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Questions & Answers Bubbles First posted: January 2, 2007
What does the Lord have to say concerning public or private schooling vs. home-schooling?
Answer
Scripture does not provide a clear-cut literal answer to the above question. However, there are a few parameters we must take into account when addressing issues such as the one raised by the visitor's question. These parameters are studied below. They might seem to be completely unrelated to the original question, but, as we complete the answer to the question, you will hopefully see how they do indeed relate to the issue at hand.
Because of its Puritanical roots, the American Church has had a tendency to isolate herself from the rest of the world for fear of contamination. The Lord does declare that we must abhor spiritual contamination and stay away from it, as shown by the following passages:
"22And of some have compassion, making a difference: 23And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh." (Jude 1:22-23)
"10In the four and twentieth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet, saying, 11Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Ask now the priests concerning the law, saying, 12If one bear holy flesh in the skirt of his garment, and with his skirt do touch bread, or pottage, or wine, or oil, or any meat, shall it be holy? And the priests answered and said, No. 13Then said Haggai, If one that is unclean by a dead body touch any of these, shall it be unclean? And the priests answered and said, It shall be unclean. 14Then answered Haggai, and said, So is this people, and so is this nation before me, saith the LORD; and so is every work of their hands; and that which they offer there is unclean." (Haggai 2:10-14)
However, our avoidance of any uncleanness must not be predicated on an elitist sense of inherent superiority over others:
"9And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: 10Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. 11The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. 12I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. 13And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. 14I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted." (Luke 18:9-14)
As we have studied before, Scripture reveals that there are two levels of righteousness. You can reach Level-1 righteousness by worrying about your own righteousness, but you can only reach Level-2 righteousness by worrying about the righteousness of others. The Pharisee in the parable had Level-1 righteousness; he was concerned about his own "cleanliness" before God, but he was not at all concerned about the righteousness of the people around him, especially of the publican who was nearby. When you remain stuck at Level-1 righteousness, an "unrighteous bubble" begins to form around you. Your "moral success" causes you to feel superior to the people around you, and you begin to believe that you were born with certain "genes" or "abilities" that other mortals do not possess. As you stand on this higher pedestal, you feel like a billionaire executive standing on a rooftop heliport waiting for the helicopter that will take you to God's presence, away from the inferior plebeians on the street below.
As we have shared before, God's operations of righteousness in us are predicated on exposing our weakness, not our strength, before God. The nature of God is manifested in us as we submit in weakness under the mighty hand of God and we allow Him to operate in and through us.
"8For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. 9And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong." (2 Corinthians 12:8-10)
"And it came to pass in the sixth year, in the sixth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I sat in mine house, and the elders of Judah sat before me, that the hand of the Lord GOD fell there upon me" (Ezekiel 8:1) [Notice the double reference to the number "6", which, as we have said before, is a number of "human weakness". Notice also the reference to the number "5", which, as we have said before, is a number of ministerial grace, which correlates with the "elders of Judah" who sat before Ezekiel. Whilst the "elders of Judah" stood on their "ministerial privilege", Ezekiel, the true elder of God, stood on his human weakness submitted under the mighty hand of God.]
Weakness is an "absence of ability", a "poverty of resources". Therefore, weakness is a "universal human attribute" attainable by any human being. It is a matter of choice, not privilege. As you realise this, you will not feel comfortable watching others operating in unrighteousness. Why? Because you will know that all they need to abandon unrighteousness is to humbly submit in weakness. You will exert spiritual pressure on the people around you to surrender, just as you have. You will expose yourself to much frustration in your life, because frustration requires an expectation, and expectation requires the recognition of potentiality. You cannot get frustrated over a dog not solving an arithmetic problem because you do not expect a dog to have the potential to solve such a problem, but you will most definitely become frustrated if your 10-year-old son is still struggling with simple multiplication; you will constantly be on the boy's case, telling him to pull his socks up, especially if you perceive him to be a bright lad.
The "unrighteous-bubble" life is a comfortable life in which you automatically discard the potential of others and save yourself the frustration of seeing others not living up to their potential. As the Pharisee (mentioned in Luke 18:9-14) stood at the temple, he was fully satisfied, he was not hungry. He couldn't care less if the publican nearby died without entering into a life of righteousness. Not only did he not care, he relished the fact that the publican was a visible "moral failure" because it served as proof to him that he was somehow born with "superior" moral genes.
Oftentimes, the American Church behaves as if America were an "inherently Christian" nation, a nation inherently superior to "heathen Europe", that "filthy" continent filled with "God-hating anti-religious humanists". This has led to a spirit of isolationism, a spirit that has taken hold of America on various occasions during its history, including the first years of World War 2, and it is the spirit that has blinded America from understanding God's invisible operations in the UK and Europe. As we have shared before, this isolationist spirit is still prevalent throughout the American South, and it was one of the driving forces that led to God declaring civil war over America.
God did not set up the Church as a "nice refuge" where all the "decent" people can huddle together whilst the rest of the world disintegrates into purposeless chaos. Neither was it God's purpose for the Church to act as an army of people bent on having every inhabitant of the Earth repeating the "sinner's prayer". God's purposes go way beyond that, for His plan is that the entire atmosphere of the Earth (not just church buildings) be filled with His fearsome presence and glory. God has sent His believing remnant on a quest to retake the entire Earth, not just a few people here and there. God's purpose is not for "everyone to go to church", but for everyone to be His Church, His temple, the place where He abides.
