Wednesday, December 10, 2014

(12/10/2014) Divine Goodness?

Today, more is shared on the differences between evil created by GOD and the sin and wickedness found among created beings and living creatures.  While the primary divine standard is one for spirit content, there also are necessary divine standards for behavior, conduct, and utterance (e.g., betrayal, blasphemy, lies, perjury, promises, prophecy, slander).  The arrogance and foolishness of sinners, be they men or angels, have no eternal benefit for the living.  The device of sleep used to establish permanent change through the creation of woman could not be used to establish the changes required to compensate for the operations of sin.  Sin opposes the continued existence of divine law, the Law Giver, and all divine order that proceeds from sacred law.  Sin can not be eliminated among mankind without the use of death, rebirth, and resurrection.  Through the exalted authority and power of divinity, the word and work of GOD is not compromised by the errors of the living.  Contrary to those who accuse divinity, GOD has not answered to the living with abuse, indiscriminate condemnation, disrespect, mockery and scorn.  Along with the features required for assigning value (we say, judgment) such as balance, impartiality, integrity and righteousness, there also always have been compassion, forgiveness, gentleness, kindness, longsuffering, mercy, and reconciliation.  The eternal goodness of GOD is not to be understood as only material blessings, favor and pleasure.  By its correct definition, “divinity” becomes the common standard for describing and determining who or what “good” is.  For a fruitful relationship now to exist between the Creator and the created there must be blessing, cursing, and multiple sacred operations that include baptism (i.e., death of ones inborn spirit, rebirth with spirit content from the makeup of divinity), confession, conversion, healing, prayer, and sanctification.  Without sacred knowledge, a shared language for exchange, and a vocabulary of sacred experience, even when GOD directly reveals and shows divinity to created beings and living creatures, there must be divine operations to specify the meaning and value that are to be received.  Christian believers are not commanded to use cruelty, destruction and violence to bring about change.  Change is to come by the process of life appearing as growth, learning, reverence, sharing, unselfish service, and heartfelt worship.


THE BATTLE AXE:  Evil Is Not Sin And Wickedness? (12/09/2014)

Micah 6:  6-9, KJV—Wherewith shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before the high God? shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old?  7 Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?  8 He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?  9 The LORD’s voice crieth unto the city, and the man of wisdom shall see thy name:  hear ye the rod, and who hath appointed it.

Psalms 33:  18-22, KJV—Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy;  19 To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine.  20 Our soul waiteth for the LORD:  he is our help and our shield.  21 For our heart shall rejoice in him, because we have trusted in his holy name.  22 Let thy mercy, O LORD, be upon us, according as we hope in thee.

Psalms 33:  4-12, KJV—For the word of the LORD is right; and all his works are done in truth.  5 He loveth righteousness and judgment:  the earth is full of the goodness of the LORD.  6 By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.  7 He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap:  he layeth up the depth in storehouses.  8 Let all the earth fear the LORD:  let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.  9 For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast.  10 The LORD bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought:  he maketh the devices of the people of none effect.  11 The counsel of the LORD standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations.  12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.

Psalms 31:  18-20, KJV—Let the lying lips be put to silence; which speak grievous things proudly and contemptuously against the righteous.  19 Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men!  20 Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man:  thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.

Psalms 16:  1-11, KJV—Preserve me, O God:  for in thee do I put my trust.  2 O my soul, thou hast said unto the LORD, Thou art my Lord:  my goodness extendeth not to thee;  3 But to the saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent, in whom is all my delight.  4 Their sorrows shall be multiplied that hasten after another god:  their drink offerings of blood will I not offer, nor take up their names into my lips.  5 The LORD is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup:  thou maintainest my lot.  6 The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage.  7 I will bless the LORD, who hath given me counsel:  my reins also instruct me in the night seasons.  8 I have set the LORD always before me:  because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.  9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth:  my flesh also shall rest in hope.  10 For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.  11 Thou wilt shew me the path of life:  in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.

Psalms 107:  8-21, KJV—Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!  9 For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.  10 Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron;  11 Because they rebelled against the words of God, and contemned the counsel of the most High:  12 Therefore he brought down their heart with labour; they fell down, and there was none to help.  13 Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses.  14 He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and brake their bands in sunder.  15 Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!  16 For he hath broken the gates of brass, and cut the bars of iron in sunder.  17 Fools because of their transgression, and because of their iniquities, are afflicted.  18 Their soul abhorreth all manner of meat; and they draw near unto the gates of death.  19 Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he saveth them out of their distresses.  20 He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.  21 Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!

Isaiah 61:  1-3, KJV—The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;  2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;  3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.

Jeremiah 18:  2-12, KJV—Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words.  3 Then I went down to the potter’s house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels.  4 And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter:  so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.  5 Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,  6 O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.  7 At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy it;  8 If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them.  9 And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it;  10 If it do evil in my sight, that it obey not my voice, then I will repent of the good, wherewith I said I would benefit them.  11 Now therefore go to, speak to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I frame evil against you, and devise a device against you:  return ye now every one from his evil way, and make your ways and your doings good.  12 And they said, There is no hope:  but we will walk after our own devices, and we will every one do the imagination of his evil heart.

Psalms 68:  18-20, KJV—Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive:  thou hast received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the LORD God might dwell among them.  19 Blessed be the LORD, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.  20 He that is our God is the God of salvation; and unto God the Lord belong the issues from death.

