So how is one to know the real apart from the imposter?” You may ask.  The answer is this and heed this warning well. You must become prepared. Ok, so how does one prepare?  Well if I give you the easy answer, the “shortcut”, it bypasses the work and preparation that is required. The answer is very simple. But it also requires a real work and an effort on our part. 

So where does one start?  One must learn the traits and attributes of Christ himself. In order to learn this, one must study scripture, with the sincere desire to learn these traits, and to apply them to our lives, each and every one of us. Seek out the prophets in the scriptures. Take note of their character traits and attributes. What did they do?  What was their motives?  What were they trying to teach the people. Look at the Savior when he came in the flesh. What did He teach? What doctrines did he put forth?  What was He trying to get the people to understand?  

The real Christ and the imposter both have something in common. Both desire to make us like themselves. But the end results look very different. The more you apply Christ’s teachings, the more selfless you become.  The more ennobled you become. Your heart and desires will forsake the things of the world and will turn to the things of God. In contrast, the more you apply the deceivers teachings, the more selfish you become, the more proud and vain you become. Those who follow him will turn to the things of the world, the pursuit of wealth and possessions, and will be taught to justify themselves in doing so. 

Break the cycle

In my previous article I talked about this conflict that existed between Canaan and Israel. While one side, from the evidence that can be gathered was more justified than the other, both sides did do wrong.  Both sides have committed acts of violence and hurt. 

In fact on one hand the Lord permitted the Israelites to make war with the Canaanite (Philistines, Assyrians ,etc.) people around them, but the Lord would put strict limits on how such wars were to be conducted.  I’m certain from what I know of God’s nature that He didn’t want His children to fight with one another and destroy one another. But if warfare becomes necessary then God would rather it be fine for the right reasons and that it is conducted in the right way. 

Allow me to explain. Throughout history, most wars were fought for one purpose. That purpose was usually to get gain. Armies would plunder and pillage wherever they went for gain. Kings would expand their territory to increase tax revenue and tribute. Taxes were enforced by the sword. Men would take their neighbors property. Spoils of war were then carried off to benefit the army, the ruler and the people. So how might God test and prove those that claim to be his people?  In times of war He can take away the gain. 

If the Lord demands that you kill the men and leave the women and children, what historically became of those people?  As terrible as it may be, most often the women and children were among the spoils of war. Slaves and servants that do the bidding of their conquerers.  Now aside from the fact that these people will resent their captors, which could cause problems later on, in the short term these people represent an opportunity for profit. They are a readily available source of labor which may be useful to work the conquered land and as such, from a materialistic standpoint, they are an asset.   So if God instructs the Israelites to kill the women and children too, much of the lucre of war goes with it.  Any conquered land will have to be worked by the people themselves which removes much of the benefit of conquest. And whether or not the Israelites obeyed said much about their condition. When they tried to gain by warfare, the Lord was displeased with them. 

And what of destroying the flocks and herds too?  Again, the animals and crops represent a wealth and an easy harvest. But if the people will destroy it rather than profit by it, it says much about the condition of their hearts. 

If one looks at the Old Testament history with open eyes, one sees that God didn’t actually want His children going to war. At times it may become necessary, and when it is necessary, God will lay out how such wars are to be conducted.  He would rather things be resolved peacefully.  And while men may be justified in defending themselves and their families, some of the most blessed are those who choose to break that cycle of warfare and bloodshed.  As Christ said —

“Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.  Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” - Matthew 5:9-10

Men may be justified in conflict at times, but there is a much greater blessing in forsaking our own will and desires and instead fulfill the law. Justice may demand that restitution be made, but Christ laid out and taught a better way. In our day, let Esau and Jacob be reconciled. Be the peacemaker. 

Rebuttal to the “Intolerant God” Theory

One of the common arguments I see against God is some examples found in the Old Testament. Basically many will point out that God commanded His people to exterminate other peoples and that He seemed to favor the Hebrews above all other peoples. That this is very unlike the living God as portrayed in the New Testament and that this stark contrast proves that God is unjust. 

Let me proceed with a story. Imagine there was a man, let’s call him Joe, who lived in a rural area and he had a neighbor who had some extra unused land. Now these neighbors were friends to one another, and the neighbor had a lot of respect for Joe. Joe needed to use the neighbors land, so he went to him with a proposal to purchase it. The neighbor tells him, of course you can use it feel free, to which Joe replies, “We have been friends for a great many years, and I appreciate the offer, but I desire to purchase the land for a price and draft up a contract so that our children may continue to use it in peace.”  And so it goes that the agreement is made. 