"7I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. 8Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. 9Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel." (Psalm 2:7-9)
"13Behold, is it not of the LORD of hosts that the people shall labour in the very fire, and the people shall weary themselves for very vanity? 14For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea." (Habakkuk 2:13-14)
"They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea" (Isaiah 11:9)
"And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it" (Revelation 21:22)
Thus, every believer's goal should not be to lead a clean, moral life in order to be taken out of this world in the "Rapture" before all hell breaks loose on Earth. We are the expansive force placed in this Earth to wage warfare until all the principalities in the air have been obliterated and God's Glory fills the Earth:
"16Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; 17That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: 18The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, 19And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, 20Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, 21Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: 22And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, 23Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all." (Ephesians 1:16-23)
"7I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. 8Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. 9Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel. 10Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. 11Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. 12Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him." (Psalm 2:7-11) [The word "heathen" in verse 8 is a mistranslation of the Hebrew word gowy, which literally means "nation". Thus, we are called to possess the nations of the Earth. Yet, that possession is not given to us "by default". Instead, it is given to those who ask for it, i.e.- those who proactively seek after it.]
Even if we are physically tied to a specific geographic location, and even if the scope of our physical work is limited to a specific region, our hearts should be expansive in nature, constantly looking in the Spirit towards the nations of the Earth. As spirit beings, we are not limited by time or space, and we have the ability (and calling) to impact the entire globe. Therefore, any attitude or paradigm that encloses you in a religious bubble will eventually destroy your eternal calling, and it will eventually turn you into a staunch enemy of God's expansive work, even if you do not "mean" to do so.
Just as there is unrighteous isolationism, there is also righteous isolation.
"6 Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and deliver every man his soul: be not cut off in her iniquity; for this is the time of the LORD’S vengeance; he will render unto her a recompence. 7Babylon hath been a golden cup in the LORD’S hand, that made all the earth drunken: the nations have drunken of her wine; therefore the nations are mad. 8Babylon is suddenly fallen and destroyed: howl for her; take balm for her pain, if so be she may be healed. 9We would have healed Babylon, but she is not healed: forsake her, and let us go every one into his own country: for her judgment reacheth unto heaven, and is lifted up even to the skies. 10The LORD hath brought forth our righteousness: come, and let us declare in Zion the work of the LORD our God." (Jeremiah 51:6-10)
Notice how the Lord calls us to "flee out of the midst of Babylon" and to "deliver every man his soul" (v6). This speaks of isolation in the face of impending judgment, an isolation in which you stop worrying about others and focus primarily on your own escape. Notice, however, that this self-imposed isolation and the forsaking of one's neighbours comes only after a fierce attempt to restore them; this is why the Spirit and Jeremiah say, "We would have healed Babylon, but she is not healed" (v9). Once those around you staunchly refuse to be healed, you must forsake them, for their refusal of your efforts trigger the "time of the Lord's vengeance" upon them (v6).
"4And whatsoever house ye enter into, there abide, and thence depart. 5And whosoever will not receive you, when ye go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet for a testimony against them." (Luke 19:4-5) [Notice that the Lord doesn't say, "When they reject you, tell them that I love them no matter what; pray for prosperity and success in their lives; win them over with loooooove"]
"41The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here. 42The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here. 43 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. 44Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. 45Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation." (Matthew 12:41-45) [Notice again that the Lord does not say, "The men of Nineveh shall rise and say to this generation, 'Jesus loves you and blesses you'; they shall shower this generation with loving hugs and words of encouragement so that they will understand that God is a God of love and understanding". Once you reject those sent by God to heal you, you set yourself up for God's obliterating judgment. Once the time of restoration is upon a land, those in the land must seize the moment and surrender to God's Kingship. If they refuse to surrender, they can expect God to take that land over by obliterating force.]
"26And as they led him away, they laid hold upon one Simon, a Cyrenian, coming out of the country, and on him they laid the cross, that he might bear it after Jesus. 27And there followed him a great company of people, and of women, which also bewailed and lamented him. 28But Jesus turning unto them said, Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children. 29For, behold, the days are coming, in the which they shall say, Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the paps which never gave suck. 30Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us; and to the hills, Cover us. 31For if they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry?" (Luke 23:26-31) [Notice that Jesus did not say, "Blessed art thou, oh daughters of Jerusalem, for feeling bad over what is happening to me. Because of your compassion, and because of my infinite love, your weeping shall serve to protect you and your children; Jerusalem shall be blessed, and she shall stand as a strong city, and all will know that I have forgiven her of her sins!!" Instead, He tells them, "Judgment is coming over you and your children for what Jerusalem is doing to Me". And Jesus' words of judgment against Jerusalem were indeed fulfilled. In the year 70 A.D., the Roman general Titus (formerly the Roman (i.e.- Italian) tribune of Britannia and Germania, according to wikipedia.org) destroyed Jerusalem and razed the Temple. The Jews were forced to scatter and be persecuted around the world, and Jerusalem remained a non-Jewish city for 1897 years, until the year 1967 when the Jewish people recovered full control of Jerusalem during the 6-day war. Before this could happen, however, 6 million Jews had to die during the Holocaust, which was the only motivation that the anti-Semitic U.N. had for returning part of the Promised Land back to the children of Israel in 1948. From there, Israel eventually retook Jerusalem.]
After Noah preached judgments and justice and was ignored, he entered an isolation bubble known as "Noah's ark", leaving the world he knew behind, forsaking it to the wrath of God's vindicating revenge, the shocking revenge that those in the world deemed themselves undeserving of.
"3And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not. 4For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; 5And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly; 6And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly; 7And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: 8(For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;) 9The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished" (2 Peter 2:3-9) [The words above appear in what is known as the "New Testament". Yet, the Lord speaks of reserving "the unjust unto the day of judgment" (v9). In no way does this passage insinuate that God turned "New-Testament nice" after being "Old-Testament nasty" in the past. On the contrary, it reaffirms that the God of judgments has gone nowhere and that, just as He has judged the fallen angels, the people of Noah's days, and the people of Sodom and Gomorrah, He shall judge this generation with the same zeal, for His nature has never changed. God builds His loving grace over a foundation of righteousness (Romans 5:21). When that foundation is desecrated, all that is left is a deceitful "morning mist of grace" (James 4:13-5:6) that has a dark cloud of devastation over it. God leaves the "mist of grace" as a snare that prevents the blessings-seekers from looking up and beholding the terrible cloud of revenge that is hanging above (Isaiah 26:10-11, 2 Thessalonians 2:11-12).]
