CONTENTS
- A Lying Compassion
- A Malice Hypocrisy
- A Wicked Laughter
- A Pretended Peace
- A Thinking of Wrongdoing
- A Knowing-Malice
Chapter 1:
A Lying Compassion
I want to make
something clear: I am writing against a secret occult group that has permeated
society in a secret fashion. I have
studied the group, and its power is Satanism.
They make it appear wholesome and worthwhile by being a group that
grants “wishes” through Satan. I believe
because of this group the occult has invaded, not only the church, and
especially false religion, but the home life.
I have seen this group at work, and they partake of the power of Satan,
but present it as a glowing “pleasant” gift sent from God. They speak of God, but the question is, what
God? I
think it is the Antichrist whom they believe is God. Such commitment is rooted in Satan’s mind
in taking advantage of the depravity of man!
I have seen people open their hearts to it just to get what they want no matter the consequences. They
live in the now, and have no regard for the future. The only regard for the future they have
is: what can I get? Satan knows man exalts himself, as even
Satan did.
I think it is
important apart from sensationalism to expose the mind of the enemy. I have seen their false power at work, and I believe it needs to be brought to the
light. The only proper response to the
enemy is no fellowship. It is in this context that I write this
work. To this I now turn.
The Bible speaks quite clearly of Satan
masquerading as an angel of light. This
will be the topic of our discussion.
The basis of the reprobate mind is believing and serving a lie. The chief basis of the reprobate mind is
founded upon the lie of antichrist. It
all centers on a wicked transformation.
The reprobate has the appearance of an angel of light, but the actual
state of the heart is in utmost wickedness.
The basic understanding of malice wickedness is using goodness as the
highest standard in appearance, while
devilish wickedness is the motivation. This
is the case, not only with the Wicked One, but we the hosts of Antichrist. Satan uses his highest method of a
transforming delusion in all satanic power.
“And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light”
(2 Corinthians 11:14 KJV).
We must
remember that in dealing with the reprobate enemy, the lie is the highest
objective. If the lie is the highest
objective, the truth is rejected for a lie.
Before the lie can be embraced, the truth must be known. Therefore, the enemy knows is aware of the
objective reality of the truth, but they malicely chose the wrong. Upon
what basis do they do this? This
view is the founded on the most detestable sin: pride.
Pride knows what the truth is, but chooses
to reject it. It is a mental state of
sin that Satan and the hosts of sin treasure, cherish, and wholly cling
to. This is the mark of Satan’s claim on
their souls: he marks them with devilish
pride to exalt his vainglory and the glory of sin.
When we look at the Bible, we see the Lord
Jesus Christ offering compassion to a providential people: “But when he saw the multitudes,
he was moved with compassion on
them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no
shepherd” (Matthew 9:36 KJV).
The Lord Jesus
Christ did not lie about his compassion.
His compassion for the people was like a Great Shepherd who sought to
give them rest. God’s chosen people
obtain rest for their souls when we find out rest on Him. Assured peace flows like the river of life
into the well-springs of the heart. It
is in the heart where the treasure of spiritual wealth blossoms into a radiant
heart, waiting glory! Christian
compassion is not a compassion that is based on a lie. We do not pretend to be compassionate when it
is for a malice purpose. So-called
“compassion” for a malice purpose, is like calling the superlative brightness
of the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ, a thousand midnights.
What they have done is this: they
have mingled reckless sin with the Spirit-appointed compassion. It is like mixing dung with gold, or
fool’s gold with real gold.
Reprobate compassion is based on hypocrisy
in malice deceit. The motive is to
advance against the true Christian by a pretending-spirit. They reason, what appeals more to the
Christian? Is it not the attributes of
God? For the Word of God says: “For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on
whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion
on whom I will have compassion”
(Romans 9:15 KJV). What does the Christian trust the
most? Is it not the Word of God? And, doesn’t the Word of God teach God’s
people to be compassionate? “Finally,
be ye all of one mind, having compassion
one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous” (1 Peter 3:8
KJV). “And of some have compassion, making a difference” (Jude
1:22 KJV).
The first basis of the enemy is to
acknowledge that the Bible is true. If
Satan knows the truth is whole ministry of condemnation, is to suppress it, and
make sure it does not advance. In his
mind, he not only puts some truth in every lie, but he uses the truth as a
weapon for wickedness. In other words, the
reprobate enemy takes the truth of God’s Word, and uses it for an evil
purpose. I have seen the instruments of
wickedness use compassion with a lying malice.
The purpose was to advance against me, and triumph over me. If compassion is our greatest strength, then
it is our greatest weakness (as the mind of the reprobate reasons). It is surely damnable act and submission: to submit to acts of condemnation makes the
heart bound more and more to corruption in all spiritual darkness.
I think the predator against children do this
very thing. As instruments of
wickedness, they put on a show of pretended innocence, to capture the interest
and trust of the child. I had this
happen to me at a public grammar school, but by God’s providential hand, Satan
did not avail. But it is used in worse
sophistication with Satan, because he uses it against all ages of the sons of
men. The hosts of wickedness will use a
condemnable method while they appear angels!
This kind of reprobative mind brings the highest degree of
judgment. It is this mind that was in
Judas when he healed: “Then he called his twelve
disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to
cure diseases. And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick” (Luke 9:1-12
KJV). Judas was a deceitful apostle, who did not
truly love the Lord, but had a spirit who held onto doing evil that good may come: “And not rather, (as we be
slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we say,) Let us do evil, that
good may come? whose damnation is just” (Romans 3:8 KJV).
When reprobates use a lying compassion it is not only in the spirit of a lying-act of
Satan but according to the mind and intentions of Judas. Is it morally wrong to embrace a lying
compassion? Truly, it is! With the reprobate the wrong is elevated to
the highest pursuit, and deceitfully claimed to be the highest good, but in
self-awareness, they love to know that it is the highest evil. If the highest evil is seen as the greatest
cause, the evil will be embraced; however, it is done with a wicked willingness
of heart that prides itself on a supreme
deceit. This supreme deceit is the
pride of Satan in all mischievous darkness.
The ultimate purpose of it is toe avail the pride of Satan in all dark
deception. This dark deception rests
itself upon a devote motivation to counter the world for a reckless abandonment
to all spiritual evil. The moral
question is known, and yet, rejected in heart, but sustained by appearance
only. To them to admire goodness is an
abominable sin with all twisted evil.
Sin is seen, not as an offense against a Holy God, but an offense
against their pride, that fuels their lying compassion in all premeditated
forethought.