Then Joe’s son, let’s call him George continues to use that land and also gets along with the neighbor and his children. George has two sons who are very competitive with one another.  Let’s name the older son Pete and the younger Tony. Now imagine that Pete gets himself into some trouble and decides to sell the land rights to Tony to which they write up an agreement. Now imagine that George ends up giving a valuable gift to Tony instead of Pete and Pete thinks it’s an injustice because Tony had not been entirely honest in how he had received it. Pete has not been honest either, but he feels that if Tony gets the rights to the land then he out to have received this other gift from their father, and now Tony has gotten both. The two brothers have a fight and Tony decides to leave for a time. 

While Tony is gone, Pete tells the neighbors lies about Tony, and Pete gives the neighbors permission to build homes on Tony’s land.  

Eventually Tony returns and has acquired a family and  tries to make things right with his brother. Now imagine his shock to find out the neighbors have moved in on his land.  However he realizes it’s a result of how he had treated his brother earlier and decides not to evict the neighbors. But he does let them know that he intends to use the land.  But understand the neighbors are still influenced by the lies that Pete told them, and tensions exist between the neighbors and Tony as a result. The relationship is already such that the neighbors are expecting to be taken advantage of. 

Now imagine that the neighbors have some business dealings with Tony’s sons and even though the transactions were fair the neighbors feel that they aren’t getting enough and that they are being treated as outsiders. 

But the story gets another twist. Imagine that one of the neighbors has taken a liking to one of Tony’s daughters. So one day this man gets some of his brothers and decides to push the matter and tells her how he feels. But she does not feel the same about him. In anger and frustration, and acting on an idea that it’s because he’s not being treated fairly, he proceeds to rape her, and his brothers aid in the act prevent her escape. Absolutely shocking and unthinkable. 

Soon everyone knows about it. Now Tony decides in an effort to keep peace with the neighbors, not to pursue legal action and even makes some compromises to the neighbors. Also imagine that the squatters don’t feel that what happened was wrong. Now the sons however are furious about the matter and don’t feel that justice is being done.  So without their fathers permission they take it upon themselves to drive out the squatters, and they burn down the houses, and forcibly evict the neighbors from the land. They also beat the ones involved in their sisters rape. 

The result is a full fledged feud.  The neighbors tell their other neighbors how they’ve been wronged and more of the neighbors become involved, and the matter finally ends up in the courts. The judge reviews all the information and decides that even though wrongs were made in both sides, that the land does belong to Tony, that the neighbors had no rights to be there. The matter of the rape is never prosecuted.

The matter seems resolved, but the hard feelings and animosity remain. A while later hard times come and Pete and his family decide to move their business and families.  They don’t sell their land however, they hope to come back one day. More time passes and circumstances prevented them from returning. But the next generation decides to return with deed in hand only to find that the children of their former neighbors have moved into their homes and built on their land and refuse to leave. 

While I have changed the names and circumstances, in a nutshell this is the story of the Israelites and their struggles with their neighbors the Canaanites (Philistines, Amorites, Edomites, Hittites, etc).   I’m not justifying wrongs on either side. But to those who thing that these wars weren’t justified, look at the circumstances. 

The Israelites may not be perfect but from their standpoint it was their land by rightful agreement. They wanted to live on their land and raise their families and worship as they pleased. The Canaanites were squatters, they knew it, and they wanted to gain rights to the land by taking what was not rightfully theirs. And while one could argue they were just practicing their religion, the two cultures are not very compatible. The Hebrew religion demands strict morality, honesty, chastity, and commands that men deal justly with one another (not saying the people always did so, but the religion itself demands it). By contrast, the Canaanite religion promoted promiscuity, dishonesty, open love, and largely adopted a might makes right attitude.  Canaanite practices included: baptism in blood, sexual activity with children, canibalism, sacrificing human beings, marriage by rape, partner swapping, abortion, the killing of unwanted children, etc. The moral superiority of one culture over the other is obvious, and the obvious causes for a culture clash are evident.

While one could argue that if that’s the only culture that they knew then how can they be judged for living what they were taught?  The answer is simple. They knew it was wrong but they did it because they knew they could get away with it. Or so they thought. It’s basic human knowledge to understand that you don’t treat other people in a way that you don’t want to be treated. Yet the Canaanite culture empowered the wickedness in their society.  People inherently understand that certain basic rights exist, and even if they are taught otherwise you will find that people inherently know that stealing is wrong, that killing is wrong, that violating another’s rights is wrong, that lying is wrong, etc.  the Canaanite cultures however did it anyway because they knew that gain could be had by doing so. 

In light of this is it any small wonder why God would instruct the Israelites to exterminate entire villages?  How else to you get rid of a culture so thoroughly corrupted?  One may say what about the innocent women and children?  Well, let’s be honest. If you had a city in our times of wicked men and you left the women and children, would they not teach their children those same ways and perpetuate that culture?  