From all of the above, we can conclude that there are times when God will send us into periods of righteous isolation, but those periods will come after we have made every effort (in Christ) to restore our surroundings. When God calls His people into "spiritual hibernation", it is a sign of God's utter condemnation of the surroundings, and it is a sign of an impending devastation. During these spiritual hibernations, God's people are to be more concerned about self-preservation than about the restoration of those around them. "Every man for himself, lest you perish with the rest!" (Jeremiah 51:6).
It is no spiritual coincidence that a news story recently broke worldwide regarding a Japanese man who survived for 24 days without food or water in the wild by falling into a state of "hibernation". Whilst the Amorite-Hittite bears roam about in intimidating fashion shortly before their fall, God's people are to enter into bear-like hibernation in order to escape from the Amorite bears' paws as God prepares His revenge against these arrogant bears.
"20Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast. 21For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain." (Isaiah 26:20-21)
{You can read about the Japanese "hibernator" on bbc.news.uk, which posted the story on December 21, 2006. According to information posted on usatoday.com, the man was released from hospital and returned to his desk job on December 20, 2006. We are writing these words on December 22, 2006.}
"9Before your pots can feel the thorns, he shall take them away as with a whirlwind, both living, and in his wrath. 10The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance: he shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked. 11So that a man shall say, Verily there is a reward for the righteous: verily he is a God that judgeth in the earth." (Psalm 58:9-11)
The spirit of unrighteous isolation mentioned above leads to a spiritual disease called "Christian Nation Syndrome" (CNS). As evidenced by the Terri Schiavo situation in 2005, the American Church sincerely believes that the key to "re-Christianising" America lies in enacting "moral" legislation. This mentality is based on the myth that things were OK in America's "good ol' days" and that we all should fight to get back to those days. This is what makes most American Christians proud to be called "conservatives"; they believe in "conserving" the status quo and in preventing changes. These believers, however, don't understand that today's decay is the product of yesterday's staleness. In a sense, America was OK before, just as it is OK for a young 5-year old lad to have problems counting beyond 50. However, if the lad is 10 and he still has trouble counting beyond 50, no sensible person would still say that it was "OK". In order to stop growing in God, you must be willing to harbour and defend destructive elements in your heart. A person fully yielded to God will inevitably grow because God will be causing him or her to go "from glory to glory". The God of Israel is an expansive, all-encompassing God. He is not a static idol that can be boxed in within a specific religious framework. Therefore, non-growth requires a deliberate rebellion against God. Silent and "harmless" as that rebellion may seem, it is still rebellion, and it manifests itself in angry and vitriolic revenge whenever it is confronted by God's yielded and growing remnant.
"But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord" (2 Corinthians 3:18)
"18But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. 19The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble." (Proverbs 4:18-19)[Notice how the path of the just is one of constant growth, one in which the Light of God reveals more and more understanding until we are perfected (i.e.- completed) in Him; the path of the just is one of constant apokalypsis (i.e.- revelation). By contrast, the way of the wicked is enveloped in the darkness of comfortable ignorance. Since the wicked stop growing spiritually, they haven't the slightest clue as to what hit them when tragedy strikes. To those of stunted growth, the world becomes one of "random" and "unexplainable" occurrences in which tragedies and problems arise (and remain) for no good reason at all. They cluelessly stumble upon "stuff", and they know not when it got there or where it came from. Those in perennial religious ignorance can do nothing but "rebuke the devil", hoping for the problem to somehow go away. They wander about in the blindness of Canaanite ignorance, Sodom-style (Genesis 19:11).
To the just (i.e.- to those who grow in God's judgments and justice), the "roots" of the Earth are progressively laid bare before them, and the "chaotic myriad" of events around them gain more and more sense. They begin to understand the spiritual laws in operation behind the apparently "arbitrary" events that happen all around them. Why? Because, "laws", "justice", and "judgments" are all intricately related. There can be no justice without judgments, and there can be no judgments without laws. As you seek to understand and operate in God's judgments, He begins to reveal the spiritual laws and principles from which His righteous judgments are derived. Anyone who abhors judgments will inevitably warp his spiritual mind, destroying his mind's ability to understand spiritual laws. The mind of the just is constantly enlightened to understand the spiritual laws that govern God's creation. By contrast, the mind of the wicked turns into an imploding black hole of darkness in which you are clueless about the world around you; thus, you end up worrying about no one but yourself, and, even in that self-absorption, your mind remains clueless about most things happening in your own life.]
God's plan for America (and the world) is so overwhelming and comprehensive that it escapes the earthly gravitational pull of the "conservative American Church". God's plan is not to have a "Christian" president and a "Christian" Congress enacting "moral" legislation. His plan is for a nation in which His presence is so thick that no one can do a single thing without immediately experiencing God's favourable or unfavourable judgments. His plan is for a nation in which people are automatically thinking about and longing for God, without the need for a law being passed by Congress forcing people to "pray" or "believe in a God". God's plan, however, requires the waging of painful spiritual warfare that clears up the spiritual atmosphere, plucking out the cursed matriarchal roots (and people) that are hindering His presence. Once the spiritual atmosphere is taken care of, legislation in the natural realm will take care of itself. Abortion, the teaching of evolution as "science", and stem-cell research are obviously wrong, but the strategy the Church is using to fight against these evils is all wrong too. Just like the UK, America has strong Christian roots, but it has never been a "Christian nation". If the American Church knew what the phrase "Christian nation" really means in God's vocabulary, they would stop using it when referring to America's past. In the latter days, God will raise up true "Christian nations", nations under the fullness of the Anointing, and, when that happens, all the conservatives who are fighting to "re-Christianise America" will look like fools. God does not want believers fighting to reinstate the "good ol' days". He is doing something new (Isaiah 43:18-19), and no one seems to be interested in hearing what that new thing is. Whilst conservatives are fighting for a "New Constantinople", God's remnant are fighting for a "New Jerusalem".