Sin is a lack of conformity to the holy
law of God, and it is God’s law that is the highest standard. To them, however, this is known, but the
highest standard for them, is their own depraved heart. This is why the Ten Commandments are
super-important, because without men live in reckless rebellion and all
heinousness is exalted. Excuses too set
the Law of God aside is done with a lying-passion, and the submission to the
“law” of wickedness is highly esteemed in all self-destruction. Human beings are made in the image of God,
and to desecrate and destroy it, is a primary principle of wickedness. It is “compassionate” to seen “compassionate”
when they are not, and it is thought with much esteem to embrace satanic lies
under the fear of wicked men, and the lying Deceiver. And, if the rebel for Christ stands up to the
satanic rebellion, it is a method of lies used to undertake their spiritual
criminality in all lying-mischief. Pride
fuels the deceit mischief, and lies abound outside the holy city of Jerusalem.
If pride fuels compassion, it is a
deceitful compassion, not pleasing and honoring to God. The ultimate question is: is what I do
pleasing and honoring to God? This is
where the reprobate enemy fails in everyway.
If something is not pleasing and
honoring to God, it has worthless, spiritual value. No availing ways of sin advance against a
Holy God, because sin is either punished on the Lord Jesus Christ at the Cross,
or sin is punished in eternal hell.
Therefore, there are only two places where sin is punished. And, if the enemy is the enemy, their sin is
awaiting punishment in hell. Hell is a
place where non-spiritual alive people go.
It is a place of outer darkness, and should spark in us a sense of
renewed devotion to the Holy Triune King.
God created hell to humble the pride of man, and exalt His justice. But the enemy in one sense loves hell in all
dark self-destructive ways, but he also hates it with the highest spiritual
mischief.
The reprobates love to entertain views
that are unorthodox. The creator of it
is the Murderous One, and they love to entertain lies. For
what purpose? To obtain a malice
comfort in the work of Satan. This
so-called “comfort” is based on a cruel deceit that only the hosts of sin could
embrace. God’s people repent of
remaining corruption, but the hosts of sin, bath in the depths of eternal
judgment, and in a tub of self-cruelty, that makes them laugh with abounding
spiritual terror of the coming doom upon them, and the real retribution of God
the Holy Trinity.
God the Holy Trinity does not have a
lying-compassion. His redemptive
compassion is for the people of God in Christ.
God’s compassion is a pure, sinless, light-filled compassion. When the spiritual enemy, pretends to be good
in a lying-compassion, it is way for Satan to mock God. It is also a way for Satan and the hosts of
sin to rebel in all cruelty, and it is a cosmic offense against a Holy
God. The enemy knows of a true judgment
from God, but they like to pretend it is not coming, or even argue it is
unjust. They will use the words “unjust”
no matter how contradictory it is, because it’s not about sound reason but a
corruption that is mingled with everything good and sacred and holy. Plain reason is not the best subject of the
enemy because it is abandoned with bitter cruelty in all craftiness and
trickery. Their kind of “relativism” is
meant to suit each person in the pursuit and advancement of acquiring their
souls. It is actually a copout because it intentionally masks the truth, and
entertain (a most childish understanding) of embracing whatever it is to suit man’s
corrupt heart. They will entertain
any notion, as along as it, conforms to their ultimate objective in wicked
craftiness in all spiritual sin. The
ultimate objective is to make a person the hardest person to save by alluring
them into a state of serious cosmic treason in ways that bait their
appetite.
Their so-called “compassion” was used
against me in many ways to advance the ways of Satan against God. What are some steps to conquer these methods
of Satan? We first must have a
discerning mind, and not submit to what the enemy says. We should mark the ways of the enemy in terms
of their past history and how they conduct their lives. Satan uses “pleasant” methods that deceive
the minds of men. We must learn from The Lord of the Rings concerning those
who took the rings without question. We
must notice that no matters how their voices and mannerisms are, there is a
malice forethought to damn souls. They
will seek to use Balaam’s way of wrongdoing as a means to advance, and even
cover it up to deceive. I have seen the
enemy speak with so-called “warmth” but they are no better then a mere actor
who has no spiritual wealth in his soul but who is devoid of pure
spirituality. Beware, therefore, of this
“compassion.”
Chapter 2:
A Malice Hypocrisy
Malice hypocrisy covers all grounds of the
corrupt mission of the reprobative enemy.
The enemy would even do this: they
would pretend to be interested in conversion yet do so with corrupt motives to
destroy the Gospel-preaching church. I
have seen this happen over and over again when I deal with the reprobate.
If we are Christians, we are not of this
world—we belong to the kingdom of heaven. It is very easy for us, being in the world, to become of it—to let our lives grow like the
world. But this is not the way to make ourselves a living sacrifice to God.
"It is not conformity that we need," says Bushnell; "it is not
being able to beat the world in its own way; but it is to stand apart and above it, and to produce the
impression of a holy and separate life. This alone is safety and
success." (J.R. Miller, Counsel and Help, 1907).
When Paul converted to the Christian faith
he was greatly doubted by the Christian church because of his past
super-abuses, but Barnabas gave him the right-hand of fellowship. “And
when Saul was come to Jerusalem, he assayed to join himself to the disciples:
but they were all afraid of him, and believed not that he was a disciple. But
Barnabas took him, and brought him to the apostles, and declared unto them how
he had seen the Lord in the way, and that he had spoken to him, and how he had
preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus. And he was with them coming
in and going out at Jerusalem” (Acts 9:26-28 KJV).
This real fear of invaders is a genuine
part of the Christian life. “Lest
Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices” (2 Corinthians 2:11 KJV).
Though Paul was not a pretender many
would come to us in deceit to destroy the Reformed church. That might even argue that they should be
accepted like Paul was eventually accepted.
The purpose is in the spirit of
malice hypocrisy. We must remember
that even Satan used the Holy Scriptures to wickedly-tempt Christ. The Divine Word can be used to further the
wicked schemes of the reprobate enemy. “For
there are certain men crept in unawares,
who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the
grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our
Lord Jesus Christ” (Jude 1:4 KJV). “And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in
privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might
bring us into bondage” (Galatians 2:4 KJV).
We must remember as Christians to, “Keep
thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life” (Proverbs
4:23 KJV). We must remember the outline of
abstaining from malice hypocrisy under Keeping the Heart by John Flavel:
1.
Every appearance of hypocrisy does not prove the person who manifests it, to be
a hypocrite. You
should carefully distinguish between the appearance
and the predominance of
hypocrisy. There are remains of deceitfulness in the best hearts; this was
exemplified in David and Peter—but the prevailing frame of their hearts being
upright, they were not denominated hypocrites for their conduct.