Let me lay out some examples. If I raise my family in the culture of Las Vegas (as opposed to living there but protecting my family from its influence) should it be a wonder if my children do all the same things that many citizens of that city do? Should it come as a surprise if my daughter grow up to be prostitutes or showgirls?  Should it come as a surprise if my sons become gamblers?  They will know that these things are wrong, so they are not innocent, but they will have this engrained into their behavior. I would never be able to use the argument that they didn’t know better.  In fact they have probably witnessed firsthand the harm that such things cause. But they would engage in it because they have also been taught by that same society that they can get what they want by doing so. 

Myself I don’t condone warfare, but I can easily understand how it can be necessary to put an end to a culture that is so degraded and evil. The Lord must have felt that such measures were necessary.  I am not calling for such actions today. What I am saying is that those who claim that God condoned warfare, and that He was not a God of love and peace, and that He commanded a select group of people to wipe out another less favored group are ignoring the facts. 

Judging

I have often heard it said that we as Christians should not judge. That we are to be loving and tolerant and forgiving and accepting. But what does that mean anyway?  

To investigate this we must look at the circumstances under which this claim is most often cited and by whom it is mentioned. And to do this we are going to have to make a judgement for ourselves. And I think that's part of the distinction under which the commandment was given. 

Most often this is mentioned when something has happened and the consequences of someone's decisions are beginning to manifest. Then most often someone will make a remark that this is what happens in such cases and someone else will counter stating that we shouldn't judge. Now the particulars may change but more or less this is the general story. 

Now before I go saying who is right or wrong, let me generalize the types of characters usually involved in such cases.  The person who made a mistake is typically someone who is young and lacks life experience. The details of what mistake can vary greatly and really aren't important here.  

The person making the comment can vary greatly. It might be someone of a religious persuasion who is attempting to make a point or lesson using someone's mistake as an example. It could be a self righteous individual who is attempting to make themselves appear superior to others. It could be someone spreading gossip. Ultimately what matters is the motive. 

Now let's look at the person who says not to judge. They almost always fit into only one of two stereotypes. Either they are genuine, or they are justifying. They are coming from opposite extremes. But either way the person making such a comment has themselves made a judgement. Either they recognize person making a remark has done so unjustly and they are attempting to put a stop to slandering, or they are advocating the act and attempting to appear morally superior to someone else in the process. There really isn’t much middle ground. 

Now in any case motive is one of the most important matters, but let's make one thing clear. In any situation, we are always making a judgement. But what are we judging?  Let's be honest with ourselves. So far I have left out particulars because circumstances vary so wildly and my goal in this article is not to say that thus and so is right or wrong so much as I'm trying to teach a principle and bring out some truth. 

Those who say that Christ says not to judge are most often speaking of two entirely different things. Most often they leave out the entirety of what Christ actually said and the principle Christ was trying to teach which is contained in the context. 

So let's start with the context. In Christ's time you had classes of people, many different sects and denominations just as you find today.  And one of the things you had was that people rank themselves based upon how well they believed themselves to be keeping the Commandments relative to others.  So as a natural conclusion men would assume themselves to be better than others based upon the judgements they conclude just as they do today.  Now Christ was trying to teach a lesson here, that our methods of judging are not based on truth, but rather on moral relativity.

“And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?  And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.”  Matthew 19:16-17

Now an example of this. Let's take two young men, and one of them makes the mistake of stealing. Now we can look at this and most will agree that stealing is bad and the act is wrong. Now in this example one might also draw the outward conclusion that the boy who didn't steal is therefore morally superior to the one who did. 

But this might not be a correct conclusion. Notice that no context is given as to and of the circumstances surrounding the crime or the circumstances surrounding the second boy's innocence. We don't know the facts to make such a judgement beyond whether the act was right or wrong, in other words we don't have the information to judge either boy's character. 

What if we find out the boy who stole was in a very destitute state?  That doesn't make stealing right, but it does make his circumstances more understandable. What if we find out that the boy who didn't steal has not been put in such circumstances?  What if we find out that the only reason we know the one boy stole was because he confessed it and was trying to make it right?  What if we reversed the roles and found that given the same circumstances both boys would behave in the same way?  

And that's a part of the reality. It's easy for us to look at someone and say, if I was in their shoes I wouldn't have made that mistake. The reality is we aren't in their shoes, and in most cases we don't know how we would behave if we were. It's easy to place ones self on a moral high ground to judge someone in different circumstances than our own. What we ought to do is make the best decisions we can in the circumstances that we are in, and we need to be striving to help others. 

Now that doesn't mean we turn a blind eye to things that are wrong or justify evil under the banner of "not judging". Ignoring evil can cause incredible harm too.  If something is not right, in must be judged and acknowledged as such.  In my example the boy who stole did do wrong.  So how is this going to be resolved. If it is ignored or justified the behavior might continue.  Also others might decide that such behavior is acceptable. 

