If God Knew...

.. that Satan was going to be evil, does He still love him?

No, God does not love Satan, and neither should we. God cannot love that which is evil and unholy, and Satan embodies all of that. He is the enemy (1 Peter 5:8); the evil one (Matthew 6:13); the father of lies and a murderer (John 8:44); the accuser of God’s people (Revelation 12:10); the tempter (1 Thessalonians 3:5); proud, wicked and violent (Ezekiel 28:16-26); a deceiver (Acts 13:10); a schemer (Ephesians 6:11); a thief (Luke 8:12); and many more evil things. He is, in fact, everything that God hates. The heart of Satan is fixed and confirmed in his hatred of God, his judgment is final, and his destruction is sure. Revelation 20 describes God’s future plan for Satan, and love for Satan has no part in it.

Jesus’ command that we love our enemies (Matthew 5:44) is meant to govern interpersonal relationships in this world. We love God, and we love people (even our enemies), who are made in God’s image. Angels are not made in God’s image. We are never told to love the holy angels, and we are certainly never told to love the evil angels.

Since Satan is everything that is antithetical to the God we love, we cannot love Satan. If we loved Satan, we would be forced to hate God, because holiness is the opposite of sin.

God has already determined that there will be no forgiveness for Satan; we are the objects of God’s sacrificial love, shown on the cross. As God was lovingly redeeming mankind, He was putting Satan “to open shame” (Colossians 2:15, ESV). God’s judgment of Satan will be part of His great love for us. 

(Source: gotquestions.org)

11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.

12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.

Revelation 13:11-12 describes a second beast rising from the earth, appearing gentle like a lamb but speaking with the authority and malice of a dragon, enforcing worship of the first beast.

Text Overview

The passage reads: "Then I saw a second beast, coming out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb, but it spoke like a dragon. It exercised all the authority of the first beast on its behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed" (NIV) BibleGateway.com+1. The second beast is often interpreted as a false prophet or deceptive authority that supports the first beast, which represents oppressive or blasphemous power.

Symbolism

• Two horns like a lamb: This imagery suggests an appearance of innocence, gentleness, or religious legitimacy, implying that the second beast seems harmless or righteous at first glance godsbless.ing.
• Spoke like a dragon: Despite its lamb-like appearance, its speech reflects the malice and deception of Satan, indicating that its true nature is corrupt and manipulative BibleGateway.com+1.
• Authority of the first beast: The second beast acts as an enforcer, compelling people to worship the first beast, whose "fatal wound had been healed," symbolizing the revival or resilience of oppressive power BibleGateway.com+1.

Theological Interpretation

The second beast represents deceptive leadership or false religious authority that persuades people to follow corrupt powers. It performs signs and miracles to convince the inhabitants of the earth to worship the first beast, illustrating the danger of being misled by appearances or charismatic figures godsbless.ing. This passage warns believers to remain vigilant and discerning, recognizing that evil can present itself under a guise of goodness.

Practical Implications

• Discernment: The passage encourages critical evaluation of leaders and ideologies, especially those that appear noble but promote harmful agendas godsbless.ing.
• Spiritual vigilance: It serves as a reminder to resist blind obedience and to uphold faith and values even when confronted with persuasive deception.
• Prophetic context: In the broader narrative of Revelation, this vision emphasizes the struggle between divine authority and deceptive worldly powers, highlighting the ultimate triumph of God despite temporary appearances of evil Bible.com+1.
  In summary, Revelation 13:11-12 portrays a deceptive power that enforces worship of corrupt authority, using the imagery of a lamb and a dragon to illustrate the contrast between outward appearance and true intent, urging vigilance and discernment in spiritual and moral matters.

Hello, Friends. I hope you had a wonderful weekend. Thanks for coming by today. God bless!

If God Knew...

 ...that the human race should fear Him, does that mean born-again Christians should fear Him as well?

What does it mean to have the fear of God?

For the unbeliever, the fear of God is the fear of the judgment of God and eternal death, which is eternal separation from God (Luke 12:5; Hebrews 10:31). For the believer, the fear of God is something much different. The believer’s fear is reverence of God. Hebrews 12:28-29 is a good description of this: “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our ’God is a consuming fire.’” This reverence and awe are exactly what the fear of God means for Christians. This is the motivating factor for us to surrender to the Creator of the Universe.

