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  • Millions just disappeared. Where did everyone go? The Rapture

    Millions of people from all over the world suddenly disappeared from the earth. This is no hoax, it’s biblically called, The Rapture – where Jesus snatched his believers (true Christians who have faith in Christ ALONE and not in any way offer their own works such as doing good things or being a “good person” [there will be many left behind that say they are Christian, but they do not trust in Christ alone – they feel their works have merit]) away from earth in order not to go through the wrath that God is about to pour out onto the earth – a 7 year period known in the last book of the Bible’s New Testament (the book of Revelation) as the Tribulation. Young children, babies and mentally handicapped people that cannot understand salvation may also be raptured. The rapture is prophesied in the bible in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 and 1 Corinthians 15:51-52.

    So, first off, don’t believe any of the lies the media is telling you: aliens, CERN, large hadron collider, the government, etc. The bible prophesied that there would be a great lie to explain away the rapture in 2 Thessalonians 2:6-10, especially verse 10.

    It’s going to be the worst time the world has ever seen – worse than the Holocaust – worse than the flood in Noah’s day – with the rise of a global leader supposedly bringing “peace and security”, known as, the antichrist to Christians. You don’t have much time. The chaos around the world will undoubtedly reach your doorstep in a matter of days: looting, murders, rape, arson, all sorts of evil. So it’s very important that you do the following things immediately:

    You can see me again, and can live for eternity with me in Heaven and the new earth if you carefully listen me:

    1. You need to know, understand, and most importantly, BELIEVE the very simple Gospel message. This is how to become saved. It’s VERY simple: Jesus is God and was/is the Jewish messiah. (1) He came to earth the first time 2,000 years ago to die on the cross to pay for all your sins and the sins of the world – both Jews AND gentiles (non-Jews). (2) He was buried. (3) on the 3rd day God the Father resurrected Him from the dead – defeating sin and death and for your justification. Believe that, and you will be saved. It’s that simple. John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 – “Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that [1] Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that [2] He was buried, and that [3] He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures”.
    2. In the book of Revelation (the last book in the New Testament Bible), there will be 2 men that rise to power – one rises to ultimate power (called the antichrist who will, “strengthen a deal with the many [nations] for seven years.” We Christians think that this deal is the Abraham Accords and the Israel-Palestine 2 State Solution), and the False Prophet (who will cause many to worship the antichrist and his image). The false prophet will make EVERYONE get a mark (possibly a chip implant) on either their forehead or right hand in order to buy or sell anything. This is called the “mark of the beast.” The False Prophet will also have set up an “image of the beast” for people to worship – an image of the antichrist. This could possibly be some sort of AI thing. LISTEN: GOD SAYS IN THE BOOK OF REVELATION THAT ANYONE WHO WORSHIPS THE ANTICHRIST OR HIS IMAGE, OR TAKES HIS MARK WILL NEVER SEE HEAVEN, AND WILL GO TO HELL. So, under whatever circumstance – even to death – do NOT take the mark or worship/use the antichrist or his image. This may mean losing your home and all your possessions that you can’t pay for and not being able to buy food and drink. But some temporary suffering is a lot better than eternal suffering in the lake of fire and brimstone where the worm eats and never dies.
    3. (Reading the bible isn’t a requirement to be saved. Believing the gospel above is how to be saved) Start reading the New Testament! Start with the book of John (the 4th book). This is Jesus’ Gospel (Jesus saying a bunch of times, “Believe in Me alone and you shall be saved”). Then read Romans (the 6th book). This also goes in depth of how to become justified by God through faith in Christ (it may go a little over your head at first). Then read Galatians. This book talks a lot about justification by faith alone – not by works. Then read Ephesians, which talks about who you are in Christ – your identity as a child of God. Read the New Testament. But again: reading the bible isn’t a requirement to be saved. Believing the gospel above is how to be saved.
    4. This isn’t really a step – more motivation. After the 7 year horrible Tribulation period, Jesus will come back with all of his believers and will restore order and set up his new kingdom here on earth for 1,000 years (known as the Millennial Kingdom) and rule the world Himself. After that He will make a new heaven and a new earth and we will live there for eternity. This is where there is no more evil, the wolf will lie down with the lamb, there will be no more suffering, the child will put his hand in the snake’s den and not get bit, the lion will eat the grass of the plains, and everything will be just right. Be here. With me.

    Learn what the true biblical definition of “repentance” is. It’s usually defined today as, “turning from sin, not sinning, reforming one’s life, etc.”, but that is NOT what it means! The word repent comes from the Greek word “metanoia”. The true biblical definition is: “To change one’s mind.” As in, simply, change your mind about who Christ is and about needing Him as your savior as you are a sinner (like the rest of us). You MUST read the bible through the lens of the true definition of repentance AND the simple Gospel message of faith alone for salvation – no works or “being a good person”. If you read the bible through the lens of “working your way to heaven” by being “good” or “doing good things” or by “turning from your sins” in order to be saved, you’ll never see it for its truth. This is where most people that say they’re Christian err. Thus they think you have to have some sort of faith plus works to be saved – when indeed it is simply by faith in Christ alone. So whenever you see the word “repent” in the bible, just change it to “believe.”

    Also, know these other truths:

    What are “the works” God requires?

    John 6:28-29 — Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”

    Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”

    What is “the will” of God?

    John 6:40 — For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”

    What is “the command” of God?

    1 John 3:23 — And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us.

    Who is it that “overcomes the world”?

    1 John 5:5 — Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.

    Who are “the righteous”?

    Romans 1:17 — For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”

    What is “the obedience” of God?

    Romans 16:26 — but now made manifest, and by the prophetic Scriptures made known to all nations, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, for obedience to the faith

    What is “grace”?

    Kindness we don’t deserve. God’s unmerited favor. As in: God’s kindness to give us the free gift of salvation and eternal life to all who simply believe the gospel, even though we’re undeserving because we’re sinners.

    Extremely Important: Don’t go searching for more answers on the internet as pretty much 99.99% of articles online are false, legalistic, Calvinist, false articles that will lead you to hell. That’s why so many fake “christians” are left behind, because of these false teachings all over the place.

    Other things to know:

    Do NOT get mixed up with Catholicism or Christian cults that say you have to work your way to heaven by any other means (such as having to turn from your sins or do good deeds) than just having faith – and in your case since you’re in the Tribulation, not taking the mark required by the antichrist to buy and sell or worshiping him or his image.

    The book of Revelation says that the antichrist will put to death pretty much all Christians during the Tribulation, so you have to face the very real fact that you might have to die for your newfound faith. But don’t worry, it will take less than a second and you’ll be with Jesus for all eternity – where there is never any pain, suffering, sadness, depression, anxiety, stress, fear, nervousness, panic, evil or tears. Only infinite love, joy, peace, comfort, kindness and righteousness.

    Humble yourself before God and realize that you’re a sinner just like the rest of us, incapable of saving yourself, and needing Jesus your Savior. Put your pride aside and accept Jesus – your only Lord and Savior. See you on the other side.

    Download this left behind note to share with friends and family:

    Left Behind Notes_2026-03-04Download

    Further reading:

    A dear friend and sister in Christ named Kate: I was commissioned to do a different painting in the summer of 2023. When I finished it I said to myself, that may be my last painting, (I was expecting the rapture that Feast of Trumpets). After I said that I had massive whole body Holy Spirit chills. And I said out loud “not my last painting?” And it happened again very noticeably. Right then I knew what I supposed to paint. The prior years I had been fixated on painting fire, I have a natural ability to do portraits, and I recently have fallen in love with painting clouds, so I felt the Lord had prepared me my entire life to paint this exact painting that showcased all of these elements. As I painted I have never felt closer to the Lord and full of the Holy Spirit. I cried so much of the time I was painting and it came together so quickly. I felt like the Lord was painting it through my hand. I knew I needed lightning to show how fast the rapture will happen even though I don’t assume this is how it will literally look. I knew I wanted a city on fire to show how this is a rescue from tribulation. I knew I wanted our Lord’s face to be calm and welcoming. I wanted to remind the audience of His sacrifice on the cross with the wound in His hand. I wanted Him to be the light source in the darkness. I unintentionally painted 8 people being raptured. Now I think that was a sign pointing at 8 years from the revelation 12 sign.