"21Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law? 22For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman. 23But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise. 24Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar. 25For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. 26But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all. 27For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband. 28Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. 29But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now. 30Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman. 31So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free." (Galatians 4:21-31)
The key to "Christianising" America, the UK, and the nations of the Earth is clearly indicated in Scripture, yet most believers are unable and unwilling to accept God's key:
"5A wise man is strong; yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength. 6For by wise counsel thou shalt make thy war: and in multitude of counsellors there is safety." (Proverbs 24:5-6) [The word "safety" at the end of verse 6 was translated from the Hebrew word teshuah, which actually means "salvation". The Hebrew name "Yeshua" is almost identical.] Wisdom is better than weapons of war: but one sinner destroyeth much good" (Ecclesiastes 9:18)
As we have said before, wisdom is for the making of judgments, and judgments burn away unrighteousness and "incompleteness" in order to bring forth full righteousness, and full righteousness is what God calls "good". As you grow in God's judgments, you become zealous over both the value and the danger of "little things". As you grow in God's wisdom, you will fully understand that a little bit of leaven leavens the whole lump (1 Corinthians 5:6-7). This is the reason why the verse above speaks of "one sinner destroying much good". Those who operate in God's wisdom will not rest content if one source of unrighteousness is roaming about, just as a responsible housewife will not rest content knowing that a rat has entered her home. It may be one rat, but that one rat will cause much damage and be a terrible health hazard. As revealed by the verse above, God's wisdom will automatically create a tremendous zeal for righteousness in your heart. You will be willing to "slay" one in order to redeem many, because you will know the much damage that that "one" will cause.
"The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth" (Ecclesiastes 7:4) [This verse is not promoting "sadness" per se. Instead, it is an indictment against a happiness birthed out of a Felix-style contentment that rejoices in left-handed grace but is reluctant to hear about God's right-handed judgments and justice (Acts 24:22-25). This type of contentment is willing to "live with" rats of unrighteousness as long as they remain out of plain sight, and only becomes upset when the number of rats grows to overly troublesome and un-ignorable levels. As you become used to this spirit of contentment, God's "warrior" nature is slowly drained out of you, to the point that you become like a lifeless soldier, a harmless mannequin that is no threat to satan or his cohorts. Wisdom will be drained out of you, and you will have no "weapons of war" (Ecclesiastes 9:18) in your spiritual arsenal. Thus, all your clamouring for "revival" and "spiritual restoration" in the land shall become like a vain and powerless shout, a shout that is laughingly dismissed by satan, and an irritating sound in the ears of God, for His name is put to shame when the people who call themselves by His name go out unarmed, making "fools" of themselves before the cursed enemy.]
"13Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth. 14And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so. 15And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye? 16And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded." (Acts 19:13-16) [According to sacrednamebible.com and other sources, the name "Sceva" means "left-handed". Therefore, unbeknownst to most Bible "experts" who preach on this passage, this passage is an indictment against waging spiritual warfare on a left-handed platform. Spiritual warfare is waged on a wisdom foundation, and wisdom is inherently right-handed. Paul was an apostle, and, as we have studied before, the apostolic endowment is one of wisdom. This is the reason why the evil spirits said, "Paul I know" (v15), meaning, "We know him and respect his authority, because he comes against spirits like us with wisdom and judgments, but you are coming against us with a left-handed agenda, so you are going to pay for challenging us with the wrong weapons; you are about to suffer for naught." "Sceva warriors" are useless, and even detrimental, to God's military plans.]
"Say not thou, What is the cause that the former days were better than these? for thou dost not enquire wisely concerning this" (Ecclesiastes 7:10)[Notice how this verse indicts the "conservative" spirit that longs for the "good ol' days", because those who operate "wisely" (i.e.- in God's wisdom) will realise that the "good ol' days" were not as good (i.e.- fully righteous) as they seem to have been.]
"12For wisdom is a defence, and money is a defence: but the excellency of knowledge is, that wisdom giveth life to them that have it. 13Consider the work of God: for who can make that straight, which he hath made crooked?" (Ecclesiastes 7:12-13) [In this passage, "money" is a reference to natural means, whilst "wisdom" is a reference to spiritual means. Both are means that provide a "defence" or "covering" to wage war with, but, even though they are both means that can accomplish "military" results, there is a fundamental difference between the two: When you fight using the spiritual means of God's judgment-laden wisdom, inner transformations are produced, transformations that lead to life flowing from within. When you fight with natural means, you can only produce dummified "sons of God", idols whose clay has been forcefully pressed to look like God on the outside, but whose insides do not have the blood of God coursing through them. Such dummified "sons of God" are really sons of Jezebel Medusa (that cursed whore -- Revelation 2:20-23). Interestingly enough, according to wikipedia.org, the name "Medusa" means "guardian, protectress", which correlates with the "money defence" mentioned in this passage. As we have said before, pagan myths are often distortions of spiritual realities.
In this passage, "money" points to temporal grace and resources to achieve God's goals. However, "money" cannot make straight what is crooked (v13), for natural means cannot change man from within.]
"36Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence. 37Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice. 38Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find in him no fault at all." (John 18:36-37)[Installing nominal Christians in positions of government and passing "pro-Christian" legislation will not change a nation from within, because God's righteousness cannot be artificially imposed from the outside. Otherwise, Jesus would have fought to gain political and military power in Jerusalem. Instead, His weapon was to speak wisdom word of truth, compelling people from within to enter the Kingdom, for the battle is waged inside the hearts and minds of men, and that battle must be waged with the spiritual means of wisdom, not with the natural means of "money".