2.
We ought to regard what can be said in our favor, as well as what may be said
against us.
It is the sin of upright people sometimes, to exercise an unreasonable severity
against themselves. They do not impartially consider the state of their souls.
To make their state appear better than it really is, indeed is the damning sin
of self-flattering hypocrites; and to make their state appear worse than it
really is, is the sin and folly of some good people. But why should you be such
an enemy to your own peace? Why read over the evidences of God's love to your
soul, as a man does a book which he intends to confute? Why do you study
evasions, and turn off those comforts which are due to you?
3. Everything which may be an occasion of
grief to the people of God, is not a sufficient ground for their questioning
the reality of their religion. Many things may trouble you—which ought not to stumble you. If upon every occasion you should call in question
all that had ever been wrought upon you, your life would be made up of doubting
and fears, and you could never attain that settled inward peace, and live that
life of praise and thankfulness which the Gospel requires.
4. The soul is not at all times in a
suitable state to pass a right judgment upon itself. It is peculiarly
unqualified for this in the labor of desertion or temptation. Such seasons must
be improved rather for watching and resisting, than for judging and
determining.
5.
Whatever be the ground of one's distress, it should drive him to, not from God. Suppose you have sinned thus and so, or
that you have been thus long and sadly deserted—yet you have no right to infer
that you ought to be discouraged, as if there was no help for you in God.
These are sounds principles of holiness and plain reason on the
state of the soul about hypocrisy. Though
these truths remain, the enemy would even use it to destroy us, by pretended imitation of the ways of Satan. Let us never forget the tactics of Balaam. Balaam knew the right way of Israel but he
committed spiritual adultery: “Having
eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable
souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed
children: Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray,
following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of
unrighteousness; But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with
man's voice forbad the madness of the prophet” (2 Peter 2:14-16 KJV).
Gaining through error is the twisted
teaching of Balaam and the damned: “Woe unto them! for they have gone in the
way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core” (Jude
1:11 KJV). Balaam knew his way
was wrong, because it transgressed against God’s holy law, and got the children
to commit fornication so God would judge them.
Satan often works by causing sin in God’s people (like David’s census),
to acquire judgment upon His people.
When this is done God is in control, but also the people need to learn
personal responsibility apart from submission to reckless sin: “But I have a few things against thee,
because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the
children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit
fornication” (Revelation 2:14 KJV).
We must remember
the malice hypocrisy here: “Behold,
these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against the
LORD in the matter of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of
the LORD” (Numbers 31:16 KJV). Balaam
spoke to His face to destroy His people: “Nevertheless the LORD thy God would not
hearken unto Balaam; but the
LORD thy God turned the curse into a blessing unto thee, because the LORD thy
God loved thee” (Deuteronomy 23:5 KJV). God
does not allow Satan to have victory over His people. We have a promise of victory over Satan, “If
we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to
cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9 KJV).
The enemy, like
their spiritual father, Balaam, works to curse and doom the people of God. The enemy fails to realize that although they
use sin to acquire judgment, it is not sin who is the final decider of one’s
eternal destiny, but God’s personal choice.
The enemy fails to conquer God’s
choice to save His people unto eternal life.
It is no different in these times that we live in; however, the evil has
gotten worse, because that is the nature of sin. They use truth like wild beasts seeks
after its prey. As Paul says of the
offspring of Balaam, “If after the manner of men I have fought
with beasts at Ephesus, what
advantageth it me, if the dead rise not? let us eat and drink; for to morrow we
die” (1 Corinthians 15:32 KJV).
But the spiritual insanity that is in
Balaam is also in the wild beasts of the Christian church. The enemy sees what advantages it can take on
the truth of God. They recognize what
the truth is, and then they scheme to dishonor God and man, by their wicked
scheme. The scheme, like in Balaam’s
case, is to ruin the people of God. Upon what basis? It is a heart sold out to the occult in
all spiritual fraud and contempt for God and His ways. There is no true basis for this thinking, but
a farfetched understanding rooted in spiritual corruption. When the heart is sold out to reckless
spiritual corruption, the end result is a manifestation in their lives of malice hypocrisy.
It was malice
hypocrisy when Saul sought a medium (as it was forbidden) (1 Samuel 28:7) and when
Saul lied about being Saul to search the hidden things of God (1 Samuel 28:8),
and Saul assured the medium of God’s protection as he sought dishonorable means
to acquire information (1 Samuel 28:10).
It was malice hypocrisy when Judas dipped his bread in the dish to
betray Jesus to His face (Matthew 26:23; Mark 14:20), and when he gave back the
pieces of silver (Matthew 27:1-4). It
was malice hypocrisy that elevated Diotrephes as the sole leader of the Church
(3 John 1:9-10), and when Alexander the coppersmith did Paul much evil (2
Timothy 4:14). And it is malice
hypocrisy when reprobates have worshipped the creature rather then the Creator
(Romans 1), and that will drive the Antichrist to claim he is above God (2
Thessalonians 2), knowing it is a lie.
Chapter 3:
A Wicked Laughter
The Bible is
about truth and righteousness. And even
our laughter should be sanctified with holiness. The Bible speaks about doing the right thing,
and abstaining from any sort of evil.
But the laughter that I have encountered is a laughter born in malice
evil, and sustained by corrupt motives.
It is an evil that has its basis on the darkness of wickedness, and it
is for evil purposes. When harmed is
done by the enemy, or trail is undertaken by the Christian, it is in the spirit
of cruelty that laughter comes about. It
is an attempt by Satan to overturn what is holy to what is unholy, unrighteous,
unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful, and untrue.
I have seen Satan
grin at secret trails that I have faced.
He only does it when the cruelty
level is above normal and in super-pain.
I have seen the reprobate enemy laugh at the cruelest things. It is all based on a crafty-trickery; a
malice-deception, and a secret laughter that only Satan employs. The enemies’ objective is to overtake the
Christian by his subjective feelings, and to override them with it to obscure
the truth. The truth is not important
but the elevation of cruelty is what is striking introduced. But the enemy loves to ride on the troubles
of others in a wicked laughter that provokes God Himself. They thrive on wicked cruelty to make
precedence for laughing at the troubles of others. They love the verse in the Bible that speaks
to, the absence of trouble, regarding the reprobate. They love their position of damnation, but if
they could get to heaven (it would only be through vileness and elusive
trickery) they would. They love the
short cuts in anything, and they know the tricks to avail them pleasure.