  • Antichrist and false prophet

    Antichrist = Donald Trump

    False Prophet = Elon Musk

    Antichrist Donald Trump:

    1. A big, blasphemous mouth: Revelation 13:5 — “And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies”
    2. A Liar: 2 Thessalonians 2:9-10 — “The coming of the lawless one (antichrist Trump) is according to the working of Satan, with all power (of the presidency?), signs (Assassination attempts? The Strong’s 4592 Greek word for “signs” here says it means false teachers/prophets deceiving others and saying a person (Trump) is a man from God), and lying wonders (everything he speaks is a lie), and with all unrighteous deception (how many are deceived by this man, especially in Israel?) among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.”
    3. Prideful: Will exalt himself over all that is called God. 2 Thessalonians 2:4 — “who opposes and exalts himself (Trump) above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God (the third Jewish temple that he will build them), showing himself that he is God.”
    4. Was an American president, is currently not, and is scheduled to be again: Revelation 17:9 — “Here is the mind which has wisdom: The seven heads are seven mountains (Washington DC is known as the city that sits on seven hills) on which the woman (the U.S.) sits.”
    5. Received a mortal head wound that was healed: Revelation 13:3 — “And I saw one of his heads (this head is symbolic of the antichrist Trump) as if it had been mortally wounded (1st assassination attempt), and his deadly wound was healed. And all the world marveled and followed the beast.”
    6. No one can “make war” with Trump: No one can win against him. He gets away with everything. Revelation 13:4 — “So they worshiped the dragon (Satan. They don’t even know they’re doing it) who gave authority to the beast (antichrist Trump); and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?”
    7. He’s worshipped as a god: 2 Thessalonians 2:4 — who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God (after the 3rd temple in Israel is built), showing himself that he is God.
    8. He’s deceived the elect of God: Christ’s two people: the Jews in Israel and christians (real and fake alike) both look at him as a savior of some sort – whether it be of America in general or literally to Israel: their messiah. Matthew 24:24 — For false christs (false saviors: Trump) and false prophets (Elon Musk) will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect (the people of God: the christians and the Jews in Israel). Mark 13:22 — For false christs and false prophets will rise and show signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.

    ———

    The number of the beast (the antichrist) – 666:

    Revelation 13:18 — “Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666.”

    Donald John Trump in Hebrew is  דונלד ג’ון טראמפ. In standard Hebrew 3-cipher gematria, that’s:

    Hebrew standard = 483

    Hebrew ordinal = 123

    Hebrew reduction = 60

    60 + 123 + 483 = 666

    ‘Donald John Trump’ literally equals 666 in Hebrew gematria, fulfilling Revelation 13:18.

    Donald Trump was the 45th president, born at exactly 45% of the year and 45.45% of the century. What does the number 45 have to do with 666?

    45 / 3 = 15, so that’s three fifteens:

    15 15 15

    ..which reduces to 666 (1+5=6)

    ———

    The following prophecy about the beast (the antichrist) was fulfilled on Trump’s second inauguration on January 20, 2025:

    Revelation 17:8-11

    The beast (the antichrist) that you saw was, and is not, and will ascend out of the bottomless pit and go to perdition. And those who dwell on the earth will marvel, whose names are not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world, when they see the beast that was (president), and is not (president), and yet is (president). “Here is the mind which has wisdom: The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits (Washington D.C. where the U.S. president rules from is known as the city that sits on seven hills). There are also seven kings (the most recent U.S. presidents). Five have fallen (can’t hold office anymore due to death or term limit), one is (Biden), and the other has not yet come (Trump’s 2nd term). And when he comes, he must continue a short time. The beast that was (president), and is not (president), is himself also the eighth [president after Biden], and is of the seven (because he was also the 6th president during his first term), and is going to perdition:

    It’s also amazing to note based on the above graphic of the “7 kings (presidents)”, that the 1st one being Ronald Reagan starts right after Jimmy Carter, who died at 100 years old when Trump was president-elect the second time: right in the middle of when Trump was elected again for a second term on November 5, 2025 and his actual inauguration on January 20, 2025. That’s a sign from God Himself.

    This was fulfilled on Trump’s inauguration on 1/20/2025:

    • Revelation 17:8 — The beast (the antichrist Trump) that you saw was [president from 2017-2021], and is not [president before 12:00 pm, as Joe Biden still is], and will ascend out of the bottomless pit and go to perdition.
    • Revelation 17:8 — when they see the beast that was [president from 2017-2021], and is not [president before 12:00 pm, as Joe Biden still is], and yet is [president-elect and president after 12:00 pm].
    • Revelation 17:10-11 — There are also seven kings (the 7 most recent presidents as of the time of Biden). Five have fallen (can’t hold office due to death or term limit: (1) Ronald Reagan, (2) George Bush Sr. (3) Bill Clinton (4) George W Bush (5) Barack Obama), one is [president – (the 7th king) Biden], and the other (Trump) has not yet come [to be president]. And when he comes [to be president on 1/20/2025], he must continue a short time. The beast (Trump) that was [the 6th president his first term], and is not [president before 12 pm, as Biden is], is himself also the eighth [Trump’s second term], and is of the seven (the 6th president during Trump’s first term), and is going to perdition.

    ———

    During a U.S. president’s inauguration, it is customary for them to place their right hand on the Bible when being sworn in. During Trump’s second inauguration, his wife Melania held two bibles, but Trump refused to place his hand on them and instead just raised his right hand.

    It is also worthy of mention that Trump’s Vice President J.D. Vance, during his swearing in, placed his hand on a bible that his hindu wife was holding up. Hindu gods are demons.

    ———

    1 Corinthians 15:52 speaks about the rapture happening at “the last trump”: (KJV) “In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”

    Yes the word for “trump” here means “trumpet”, but the KJV bible is considered the most dependable English bible and there’s no coincidence that the word used here is “trump” for “the last trump”, being a play on the rapture happening during Trump’s last presidential term.

    ———

    Trump’s new Gaza Board of Peace that is planned for 7 years is the fulfillment of the Daniel 9:27 covenant:

    Daniel 9:27 — Then he (the antichrist Trump) shall confirm a covenant with many (the Gaza board of Peace with many nations involved) for one week (7 years); But in the middle of the week (after 3.5 years) He (the antichrist) shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering (in the new 3rd Jewish temple that will be built during the Tribulation). And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, Even until the consummation, which is determined, Is poured out on the desolate.”

    ———

    The prophecy of Joel 2:31 tells us that there will be a solar eclipse and then a blood moon (lunar eclipse) eclipse before the rapture and start of the Tribulation, which is when the antichrist rises:

    “The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord (the rapture and Tribulation).”

    The rapture and start of the Tribulation begins on April 4, 2026: see this rapture note.

    Eclipses in the bible represent judgement. Donald Trump was born on a blood moon, and this eclipse today on February 17, 2026 ends at 9:27 am Eastern Time (the time zone Trump lives in and rules from), and Danial 9:27 is the verse about the antichrist making the covenant with the many for seven years: “Then he (the antichrist Trump) shall confirm a covenant with many (the Gaza board of Peace with many nations involved) for one week (7 years); But in the middle of the week (after 3.5 years) He (the antichrist) shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering (in the new 3rd temple). And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, Even until the consummation, which is determined, Is poured out on the desolate.”

