And They Cursed God :: By Grant Phillips

 

Looking at the faces of those protesting outside the Supreme Court justices’ homes, one can’t help noticing the raging hate displayed upon the faces of those in attendance. The murder of children, whether in the womb or not, is an atrocity of evil insanity.

There is a group of people in our society that have no regard for a holy God and will do most anything, legal or not, to have their way. You know how it goes, “the squeaky wheel gets the grease,” and our leaders have been smearing on a lot of grease lately.

Whether it’s the murder of babies or twisted sexual perversions, it matters not, as long as they get their way. It reminds me of children having temper tantrums. Unfortunately, many parents just give in and allow the child to have what they want instead of what they really need. My parents knew what we needed and were quick to see we got it. I can assure you, there were no temper tantrums in our household.

Another thing that stands out, and is holding hands with these rebellious actions, is the liberty that is being taken with the truth. Lying has become so commonplace, one doesn’t know who or what to believe anymore. Our own President is one of the biggest whopper tellers of all.

Lying was another thing with my generation that parents frowned upon, to say the least. We quickly learned that it’s better to “fess up” right from the start than to compound the problem with a lie.

God’s Word tells us in the following passage what the world will be like in the last days. We are in the last days before the Lord returns for His bride and then brings judgment on the world in what we know as the Tribulation. Rembrandt could not have painted a better picture than what we now read in the following Scripture passage.

“But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!” (2 Timothy 3:1-5) [all NKJV except where otherwise noted]

I’ve mentioned this before but would like to repeat that I used to wonder why those enduring the judgments of the Tribulation would actually curse God instead of crying out for mercy. It makes no sense. Why would you curse the only one who can help you?

“And men were scorched with great heat, and they blasphemed the name of God who has power over these plagues; and they did not repent and give Him glory” (Revelation 16:9).

Notice this verse carefully. Plagues are causing great misery upon the people. In this case, the plague is great heat that scorches mankind. Now notice who has power over the plagues. God has power over the plagues. Doesn’t it make sense to beg the one who has the power over what is making you miserable to give you mercy? Of course, it does, but instead, they curse the name of the only one who can bring relief … God.

Perhaps you will agree that we live in a world where no one wants to accept responsibility for their own actions. Most people today immediately blame someone else for all their problems.

Let’s go back to the parent-child scenario again. Let’s say that the child purposely throws eggs all over the neighbor’s car. The child’s parent finds out and gives the child a whipping and makes him clean the neighbor’s car. If the child knew what he did was wrong, he would be repentant. However, if the child felt like he was the victim, he would be angry at or even hate his parent and the neighbor. The neighbor did nothing wrong. The parent did nothing wrong. Yet, will the child truly recognize he is in the wrong? This is where true repentance (a changed attitude) comes in.

Until we repent and admit that we are sinners before a holy God, there can only be judgment ahead. Our heart must be changed. Contrary to popular opinion, man is not good, but evil continually.

“The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9).

The person who refuses to repent (change his mind about his need for a Savior) will never call upon the only One who can save his condemned soul. Instead, he will blame God and everyone else for his woes. Even as his circumstances grow worse and worse, his heart just gets harder and colder. However, the repentant man will receive mercy.

“He who covers his sins will not prosper, But whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy” (Proverbs 28:13).

Why would a man curse the very name of God when God is his only salvation? King David tells us what the Lord told him.

“I have a message from God in my heart concerning the sinfulness of the wicked: There is no fear of God before their eyes. In their own eyes they flatter themselves too much to detect or hate their sin. The words of their mouths are wicked and deceitful; they fail to act wisely or do good. Even on their beds they plot evil; they commit themselves to a sinful course and do not reject what is wrong” (Psalm 36:1-4, NIV).

The Lord says through the apostle Paul that some will be past forgiveness during the Tribulation.

“And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness” (2 Thessalonians 2:11-12).