Notice how Pilate (the "heathen") was struggling within himself to determine whether Jesus was truly guilty or not. Unfortunately for him, he eventually gave way to his people-pleasing instincts, literally handing the Truth over for the sake of some convenient temporal approval. The "non-heathen" religious Jews were able to convince him that it was not that important to find the truth.]
"Be not over much wicked, neither be thou foolish: why shouldest thou die before thy time?" (Ecclesiastes 7:17) [According to this word, there is no point in becoming ruler over a group of people who are unwilling to change from within. There is no point in installing a "Christian" president or prime minister along with "Christians" in Congress or Parliament over a nation of people whose hearts have not been won over. To attempt to change a nation from the outside is spiritual suicide. It is to "die before one's time". It is a futile sacrifice that is not pleasant unto God.]
"Wisdom strengtheneth the wise more than ten mighty men which are in the city" (Ecclesiastes 7:19) [The word "mighty" was mistranslated from the Hebrew word shalliyt, which literally means "having mastery, domineering". Thus, it speaks of people in positions of authority, exerting dictatorial dominion over others. The word "city" was translated from the Hebrew word iyr, which is derived from the word uwr meaning "to awaken". In other words, iyr has the connotation of a place guarded by sentinels who stay awake, watching over the city. Thus, iyr points to the sentinel spirit of prophetic intercession; this is emphasised by the fact that the number "10", mentioned in the verse, speaks of prophetic sacrifice.
Combining the spiritual meanings behind the words iyr and shalliyt, we can conclude that God is saying the following: It is useless for prophetic intercessors to bring a city into God's Kingdom by establishing people in human authority who will "domineer" the city into God's righteousness through social and political means, for it is through judgment-releasing wisdom that the city shall be conquered.]
"25I applied mine heart to know, and to search, and to seek out wisdom, and the reason of things, and to know the wickedness of folly, even of foolishness and madness: 26And I find more bitter than death the woman, whose heart is snares and nets, and her hands as bands: whoso pleaseth God shall escape from her; but the sinner shall be taken by her" (Ecclesiastes 7:25-26) [Ecclesiastes is a book specifically designed by God to be sorely misunderstood if interpreted with a literal mind. Just as Ecclesiastes 7:4 (quoted above) is not endorsing "sadness", the passage above is not declaring that women are inherently "evil". As we have shared before, "woman" in Scripture is often a figure of the soul, whilst "man" is a figure of the spirit. Therefore, the verse above is a warning on the dangers of allowing the soul ("woman") to rule over the spirit ("man"). The fact that this verse appears in Ecclesiastes 7, in the context of the "wisdom" verses quoted above, means that a heart which allows the soul to rule becomes unable to operate in God's wisdom. When the "female" ministries of pastor and teacher dominate over the "male" ministries, the Canaanite (distorted-pastor) and Girgashite (distorted-teacher) spirits begin to wreak havoc. The Canaanite spirit begins to ensnare the hearts of men, prompting them to focus on the emotional pleasure derived from pleasing each other rather than on living by one's convictions; the pleasantness of soul communion turns into a "snare" used by Amorite-Canaanites to "net" and rule over the hearts of men. Once the prey has been captured, the Girgashite spirit ties its hands with "bands" of human traditions and protocols, bands of religious works that keep people's minds occupied, making them feel as if they are fulfilling their obligations towards God. These works make people feel as if they are serving the Spirit, without realising that they are actually serving the matriarchal souls of those who have ensnared them. They are serving "woman" (the soul) rather than "man" (the Spirit of God).
As we have shared before, "bitterness" in Scripture is often related to souls that resent God's judgments. Canaanites abhor judgments; therefore, as the Canaanite pastoral spirit is allowed to rule, the souls of men become bitter against God's judgments. As we have said before, "death" is a spiritual separation. Therefore, the phrase "more bitter than death" is declaring that the Canaanite spirit causes men to erect a "bitterness" barrier between God and them, a self-erected barrier that keeps them from fulfilling their own destiny. Man was created to become One with the righteous God of judgments (Psalm 82, Ephesians 4:24), and anyone who erects a bitterness barrier to shield himself from the God of judgments is sabotaging his own destiny. When you die voluntarily, you have the hope of resurrection, meaning that the bitterness of death is overcome by the hope of regenerated life. When you "hold on for dear life", refusing to die at the hand of God's sword of judgments, you set yourself up for a bitterness that has no hope of redemption, for you will find yourself fighting against the Truth (Matthew 10:39).]
"28Which yet my soul seeketh, but I find not: one man among a thousand have I found; but a woman among all those have I not found. 29Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions." (Ecclesiastes 7:28-29) [The verses above are spoken in the context of "seeking wisdom" (v25 above). Therefore, the preacher in the passage above is saying that, amongst 1000 people, he found 1 "man" with wisdom and 0 "women" with wisdom. Why would the Spirit of God say such a thing? Because, as we have said before, wisdom is for the making of judgments. Therefore, as you allow "Canaanite woman" (i.e.- the judgment-hating soul) to rule, you lose the ability to make righteous judgments, which makes you incapable of containing God's wisdom within you. Why? Because giving wisdom to a Canaanite is like giving a juicy steak to a vegetarian (Hebrews 5:12-6:3). There is no point in giving wisdom to someone who does not plan on using it. A Canaanite will not use God's wisdom because the using of God's wisdom implies the making of judgments, and Canaanites have no interest in making judgments. Instead, Canaanites like to align themselves with Hivites, devising morality schemes that circumvent God's judgments in order to fashion a judgment system more to their souls' liking (v29), thus accumulating God's earth-shaking wrath against them.]