    ———

    The False Prophet Elon Musk:

    Revelation 13:11-17 — Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon (SpaceX Dragon spacecraft). And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence (they were already calling him “president Musk” during Trump’s presidential campaign), and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast (Trump), whose deadly wound was healed (1st Trump assassination attempt). He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth [in exploding rockets and even the ones designed to return safely – imagine John trying to explain what he saw 2,000 years ago] in the sight of men. And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast (AI, like ChatGPT, Alexa, Siri and Gemini, which will eventually turn into “Hey Trump” on your devices. Musk founded OpenAI which founded ChatGPT which created the AI revolution) who was wounded by the sword and lived. He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast (AI), that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed. He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark (possibly a chip implant tied to digital currency (crypto) and your banking and identity info. Musk founded Neuralink which embeds a chip in your brain to control prosthetics with the brain. This will be some of the technology for the mark. Also, Musk loves digital currencies (crypto) and will get rid of paper currency and all buying and selling will go through the new one-world digital currency) or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

    Download the Left Behind notes to share with friends and family:

    Left Behind Notes_2026-03-04Download

    Further reading:

    1. Rapture on April 5-6, Resurrection Day
    2. Millions just disappeared. Where did everyone go? The Rapture
    3. Revelation 17 and 18 Translated

  • Matthew 5-7 Sermon on the Mount Outline

    Matthew chapters 5-7 may sound scary. But all Jesus is doing is elevating the law to its proper place to get His listeners to ask the question, “well who then can be saved?”, as well as giving teachings with wisdom.

    The answer is – no one can be saved by keeping the law, because no one can keep it perfectly. Thus, Jesus is getting them to start looking to the messiah (Him) for salvation, rather than by keeping the law (that they thought they were keeping perfectly).

    Outline:

    1. The 8 beatitudes (or blessings). 8 traits that generally portray a saved person. All these points are simply characteristics of a child of God. When we believe, over time we are transformed into these things by the Spirit (if we choose to separate from the world and don’t resist change and growth in the ways of God in our lives):
      1. Poor in spirit (downtrodden, despised, rejected by the world).
      2. Mourn (at the state of this world). They will receive eternal comfort.
      3. Meek (humble and confident in our Father’s ways).
      4. Seek after righteousness (a strong desire for holiness).
      5. Merciful. They in turn will receive eternal mercy.
      6. Pure (working to keep ourselves undefiled by the ways of the world).
      7. Peacemakers.
      8. Persecuted for the sake of Christ.
    2. Believers are “salt and light” of the earth.
      1. We’re different, in a good way. And we’re to let our goodness (in conduct and character), our works, our godly wisdom and our salvation message (the gospel) shine in the dark world filled with evil.
    3. Christ restores the law to its proper standard:
      1. The Jews in His day must have not really been taking the law that seriously, following it half-heartedly, and thinking they were “doing just fine” with how they were following it. Jesus is restoring the law to its proper standard and showing them how “off target” they really are when it comes to the standard of the law.
      2. He came to fulfill it, not get rid of it.
      3. Even anger at another without a cause is murder.
      4. Even lust is adultery.
      5. Even divorce aside from sexual immorality is adultery.
      6. Swearing by God is not allowed. Simply do what you’re going to say you’re going to do, whether your answer to someone is “Yes” or “No”.
    4. Repaying others for their evil against you:
      1. The old way of doing things was to repay others for the evil they do against you, using the same measure they do to you.
      2. Jesus corrects this thinking and tells us to patiently take their evil and persecutions, and to render kindness and love in return, instead of evil.
    5. A lesson to do things for the right reason:
      1. In giving to the poor
        1. Don’t make a big scene and give your money to the poor in order to be seen and glorified by others (Oh, he’s such a good person. Look at all the money he’s giving away).
        2. Give in secret, for the right reason – that the person genuinely needs help and you have the means to help them. Not for praise from men, but to genuinely help the other, knowing that your money was given to you by God in the first place in order to help the needy. God is the one who works in and through us. It all traces back to God. God gets all the glory.
      2. In prayer
        1. Again, don’t make a big scene in public when you pray in order to be seen by others and get them to think how pious and godly you are, seeking glorification from others.
        2. Pray alone, having a genuine conversation with your Father.
      3. In fasting
        1. Again, don’t make a big scene in public when you’re fasting, making yourself seem all miserable so people will know your fasting in order to get them to think how pious and godly you are, seeking glorification from others.
        2. Act as if you’re not fasting, and our Father will reward you.
    6. Don’t worry about earthly possessions:
      1. Don’t worry about acquiring a bunch of unnecessary, over-and-beyond (our basic necessities) possessions on this earth: a fancy house and cars, fine clothing, etc.
      2. We’re just pilgrims passing through this temporary life, waiting to get to our eternal home – heaven – where our eternal possessions are waiting for us (much better than anything we could acquire on this earth. We don’t know exactly all that will be, but we do know: a mansion, a new body that can teleport, a horse that can fly).
      3. We can’t take any of these earthly possessions with us when we die. And at the end of the day, they won’t bring you any more joy and peace.
      4. Instead, take the money you have left over and give to the poor so they can buy their basic necessities to get through life.
      5. Be content with what you have.
    7. You cannot serve God and money at the same time:
      1. This goes hand in hand with the previous point. Money tells you to acquire more of it and hoard it all for yourself and to spend it on lavish, excess luxuries for yourself. God tells you to buy your basic necessities to get through this temporary life, and to give any left over money to the poor, so that they can buy their basic necessities to get them through this temporary life.
    8. The lamp of the body is the eye:
      1. How you perceive things tells of what kind of man you are: full of light (goodness) or darkness.
    9. Do not worry about your basic necessities in this temporary life:
      1. To get us through this life, when you really reduce it down, all we need is: food, drink and clothing.
      2. And Jesus tells us not to worry about how we’re going to get all that stuff, as our Father in heaven will provide.
    10. Don’t judge others hypocritically:
      1. If you judge someone for something, yet you yourself have the same (or even a different) problem, you’re being a hypocrite. Instead, fix your problem first, then you can correct the other.
      2. And if you do judge someone and have a reason yourself to be judged in anything, you will be judged for that thing with the same level of judgement you rendered to the other for their issue.
    11. Now Jesus goes into salvation messages:
      1. “Do not give what is holy to the dogs, nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.”
        1. Don’t waste effort on sharing the gospel message with hostile people. Give it to them at first, but if they fight it, don’t try and force it upon them.
      2. “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”
        1. Ask and seek for salvation and godly wisdom and it will be given to you.
        2. This is not saying, “Ask for a $120,000 car and it will be given to you.” It’s talking about salvation and wisdom from God.
      3. Enter heaven by the narrow way
        1. The narrow way that leads to eternal life is faith in the gospel alone – in Christ’s death, burial and resurrection for the payment of our sins – no works added.
        2. The broad road that leads to hell is trying to enter heaven by doing good works, by being a “good person”, and all other religions.
        3. Matthew 21-23: Many people will try to enter heaven based on their own works and being a good person, even though they believe in Christ, but they will be rejected and told how they’re not righteous by the standard of the law (they inevitably still practice some lawlessness), and that they ignored the only way to receive the required imputed righteousness that comes by faith in Christ alone.
    12. Being doers of these things, not just hearers:
      1. Those who take these teachings and actually implement them in their lives will be wise and will never fall, no matter how hard the evil world comes at them. They will be found standing in the end.
      2. Those who hear these teachings and don’t implement them in their lives are foolish and will be overcome when the evil world comes at them, and they will be found wanting in the end.
      3. All these teachings are God’s “ways” and wisdom, and we’re to build ourselves up on that foundation so that we will never stumble.

  • The Lust of the Flesh, Eyes, and the Pride of Life – Nourishment

    “A man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” (Luke 12:15) – Possessions don’t give us spiritual nourishment. Simply passing the time by meditating on our Father’s ways and wisdom in quietness does, as well as working those ways by day: in our loving and righteous fellowship with others, and benefiting others to ease their burden and bring them joy and peace, in turn bringing us joy and peace.