These condemned people will curse the very name of God, as we are told in Revelation 16:9.

That can be avoided if they will repent (change their minds) now and call upon Jesus to save them.

“that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9).

Grant Phillips

Email: Phillip5769@twc.com

Pre-Rapture Commentary: http://grant-phillips.blogspot.com

Rapture Ready: https://www.raptureready.com/featured/phillips/phillips.html

Hate Speech” According to Jesus :: By Dr. Donald Whitchard

 

John 15:18-25, Matthew 24:9, Mark 13:13, Luke 21:17, 1 John 3:13, 2 Timothy 3:12

Summary: The Lord Jesus warned His Disciples that they would be hated, as He was, for telling people the truth about their sins, spiritual deadness, and the need for redemption found only in Him (John 14:6; Acts 4:12). This message is still hated by the world today. Some things never change.

I want to begin with defining a term that describes the attempts of Christians, no matter how well-meaning their intentions, who gullibly believe that they can make friends with a world system that hates them no matter what they do, say, or imitate. They will bend over backward trying to “fit in” with trends, causes, styles, and anything else in order to “be a good witness.” Some churches attempt to draw people in with gimmicks, music, and set-ups that resemble raucous concerts more than reverent times of fellowship (Hebrews 10:25). Desperate pastors and congregations will tend to do anything that gets the wicked world to look and say with a feigned admiration, “Hey, those Christians aren’t so bad after all. They’re cool like us.”

After forty years of service to the Lord Jesus Christ and witnessing all of these schemes grow, develop, and inevitably fail, allow me to give you a word of advice. Please drop the facade. This is nothing more than a “dysfunctional relationship” on your part and totally opposed to what the Lord Jesus teaches about the world system and its attitudes towards the things of God. It is nothing more than a one-sided attempt that never works as it pertains to the message of Christ and Him crucified (1 Corinthians 2:2).

The word “dysfunctional” is defined as” anything characterized by abnormal, unhealthy interpersonal behavior or interaction” (Merriam-Webster Online). The modern church as it grows more apostate with every passing day (Matthew 24:10: Luke 11:26, 14:30; 2 Thessalonians 2:3; 1 Timothy 1:19, 4:1; 2 Timothy 4:4; Hebrews 3:12; 2 Peter 3:17), fits that definition perfectly as it tears itself apart from the standards and foundation of the Scriptures and the clear teaching that true followers of Jesus Christ are to abstain from worldly, sinful practices and to avoid mixing the truth of the Gospel with the world’s false beliefs and demands.

Too many “believers” are being scared and intimidated of being labeled as partakers in “hate speech” for speaking out about the sins of the world and the need to repent and turn to Jesus for salvation. Churches that take a biblical stand against the moral free-fall obviously occurring in these last days are placed on “hate lists” by legal and government organizations that are bent on silencing God’s Word. “Big Tech” takes delight in censorship and removal of posts and videos that dare to speak out against evil and its brood. Yet, some folks under the banner of “Christianity” still want to persist in chasing after the approval of activists whose lifestyles and words clearly clash with the teachings of the Lord Jesus, hoping that if we cater to their demands, all will be well.

What does the Lord Jesus have to say about all of this nonsense?

You might not like what He has to say, but since He IS the head of the church (Ephesians 1:22, 4:15; Colossians 1:18), the King of Kings, Great Savior, and the Holy Lord God Almighty who is forever holy, just, righteous, compassionate, yet unchanging (Malachi 3:6) in His standards, decrees, and expectations, it would be a good idea to listen, as it determines our relationship with Him as well as our eternal destiny:

1) The world HATES Jesus Christ as depicted in the Scriptures. He is God in the flesh (John 1:1-4; Colossians 1:16-18; 1 John 1:1-4), Lord and Savior (Romans 5:6-11,10:9-10), and the ONLY means by which we have access to God the Father and the eternal home that awaits us (John 14:1-6). Any other “Jesus” that the world makes up or redefines in order to appease their sinful nature is false and blasphemous, and the remnant body of believers needs to be courageous enough (Joshua 1:6; John 19:10-11; Acts 4:20, 7:51) to stand and say so.