Pleasure is
something the Bible speaks about. It is
about the context of pleasure. The question is: what is the context of biblical pleasure? It is not based on something unlawful but
it is based on something lawful.
Pleasures are grasped at the right hand of God the Father. And, it is pleasurable to obey His law in the
Ten Commandments. It should be our delight. But
the pleasures of Satan led to damnation, but the joy of eternal life is
grounded in Christ the King. Since man
is a sinner, there are two kinds of pleasure: wicked and lawful pleasure. The reprobate enemy loves wicked
pleasure.
There was a question in abnormal psychology class. Suppose there is a man who gets messages from
God. The question is: is a danger to himself and others? The question is: how far does he take it? So
the question can be asked: Does the
wicked pleasure lead to the harm of others?
If it leads to harmful things, it means it is dangerous, and attention
needs to be given to it. When I refer to wicked pleasure, I do not mean
a special super-deluxe candy of some kind, but a pleasure that is opposed to
what is right in the sight of God. We
know what is right in the sight of God by the law of God. The law of God is a guide against evil.
We must consider this important note: the Lord Jesus Christ never unjustly harmed
anyone. We ought to take His example
of spreading goodness like there is air.
We ought to do good to our neighbor, even when he is an enemy. But the enemy causes super-harm based on his
satanic philosophy. Therefore, we must
pray that there sin is restrained in God’s appointed means. Sin is what causes harm, and it is a
spreading cancer that will eat up the body, and so, too, spiritual cancer eats
up the soul. It affects one’s speech;
one’s actions; one’s whole being. Our
parents before the Fall, thought clearly and logically, but after the Fall, sin
pervaded their consciousness, and obstructed their thinking. If sin obstructs thinking, it will badly
affect the heart, and the tongue that is set on fire by hell.
Sin is an offense against God the Judge. Just judges will not unjustly acquit a guilty
murderer. If a guilty murderer is set
free, it is repugnant to the public, the Church and to God. In the same way, if God lets a guilty man go
without punishment it would be an injustice.
However, there is no injustice
with God because He judges perfectly. Sin
was placed on the Lord Jesus Christ as Redeemer to take away the sin of all of the elect. God the Father, therefore, can accept guilty
sinner who have Jesus as their Substitute.
The wrath due to sin was placed on
the Divine Lamb to take away our sin, and appease the Holy Father’s just
wrath. It is the only way a guilty
sinner can stand before God the Father. Guilty
sinners, who do not have Christ as their Substitute, but reject Him willfully, will stand before God the Son on the Day of
Judgment.
What awaits the satanic laughter? It is
the judgment of God the Holy Trinity. The
reprobates also want people to partake of their own cruel-laughter to conform
them to the image of Satan. I have seen
people say that all the sons and daughters of men will enter the pearly
gates. This is flawed in many areas,
but basic questions refute it. Does God
accept Pharaoh whom He hardened, and who completely hates the God of
Moses? Why didn’t Elijah have fellowship
with the worshippers of Baal? If all go
to heaven, why did the apostle Peter say that Judas went to his own place? The context regarding “his own place” refers to eternal hell. Moreover, on the Last Day Jesus shall say to
the goat-enemy, “Depart from Me.” Can
there be anything more understandable? The
laughter of the wicked has the judgment of God as its target.
We read in the Divine Word that God has
laughter. It is a better laughter then
that of the enemy. God’s laughter is
based on righteous-truth and in all spiritual sanity, but the enemy has
laughter that is rooted in spiritual insanity.
God’s laughter will counter the laughter of the wicked. But the “happiness” of the wicked is his
misery in self-destruction (and if happiness unjustly harms, how can it be true
happiness?), but the happiness of the elect is his obedience to God’s will in
His law. There is a biblical laughter of
the elect (Psalm 52:5-7) that also counters the laughter of the reprobative
enemy (Psalm 22:8). “The LORD shall laugh at him: for he seeth that his
day is coming” (Psalm 37:13 KJV).
This will silence the reprobate enemy by the blessed laughter of God.
The Lord’s laughter against wicked people:
“The
kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together,
against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, “Let us break their bands
asunder, and cast away their cords from us.
He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in
derision. Then shall he speak unto them
in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure” (Psalm 2:2-5 KJV).
T.L. Cuyler wrote:
Now these three texts unite in giving us a
double truth for discussion. First, that Christian recreations are right, proper, commendable, and
beneficial—but that sinful pleasures
are dangerous to the body and damning to the soul. Let us enlarge upon this
proposition, beginning with the first truth that Christian recreations are
right the world over. We have already seen that God's word does not forbid
rightful enjoyments. This book is not a teacher of Popish penances, it was not
written by monks, or to turn the world into a stupendous convent. The religion
of the Bible is radiant with the light and the joys of heaven; there is a world
of sun-shine in God's book. O troubled heart! the spirit that book inspires is
never a gloomy one, nor morose. It is a libel on our holy faith to represent it
as productive in itself of melancholy, or denying men any really innocent
pleasures. It is not against innocent
enjoyments, but sinful ones, that God makes his protest.
The wicked laugh on in material wealth,
lascivious behavior, and “being filled with all unrighteousness,
sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy,
murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they
are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters,
inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy,
unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; who, knowing the righteous
judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death,
not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them” (Romans
1:29-32 NKJV).
1. Every recreation which makes me
stronger in body, happier in mind, and purer in heart, is beneficial.
2. Every amusement which is not an
excitement, but the means of healthful recreation and improvement, is allowable
for a Christian. I stand upon my Christian right in reference to them all—a
healthy conscience enlightened of God, is to be the best judge.
3. No Christian should ever take part in
any entertainments from which he cannot conscientiously turn to his Bible and
his closet.
4. No Christian should frequent any place
which Jesus Christ would forbid if he were personally on earth; nor should he
be seen in places so questionable that irreligious people would be startled in
finding him there. "Abstain," my friends, "from all appearance
of evil."
5. Let me remind you of the best rule of
all—God's rule. Here it is, "Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you
do," in work or pleasure, "do
all to the, glory of God." Then, when all your activities are in
full play for God, and your brain at work in blessed schemes for studying and
honoring him, your hands occupied in leading men in paths of purity and truth,
your whole self happy in your work,
your principles, your recreations—that is life, oh! That is
life! (T. L. Cuyler, October 24, 1858, New York, Christian Recreation and Unchristian Amusement).