    *For the ways of God, see note (opens in a new window): The Ways of God: The Truth, The Will of God, Fully Pleasing Him, Walking Worthy of Him

    That’s the truth – the way it really is – what really brings a man true peace and joy – how we were programmed to find peace and joy.

    The lie is peace and joy through: selfishness, greed, possessions, fame, fortune, beauty and power.

    The body needs physical food for nourishment, and that brings our body peace and joy. It’s stressed and depressed when starving, and when it gets tasty food, it’s at peace and joyful (for a fleeting moment, and then it craves more and more endlessly).

    The inner man (us as a spiritual soul) needs spiritual food for nourishment, which is: love, serving others, holiness, purity, righteousness, which nourishes our spirit (us as our inner man) with: true peace and joy.

    John says in 1 John 2:16 – “For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world (Satan’s ways).” Once you understand this concept of nourishing the inward man with spiritual food vs nourishing the outward man with physical food, where nourishment is peace and joy, then you can understand what John means by: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, which are all worldly, fleshly things that are fleshly nourishment but not spiritual nourishment (Jesus was also tempted with these three things by Satan in the wilderness to begin His ministry):

    1. The lust of the flesh: sex, stimulants like alcohol and drugs, food and drink. They bring fleeting joy and peace to your outward man (your fleshly body), not you as a spiritual soul – your inward man. The spirit (you as your inner man) doesn’t care about these things, nor needs them.
    2. The lust of the eyes: possessions (“toys”), and the money to buy those possessions. Acquiring many useless possessions which truly don’t bring any spiritual nourishment (peace and joy) to the inward man, vs the spiritual food of contentment with what you have, and loving others by giving away your excess money in order to help those in need. The spirit (you as your inner man) doesn’t care about possessions, nor needs them.
    3. The pride of life: pride/ego/the feeling of being better than others for the beauty, popularity, wealth, power, career success and possessions you possess. The truth is, according to the ways of God, is that we’re not better than anyone for these things (the lie of the ways of the world is that we’re valued for these things – the state of the outward man (that brings no peace and joy to others) vs the state of the inward man (which brings peace and joy – or misery – to others)). The true way to be exalted (thought of and spoken highly of) by God and others is to:
      1. Be humble (knowing all good things you have come from God, and knowing you’re not better than anyone despite all that beauty, popularity, wealth, power and career success you were given by God).
      2. Love God and His character and His holiness and His ways (following them yourself).
      3. Loving all people (especially strangers) by serving them (being useful and profitable to them, benefiting them by bringing them peace and joy through kindness and easing their burdens by helping them).

    So, nourishment is peace and joy. It’s all about seeking spiritual nourishment (for us as our inward man) with spiritual food, vs seeking bodily nourishment (other than what’s necessary to function).

    Spiritual food: loving relationships with God and others; bringing peace and joy to others by being kind to them and helping them; purity, holiness, righteousness; and producing the literal “fruits” (food) of the Spirit found in Galatians 5:22-23 and 1 Corinthians 13:4-7: Galatians 5:22-23 — “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” What is “love”? 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 — “Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not boast, is not proud; does not behave rudely, does not self seeking, is not provoked to anger, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity (evil), but rejoices in the truth (the good ways of God); bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” Doing all these things is what brings true nourishment to your inward man – the soul, and brings lasting peace and joy to you.

    Fleshly “food”: actual food and drink, stimulants like alcohol and drugs, sex, pride, beauty, wealth, power, popularity, career success, possessions. Seeking peace and joy in these things is a dead end. At the end of the day, after lots of meditation on this, you realize that none of this stuff is profitable to your overall peace and joy. Rather, they only generally bring: misery, chaos, depression, anxiety, fear, worry, panic, stress, anger, bitterness, etc. The only things of these that are truly necessary in this life to keep your body alive are basic food and water. The spirit truly doesn’t desire or need any of these things. It desires the literal “fruits” (food) of the Spirit found in Galatians 5:22-23 and 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (touched on in the paragraph right above).

    If you can ever get yourself to a place where you value and seek the spiritual nourishment 100% over the bodily, physical nourishment (other than basic necessities to remain alive), having complete contentment for your life, you will be one joyful and peaceful person. Not trying to have “the best of both worlds”. It’s hard to deny the flesh and takes much exercise everyday to silence it and its desires (lusts), and I haven’t perfected myself in it yet either, but I try to meditate on walking in the Spirit rather than in the flesh constantly, and there are times when I get in “the spiritual zone”, having fully put away the flesh, and man it feels good – so light and freeing and peaceful. I haven’t perfected myself, but I strive daily for perfection, because I’ve found that that’s the only true peace and joy I find.

    Part of the many layered wisdom of fasting is:

    1. The goal in life is to seek the spiritual nourishment of peace and joy through spiritual food. If we give up fleshly things, we can focus on spiritual nourishment rather than fleshly nourishment.
    2. In regard to bodily, fleshly nourishment, Christ gave up His literal fleshly body for us. If Christ gave up His body for us, what bodily, fleshly things can we give up for a brief moment for Him?

    So, to do this, you MUST separate your body from you as your inner man (as a spirit).

    This world is corrupted (you shouldn’t want corrupted things).

    This is Satan’s world. He wants you to get comfortable in it. Make your home here. Stay awhile. Don’t leave. Enjoy all the “wonderful” (corrupted) things Satan has to offer.

    All the things Satan has to offer – all the treasure and pleasures of the world – appeal to the flesh. All the many possessions to acquire (the lust of the eyes), all the sensual pleasures (food, alcohol, lust, etc. – the lust of the flesh), and his hierarchical system where everything is ranked and is better or worse for their rank, leading to always wanting what Satan says the best is – leading to the pride of life.

    The spirit doesn’t need or desire the things the flesh does. The spirit craves and needs the spiritual things found in Galatians 5:22-23 and 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 – love, peace, joy, holiness, goodness, kindness, humility, patience, self-control, gentleness, quietness, faithfulness. The spirit craves: loving and righteous fellowship with other spirits; helping others, being profitable to them; and peace, stillness and quietness.

    Titus 2:12 — Teaching us that, denying ungodliness (the opposite of the spiritual food) and worldly lusts (the lust of the eyes/flesh/pride of life), we should live soberly, righteously, and godly (all spiritual food), in this present world;

    Nothing good dwells in the flesh – only sin (Romans 7:18). And you cannot tame the flesh and perfect it (James 3:8), it must simply be denied and suppressed daily in order for your inner spirit man to shine forth as bright as the noonday sun. The flesh just gets in the way. You just have to suppress the flesh and its selfishness, and you will naturally shine, as you are spirit, and the spirit’s natural character is to be loving, kind, good, gentle, humble, patient, self-controlled, peaceful, joyful, selfless and faithful, who naturally loves helping others and enjoying righteous and loving fellowship with others.

    Again, you MUST separate your body from you as your inner man (as a spirit).

    The flesh just “takes and takes for itself” (give me more, more, more!). The spirit “pushes goodness out” from itself, imparting true peace and joy to others, and generating true peace and joy for itself in return by doing that.

    When you’re feeling a strong craving or desire for things such as food or alcohol or even good smells like coffee, you’re feeling your flesh’s desire for that stuff – not yours (as the spiritual inner man).

    When you feel at peace in a still and quiet environment, you’re feeding yourself as your inward spiritual man. When you feel the joy of helping another or having a positive and friendly conversation with someone, you’re feeding yourself as your inward spiritual man. When you see and hear the joy of another (righteous joy in good things), it’s contagious and feeds you as your inner spirit man with joy.

    Start getting into the habit of what you need, rather than what your flesh desires.

    The more you can deny and cut out your flesh’s lusts, the more room and headspace you’ll have to focus on your spiritual food, and derive true peace and joy from that. When your flesh is worked up, you can’t focus on anything but that, and the goal is you as your inward spiritual man’s true peace and joy, and the flesh’s desires prevent you from experiencing that.