From all of the above, we can see that a believer who has yet to escape from the clutches of the pastoral matriarchy is an impotent warrior. God's war arsenal is His wisdom, and God's wisdom cannot operate through a matriarchal soul that is unwilling to release judgments into the Earth. "Christian nations" cannot arise without God's "male" wisdom and judgments (Exodus 15:3). Matriarchal souls can, at best, hope for a return to the "good ol' days", but that is no wise a return to a "Christian nation", whether that nation be the US, the UK, or any nation on the face of the Earth. God is not interested in self-absorbed "monastery nations" that preserve an artificial "Christianity" by emphasising old traditions that evoke patriotic pride. God is, instead, interested in anointed nations conquered through spiritual judgments (1 Corinthians 2:14-16, Psalm 105:7, Habakkuk 2:14), nations who serve as conduits for the un-containable Spirit of God into all the corners of the Earth.
Around a year ago, a sister in Christ from Australia kept having a vision of the American flag. The vision (posted on www.ourchurch.com) is dated December 18, 2005, which is 5 days before December 23, 2005, the day when America's 4-year delay was sealed for good. The Lord had me reading this vision around that time, and, as I would read the vision, I would see the American flag fiercely waving in a strong wind at the top of a flagpole, and the phrase that would come to my mind would be "American pride". I then understood that the flag was symbolising the reason why God was unable to fully penetrate the American spiritual atmosphere in 2005: the American Church was too full of her "American self" to understand God's purposes. She was fighting for a return to the "Christian America" of old. She was trying to turn America into a huge "Bible Belt" by emphasising patriotic pride in America's "Christian traditions". The American Church wanted to stand on the foundation of its Southern-Cain traditions to form a "Bubba Belt", with its "Dallas-style" ministers acting as the "Bubba Belt Buckle". God, however, was not interested in a self-enclosed "Bubba Belt" preaching a simplistic, bubble-gum gospel for perennially-immature believers. He wanted an ever-expansive beam of light that radiated His complex and uncontainable glory across the Earth. Unfortunately, those whose matriarchal souls suffer from CNS are unable to understand this. Without the exposing and the dethroning of the soul-exalting pastoral ministry, no "Christian nations" can arise, for it is not a matter of "returning" to old, historical ways, but rather a matter of finding the ancient (i.e.- eternal) ways of God, the 3-dimensional ways of God that fall completely outside the 2-dimensional maps of matriarchal souls.
"5Behold, thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not, and nations that knew not thee shall run unto thee because of the LORD thy God, and for the Holy One of Israel; for he hath glorified thee. 6Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: 7Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. 8For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. 9For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts." (Isaiah 55:5-9)
The visitor's question (at the top of this word) mentions 3 levels of schooling: public, private, and home schooling. Based on all of the above, we can safely say that choosing home schooling by default simply because "the world is evil" and "we Christians are good" is not Scriptural. We are called to be "spiritual expansionists", and any isolationist spirit derived from a sense of "inherent superiority" is contrary to the Spirit of God. We are not "believers" because we were created superior to the "heathen" from birth. We are believers because we at one point surrendered in weakness, and we grow as believers as we continue to surrender in weakness, meaning that being a "believer" is something available to all. The "heathen" are not vile "untouchables" belonging to an inferior "caste". Thus, we must seek isolation only in circumstances where our surroundings are beyond redemption, and, even so, our desire for isolation must be temporary in nature. We must long for the day when we are able to peek our head out of the "hibernation hole", just as Noah was anxious for the day when he would walk out into a new world free of unrighteousness and full of opportunities for growth and expansion. It was not Noah's intention to stay inside that physical wooden ark for all eternity.
Therefore, the decision on which level of schooling is appropriate depends on specific circumstances that vary from case to case. Whatever schooling may be chosen, however, it should always be taken into account that the parents' spiritual responsibility over a child is "transcendent", even when the child is not being schooled at home.
"1Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding. 2For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not my law. 3For I was my father’s son, tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother. 4He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live. 5Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth. 6Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: love her, and she shall keep thee. 7Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. 8Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her. 9She shall give to thine head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee. 10Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; and the years of thy life shall be many. 11I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths. 12When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble. 13Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life." (Proverbs 4:1-13)
"7The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction. 8My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother: 9For they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck." (Proverbs 1:7-8)
Notice that the Lord places the onus of the child's upbringing on the father and the mother, not on the school system. The effects of the parents' influence on the child's life should go with the child wherever he or she goes, even when the parents are not physically present. They are to be as an "ornament" on the child's head and as "chains" about his or her neck (v9). They are to be constantly over and around the child. As indicated by verses 8 and 9, the child has the option of rejecting the parents' "ornament of grace" and "chains". By doing so, however, the child is rejecting the "grace" that hovers over a person's life when he or she willingly surrenders under God's judgments. This exposes the child to God's "forcible" judgments, and the parents are the primary agents on Earth responsible for channelling these "forcible" judgments into the child's life.
"In the lips of him that hath understanding wisdom is found: but a rod is for the back of him that is void of understanding" (Proverbs 10:13) [The word "void" was mistranslated from the Hebrew word chacer, which literally means "lacking", and is almost identical to the word chocer meaning "poverty". This passage, therefore, reveals a spiritual connection between poverty and the rejection of wisdom. Since wisdom is for the making of judgments, any society in which judgments are shoved aside sets itself up for poverty. This is the main reason why so many countries around the world remain in perennial poverty and underdevelopment. Societies where corruption and treachery are tolerated and where the "law" is seen as an inconvenient nuisance are societies that will never prosper. This is a fact that well-meaning brothers like Bono are unable to understand. It is easier (and more "popular") to organise a charity concert that raises funds for the poor than to tell a nation that it must accept "law" and "judgments" in order to progress. The concert conveniently deals with a minute percentage of the symptoms; judging a nation inconveniently deals with the roots. The concert makes everyone "feel good", deceiving everyone into thinking that the problem has been dealt with. By contrast, speaking of judgments and ethical regeneration makes everyone "feel bad and offended", and it exposes the stiff-necked pride of people who are unwilling to accept the consequences of their ill-conceived and long-held attitudes. Charity concerts get you showered with accolades; speaking of judgments and regeneration gets you showered with stones, as was the case with Stephen (Acts 7:51-60).