When the woman caught in adultery was brought before the Savior, He didn't justify her behavior. He firstly brought to light the false motives of her accusers, which caused them to leave in shame. But then He offered to the woman forgiveness on the condition that she repents. He acknowledges that she is guilty,  but He doesn't condemn her. 

But he doesn't ignore the matter either. He gives her an option by instructing her to "Go and sin no more".  He extends to her a compassion and understanding.  As a topic for another article, the story never tells what becomes of this woman, but one can very, very sure that her life will be very difficult, and Christ has a compassion and understanding of the hard road she has ahead. 

A lot has to do with our motives. The men who brought the woman before Jesus were trying to justify in their own hearts their feelings of moral superiority. They wanted to trick or trap Jesus by placing a moral dilemma before Him, and they clearly cared nothing for this woman.  But when Jesus showed what was really in their hearts, he showed that their pride had lifted them up. They were all guilty of something, many were guilty of the same or even worse.  

It is said in the scriptures that pride is the greatest of all sins. And pride defines our motives. In order to be lifted up in pride we must thing ourselves superior to others. If our judgements are based upon our pride, then as we are judging so shall we be judged. 

What is the gospel?

I see many people who ask what the gospel really is. I see many who ask how we can know what is true. I see many who ask why if there is a truth, why are there so many churches. 

I think this is an important question. And I think one of the reasons why there is so much controversy over the matter is because the purpose for the gospel gets glossed over, making it easy for men to capitalize with their own agendas and lead people astray. 

The simplest definition I have, the cleanest way to define it that I have found is this. "The gospel of Jesus Christ is the story of how God became God, and how we can apply a set of principles to become like Him."  In a nutshell that's what it is. It's goal is to teach us what actually makes God, God. Then by extension He has promised that if we follow His teachings we can be "joint heirs with Him". 

So in looking at any church or organization, let us ask "what does this church teach?"  If that church teaches us to feel good about who we are, that's not going to make you into a Godlike person. If a church teaches that ordinances save you, but does not require any actual repentance, that's not going to make you like Christ either. 

In order to become like God, you must first determine what His attributes are. To do that you must read and study the scriptures. You must study out what the prophets can teach us about Him. Then you must strive to apply those same principles into your life. 

Modern Feminism and Materialism

The link between modern feminism and materialism cannot be ignored. It plays a large role in where and why feminism has gone wrong. While feminism is hardly alone in this regard, materialism certainly has itself rooted very deeply into every facet of modern culture, and I will discuss that another time, it certainly has had a critical influence on how modern feminism has formed. 

In order to investigate this fully I think outlining the official definitions is important.  According to philosophybasics.com

"Feminism comprises a number of egalitarian social, cultural and political movements, theories and moral philosophies concerned with gender inequalities and equal rights for women. It is the doctrine advocating social, political and all other rights for women which are equal to those of men."

The basic idea is that women ought to have all the same basic rights as men.  On many points I agree with this. But I don't believe in a forced equality, and especially one where it robs women of their identity. 

And that is where modern feminism often fails women. It pulls the focus off women and puts it on materialistic pursuits. Wage equality, employment equality, the ability to serve military roles, the power to do what they want when they want, etc. if a woman wants these things that's fine, but most of these pursuits will pull a woman away from her natural womanhood. 

Feminism encourages women to pursue these things. But it discourages the pursuit of family life. Why because materialism is the driving creed of society and family pursuits are often in conflict with that. 

Now it may seem I'm grasping at straws here but I'm actually holding back and maybe I should stop doing so in this case. If you look at the popular and political advocates for feminism today at least in the United States you find plenty of examples in Hollywood, popular music, and politicians. This may seem to be unfair but like it or not this is the movements mascots. 

Let's look at what they promote.  They say women should use birth control because if they were to have a pregnancy and child it would interfere with their education and careers. If a woman does get pregnant she is encouraged to have an abortion because that child will interfere with her lifestyle. If she does want children, she should only pursue that later in life so that her career and personal pursuits in materialistic interests can take center stage. And she should not have more than one or two children because more would place too much of a burden on her (and society they argue, that's for another article).  And she ought to be free an independent. A women should not be married because that will restrain her ambitions. But if she is to marry she needs to assert her equality (which usually translates to dominance).  

I'm not saying all who claim to be feminists are adamant about all these issues. I'm saying the movement itself advocates these standards and it's really all about materialism.  Normally materialism teaches to acquire more wealth and possessions. This ideology takes mankind further from God and deeper into the selfish desires. But modern feminism takes this same step with a twist. It teaches that women are empowered by materialism and that they can use the fact that they are female as a means to do so. If anyone dares disagree, or try to convince women to forsake materialism, they turn it around and say that the naysayers are bigoted, backwards sexists. 