    All you need to do to take care of your flesh to keep it alive and healthy is to:

    1. Feed it basic food.
    2. Give it water.
    3. Clothe it with modest clothing.
    4. Give it rest.
    5. Clean it.

    It doesn’t need anything more than that, and you as your inward spirit man is not affected negatively if the flesh doesn’t get 5 star meals to eat, the finest wine to drink, the most expensive clothes to wear, etc – the spirit truly doesn’t care or desire these things. A cool thing about the way God designed the true needs of our flesh and for us to take care of it in His manifold (many layered) wisdom is to parallel the flesh’s needs to stay alive with the soul’s needs to stay alive:

    1. Feed it basic food: Christ is the “bread” of life. “Eat of Him” (believe in Him) to stay alive for eternity.
    2. Give it water: Water in the bible is a symbol of the Holy Spirit that comes into you and gives eternal life the nanosecond you believe in Christ for salvation.
    3. Clothe it with modest clothing: White robes in the bible are a symbol of righteousness, and we only get the imputed righteousness that’s required to enter into eternal life from believing in Christ.
    4. Give it rest: We’re to “rest from our works” for salvation, meaning, salvation is by faith alone and not by works, lest any man should boast – Ephesians 2:8-9.
    5. Clean it: After salvation and reaping eternal life through faith in Christ alone, we’re still in this sinful world and should be keeping ourselves clean from the sins of the world.

    The flesh craves anything that can stimulate it through touch and taste and smell and handle.

    Separating enjoying the sights and sounds of nature vs. the lust of the eyes and the flesh:

    Again, you MUST separate your body from you as your inner man (as a spirit).

    There is the sense of sight, sound, smell, taste and touch. The sense of sight and sound belong to the spirit (the inward man), whereas the sense of smell, taste and touch belong to the outward man (the body/flesh).

    The spirit’s joy comes from interacting with other spirits: observing them and their behavior (sight), as well as hearing what they have to say (sound). The spirit also learns by what it observes and hears. If you take in goodness (light as Jesus would call it) through sight and sound, you will be full of goodness (light). If you take in evil (darkness as Jesus would call it) through sight and sound, you will be full of darkness.

    The flesh’s joy comes from stimulation through smell, taste and touch. Touch – whether it be stimulation such as sex, or handling and playing with possessions. This is critical to remember going forward: the spirit has no desire for these fleshly things, as its joy and peace comes from the fruits of the Spirit that are taken in by sight and sound, and are exuded by behavior. The spirit doesn’t need food, the spirit doesn’t need sex, the spirit doesn’t need to be messaged, the spirit doesn’t need to smell coffee.

    The lust (strong desires) of the flesh is anything that we (the spirit) don’t care about that stimulates the flesh: the tastiest foods and drinks, alcohol, massages, sex, etc. We are spirit, and the spirit doesn’t care about these things.

    The lust (strong desires) of the eyes is anything that we (the spirit) don’t need that the flesh desires to possess and handle (because possessing things and playing with them stimulates the flesh): beautiful homes, cars, clothing, electronics, etc.

    Why is the lust of the flesh and eyes bad? First, these lusts (strong desires) overwhelm us as a spirit and prevent us from realizing the spiritual peace and joy we need. Second, it breeds all sorts of selfishness, greed, covetousness, envy and sadness. How?: The flesh is never satisfied. It always wants more, more, more for itself! Which would be good if the things it desired profited others, but the things the flesh desires only profits itself. Example: when your flesh sees someone else’s beautiful home and desires one for itself (or to remodel your own), it makes you envious of that person’s property and you covet it. Then if you can’t ever acquire something similar, it brings you sadness. And if you can work to acquire it, you spend excess money on something that won’t bring your spirit any joy and peace (remember, the spirit doesn’t need these things – it needs the fruit of the Spirit) that could have rather gone to help someone who has no home at all, making you selfish. And after you do acquire the new home, shortly after you see another beautiful home, then you become discontent with your home, leading to more envy and covetousness. It’s a vicious cycle that never leads to anything good. And at the end of the day, you as a spirit don’t even care about those things in the first place – only your flesh does.

    At the rapture/resurrection, we will all receive a new, glorified spiritual body that will never die. It won’t need to eat, it won’t need to relieve itself, it won’t need to clean itself, it won’t need to sleep. If we don’t need to eat, we don’t need a kitchen, dining room or any dishware. If we don’t need to relieve ourselves or clean ourselves, then we don’t need a bathroom or toiletries. If we don’t need to sleep, we don’t need bedrooms. If we don’t need to eat, we don’t need grocery stores or restaurants. If we don’t need homes, we don’t need stores. If we don’t need stores, we don’t need cars to transport goods. You can keep going down the rabbit hole, but the point I’m trying to make is that after you strip everything out that the spirit doesn’t need (the lust of the eyes – possessions – and the lust of the flesh – things like food [that also require the possessions to make it]), you realize we need no possessions – not even a house. If anything, perhaps a chair, but not even a table, as there will be nothing to put on it. At the end of the day, we have a peaceful, quiet, simple life focused solely on our spiritual food (love, joy, peace, kindness, goodness, self-control, patience, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness), where we will rest amongst the beauty of a restored creation, bringing joy to each other through righteous and loving fellowship, and traveling with each other to admire the beauty of creation. 

    Now, for enjoying the sights and sounds of nature:

    Does the lust of the flesh and eyes mean that we can’t enjoy anything that is beautiful? No. Remember to separate us a soul from our body/flesh. It all goes back to nourishing us as our soul to bring us true joy and peace. Our Lord is a beautiful and creative being, and part of His glory (His greatness/amazingness) is the creative ability to make beautiful things. He created a beautiful world for us to live in, with lakes and oceans and mountains and rivers and forests and the like to take in. He created the wind and the rain and the creeks and all the animals (such as birds) that each make their own peaceful sounds. There’s also the lack of noise in a remote area where you can just listen to the stillness and quietness. (And remember: this world is under a curse and behold its beauty – imagine the glorified state!) Remember: the sense of sight and sound is for the inward man (the spirit), and to be able to take in the beauty of nature through sight and sound brings much peace to the soul.

    Coming full circle:

    Separating the lust of the flesh and eyes from enjoying the sights and sounds of nature – we are spirits (not flesh), and life is all about feeding our spirit spiritual food to produce true peace and joy in our lives. Out of the five senses, sight and sound belong to the spirit/soul, whereas taste/smell/touch/handle stimulate the flesh. Taking in the natural beauty of creation via sight and sound is peace for the soul. Beautiful possessions stimulate the flesh, as it desires to possess and play with beautiful things, but the spirit doesn’t care about or need these things, as that’s not what the spirit craves (in which the spirit’s food is: love, joy, peace, kindness, gentleness, patience, self-control, goodness and faithfulness; peace that comes via knowing your saved; holiness and purity; loving and righteous (sinless) fellowship with others; humility; contentment; stillness and quietness; thankfulness and forgiveness, vs. the flesh’s food of: actual food and drink, alcohol, sex, etc. See the difference).

    Exercise yourself and grow strong in walking in the Spirit by silencing the flesh and its desires. Learn to silence the flesh in order to experience the fullness of joy and peace. As with all exercise: it’s hard at first, and can be painful mentally. But over time you get stronger and it becomes easier, and it yields nothing but true peace and joy for the inward spirit man.

  • Working for the Kingdom

    1 Corinthians 12.

    *Note: this is not for salvation. Salvation is purely accomplished through faith alone in the gospel.