The word "understanding" was mistranslated from the Hebrew word leb, which literally means "heart" and is translated as such throughout the King James Version. Therefore, the end of the verse should really say "poor of heart" or "lacking of heart". As we have said before, the heart is the part of the soul where the will resides and where decisions are made. Thus, the verse above is speaking of people who make one decision after another that eventually leads to a state of utter poverty. With each decision, they reaffirm their disdain for the value of invisible principles, and, without knowing it, they slowly devalue themselves, for the difference between human beings and animals is invisible in nature. When you devalue the invisible, you devalue yourself. When you make decisions that give you visible temporal benefits at the expense of your invisible value and integrity, you reduce yourself to nothingness, and that nothingness will eventually be reflected in your visible self.]
"He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes" (Proverbs 13:24)
"13Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die. 14Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell." (Proverbs 23:13-14)
"The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame" (Proverbs 29:15)
The "rod" mentioned in the passages above goes beyond mere "corporal punishment". Even though the rod may on occasions have "physical manifestations", it is in essence a spiritual rod, and, as such, it is capable of transcending space, dealing out judgment that penetrates to the deepest parts of men's hearts, far, far deeper than any literal rod:
"14I write not these things to shame you, but as my beloved sons I warn you. 15For though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel. 16Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me." (1 Corinthians 4:14-16)
"3For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed, 4In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, 5To deliver such an one unto satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. 6Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?" (1 Corinthians 5:3-6)[Notice how Paul speaks of launching judgments from afar a few verses after he speaks of himself as a "father in Christ Jesus" to the Corinthians.]
"12For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 13Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do." (Hebrews 4:12-13)[Notice how we are under God's constant judgment (v13). With His "CCTV" eyes, He is constantly judging everything we are doing, and nothing is hidden from His sight. When you operate in Christ Jesus, God can launch redemptive judgments into your children's lives, penetrating any cloak that your children may try to place over their deeds.]
In Proverbs, the Spirit of God declares the following: the life of his beast: but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel" (Proverbs 12:10)
The word "life" in the verse above was translated from the Hebrew word nephesh, which literally means "soul", and is the same word used in Scripture when referring to the souls of humans. The word "beast" was translated from the word behemah, which is used in Scripture to refer to animals in general (and is derived from another word meaning "to be mute"). This certifies that animals do indeed have souls. Just as with humans, the souls of animals have 3 components. Animals are capable of thinking and of putting together trains of thought, as evidenced by their communal organisations and by their predatory tactics, meaning that they do have a mind. Anyone who has cared for an animal also knows that they have emotions; they can be joyous or sad, angry or content, expectant or frustrated. They also have a heart because they are capable of making decisions. However, their decision-making skills operate at a much more instinctive and fuzzily-arbitrary level. As opposed to humans, they are unable to make decisions of "independence", meaning that they are incapable of "fashioning a world of their own". They remain forever bound, in some way or another, to the instinctive forces raging within them and to the circumstantial forces around them. They lack the ability to take dominion over the forces within and outside of them. They are beholden to the world that is shaped for them by others (namely God and humans), and that is what makes them different from humans. Their hearts are incapable of making PDICs ("proactive decisions of independent conquest").
As we have studied before, humans' ability to "fashion a world of their own" is related to the wisdom that we can contain in our souls. Therefore, a heart that rejects wisdom and judgments slowly degrades into the heart of an animal.
"32And they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field: they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee, until thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will. 33The same hour was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar: and he was driven from men, and did eat grass as oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hairs were grown like eagles’ feathers, and his nails like birds’ claws. 34And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation: 35And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou? 36At the same time my reason returned unto me; and for the glory of my kingdom, mine honour and brightness returned unto me; and my counsellors and my lords sought unto me; and I was established in my kingdom, and excellent majesty was added unto me. 37Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase." (Daniel 4:32-37)[Notice that, as Nebuchadnezzar recovered his "humanity", he was quick to acknowledge that God's ways are "judgment" and that all His works are "truth" (v37). It was until he stopped rejecting God's wisdom and judgments that he became "human" again.]
Thus, the phrase "poor of heart" in Proverbs 10:13 (in the original Hebrew text) is referring to an "animalised heart". Those who are "poor of heart" are those who deliberately belittle the invisible until they lose the wisdom that distinguishes them from animals. Evolutionists have no qualms about saying that humans evolved from apes because they are unable to see the invisible difference between humans and animals. Biologically, humans and animals are very, very similar. Yet, the abysmal difference remains, a difference that is utterly unexplainable in biological terms, even by the staunchest of evolutionists. Therefore, when a person makes moral decisions that deny the value of invisible things, they belittle their own humanity. When a person copies a software programme with no qualms about copyright issues, he belittles his own humanity. When a man lies with a woman simply to satisfy an urge, with no regard for the holiness of her body and no understanding of how she may be worthy of his entire life and devotion, that man belittles his own humanity. When a woman lies on a sworn legal statement in order to obtain government benefits she is not entitled to, she is belittling her own humanity. When a woman parks her car in a handicapped spot with no regard for the handicapped she may be causing problems to, she is belittling her own humanity. When latin americans cross the border into America simply to rape her out of a few dollars, with no regard whatsoever for America's laws and no appreciation for America's invisible values, they belittle their own humanity, turning themselves into self-absorbed animals, animals who then turn around and demand rights from the same law system they so casually ignored when they chose to remain in America illegally. This is the reason why third-world countries (such as the countries in latin america) are chronically dependent on the help of other countries and are perennially incapable of shaping their own destiny.