How Feminism is Anti-woman

An issue I wanted to touch upon today has to do with modern feminism. Now this may inflame some of my readers, but I ask that you can bear with me to the end of this. 

Today we have a movement that claims to empower women. A movement which claims women are equal to men and that women ought to have all the same rights and liberties as men. That women ought to make the same wages, that they should be given the same opportunities, and that they should be freed from the stigma of the past. 

Let me begin by saying that I am all for giving women the highest degree of respect, and that they should be given the opportunities they desire. But I also know that men and women are in fact different. Feminism tries to enforce an "equality" that is not in fact equal. 

Feminism is anything but feminine. The reality is that it's doctrines rob women of their womanhood. It does not empower women to be women. What modern feminism does is compare women to men and then attempt to make women more like men.  Feminism insists than not only can women do anything a man can, but that a woman is empowered by doing so. 

Don't believe this is the case?  Tell me why is it so important that a woman pursue a career?  Yet the stay at home mom is shamed by that same society. The feminist will applaud the working mother for the most part, but her success in their eyes is not measured in how much she actually nurtures her children but rather by pointing out that she has success in her career while raising a family.  

The feminist is encouraged to go out and follow her dreams. Travel the world, experience life, demonstrate strength, be a leader, etc. Thats the slogan. But if that woman wants to settle down, raise children, be a mother, then she is missing out on what the world has to offer. That is the approach the feminist movement takes.  

Why does this have to be?  If you look at feminism from earlier times it wasn't like this. The great women who fought for sufferage and other such causes were all pro-woman. Women were being robbed of just rights. But as time went on the movement shifted more and more towards this idea that women needed to be in the workplace. That such women were successful and happy. That truly powerful women can be better men than men, and ultimately that they don't even really need men anymore. There's the messy business about raising the next generation so men are grudgingly given some role.   

Many may say this version is painted as an extreme, but let me point out two facts. "Isms" tend to their respective extremes in terms of their goals. The second is this, that I've heard some popular feminists go way farther than I just did. People who take it to such an extreme that if science can make it possible that the roles of men and women could truly be reversed, or that women could reproduce without men.  Somehow this is treated as an ideal or goal. 

Feminism is an anti woman movement. It promotes the men vs women argument. It divides the human race. Just like the cause it claims to fight against, it subjugates one gender to promote the other. It promotes the female while attempting to rid itself off all that is distinctly feminine. It attempts to take masculinity away from the male and give it to the female, while stripping away anything that is distinctly masculine. As a whole it robs humanity. 

The Love of Hate

Today I would like to share with you a reality. This is an idea that permeates our modern popular culture. It is in the majority of music, it is depicted in movies, described in novels, and has infiltrated the modern ideas of love, marriage, romance, and the roles of men and women in our society. 

What am I getting in about?  Well think about it. How many of our cultures "love songs" are actually about love?  How many of them even attempt to describe two individuals learning to love, and to enjoy one another?  

No the reality is that most of these songs revolve around either someone wanting someone they can't have, someone proclaiming how much happier they are with a new partner, someone lamenting how their lover is gone, someone trying to convince someone else why they should be together, or someone boasting about how they've cheated. One of these scenarios describes the vast majority of what our culture calls love songs. In some cases they do try to demonstrate a devotion to an individual, which while an improvement, still doesn't depict what love actually is beyond the immediate infatuation. 

Because the majority of the people listen to music, watch movies, and indulge in other media that reinforces that view without ever actually teaching what love is, then the majority of people emulate the popular culture with disastrous results.  As a result many people tend to associate love with misery and heartache. The only enjoyment they see in it is the sexual pleasure, and maybe a temporary emotional satisfaction. A satisfaction for ones self. So in other words, what many call love is actually selfishness. 

There is very little regard for the feelings or needs of the other individual apart from what may secure future benefit for the self.  This is basically a great deal of indifference towards others. And indifference is only one step removed from hatred. Because many were never invested for the right reasons, all it takes to create bitterness and resentment is unfulfilled expectations, a misunderstanding, an argument, or a more enticing option, and what they once thought was love  turns into hurt, anger, and misery. 

And yet they persist in this course, to a large degree, because in most cases they haven't seen many, if any, examples of real love. The world has taught them this faux love, and taught them that the pain and hardship are part of it. Also selfishness is a natural tendency. Real love requires that we become selfless. That we give up the pride and ego. That we actually sacrifice for others. That we put away our vain ambitions, our selfish desires, and our need to "be right" and to justify our own position. 

My position on the popular culture is this. Don't listen to it. It brings nothing but pain and misery. The popular music will not bring you happiness. The popular movies will not bring you joy. And emulating the doctrines they teach will bind you down in misery. 