    Playtime is in the next life, but as for right now on this earth, we have three missions:

    1. Save the lost.
    2. Help the needy.
    3. Edify the body of Christ (the church).

    As a believer, you’ve been given spiritual gifts and an administration/ministry to exercise those gifts:

    Spiritual gifts:

    • Wisdom
    • Knowledge
    • Faith
    • Healings
    • Miracles
    • Prophecy
    • Discerning of spirits
    • Speaking in tongues
    • Interpreting of tongues

    Administrations/ministries:

    • Apostleship
    • Prophesy
    • Teaching
    • Perform miracles
    • Healing others
    • Helping others
    • Praying in tongues

    Each of us is given a different one (or multiple of) these gifts/ministries, and we’re to use them while on this earth to:

    1. Save the lost.
    2. Help the needy.
    3. Edify the body of Christ (the church).

    Not everyone is meant to be doing the same thing. For example: not everyone is meant for street preaching or starting a church.

    It can take years to know what your gifts are, and also can take years of growing in the knowledge and wisdom of God before being able to properly exercise your gifts. Often times the institutional church will push new believers into “getting to work” and rushing out to make new converts, when those new converts have no clue what they’re doing or saying yet, and can actually cause a lot of damage to the cause of Christ with false teachings, not being able to answer further questions beyond the gospel and the like. It’s like telling a newborn baby to go out and get a job to help pay the bills. Remember, when Jesus told the disciples to go out into the world and preach the gospel, remember that they spent 3.5 years learning directly from Jesus Himself.

    Just remember, playtime is in the next life. Right now while on this earth, we have a mission, and that’s to save the lost, help the needy and edify the body of Christ. See how you can help those causes with what you’ve been given. An example from my own personal experiences: I’m not really personable or social, so my ministry isn’t to go up to random people in public and preaching the gospel. But I have been given web development skills, as well as many years to build up knowledge and wisdom in the things of God, so I can make websites and teach the knowledge and wisdom I’ve been given through that. Also, I have very little income that I’ve been given from Father God, but I try to give whatever I can that’s left over (not all of it of course) when I do come into a little money to help the needy. I also encourage the body of Christ and promote the gospel via YouTube comments. Just little things here and there as opportunity arises – not forced.

    You don’t have to be taking on the whole world. Just planting one gospel seed in someone, or giving $5 so someone to help get a meal for them is a win for the kingdom of God.

    And again – as opportunity arises. You don’t have to be going 100% all the time. You’ll go through droughts, and then there will be other times when you’re busy.

    As Jesus says in Matthew 11:30 — “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

  • Why We Love Jesus

    Life is all about feeling pure peace and joy, which makes us feel good (for the kingdom of heaven is about peace, joy and righteousness — Romans 14:7). And Jesus, His power, vastness, beauty, intelligence, design skills and creativity, and His ways of character and conduct leaves us in awe and brings us peace and joy, making us feel good and impressed. Versus the world’s ways that bring us misery, and for that we don’t love the world, because it makes us feel bad.

    1. He loved us first.
    2. He died for us so that we could have eternal life with Him forever. See note: The Gospel
    3. His character and personality. He’s: loving, peaceful, joyful, kind, gentle, patient, self-controlled, faithful, good, not envious, humble, not rude, not self seeking, does not anger, thinks no evil and does not rejoice in it, rejoices in good, bears with us.
    4. His ways are nothing but pure peace, joy, love and righteousness. See note: The Ways of God vs The Ways of the World
    5. His attributes: all powerful, intelligence, wisdom, creativity, beauty.
    6. What He gives us: a new glorified sinless body, a mansion designed just with us in mind, the finest white robes of righteousness, and much more that we cannot even fathom right now.
    7. He always takes care of and provides for us materially.

  • Don’t Doubt Your Salvation

    Do you ever have times of doubt about your salvation? This is normal, as the enemy is relentless. Know how the Holy Spirit vs the enemy and the flesh works:

    First, reassure yourself of your belief in the simple gospel truth. Take all emotion and feelings out of it and think upon these salvation scriptures with pure logic:

    IF: you believe the gospel found in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 (that Christ died to pay for all our sins, was buried and rose again the third day) and don’t trust in any of your own works (Ephesians 2:8-9)

    THEN: the nanosecond you first believed that gospel you were indwelt by and sealed with the Holy Spirit, which is the guarantee of your eternal life and salvation (your inheritance) — Ephesians 1:13-14.

    Now, understand how the Holy Spirit and the enemy work to convict believers (the saved) and unbelievers (the unsaved):

    For unbelievers:

    God wants all people saved, and uses the Holy Spirit to convict unbelievers of their sin and their need for the Savior Jesus. The enemy wants to drag people to hell with them, and deceives the unbeliever into thinking that they are either “a good person” or are in “the proper religion (other than pure gospel faith Christianity)” or have “turned from all their sins” and are going to heaven for it, or straight up tries to deceive them into thinking that there is no God or afterlife at all, so that they’ll never seek the truth of how to become saved.

    For believers:

    God wants them to have assurance of their salvation and convicts them of their righteousness (being perfectly acceptable to God) through faith in the gospel. The enemy hates the believer and knows they can’t have their soul anymore, so they try their hardest to steal the joy of your salvation by deceiving you into thinking that you are unsaved, perhaps telling you that you’ve committed too many bad sins lately or that you don’t truly believe the gospel. They can also sometimes try to bring you under works for salvation and tell you that you’re not turning from all your sins in order to be acceptable to God, and that you’ve lost your salvation (which is impossible. See note on: Eternal Security). Your flesh and the enemy can also custom tailor deceptions created just for your specific situation, so be aware of their schemings.

    Also understand that we as our reborn, renewed inner man is sinless (born of incorruptible seed and kept from sinning), yet we still live in our unregenerate sinful flesh (the outward man), and “the flesh (circumcised from the heart – our inner man) is deceitful above all else.” So your flesh can deceive you, and the enemy loves to stir up the flesh. See this note for more details on: The Inner Man vs the Outward Man

    The enemy can oftentimes easily overpower the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit, so if you’re saved by faith alone in the gospel (no works added) and you’re feeling condemned, it’s the enemy 100%. Just reboot:

    1. Take all feelings and emotions out of it.
    2. Logically progress over the gospel and the indwelling and guarantee of the Holy Spirit which you have believed in.
    3. Remember how the enemy works to deceive you and understand how they’re attacking you at that moment.
    4. Relax and find peace and comfort and joy in your salvation.

  • The Rich Young Ruler

    The story of the rich young ruler that asked Jesus what he must do to have eternal life is found in Matthew 19:16-21 and Mark 10:17-27.

    The rich young ruler came to Jesus asking what he needed to do to get eternal life. He assumed that it was by keeping the law perfectly, and he thought he had kept the law perfectly. But Jesus knew his heart and sought to teach him that he hasn’t been following the law perfectly and that by the young man’s standard he wasn’t saved. So Jesus told him all the things to do in the law which he thought he was doing, except for one thing that Jesus brought up that he wasn’t doing, showing the young man that he hadn’t been keeping the law perfectly. This was to get the young man to say to himself, “Uh oh. How can I be saved then if I’ve failed at keeping the law?” And then Jesus told him to do the right thing by using his rich abundance to supply the lack of others by selling his stuff and giving to the poor (not for salvation, but because he wouldn’t need those worthless possessions anymore and the poor always need help and that’s the right thing to do), and then to follow Him so that he could learn that salvation is through believing in Him and not by following the law.

    Mark 10:17-27:
    As He (Jesus) was setting out on a journey, a man (the rich young ruler) ran up to Him and knelt before Him, and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do so that I may inherit eternal life?” But Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone (Yes, Jesus is good as He is God, but what He’s doing is setting up to show the man who wants to be justified by the law that only God is good and not humans per the law’s standard). You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not give false testimony, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’” And he said to Him, “Teacher, I have kept all these things from my youth.” Looking at him, Jesus showed love to him and said to him, “One thing you lack (here Jesus shows the young man that he failed to keep the law perfectly): go and sell all you possess and give to the poor (because it’s the right thing to do by using his rich abundance to supply the lack of others by selling his stuff and giving to the poor [not for salvation, but because he wouldn’t need those worthless possessions anymore and the poor always need help and that’s the right thing to do]), and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me (to learn that eternal life is gained by believing in Him rather than by following the law).” But he was deeply dismayed by these words, and he went away grieving; for he was one who owned much property. And Jesus, looking around, said to His disciples, “How hard it will be for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God!” (Because most people trust in their works: “being a good person” rather than by faith in Christ alone) And the disciples were amazed at His words. But Jesus responded again and said to them, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” And they were even more astonished, and said to Him, “Then who can be saved?” Looking at them, Jesus said, “(Jesus coming full circle here:) With people it is impossible (following the law), but not with God; for all things are possible with God (His salvation through faith in the gospel).”