Chapter 4:
A Pretended Peace
William S. Plumer author of a Vital Godliness wrote about peace:
Peace
is the opposite of war,
persecution, temptation, condemnation, alarm, tumult, strife, contention,
controversy, quarreling. In the Scriptures, the word peace relates to several
different things. By nature we are all enemies to God, and by wicked works we
evince and strengthen our aversion to God and holiness. But "being
justified by faith, we have peace with God, through our Lord Jesus
Christ." Rom. 5:1. By this peace with God we are freed from condemnation.
We are no longer hostile to God, nor he to us. We no more contend with the
Almighty, nor he with us. Christ is our Surety, our Sacrifice, our Peace.
"Thorns grow everywhere, and from all things below; and from a soul
transplanted out of itself—into the root of Jesse, peace grows everywhere too
from Him who is called our Peace, and whom we still find the more to be so the
more entirely we live in him, being dead to the world and self and all things
besides him."
The repose of the soul in its God and
Savior is wonderful. "You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is
stayed on you; because he trusts in you." Isa. 26:3. This "peace of
God passes all understanding." Phil. 4 7. In its basis and in its effects
no mortal has adequate conceptions of its richness as a blessing from God.
"When he gives quietness, who then can make trouble?" said Job,
chapter 34:29. And Jesus Christ himself said, "Peace I leave with you. My
peace I give to you; not as the world gives, give I to you. Don't let your
heart be troubled, neither let it be fearful." John 14:27. Nothing can
finally destroy this peace. "Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who
died, yes rather, who was raised from the dead, who is at the right hand of God,
who also makes intercession for us." Romans 8:34.
Again he wrote:
We
are not at liberty to forsake God or deny his truth, in order to promote peace.
On the contrary, we must
obey God rather than man. We must contend earnestly for the faith once delivered
to the saints. We must never make shipwreck of faith. We must never part with a good conscience. "Buy the truth,
and sell it not"—sell it not even for peace. The world asks too dear a
price for its smiles or its favor—when it asks us to renounce our beliefs, or
purity of mind.
Thomas Watson author of Body of
Divinity: The Application of Redemption (Continued) wrote:
What
are the signs of a false peace?
(1.)
A false peace has much confidence in it—but this confidence is a false hope. The sinner does not doubt of God's mercy;
and from this presumptuous confidence
arises some kind of quiet in the mind. The same word in the Hebrew, cassal, signifies both confidence and
folly. Indeed a sinner's confidence is folly. How confident were the foolish
virgins!
(2.)
False peace separates those things which God has joined together. God joins holiness and peace—but he who
has a false peace, separates the two. He lays claim to peace—but banishes
holiness. "I shall have peace, even though I am walking in my own stubborn
way." The wicked are loose and vain, and yet thank God that they have
peace; what a delusion! You may as
well suck health out of poison—as peace out of sin!
(3.)
False peace is not willing to be tried. It is a sign they are bad wares—which will not endure the light.
It is a sign a man has stolen goods—when he will not have his house searched. A
false peace cannot endure to be tried by the word. The word speaks of a
humbling and refining work upon the soul, before peace; but false peace cannot
endure to hear of this. The least trouble will shake this peace; it will end in
despair. In a false peace, conscience is asleep; but when this lion of conscience shall be awakened
at death, it will roar upon a man; he will be a terror to himself, and be ready
to lay violent hands upon himself.
How
shall we know that ours is a true peace?
(1.)
True peace flows from union with Christ. The branch must first be ingrafted into the tree, before it can
receive sap or nourishment from it. Just so, we must first be ingrafted into
Christ, before we can receive peace from him. Have we faith? By holiness we are
made like Christ; by believing we are made one with Christ, and being in Christ
we have peace. John 16:33.
(2.)
True peace flows from subjection to Christ. Where Christ gives peace, there he sets up his government in the
heart. "Of his government and peace, there shall be no end." Christ
is called "a priest upon
his throne." Christ as a
priest makes peace; but he will be a priest upon his throne—he brings the heart in subjection to him. If Christ is
our peace in salvation, he is
our prince to rule us! Isa 9:6.
Whenever Christ pacifies the conscience, he subdues the lust!
(3.)
True peace is after trouble. First, God lets loose a spirit of bondage, he convinces and
humbles the soul; then he speaks peace. Many say they have peace—but is this
peace before a storm, or after it? True peace is after trouble. First there was
the earthquake, and then the fire, and then the still small voice. I Kings
19:12. You who never had any legal bruisings, may suspect your peace. God pours
the golden oil of peace, into broken hearts.
The pretended peace of the reprobate enemy is striking because it
elevates a pretender’s spirit over
against the actuality of peace. The Lord Jesus Christ proclaimed peace to
His followers: peace be with you. The enemy has a peace that does not amend
their sin by repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, but there peace is
grounded in falsehood. Falsehood is a
primary flaw in having a peace that is devoid of the Holy Spirit. I speak
of a spiritual peace. There is a
peace with God through the Lord Jesus Christ by His all-atoning offering to God
the Father. There is a peace that
surpasses all understanding. It is due to the grace of the Lord Jesus
Christ. Martin Luther spoke of peace
in his deputation 92, Away, then, with all those prophets who say to the people of
Christ, "Peace, peace," and there is no peace! And, 95. And thus be confident
of entering into heaven rather through many tribulations, than through the
assurance of peace. The
pretended peace of the enemy is not faith in the Holy God of Holy Scripture but
it is a peace in material wealth, and it is born of the flesh, where no good
thing dwells.
When I was
unconverted, I did not have peace. I had
comfort in sin but it was a deception to think it was born of God. But the reprobate enemy knows of the peace of
God, but rejects it on the “basis” of devotion to a false, satanic power. This false power is the sum of their
pleasure, and peace and comfort is mistaken for pleasure.
Peace born out of
sin is no peace at all. Peace grounded
on the Lord Jesus Christ is true peace.
Many go about their lives and consider themselves, having a certain
peace, but it is born the boundaries of a comfort born out of the flesh, that
is devoid of the Holy Spirit. Peace
devoid of the Holy Spirit (that is mistaken for the true peace of God) will
badly affect the soul. It makes the soul
continue in an unconverted state, unaware of the reality of God’s wrath. If
God is just, He must have a divine wrath, because if He let sin go unpunished,
it would necessity a crime against God. Sinners
need to be troubled about their sin.
This can only happen by God the Holy Spirit and the matchless Word of
life. Peace is not of this world but it
is of the heavenly city, where all have perfect peace. The enemy loves to live in a state of a pretended peace. It continues on the life of sin, and
makes one blind to the spiritual truth of true peace.