How to Empathize

In my last article, I don't want to leave the impression that I don't care about problems. Or that you act like you are in la la land when troubles arise. Doing that will concern those around you for sure. And I don't want to come across as that I don't care about people's struggles or that I think that problems shouldn't be discussed. 

My point was in that we can't focus on negativity. In the moment hard times are hard. And very often people need help and encouragement during those times. But it should not be the focus. There is a difference between explaining your situation or asking for help, versus complaining. 

When we complain, there is no resolution. Not that a resolution isn't possible, I mean that nothing gets resolved. Complaining usually serves one purpose, and that is an attempt to get pity. However pity really serves no useful purpose. To feel sorry for someone doesn't help them. It doesn't help us either. And to try to get pity doesn't help us. 

What I'm trying to get at is that we need to help people. And if we need help, we need to try to get it. We need to actually try to do something. One of the best ways I can explain this is by an example. 

If I am going through a hard time financially, and I need money, I have several options available to me. I can ask for help, I can try to do work to obtain more money, and I can try to make sure that I use whatever resources available in the best way possible. Now if I turn to someone and tell them my situation I need to do it for a useful purpose. If I am seeking advise, then I'm not complaining, I am trying to get help. If I ask for money, I'm not complaining, I'm asking for help. And if I'm trying to obtain work, I'm asking for help and demonstrating that I'm trying to help myself. But if I'm just trying to get sympathy or just trying to vent my frustrations, or I'm feeling sorry for myself, or I'm trying to blame someone else for my situation, none of that is helpful. It's just complaining and it's not useful to myself or anyone else. 

Now one area where we can help others is by doing this. When someone comes to us, and they are complaining, we need to examine our own role. We don't want to be dismissive, or come across that we don't care. What we want to do is help them. If the person is simply looking for pity or wanting you to agree that their problem is terrible, then we need to try to direct that to a more positive and productive energy.  Again by example, if I am on a job and someone complains that the job is terrible, isn't working well, or other negativity, we can try in whatever way to help that situation. I can bring up something positive in the situation, like what a nice sunny day it is, or offer to help them in some way. Try not to be dismissive, but don't feed attempts to fish for pity.  Smile. And don't let them drag you into that negativity.  Be understanding. 

When someone complains to me, and I start also complaining back, talking about how my own life is so hard, that life is just hard, and basically agree with them, not only does it not help them. It actually in many ways pulls the focus away from them and their problem and places it on myself. I have not only failed to help them, but have actually hindered both them and myself. In contrast, if I share with them my experience in that area and then offer advise, or a solution, and reassure them that I know what they are going through, now I have become a help to them.  I have helped them not only with the immediate problem, but as a whole have become a positive influence.

My own experience is that our society is geared towards this negativity. From the time we are very young, society at large has been teaching us to think and behave this way.  The reason it matters to try to become aware of this and try to overcome it is that if we are constantly complaining, we can be grateful and appreciative. We can't see the benefit of adversity. We don't learn the lessons. It stagnates our own growth and limits our full potential.

Freedom vs Bondage

It has been a while since I've written anything. I've been trying to decide how to express my next article regarding Adam and Eve (Havah) and who they are, and why that matters. I will get to that, but for now I have decided to take a break from that topic and instead discuss another matter. 

In this post I'm going to share some personal experiences so that you can get to know me, and perhaps learn why I view things the way I do. In this case, I'm going to discuss a situation that vividly demonstrates the difference between freedom and bondage in a way that perhaps you might not have considered before. 

I used to work for a company that installed furnaces and air conditioners. While I worked there I worked with a guy who was offended by my overall optimistic attitude. (I was in fact going through some struggles, but that's another story).  For example, when asked how I was doing, when I would respond that things were great, he would view it as a lie or an outward show, as though I was trying to be superior.   When I would ask how he was, or how things were going in his life he would usually respond with a negative comment, like how things could be worse, or the issues he was having with his wife, or kids, or how terrible the job was, and that he wouldn't be able to enjoy life till he was too old to enjoy it.  Nevertheless, this guy choose to leave me alone, and I had no success with trying to encourage him to be more positive. 

I later worked for another company as a service plumber and worked with another guy that was similar, only more persistent. For example, I don't swear. By that I mean don't even think it. In fact in contrast to himself, my reaction to frustrating circumstances is very calm and composed.  This really aggravated this guy, and he made it a mission to try to get under my skin and make me swear. I'm serious, he told me to my face that one day he was going to make me mad and that I was going to curse and swear and that I would feel so much better by getting it all out.  And so he kept trying, though he would back off when I let him know that I didn't appreciate it and that he had crossed the line. He never did succeed. 