  • Preventative Measures

    Want to prevent illness and evil from happening to you? Psalm 91 has your answer. It basically boils down to: “If you believe that Christ will keep you from all evil and illness, then He will.” He is able, and He is willing. You don’t have to know how it works, just know that it does.

    Psalm 91:

    1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
    Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
    2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress;
    My God, in Him I will trust.”

    3 Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler
    And from the perilous pestilence.
    4 He shall cover you with His feathers,
    And under His wings you shall take refuge;
    His truth shall be your shield and buckler.
    5 You shall not be afraid of the terror by night,
    Nor of the arrow that flies by day,
    6 Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness,
    Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.

    7 A thousand may fall at your side,
    And ten thousand at your right hand;
    But it shall not come near you.
    8 Only with your eyes shall you look,
    And see the reward of the wicked.

    9 Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge,
    Even the Most High, your dwelling place,
    10 No evil shall befall you,
    Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;
    11 For He shall give His angels charge over you,
    To keep you in all your ways.
    12 In their hands they shall bear you up,
    Lest you dash your foot against a stone.
    13 You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra,
    The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.

    14 “Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him;
    I will set him on high, because he has known My name.
    15 He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him;
    I will be with him in trouble;
    I will deliver him and honor him.
    16 With long life I will satisfy him,
    And show him My salvation.”

  • Sports

    Life is purely about feeling peace and joy. Sports can be great for teamwork, but at the end of the day, sports pretty much only brings about:

    1. Pride.
    2. Envy and jealousy.
    3. Greed.
    4. Lust.
    5. Depression.
    6. Mental and physical pain.
    7. Evil speaking from others.

    All things making life not worth living.

    Life is purely about feeling peace and joy. Sports only brings about two kinds of fleeting feelings of joy:

    1. The worldly joy of the feeling of winning: This joy is worldly, and not of God, in the sense of, “I won because I’m better than you.” For what other joy is there in winning besides feeling better than someone else? – meditate deeply on this. When we know that the truth according to God is that we’re not better than anyone for any reason. We’re merely “exalted” based on our humility (do we keep a lowly option of ourselves [not better than anyone] despite our worldly successes?), our love for God and walking in His ways, and our love for strangers and serving them. The world ranks people as better or worse than the next based on physical sports talent. God values the heart – the inner man – their humility, love for God, and love for strangers.

    The joy of witnessing what God created the human body & mind to be able to do: throwing a perfect ball. An amazing catch. This type of joy is independent of loyalty to any specific player or team, and simply enjoys watching the physical and mental talent of any human’s capabilities the way God designed us and programmed us. This type of joy doesn’t lift up and glorify the person for their talents, it all traces back to God and glorifies Him for his wisdom and intelligence for how He designed the human body.

  • Grace. Mercy. Justice.

    Grace = getting [good things] what we don’t deserve.

    Mercy = not getting what we do deserve [punishment].

    Justice = getting what we do deserve.

    Ephesians 2:8-9 — For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.

  • The Book of John: Faith, not works.

    John 1:7 – He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe.

    John 1:12 – Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—

    John 3:15 – that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.

    John 3:16 – For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

    John 3:18 – Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.

    John 3:36 – Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.

    John 4:14 – but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

    John 5:24 – “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.

    John 6:28-29 – Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”

    John 6:35 – Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

    John 6:40 – For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”

    John 6:47 – Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life.

    John 6:50-51 – But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”

    John 6:54 – Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.

    John 7:38-39 – Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.

    John 8:24 – I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am he, you will indeed die in your sins.”

    John 10:9 – I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.

    John 11:25-26 – Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

    John 12:36 – Believe in the light while you have the light, so that you may become children of light.” When he had finished speaking, Jesus left and hid himself from them.

    John 17:3 – Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.

    John 20:31 – But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

  • Don’t Negate Faith Verses with Seemingly Works Verses

    Remember, a handful of seemingly condemning works-based scriptures cannot negate the over 200 verses explaining that salvation is through faith in Christ alone. There must be another way to interpret them.

    John 3:16 — For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

    Ephesians 2:8-9 — For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.

  • Verse Construct

    John 3:15-17, 20, 23

    [book] [chapter]:[beginning verse]-[end verse], [another verse in this chapter]

  • Sin in the Book of Hebrews

    The scary sin talked about in Hebrews is the sin of unbelief.

  • When God Looks at You

    When God looks at you – that is, your reborn inner man (your soul and spirit) – He sees the imputed righteousness of Christ. A righteousness apart from the law – a righteousness that is by faith in the gospel alone.

    He doesn’t look at your dead, crucified, buried flesh and it’s evil deeds and judge that day-to-day. He’s dealt with that 2,000 years ago on the cross. “It is finished.” Sin debt paid in full.

    No…He sees the real you – the reborn inner man. He has forgotten all of your sins, and has removed them “as far as the east is from the west.”

  • Bible Reading List

    The Bible is a pretty difficult read the first few times you read it. A lot of times it says a word that’s not specifically defined till later in the book, or even in another book. The wording and sentences can also be confusing, with long, run-on sentences. It also uses multiple words for the same definition. If I’m not lying, I hated reading the Bible the first few times I read it, because I barely understood what any of it meant. However, the more times you read it, the more connections the Holy Spirit will help you make, and the more it comes alive and becomes super exciting. Every time you read it, you learn something new. You see something new. You connect new things. It’s amazing. The way the Holy Spirit teaches wisdom is that God has given us all of His wisdom in His bible. If we pray for wisdom (as we are instructed to), we must read that bible of wisdom and load the information into our minds – even if we don’t understand it at first. Then, now that we have that knowledge loaded into our minds, the Holy Spirit will help us understand why those things are the way they are as we meditate on them and work through them logically, and bring it to remembrance in times of need to help us act on that knowledge, giving us wisdom. And as you’re reading the bible over and over again, He will bring to remembrance other scripture that connects with the scripture you’re currently reading, to give you a more complete picture of the concept God is trying to explain. If you pray for wisdom but don’t read the bible full of all His wisdom, don’t expect Him to just download all that wisdom into your mind. He’s freely given us all of it in His bible, and expects us to diligently search Him and His ways out via the word. I’ve grown to love reading the Bible now (specifically the New Testament). Hopefully my notes will speed up your learning and understanding of the Bible. However, you have to accept the fact that us humans are just not going to understand everything the Bible has to say 100% until we get to heaven. There may seem like contradictions in the Bible, but God does not contradict Himself. Let yourself be at peace with this, and hold fast to the gospel. Below is a reading list to guide you:

    1. John (Jesus’ life and gospel)
    2. Acts (events after Jesus leaves earth)
    3. Romans (justification by faith alone)
    4. Galatians (justification by faith alone)
    5. Ephesians (our position in Christ)
    6. Genesis (the beginning)
    7. Exodus (escape from Egypt. Giving of law)
    8. Leviticus (law)
    9. Numbers (law)
    10. Deuteronomy (law)
    11. Joshua (taking the promised land)
    12. Matthew (Christ’s life and work on earth)
    13. Revelation (end times Tribulation prophecy)
    14. 1 Thessalonians
    15. 2 Thessalonians
    16. 1 Timothy
    17. 2 Timothy
    18. Titus
    19. 1 Peter
    20. 2 Peter
    21. Jude
    22. Philippians
    23. Colossians
    24. 1 John
    25. 2 John
    26. 3 John
    27. Philemon
    28. Hebrews
    29. 1 Corinthians
    30. 2 Corinthians
    31. James (except James chapter 2 – see note Why You Won’t Find James 2 on This Website)
    32. Anything else

  • How to Read the Bible

    Reading through the lens of grace vs law:
    When reading the bible, you MUST read it through the lens of “grace.” If you read it through the lens of “law“, it will condemn you at every corner.