Peace is not found in penance, nor the
bones of saints, nor in the pains of purgatory, but true peace is found in the
immersion of God’s Word by the power of the Spirit of power. True peace is grounded on Jesus and none
other. The reprobate loves the peace of
granting one’s life-dream through Satan, and this blinds the soul to the
spiritual realities of the Divine Word.
The Word is a lamp unto our feet, a heavenly soil where truth is seen in
the manifestation of a beautiful flower that gives off a sacred aroma. But the life of a sinner, who has false
peace, is a life that is foreign to the Holy Bible.
Peace is not found in compromise, nor is
it found in getting what one wants.
Peace is found in following the will of God: here is real happiness devoid of deceit. We dare not continue with a false
peace. Righteousness is the key to all
things, and peace must have it as its foundation. Satan offers a false peace in losing one’s
soul for the sake of the world. This is
the peace that damns a sinner; this is the peace that blinds a sinner in seeing
His desperate need for a Divine Redeemer; this is the peace that does
whatsoever it can unto evil to obtain their life’s dream; this is the peace
that gives false comfort; this is the peace that binds the heart to Satan in a
deeper connection being held captive to
His will; this is the peace that will not stand before a holy God; this is
the peace that uses trickery to obtain heavenly riches, but where no spiritual life is obtained, and only rejection awaits the
sinner who an “almost” peace.
I have seen people chose the wrong way
because of a comforting-peace. They are content with having a
sin-dominating life no matter what happens to them. The thinking does not venture into what is best for me? but what is best to
satisfy the need to obtain ungodly riches.
Sin is elevated as the supreme God in the heart of the reprobate. It is the sin-God who is worshipped in their
hearts, and is it anything strange to us, that Satan is wholly bound to sin? It is the lust for material wealth over
against the true need for true God-appointed religion. False religion is as dangerous as a nuclear
weapon, because it spreads like a wild fire.
We need the peace of God in Christ Jesus the King to live a life of true
comfort and peace. If a so-called “true
peace” gives you a deeper seat in the depths of hell, it cannot be a true peace. All
experiences should be validated by the Word of God, and we ought to use
discernment to understand peace. We dare
not entertain a false peace. We will be
judged on what peace we adopted and how we shared it with others.
True peace is not found in the Quran, but
in the Bible alone; true peace is not found in soul-giving to Satan, but
waiting on God the Holy Trinity at His timing; true peace is not found in
formalism, but it is found in heart-Gospel-living; true peace is not found in
idolatry, where the creature is elevated above the Creator, but in the
sweetness of worshipping the true Triune King; true peace is not found in
reincarnation, but in the resurrection of Christ.
Chapter 5:
A Thinking of Wrongdoing
The thinking of the reprobate enemy is to
commit wrongdoing (at any cost) to avail their desire. For them, it’s all about doing the wrong to
get the “right.” Or, it’s about doing
evil that good may come. It is about
selfishness, pride, arrogance, contempt for lawful ways, an impure devotion to
sin; a commitment to vileness in anyway to achieve their “happiness” no matter
who stands in their way. The ultimate
desire of the reprobate is their chief concern.
It could be the most vile thing on earth, and yet, they will endorse
it. If we think about, wasn’t Hitler the
same way? He devoted himself to
occultism and made a covenant with Satan.
Under the “philosophy” of Satan,
anything goes to destroy a freedom-loving democracy. September 11 was an example of that,
because the enemy commits themselves to utter wickedness to avail their
trickery, craftiness and malice darkness.
Thomas Brooks author A Cabinet of
Choice Jewels in 1669 wrote:
"That
sin might become utterly sinful." Romans 7:13
Paul, to set forth the formidable evil that is in sin, expresses it thus. He
could find nothing more evil and odious to express sin by—than itself. Sin is
so great an evil, that it cannot have a worse epithet given it. Paul can call
it no worse than by its own name—sinful sin. Had he said that sin was a snare,
a serpent, a viper, a toad, a plague, a devil, a hell, etc.—he would have said
much—but yet not enough to set forth the transcendent evil which is in sin.
Therefore he calls it sinful sin.
All other evils are but outward, they only reach the name, the body, the
estate, the life but sin is an inward evil, a spiritual evil, an evil that reaches
the precious and immortal soul—and therefore is the greatest evil.
Death puts an end to all other troubles; namely, poverty, sickness, disgrace,
scorn, contempt, afflictions, losses, etc. But sin is so great an evil, that
death itself cannot put an end to it! Eternity itself shall never put a stop,
an end—to this evil of evils!
All other evils can never make a man the object of God's wrath and hatred. A
man may be poor—and yet precious in the eyes of God; he may be greatly abhorred
by the world—and yet highly honored by God; he may be debased by men—and yet
exalted by God. But sin is so great an evil, that it subjects the sinner's soul
to the wrath and hatred of God!
All other evils do but strike at a man's present well-being—but sin strikes at
a man's eternal well-being! All otherevils can never hinder a man's communion
with God. A man may have communion with God in poverty, in sickness, in prison,
in banishment. But sin is so great an evil, that it interrupts communion with
God, it cuts off communion with
God.
All outward evils are God's creatures: "Is there any evil in the city—which
the Lord has not done?" But sin is
the devil's brat—it is a creature of his own begetting! Yes, sin is worse than the devil! It is
that which has turned glorious angels
into infernal devils!
All other evils do not fight against the greatest good—but sin is that grand
evil that fights against the greatest good. Sin fights against the being of
God, the essence of God, the glory of God. Sin is a killing of God—it is a
murdering of God.
Sin is a universal evil, it is all evil, it is nothing but evil; there is not
one drop, one spark of good to be found in any sin. In all outward evils there
is some good; there is some good in poverty, in sickness, in war, in death—but
there is not the least good in sin.
Sin is the sole object of God's hatred!
He hates nothing but sin!
He is angry with nothing but sin!
He has forbid nothing but sin!
He has revealed his wrath against nothing but sin! So great an evil is sin!
Sin is that grand evil which has midwifed all other evils into the world. It
was sin which drowned the old world with water. It was sin which destroyed
Sodom with fire and brimstone.
It was sin which laid Jerusalem in heaps. It was sin which has midwifed sword,
famine, and pestilence into the world. It was sin which laid the foundation of
hell—for before sin there was no hell.
It was sin which crucified the Lord of glory!
Now, oh how great must that evil be—which has ushered in all these great evils
into the world!
Sin is enmity against God. God has no enemy in the world but sin, and those
whom sin has made enemies. Sin has set all the world against the Lord of glory.