Another thing is that I would greet customers with positivity, even though our being there was because they usually had a plumbing problem, so they probably weren't having the best day. I always believed that by being helpful and friendly that I could help them. One day this same coworker told me that I should empathize with them by talking about how terrible these problems are. That I should talk about things that go wrong, and that I too have things pretty bad. As though by talking about negativity, that it helps cement a friendship with the customer.  As if to suggest my upbeat positive attitude makes people feel worse and makes me seem unrelatable to most people. 

Now both of these individuals have something in common. Both of them believed that they were free. They believed they were free to express themselves verbally, as well as by behavior. That being able to curse, and swear, and dress as they please, and do as they please, is freedom. Indeed this is a common attitude. Many look at me and think that I must have been brainwashed, and am therefore not free. That my religion and upbringing restricts me. 

And yet when you take a step back and look at the different outcomes in their lives, a pattern emerges. The fruits if you will.

One of the obvious problems, is that both these individuals are fundamentally unhappy. Oh sure they may think they are happy at least some of the time. But their complaining is the outward sign that they are actually unhappy, and they choose to blame external factors.  They are unhappy in their marriages, unhappy in their friendships, unhappy with their jobs, etc. 

Their thought patterns, behaviors, speech, and reactions are all based upon the natural impulses of the body. They are governed almost entirely by their emotions in a raw ungoverned form. When they see an attractive member of the opposite sex, they lust after them. When they see something they like, they impulsively indulge in it. When something irritates them, they explosively act out in anger, cursing and swearing. In short, they are slaves to their natural behaviors. And every time they act based upon their natural impulses, they become increasingly unable to act any differently.

In contrast, someone who has learned to govern themselves is actually more free. I can only speak for myself, but when I get frustrated (yes, I'm still human), I don't impulsively act out in anger. I don't yell at people in an angry tone, or throw things. Instead I examine the situation and consider what can I do about it?  I will honestly express my opinions, but I'm not going to throw a fit. If I can constructively improve the situation, then I will do that, and will have learned to conquer something in the process. If I can't change anything, I can still learn from the experience, and try to do better next time. Regardless, I can choose to be positive and happy even in frustrating circumstances because it betters me as a person. 

That is the fundamental difference. These other individuals are ultimately unhappy, and have chosen to become victims of their own circumstances. They do not take responsibility for their own lives, and have become a slave, unable to be freed. They have hinged their happiness upon external circumstances, which can never be satisfied. By constraint, I have chosen to be happy, to take control of the only thing I can control, which is myself, which makes me the master, and as such I am free. Those in bondage look upon those who are free and desire the happiness that truly free people enjoy, but they cannot have it because they have not learned the means by which it is obtained. Instead they become angry that they cannot have it, they cannot in their current condition understand that people can actually be happy. 

I'm not saying or trying to give the impression that I am perfect, or that I am in any way superior.  I make mistakes. But I try to learn, and am striving to always better and perfect myself. Complaining has never brought me happiness, and I doubt it has ever brought anyone else happiness either. I want to be happy, so why should I choose a behavior that doesn't make me happy?  Why should I be angry if I want to be happy? And if I was unhappy, why should I desire that others be unhappy too?

If I learn something from every experience, then I am growing and progressing and becoming more like God. This is a good life. Enjoy it!!!

 

Masculine and Feminine

One thing I want to make clear to my readers is that most of the names for God contain both masculine and feminine aspects. Now many scholars will put forth that God possesses these traits not because He is either male or female, but because He is neither and both. That God possesses the traits of both genders for no seemingly better explanation other than He is God. 

Now before I continue, let me make this perfectly clear. Male and female are not opposites. This conflicts with our modern western teaching that concludes that they are. Let me clarify. Light and dark come close the being opposites, apart from the fact that darkness is the absence of light, but darkness cannot exist without light. Positive and negative are also close representations of opposites, positive charges are caused by the absence of electrons, which bear a negative charge.  Good and evil are close representations of opposites as well, in that evil is really an absence of good.  The word opposite means two forces or things that are opposed. A common trend you will find in all opposites is that they are set against each other and an increase in one has a corresponding decrease in the other. 

But male and female are not opposites. Masculinity is not the absence of femininity, nor is femininity an absence of masculinity. Neither gender has any inherit negativity, nor is one more good than the other. What masculine and feminine are is better attributed to separate parts of a whole. They are complimentary, not opposites. An increase in one does not equal a decrease in the other.  Both male and female are good. I think a few passages of scripture can illustrate the meaning. 

“Nevertheless neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord.  For as the woman is of the man, even so is the man also by the woman; but all things of God.”

1st Corinthians 11:11-12

“And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that He which made them at the beginning made them male and female, And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?  Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.”