    For example, see the note: The Works, The Will, The Command, The Overcomer, The Righteous, The Obedience

    Just in the note title alone, if you were to come across those words reading the bible through the lens of “law”, you’d probably think that “The Works” are to follow the law and do good deeds, “The Will” is to follow the law, “The Command” is to follow the law, “The Overcomer” is one who turns from all their sins, “The Righteous” are those that follow the law and “The Obedience” are those that obey the law.

    However, when you come across those words and read them through the lens of “grace”, you can see that they all pertain to simply believing in Jesus. *See note for full definitions.

    Reading a verse in context:

    You cannot cherry pick verses out of thin air and get their proper meaning. You have to understand the meaning of a verse based on (in order of importance):

    1. The immediate, surrounding verses.
    2. The chapter.
    3. The book.
    4. The entire bible.

    Reading the entire book at once:

    It greatly helps to read the entire book in one sitting (not the entire bible at once, but the book, example: John, Romans, Galatians, etc). This is because other parts of the book require the context of previous parts of the book to understand the book as a whole, and if you put it down for a day or so, you will easily forget what you read before. Most books in the New Testament can be read in under 30 minutes, as many are only a few chapters long. The lengthiest one, Matthew or Acts (28 chapters each), can be read in 2-3 hours.

    Understanding the words’ original language meaning:

    The original biblical texts that were divinely inspired by God were written in Hebrew and Aramaic (for the Old Testament), and Greek for the New Testament. English translations (and rather all other language translations) were translated from these original languages, and are not inspired by God, meaning, they aren’t perfect in translation, which is why there’s so many revisions of the Bible in other languages. Let’s talk about the New Testament: English is a rather poor language to use for reading the Bible, and the original Greek is excellent. Why? Because in the original Greek texts, there will be, say, four different words that have a different meaning, yet in English, the same English word is used for all four different Greek words, making the English version confusing and muddled. So, what do we have to do in our English translations to understand a verse that contains a word that isn’t clear? We have to get to the root of that word in its original Greek meaning. We can do this through what is known as The Strong’s Concordance and the Thayer’s Greek Lexicon. Strong’s is named after the author James Strong, and Thayer’s is named after the author Joseph Thayer. What Strong has done, is given each word in the bible a number, and provided its definition in the Greek. Example, Strongs G726 (Greek 726) is the Greek word of “harpazo”, and is the original greek word behind the phrase “caught up” in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 in the English translation. Harpazo in the Greek means “To seize, snatch, take away by force”. When you’re reading an English Bible and don’t understand the meaning of a word, look it up in Strong’s and Thayer’s Greek Lexicon. To do this, simply Google the book and chapter you want, along with the “Strongs” keyword. For example, if you were reading 1 Thessalonians 4:17 and wanted to know what the word “caught up” means in the original greek, simply Google “Strongs 1 Thessalonians 4:17” and look for Bible Hub’s (biblehub.com) “1 Thessalonians 4 KJV + Strong’s” webpage. Once you click on that, it will show the chapter in the King James Version bible, where you can click the specific word you’re looking for, and it will go to a new page where it will give you the Strong’s definition of the word, and if not more importantly, the Thayer’s Greek Lexicon for the specific meaning of the word in context of that verse. Thayer’s can be lengthy, because it provides the meaning of the greek word in all its various forms throughout the bible, so just do a simple search on the page for the verse you’re looking for (example: 1 Thessalonians 4:17) and it will bring you to the specific meaning for the Greek word in that verse context.

  • 1 John Untwisted

    The book of 1 John is a brain twister. But when you iron it all out, it says one thing about 17 different ways: “Those who believe the gospel are saved”:

    Definitions (they are all “the gospel”):

    1. To know God:
      1 John 2:3 — Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments [Definition 4].
    2. Born of God:
      1 John 5:1 — Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God.
    3. To Love God:
      1 John 5:3 — For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments [Definition 4]. And His commandments are not burdensome.
    4. Keep His Commandments:
      1 John 3:23 — And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another [Definition 5], as He gave us commandment.
    5. Love the brethren/children of God:
      1 John 5:2 — By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God [Definition 3] and keep His commandments [Definition 4]. 1 John 1 — everyone who loves Him [Definition 3] who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him.
    6. Overcome the world:
      1 John 5:4-5 — For whatever is born of God [Definition 2] overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
    7. The will of God:
      John 6:40 — And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”
    8. An antichrist:
      1 John 2:22 — Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son. 1 John 4:3 — and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh [as the Christ] is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.
    9. His word:
      The gospel. His commandments [Definition 4]. 1 John 2:4-5 — He who says, “I know Him,” [Definition 1] and does not keep His commandments [Definition 4], is a liar, and the truth [Definition 13] is not in him. But whoever keeps His word [His commandments – Definition 4], truly the love of God [Definition 3] is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him.
    10. His promise:
      1 John 2:25 — And this is the promise that He has promised us—eternal life.
    11. To practice righteousness:
      Galatians 3:11 — Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.”
    12. To abide in Christ:
      1 John 3:24 — Now he who keeps His commandments [Definition 4] abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us. 1 John 4:12 — No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another [Definition 5], God abides in us, and His love [Definition 15] has been perfected in us. 1 John 4:15 — Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.
    13. The truth:
      The gospel. Christ.
    14. To purify oneself:
      To believe the gospel.
    15. The love of God:
      1 John 4:9 — In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him [the gospel].
    16. The witness/testimony of God:
      1 John 5:11 — And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.
    17. Believers [as the inner man] cannot sin:
      1 John 3:6 — Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known [Definition 1] Him. 1 John 3:9 — Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God [Definition 2]. 1 John 5:18 — We have known that everyone who has been begotten of God [Definition 2] does not sin, but He who was begotten of God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him;

  • TV and Music are Detrimental

    It’s 100% impossible to understand just how detrimental TV and secular music are to you until you take a long, long break from it (months). You’re so numb and desensitized from it all that you can’t even feel what’s wrong with it, saying, “Oh, it’s not that bad…relax.”

    Once you take a long, long break (months) from it and spend that time filling yourself over and over again with the truth of the ways of God found within the epistles of Paul, Peter and John, if you then happen hear the TV or secular lyrics, or see what’s on TV, you will then realize how awful all of it truly is. Nothing but:

    1. Chaos
    2. Violence
    3. Adultery
    4. Sexuality
    5. Filthy language
    6. Crude joking
    7. Drugs and drunkenness
    8. Lying
    9. Cheating
    10. Stealing
    11. Greed
    12. Pride
    13. Boasting
    14. Envy and jealousy
    15. Hypocrisy
    16. Rudeness
    17. Disrespect
    18. Slander
    19. Depression
    20. Heartbreak
    21. Anger
    22. Hatred
    23. Fear
    24. Bad advice/worldly wisdom, vs godly wisdom
    25. Deception
    26. Bad behavior

    Reading the Bible helps you grow up into a perfect man/woman of God, giving you strong morals and a good character. And according to a most truthful biblical proverb: “Bad company corrupts good character/morals”. Watching TV and listening to secular music is as good as hanging out with all of those evil people – they will corrupt your good morals/character. They will constantly erode any biblical gains you make, reprogramming you out of the ways of God and programming you into the corrupt ways of the world.

    And once you get off TV and secular music, you realize the true peace that comes from not having someone talking in your ear 24/7/365 from a speaker. It’s truly wonderful.

    This also goes for what you choose to take in on the internet as well.