2) The world HATES the Gospel message (Mark 1:14-15; John 3:16; Acts 4:12). Humanity HATES the idea that we are sinners (Romans 1:18-32, 3:10-18) and that we cannot make ourselves right before God in our own power or ability (Ephesians 2:8-10). The world HATES the very idea of humbling themselves before God, yet all will bow to Him (Philippians 2:8-9) either as Savior or Judge one day.

3) The world HATES us who are authentic, uncompromising followers of the Lord Jesus Christ (John 15:18-20), and we should not be surprised by this, especially as we proclaim His message without fear or intimidation (Acts 2:14-39, 4:18-20). If anyone is pushing the narrative of “hate speech,” it is the very world system that does it and acts the hypocrite by placing the label on us (Proverbs 12:15, 16:2, 21:2, 30:12).

4) Any attempt to appease and live in the world as a believer is in itself contradictory and destroys our testimony

(Matthew 13:22), presents a bad example (Matthew 23:2-3), plants in the minds of the unsaved that nothing is going to happen to them (Matthew 24:38-39; Luke 12:13-21; Hebrews 9:27), and thwarts the objective of keeping our focus upon the work Jesus expects from us and the promise of the world to come (1 Corinthians 3:14,15:58; Romans 12:2; Hebrews 6:10; James 4:4, 13-14; 2 Peter 3:1-13; 1 John 2:15-17; Revelation 21:1-7).

5) Finally, if you claim to be a follower of Jesus yet live a worldly life that is devoid of any real evidence, and you live and act like everyone else, then, according to the Word of God, your “faith” is false, your “conversion” is false, and you will be judged and condemned by the Lord Jesus Christ for your phoniness and immoral, hypocritical life (Matthew 7:21-23; 2 Timothy 4:10; Hebrews 6:4-6; Revelation 20:11-15). You HATE Jesus and HIS words, even though you profess Him with your mouth. You are guilty of “hate speech” and no better than Judas. I pray that this will wake you up and get you on your knees before God in repentance and that you truly become one of His as the days get nearer for His return.

6) If you are tired and fed up with the messages of hate, vileness, wickedness, malevolence, and downright evil that marks the character of this world and its debauchery, and you want real peace and truth, then I invite you to come to Jesus (Matthew 11:28-30; John 10:28-30), repent of your sins, and ask Him to save you this day (Romans 10:9-10). The world will end up hating you and worse. Be of good cheer, however, for as the Lord Jesus told His disciples and the generations to come who would follow Him, He has overcome the world, defeated death, hell and the grave, and is coming back to make all things new.

Look up, be watchful, for our redemption draws near (Luke 21:28).

—————————-

Donald was born and reared in the authentic “Cajun Country” of southern Louisiana. He is a graduate of Louisiana College (B.A. in History Education/ Biblical Studies, 1984), New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary (M.Div. In Christian Education, 1994), and Andersonville Baptist Seminary (Doctor of Ministry, Biblical Exposition, 2000). He has been in the Gospel ministry since 1986, serving as an evangelist, interim and supply pastor, hospital and rescue mission chaplain, high school and college teacher, and pastor in churches in Louisiana and Oklahoma.

In 2018 he began to devote his time to the rich field of internet and social media evangelism and outreach. In 2021 he became a member of the Oklahoma Conference of Southern Baptist Evangelists, using his skills as a writer to contribute articles and sermons to websites such as Rapture Ready, Sermon Central, and Inspirational Christian Blogs. He also writes Bible studies and curricula for churches in southeast and central Asia and Africa, the locations of which are anonymous. He can be contacted at: donaldwhitchard@gmail.com for inquiries, information, and speaking/preaching engagements. A copy of his resume is also available upon request.