Matthew 19:4-6

When man and woman become united, they become more than two individuals. The different attributes of the two genders are not meant to compete, they are meant to compliment. This is just as true here on earth as it is in Heaven. It goes well beyond the physical merging of the body. Men and women must learn how to be united mentally and spiritually as well. They must learn how to put aside their selfish interests and seek to serve one another. When they learn how to do this, they become greater than the sum of their parts. 

My point in this is to break down a mental barrier in which men and women are separate. They are intended to be joined and united. Together they form the whole. This simple truth is found in the scriptures and is repeated over and over again. God exists in plural. Often Christians refer to a Heavenly Father, it ought to occur naturally that there is a Heavenly Mother as well. And it ought to be plainly evident that the combination of a Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother collectively forms God. They are referred to as one and yet pluraly because they always act as one. 

YHVH

This brings us to the Hebrew name YHVH יהוה. Stripped of its vowels, its exact pronunciation is unknown.   But what is known is that the name itself has powerful meaning. 

Let us begin by examining the letters themselves. Let's start with the Hebrew letter Yod י. Firstly Yod represents the source of creation. Secondly the shape of Yod is also present in every Hebrew letter, symbolizing that it is always present in everything. The Yod also represents power of God, a Crown, and that everything comes from God. It is also symbolic of truth, since truth is present in everything. Interestingly enough, but very importantly, it represents humility. In fact humility is really its defining quality.  Also when used as a prefix, it denotes masculinity. 

Next we have the letter Hey ה. Hey is used twice and it represents creation. It represents light. When a word ends in Hey, it adds a feminine quality in that it represents reproduction and bearing fruit. It also represents a nurturing aspect. 

Then we have the letter Vav ו.   Vav acts a a symbol for man or mankind. It is also symbolic of a connection.  When placed between other letters it often strengthens the connections between those letters and emphasizes their meanings. 

So these concepts when put together form a very powerful meaning. It is representative of the all present, humble God of truth, creator of mankind. But the final Hey adds an important meaning. It adds a FEMININE quality and a nurturing quality. It's added value, again looking at the binding Vav, represents the bond between God and man, not as a vague distant creator, but as an intimate and loving parent. 

This feminine aspect is very important, but I do not wish to cover that just yet. This name begins with a masculine prefix and ends with a feminine form.

Jehovah

Now let us examine Jehovah. Jehovah is an interesting name. One of the first interesting points I will make is that it actually comes from a translational error. The error comes in two stages. 

The first stage comes from what I believe is a misunderstanding on the second of the Ten Commandments which reads:

"Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain."

Exodus 20:7

Many have interpreted this to mean that men are not permitted to say the name of God because it is too sacred to be uttered by mortal lips, and that by men speaking His name, they would take his name in vain. While this is an interesting interpretation, I believe it to be a serious distraction from what the Lord really intended. 

I believe that what God really meant is that He desires men to treat sacred things as sacred, and not to treat them lightly. This would include all the things that are considered to be of God such as: marriage, ordinances, scripture, etc. I also believe it includes authority. These matters I have previously discussed in my articles on the Ten Commandments. 

Because men believed that speaking the name of God was a transgression of law,  they would usually substitute a different word when reading the scriptures aloud. The most common word used is Adonai. So to remind readers to say Adonai, the scribes would inscribe the vowel symbols for Adonai on the name of God YHVH יְהֹוָה.   

This is where the second error in translation occurs. German translators tried to convert the Hebrew texts into German, but their lack of knowledge on the history of the word caused them to translate it and pronounce it with the incorrect vowel sounds. Thus YHVH becomes Yehovah. In the German they use the letter J to make the phonetic sounds for "ye", so their translation gets pronounced Jehovah in English. 

Now it is not fully known how YHVH is actually supposed to be pronounced. But just going with the four basic consonants, it tells a great deal about the name and what it means. 

Adonai

Next we will examine Adonai. Adonai אֲדֹנָי is a plural form of the word Adon אָדוֹן which means lord or master. 'Ad' אד means to gather, and in this word denotes a sense of ownership.  So a literal translation of Adon is 'my lord' or 'my master'. So this means Adonai translates as 'my lords'.

Closely related is the Hebrew 'eden' אדן which basically means foundation. This connection would strongly support that the Lord is "the Lord that can be relied upon".  It represents a strength. 

Again, biblical scholars insist that even though this word is plural in form, that it refers to a singular God. Now why the contradiction between what the scriptures clearly say and what the scholars say?  The answer to this question is really all too simple. It is because modern theologians are trying to make the scriptures conform to modern theology, rather than trying to make modern theology conform to the ancient teachings. Man has gotten into a nasty habit of trying to justify his own beliefs rather than trying to understand the truth. So even though the truth is plainly written in the ancient Hebrew texts, often man has to overlay his own traditions and interpretations.