Proverbs 1:7 declares, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge.” Until we understand who God is and develop a reverential fear of Him, we cannot have true wisdom. True wisdom comes only from understanding who God is and that He is holy, just, and righteous. Deuteronomy 10:12, 20-21 records, “And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Fear the LORD your God and serve him. Hold fast to him and take your oaths in his name. He is your praise; he is your God, who performed for you those great and awesome wonders you saw with your own eyes.” The fear of God is the basis for our walking in His ways, serving Him, and, yes, loving Him.

Some redefine the fear of God for believers to “respecting” Him. While respect is definitely included in the concept of fearing God, there is more to it than that. A biblical fear of God, for the believer, includes understanding how much God hates sin and fearing His judgment on sin—even in the life of a believer. Hebrews 12:5-11 describes God’s discipline of the believer. While it is done in love (Hebrews 12:6), it is still a fearful thing. When we were children, our fear of discipline from our parents no doubt prevented some evil actions on our part. The same should be true in our relationship with God. We should fear His discipline, and therefore seek to live our lives in a way that pleases Him.

Believers are not to be scared of God. We have no reason to be scared of Him. We have His promise that nothing can separate us from His love (Romans 8:38-39). We have His promise that He will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). Fearing God means having a reverence for Him that greatly impacts the way we live. The fear of God is respecting Him, obeying Him, submitting to His discipline, and worshiping Him in awe.

(Source: gotquestions.org)

Revelation 13:10

10 He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.

In describing the beast from the sea and the terror he brings, Revelation 13:10 declares, “He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints” (KJV). The New King James modernizes the verb forms: “He who leads into captivity shall go into captivity; he who kills with the sword must be killed with the sword.”

The beast is the Antichrist, and one of his acts is “to make war with the saints and to overcome them” (Revelation 13:7, NKJV). It is, in fact, God who grants him that authority. Verse 10, then, is a promise of retribution: “He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword” (KJV). In other words, the Antichrist will receive what is due him. As Jesus said, “All who take the sword will perish by the sword” (Matthew 26:52, ESV).

Other translations follow a different textual variant, and the result is a slightly different meaning:

If anyone is destined for captivity, to captivity he goes; if anyone kills with the sword, with the sword he must be killed. (Revelation 13:10, NASB 1995)

If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity they will go. If anyone is to be killed with the sword, with the sword they will be killed. (Revelation 13:10, NIV)

If anyone is meant for captivity, into captivity he will go. If anyone is to be killed by the sword, then by the sword he must be killed. (Revelation 13:10, NET)

In these translations, the idea of retribution is gone; in its place is a simple statement of destiny. It is inevitable that the tribulation saints will suffer. Some will be slated for captivity, and some for execution.

It’s that same sense of inescapable providence that we find in Jeremiah 15:1–2. In that passage, the Lord speaks of a recalcitrant Judah, saying, “Send them away from my presence!” (Jeremiah 15:1). In answer to the question “where shall they go?” God says,

Those destined for death, to death;
those for the sword, to the sword;
those for starvation, to starvation;
those for captivity, to captivity. (Jeremiah 15:2, NASB 1995)

The similarity between Jeremiah 15:2 and Revelation 13:10 is striking. What God seems to be saying in Revelation 13 is that the persecution of the saints, though unjust, is destined to happen. The Antichrist will have his way with them for a short period of time. This echoes Jesus’ words in Matthew 24:9, “Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name” (NASB 1995).

The last part of Revelation 13:10 is an exhortation to persevere: “Here is the patience and the faith of the saints” (KJV). The suffering of the tribulation saints is not beyond the sovereignty of the Lord. In recognition that God is in control, the saints being persecuted by the Antichrist are to submit to their fate. Their means of victory is their steadfast perseverance and faith (see Hebrews 12:1–3). Saints show their faith by trusting in the ultimate justice of God (see 1 Peter 2:23).

Knowing that suffering for the sake of Christ is to be expected promotes growth and maturity in the Christian life. That knowledge combined with the hope that inspires endurance is essential for meeting the challenges that arise in an oppositional world.

Believers learn to take all that comes from God’s hand, and they continue to glorify God no matter what. Poet Richard Baxter put it like this:

Ye saints, who toil below,
Adore your heavenly King,
And onward as ye go
Some joyful anthem sing;
Take what He gives and praise Him still,
Through good or ill, Who ever lives! (“Ye Holy Angels Bright,” 1681).
For Further Study

Thanks for coming by today, Friends.

Lord willing I will be back on Monday.

Have a good rest of your weekend.

And God bless!

No post today. Will be back tomorrow

If God Knew...