From all of the above, we can conclude that parents must focus on raising children in such a way that they grow up with "human hearts". This is done through a constant impartation of wisdom and judgments. As we have seen before, judgments are intricately related to logos words. This is the reason why the word for "animal" in Hebrew (behemah), is derived from another word meaning "to be mute". Animals can express their thoughts and emotions, but they use a "language" more primitive than the ones used by humans. Even so, under the right circumstances, God can speak through animals, literally. This ability to communicate reaffirms the fact that animals do have souls because, as we have seen before, souls have an inherent need to "communicate".
"15Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; 16But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man’s voice forbad the madness of the prophet." (2 Peter 2:15-16)
The word "dumb" in verse 16 above was translated from the Greek word aphonos, which literally means "without voice", and is the word used in 1 Corinthians 12:1-2 when referring to "idols". As we have studied before, "idols" speak of believers who have stopped growing because they have stopped asking questions, settling for a simplistic understanding of God under a "Won't ask, don't tell me" policy. Therefore, parents who want to raise children with "human hearts" will impart to them the importance of logos words and of asking questions to understand the world around them. Such parents will teach their children that words have an inherent value, invisible and intangible as they may seem. Children will then know that laws written in a law book are more than just "words on a piece of paper", that words on a sign are more than just "suggestions on the wall". Children will then have an innate respect for laws and principles, and they will be prone to breaking them only when they see a higher law or principle (not a higher personal convenience) being ignored. To such children, the world will become a jigsaw puzzle of interacting laws, and the child's goal will be to understand which laws and principles he or she must live by. The child will add new laws to his or her mental framework as he or she logically interplays with the laws and principles that he or she has already recognised as "valid". The child will judge actions and attitudes by comparing them against the laws in his or her mental framework, rather than judging them based on "convenience". This is how children of "conviction" are formed, as opposed to the children of "convenience" who, like Balaam, are happy to perform actions that provide a temporal benefit, rather than doing things because they are the "right thing" to do. Children of "conviction" have human hearts; children of "convenience" have animal hearts. Children of conviction operate in the intangible and complex world of words; children of convenience operate in the tangible and simplistic world of temporal benefits.
"Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein" (Jeremiah 6:16)[Notice that you must ask for the "old" ("eternal" in Hebrew) paths. God's eternal paths will not simply and magically pop up in front of you. You must longingly search for them, and, as you do, God will open them up before you.
Notice also that we must ask "Where is the good way?", not "Where is the convenient way?". As we have studied before, when Scripture uses the word "good", it is referring most directly to righteousness and purity, not to ease and convenience (Psalm 25:8, Psalm 106:1-3, Psalm 125:4-5). In many passages, God's "goodness" is mentioned in the context of vindicating and wrathful revenge against the workers of unrighteousness (Psalm 54:4-7, Psalm 109:21-31, Romans 13:3-5, 1 Timothy 1:5-8), meaning that "goodness" and "niceness" are not synonymous in Scripture.]
"18For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple. 19For your obedience is come abroad unto all men. I am glad therefore on your behalf: but yet I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil. 20And the God of peace shall bruise satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen." (Romans 16:18-20) [The phrase "good words" in verse 18 is an inexact translation of the Greek word chrestologia. This word appears only once in the New Testament, and is a combination of the words chrestos and logos. The word chrestos literally means "kind, generous, placing oneself at the useful service of others". Thus, it has a different connotation than the 2 basic Greek words for "good" in the New Testament (agathos and kalos). This passage shows how the unrighteous like to disguise their "non-goodness" behind a facade of "compassion" and "generosity".
Notice how the Spirit speaks of being "wise unto that which is good" (v19). The word "good" used here was translated from the Greek word agathos, which has the connotation of (apostolic) righteousness. Thus, this phrase emphasises the spiritual connection between wisdom, judgments, and "goodness" in God's eyes. It is through wisdom that we can look past a facade of pastoral chrestos compassion in order to discern what is truly "good" before the eyes of the Lord. There are a multitude of very kind people whom God labels as "evil" in His eyes, and there are a remnant of sometimes "ruthless" people whom He labels as "good" in His eyes.
The word "simple" at the end of verse 18 was translated from the Greek word akakos, which is the combination of the prefix a meaning "without" and the word kakos meaning "evil, baneful", which is the opposite of kalos. Because of this, the word akakos can be used in Greek to refer to people who "see no evil" in others. This naiveté is the product of a heart that has made a conscious decision not to "judge others", which slowly makes the mind insensitive to the unrighteousness of others. With judgment-making wisdom out the window, these gullible hearts are easily duped by subtle unrighteousness that cloaks itself in santa-claus kindness and compassion. This external kindness is used by Amorite-Canaanite wolves to disguise a defiant pride that refuses to break under the pressure of God's judgments, a pride that declares, "I will believe in the 'God' I want to believe in; I have fashioned him thus, and I like him like that. I am not about to change this image of 'God' for the real God; I abhor that God. I am the boss, and I decide what type of 'God' we will worship; I refuse to accept that I may be wrong. This image of 'God' makes my soul feel good, and it keeps me in control of the flock, so it is a win-win situation for me. Don't confuse me with the facts; I want our gospel to be nice and simple. I shall cursingly dismiss any little PEaSanT that comes to challenge my kind and simple 'God'."]
Therefore, parents must ask the following about their children: Are my children thinking people? Are my children people who value and live for invisible principles and ideals? Are my children people who string together words and ideas in a logically coherent way? Are my children people whose hearts and minds are in a constant quest for the truth? Are my children people who try to discern the true laws we must all live by? If they are, they are growing up with human hearts. If they are not (despite your best efforts), they are growing up "poor of heart", and you must hand them over to God's "forcible" judgments. Your soul must be willing to love God's righteousness more than your children, for you must be willing to love God more than yourself. If you do, you will be giving your children true love, and God will consider you your friend.
"17And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do; 18Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? 19For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him." (Genesis 18:17-19)
Notice that God birthed a great and mighty nation out of Abraham because he was a man of justice and judgments. You cannot birth a "Christian nation" if you belittle God's wisdom and judgments. Nations of God are birthed in wisdom.
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