It is sin which has turned men into incarnate devils, and which has drawn them
out to fight against God, and Christ, and their own souls, and their
everlasting peace.
A
Christian looks upon sin as the greatest evil in the world, and his heart rises
and is enraged against it, because of the vile, filthy, odious, and heinous
nature of it!
Their teaching of wrongdoing is from the wicked “tradition” of
Balaam. It does not matter if it’s even
a Christian job they want, he will use Satan to get it. They view Satan as the dream-giver, who can
grant whatsoever he wants, and it’s a living abomination, where the whorebeasts
gather to take part in all spiritual adultery, fraud and covetousness. This teaching is a like a mighty wave that
overtakes the soul for reckless wickedness.
The ultimate goal is to avail the highest wickedness in bondage to Satan
and his methods. All spiritual filth is
sought like a true Christian seeks holiness.
It is the highest spiritual crime to advocate Satanic “gifts” when it is
clearly known that the Holy God is the only one to lawfully grant gifts to His
children. Horatius Bonar wrote, “The
world is blind, and knows it not; poor, and thinks itself rich; foolish, and thinks itself wise. It is not aware of the extent of
its ruin, alienation, and depravity. It is not alive to its danger, its hopeless prospects; nor its doom.”
J. C. Ryle in 1890 wrote:
It is my firm conviction, that a right knowledge of sin lies at the
root of all saving religion. The first thing that God does when He makes man a
new creature in Christ—is to send light
into his heart, and show him that he is a guilty sinner.
I have an equally firm conviction, that a low and imperfect view of sin—is the
origin of most of the errors, heresies, and false doctrines of the present day.
If a man does not realize the extent and dangerous nature of his soul's disease—you cannot wonder if he is
content with false or imperfect remedies.
I believe that one of the chief needs of the Church, is for clearer and fuller
teaching about sin.
Sin is the corruption of the nature of every man. Therefore, every person born
into the world, deserves God's wrath and damnation! Once let a man see his sin, and he must see his Savior—in order to obtain rest for
his soul. He feels stricken with a deadly disease—and nothing will satisfy him
but the Great Physician. He hungers and thirsts—and he must have nothing less
than the Bread of Life.
Sin, in short, is that vast moral disease which affects the whole human race—of
every rank and class and name and nation and people and tongue! Sin is the
plague of nations, the divider of churches, the destroyer of family happiness, the cause of all the miseries in the world!
It is my thorough conviction, that the extent
and vileness and deceitfulness of sin—are a subject
which is not sufficiently brought forward in the religious teaching of these
days. It is not pressed on congregations in its Scriptural proportion. The consequences
are very serious!
We may depend upon it—men will never truly come to Christ, and stay
with Christ, and live for
Christ—unless they feel their sins, and know their need of a Savior. Those whom
the Holy Spirit draws to Christ—are those whom the Spirit has convinced of sin.
Without real conviction of sin, men may seem
to come to Christ and follow Him for a season—but they will soon fall
away and return to the world. The words of one are most deeply true, "The consciousness of sin is the true
pathway to heaven."
“The wicked is driven away in his wickedness: but the righteous
hath hope in his death” (Proverbs 14:32 KJV). The
heart is planted in sin and held under its power at conception, and through
life, until sovereign regeneration changes the heart of man into a saint that
truly love holiness, and hates what is truly sinful, to avail the purpose of
the Almighty King. Those who are under
the power of sin over their lives; will suffer eternal doom if they are not
given what only the Divine Spirit could give: eternal life.
It is spiritually unlawful to submit to
the Prince of Darkness because this is not his world but God’s world. It is not him who is king, but the Living
Jesus who is King. It is him who is
supreme in the hearts of God’s people, but God Himself. It is not him who is faithful and true, but
the divine Son of Man who lives to make intercession to the uttermost. It is not him who keeps his promise unto
holiness, but the Divine Lamb and Lion who has assured victory over the hosts
of sin! Wrongdoing is absent from the
character of God, but is it an ever present danger in the methods of Satan. Even when Satan comes bearing so-called “good
things” it is only by appearance, and not in actuality. The first commandment, “Thou shalt have no other gods
besides Me”—covers the reckless sin of summoning Satan, and getting
from him. Live in the purity of righteousness devoid of satanic rebellion. This godly thinking could save a nation! Arthur W. Pink (1886-1952) author of Heart Work wrote:
1. To "keep" the
heart means striving to shut out from it, all that is opposed to God." "Dear children, keep yourselves from
idols" (1 John 5:21). God is a jealous God and will brook no
rival; He claims the throne of our hearts, and requires to be loved by us
supremely. When, then, we perceive our affections being inordinately drawn out
unto any earthly object, we are to fight against it, and "resist the
Devil."
When Paul said, "All things are lawful unto me, but all
things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be
brought under the power of any" (1 Cor. 6:12), he signifies that he was
keeping his heart diligently, that he was jealous lest things should gain that
esteem and place in his soul which was due alone unto the Lord. A very small
object placed immediately before the eye is sufficient to shut out the light of
the sun, and trifling things taken up by the affections may soon sever
communion with the Holy One.
Before regeneration our hearts were deceitful above all things,
and desperately wicked (Jer. 17:9): that was because the evil principle, the
"flesh," had complete dominion over them. But inasmuch as "the
flesh" remains in us after conversion, and is constantly striving for the
mastery over "the spirit," the Christian needs to exercise a constant
watchful jealously over his heart, mindful of its readiness to be imposed upon,
and its proneness unto a compliance with temptations. All the avenues to the
heart need to be carefully guarded so that nothing hurtful enters therein,
particularly against vain thoughts and imaginations, and especially in those
seasons when they are most apt to gain an advantage. For if injurious thoughts
are allowed to gain an inroad into the mind, if we accustom ourselves to give
them entertainment, then in vain shall we hope to be "spiritually
minded" (Romans 8:6). All such thoughts are only making provision to
fulfill the lusts of the flesh.
Thus, for the Christian to "keep" his heart with all
diligence, means for him to pay close attention to the direction in which his
affections are moving, to discover whether the things of the world are gaining
a firmer and fuller hold over him, or whether they are increasingly losing
their charm for him. God has exhorted us, "Set your affections on things above,
not on things on the earth" (Col. 3:2), and the heeding of this injunction
calls for constant examination of the heart to discover whether or not it is
becoming more and more dead unto this deceitful and perishing world, and
whether heavenly things are those in which we find our chief and greatest
delight. "Take heed to yourself, and keep your soul diligently, lest you
forget the things which your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your
heart" (Deut. 4:9).