...about pain and suffering, why didn't he take Job's life?

What is a mercy killing?

Mercy killing” is “the act of putting a person or animal to death painlessly or allowing them to die by withholding medical services, usually because of a painful and incurable disease.” Mercy killing is also referred to as "euthanasia."

The Greek word euthanasia translates to “good death,” making it and mercy killing terms that can be comforting in the face of difficult medical situations. When any person, especially a family member or close friend, is experiencing pain, mental degeneration, or other adverse condition, our instinct is to relieve the person in any way possible. Sometimes, this desire to alleviate pain can become so strong in the caregiver or patient that it overrides our deeper impulse to preserve life and survive.

This struggle between the desire to end suffering and the desire to survive is not new to humanity. In fact, one of the oldest stories in the Bible tells of Job’s longing for death in the midst of his suffering. Job laments his life, even requesting God to kill him rather than allow his pain—emotional, physical, and spiritual—to continue (Job 6:8-11). Most pertinently, Job declares, “I prefer strangling and death, rather than this body of mine. I despise my life; I would not live forever. Let me alone; my days have no meaning” (Job 7:15-16).

Does the Bible endorse Job’s feelings? It certainly recognizes that such feelings exist. Other characters in Scripture have, in desperation, asked for an early end to their lives, including Elijah (1 Kings 19:4) and Saul (1 Chronicles 10:4). Scripture acknowledges that emotion and even logic can support the idea of a “mercy killing.” However, we do not live by emotion or logic but by faith (Romans 1:17). God has plans and an understanding we can never grasp. He is the Giver and Sustainer of life (Nehemiah 9:6), and we do not have the right to usurp His authority. Near the end of Job’s story, his friend Elihu warns him, “Beware of turning to evil, which you seem to prefer to affliction” (Job 36:21). It is not our place to decide the time or manner of our death. Mercy killing is a sin against God’s plan and power.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a German theologian who had great personal experience with suffering. He was imprisoned and eventually executed by the Third Reich during World War II. While in prison, he wrote this in his Ethics, published posthumously: “The right to the end of life is reserved for God, because only God knows the goal toward which a life is being directed. God alone wishes to be the one who justifies or rejects a life.”

(Source:gotquestions.org)

8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

9 If any man have an ear, let him hear.

Revelation 13:8 warns that all who dwell on the earth and are not written in the Lamb’s Book of Life will worship the Beast, highlighting the eternal distinction between the redeemed and the deceived.

Verse Text

"And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." (KJV)

Meaning and Context

Revelation 13:8 is part of a larger passage describing the Beast, a figure symbolizing ultimate evil or opposition to God, often associated with the Antichrist in Christian eschatology Enduring Word. The verse emphasizes a global deception, where "all that dwell upon the earth" refers to humanity under the influence of worldly powers, political systems, and false religions that align with the Beast Bible Hub+1. Worshiping the Beast represents allegiance to evil and rejection of God.

The Book of Life

The "Book of Life" is a divine registry of those redeemed by Christ, whose names are written because of their faith in Him biblerepository.com+1. Those whose names are not written are separated from God’s grace and are susceptible to the Beast’s deception biblerepository.com+1. This distinction underscores that salvation is not determined by culture, education, or social status, but by a personal relationship with Christ and inclusion in God’s eternal plan Bible Hub.

"Slain from the Foundation of the World"

The phrase "of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" highlights that Christ’s sacrificial death was part of God’s eternal plan, predating creation King James Bible Online+1. Some interpretations connect this to the writing of names in the Book of Life, while others emphasize that the Lamb’s redemptive work was foreordained to secure salvation for the faithful King James Bible Online+1.

Theological Implications

• Separation of humanity: The verse illustrates a stark division between those who follow worldly deception and those secured in Christ biblerepository.com+1.
• Security of believers: Names written in the Book of Life assure believers that they will not be swept away by end-time deception Bible Hub.
• Warning against false worship: Aligning with the Beast symbolizes adopting false values or ideologies, which leads away from God biblerepository.com+1.
• Encouragement for faithfulness: Believers are called to remain steadfast, even when the majority succumbs to the Beast’s influence Bible Hub.

Summary

Revelation 13:8 conveys a sobering yet hope-filled message: while the world may largely worship the Beast, those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life are eternally safeguarded. It emphasizes the eternal consequences of allegiance, the preordained plan of salvation through Christ, and the importance of remaining faithful amidst deception and worldly pressures biblerepository.com+3.

Thanks for coming by today, Friends. Have a blessed day!