Matthew 19:  13-22, KJV—Then were there brought unto him little children, that he should put his hands on them, and pray:  and the disciples rebuked them.  14 But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me:  for of such is the kingdom of heaven.  15 And he laid his hands on them, and departed thence.  16 And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?  17 And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God:  but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.  18 He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness,  19 Honour thy father and thy mother:  and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.  20 The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up:  what lack I yet?  21 Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.  22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful:  for he had great possessions.

3rd John 1:  11, KJV—Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. He that doeth good is of God:  but he that doeth evil hath not seen God.

Lamentations 3:  22-36, KJVIt is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.  23 They are new every morning:  great is thy faithfulness.  24 The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.  25 The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.  26 It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.  27 It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.  28 He sitteth alone and keepeth silence, because he hath borne it upon him.  29 He putteth his mouth in the dust; if so be there may be hope.  30 He giveth his cheek to him that smiteth him:  he is filled full with reproach.  31 For the Lord will not cast off for ever:  32 But though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies.  33 For he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men.  34 To crush under his feet all the prisoners of the earth.  35 To turn aside the right of a man before the face of the most High,  36 To subvert a man in his cause, the Lord approveth not.

Exodus 34:  4-14, KJV—And he hewed two tables of stone like unto the first; and Moses rose up early in the morning, and went up unto mount Sinai, as the LORD had commanded him, and took in his hand the two tables of stone.  5 And the LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD.  6 And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,  7 Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.  8 And Moses made haste, and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshipped.  9 And he said, If now I have found grace in thy sight, O Lord, let my Lord, I pray thee, go among us; for it is a stiffnecked people; and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for thine inheritance.  10 And he said, Behold, I make a covenant:  before all thy people I will do marvels, such as have not been done in all the earth, nor in any nation:  and all the people among which thou art shall see the work of the LORD:  for it is a terrible thing that I will do with thee.  11 Observe thou that which I command thee this day:  behold, I drive out before thee the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite.  12 Take heed to thyself, lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land whither thou goest, lest it be for a snare in the midst of thee:  13 But ye shall destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their groves:  14 For thou shalt worship no other god:  for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:

Deuteronomy 30:  15-20, KJV—See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil;  16 In that I command thee this day to love the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply:  and the LORD thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it.  17 But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them;  18 I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it.  19 I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing:  therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:  20 That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him:  for he is thy life, and the length of thy days:  that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.

Proverbs 11:  26-28, KJV—He that withholdeth corn, the people shall curse him:  but blessing shall be upon the head of him that selleth it.  27 He that diligently seeketh good procureth favour:  but he that seeketh mischief, it shall come unto him.  28 He that trusteth in his riches shall fall; but the righteous shall flourish as a branch.

Amos 5:  12-15, KJV—For I know your manifold transgressions and your mighty sins:  they afflict the just, they take a bribe, and they turn aside the poor in the gate from their right.  13 Therefore the prudent shall keep silence in that time; for it is an evil time.  14 Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live:  and so the LORD, the God of hosts, shall be with you, as ye have spoken.  15 Hate the evil, and love the good, and establish judgment in the gate:  it may be that the LORD God of hosts will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph.

Romans 11:  22-32, KJV—Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God:  on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness:  otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.  23 And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be graffed in:  for God is able to graff them in again.  24 For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert graffed contrary to nature into a good olive tree:  how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be graffed into their own olive tree?  25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.  26 And so all Israel shall be saved:  as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:  27 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.  28 As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes:  but as touching the election, they are beloved for the father’s sakes.  29 For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.  30 For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief:  31 Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy.  32 For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.

Luke 10:  1-12, KJV—After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come.  2 Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few:  pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest.  3 Go your ways:  behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves.  4 Carry neither purse, nor scrip, nor shoes:  and salute no man by the way.  5 And into whatsoever house ye enter, first say, Peace be to this house.  6 And if the son of peace be there, your peace shall rest upon it:  if not, it shall turn to you again.  7 And in the same house remain, eating and drinking such things as they give:  for the labourer is worthy of his hire. Go not from house to house.  8 And into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you:  9 And heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them, The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.  10 But into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you not, go your ways out into the streets of the same, and say,  11 Even the very dust of your city, which cleaveth on us, we do wipe off against you:  notwithstanding be ye sure of this, that the kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.  12 But I say unto you, that it shall be more tolerable in that day for Sodom, than for that city.

Luke 10:  17-24, KJV—And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name.  18 And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.  19 Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy:  and nothing shall by any means hurt you.  20 Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.  21 In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes:  even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight.  22 All things are delivered to me of my Father:  and no man knoweth who the Son is, but the Father; and who the Father is, but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him.  23 And he turned him unto his disciples, and said privately, Blessed are the eyes which see the things that ye see:  24 For I tell you, that many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.

2nd Thessalonians 1:  2-12, KJV—Grace unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.  3 We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth;  4 So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure:  5 Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer:  6 Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you;  7 And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,  8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:  9 Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;  10 When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.  11 Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power:  12 That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and ye in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

1st Thessalonians 5:  14-16, KJV—Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men.  15 See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men.  16 Rejoice evermore.

1st Peter 3:  10-12, KJV—For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile:  11 Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it.  12 For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers:  but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.

THE BLACK PHOENIX
Washington, DC

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