We must live in
holiness to glorify our Heavenly Father through His Only Beloved Son by His
Glorious Spirit. Balaam sacrificed to
God with burnt offerings, and yet he did not believe the true things of God,
but only used them as a way to curse and damn God’s people. It’s like those who use Christ’s atonement
for a cover-up for blind wickedness. Here and now; yea, this day, may we live in
the purity of holiness, for only then, will we realize the truth of true
living. Amen.
Chapter 6:
A Knowing-Malice
1Now the serpent was more subtil than any
beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman,
Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? 2And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit
of the trees of the garden: 3But of the fruit of the
tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of
it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. 4And the
serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: 5For
God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened,
and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. 6And
when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to
the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit
thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did
eat. 7And the eyes of them both were opened, and
they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made
themselves aprons. 8And they heard the voice of the
LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife
hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the
garden. 9And the LORD God called unto Adam, and
said unto him, Where art thou? 10And he said, I heard
thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid
myself. 11And he said, Who told thee that thou wast
naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou
shouldest not eat? 12And the man said, The woman whom
thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. 13And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou
hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. 14And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast
done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the
field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of
thy life: 15And I will put enmity between thee and the
woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou
shalt bruise his heel. 16Unto the woman he said, I will
greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring
forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over
thee. 17And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast
hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I
commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy
sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; 18Thorns
also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of
the field; 19In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat
bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for
dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. 20And
Adam called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all living. 21Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats
of skins, and clothed them. 22And the LORD God said,
Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he
put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for
ever: 23Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the
garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. 24So
he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims,
and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life
(Genesis 3 KJV).
John Calvin wrote on his commentary on Genesis:
Verse 5. For God doth know. There are those who think that
God is here craftily praised by Satan, as if He never would prohibit men from
the use of wholesome fruit. But they manifestly contradict themselves, for they
at the some time confess that in the preceding member of the sentence he had
already declared God to be unworthy of confidence, as one who had lied. Others
suppose that he charges God with malignity and envy, as wishing to deprive man
of his highest perfection; and this opinion is more probable than the other.
Nevertheless, (according to my judgments) Satan attempts to prove what he had
recent)y asserted, reasoning, however, from contraries: God, he says, has
interdicted to you the tree, that he may not be compelled to admit you to the
participation of his glory; therefore, the fear of punishment is quite
needless. In short, he denies that a fruit which is useful and salutary can be
injurious. When he says, God does know, he censures God as being moved by
jealousy: and as having given the command concerning the tree, for the purpose
of keeping man in an inferior rank.
Ye
shall be as gods.
Some translate it, 'Ye shall be like angels.' It might even be rendered in the
singular number, 'Ye shall be as God.' I have no doubt that Satan promises them
divinity; as if he had said, For no other reason does God defraud you of the
tree of knowledge, than because he fears to have you as companions. Moreover,
it is not without some show of reason that he makes the Divine glory, or
equality with God, to consist in the perfect knowledge of good and evil; but it
is a mere pretense, for the purpose of ensnaring the miserable woman. Because
the desire of knowledge is naturally inherent in and happiness is supposed to
be placed in it; but Eve erred in not regulating the measure of her knowledge
by the will of God. And we all daily suffer under the same disease, because we
desire to know more than is right, and more than God allows; whereas the
principal point of wisdom is a well-regulated sobriety in obedience to God.
Satan came to Eden with knowing the truth. The truth is: he knew of disobedience; knowing
God forbids it. He came to deceive
because he loves the pride (the foundation of all sin). This is an example of a knowing-malice. He came to ruin all humanity and to exalt his
false teachings. But God works all
things out for the good of the Christian.
But in the way of malice-deceit, the hosts of sin come with a
malice-trickery; a malice-craftiness; a malice-intent to defile. These are corrupt spiritual weapons. It is a way of sin that destroys the soul
unto damnation. The God of the Holy
Pages of the Bible ordains all for the believer’s good, but the enemy uses that
as an excuse to commit the greatest evil.
They take the truth of God, and almost ask, how can this be turned on it’s head to suit the greatest
wickedness? Let us consider the
following—
1.
A malice-deceit. It knows the criminality and a submission of
the will to say the wrong. It affects
all the ways of the enemy and is the basis of malice-trickery and
malice-craftiness. It is a
self-admission of saying, “I know this is wrong, but I chose the wrong over the
good. I act in a lying-abomination.”
2.
A malice-trickery. It like saying, “I know this is wrong, but I
chosen the wrong over the right to endorse my criminality, and I am here to
trick my opponent in such a way that never can be healed.”
3.
A malice-craftiness. It is like saying, “I want to be unjustly
cunning, so I may trick my enemy to advance in abounding sin to conquer any
inclination of good.”
4.
A malice-intent. All of the above have a malice-intent. It means that it is a self-refuting position,
because it admits the right but loves and baths in the wrong.
5.
Therefore, all of these “malice born sin”
is not only in Satan but also in the hosts of sin, and such spiritual weapons
of Satan need to be destroyed by the imputed righteousness of Christ (the
foundation for all practical righteousness).
The Bible speaks of the verses that reject
the false prophet’s teaching on being a malice slave of Satan:
- Malice is a spiritual crime that flames with the
fires of hell within the heart of man into spiritual wickedness,
criminality and pain (Matthew 15:19-20). It is an intention to
do wrong to another in many ways, but spiritually speaking, it is the way
to bring spiritual doom on the sinner.
- We are to be babes in malice, but be strong in
understanding (1 Corinthians 14:20). The reprobates do not
know about being babes in malice but they are giants in malice. But we have to defeat the foe with the
strength of God in David.
- We are not to speak with malice communication
(Colossians 3:8). We are called to
put this off, but the reprobate wear it like a jewel.
- In anger we ought not to sin, but have a purity
of anger that models the Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 4:26-27).
- The enemy does not lay aside malice but seeks to
have it avail in everyway (1 Peter
2:1-2). Reprobates use grace
like Satan: it is a cover up for
evil in reckless deceit (1
Peter 2:16).
The enemy is active and they are “smart” darkness-lovers who
partake of the ministry of Satan and his power.
We must stand against this growing evil, and grow in holiness. We can defeat Satan by the proclamation of
the Gospel-revelation, and adherence to it in all pure sincerity. We can avail against the tyrants of doom by
living a pure heart-driven life in all godliness, humility, sincerity, and
truth-honoring prosperity, in the pursuit of glorifying God the Holy Trinity alone for ever! Amen and amen.
